Another win for Goff

Written By: - Date published: 9:07 pm, November 2nd, 2011 - 179 comments
Categories: election 2011, john key, phil goff - Tags:

Goff had Key in all sorts of trouble on the Christchurch recovery, on Key’s economic record, on asset sales, on the GST lie. Goff was passionate on equality and got across both Labour’s vision and how that will be made real.

Goff had some great retorts:

Key was trying to back out of his promise that redzoners wouldn’t be left out of pocket. Goff responded: “If you’re not going to do something, for heaven’s sake don’t promise it” and got loud applause. Twitter consensus is Goff is winning big from the get go.

Then, when Key said that giving cafe workers $15 an hour, while acknowledging that $13 an hour isn’t enough to live on: ‘that’s the worse argument I’ve ever heard against raising the minimum wage. You’re saying, John, that it’s OK to pay someone what you’ve just admitted is not a living wage so that you can save a few cents on your muffin’

Key was condescending to the audience and looked bored a lot. It was notable that his only strong point was when he got off his own record and his own promises and on to making up numbers about Labour’s policies. Now, we all know what Labour’s policies cost and how they’re funded – it’s in their tax package. But Key made a number – a different number from the one he had on Monday and Goff didn’t have a strong rebuttal. He’ll need one before the next TV debate.

179 comments on “Another win for Goff ”

  1. bill fih 1

    Sadly I had to stop watching due to awful streaming problems – hopefully John Keys brand new fibre cables will fix all this 🙂 . It must be true, I saw it in an ad.

  2. It’s the economy, and it’s no spreadsheet stupid.

    • RedLogix 2.1

      From a political perspective the economy is numbers… spreadsheets are the tool for using numbers.

      • Draco T Bastard 2.1.1

        Spreadsheets are good but what you really want is a database with visual representation. Pictures can be used effectively to help explain what’s happening.

        I doubt if the government has such a database though.

        • In Vino Veritas 2.1.1.1

          Well Labour don’t, thats for sure Draco, they don’t even have the spreadsheet!!

      • Colonial Viper 2.1.2

        The economy is not mainly about finances; financial economists think it might be but they are sorely mistaken 🙂

        Learnt this one from Ganesh Nana 🙂

        • Draco T Bastard 2.1.2.1

          If the numbers are representative of real resources then the database/spreadsheet would work. It’s when they’re representative of money that it doesn’t because at that point it’s no longer connected to reality.

  3. RedLogix 3

    Yes I agree.. yet the fundamental problem is that the numbers are inherently detailed. Explaining them in a debate format like this is losing. Both Key and Goff know this… which is why Key kept hammering at it and Goff kept resolutely refusing to take the bait.

    Still the interesting thing is that Key has essentially handed the initiative to Labour to produce a set of numbers that are credible. Now given that Cuniliffe and Goff and both men of considerable govt experience, both Ministers for many years… you would have to put odds on them being able to do this.

    The crucial question then is… how to get the correct forum to produce them? The msm will not do it for Labour, the pundits will just make shit up and there aren’t any public broadcasting channels left who might provide even a little objectivity.

    Again Key knows this, which is why he’s riding this bet very heavily. Because if Goff can convince that Labour can do what they have promised… Key has just made a very, very big fool of himself.

    • Carol 3.1

      RL said: the fundamental problem is that the numbers are inherently detailed. Explaining them in a debate format like this is losing. Both Key and Goff know this… which is why Key kept hammering at it and Goff kept resolutely refusing to take the bait.

      Agree about spouting off numbers in a debate.

      Repeat of what I just posted in the leaders’ debate thread:

      Also, I think for a lot of voters, the numbers go over their heads… I’m pretty numerate, but when Key starts spouting his numbers in a debate, my eyes glaze over. I need to see them on paper and concentrate on them for a bit.

      I want to be able to have confidence in the PM and the team. I think Cunliffe knows where he’s at on the figures. I like some things about Goff, eg when he speaks with passion, but not everything. Labour needs some input from other left parties e.g. the Greens. Key just comes across to me like a Ponzi, or trans-Tasman bridge salesman.

      • Reality Bytes 3.1.1

        Interesting, hadn’t seen it yet. But as it’s been described here, it sounds like Key is rattling off data instead of drawing conclusions and giving his “economic elite-guru” analysis.

        Anyway I suppose I should watch it and see what it’s about 🙂

        Will be interesting to see this from a critical perspective, to see whether he has a good reason for this – is it an important set of data that absolutely must be mentioned? or whether just some junk to fill up air time, or ?

        Glad to hear Goff is being adverserial to Key and calling him out on shit. Screw that idea that you have to be nice and all tea and cupcakes and kiddy gloves with him because he’s the PM-and-he’s-popular.
        Key has had a pretty cruisey run media-wise for the last few years other than the brief hard talk interview.

  4. BJ 4

    I don’t think it was that clear cut; while Goff clearly outperformed Key on Christchurch, and in the two minute closing statement, the rest of the second half was a little bit of a shambles for him. Regardless of whether John Key’s number was true, Goff was rattled by it and took a loooooong time to explain it – looking especially uncomfortable when talking about CGT not coming in til 2016. The ask the audience tactic was fairly effective, though, and continued reference to asset sales wasn’t a bad idea. Goff won, but it was by a slim margin.

  5. Blue 5

    Goff needs to be on top of the numbers. He can’t let Key screw him over like that. You know what the press is going to be all over tomorrow – they’re going to run Key’s line.

    Labour did a lot of work on their numbers, and Goff needs to know them.

    • It’s mind boggling that Goff didn’t have the detail on the most critical policies costed by for the debates. I thought it was an excellent debate with points each way until the spreadsheet. I wonder if the dog ate it.

      • RedLogix 5.1.1

        Be real Pete… in a standup debate format like that Goff had no way to produce a spreadsheet, nor the time to explain one line by line.

        Key knew this and that’s why he kept riding the horse…

      • Dog attack in Ohariu – guy with weird hair mauled in election – unemployed figures up by one – pictures at eleven

    • fmacskasy 5.2

      I have to agreee, Blue. if we’re going to be brutally honest, I think this round went to Key. His use (or rather, mis-use) of costings-figures worked to Key’s advantage, smarmy car-salesman that he is.

      Goff has to know the numbers, or at least a response to the costings-issue. Otherwise Key will use it everytime.

      On the plus-side: great use of the case of Orion. (Good point, Pete.) I think that would’ve worked in well with Cantabrians.

      If we’re going to keep score, it’s 1-1.

  6. giovani 6

    As usual the MSM claim it was a win for key.

  7. queenstfarmer 7

    Very good format. I only saw the last 45 minutes, but Key had Goff on the ropes on the $14 billion spending issue, and for that reason alone Key had the better of it. He virtually led Goff by the nose on that issue. Goff must have a clear 20-second response for issue (assuming, of course, that there is an answer to the alleged spending hole).

    • RedLogix 7.1

      Again…what Key was asking Goff to do was present an alternative Budget..

      When the Minister of Finance does it he gets an hour or more of uninterupted time in the House… not 20-30 seconds in a TV debate

      • Curious 7.1.1

        He looked like he didn’t know the answer to the question. He could have explained his position far better. Instead he floundered around and enabled Key to attack him further because it took him far too long to get to anything other than CGT, which as Goff stated doesn’t kick in until ummmm maybe 2016 (he gave the appearance he didn’t even know when it started), and slogans about the ‘rick pricks’. He looked weak. Accept it, move on, do better next time.

      • Bill 7.1.2

        So why didn’t Goff say that? Y’know, something along the lines of….

        “What you want John? A budget statement? Get real! But look, as examples of costings, there is money coming from ‘a’, ‘b’ and ‘c’. I can’t go through the whole thing here John, you know that. The calcualtions are there. I’ve given a few examples. You know John? We don’t make promises we can’t keep. We keep our promises and we’ll be keeping all the assets NZers already own and balancing the books by 2014. We promise not to trade away NZs future for the sake of a few bucks in the kitty to balance the books like you want to do.”

        • KJT 7.1.2.1

          Nationals numbers depend on the confidence fairy. Not very likely with withdrawing more than a billion in spending from the economy and sending more dividends offshore.

  8. I missed the debate because of a meeting but if we are at the stage where a debate is dominated by concerns about the opposition’s budget then the ruling party is in a bad way.

    The debate should be about the ruling party’s record and what they are going to do next.  If it is about the opposition costings then the opposition is a coherent explanation about costings away from a significant swing.

    Thanks John Key. 

    • RedLogix 8.1

      If it is about the opposition costings then the opposition is a coherent explanation about costings away from a significant swing.

      Exactly my point above. Key may feel like he’s won a battle tonight, but he’s potentially set himself up to lose the war.

      • Tombstone 8.1.1

        I think you might be right. Goff aint silly.

      • mickysavage 8.1.2

        Aye RL

        The really interesting time will be when Labour explains the figures and then asks National to explain:

        1.  What happened to the bike trail jobs and economic stimulus,
        2.  Is the power share sale proceeds going to be used to reduce debt, pay for health and education, be ring fenced for strategic investments or all three?

        Key needs to understand that smarmy and superficial has a limited shelf life. 

