Back on Track?
Written By:
- Date published:
11:05 am, April 7th, 2024 - 71 comments
Categories: act, benefits, economy, greens, health, labour, Maori Issues, maori party, national, Politics, poverty, same old national, Te Reo Māori, treaty settlements, workers' rights -
Tags:
This was National’s campaign slogan last election and it is appropriate to consider how they are going in achieving what they promised.
They have been very busy, very very busy. With a 100 day plan and a recently announced three month plan they have been doing a lot of planning. But has it made the country a better place? And if so who for?
How about this list of the Government’s achievements so far. It has:
- Proposed that gang members be required to wear foundation when they go out into the public.
- Proposed more lung cancer so that landlords can get a tax cut.
- Planned to cut tobacco excise duty.
- Delayed changes to vape rules in a move that allowed Phillip Morris to get rid of its excess stock.
- Abandoned the promised Working for Families abatement adjustment so that landlords can get a tax cut.
- Cut fair pay agreements even though they were warned the removal would disproportionately impact women, Māori and Pasifika and young people.
- Ordered a pathetic increase in the minimum wage, well below the rate of inflation thereby giving minimum wage earners a wage cut. Brooke Van Velden wanted it to be even less than Cabinet agreed to.
- Attacked the use of Te Reo by the public service by europeanising Ministry names and stopping payments for Public Servants gaining proficiency in Te Reo.
- Scrapped the Māori Health Authority using urgency.
- Acted to remove references to Te Tiriti from laws including the Oranga Tamariki Act;
- Insulted Ratana.
- Cancelled Three Waters on spurious racist grounds and caused Councils to have to plan for significant rates increases to pay for necessary upgrades. And relaxed consultation and audit requirements for Councils so they basically do not have to talk about how much they may have to put rates.
- Implemented $7.4 billion of cuts and savings many affecting core services.
- Gleefully announced thousands of public service job cuts just before Christmas.
- Raised the prospect of hospitals and schools and roads being built using PPPs.
- Introduced 90 day fire at will legislation for all companies under urgency just in time for Christmas.
- Wound back RMA reforms and gave the Minister extraordinary powers to rewrite planning documents.
- Cut funding for cultural reports despite the important role they play in determining what is a just sentence for an offender.
- Repealed under urgency the Tax Principles Reporting Act so that IRD no longer had to report to us on how our tax system is functioning and if rich people are paying a fair amount of tax. Interestingly this urgent action did not appear in any of the coalition agreements or in the Government’s 100 day plan.
- Proposed making English an Official Language, as if it wasn’t.
- United Māori in a way not seen before while at the same time insulting Kiingi Tuuheitia.
- Increased congestion by starving Auckland of necessary funds through the Regional Fuel Tax.
- Increase unemployment by changing the Reserve Bank’s focus on inflation and employment to one of inflation only.
- Stopped blanket speed restrictions and decreased safety.
- Canned Auckland Light Rail and Let’s get Wellington moving.
- Suspended the preparartion of Regulatory Impact Analyses for some of its proposals so that proper analysis of its proposals did not happen.
- Advanced work on Act’s Dog Whistle Treaty Principles Bill.
- Had Shane Jones claim that the previous Government’s approach to climate change was hysterical, that mining of the DoC estate including Stewardship land would be fast tracked and that “if there is a mining opportunity and it’s impeded by a blind frog, goodbye, Freddy“.
- Made gas guzzling utes and large vehicles cheaper thereby undermining the previous Government’s attempt to make the country’s vehicle fleet more sustainable. The number of EVs entering the fleet has subsequently plummeted.
- Released a draft Government Policy Statement on Land Transport that did not have climate change as a priority consideration.
- Stopped work on policies that would provide transport alternatives to private cars.
- Started work to justify the gutting of Kainga Ora and the wind back of the provision of social housing by the state.
- Planned to increase sanctions against beneficiaries despite there being no evidence that they work.
- Announced a review of gun laws which may increase the number of semi automatic weapons in the country.
- Required teachers to return to the halcyon days of the 1950s by requiring them to teach reading and writing, something they do anyway.
- Brought back Pseudoephedrine. The gangs are rejoicing.
- Gave Shane Jones a $1.2 billion slush fund also known as the Regional Infrastructure Fund.
- Offered the Police less than Labour had previously during wage negotiations, an offer described as an insult and a joke.
- Started work on resuming block offers for offshore oil drilling at a time where any serious climate scientist says we have to leave undiscovered oil in the ground.
- Stood by and did nothing as the media sector was decimated.
- Planned to cut significantly into the budget for free school lunches despite these being a very effective way of assisting families with cost of living pressures and positively contributing to attendance and academic performance.
- Proposed shutting the Suicide Prevention Office.
- Had the Minister walk back the proposed shutting of the Suicide Prevention Office. And I thought Ministers were going to go through Ministry budgets line by line to cut waste.
- Reversed the ten year bright line test. First home buyers will now have to fight more landlords to buy homes.
- Underestimated the cost of the Landlord Tax cut by $800 million.
- Overestimated the tax raised by the Offshore Gambling Tax by $500 million.
- Diverted money needed to address climate change into tax cuts for landlords.
- Scrapped the groundbreaking Living in Aotearoa study which collected important data needed to measure child poverty.
- Told Te Papa to take down the defaced Treaty of Waitangi display even though the Minister has no power to direct the Museum on what it should display.
- Scrapped the proposal for a Sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands a proposal that actually started with John Key. According to Jones “[t]here’s far too much misinformation, and I’ve had to put up with green muckery over this issue. There is already a host of protective measures there.”
- Announced brutal cuts to the Ministry of Pacific People which may see the numbers working there being slashed by 40%. I guess this is not surprising when you remember that before the election David Seymour threatened to blow the ministry up.
- Had an absolute melt down on the fact that Auckland University has a space for Māori and Pacific students. Winston Peters claimed rather bizarrely that having the spaces was comparable to the Klu Klux Klan. Not to be out done David Seymour claimed that the spaces were segregationist.
