About that Speech from the Throne

Written By: - Date published: 8:33 pm, December 6th, 2023 - 45 comments
Categories: climate change, Culture wars, farming, health, Maori Issues, Politics, water - Tags: , , , ,

About that Speech from the Throne

What a snooze fest! It was boringly predictable and even mentioned the strong and stable government again, as an affirmative note from the speechwriters to themselves.

The only two Ministers who get a specific mention are the Minister for Regulation (Seymour) and the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Peters). The speech is carefully crafted and edited to reflect the views and interests of the coalition partners and to counter any doubts over how much consensus or coherence there is among them – smug & cocky comes to mind.

Obviously, the speech reflects the political agenda and ideology of NACTF. It implicitly criticises the previous government’s policies and praises the new government’s plans, without acknowledging any potential drawbacks or challenges. It also ignores the views and interests of many others who may not agree with this government’s direction.

As expected, the speech leans heavily to the Right and focuses on economic growth, productivity, and efficiency as the main goals and measures of success for the country. It advocates for tax relief, spending cuts, deregulation, and private sector involvement in various sectors and services, all straight from the RW Manual. Suffice to say, it doesn’t address the possible social, environmental, or cultural impacts or trade-offs of these policies, nor the distributional effects or equity issues that may arise from them.

Where the speech really becomes unhinged is in & by its cultural bias. The speech starts & finishes with a token Māori greeting, but otherwise doesn’t acknowledge or respect the diversity and identity of New Zealand’s people and cultures. For example, it proposes to disestablish the Māori Health Authority, repeal the Three Waters legislation, and remove references to the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi from other legislation. It also implies that different rights and responsibilities based on race or ancestry are undesirable or divisive, rather than a recognition of historical and contemporary realities and aspirations.

The Māori Health Authority was created to address the health inequities and disparities faced by Māori, who have poorer health outcomes and lower life expectancy than non-Māori. The abolishment shows a lack of understanding and empathy for the historical and contemporary factors that affect Māori health, such as colonisation, discrimination, poverty, and trauma. It also undermines the principle of self-determination and autonomy, which are paramount in fully consented health care, which is enshrined in the Treaty of Waitangi.

The repeal of the Three Waters legislation, which aimed to improve the management and delivery of drinking water, wastewater, and storm water services, while ensuring the protection of Māori rights and interests in water, shows a disregard and disrespect for the cultural and spiritual significance of water for Māori, who view water as a taonga and a source of life. It also violates the principle of participation and consultation that is required by the Treaty of Waitangi, as well as the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), which New Zealand has endorsed under the previous National government.

In the speech, the new Government proposes to remove references to the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi from other legislation. This shows a denial and rejection of the relevance and importance of the Treaty of Waitangi as the constitutional foundation of New Zealand and the extensive supportive existing legal framework, and the basis for a fair and just relationship between Māori and the Crown. It also contradicts the principle of protection and redress that is expected by the Treaty of Waitangi, e.g., through the Waitangi Tribunal, as well as the international human rights standards and obligations to which New Zealand has committed.

The speech indicates that the Government will restrict the use of land for carbon sequestration, which may affect the economic and environmental opportunities for Māori landowners and iwi, who have significant interests in forestry and climate change mitigation.

Taken together, these proposals reflect a cultural bias that is rooted in a narrow and exclusive vision of NZ that prioritises the interests and values of the dominant group, and marginalises and silences the voices and perspectives of the diverse and multicultural communities that make up Aotearoa New Zealand. Such a cultural bias isn’t only unfair and unjust, but also harmful and dangerous, as it erodes the social cohesion and unity, and fuels resentment and conflict that could threaten stability and security. This is in direct contrast to the rhetoric elsewhere in & of the speech and illustrates that people read what they want to read, as is known full-well by the speechwriters.

This isn’t a time for cynicism but instead for laser-sharp criticism of this Government, and to pull them up at every occasion on transparency & accountability and pin them down at every opportunity on specific evidence & relevant facts – they will be weakest at the start of this term and this is the time to rattle them and shake their smugness confidence.

45 comments on “About that Speech from the Throne ”

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  1. Ad 1
    6 December 2023 at 8:51 pm

    Any chance of a link, or quote?

  2. Patricia Bremner 2
    6 December 2023 at 9:37 pm

    They are vindictive dismissive and dangerous. The three headed horror is just wrecking all established custom and law, back to might is right. Complete with lips drawn back from his teeth the new PM finger pointed and wagged, telling us it was new management. Not Leadership … no….. management of backroom decisions made by three cavalier men indifferent to the harm to our social fabric, as it distracts from their other plans.
    The stirred hornet nest will sting and distract and allow Law and Order to be deployed. Sad, sad.
    However they may just have over reached.

  3. Anne 3
    6 December 2023 at 9:38 pm

    This isn’t a time for cynicism but instead for laser-sharp criticism of this Government, and to pull them up at every occasion on transparency & accountability and pin them down at every opportunity on specific evidence & relevant facts.

    Absolutely! What is more, this new government is providing them with unprecedented fodder which should enable the Opposition parties to feed on it for the next three years.