    • The spreadsheet is with the broadcasting debate and the CGT expert group – pending. Huge risk holding it back this long. If it doesn’t stack up there’s no time left.

      • mickysavage 8.2.1

        Hey Pete

        Where is United Follicle’s costing, specifically about your super costings.

        Just asking … 

        • the sprout 8.2.1.1

          pffft, i doubt UF have got costings for their next morning tea, let alone anything to do with the nation’s economy

          • fender 8.2.1.1.1

            Very true sprout, the grey cat sits on the fence patiently waiting for a pat once the dust settles, oblivious to the fact Ohariu have moved on.

        • Pete George 8.2.1.2

          Cost neutral on the current model. If you choose to start on it at 60 it’s on a reduced rate, climbing to 70. Many people will probably switch to part time work, or one partner starts earlier, the other later. Flexibility and choice.

          The Maori Party are likely to support this, they want Maori to be able to start from 60.

          With NZF staunch on not raising the age of eligibility, Mana against it and Greens having no policy on it Labour’s proposal doesn’t look like it will get anywhere.

          • felix 8.2.1.2.1

            I like the flexible concept.

            But when you say “cost neutral” you really mean “just as unsustainable as it is now”.

            So a nice bit of tinkering, but not even trying to address the problem.

          • Ben 8.2.1.2.2

            So I can choose when I retire, but I can’t choose what mind-altering substances I put into my body? Wow, thanks for the privilige.

            Don’t start preaching about choice when you’re actually just playing politics. Choice isn’t the issue. If it was, your policies would be radically different on any number of things.

  9. Willie Maley 9

    QSF is this the 14 billion or yesterday’s 17 billion or Monday’s 16 billion?

  10. Tombstone 10

    Key had Goff on the ropes for a couple of minutes – Goff had Key on the ropes for nearly 2 hours. Goff will tear into him in the next debate and will no doubt tidy up the loose ends and be ready for more of Key’s bullshit. Seriously proud of Goff. Wife and I both thought he was easily the better man on the night. Well done!

  11. ianmac 11

    I didn’t see it as a win/lose really but that Phil had a chance to show his stuff given the denigration that he has suffered for so long. So I think that Phil demonstrated his intellect and his passion which is what I hoped he would do. Maybe a few swinging voters would say that Phil is OK. The Red and the Blue brigades will of course entrench their views.
    Will there be another such format? If so I reckon many more would tune in than watch TV1.

    • Agreed ianmac.

      This is the campaign where the super duper can walk on water John Key was up against the nerd ultra loser Phil Goff and was expected to destroy him.

      If they are equal pegging and the voters start looking at other stuff like policy then National are stuffed.  If Goff can compete then all sorts of trashing of National’s  plan for domination of NZ for the next decade is really shaky.

      Are RWNJs really happy to say that they think that Key was slightly better then Goff? 

  12. DJL 12

    For me the numbers Key was spouting was very confusing ( not very hard to confuse me) But I think goff hit a homer on the selling of Orion(?) And he slapped him with the “dynamic surcumstances” Had to LOL

  13. On the costings, Goff should simply have put together some of the things he ‘laboured’ over in a snappier fashion – even if he didn’t know the details.

    Something like:

    We’re ditching the Holiday Highway; there’s a billion. We’re increasing the top tax rate; there’s ???. We’re going to keep the power company income streams; there’s $200m a year. Have you got time to still be here this time tomorrow night, John? Because I can take you through it one line at a time seeing how you’re so keen on the numbers – it’ll put the people here to sleep, no doubt, but that’s how detailed our costings are.” 

    • Salsy 13.1

      Exactly and how about where are Nationals costings? Cos the asset sales are now going schools and hospitals, and in any case, where is the shortfall coming from those lost dividends?

    • fmacskasy 13.2

      Precisely, Puddlegum.

      • Craig Glen Eden 13.3.1

        And wheres the Jobs coming from for the thousands of beneficiaries the Nats are going to get off the benefit. The current new jobs estimates the magical (170.000) have not been realized with their current lack of a plan let alone jobs in the future. That has to be raised by Phil in the next debate

    • queenstfarmer 13.5

      We’re ditching the Holiday Highway

      Yes, but they’ve already allocated it to spend it on trains. That is not filling the $14bn hole.

      We’re increasing the top tax rate

      Yes, but they’ve already allocated that to fund the GST-free fruit & veges. That is not filling the $14bn hole.

      We’re going to keep the power company income streams

      Yes, which means they are not going to partially sell them, which is not filling the $14bn hole.

      See the problem? Unless Phil gets some straight-forward answers quickly, Phil’s missing billions could become the central issue of the campaign.

      [tell us what the components of the ‘$14 billion hole’ are. You don’t know. You just believe Key. The truth is, all Labour’s policies have been balanced with a revenue source. Eddie]

      • queenstfarmer 13.5.1

        I am not professing to know either way. The point is that Goff struggled to answer – he wasn’t denying more spending, just that it was all covered. So the poster above me put forward a list of things he thought Phil could say filled the hole (no pun intended), but none of them actually do.

        • Colonial Viper 13.5.1.1

          There is no hole. Excepting your cake hole that is.

        • Ari 13.5.1.2

          If you don’t even know if there is a $14 billion dollar hole, why the hell should anyone tell you why it’s not there? Why don’t you come back when you actually have some idea of your own side of the debate, if you’re going to insist that everyone else refute it?

          • queenstfarmer 13.5.1.2.1

            Because Phil didn’t refute it, he was saying “the costings are all there”, but then struggled to name specifics when pressed. As I said, I do not pretend to know the veracity of Labour’s, National’s, or anyone else’s financials. But Phil couldn’t answer John’s attacks in a robust manner, and that is what he will need to address.

            • mik e 13.5.1.2.1.1

              LIAR KEY he has painted him self into a corner just like he’s done with the economy wheres the $ 500 million a year loss of income to the govt from asset sales ,key doesn’t give a shit cause he won’t be pm by then so labour will have to clean up the rights debt’s again!

              • curious

                “The truth is, all Labour’s policies have been balanced with a revenue source. Eddie]”

                If this were true then Goff could have said :
                – “No John our commitments actually equal x and are paid by doing y”
                – “Yes John our commitments do equal x but are paid by doing y”

                But he didn’t say either of those things so perhaps he doesn’t know what they cost, how they are funded, or doesn’t think we’ll like the answer (e.g. borrowing).

                But since you know Eddie perhaps you can post a list for us. Obviously a lot of us want to know. All the major papers are leading with it so you’d be doing Goff and the public a favour by supplying the answer. Particularly since TVNZ is now saying there is a 1.9 billion hole in the tax package alone. I’m not saying that is correct but perception is all important in politics.

                [it’s in their policy documents. 39% tax rate pays for GST off fresh fruit and vegetables. ETS pays for R&D. CGT pays for tax-free zone and no asset sales. Eddie]

                [lprent: It is all public information. Get off your lazy arse and dig it out. While you’re at it, read about the policies here.

                Telling authors what they should or should not do is a fast way to getting banned. You live with what authors are willing to write, you do not try to tell them what they should do. I can do without you, but the site doesn’t survive without authors. So attacks on them are attacks on the site. You’re short of mana on the site.

                So banned for 2 weeks – should give you time to read the policy and find out the figures. ]

                • curious

                  CGT doesn’t start to after 2014/15 then doesn’t generate much revenue till around 2020 so either Labour won’t be bringing in tax free threshold until that time (4 to 9 years away) or what, will be borrowing for tax cuts?

                  And all capital investment until the point of CGT ramping up will be paid for by borrowing, mainly from offshore?

                  So can you please tell us what the total level of required borrowing is and the interest payment costs of that?

                  How is restoring the Superfund payments to be paid for?

                  How are the compulsory Kiwisaver government financial costs to be paid for?

                  How are the minimum wage increase costs for government services to be paid for?

                  How are early childhood education costs to be paid for?

                  How is the Ministry for Children to be paid for?

                  [I don’t have their detailed costings. I know that National has an operating allowance in future years that pays for moderate spending increases. DoL says that the minimum wage is a wash for the government – higher tax take, some higher wage costs. And the Super Fund is an asset, it actually lowers net debt. Eddie]

                  • curious

                    It only reduces net debt if its gains exceed the cost of contributions and running costs. In the current market it questionable that will occur over the next few years particularly if worst scenario occurs. But of course you’re not one to shy away from a good old financial gamble.

                    I’m also curious as to how Labour will fund the approxitmately $3.6 billion of health and education funding that will be required over the next four years on top of all their election commitments… What comprises National’s operating allowances? I’d say that’s its a mixture of new funding and spending cuts. Are Labour going to make those spending cuts or just borrow?

                    [increases in budgets due to demographics – health, education, superannuation etc – are allowed for in the Budget. New money doesn’t have to be found for them. This is pretty basic stuff, curious. Eddie]

                    • curious

                      That’s BS Eddie. There’s no free lunch. They have to be funded somehow. Last budget they were funded by making savings across government – i.e. no new funding. National will intend to do similarly over the next few budgets with some new funding. My question is how will Labour do it and how can they afford to use new funding if most prioritised to funding their election commitments. Pretty simple really.