- Simeon Brown extending his tacky little culture war on cycleways by extending the attack to public transport with proposals that will increase the cost of living for all users of public transport.
- Imposed retrospectively compulsory referenda on Councils that had exercised their right to decide what shape their electoral system took but only if they established Māori wards.
- Announced savage cuts to disability payments that sent the sector into turmoil and then walking back the news because the Ministry had done an “inadequate job in conveying changes to disabled people’s funding”.
- Introduced legislation that would give Shane Jones, Simeon Brown and Chris Bishop unprecedented powers to grant consents for things such as mining in Doc land and not including the list of projects in the draft bill released for consultation.
- Suffered a number of leaks of sensitive Cabinet Papers.
Is that enough? Let me know if I have missed anything in the comments.
And if you have had enough get involved. Join your union. Join Labour. Join the Greens or Te Pati Māori .
71 comments on “Back on Track? ”
- Comments are now closed
- Comments are now closed
CommentsOpinions
Recent Comments
FeedsPartyGovtMedia
- End Game
Related articles belowIntroductionRecently, I’ve been having some delays in putting pen to paper.It’s not because I’m short on words -Verbosity seems to be one of the banes of my life. And it’s not because there isn’t enough content: I just whipped up a long list from the past few days.So, ...4 hours ago - Rowdy scrappers, beautiful birds
Who doesn't love to watch Tūī? Who doesn't love those colours, almost too good to be true - the deepest, glossiest, most lustrous of deep blue, the iridescent turquoise, the crisp-as-a-vicar's-collar white tuft?Who doesn't love the way they move, swooping as swift as a jet or occasionally bashing the hell ...15 hours ago - Fact brief – Has human-caused climate change increased extreme weather?
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park from the Gigafact team in collaboration with members from our team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Has human-caused climate ...1 day ago - What’s Been Happening? Political Roundup
For paid subscribersI’m currently writing an article in response to a promise to Bill about where everything is heading - and I included a ‘quick’ snapshot of political updates.However, as that list of updates got longer, I thought it made sense to send out as a separate article.So here it ...1 day ago - Bitch
I'm a bitch, I'm a loverI'm a child, I'm a motherI'm a sinner, I'm a saintI do not feel ashamedI'm your Hell, I'm your dreamI'm nothing in betweenYou know you wouldn't want it any other wayWriters: Shelly Peiken, Meredith BrooksGood morning, all you lovely people. 🙂 A newsletter this morning ...2 days ago - Property Rights and the Treaty Principles Bill
Property rights – which enable decisions over tangible and intangible assets – are critical to an economy as Why Nations Fail pointed out. Not just private property rights for, as we shall see, they are more complicated than that. Neoliberals argue that private property rights lead to the maximum economic ...2 days ago - The Hoon around the week to November 22
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts & talking about the week’s news with: on the US Presidential elections, Israel vs Gaza/Iran/Lebanon, Ukraine/Nato vs Russia/North Korea and whether NZ now joins AUKUS;Special guest Helen Clark on the issues above, ...2 days ago - Justice in Brazil
Following the 2022 Brazilian general election, election loser Jair Bolsonaro tried to do a Trump, attempting a coup to overturn the election. It failed. But unlike his American friend, he hasn't been allowed to get away with it: The former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro and some of his closest ...2 days ago - Treasury warns deeper recession worsening Budget deficit
The gift that keeps giving: David Seymour has now opened a split in the coalition over the future of National’s promise to build a new medical school. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / TheKakaKia ora. Long stories short, here’s my top things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and ...3 days ago
- Weekly Roundup 22-November-2024
It’s another Friday and we’re inching closer to the end of the year. Here’s some of the stories that have caught our attention this week. This post, like all our work, is brought to you by a largely volunteer crew and made possible by generous donations from our readers and ...3 days ago - Beyond Question?
Record Numbers: The Hīkoi mō te Tiriti, which began at the tip of the North, and the tail of the South, on 11 November, culminated outside Parliament on Tuesday, 19 November 2024, in one of the largest demonstrations in New Zealand’s political history.ACCORDING TO TE ARA, the Ministry of Culture ...3 days ago - The Rush To Blame “The Activists”
Activists are such easy scapegoats. The right and center have been conditioned for decades to roll their eyes at all protests. The left are easily aggravated over students leading movements they see as belonging to grownups, who have more important concerns like the economy and whether the trains come on ...3 days ago - Cutting Through An Inundation of Dipshit Racists
Hi,Watching New Zealand from afar offers a strange perspective. It can be a good thing — distance from Aotearoa helped keep me sane while I reported on abuse at New Zealand’s biggest megachurch over the course of a year. It helps fuel my silly podcast. But it can also be ...3 days ago - This is bad news
The speech yesterday by Treasury’s Chief Economic Advisor warning that the books are in worse shape than forecasted looks like it’s part of a softening-up process for either more cuts or a longer wait to get back into surplus. The speech was a highly unusual public preview of Treasury’s Half-Yearly ...3 days ago - Skeptical Science New Research for Week #47 2024
Open access notables Projected increase in the frequency of extremely active Atlantic hurricane seasons, Lopez et al., Science Advances: Future changes to the year-to-year swings between active and inactive North Atlantic tropical cyclone (TC) seasons have received little attention, yet may have great societal implications in areas prone to hurricane ...3 days ago
- Chicken Kiev
Chatting in the supermarket this morning, I found I needed to lunge for the chicken drumsticks.Coping mechanisms: who hasn’t felt a greater need for them lately?When it all gets too much, I turn to demonstrating handy butchery hacks.It wasn’t that she’d said anything wrong, our friend, not at all. We ...3 days ago - The year is 2024 and it’s 1984
This is written in response to the highly significant open letter from a group of economists that was today addressed to Christopher Luxon. The year is 2024, and it’s 1984. The country is reeling from a record Olympic medal gold haul, while the globe grapples with the choice of the ...3 days ago - The IPCA has failed