    TPM is first out of the block but Labour and the Greens should not be far away. It is a time when all three parties need to work closely together on an agreed strategy that will enable them to take full advantage of the negative effects this government’s policies are going to have on the country as a whole.

    • Incognito 3.1
      6 December 2023 at 9:48 pm

      Not just the opposition parties but also the media (MSM and SM) have an important role to play in holding this shambolic Government to account and each and every individual can do the same and even submit OIA requests and submit in consultation rounds (e.g., of Parliamentary Sub-Committees), public enquiries, et cetera – this is democracy in action at the grassroots level. Or will ACT only pay lip service to freedom of speech & opinion and allow NZF to attempt to muzzle MSM?

      • Kat 3.1.1
        6 December 2023 at 10:15 pm

        "Not just the opposition parties but also the media (MSM and SM) have an important role to play in holding this shambolic Government to account………"

        Best to be optimistic, always look on the bright side of life……..but…..look at the MSM, who is in it, who reports daily……and, well…..do you really think its going to happen….

        Unless of course there is a new in depth political show headed by Kim Hill in the making……

        • Anne 3.1.1.1
          6 December 2023 at 10:52 pm

          I agree Kat. John Key effectively bribed the MSM with bottles of wine from his vineyard. Worked a treat. He had most of them living in his pocket. For all his adherence to Christianity, I can see Luxon doing likewise only it would probably be something else.

          • Robert Guyton 3.1.1.1.1
            7 December 2023 at 8:30 am

            "something else"?

            Framed photos of Judith kneeling at the pew?

            Free passes to The Upper Room?

            A golden hair from his Magisterial head…

            …oh…

            …hang on…

      • Incognito 3.1.2
        7 December 2023 at 8:53 am

        I meant Parliamentary Select Committees.

  4. SPC 4
    7 December 2023 at 9:00 am

    angelSure the political right (in all 5 Eyes nations) is taking neo-liberalism to the point of requiring an authoritarian regime to suppress an oppressed majority (as it will be post the home owning boomer generation).

    Both reason and compassion is absent in the hydra headed coalition because they are driven by short term greed – class war agenda by the haves.

  5. Ad 5
    7 December 2023 at 10:08 am

    The left won't win with the same old pc lines defending all the wet causes we spent the last 6 years funding.

    It might win the first 6 months. If we unify by supporting each other even if we don't particularly agree with what's been marched for, and if the mainstream media continue to favour the left's same liberal causes.

    It won't win more than that.

    • That_guy 5.1
      7 December 2023 at 12:08 pm

      I agree. We have got to stop doing a Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and saying that every question is either stupid ("you just don't understand, you need to educate yourself") or <something>ist. We need to start listening and have an honest appraisal of why we lost.

      It also implies that different rights and responsibilities based on race or ancestry are undesirable or divisive

      I don't hold this position because life is more complicated than that and IMHO some stuff got stolen and it should be returned, and the only practical way of doing so does involve race and ancestry.

      What I will not do is characterise anyone who holds this position as stupid and/or racist. I'm sure some of them are. But really, what's the play? If someone holds this position because they are racist, calling them racist won't make them less so. If someone holds this position because of a genuinely held belief that colourblindness is a good thing and left-wing perspective, calling them racist will drive them into the arms of the right. Which is why we lost.

    • SPC 5.2
      7 December 2023 at 2:31 pm

      What was your problem with Hipkins and his calls then?

      • That_guy 5.2.1
        7 December 2023 at 3:24 pm

        Well, quite a few, including the “captains call” ruling out a wealth tax, but the main problem is he’s not a captain and our country isn’t a ship and he did not have the authority to make that call.

        • SPC 5.2.1.1
          7 December 2023 at 3:37 pm

          Ad does not refer to captains calls. It refers to standing by wet policy positions.

          If he means traditional Labour ones, what was his problem with Hipkins captains calls?

          • That_guy 5.2.1.1.1
            7 December 2023 at 4:05 pm

            Well Hipkins is still leader, and he's ruled out a wealth tax while he is leader, so I'd call that "standing by a wet policy position".

    • Incognito 5.3
      9 December 2023 at 3:26 pm

      Your comment is a classical binary misinterpretation of the OP, which is a criticism of the new Government, not a defence of the old one.

      You seem to have been reading different MSM pieces than I have over the last 3 years, in particular.

      Your comment would have been a useful derail, at least, if it had offered any specific insight that could have been used as a segue into something less superficial and simplistic than a whining repeat of RW talking points.

      The new Government is offering nothing more than the same old, same old and no alternatives that we could use for moving forward. Its thinking and actions are deconstructive and retrograde and backward looking and navel-gazing is the last thing the Left should be doing right now (and definitely not under this Post!).

  6. That_guy 6
    7 December 2023 at 12:19 pm

    Calling something a "dog whistle" implies that anyone who responds to that message is a dog.

    Yet to be convinced that's a good electoral strategy. Not seeing much honest self-reflection of why we lost.

    • SPC 6.1
      7 December 2023 at 2:27 pm

      Check out the actual meaning of the term dog whistle.

      The only place one finds people called dogs is in the Christian bible – immoral dogs and dogs outside a city. It is presumably from this source that a term for a pregnant female with a dubious male partner derives.