                • One Anonymous Bloke

                  “it’s in their policy documents. 39% tax rate pays for GST off fresh fruit and vegetables. ETS pays for R&D. CGT pays for tax-free zone and no asset sales”. Eddie

                  OK, I’m going to play the skeptic – if returns from CGT don’t kick in ’til 2016, how are we back in surplus by 2014?

                  I can think of a few ways: the tax-free zone might largely pay for itself, since the people who need the money most will spend it, increased profits, more jobs, etc etc. Or Labour may be relying on raising taxes to boost the economy, as Clinton did, but it’s important that the answers be ready.

                  Also call Key out on his shifting goalposts “last week it was $19b, now you say $14b, but I’m not making up these numbers, John, because Labour has a fully costed budget (waves paper around) which as you know we released yesterday.”

                  • curious

                    Ok so Labour are going to bank on unrealised economic growth gains? How ironic

                    • One Anonymous Bloke

                      Yeah, like I speak for the Labour party. Not. If you think I have my facts wrong cite some of your own, but don’t fool yourself that I speak for anyone but me.
                      Oh, no, wait, as a Brand Key supporter that answer is going to sail right over your head.
                      Me not Labour Party, black rock different to white rock. Bang rocks together, make fire!

      • Puddleglum 13.5.2

        If you watch the debate again, qsf, you’ll notice that Key’s ‘hole’ was in part calculated by adding the GST off fresh fruit and veges – so, thanks for confirming that that part of the hole is filled.

        And, if the income streams can’t be calculated as filling the ‘hole’ then, presumably, National has to count not having that stream – so it’s calculations don’t look too hot either.

        You have to have a look at how Key calculates the hole before determining whether the hole is being filled.

        But, yes, I agree that Goff needs to answer this – not me. 

      • Jester 13.5.3

        To Eddie:

        What “revenue source” is that. If you get to 7 billion i will give you a chocolate fish 🙂

    • One Anonymous Bloke 13.6

      Puddleglum, that’s great. Quick, someone invent a time machine! Still, there’s always next time eh.
      I missed most of it, and have only seen the part where Key was waving his imaginary figures around, so it’s great to see the Stuff strawpoll (which picked Key by a nose last time) favouring Goff (edit: of course since writing this it’s swung back to Key by a nose – Goff needs a better rebuttal to the $14b hole – but it’s a tactical blunder by Key – he’s used his best attack on his smallest audience and he won’t get a second bite of the cherry.)

      • Carol 13.6.1

        Stuff’s poll (which usually strongly favours the right) favours Key this time, by a very small nose: 47% to 46.4% + 6.6% neither.

        • Gosman 13.6.1.1

          Don’t worry. Normal service has resumed. It is now 51.4 % to 41.2 % Key over Goff. Obviously at 6:30 am the impact of the media take on the outcome hadn’t kicked in.

  14. Terry 14

    Why is it that ethical issues are not raised in these debates? Both Parties are scapegoating beneficiaries, for example. Political Parties create beneficiaries, then punish them for being beneficiaries! What about the ethics of taking the attack to children, young people, whom they know cannot damn well vote? Where do we see the morality of “serving the people” in politics? How is it that “democratic” has become not a word, but a cliche? What of the treatment of peaceful protestors (e.g. at Wall Street, or in Dunedin? Must we foment revolution to see real change?) These debates need to get real!

  15. geoff 15

    Anyone know if there is a link to a recording of the debate?

  16. Who’s this Drunken Sailor they are talking about?

  17. seeker 17

    I agree with both Micky Savage 9.23pm and Redlogix 924 and 926pm. Goff, I hope, was letting Key scoff himself to death prematurely.

    Meanwhile one wise tweet after the debate suggested any who wanted to know more about Phil’s costings should link to:

    http://www.ownourfuture.co.nz/growing-our-economy
    – which also tells us that more on economic policy would be rolled out before the election.

    NB.Loved Goff’s ‘muffin – worst argument’ comment.This won the debate for me and showed John Key for the pithy, petty, low grade thinking he and his party wallow in.

  18. Thomas 18

    You guys must’ve been watching a different debate. Key made Goff look like a fool.

    Numbers matter and Goff didn’t have them. He couldn’t explain how he’d pay for his promises. Labour haven’t released any info on this. He couldn’t weasel his way out of the dilemma and Labour can’t without fudging the numbers.

    Goff will just be thankful that this wasn’t televised.

    • Colonial Viper 18.1

      Key made numbers up tonight, just like he made numbers up for Christchurch houses to be demolished, just like he made numbers up as a financial speculator.

      • Thomas 18.1.1

        Then Goff should’ve questioned Key’s numbers. He didn’t. He didn’t know what he was talking about.

        Labour should release its costings to counter National’s. I mean, surely they have worked out the cost of their policies and it’s just a matter of writing up a release, right?

        Key outclassed Goff and it was plain for all to see.

        • Colonial Viper 18.1.1.1

          National doesn’t have any costings.

          How can you have costings when National is assuming tax income from 170,000 new jobs over 4 years, starting from last year?

          Its Key who is making convenient lies here.

          • Gosman 18.1.1.1.1

            We’re not looking at National’s costing though. The issue that was being discussed last night was Labour’s costings. It isn’t really a valid defence to say “Well your policy prescriptions haven’t been costed either”.

        • Gosman 18.1.1.2

          Good point Thomas.

          If it is true, as many Labour party supporters would have us believe, that Labour has already fully costed their spending and that National’s figures are made up then why do we have to wait until the end of the week before we see this?

          Labour activists should have been all over this on the night and have been giving this information to the Journalists at the conclusions of the debate pointing out how National was making things up.

          The fact that they didn’t is the biggest failing of the night and the reason they lost the debate.

  19. gobsmacked 19

    The media seem to have picked up on Key’s “Show me the money, son“.

    If I was Key’s Evil Rovian Mastermind, I’d have winced at that last word. That was a taste of Key as seen in the House (i.e. not seen by most voters). Key’s nice guy image is a vote-winner, the sneering is not. He needs to keep that under control.

    In all honesty, I doubt that Goff can defeat him at this election, but hubris just might.

    • Colonial Viper 19.1

      Please do NOT give AID AND COMFORT to the enemy. FFS.

    • Ari 19.2

      If we get a new government this election, you’re right, it won’t be because Phil Goff won. It will be because John Key lost, and Labour and the Greens won. 😉

  20. Rain33 20

    I still can’t get over John Key referring to Goff as “son”…… ‘It ain’t there son, there is no tax revenue’ Reminds me of the ‘boy’ references of the old days of the South!

    • Tigger 20.1

      Or a gay daddy-son/older man/younger man relationship. It was plain creepy. Course the media will lord it as brilliant strategy and funny beyond words.

    • Campbell Larsen 20.2

      I believe he was referencing himself in another equally unfunny and clumsy moment earlier in the week when he used a father/ son analogy.
      Typical, he is so self obsessed that he thinks people hang off his every word and actually take that simplistic shit on board – I only noted it because it was yet another example of the Rats trying to dumb down debate using simplistic analogies.
      It was inappropriate and out of place and made a mockery of his assertion that he gives due respect to the office of the leader of the opposition – and so the mask slips a little more and we get to see the real Shonky – contrived and conceited.

  21. McFlock 21

    Stats are what websites are good for. I also like the idea of suggesting that key makes the numbers up on the spot – the only figures Goff needs on hand are the different ones that key has uttered. And the rest of the response is an advert for the labour party website.
     
    Messages – labour has thorough costings available for people who are really interested. Key has been either accidentally or intentionally incorrect, as demonstrated by the idea that no two figures key delivers match (followup to the “lie” statement).
     

    • fmacskasy 21.1

      Indeed he does. I attended a couple of public meetings and he’ll make up details as he goes along. Sometimes the use of his BS “facts” are outrageous, but the debate moves along so fast it’s hard to pin him down.

      He basically uses the tempo of a public speech, debate, etc, to make ad hoc statements-of-“facts”, and quickly move on to the next point.

      Check out his speech style; it’s kinda like a teacher explaining how something works.

      He truly is the Master of BS; the epitomy of The Politician.

    • Colonial Viper 21.2

      Key does make numbers up on the spot. Like how many Christchurch houses needed to be demolished.

      • One Anonymous Bloke 21.2.1

        It’s pretty much impossible to halt a Gish-gallop in mid flow, which is why the debates need fact checkers who could relay these lies to the audience at the end.

  22. just saying 22

    Quick point.

    If Key brings up the point that many kiwis own Aussie power company shares again, as a positive for asset sales, it might be an idea to point out that that’s because the shares are good for the buyer. In this case NZ is the seller.

    As one who cares about making an easy buck and not the country, he probably doesn’t see that as an issue.

  23. anne 23

    For a man that national continually put down, Goff showed key a thing or two,key has been in the debate arena,Goff hasn’t,Goff took it to key once again,showing that he is strong,resolute,
    and deserves to be the leader of the labour party and the next prime minister,when figures are asked of key all you get is data matches and numbers that miss the question,continual blaming labour for the retail deposit scheme when english changed the terms and conditions and told scf investors at a meeting they now had the benefit of the crown guarantee,which cost tax payers
    $2 billion,that conversation started but key broke in with more verbal bs,All in all though much better than the tvnz debate.