Back in 2022, RNZ took an in-depth look at the "Independent" Police Conduct Authority and its handling of killings by police. These are the most serious test of oversight, and you would expect the police's use of lethal force to receive the most severe scrutiny. But despite the police regularly ...3 days ago
- Thursday 21 November 2024
The Hīkoi mō Te Tiriti arrived at Parliament on Tuesday – the size is being debated but estimates range from 42,000 to 100,000. The Prime Minister is defending not attending due to some of the organisers being affiliated with Te Pāti Māori. The national gang patch ban came into force ...3 days ago - ‘These budget cuts are counter-productive and make no sense’
I spoke to former Productivity Chair Nana this morning about the letter he and a group of other economists sent to PM Christopher Luxon to urge the Government to urgently suspend cuts to spending and investment for the sake of the economy, struggling businesses and the wellbeing of vulnerable ...3 days ago
- ACT’s Astroturfing & A Co-ordinated Attack on Te Pati Māori
Unity on the Streets / Unity at the TableAfter the Hīkoi, all three right wing Coalition leaders came together to push the idea that the 42,000 - 50,000 + strong Hikoi was somehow less potent and brave, and more illegitimate than the energy and crowd displayed.Prime Minister Christopher Luxon 20-November: ...4 days ago - Durability of carbon dioxide removal is critical for stabilizing temperatures
This is a re-post from the Climate Brink The world is emitting over 40 gigatons of CO2 per year, contributing to an accelerating warming of the planet. The world needs to cut emissions rapidly to be remotely on track to meet our Paris Agreement goals of limiting warming to well-below 2C, and we ...4 days ago
- I Love My Leather Jacket
I wear my leather jacket like a great big hugRadiating charm - a living cloak of luckIt's the only concrete link with an absent friendIt's a symbol I can wear 'till we meet againOr it's a weight around my neck while the owner's freeBoth protector and reminder of mortalityIt's a ...4 days ago - Throwback Thursday: Will “Auckland Transport” Survive?
With Auckland Transport’s future up in the air under Mayor Wayne Brown’s proposed CCO reform, we’ve dug way back into the archives, to unearth this post originally published in March 2010. As you’ll see, many of the debates that were being had when AT was first proposed continue to ...4 days ago
- Economists call on PM to suspend budget cuts for the sake of the economy
Nicola Willis’ budget cuts are under fire from economists for having no clear rationale and worsening the recession. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāKia ora. Long stories short, here’s my top things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Thursday, November 21: The news at ...4 days ago
- The end of policing by consent
National has appointed a new police commissioner. And he explicitly rejects policing by consent: Asked if he subscribed to policing by consent, he said he did not. “I don’t talk about policing by consent. I talk about trust and confidence, and it is fundamentally important that the police have ...4 days ago
- The Treaty Principles Bill: A Who’s Who
David Horatio Waterbed SeymourFringe politician and dweeb transformed successfully by ThinkTank money into a well-oiled soundbite robot.Currently programmed to say: Equal rights for all New Zealanders Equal rights for all New Zealanders Equal rights for all New Zealanders Was previously programmed to say:I am a proud libertarian andI am a ...4 days ago - Kinleith mill closure shows need for industrial strategy
NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi President Richard Wagstaff is calling on the Government to deliver an economic and industrial strategy for regional manufacturing, rather than just expressing sympathy for job losses, following the announced closure of Kinleith mill in Tokoroa. “The closure Kinleith mill in Tokoroa is not just devastating for ...4 days ago
- 27% of kids going hungry, up from 21% in a year
One in four Kiwi children live in households where food runs out often or sometimes. Photo: Getty ImagesKia ora. Long stories short, here’s my top things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Wednesday, November 20: The lead: The official annual Health Survey found sharp ...5 days ago - Transport modelling is an illusion
This guest post by Tim Adriaansen, an advocate for accessibility and sustainable transport, originally published on LinkedIn and cross posted here with permission. People prefer cars, right? Probably not. Here’s why. Granted, most people in English-speaking countries use a car to get around. This simple reality underpins our transport ...5 days ago
- Young Maori take over
Neither Wellington nor Parliament has ever seen anything like it before. The Police said there were more than 40,000 but however many there were, yesterday’s Hikoi to Parliament was a monumental event. It was almost three times the Foreshore and Seabed martch of 2004 and many,many times bigger than ...5 days ago
- Gordon Campbell On The Hikoi Aftermath
The euphoria from yesterday’s hikoi may be transitory, but is no less valuable for that. It is pretty rare for the left to feel itself to be in the overwhelming majority, and speaking as the voice of the people. Lest that momentum be lost, the organisers will no doubt be ...5 days ago - Sabin 33 #3 – Solar panels generate too much waste and will overwhelm landfills
On November 1, 2024 we announced the publication of 33 rebuttals based on the report "Rebutting 33 False Claims About Solar, Wind, and Electric Vehicles" written by Matthew Eisenson, Jacob Elkin, Andy Fitch, Matthew Ard, Kaya Sittinger & Samuel Lavine and published by the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia ...5 days ago
- What’s the time Mr Seymour?
Mr David Seymour crawling up to the ceilingThe sun don't shine the sun don't shine the sun don't shine at allMamma Pappa say you should go to school, I don't know what forNow that I've grown up and seen the world and all its liesSong: Southside of Bombay"Ake, ake, ake" ...5 days ago - Submit to defend te Tiriti!
The Justice Committee has called for submissions on National's racist and constitutionally radical Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Bill. Submissions can be made at the link above or by post, and are due by Tuesday, 7 January 2025. But I'd get in quick, in case National grows a spine ...5 days ago
- We need to talk about Kevin
All happy families are alike; each unhappy family has a Drunk Uncle Kevin in there somewhere. If your Kevin is anything like the ones I know, he was getting along happily enough without having to think too much about the Treaty Principles Bill apart from bloody good job, onya guys ...5 days ago - The hikoi
Like everyone else (everyone who wasn't there, anyway), I've spent the morning watching the hikoi march on Parliament. The pictures are astounding: parliament grounds and the surrounding streets are full, and there are still people backed up along Lambton Quay. The police are estimating 35,000 people, and that's a floor ...5 days ago
- Why Govt & NZ Inc should boycott & regulate Facebook
5 days ago - How should we talk about change?