      • That_guy 6.1.1
        7 December 2023 at 2:55 pm

        I’ll do that if you check out the actual meaning of the term “electoral loss”.

        Pretty funny that I make a point about perhaps not telling people constantly that they should educate themselves and in the same thread I get told to educate myself. Point proven.

        • SPC 6.1.1.1
          7 December 2023 at 3:00 pm

          No a strawman does not work.

          You made a statement of untruth, that you cannot defend.

          That is called losing.

          • That_guy 6.1.1.1.1
            7 December 2023 at 3:22 pm

            lol yeah because “dog whistle” means “a device for emitting sounds in a particular frequency” and only ever means that and words never change meanings in different contexts and people don’t ever interpret the meanings of words according to a particular political context. Cool story bro.

            • SPC 6.1.1.1.1.1
              7 December 2023 at 3:32 pm

              Educate yourself and stop making up stuff about a site moderator – are you ignorant of site policy?

              https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog_whistle_(politics)

              • That_guy …
                7 December 2023 at 4:02 pm

                Yeah, ok, "educate myself". Yep. Let me explain in greater detail. This post IMHO implies that the statement:

                "different rights and responsibilities based on race or ancestry are undesirable or divisive"

                Is a dog whistle. Not a value, or a position, or a honestly held belief. A dog whistle. Even if you accept that the political meaning of that term is the only possible meaning, which I do not, what this says is that it's not a belief worth discussing or respecting, despite the fact that about 15 years ago it was a perfectly respectable position on the left. It clearly falls into the category of denigrating and casually dismissing honestly held positions or beliefs of potential left voters.

                And all I said was: I am not convinced using this language is a good political strategy. Because some people on the left are in the bad habit of characterising honestly held positions of others as stupid or evil, by saying things like "educate yourself" or "you're <something>ist."

                And then you come along and tell me to educate myself.
                And then other posters actually explain to me the political meaning of the term "dog whistle" as if I don't already know and as if it's impossible for suitably motivated people to interpret it in another way.

                Which simultaneously misses my point and proves it.

                • SPC …
                  7 December 2023 at 4:08 pm

                  Evasion.

                  Calling something a "dog whistle" implies that anyone who responds to that message is a dog.

                  No it does not. End of.

                  • That_guy …
                    7 December 2023 at 4:15 pm

                    Do you believe that the statement:

                    "different rights and responsibilities based on race or ancestry are undesirable or divisive"

                    is:
                    1) a coded message designed specifically to appeal to racists without actually being blatantly racist

                    or

                    2) a moral and political position that some people on both the left and the right honestly hold?

                    • SPC …
                      7 December 2023 at 5:37 pm

                      That is a question for the person who wrote the post, they might make a response if you ask them to.

    • Incognito 6.2
      9 December 2023 at 3:32 pm

      You’ve been commenting on this site for over 7 years and you claim or pretend not to understand what dog whistle means!?

      In fact, you used the term only 6 months ago:

      I agree that they aren't really interested in road safety, and I agree that it's a dog whistle. [my italics]

      https://thestandard.org.nz/blowin-in-the-wind/#comment-1952136

      FYI, ‘dog whistle’ is a very well-known term in politics:

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog_whistle_(politics)

      So, please don’t insult our intelligence.

      Stick to the topic of the OP or take it somewhere else, e.g., OM, a Guest Post, or start your own blog.

  7. Patricia Bremner 7
    7 December 2023 at 1:00 pm

    Ok start victim blaming!! That is silly.

    We lost because they have money and we don't.

    They have billionaires and we don't.

    They have well supported well resourced representatives and we don't.

    Our representatives failed to represent us, and went off on some tangent. Some were shown to be inadequate.

    Too many people did not value the social gains, so they voted for the money, because their pockets were effected by events.

    When people get scared, they vote conservatively.

    Buyer’s remorse is setting in as they read the fine print, and the see the tears in the social fabric.

    • That_guy 7.1
      7 December 2023 at 1:12 pm

      Thank you for at least starting a conversation about why we lost.

      We lost because they have money and we don't.

      They have billionaires and we don't.

      They have well supported well resourced representatives and we don't.

      All of these things were still true in the years that we won.

      Our representatives failed to represent us, and went off on some tangent. Some were shown to be inadequate.

      Agree.

      Too many people did not value the social gains, so they voted for the money.

      Disagree, I don't think people voted "for" anything. This was a vote against something.. a set of values that they didn't agree with, because some reasonable questions about those values weren't answered.

      My idea (and it is only an idea that deserves to be inspected and challenged) is that we got into a bad habit of characterising anyone with questions or reservations as stupid ("you don't understand, you should educate yourself") or biased ("you are <something>ist or <something>phobic and therefore are evil, so your opinion doesn't count").

      When that happens, no human ever says "why yes, I am what you say I am, I'll educate and decolonise myself forthwith". What they do say is "FU, I'm off to vote for Winston First".