  24. SeanT 24

    Did I hear right when Key was doing the number. Did he include 6 billion dollars lost from not selling state assets in the $17 billion Labour deficient? How exactly does not selling our assets add to our deficient? Selling them would raise funds in the short term, but we are not going to lose money from keeping them. Someone please tell me I misheard that.

    • KJT 24.1

      Nationals numbers do not add up. They are expecting an increasing tax take while taking more money out of the economy.

      Waiting for the confidence fairy.

  25. Tombstone 26

    Phil Goff leading Stuff voters poll in debate!

    • Carol 26.1

      It’s Key winnihng by less than 1% this morning – and stuff’s polls usually slant strongly to the right.

      • Colonial Viper 26.1.1

        Anything which is close to a draw between Goff and Key – is a strong win for Labour.

        That’s National’s problem this week.

    • Deadly_NZ 26.2

      Not anymore a couple of thousand NATS have voted and it’s now Key 56% Goff 36%

  26. Morrissey 27

    That’s two out of two for Goff.

  27. Anthony 28

    Haha I love John Key and his ghost numbers.

  28. I’ll add one thing more: if Key wins this election, he’ll become the most unpopular Prime Minister since Jenny Shipley. Quite simply, his mask is slipping and more ands more folk are seeing his arrogance.

    He won’t make it for a third term.

    • Akldnut 29.1

      At the rate he’s going he won’t need a third term, the cover of the first term promises can be removed and anything he may have indicated at any stage will become fair game through “The people voted me in” mandate.

    • Colonial Viper 29.2

      Key will be a shit unpopular PM within 6 months if he is voted in again; and its going to be all downhill from there.

      • fender 29.2.1

        Very true, lets just hope he loses and we avoid having to tell Nat supporters “I told you so”. Though I guess all Nat voters will deny doing so, they are great at denial.

  29. Debatewatcher 30

    Is the debate available online for delayed viewing? I can only find the live stream on the Stuff website.

  30. One Anonymous Bloke 31

    Brand Key lies to parliament again, accepts a $35,000 pay-off. And respect to the Todd’s for their even-handed support of New Zealand democracy – I understand Sir Bob Jones has a similar policy of donating to all.

  31. Tigger 32

    Key’s ‘borrow money from China’ was a racist wolf whistle. If it wasn’t, why mention China?

    • Gosman 32.1

      Tgat’s rich considering Labour’s whole land sale policy seems to be based on xenophobia.

      • fmacskasy 32.1.1

        Rubbish. It is based on economics; not selling the means of production and losing our income in the procress.

        It is based on not depriving our children the opportunity to buy farms, and not be outbid by overseas investors.

        Xenophobia is a red herring, and if that’s your asrgument then you have no argument.

        • Gosman 32.1.1.1

          Now, now Frank we both know that your understanding about the economics of foreign ownership of land leaves a little to be desired. I mean you have difficulty understanding the difference between revenue and profit and also think foreign ownership would lead to higher prices in NZ when there is no evidence to support this wacky idea.

          • fmacskasy 32.1.1.1.1

            By the way, Gosman, you reference to “xenophobia” is sadly misplaced. Reference to this story in the Dompost;

            “The online nationally representative poll also found Kiwis were not xenophobic in opposing a Crafar farms sale to the Chinese.

            The main reasons given for not selling to foreign companies were to keep control of primary resources, and so Kiwis benefited from exports, not foreigners. ”

            http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/business/farming/5899771/Kiwis-against-foreign-ownership-of-farms?comment_msg=posted#post_comment

            So – you were saying?

            As for youre reference to my understanding of facts – you still haven’t disproved anything I’ve said. Belittling my points is not a debate-winning proposition.

            • Gosman 32.1.1.1.1.1

              Come on Frank. You had an entire article on your blog where the title was about 5.3 Billion dollars being repatriated from NZ based on the faulty logic of 50% of NZ Farmland being owned overseas and the ENTIRE revenue generated from 50% of NZ milk production being sent overseas. On top of this you mistook Capital flows for Imports and Exports and tried to argue that Foreign ownership of farmland leads to higher domestic prices because somehow the foreign owners would bypass NZ distribution and create their own. You constantly ignored my questions about these issues yet you have the nerve to state that I never showed where you were wrong.

              • fmacskasy

                Gosman, I was reasonably thorough in my article on foreign ownership. (http://fmacskasy.wordpress.com/2011/09/23/how-to-lose-5-3-billion-dollars-without-any-effort-at-all/ ) However, if you’re going to be pedantic and insist on focusing on trivia, and side-issues, then sorry, I haven’t the time or inclination to indulge you.

                It’s actually fairly basic stuff; if farms are 100% NZ owned then the profits go to New Zealanders, and the money is spent here in NZ.

                If, for example half the dairy farms are owned by offshore investors, then half the Fonterra payout would end up overseas as well. What part of this escapes you?

                It’s a funny old world we live in, Gosman, but investors usually insist on a return on their investments (it’s de rigueur for capitalists, y’know, to make a profit).

                I can’t explain it any clearer than that to you except paint you a picture of $5.3 billion dollars leaving the country and ending up in foreign bank accounts.

                Which, by the way is pretty much what happened when SOEs were flogged off in the late ’80s and 1990s. Firstly we got the cash up-front. But soon, that was eroded as profits were remitted offshore. Which played merry hell with our Balance of Payments. (Remittances being one of the “invisibles” that can affect our BoP.)

                If you have difficulty with that, try this: http://tinyurl.com/4a2b

                • Gosman

                  Thanks for demonstrating your lack of understanding for basic principles of economics once again. You don’t seem to understand that the Fonterra payout is REVENUE not PROFIT. As I have told you before it would be an incredibly stupid foreign owned business that treated the two as the same thing and repatriated the entire revenue stream.

  32. Carol 33

    Interesting. Tracy Watkins says it’s cost Goff that he couldn’t produce the figures in response to ey during the debate, but had regained his composure and prduced the firgures to themedia after the debate:

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/opinion/5899989/Costings-stumble-cost-Goff

    By the time the debate was over Goff seemed to have regained his footing and rattled off some of the figures to waiting journalists.

    But the damage was already done. Show me the money will be the catch cry of the campaign unless Labour releases credible costings soon.

    But she doesn’t seem to have any interest in quoting the figures in order to compare them with Key’s. She just treats it as a manner of winning the game. Shame on you Watkins.

    • Gosman 33.1

      If it is correct that the answers to the costings were provided after the debate how come the media message this morning is that Labour will provide them later this week?

      What is clear is the whole point of this post to say Goff won the debate handsomely is rubbish. Not according to the MSM he didn’t.

      • curious 33.1.1

        There is a difference between “costings” and how costs are “funded”. Goff can prattle off how much he plans to spend as much as he likes. What people want to know is how he’s going to fund them i.e. both sides of the ledger.

        • William Joyce 33.1.1.1

          Costings DOES include how you are going to pay for things. Trying to prove Labour is irresponsible by creating an artificial semantic problem is pathetic.
          Every time Labour has announced a funding commitment it has also told us how they are going to pay for it.
          Have you not been paying attention?

      • pollywog 33.1.2

        What is clear is the whole point of this post to say Goff won the debate handsomely is rubbish. Not according to the MSM he didn’t.

        FUCK THE MSM !!!

        they can’t be trusted to tell the truth anymore than Key can.

        • Gosman 33.1.2.1

          So you can’t trust the State owned Radio network to engage in proper journalistic practices can you? Radio NZ National take this morning was along the same lines.

          I think it is a worrying issue with aspects of the left that they start thinking there is a media conspiracy against them. It is worrying because the solution to this is often to set up panels to ensure ‘balance’ in the media.

          • Campbell Larsen 33.1.2.1.1

            Easy solution: reject forign ownership and duopolistic tendencies in the MSM. Undo the appointment of party hacks to positions of influence in state broadcasters. Support independent media.

            • pollywog 33.1.2.1.1.1

              So you can’t trust the State owned Radio network to engage in proper journalistic practices can you?

              If you’re saying we can’t trust individual journalists, regardless of their employer, to keep their personal political bias out of the story…then yes, I concur.

              • Gosman

                No, I’m meaning the editorial stance of the entire News department at Radio NZ National not just the bias of one or two journalists who work there. It is the editorial team who determine what news stories should lead the news and what the headlines should be. This morning for many of the top of the hour news it was about Goff being taken to task over the costings of Labour’s policies.

                • fmacskasy

                  No “bias” at RNZ?

                  Sure.

                  Hence why they banned – sorry, “chose not to re-invite” – Bomber Bradbury.

                  That’s hilarious.

                  Got any more?

                  • Gosman

                    Pray tell Frank, what has the Labour party done about this appalling political bias in the editorial policy of RNZ National beyond a few feeble blogs on Red Alert bemoaning the decision?

                    I actually don’t think Martyn Bradbury should have been disinvited from ‘The Panel’. He is the best advert for right-wing views in the media. However there is no evidence of direct or indirect political interference in the decision to not invite him back again.