A better world isn’t just possible, it’s desirable. And that’s how we should frame a lot of our conversations around making a greater Auckland. As an example take urban climate action. A climate friendly Auckland: Is free from congestion Enables people to travel how they choose Is filled with ...6 days ago
- AMA + Holiday Webworm Merch!
6 days ago - Discount Code for Webworm Merch!
Hi,So there’s a bunch of new stuff on the Webworm store (www.webworm.store) — just in time for the Holidays. Read more ...6 days ago - Trying to defuse the tension
There were urgent moves yesterday at Parliament to try and defuse the tension building up over ACT’s Treaty Principles Bill. The Bill’s author, ACT leader David Seymour, told reporters that he understood the Justice Select Committee met yesterday to discuss how long it should take to consider submissions on the ...6 days ago
- An Irritable NZ Pawn – David Seymour Admits Treaty Principles Bill will clear the way for deve...
6 days ago - Gordon Campbell On The Hikoi Arrival, And Tyler Childers
Politicians like to bang on all about the need to heal society’s racial/economic divisions, but in their actions they’re more keen on stoking those divisions, with the Treaty Principles Bill being the classic example. The Bill seeks to dilute the Crown’s responsibilities to Māori at the same time as it ...6 days ago
- Socially Backwards and Fiscally Forwards: the False Ideological Divide and the “Conservative” Li...
6 days ago - Kaamos: Accepted
I appreciate that A Phuulish Fellow has been fairly quiet recently. That’s a combination of two things – comparatively little in the way of relevant material to discuss (at least until The War of the Rohirrim comes out next month), and my general work on The Secret Non-Fiction Writing Project. ...6 days ago - Here’s how governments could fix their Paris climate commitment failures
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Governments around the world face a conundrum. Virtually none are on track to meet their Paris climate commitments. That includes the United States, which committed to cut its emissions at least 50% below 2005 levels by 2030 but is only on track for 32-43% cuts ...6 days ago
- Unstoppable.
6 days ago
- Katherine Trebeck – An Alternative Economic Narrative
The era of neoliberalism has been destructive on so many levels, with a huge growth in wealth and privilege for the one percent. A hollowing out of the state; fraying of the safety net; inadequate government investment in infrastructure; and continued environmental degradation has resulted in damage on a vast ...6 days ago - In a Manner of Speaking
In a manner of speakingI just want to sayThat I could never forget the wayYou told me everythingBy saying nothingOh, give me the wordsGive me the wordsThat tell me nothingOh, give me the wordsGive me the wordsThat tell me everythingSongwriter: Winston TongNext Tuesday, the subscription price for Nick’s Kōrero will ...6 days ago - Monday 18 November 2024
The NZNO have announced a nationwide strike for December over its pay dispute with Health NZ, who have put a 1 per cent cap on pay rises. The Hīkoi mō Te Tiriti and Treaty Principles Bill remain front and centre in the media, with the impacts of the Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke-led ...6 days ago
- Shipley warns Seymour’s bill is ‘inviting civil war’
The divisive Treaty Principles Bill is not just a risk for the National Party, it’s a risk to civil order and unity, warns a National Party grandee. Photo: Getty ImagesKia ora. Long stories short, here’s my top things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on ...7 days ago - A clearer network for the City Rail Link?
This post was originally published on Linked In by Nicolas Reid. It is republished here with permission. Auckland is now just a year or so away from having the keystone of its urban rail network complete. As I wrote about here, the City Rail Link will be a literal game changer for ...7 days ago
- National’s support base is wobbling
If ACT leader David Seymour intended the Treaty Principles Bill to drive a wedge into National’s support base, he may well already be succeeding. By midnight on Thursday after the Maori Party haka in Parliament, National MPs were being deluged with emails and messages from their members calling them out ...7 days ago
- 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #46
A listing of 33 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, November 10, 2024 thru Sat, November 16, 2024. Story of the week Our Story of the Week is completely "meta" (no, not that Meta). It's about our exploring how ...7 days ago
- Grifter Eftpos Tamaki at it again
..Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.Self-appointed “Bishop” and proto-fascist, Brian Tamaki was at it again on 16 November, blocking Auckland’s southern motorway, SH1.This time, the target of his ire wasn’t the Civil Unions Act; covid lock-downs; mask mandates; or ...1 week ago - Rip up a bill, lead a haka are words to live by
I cannot stop grabbing people by the lapels, or shoulders, or similar, and raving at them about the tiny miracles in my ears.I can hear again! There could not be a more satisfied customer in all the world.In a noisy cafe I am even catching words that Karren cannot, she ...1 week ago - Unintended Consequences
Take the baitYou pay the priceIt's much too lateFor good adviceYou know and I know that our good things' throughBecause there's consequences for what we doConsequences for me and youWriters: Kevin Robert Hayes, David Nagier, Bonnie Adele Hayes.Fallout from the first readingOne News began last night by saying that tens ...1 week ago - Thank you, driver!
Today, Saturday 16th of November, is Auckland Transport’s Bus Driver Appreciation Day! Saturday 16 November marks the third annual Auckland Transport (AT) ‘Bus Driver Appreciation Day’, and this year we are encouraging all of New Zealand to thank their driver or let the bus go first if you are in ...1 week ago
- Totally Normal: Holiday Edition
Hi,If I was to accurately sum up my mental state over the week, I’d just say that I got a huge fright from my own shadow.I’d nipped out for an 11pm neighborhood stroll, just to calm down after a day of stress and screens. The Cure and Fazerdaze’s new record ...1 week ago - We Are Not Listening
The current rise of populism challenges the way we think about people’s relationship to the economy.We seem to be entering an era of populism, in which leadership in a democracy is based on preferences of the population which do not seem entirely rational nor serving their longer interests. ...