      For example, with Treaty settlements, I would respond to people saying "why should we allocate resources on the basis of race" by saying first that it's a reasonable question, and second by pointing to specifics. Like the time when there were two laws on the books simultaneously, one prohibiting Māori from developing their land, one confiscating Māori land that was undeveloped. And I'd say: stuff got stolen, on the basis of race and heredity. So for practical purposes we must include race and heredity in the return of that stuff.

      And that's the start of a conversation, and conversations is how we win votes. Implying that people are dogs isn't.

      • Kat 7.1.1
        7 December 2023 at 3:19 pm

        In politics, a dog whistle is the use of coded or suggestive language in political messaging to garner support from a particular group without provoking opposition. The concept is named after ultrasonic dog whistles, which are audible to dogs but not humans…………………

        It is a misnomer that the saying 'dog whistle' implies people are actual dogs…….words, context and meanings are very important in language…..otherwise communications and understandings become garbled…..

        • That_guy 7.1.1.1
          7 December 2023 at 3:33 pm

          You can’t stop people interpreting language in a way that doesn’t necessarily match the Oxford English Dictionary, and using this loaded term gives people yet another reason to think that the left looks down on them if they are inclined to do so. It’s a bad strategy.

      • Patricia Bremner 7.1.2
        7 December 2023 at 5:53 pm

        They did not vote for the $250 a fortnight? They fell for the sprat to catch a mackerel.

        Any money voters get will quickly be eaten up in fees and rate rises meeting tax blow out shortfalls. They will quickly be in negative territory as these inflationary policies are enacted. ie it is being admitted that Auckland rates will balloon, all rates will be higher to pay higher commercial insurance costs and meet storm repairs.

        This government wants private public arrangements, where shareholders take the wealth in dividends, while the rest of us pay as we use and cover any losses.

        Todays pirates come in suits.

      • Incognito 7.1.3
        9 December 2023 at 3:44 pm

        You build a straw man.

        You burn down the straw man.

        It’s a monologue with yourself and you feel good about yourself, obviously. Work on your listening skills before you comment again under my Posts.

  9. Mike the Lefty 9
    7 December 2023 at 4:56 pm

    I suspect that King Charles would neither know nor care about what his representative the GG says in his name. If he did I'm sure the speech would have been substantially different.

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    Note: An earlier version of this article noted Levy was a “party time Health NZ commissioner” - this has been updated - forgive my Freudian slip.Dr Lester Levy is charging $320,000 a year to be a part time Health NZ commissioner. Rachel Thomas reports that Levy is still teaching 2 ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    3 days ago
  • Postcard from Sydney: Southwest and City Metro extension

    This is a guest post from Sydney reader Nik Clement After 2 years in Auckland I moved back to Sydney just over a year ago. While in Auckland, I went to the opening of Puhinui station and used it a fair bit, living in Manukau Central and being able ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    3 days ago
  • Tolling revolt brewing in National heartland

    Kia ora. Long stories short, here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Wednesday, September 18:Locals gathered in Woodville last night to protest at the National-ACT-NZ First Government’s decision to toll the new road linking the Manawatu and Hawkes Bay, saying ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • The doom spiral

    This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler In his last post, Zeke discussed incredible warmth of 2023 and 2024 and its implications for future warming. A few readers looked at it and freaked out: This is terrifying and This update really put me in a ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago
  • Government directs Te Puni Kōkiri to conduct Māori Language Week in English

    The coalition government has issued a directive to Te Puni Kōkiri, the Ministry of Māori Development, instructing them that – in the interests of clear communication – they are to conduct this year’s Māori Language Week primarily or exclusively in English. The directive is in line with the Government’s policy ...
    The CivilianBy Ben Uffindell
    4 days ago
  • Government celebrates fact that New Zealand’s healthcare is so good people are queuing up for it a...

    At yesterday’s post-cabinet press conference, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, flanked by his Health Minister Shane Reti and someone we can’t independently verify was a real sign language interpreter, announced that he had some positive news for the country. “Alright team, I’m just going to hand over to uh, Dr. Shane, ...
    The CivilianBy Ben Uffindell
    4 days ago
  • Heartwarming: Thoughtful driver uses indicator to tell you what they’ve just done

    It’s 4:10pm in the morning, and you’re in the middle lane heading north on the great southern motorway of our nation’s capital, Auckland. There are no cars directly in front of you, but quite a few in the lane to your left. Suddenly, without warning, a black ute enters your ...
    The CivilianBy Ben Uffindell
    4 days ago
  • NPC teams will now be allowed to actually use the Ranfurly Shield in play

    Following decades of controversy, the governing body of New Zealand rugby, New Zealand Rugby, has ruled that the team currently holding the Ranfurly Shield may once again use it in play during the National Provincial Championship (NPC). The ruling restores the utility of a prize that for many years was ...
    The CivilianBy Ben Uffindell
    4 days ago
  • Climbing out of the hamster wheel

    I arrived home with a head full of fresh ideas about mindfulness and curbing impulsive aspects in my character.On the second night home I grabbed a piece of ginger and began swiftly slicing it on our industrial strength mandolin, the one I have learned through painful experience to treat with ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago
  • More Notes From Stinky Town

    Good morning, folks. Another wee note from a chilly Rotorua morning that looks much clearer than yesterday. As I write, the pink glow in the east is slowly growing, and soon, the palest of blue skies should become a bit more royal.A couple of people mentioned yesterday that I should ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • Make it make sense: why axe valuable local projects?