                    • fmacskasy

                      However there is no evidence of direct or indirect political interference in the decision to not invite him back again.

                      That you know of.

                      Just because YOU aren’t aware of what went on, doesn’t mean a reality exists that you simply weren’t privy to.

                      Because someone got ‘spooked’ enough to ban Martyn, that much is a fact.

              • idlegus

                msm is all over the place, radiolive at every available minute is bashing me over the head with ‘key clearly won, yet just had a clip of the press editor who said goff won, & the odt on page 2 says it was even! so yeah, grain of salt stuff really. but by going on the stuff comments, theres a lot people who are being put off by keys childish comments, about time.

  33. Tombstone 34

    I agree with what others have said that if Key does get back in the one thing that is certain is that people are wise to him now and yeah, I think in 6 months time he’ll become a seriously hated man. Small consolation I guess should Labour not win.

    • Gosman 34.1

      So that’s the great victory in this debate is it? That more people won’t like John Key if the National party wins the election.

    • Nick 34.2

      I’ve heard that Key would step down in the first year anyway and leave all the unpopular stuff to Bill English or someone else to deliver. We all know he’s not the one pulling strings in that party and if the mask slips too much he’ll go back to making millions with other people’s money and leave someone else to do the hatchet job.

  34. higherstandard 35

    He doesn’t know because he doesn’t want to announce another quite high tax rate on those above $150kish just yet.

    You heard it here first.

    • One Anonymous Bloke 35.1

      “Quite high tax rate” Good. It makes sense for society’s biggest beneficiaries to make the largest contribution.

  35. Colonial Viper 36

    NZ Herald Picks Key as “Show Me the Money” Winner, Goff “Flaps”

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10763545

    • Gosman 36.1

      Exactly. The MSM message about this debate was that Goff started well and had Key on the back foot in the first hour but the Key took it to Goff in the second hour and won a lot of the audience over. This is completely at odds with the spin in the article at the top of this thread.

    • The Gormless Fool formerly known as Oleolebiscuitbarrell 36.2

      I did not see the debate. I do, however, note that Eddie alone seems to have picked Goff as the winner.

      • Gosman 36.2.1

        Yes it is rather strange. Admittedly picking winners in a debate is always a matter of opinion but you have to be particularly one eyed to spin last night’s debate as a victory for Goff.

        • pollywog 36.2.1.1

          It’s no wonder Goff doesn’t respect him. Key has no respect for the office and title.

          When the trained MSM monkeys proclaim Key acting like a sideshow clown at a cheap carnival is what wins a political debate you know they’ve hit the panic button and are desperate to get their man over the line.

          • Gosman 36.2.1.1.1

            Wow! I didn’t realise Radio NZ National was such a partisan source of news. Obviously the left’s Broadcasting policy will be to reform this extremely biased media organisation by a serious dose of re-education.

    • Colonial Viper 36.3

      Stuff had much fairer coverage of the debate, assigning strong points to both sides.

  36. just saying 37

    Key said the gap between the rich and poor in NZ has closed slightly. Goff didn’t disagree at the time. I don’t see how this could be true. Is Key quoting some dodgy stats again, or just outright lying? This needs to be clarified because it is a big issue.

    Also, I see most of the media have chosen to overlook Key calling Goff “son”. Bit like they tried to hide the throat-slashing incident until it became clear that not reporting it was causing more harm to Key, so they went into minimisation/obfuscation damage-control reportage of it.

    • Gosman 37.1

      Yeah and they didn’t make a big deal about him insulting Sailor’s either in the previous debate. Obviously National has the MSM, (including the State owned part of it) in their pocket. Those evil Tories eh.

    • Tom Gould 37.2

      Goff’s problem is that he is fundamentally an honest guy, so he struggles with glib half-truths as answers to serious questions. Unlike the other guy, who lies effortlessly.

      • fmacskasy 37.2.1

        You’ve nailed it 100%, Tom.

        In which case, it may take another term before the Voting Public realises that Key is a conman.

      • Gosman 37.2.2

        No Goff’s problem, and by extension Labour’s, was that he was fundamentally unprepared to deflect the criticism about Labour’s spending plans by providing ready facts to counter the accusation.

  37. wHICHfINDER 38

    I hate to spoil the party, but can anyone post a good link so I can see the debate for myself ?

  38. I don’t think we gain much by assuming there is some vast MSM ring-wing conspiracy. To paraphrase someone else – why attribute events to malice when stupidity is a better explanation.
    The 24 hour news cycle and the internet age requires journos to make immediate responses to events. There is no time for reflection and proper analysis. Last night’s debate required immediate responses on web sites and packages to be edited late in the night for morning radio and television.
     
    Add to that newsrooms full of pimply faced children fresh out of the journalism sausage machine, with a poor command of English, no understanding of the humanities and social sciences, no life experiences, unable to reason properly and who are prepared to work for peanuts and frame stories that feed the money making machine.
     
    Undoubtedly there are people with bias in the media and we can spot them and mark them for what they are.
     
    Key provided a soundbite and that is what the shallow, ratings driven, every second on air is money, that the media love.

    Goff needs to go on the offensive today – not tomorrow, tomorrow it too late  – and grab the media attention by providing the costings with much hoopla.

  39. Hami Shearlie 40

    First the hole was $17 billion, then it was $14 billion, seems to be going down every time JK opens his mouth! What is he going to do at the end of the week when the figures are released. He’s shot his bullet, and it seems to be the only one he has – Good debate, it showed Phil Goff’s humanity and empathy for the Christchurch people and kiwis generally, and showed John Key’s total fixation on money. There’s more to running a country than money alone – you have to have vision, innovation and fresh ideas and National have none!

    • Afewknowthetruth 40.1

      HS.

      Money is now the God in Godzone.

      It took the money-lenders a while to achieve their goal but they now have the bulk of the populace thinking more about money and possessions (together with entertianment) than their own futures.

  40. Adrian 41

    Key’s on dodgy ground with the drunken bit. Phil didn’t fall off a step on New Years Eve while pissed and break his arm, but you can bet that if he did the MSM would still be reminding us of it.

  41. Quasimodo 42

    “Show me the money !” .. another thought-stopper trumping rational critique.

    Crosby-Textor has moved on from “actually”, but it is the same script.

    Key calls it a “battle of ideas”, but C-T’s emphasis is too much on ‘battle’, not enough on ‘ideas’.

  42. MrSmith 43

    Let face it most people couldn’t care less about the numbers, all this exposure is great for Phil and most people will vote for the man/woman not a bunch of figures.

    • higherstandard 43.1

      “……..all this exposure is great for Phil and most people will vote for the man/woman not a bunch of figures.”

      Bit unfair referring to Phil and John as ‘man/woman’ – but I s’pose both of them would do anything to secure power.

  43. higherstandard 44

    So if the Nats win on election night Eddie will be hailing it as “Another win for Goff.”

    • Yes, it will be. When you are knee deep in a financier engineered gutter economy akin to  Greece and John Key is back in Hawaii, sitting on his deck drinking for breakfast, then you will realise you were too stupid to vote for Goff.
      Of course the real problem is whether your stupidity will out last its consequences.

      • higherstandard 44.1.1

        Hi [deleted] – loved your Key drunken sailor picture.

        [lprent: Speculating on peoples real life identities is something I don’t like and I’ve pointed it out to you before. Two week ban. ]

  44. Gosman 45

    When is Eddie going to change the title of this article to “Goff did quite well I thought”?

    It is plain that this was not a win by any means to the leader of the opposition.

    [lprent: That is your opinion. Eddie has his own opinion.

    I have my opinion which currently has my finger hovering over the ban button. Read the sections in the policy where I explain that commentators can argue with authors opinions, but cannot even approach trying to tell them what they should do.

    My opinion is that there are always commentators in various states of evolution, but authors are a *lot* harder to get up to scratch. Guess whom I would prefer to lose.

    You are trying to say what Eddie should do. If I spot another comment that does then I will eliminate your inability to read and comprehend. And I have several hundred more messages to read in this sweep…. ]

  45. Afewknowthetruth 46

    Seeker.

    Your link says this:

    ‘Foreign Investment Is Welcome
    Access to foreign capital is important for New Zealand and Labour will encourage other forms for foreign direct investment.

    New Zealand’s poor savings record means we are reliant on imported capital to fund our current account deficit. While a poor substitute for domestic savings, until domestic savings and economic growth improve, New Zealanders will continue to have substantial reliance on foreign investment. New greenfield investments, in particular, bring jobs and economic growth.’

    Mike Ruppert put it succinctly when he said:” Anyone who talks about growth is your enemy!”

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbiyCldxG8s

    David Suzuki was talking along similar lines:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AqiVdruCII

    It is clear that those who write Labour Party propaganda have little idea what is happening around the world and why it is happening, or they are lying. (That is not an endorsement of National, which is even more detached from reality or lying even more than Labour is).

    It is also clear to anyone who has escaped from ‘the Matirx’ that the so-called debates are simply well orchestrated circuses, designed to keep the masses locked into redundant paradigms (the debates are founded on paradigms that have been repeatedly demonstrated to be false, e.g. perpetual growth on a finite planet). Money IS debt!