1 week ago - More lawlessness from National
On Tuesday, sick of government stonewalling, the Waitangi Tribunal issued a rare court order, ordering the Minister of Health to release unredacted documents within 48 hours showing its reasoning for disestablishing Te Aka Whai Ora, the Māori Health Authority. The government's response to the lawful order of a court? Yeah, ...1 week ago
- National’s tyrannical “foreign interference” law
Yesterday, under cover the the biggest political fight of the year, National quietly - covertly, even - introduced anti-foreign interference legislation. The bill is the product of a years-long work-program aimed at countering shit like this and this, and there's unquestionably a need to do something to counter foreign states' ...1 week ago
- The Haka Represents The Best Of Us
A few months ago, I was in an audience watching a Haka-Kapa and as I watched children dance and sing and sway and shout and beat, I couldn’t help but think “The Haka represents the best of us.”Yes, yes - there will be a thousand voices that rush forth to ...1 week ago
- Adding up the climate cost
St Mary’s Bay housing left hanging: Climate risk is systemically underestimated in the climate scenarios used by central banks, and a new report warns 10,000 houses are set to become uninsurable in Aotearoa. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, here’s the top six news items of note in ...1 week ago
- Auckland chafing at Bishop’s housing intensification orders
One of the major problems the Government has in implementing its ‘going for housing growth’ strategy is that it isn’t giving much funding help to councils. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāKia ora. Long stories short, here’s my top things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and ...1 week ago - Friday 15 November 2024
The Treaty Principles Bill continues to dominate political news, with it passing its first reading in the House. Parliament was briefly suspended and Te Pāti Māori MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke suspended for 24 hours after leading a haka that was joined by opposition MPs and the public in the gallery. Willie ...1 week ago
- Weekly Roundup 15-November-2024
Happy Friday, welcome to another round-up of interesting stories about what’s happening in Auckland and other cities. Feel free to add your links in the comments! This post, like all our work, is brought to you by a largely volunteer crew and made possible by generous donations from our readers ...1 week ago
- Are We The Waiting?
And screamingAre we we are, are we we are the waitingAnd screamingAre we we are, are we we are the waitingForget me nots, second thoughts live in isolationHeads or tails and fairy tales in my mindAre we we are, are we we are the waiting unknownThe rage and love, the ...1 week ago - The Hoon around the week to November 15
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts & talking about the week’s news with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on the latest climate news, including from COP29 this week; on the US Presidential elections, Israel vs Gaza/Iran/Lebanon, Ukraine/Nato vs Russia/North ...1 week ago
- First Tea and Toast, now Milo — why do NZ’s best beverages need so much defending?
Only two months ago, Nicola Willis had to step in to stop Health New Zealand cutting tea and toast for post-birth parents, and now Lester Levy is riding to the rescue with a welcome message for all: our health workers can once again drink Milo, and will no longer need ...1 week ago - Gordon Campbell on the folly of making apologies in a social vacuum.
Day One of the Treaty Principles Bill…and everyone got what they wanted, and did what they liked. Heated words were exchanged. Culturally appropriate acts of outrage were performed. David Seymour got to play the victim card. Willie Jackson got kicked out of class. A comically red-faced Mr Speaker bellowed “Order, ...1 week ago
- Skeptical Science New Research for Week #46 2024
Open access notables Microbial solutions must be deployed against climate catastrophe, Peixoto et al., Nature Communications [comment]: The climate crisis is escalating. A multitude of microbe-based solutions have been proposed, and these technologies hold great promise and could be deployed along with other climate mitigation strategies. However, these solutions have ...1 week ago
- The PM gets some extremely valuable legal advice for free
You can pay a great deal of money for the services of a KC. So just what would some peerless legal writing from 40 or so of them be worth, do you reckon?Priceless, that’s what. It’s not even the half of it, but this is my favourite part of the ...1 week ago - D-day for the government
The government's Treaty Principles Bill is up for its first reading today - bought forward in a rush in a desperate effort to avoid the hikoi which is currently marching on Wellington. But the Prime Minister won’t be there for it – he’s literally running away to Peru! But he ...1 week ago
- Release: Government should be transparent on live exports
Targeted consultation on reinstating live cattle exports by sea won’t allow the New Zealand public to have their say. ...3 days ago - NZ’s global climate rankings plummet as Govt removes agriculture from ETS
The Government has passed legislation to remove agriculture from the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) while Aotearoa’s reputation on climate action plummets. ...3 days ago - Failed boot camp experiment must end
As legislation to set up boot camps passed its first reading, the Green Party urged the Government to abandon this failed policy experiment for the good of our rangatahi. ...3 days ago
- Gender-affirming care must centre evidence and health needs, not political posturing
The Ministry of Health has today released an evidence brief regarding the use of puberty blockers in gender-affirming healthcare, amid moves by the government to limit access. ...3 days ago
- Release: National doesn’t care about manufacturing
The National Government is walking away from our manufacturing sector with constant reports of closures and job losses. ...3 days ago
- Release: David Parker speech – Piketty, Inequality and Climate Change
David Parker's speech from the University of Auckland's forum on Piketty, Inequality and Climate Change in September 2024. ...3 days ago
- Release: Youth mental wellbeing no longer a priority for Child Poverty Minister
Louise Upston has revealed her diminished vision for vulnerable youth against a backdrop of snubbed advice, scrapped priorities, shifted goal posts and thousands more children projected to fall into poverty. ...3 days ago
- Release: National’s lack of climate action taking NZ backwards
National Government’s backward-looking climate policy has seen New Zealand fall seven places on the Climate Change Performance Index to 41 out of 63 countries measured. ...3 days ago
- Release: Simple reason for drop in emergency housing