    Last week, Matt looked at how the government wants to pour a huge chunk of civic infrastructure funding for a generation  into one mega-road up North, at huge cost and huge opportunity cost. A smaller but no less important feature of the National Land Transport Plan devised by Minister of Transport ...
    Greater AucklandBy Jolisa
    4 days ago
  • Driving blind at higher speeds

    An open letter by experts about plans to raise speed limits warns the “tragic consequence will be more New Zealanders losing their lives or suffering severe injury, along with a substantial burden on the nation's healthcare and rehabilitation services”. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāKia ora. Long stories short, here’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • 2024’s unusually persistent warmth

    This is a re-post from The Climate Brink My inaugural post on The Climate Brink 18 months ago looked at the year 2024, and found that it was likely to be the warmest year on record on the back of a (than forecast) El Nino event. I suggested “there is a real chance ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago
  • National plan for 2000 more Kiwis a year in prison

    Open for allYesterday, Luxon congratulated his government on a job well done with emergency housing numbers, but advocates have been saying it‘s likely many are on the streets and sleeping in cars.Q&A featured some of the folks this weekend - homeless and in cars. Yes.The government’s also confirmed they stopped ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    4 days ago
  • I Found a Note in a Tree

    Hi,On most days I try to go on a walk through nature to clear my head from the horrors of life. Because as much as I like people, I also think it’s incredibly important to get very far away from them. To be reminded that there are also birds, lizards, ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    4 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Politicians need to lift their game

    Declining trust in New Zealand politicians should be a warning to them to lift their game. Results from the New Zealand Election Study for the 2023 election show that the level of trust in politicians has once again declined. Perhaps it is not surprising that the results, shared as part ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    5 days ago
  • Police say they won’t respond to bomb threats anymore as ‘it’s never anything’

    Police Commissioner Andrew Coster says that New Zealand’s police force will no longer respond to bomb threats, in an attempt to cut costs and redirect police resources to less boring activities. Coster said that threat response and bomb disposal was a “fairly obvious” area for downsizing, as bomb threats are ...
    The CivilianBy Ben Uffindell
    5 days ago
  • A dysfunctional watchdog

    The reality of any right depends on how well it is enforced. But as The Post points out this morning, our right to official information isn't being enforced very well at all: More than a quarter of complaints about access to official information languish for more than a year, ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Climate Change: The threat of a good example

    Since taking office, the climate-denier National government has gutted agricultural emissions pricing, ended the clean car discount, repealed water quality standards which would have reduced agricultural emissions, gutted the clean car standard, killed the GIDI scheme, and reversed efforts to reduce pollution subsidies in the ETS - basically every significant ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Vegas Baby

    Good morning, lovely people. Don’t worry. This isn’t really a newsletter, just a quick note. I’m sitting in our lounge, looking out over a gloomy sky. Although being Rotorua, the view is periodically interrupted by steam bursting from pipes and dispersing—like an Eastern European industrial hellscape during the Cold War.Drinking ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Why Entrust Needs New Leadership

    I am part of a new team running in the Entrust election in October. Entrust is a community electricity trust representing a significant part of Auckland, set up to serve the community. It is governed by five trustees are elected every three years in an election the trust itself oversees. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    5 days ago
  • London Bridge is falling down

    In the UK, London is the latest of council groups to signal potential bankruptcy.That’s after Birmingham, Britain’s second largest city, went bankrupt in June, resulting in reduced sanitation services, libraries cut, and dimmed streetlights.Some in the city described things as “Dickens” like.Please, Sir, Can I have some more?For families with ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    5 days ago
  • Govt may kick elderly out of hospitals

    The Government is considering how to shunt elderly people out of hospitals, and also how to cut their access to other support. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāKia ora. Long stories short, here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Monday, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Getting the nephs off the couch

    The so-called “Prince of the Provinces”, Shane Jones, went home last Friday. Perhaps not quite literally home, more like 20 kilometres down the road from his house on the outskirts of Kerikeri. With its airport, its rapidly growing (mostly retired) population, and a commercial centre with all the big retail ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • De moralibus orcorum: Sargon of Akkad, Rings of Power, Evil, and George R.R. Martin

    I have noted before that The Rings of Power has attracted its unfortunate share of culture war obsessives. Essentially, for a certain type of individual, railing on about the Wokery of Modern Media is a means of making themselves a online livelihood. Clicks and views and advertising revenue, and all ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    6 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #37

    A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, September 8, 2024 thru Sat, September 14, 2024. Story of the week From time to time we like to make our Story of the Week all about us— and ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago
  • Salvation For Us All

    Yesterday, I ruminated about the effects of being a political follower.And, within politics, David Seymour was smart enough on Friday to divert attention from “race blind” policies [what about gender blind I thought - thinking of maternity wards] and cutting school lunches by throwing meat to the media. Teachers were ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • A warm embrace

    Far, far away from here lives our King. Some of his subjects can be quite the forelock tuggers, but plenty of us are not like that, and why don't I wheel out my favourite old story once more about Kiwi soldiers in the North African desert?Field Marshal Montgomery takes offence ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • Literal clowns are running the place, we must put a timeout on this stupidity… right Aotearoa?