    Judging by the response of most people on TS, the so-called debates are a very successful method for keeping the ‘sheep in the pen’ and keep them ‘bleating helplessly’. Meanwhile the ‘pack of wolves’ gathering outside the ‘sheep pen’. i.e. Peak Oil, unravelling of Fractional Reserve Banking, unravelling of the derivatives market, environmental collapse etc., gets bigger by the day. The ‘performers’ Goff and Key carefully avoid any mention of ‘the wolves’ (reality) throughout the entire performance.

    These are such interesting times.

    By the way, what are you seeking, ‘Seeker’? The truth?

    • gnomic 46.1

      The following quotations come to mind.

      “It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends on his not understanding it.” – Upton Sinclair

      The statesman is a crafty man and learns his lies by rote.
      The journalist invents his lies and rams them down your throat.
      So sit at home and drink your beer
      and let the neighbours vote.

      – WB Yeats.

      You cannot hope to bribe or twist
      (thank God!) the British journalist.
      But, seeing what the man will do
      Unbribed, there’s no occasion to.
      – Humbert Wolfe

      I’m afraid the sheeple don’t want to know the truth, and the meeja, even if they knew the truth would have very little interest in conveying it to the admass. If your view of the world is correct the ugly reality will be revealed when the current financial, economic, and political systems collapse due to resource constraints. On the other hand Owen Glenn says NZ has the most extractable resources per capita in the world after Saudi Arabia, so perhaps we’ll soon be living the life of Reilly. There is a tiny caveat, the resources should be extracted in a way that doesn’t substantially degrade the environment or the 100 per cent pure branding of NZ.

      http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10753647

  46. Afewknowthetruth 47

    Gosman.

    ‘So you can’t trust the State owned Radio network to engage in proper journalistic practices can you?’

    You can trust the State owned Radio network to defend the international corporate money-lender system (scam). If doing so requires shokey journalistic practices, you can rely on the State owned Radio network to practise them.

    In the ‘bad old days’ when I used to listen to National Radio there was around an hour of pro-business propaganda per day and around 15 minutes of discussion of key environmental issues per week. Presumably that ratio has not changed much in the past six years.

    • gnomic 47.1

      Radio New Zealand National as it is known these days is by no means perfect. However it is still the best we’ve got by far, and NZ would be a poorer place without it. Have you listened to any of the other radio stations lately? If you want inanity almost beyond belief or nakedly right wing and pro-business agendas there’s plenty to be had. Let’s get real here; if you want a doomer anti-capitalist radio station you’ll need to start one yourself. The RNZ of today is at least an improvement on the real bad old days (late 80s/early 90s) when the likes of Peter Verschaffelt were preaching the miracle of capitalism constantly. And RNZ is trying to survive under a government which covertly wishes to drown it in the bath tub.

  47. randal 48

    Great going Phil Goff.
    the debates are piecemeal and not allowed to develop properly.
    and the commentators are telling people who won before they vote on the online polls but despite all that New Zealanders know that only the Labour Party can be trusted to do the job properly.
    So Phil Goff is winning on sincerity points hands down.
    forget the thumb clickers being told what to do by claire robinson.

    • One Anonymous Bloke 49.1

      Campbell is furious with Goff, but he’s not exactly overjoyed with Key either: “Somehow, Goff managed to make Key look like a hard-headed and credible manager of the economy.”

      I like the part where he uses DoL quotes to demolish Brand Key’s minimum wage argument:

      The most common reason for not paying the new entrant’s minimum wage was that the rate was too low, or was not fair, or that the job was skilled… The Mayors Task Force for Jobs submitted that continued minimum wage protection was necessary for young people to encourage employers and others to invest in skills development, particularly in the trades… When young people are working alongside others doing the same work, there seems no justification for lower wages on the grounds of age. Information from Mayors around the country suggests that the level of wages and any increases have not resulted in constraints on job creation for young people, or fewer opportunities for young people. There is no evidence that raising wages has resulted in young people leaving school early.

  48. randal 50

    Eddie dont worry about gordon f*cking cambell.
    the voters know who won and that is Labour and Phil Goff.