When the Government says it has reduced the number of people in emergency housing, what it means is it is stopping people from accessing it in the first place. ...3 days ago
- Govt’s child wellbeing strategy ‘shallow and shameful’
The Government is turning its back on children by not only weakening child poverty reduction targets, but also removing child mental wellbeing as a priority focus in their Child and Youth Wellbeing Strategy. ...3 days ago
- Release: A historic win for Samoan communities
Labour warmly welcomes the Restoring Samoan Citizenship Bill as it passes its third reading, before becoming law. ...4 days ago
- Government plan to reinstate live animal exports a “national disgrace”
The Government has taken a giant step backwards by reinstating live animal exports. ...4 days ago
- Pasifika justice as Member’s Bill passes final reading
Teanau Tuiono’s Member’s Bill, the Citizenship (Western Samoa Restoration) Amendment Bill, has passed its third reading and will become law. ...4 days ago
- Release: Minister of Education thinks New Zealand ends at the Bombay Hills
The Minister of Education has shown complete disregard for rural communities and their school bus routes in Question Time today. ...4 days ago
- Economists sound alarm on Government’s slash-and-burn approach
A group of prominent economists has released an open letter to the Government, raising grave concerns about the far-reaching consequences of its fiscal policy. ...4 days ago
- Release: Smoking numbers up under Costello’s watch
National’s repeal of Labour’s smokefree legislation has taken New Zealand further away from achieving a Smokefree 2025 and a smokefree generation. ...4 days ago
- Release: Call for Palestine recognition by NZ, Australian and Canadian MPs
Parliamentarians from Australia, Canada and New Zealand have written an open letter to their respective Prime Ministers calling on them to recognise Palestine. ...4 days ago
- Justice Select Committee opens floor for Treaty Principles submissions
Today, the Justice Select Committee has decided to officially open submissions for the controversial Treaty Principles Bill. ...5 days ago
- Power of the people on full display as hīkoi approaches Parliament
Today, Hīkoi mō te Tiriti arrived in Wellington, with thousands gathering to march in unity against the divisive Treaty Principles Bill. ...5 days ago
- Hypocrisy as Te Whatu Ora contractor bill balloons
Te Whatu Ora’s bill for contracting and consulting staff has ballooned by nearly 20 percent under the National Government, breaking a promise they made during the election campaign to cut contractors. ...6 days ago
- Release: Growing pressure to scrap Section 7AA Repeal Bill
The newly released Section 7AA Repeal Bill's select committee report is further evidence that the Government should scrap it. ...1 week ago
- Government’s move to monetise access to nature a slippery slope
The Green Party is voicing serious concerns over the Government’s proposal to charge for access to public conservation land, released today. ...1 week ago
- Green Party condemns the passage of Treaty Principles Bill
The Green Party condemns the passing of the Treaty Principles Bill at first reading, and is clear that the fight is not over. ...1 week ago
- Stand Up for Te Tiriti
Te Tiriti o Waitangi is our country’s founding document. It forms the basis of the relationship between Māori and the Crown – and the Aotearoa New Zealand we live in today. ...1 week ago
- Release: Over 15,000 sign Labour’s open letter to Luxon
As the hīkoi to Parliament continues, Labour has sent an open letter to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon in a last-ditch attempt to get him to kill the Treaty Principles Bill. ...1 week ago
- Fast Track Bill threatens environment, climate and reputation
The fast-track legislation passing its second reading in Parliament is another step towards environmental ruin. ...2 weeks ago
- Greens join King’s Counsel in calling for Treaty Principles Bill to be abandoned
The Prime Minister must answer the call from a group of senior lawyers of the King’s Counsel to abandon the divisive Treaty Principles Bill. ...2 weeks ago
- Chris Hipkins’ apology statement to state and faith-based care survivors
...2 weeks ago
- Release: Labour formally apologises to state and faith-based care survivors
Labour joins with the Government in unreservedly apologising for the abuse, neglect and trauma including torture in state and faith-based care and for ignoring the voices of survivors for too long. ...2 weeks ago
- Green Party stands in support of survivors of abuse in care
Today, the Green Party stands alongside the survivors of abuse in state care and faith-based care as the Government issues an historic apology. ...2 weeks ago
- Green Party calls for conscience vote on Treaty Principles Bill
The Green Party has written to the Speaker of the House requesting he enable a personal vote on the Treaty Principles Bill. ...2 weeks ago
- Govt move to exclude journalist risks chilling effect
The Green Party is alarmed by the Government’s move to exclude a journalist from covering this week’s apology for the survivors of abuse in state and faith-based care. ...2 weeks ago
- Without action, an apology will be empty air
For tomorrow’s apology to survivors of abuse in state and faith-based care to hold any water, the Government must not pursue the same policies that drove the abuse in the first place. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Concerns remain over tobacco interference
Concerns about the tobacco industry’s ability to interfere in government policy making remain, despite the inability of the Office of the Auditor-General to investigate the Government’s decision to halve the excise tax on heated tobacco products. ...2 weeks ago
- Urgent wake-up call on climate
The Climate Change Commission’s latest advice indicates Aotearoa needs to be stepping up on climate action. ...2 weeks ago
- Green MP’s Meme-ber’s Bill set to save the world
Break out the punchlines and dust off your meme folder: Green Party MP Kahurangi Carter’s Copyright (Parody and Satire) Amendment Bill was pulled from the Ballot yesterday. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Poroporoaki: Ta Robert (Bom) Gillies
Kua hinga te manawa kairākau o Te Rua Tekau Ma Waru Tiwhatiwha te po! Kakarauru i te po! Ka rapuhia kei hea koe kua riro! Haere e te Ika a Whiro ki o tini hoa kua ngaro atu ki te Pō ...2 weeks ago
- Labour, Greens and Te Pāti Māori call on the Prime Minister to block the Treaty Principles Bill
The opposition parties stand united for an Aotearoa that honours Te Tiriti, rather than seeking to rewrite it. Labour, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori are working together against the Government’s divisive Treaty Principles Bill. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Labour, Greens and Te Pāti Māori call on the Prime Minister to block the Treaty Principle...