    These people are inept on every level. They’re inept to the detriment of our internal politics, cohesion and increasingly our international reputation. And they are reveling in the fact they are getting away with it. We cannot even have “respectful debate” with a government that clearly rejects the very ...
    exhALANtBy exhalantblog
    7 days ago
  • Fact brief – Does manmade CO2 have any detectable fingerprint?

    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 from the Gigafact team in collaboration with John Mason. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Does manmade CO2 have any ...
    Skeptical Science
    7 days ago
  • Judge Not.

    Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. Matthew 7:1-2FOUR HUNDRED AND FORTY men and women professing the Christian faith would appear to have imperilled their immortal souls. ...
    Bowalley Road
    7 days ago
  • Managed Democracy: Letting The People Decide, But Only When They Can Be Relied Upon To Give the Righ...

    Uh-uh! Not So Fast, Citizens! The power to initiate systemic change remains where it has always been in New Zealand’s representative democracy – in Parliament. To order a binding referendum, the House of Representatives must first to be persuaded that, on the question proposed, sharing its decision-making power with the people ...
    Bowalley Road
    7 days ago
  • Looking For Labour’s Vital Signs.

    Flatlining: With no evidence of a genuine policy disruptor at work in Labour’s ranks, New Zealand’s wealthiest citizens can sleep easy.PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN has walked a picket-line. Presidential candidate Kamala Harris has threatened “price-gauging” grocery retailers with price control. The Democratic Party’s 2024 platform situates it well to the left of Sir ...
    Bowalley Road
    7 days ago
  • Forty Years Of Remembering To Forget.

    The Beginning of the End: Rogernomics became the short-hand descriptor for all the radical changes that swept away New Zealand’s social-democratic economy and society between 1984 and 1990. In the bitterest of ironies, those changes were introduced by the very same party which had entrenched New Zealand social-democracy 50 years earlier. ...
    Bowalley Road
    7 days ago
  • Kōrero Mai – Speak to Me.

    Good morning all you lovely people. 🙂I woke up this morning, and it felt a bit like the last day of school. You might recall from earlier in the week that I’m heading home to Rotorua to see an old friend who doesn’t have much time. A sad journey, but ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Winning ways

    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on anything you may have missed. Street architecture adjustment, KolkataShare Read more ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago
  • 48 seconds on a plan that would reverberate for a million years

    Despite fears that Trump presidency would be disastrous for progress on climate change, the topic barely rated a mention in the Presidential debate. Photo: Getty ImagesLong stories short, here’s the top six news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above between Bernard Hickey ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Using blunt instruments and magical thinking to ignore evidence of harm

    The abrupt cancellations and suspensions of Government spending also caused private sector hiring, spending, and investment to freeze up for the first six months of the year. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāThis week we learned:The new National/ACT/NZ First Coalition Government ignored advice from Treasury that it didn’t have to ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Is This A Dagger Which I See Before Me: A Review and Analysis of The Rings of Power Episode 5 (Seaso...

    Another week of The Rings of Power, season two, and another confirmation that things are definitely coming together for the show. The fifth Episode of season one represented the nadir of the series. Now? Amid the firmer footing of 2024, Episode Five represents further a further step towards excellent Tolkien ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago
  • In Open Seas; A Book

    The background to In Open Seas: How the New Zealand Labour Government Went Wrong:2017-2023Not in Narrow Seas: The Economic History of Aotearoa New Zealand, published in 2020, proved more successful than either I or the publisher (VUP, now Te Herenga Waka University Press) expected. I had expected that it would ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 week ago
  • The Hoon around the week to Sept 13

    The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts and talking about the week’s news with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on the latest climate science on rising temperatures and the climate implications of the US Presidential elections; and special guests Janet ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Do or do not. There is no try

    1. Upon receiving evidence that school lunches were doing a marvellous job of improving outcomes for students, David Seymour did what?a. Declared we need much more of this sort of good news and poured extra resources and funding into them b. Emailed Atlas network to ask what to do next c. Cut ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago
  • Dangerous ground

    The Waitangi Tribunal has reported back on National's proposed changes to gut the Marine and Coastal Area Act and steal the foreshore and seabed for its greedy fishing-industry donors, and declared it to be another huge violation of ti Tiriti: The Waitangi Tribunal has found government changes to the ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago
  • Climate Change: National wants to cheat on Paris

    In 2016, the then-National government signed the Paris Agreement, committing Aotearoa to a 30 (later 50) percent reduction in emissions by 2030. When questioned about how they intended to meet that target with their complete absence of effective climate policy, they made a lot of noise about how it was ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago
  • Treasury warned Govt lower debt limits meant less ‘productivity-enhancing investment’

    Treasury’s advice to Cabinet was that the new Government could actually prudently carry net core Crown debt of up to 50% of GDP. But Luxon and Willis instead chose to portray the Government’s finances as in such a mess they had no choice but to carve 6.5% to 7.5% off ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago

  • Tourism on the table for Pacific Ministers’ meet-up

    Tourism and Hospitality Minister Matt Doocey will meet with Trade and Tourism Minister of Australia Don Farrell and Fiji Deputy Prime Minister Manoa Kamikamica in Rotorua this weekend for a trilateral tourism discussion. “Like in New Zealand, tourism plays a significant role in Australia and Fiji’s economy, contributing massively to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago
  • Young people report on family and sexual violence

    The Te Puna Aonui Expert Advisory Group for Children and Young People has presented its report today on improving family and sexual violence outcomes for young people, to the Minister for the Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence, Karen Chhour.  The presentation at the Auckland event was an opportunity for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago
  • $18 million being invested in the victims of crime

    The Government is putting more than $18 million towards improving the experience of the criminal justice system for victims, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith and Minister for Children Karen Chhour say. “No one should experience crime, but for those who through no fault of their own become victims, they need to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago
  • Landmark phonics check in te reo Māori

    For the first time, schools can use a purpose-built tool to check how a child is progressing in reading through te reo Māori. “Around 45 schools are trialling a New Zealand first te reo Māori phonics check, known as Hihira Weteoro. It will help kaiako (teachers) focus on what ākonga ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    23 hours ago
  • New sea walls safeguard Ōpōtiki’s transformation

    Two new breakwater walls at Pākihikura (Ōpōtiki) Harbour will provide boats with safe harbour access to support the continued growth of aquaculture in Bay of Plenty, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters and Regional Development Minister Shane Jones say. The Ministers and leaders from Tē Tāwharau o Te Whakatōhea and other ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Kitmap to improve access to science infrastructure

    Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins today announced an online platform to optimise the use of New Zealand’s science and technology research infrastructure and to link the public and private sector. “This country is home to world-class science, technology, and engineering expertise. Kitmap is set to empower Kiwi innovators, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Driving the uptake of low emission heavy vehicles

    The Government has launched the Low Emissions Heavy Vehicle Fund (LEHVF) to promote innovation and offset the cost of hundreds of heavy vehicles powered by clean technologies, Energy Minister Simeon Brown and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts say. “Boosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Government’s plan ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech on replacing the Resource Management Act

    Replacing the RMA Hon Chris Bishop: Good morning, it is great to be with you. Can I first acknowledge the Resource Management Law Association for hosting us here today. Can I also acknowledge my Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Simon Court, who is on stage with me. He has assisted me in establishing the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Replacement for the Resource Management Act takes shape

    Two new laws will be developed to replace the Resource Management Act (RMA), with the enjoyment of property rights as their guiding principle, RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Parliamentary Under-Secretary Simon Court say. “The RMA was passed with good intentions in 1991 but has proved a failure in practice. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Tough laws pass to make gang life uncomfortable

    Legislation passed through Parliament today will provide police and the courts with additional tools to crack down on gangs that peddle misery and intimidation throughout New Zealand, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “From November 21, gang insignia will be banned in all public places, courts will be able to issue non-consorting orders, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • New levy rates set to ensure continued funding of FENZ

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government has agreed to the rates for the redesigned levy that will fund Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) from July 2026.  “Earlier this year FENZ consulted publicly on a 5.2 percent increase to the levy. I was not convinced that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Police allocate Officers to Beat and Gang Units

    The Coalition Government welcomes Police’s announcement today to deploy more police on the beat and staff to Gang Disruption Units.  An additional 70 officers will be allocated to Community Beat Teams across towns and regional centres.  This builds on the deployment of beat officers in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch CBDs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Consultation begins on significant updates to the biosecurity system

    Proposals to strengthen the country’s vital biosecurity system, including higher fines for passengers bringing in undeclared high-risk goods, greater flexibility around importing requirements, and fairer cost sharing for biosecurity responses have been released today for public consultation. Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard says “The future is about resilience and the 30-year-old ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Wānaka community to benefit from new overnight health service

    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says an Overnight Acute Care Service opening in October will provide people in Wānaka and the surrounding area with the assurance of quality overnight care closer to home.  “When I was in Wānaka earlier this year, I announced funding for an overnight health service – ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Preventing potholes with data-driven technology

    The Government is rolling out data collection vans across the country to better understand the condition of our road network to prevent potholes from forming in the first place, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.  “Increasing productivity to help rebuild our economy is a key priority for the Government and increasing ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • GDP data shows effect of high interest rates

    Gross Domestic Product (GDP) data for the quarter to June 2024 reinforces how an extended period of high interest rates has meant tough times for families, businesses, and communities, but recent indications show the economy is starting to bounce back, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ data released today ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • NZ to host first Fiji, Australia trilateral trade Ministers’ meeting in Rotorua

    Trade Minister Todd McClay will host Fijian Deputy Prime Minister Manoa Kamikamica and Australian Trade Minister Don Farrell for trilateral trade talks in Rotorua this weekend. “Fiji is one of the largest economies in the Pacific and is a respected partner for Australia and New Zealand,” Mr McClay says. Australia and New Zealand ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • NZ hosts Annual CER Trade Ministers’ meeting in Rotorua