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    Amsterdam to Hong Kong William McCartney16,000 kilometres41 days18 trains13 countries11 currencies6 long-distance taxis4 taxi apps4 buses3 sim cards2 ferries1 tram0 medical events (surprisingly)Episode 4Whether the Sofia-Istanbul Express really qualifies to be called an express is debatable, but it’s another one of those likeably old and slow trains tha… ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to Dec 8
    Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro arrives for the State Opening of Parliament (Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)TL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:New Finance Minister Nicola Willis set herself a ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • New Zealand’s Witchcraft Laws: 1840/1858-1961/1962
    Sometimes one gets morbidly curious about the oddities of one’s own legal system. Sometimes one writes entire essays on New Zealand’s experience with Blasphemous Libel: https://phuulishfellow.wordpress.com/2017/05/09/blasphemous-libel-new-zealand-politics/ And sometimes one follows up the exact historical status of witchcraft law in New Zealand. As one does, of course. ...
    2 days ago
  • No surprises
    Don’t expect any fiscal shocks or surprises when the books are opened on December 20 with the unveiling of the Half Yearly Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU). That was the message yesterday from Westpac in an economic commentary. But the bank’s analysis did not include any changes to capital ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #49 2023
    113 articles in 48 journals by 674 contributing authors Physical science of climate change, effects Diversity of Lagged Relationships in Global Means of Surface Temperatures and Radiative Budgets for CMIP6 piControl Simulations, Tsuchida et al., Journal of Climate 10.1175/jcli-d-23-0045.1 Do abrupt cryosphere events in High Mountain Asia indicate earlier tipping ...
    2 days ago
  • Phone calls at Kia Kaha primary
    It is quiet reading time in Room 13! It is so quiet you can hear the Tui outside. It is so quiet you can hear the Fulton Hogan crew.It is so quiet you can hear old Mr Grant and old Mr Bradbury standing by the roadworks and counting the conesand going on ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • A question of confidence is raised by the Minister of Police, but he had to be questioned by RNZ to ...
    It looks like the new ministerial press secretaries have quickly learned the art of camouflaging exactly what their ministers are saying – or, at least, of keeping the hard news  out of the headlines and/or the opening sentences of the statements they post on the home page of the governments ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago
  • Xmas  good  cheer  for the dairy industry  as Fonterra lifts its forecast
    The big dairy co-op Fonterra  had  some Christmas  cheer to offer  its farmers this week, increasing its forecast farmgate milk price and earnings guidance for  the year after what it calls a strong start to the year. The forecast  midpoint for the 2023/24 season is up 25cs to $7.50 per ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • MICHAEL BASSETT: Modern Maori myths
    Michael Bassett writes – Many of the comments about the Coalition’s determination to wind back the dramatic Maorification of New Zealand of the last three years would have you believe the new government is engaged in a full-scale attack on Maori. In reality, all that is happening ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Dreams of eternal sunshine at a spotless COP28
    Mary Robinson asked Al Jaber a series of very simple, direct and highly pertinent questions and he responded with a high-octane public meltdown. Photos: Getty Images / montage: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR The hygiene effects of direct sunshine are making some inroads, perhaps for the very first time, on the normalised ‘deficit ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • LINDSAY MITCHELL: Oh, the irony
    Lindsay Mitchell writes – Appointed by new Labour PM Jacinda Ardern in 2018, Cindy Kiro headed the Welfare Expert Advisory Group (WEAG) tasked with reviewing and recommending reforms to the welfare system. Kiro had been Children’s Commissioner during Helen Clark’s Labour government but returned to academia subsequently. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Transport Agencies don’t want Harbour Tunnels
    It seems even our transport agencies don’t want Labour’s harbour crossing plans. In August the previous government and Waka Kotahi announced their absurd preferred option the new harbour crossing that at the time was estimated to cost $35-45 billion. It included both road tunnels and a wiggly light rail tunnel ...
    3 days ago
  • Webworm Presents: Jurassic Park on 35mm
    Hi,Paying Webworm members such as yourself keep this thing running, so as 2023 draws to close, I wanted to do two things to say a giant, loud “THANKS”. Firstly — I’m giving away 10 Mister Organ blu-rays in New Zealand, and another 10 in America. More details down below.Secondly — ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    3 days ago
  • The Prime Minister's Dream.
    Yesterday saw the State Opening of Parliament, the Speech from the Throne, and then Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s dream for Aotearoa in his first address. But first the pomp and ceremony, the arrival of the Governor General.Dame Cindy Kiro arrived on the forecourt outside of parliament to a Māori welcome. ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • National’s new MP; the proud part-Maori boy raised in a state house
    Probably not since 1975 have we seen a government take office up against such a wall of protest and complaint. That was highlighted yesterday, the day that the new Parliament was sworn in, with news that King Tuheitia has called a national hui for late January to develop a ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago
  • Climate Adam: Battlefield Earth – How War Fuels Climate Catastrophe
    This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). War, conflict and climate change are tearing apart lives across the world. But these aren't separate harms - they're intricately connected. ...
    3 days ago
  • They do not speak for us, and they do not speak for the future
    These dire woeful and intolerant people have been so determinedly going about their small and petulant business, it’s hard to keep up. At the end of the new government’s first woeful week, Audrey Young took the time to count off its various acts of denigration of Te Ao Māori:Review the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Another attack on te reo
    The new white supremacist government made attacking te reo a key part of its platform, promising to rename government agencies and force them to "communicate primarily in English" (which they already do). But today they've gone further, by trying to cut the pay of public servants who speak te reo: ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • For the record, the Beehive buzz can now be regarded as “official”
    Buzz from the Beehive The biggest buzz we bring you from the Beehive today is that the government’s official website is up and going after being out of action for more than a week. The latest press statement came  from  Education Minister  Eric Stanford, who seized on the 2022 PISA ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Climate Change: Failed again
    There was another ETS auction this morning. and like all the other ones this year, it failed to clear - meaning that 23 million tons of carbon (15 million ordinary units plus 8 million in the cost containment reserve) went up in smoke. Or rather, they didn't. Being unsold at ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell On The Government’s Assault On Maori
    This isn’t news, but the National-led coalition is mounting a sustained assault on Treaty rights and obligations. Even so, Christopher Luxon has described yesterday’s nationwide protests by Maori as “pretty unfair.” Poor thing. In the NZ Herald, Audrey Young has compiled a useful list of the many, many ways that ...
    4 days ago
  • Rising costs hit farmers hard, but  there’s more  positive news  for  them this  week 
    New Zealand’s dairy industry, the mainstay of the country’s export trade, has  been under  pressure  from rising  costs. Down on the  farm, this  has  been  hitting  hard. But there  was more positive news this week,  first   from the latest Fonterra GDT auction where  prices  rose,  and  then from  a  report ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    4 days ago
  • ROB MacCULLOCH:  Newshub and NZ Herald report misleading garbage about ACT’s van Veldon not follo...
    Rob MacCulloch writes –  In their rush to discredit the new government (which our MainStream Media regard as illegitimate and having no right to enact the democratic will of voters) the NZ Herald and Newshub are arguing ACT’s Deputy Leader Brooke van Veldon is not following Treasury advice ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Top 10 for Wednesday, December 6
    Even many young people who smoke support smokefree policies, fitting in with previous research showing the large majority of people who smoke regret starting and most want to quit. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere on the morning of Wednesday, December ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Eleven years of work.
    Well it didn’t take six months, but the leaks have begun. Yes the good ship Coalition has inadvertently released a confidential cabinet paper into the public domain, discussing their axing of Fair Pay Agreements (FPAs).Oops.Just when you were admiring how smoothly things were going for the new government, they’ve had ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • Why we're missing out on sharply lower inflation
    A wave of new and higher fees, rates and charges will ripple out over the economy in the next 18 months as mayors, councillors, heads of department and price-setters for utilities such as gas, electricity, water and parking ramp up charges. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Just when most ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • How Did We Get Here?
    Hi,Kiwis — keep the evening of December 22nd free. I have a meetup planned, and will send out an invite over the next day or so. This sounds sort of crazy to write, but today will be Tony Stamp’s final Totally Normal column of 2023. Somehow we’ve made it to ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    4 days ago
  • At a glance – Has the greenhouse effect been falsified?
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    4 days ago
  • New Zealaders  have  high expectations of  new  government:  now let’s see if it can deliver?
    The electorate has high expectations of the  new  government.  The question is: can  it  deliver?    Some  might  say  the  signs are not  promising. Protestors   are  already marching in the streets. The  new  Prime Minister has had  little experience of managing  very diverse politicians  in coalition. The economy he  ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    4 days ago
  • You won't believe some of the numbers you have to pull when you're a Finance Minister
    Nicola of Marsden:Yo, normies! We will fix your cost of living worries by giving you a tax cut of 150 dollars. 150! Cash money! Vote National.Various people who can read and count:Actually that's 150 over a fortnight. Not a week, which is how you usually express these things.And actually, it looks ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago
  • Pushback
    When this government came to power, it did so on an explicitly white supremacist platform. Undermining the Waitangi Tribunal, removing Māori representation in local government, over-riding the courts which had tried to make their foreshore and seabed legislation work, eradicating te reo from public life, and ultimately trying to repudiate ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Defence ministerial meeting meant Collins missed the Maori Party’s mischief-making capers in Parli...
    Buzz from the Beehive Maybe this is not the best time for our Minister of Defence to have gone overseas. Not when the Maori Party is inviting (or should that be inciting?) its followers to join a revolution in a post which promoted its protest plans with a picture of ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • Threats of war have been followed by an invitation to join the revolution – now let’s see how th...
     A Maori Party post on Instagram invited party followers to ….  Tangata Whenua, Tangata Tiriti, Join the REVOLUTION! & make a stand!  Nationwide Action Day, All details in tiles swipe to see locations.  • This is our 1st hit out and tomorrow Tuesday the 5th is the opening ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Top 10 for Tuesday, December 4
    The RBNZ governor is citing high net migration and profit-led inflation as factors in the bank’s hawkish stance. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere on the morning of Tuesday, December 5, including:Reserve Bank Governor Adrian Orr says high net migration and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Nicola Willis' 'show me the money' moment
    Willis has accused labour of “economic vandalism’, while Robertson described her comments as a “desperate diversion from somebody who can't make their tax package add up”. There will now be an intense focus on December 20 to see whether her hyperbole is backed up by true surprises. Photo montage: Lynn ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • CRL costs money but also provides huge benefits
    The City Rail Link has been in the headlines a bit recently so I thought I’d look at some of them. First up, yesterday the NZ Herald ran this piece about the ongoing costs of the CRL. Auckland ratepayers will be saddled with an estimated bill of $220 million each ...
    5 days ago
  • And I don't want the world to see us.
    Is this the most shambolic government in the history of New Zealand? Given that parliament hasn’t even opened they’ve managed quite a list of achievements to date.The Smokefree debacle trading lives for tax cuts, the Trumpian claims of bribery in the Media, an International award for indifference, and today the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Cooking the books
    Finance Minister Nicola Willis late yesterday stopped only slightly short of accusing her predecessor Grant Robertson of cooking the books. She complained that the Half Yearly Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU), due to be made public on December 20, would show “fiscal cliffs” that would amount to “billions of ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Most people don’t realize how much progress we’ve made on climate change
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections The year was 2015. ‘Uptown Funk’ with Bruno Mars was at the top of the music charts. Jurassic World was the most popular new movie in theaters. And decades of futility in international climate negotiations was about to come to an end in ...
    5 days ago
  • Of Parliamentary Oaths and Clive Boonham
    As a heads-up, I am not one of those people who stay awake at night thinking about weird Culture War nonsense. At least so far as the current Maori/Constitutional arrangements go. In fact, I actually consider it the least important issue facing the day to day lives of New ...
    5 days ago
  • Bearing True Allegiance?
    Strong Words: “We do not consent, we do not surrender, we do not cede, we do not submit; we, the indigenous, are rising. We do not buy into the colonial fictions this House is built upon. Te Pāti Māori pledges allegiance to our mokopuna, our whenua, and Te Tiriti o ...
    5 days ago
  • You cannot be serious
    Some days it feels like the only thing to say is: Seriously? No, really. Seriously?OneSomeone has used their health department access to share data about vaccinations and patients, and inform the world that New Zealanders have been dying in their hundreds of thousands from the evil vaccine. This of course is pure ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago
  • A promise kept: govt pulls the plug on Lake Onslow scheme – but this saving of $16bn is denounced...
    Buzz from the Beehive After $21.8 million was spent on investigations, the plug has been pulled on the Lake Onslow pumped-hydro electricity scheme, The scheme –  that technically could have solved New Zealand’s looming energy shortage, according to its champions – was a key part of the defeated Labour government’s ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • CHRIS TROTTER: The Maori Party and Oath of Allegiance
    If those elected to the Māori Seats refuse to take them, then what possible reason could the country have for retaining them?   Chris Trotter writes – Christmas is fast approaching, which, as it does every year, means gearing up for an abstruse general knowledge question. “Who was ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • BRIAN EASTON:  Forward to 2017
    The coalition party agreements are mainly about returning to 2017 when National lost power. They show commonalities but also some serious divergencies. Brian Easton writes The two coalition agreements – one National and ACT, the other National and New Zealand First – are more than policy documents. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Climate Change: Fossils
    When the new government promised to allow new offshore oil and gas exploration, they were warned that there would be international criticism and reputational damage. Naturally, they arrogantly denied any possibility that that would happen. And then they finally turned up at COP, to criticism from Palau, and a "fossil ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • GEOFFREY MILLER:  NZ’s foreign policy resets on AUKUS, Gaza and Ukraine
    Geoffrey Miller writes – New Zealand’s international relations are under new management. And Winston Peters, the new foreign minister, is already setting a change agenda. As expected, this includes a more pro-US positioning when it comes to the Pacific – where Peters will be picking up where he ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on the government’s smokefree laws debacle
    The most charitable explanation for National’s behaviour over the smokefree legislation is that they have dutifully fulfilled the wishes of the Big Tobacco lobby and then cast around – incompetently, as it turns out – for excuses that might sell this health policy U-turn to the public. The less charitable ...
    6 days ago
  • Top 10 links at 10 am for Monday, December 4
    As Deb Te Kawa writes in an op-ed, the new Government seems to have immediately bought itself fights with just about everyone. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere as of 10 am on Monday December 4, including:Palau’s President ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • Be Honest.
    Let’s begin today by thinking about job interviews.During my career in Software Development I must have interviewed hundreds of people, hired at least a hundred, but few stick in the memory.I remember one guy who was so laid back he was practically horizontal, leaning back in his chair until his ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: New Zealand’s foreign policy resets on AUKUS, Gaza and Ukraine
    New Zealand’s international relations are under new management. And Winston Peters, the new foreign minister, is already setting a change agenda. As expected, this includes a more pro-US positioning when it comes to the Pacific – where Peters will be picking up where he left off. Peters sought to align ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    6 days ago
  • Auckland rail tunnel the world’s most expensive
    Auckland’s city rail link is the most expensive rail project in the world per km, and the CRL boss has described the cost of infrastructure construction in Aotearoa as a crisis. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The 3.5 km City Rail Link (CRL) tunnel under Auckland’s CBD has cost ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • First big test coming
    The first big test of the new Government’s approach to Treaty matters is likely to be seen in the return of the Resource Management Act. RMA Minister Chris Bishop has confirmed that he intends to introduce legislation to repeal Labour’s recently passed Natural and Built Environments Act and its ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    6 days ago
  • The Song of Saqua: Volume III
    Time to revisit something I haven’t covered in a while: the D&D campaign, with Saqua the aquatic half-vampire. Last seen in July: https://phuulishfellow.wordpress.com/2023/07/27/the-song-of-saqua-volume-ii/ The delay is understandable, once one realises that the interim saw our DM come down with a life-threatening medical situation. They have since survived to make ...
    6 days ago
  • Chris Bishop: Smokin’
    Yes. Correct. It was an election result. And now we are the elected government. ...
    My ThinksBy boonman
    7 days ago
  • 2023 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #48
    A chronological listing of news and opinion articles posted on the Skeptical Science  Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Nov 26, 2023 thru Dec 2, 2023. Story of the Week CO2 readings from Mauna Loa show failure to combat climate change Daily atmospheric carbon dioxide data from Hawaiian volcano more ...
    7 days ago
  • Affirmative Action.
    Affirmative Action was a key theme at this election, although I don’t recall anyone using those particular words during the campaign.They’re positive words, and the way the topic was talked about was anything but. It certainly wasn’t a campaign of saying that Affirmative Action was a good thing, but that, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    7 days ago
  • 100 days of something
    It was at the end of the Foxton straights, at the end of 1978, at 100km/h, that someone tried to grab me from behind on my Yamaha.They seemed to be yanking my backpack. My first thought was outrage. My second was: but how? Where have they come from? And my ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    7 days ago
  • Look who’s stepped up to champion Winston
    There’s no news to be gleaned from the government’s official website today  – it contains nothing more than the message about the site being under maintenance. The time this maintenance job is taking and the costs being incurred have us musing on the government’s commitment to an assault on inflation. ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 week ago
  • What's The Story?
    Don’t you sometimes wish they’d just tell the truth? No matter how abhorrent or ugly, just straight up tell us the truth?C’mon guys, what you’re doing is bad enough anyway, pretending you’re not is only adding insult to injury.Instead of all this bollocks about the Smokefree changes being to do ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • The longest of weeks
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.Friday Under New Management Week in review, quiz style1. Which of these best describes Aotearoa?a. Progressive nation, proud of its egalitarian spirit and belief in a fair go b. Best little country on the planet c. ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago
  • Suggested sessions of EGU24 to submit abstracts to
    Like earlier this year, members from our team will be involved with next year's General Assembly of the European Geosciences Union (EGU). The conference will take place on premise in Vienna as well as online from April 14 to 19, 2024. The session catalog has been available since November 1 ...
    1 week ago
  • Under New Management
    1. Which of these best describes Aotearoa?a. Progressive nation, proud of its egalitarian spirit and belief in a fair go b. Best little country on the planet c. Under New Management 2. Which of these best describes the 100 days of action announced this week by the new government?a. Petulantb. Simplistic and wrongheaded c. ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago
  • While we wait patiently, our new Minister of Education is up and going with a 100-day action plan
    Sorry to say, the government’s official website is still out of action. When Point of Order paid its daily visit, the message was the same as it has been for the past week: Site under maintenance Beehive.govt.nz is currently under maintenance. We will be back shortly. Thank you for your ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 week ago