The opposition parties stand united for an Aotearoa that honours Te Tiriti, rather than seeking to rewrite it. Labour, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori are working together against the Government’s divisive Treaty Principles Bill. ...2 weeks ago
- NZ must pursue independent foreign policy
The Green Party says the need is greater than ever for Aotearoa New Zealand to pursue an independent foreign policy. ...2 weeks ago
- Child Protection Investigation Unit established
A new Child Protection Investigation Unit is being established to ensure the safety and wellbeing of children in care, Minister for Children Karen Chhour says. “The report released by the Royal Commission into abuse in state care shows us all the risk of not acting immediately when there are serious ...2 days ago - Speech at United States Business Summit 2024
Ka nui te mihi kia koutou. Ka mihi ki te mana whenua ko Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei. Kia ora and good morning everyone. Thank you Fran and Simon for inviting me here today, and importantly your leadership of this forum over several years now. I want to acknowledge David Gehrenbeck, Deputy ...2 days ago
- Record number of submissions received on granny flat proposal
Nearly 2,000 submissions have been received on the Government’s proposals aimed at making it easier to build a granny flat of up to 60 square metres without a resource or building consent, RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk say. “This is the highest number ...2 days ago
- District Court Judge appointed
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Rebecca Guthrie as a District Court Judge. Judge Guthrie was admitted to the bar in 1997 following her graduation from the University of Canterbury in 1996 (LLB, BA). She commenced her legal career in Hastings in 1997 before moving to London in ...2 days ago
- Appointments strengthen Predator Free 2050
The latest Predator Free 2050 Board appointments will help to strengthen biodiversity efforts across Aotearoa New Zealand, Conservation Minister Tama Potaka says. Mr Potaka today announced two appointments to the Board of Directors of Predator Free 2050 Limited, a key player in the wider Predator Free 2050 Programme. “The Predator ...2 days ago
- New facility in Christchurch will improve the lives of young New Zealanders
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey today opened Kahurangi, an innovative and much-needed facility for Canterbury’s Child, Adolescent, and Family Mental Health Services. “The new state of the art outpatient facility opened today will be a gamechanger for the way mental health is delivered for young people in Canterbury,” says Mr ...2 days ago
- Driver safety screens to be installed on Auckland buses
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed news from the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) that bus driver protection screens will be installed across Auckland’s bus fleet by 2026.“The Government is committed to improving the safety of working environments for bus drivers, and Budget 2024 allocated $15 million of Crown funding over ...2 days ago
- Government action provides Southland farmers more time to meet plan requirements
The Government is taking action to ensure Southland farmers and growers are not affected by unreasonable regional farm plan deadlines, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay, Environment Minister Penny Simmonds and Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard say.“Cabinet has agreed to provide more time for farmers and growers to comply with regional rules ...3 days ago
- Bill reaffirms Government’s commitment to crack down on serious youth offending
The Oranga Tamariki (Responding to Serious Youth Offending) Bill had its first reading at Parliament today. The Bill reaffirms the Government’s commitment to crack down on serious youth offending, Minister for Children Karen Chhour says. “In recent years we have seen an unacceptable spike in youth offending. “This Bill makes ...3 days ago
- Critical milestones for earthquake buildings review
Fairer, more sensible rules about managing earthquake risks are a step closer with the passing of legislation and the appointment of an independent chair to provide expert advice, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The Government is committed to reinvigorating our cities and regions to support economic growth, ...3 days ago
- State of the art radiology machine for Auckland
People in Northland and Auckland will benefit from a new machine for cancer treatment installed at the Regional Cancer and Blood Service at Auckland City Hospital. The MV5 linear accelerator, or LINAC machine, officially opened today targets cancer tumours with pinpoint accuracy. Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says this new, ...3 days ago
- Foreign Minister to visit Europe
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Europe for high-level talks with France, Germany and the United Kingdom next week. "Since taking office almost a year ago, the Coalition Government has emphasised the importance we place on New Zealand's traditional and likeminded diplomatic and ...3 days ago
- First arrests made under gang patch ban
Police have made their first arrests under the new gang patch legislation, with two gang members arrested, says Police Minister Mark Mitchell. “Just before 11 this morning, Police in Wairoa apprehended a gang member for wearing a patch to the supermarket. He has been arrested and will now face enforcement ...3 days ago
- Better support for victims of sexual violence
The Government is proposing two major changes to name suppression laws that will put the views of victims of sexual violence first, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “We are committed to restoring law and order and these two proposed changes will help ensure the victims of crime are put at ...3 days ago
- Government moving forward with Regional Deals
Cabinet has agreed to invite all regions to submit proposals for Regional Deals between central and local government that drive economic growth and deliver the infrastructure our country needs, Local Government Minister Simeon Brown and Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop say. Inviting all regions to propose a Regional Deal that boosts ...3 days ago
- MSA pilot participant update
One of the ten young men selected to participate in the Military-Style Academy Pilot has allegedly reoffended. Children’s Minister Karen Chhour is disappointed but says it would be naïve to think that none of these young men would reoffend. “I’m saddened that this young person has not taken this opportunity ...3 days ago
- Fighting for Kiwis in Trade
Delivered at Auckland Trade and Economic Policy School Good morning and thank you Deputy Vice Chancellor Lithander for your warm welcome and for inviting me to open Auckland Trade and Economic Policy School today. A Special thanks to the University of Auckland, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and ...3 days ago
- Attendance rates increase, again
Associate Education Minister David Seymour says that school attendance is continuing to rise. In Term 3 of 2024 51.3 per cent of students attended school regularly, an increase of 5.3 percentage points from 46 per cent in Term 3 of 2023. “This Government has prioritised student attendance and it is ...3 days ago
- Improving the lives of young New Zealanders
Ensuring New Zealand is the best place in the world for children and young people is the vision at the heart of the Government’s new Child and Youth Strategy, Child Poverty Reduction Minister Louise Upston says. “Childhood represents a huge opportunity to set people on a positive path towards living ...4 days ago
- Government continues work to reinstate livestock exports by sea
The Government is reinstating the trade of livestock exports by sea while ensuring the highest standards of animal welfare, says Associate Minister of Agriculture Andrew Hoggard.“The Government will introduce legislation changes to reinstate the trade, enhance oversight, and strengthen requirements for exporters to identify risks and manage the welfare of ...4 days ago