    Trade Minister Todd McClay will meet with Australian Trade Minister Don Farrell for the annual Closer Economic Relations (CER) Trade Ministers’ meeting in Rotorua this weekend.  “CER is our most comprehensive agreement covering trade, labour mobility, harmonisation of standards and political cooperation. It underpins an important trading relationship worth $32 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government proposing changes to jury trials

    The Government is seeking the public’s feedback on two major changes to jury trials in order to improve court timeliness, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “The first proposal would increase the offence threshold at which a defendant can decide to have their case heard by a jury. “The second is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Business key to regional economic dialogue

    Local businesses and industries need to be front and centre in conversations about how regions plan to grow their economies, Regional Development Shane Jones says. The nationwide series of summits aims to facilitate conversations about regional economic growth and opportunities to drive productivity, prosperity and resilience through the Coalition Government’s Regional ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • More funding for Growing Up in New Zealand study

    The Government is investing $16.8 million over the next four years to extend the Growing Up in New Zealand (GUiNZ) Longitudinal Study. GUiNZ is New Zealand’s largest longitudinal study of child health and wellbeing and has followed the lives of more than 6000 children born in 2009 and 2010, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Tough targets for charter schools will raise achievement

    Associate Education Minister David Seymour says that Charter Schools will face a combination of minimum performance thresholds and stretch targets for achievement, attendance and financial sustainability. “Charter schools will be given greater freedom to respond to diverse student needs in innovative ways, but they will be held to a much ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • NZ votes for Middle East resolution at UN

    New Zealand has voted for a United Nations resolution on Israel’s presence in occupied Palestinian Territory with some caveats, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.    “New Zealand’s yes vote is fundamentally a signal of our strong support for international law and the need for a two-state solution,” Mr Peters says.    “The Israel-Palestine ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Honouring the legacy of New Zealand’s suffragists

    Suffrage Day is an opportunity to reaffirm New Zealand’s commitment to ensuring we continue to be a world leader in gender equality, Minister for Women Nicola Grigg says. “On 19 September, 131 years ago, New Zealand became the first nation in the world where women gained the right to vote. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Foreign Minister to travel to New York, French Polynesia

    Foreign Minister Winston Peters is travelling to New York next week to attend the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, followed by a visit to French Polynesia. “In the context of the myriad regional and global crises, our engagements in New York will demonstrate New Zealand’s strong support for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Thanking social workers on their national day

    “Today, on Aotearoa New Zealand Social Workers’ Day, I would like to recognise the tremendous effort social workers make not just today, but every day,” Children’s Minister and Minister for the Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence Karen Chhour says. “I thank all those working on the front line for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Minister of State for Trade heads to Laos for ASEAN meetings

    Minister of State for Trade Nicola Grigg will travel to Laos this week to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Economic Ministers’ Meetings in Vientiane.   “The Government is committed to strengthening our relationship with ASEAN,” Ms Grigg says. “With next year marking 50 years since New Zealand became ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Members appointed to retail crime MAG

    The Government has appointed four members to the Ministerial Advisory Group for victims of retail crime, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith and Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee say. “I am delighted to appoint Michael Hill’s national retail manager Michael Bell to the group, as well as Waikato community advocate and business ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Speech to the New Zealand Nurses Organisation AGM and Conference 2024

    It’s my pleasure to be here to join the opening of the NZNO AGM and Conference for 2024.  First, I’d like to thank NZNO Kaiwhakahaere Kerri Nuku, NZNO President, Anne Daniels, and Chief Execuitve Paul Gaulter for inviting me to speak today.  Thank you also to all the NZNO members ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Improvements for New Zealand authors

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says changes to the Public Lending Right [PLR] scheme will help benefit both the National Library and authors who have books available in New Zealand libraries. “I am amending the regulations so that eligible authors will no longer have to reapply every year ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister commends Police for gang operation

    Police Minister Mark Mitchell congratulates Police for the outstanding result of their most recent operation, targeting the Comancheros. “That Police have been able to round up the majority of the Comancheros leadership, and many of their patched members and prospects, shows not only the capability of Police, but also shows ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • New appointments to the EPA board

    Environment Minister Penny Simmonds has announced a major refresh of the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) board with four new appointments and one reappointment.   The new board members are Barry O’Neil, Jennifer Scoular, Alison Stewart and Nancy Tuaine, who have been appointed for a three-year term ending in August 2027.  “I would ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Enabling rural recovery works in Hawke’s Bay

    Cabinet has approved an Order in Council to enable severe weather recovery works to continue in the Hawke’s Bay, Environment Minister Penny Simmonds and Minister for Emergency Management and Recovery Mark Mitchell say. “Cyclone Gabrielle and the other severe weather events in early 2023 caused significant loss and damage to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • FamilyBoost childcare payment registrations open

    From today, low-to-middle-income families with young children can register for the new FamilyBoost payment, to help them meet early childhood education (ECE) costs. The scheme was introduced as part of the Government’s tax relief plan to help Kiwis who are doing it tough. “FamilyBoost is one of the ways we ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
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  • Prioritising victims with tougher sentences

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