  • Ministers visit Hawke’s Bay to grasp recovery needs
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon joined Cyclone Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell and Transport and Local Government Minister Simeon Brown, to meet leaders of cyclone and flood-affected regions in the Hawke’s Bay. The visit reinforced the coalition Government’s commitment to support the region and better understand its ongoing requirements, Mr Mitchell says.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • New Zealand condemns malicious cyber activity
    New Zealand has joined the UK and other partners in condemning malicious cyber activity conducted by the Russian Government, Minister Responsible for the Government Communications Security Bureau Judith Collins says. The statement follows the UK’s attribution today of malicious cyber activity impacting its domestic democratic institutions and processes, as well ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Disestablishment of Te Pūkenga begins
    The Government has begun the process of disestablishing Te Pūkenga as part of its 100-day plan, Minister for Tertiary Education and Skills Penny Simmonds says.  “I have started putting that plan into action and have met with the chair and chief Executive of Te Pūkenga to advise them of my ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Climate Change Minister to attend COP28 in Dubai
    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will be leaving for Dubai today to attend COP28, the 28th annual UN climate summit, this week. Simon Watts says he will push for accelerated action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement, deliver New Zealand’s national statement and connect with partner countries, private sector leaders ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • New Zealand to host 2024 Pacific defence meeting
    Defence Minister Judith Collins yesterday announced New Zealand will host next year’s South Pacific Defence Ministers’ Meeting (SPDMM). “Having just returned from this year’s meeting in Nouméa, I witnessed first-hand the value of meeting with my Pacific counterparts to discuss regional security and defence matters. I welcome the opportunity to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Study shows need to remove distractions in class
    The Government is committed to lifting school achievement in the basics and that starts with removing distractions so young people can focus on their learning, Education Minister Erica Stanford says.   The 2022 PISA results released this week found that Kiwi kids ranked 5th in the world for being distracted ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Minister sets expectations of Commissioner
    Today I met with Police Commissioner Andrew Coster to set out my expectations, which he has agreed to, says Police Minister Mark Mitchell. Under section 16(1) of the Policing Act 2008, the Minister can expect the Police Commissioner to deliver on the Government’s direction and priorities, as now outlined in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • New Zealand needs a strong and stable ETS
    New Zealand needs a strong and stable Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) that is well placed for the future, after emission units failed to sell for the fourth and final auction of the year, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says.  At today’s auction, 15 million New Zealand units (NZUs) – each ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • PISA results show urgent need to teach the basics
    With 2022 PISA results showing a decline in achievement, Education Minister Erica Stanford is confident that the Coalition Government’s 100-day plan for education will improve outcomes for Kiwi kids.  The 2022 PISA results show a significant decline in the performance of 15-year-old students in maths compared to 2018 and confirms ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Collins leaves for Pacific defence meeting
    Defence Minister Judith Collins today departed for New Caledonia to attend the 8th annual South Pacific Defence Ministers’ meeting (SPDMM). “This meeting is an excellent opportunity to meet face-to-face with my Pacific counterparts to discuss regional security matters and to demonstrate our ongoing commitment to the Pacific,” Judith Collins says. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Working for Families gets cost of living boost
    Putting more money in the pockets of hard-working families is a priority of this Coalition Government, starting with an increase to Working for Families, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says. “We are starting our 100-day plan with a laser focus on bringing down the cost of living, because that is what ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Post-Cabinet press conference
    Most weeks, following Cabinet, the Prime Minister holds a press conference for members of the Parliamentary Press Gallery. This page contains the transcripts from those press conferences, which are supplied by Hansard to the Office of the Prime Minister. It is important to note that the transcripts have not been edited ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme scrapped
    The Government has axed the $16 billion Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme championed by the previous government, Energy Minister Simeon Brown says. “This hugely wasteful project was pouring money down the drain at a time when we need to be reining in spending and focussing on rebuilding the economy and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • NZ welcomes further pause in fighting in Gaza
    New Zealand welcomes the further one-day extension of the pause in fighting, which will allow the delivery of more urgently-needed humanitarian aid into Gaza and the release of more hostages, Foreign Minister Winston Peters said. “The human cost of the conflict is horrific, and New Zealand wants to see the violence ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Condolences on passing of Henry Kissinger
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters today expressed on behalf of the New Zealand Government his condolences to the family of former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who has passed away at the age of 100 at his home in Connecticut. “While opinions on his legacy are varied, Secretary Kissinger was ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Backing our kids to learn the basics
    Every child deserves a world-leading education, and the Coalition Government is making that a priority as part of its 100-day plan. Education Minister Erica Stanford says that will start with banning cellphone use at school and ensuring all primary students spend one hour on reading, writing, and maths each day. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
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  • US Business Summit Speech – Regional stability through trade
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