- Speech to the National Quality Forum 2024
Tēnā koutou katoa – it is a pleasure to be here today. I would like to begin by acknowledging the important leadership role you all play in ensuring a quality health system New Zealanders can trust. There is enormous clinical expertise in this room covering a wide range of disciplines. ...4 days ago
- New Zealand’s COP29 National Statement
Tēnā koutou katoa. Mr President, Excellencies, Delegates. New Zealand, and all nations represented here today, are already dealing with the impacts of climate change. Our households, businesses, and economies are bearing the costs of its effects. The choices we make now will shape the severity of these impacts for generations ...4 days ago
- Latest Quarterly Investment Report released
The Government has released its second Quarterly Investment Report (QIR) which shows substantial work still to be done by agencies to improve investment reporting and meet the Government’s expectations, Infrastructure and Acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “New Zealand has significant infrastructure and investment needs. The Government is determined to get ...4 days ago
- New Zealand supporting loss and damage fund
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced New Zealand will contribute NZ$10 million to the new Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage while at the annual United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan. “New Zealand is joining the global effort to address the significant challenge of responding to ...4 days ago
- Gang crackdown begins at stroke of midnight
The free ride for gangs is over when the clock strikes midnight tonight, with tough new laws officially coming into effect, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith and Police Minister Mark Mitchell say. “Gang patches will no longer be able to be worn in public. To earn the right to wear a ...5 days ago
- LGFA increases borrowing capacity to support high growth councils
The Government is welcoming the decision by the Local Government Funding Agency to increase access to financing tools for fast growing councils to support greater investment in critical infrastructure, Local Government Minister Simeon Brown says.“Communities across the country are facing an infrastructure deficit and significant population growth is projected in ...5 days ago
- Temporary Traffic Management costs revealed
The Government has revealed that over the past three years, the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) has spent an eyewatering $786 million of taxpayers’ money on road cones and temporary traffic management (TTM), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“When I became Minister, I was surprised to learn that that NZTA did ...5 days ago
- Jurisdiction of Disputes Tribunal to double
Legislation that will double the financial jurisdiction of the Disputes Tribunal from $30,000 to $60,000 has passed first reading in Parliament today, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith. “We need to improve court timeliness and access to justice so that Kiwis and get on with their lives. Court delays affect everyone, the ...5 days ago
- Protecting New Zealand from foreign interference
Legislation that will specifically criminalise foreign interference and strengthen espionage offences has passed first reading in Parliament today, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “It is normal and appropriate for states to interact and work to influence one another. This encourages cooperation and can have mutually beneficial outcomes. “However, the reality ...5 days ago
- Significant milestone for Canterbury Road of National Significance
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed news that the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) Board has approved funding towards pre-implementation and early works on the State Highway 1 (SH1) Belfast to Pegasus Motorway and Woodend Bypass Road of National Significance (RoNS). “Reaching this significant milestone is a reflection of our Government’s ...5 days ago
- Health survey results to help drive change
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says findings from the annual Health Survey highlight the need to continue driving better health outcomes for New Zealanders. The New Zealand Health Survey is an annual snapshot of key metrics measured from July 2023 – July 2024. Findings released this morning include: In 2023/24, ...5 days ago
- Final push needed to get to Smokefree 2025
A renewed effort to get people to quit smoking will build on what has worked to date and target the groups who most need support, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello said today. “The latest New Zealand Health Survey results show the daily smoking rate at 6.9 per cent and we ...5 days ago
- New diplomatic appointments
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has announced four new diplomatic appointments. “Our diplomats play an important role in ensuring New Zealand’s interests are maintained and enhanced across the world,” Mr Peters says. “It is a pleasure to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the Ministry of Foreign ...5 days ago
- Next steps for Regulatory Standards Bill
Regulation Minister David Seymour has today announced the next steps in the Government’s plan improve the quality of regulation by opening consultation on a proposed Regulatory Standards Bill. “New Zealand's low wages can be blamed on low productivity, and low productivity can be blamed on poor regulation,” says Mr Seymour. ...6 days ago
- Red Tape Tipline goes live
Minister for Regulation David Seymour has today announced that the Ministry for Regulation’s Red Tape Tipline is now live. “We want to hear about your red tape horror stories. From today, New Zealanders will have a say on how they are regulated through an online portal,” says Mr Seymour. The ...6 days ago
- Youth Parliament 2025 announced
The Minister for Youth Matt Doocey has today announced the eleventh Youth Parliament will be taking place in 2025. “Youth Parliament offers a unique youth development opportunity to young people from across New Zealand to experience the political process and learn about how government works,” says Mr Doocey. “The two-day ...6 days ago
- Police stats show promising change
After nearly a year in Government, Kiwis have seen significant change across law and order with promising early results shown across some Police statistics, says Police Minister Mark Mitchell. “In August 2023, I told New Zealanders that if they had not started to see a change in public safety within ...6 days ago
- Better coordination of anti-scam efforts
With the launch of Fraud Awareness Week, the Government is committing to new coordination efforts across industry and government to combat online scams, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Online financial scams are a growing problem for New Zealand. New data released today shows that Kiwis lost nearly ...6 days ago
- Minister to consider 7AA select committee report
Minister for Children Karen Chhour will consider the recommendations made by the Social Services and Community Committee in its report back to Parliament on the Oranga Tamariki (Repeal of Section 7AA) Amendment Bill. “I want to thank the people who made submissions and those who appeared before the committee in ...6 days ago
- Defence Minister to attend ASEAN meeting
Defence Minister Judith Collins will this week attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus in Vientiane, Laos. “We need to take every opportunity to engage with our international partners, given the increasingly unstable geo-political situation,” Ms Collins says. “New Zealand has a long-standing commitment to this ...6 days ago
- COP 29: Carbon credit trading scheme critisised as ‘get out of jail free card’
The deal reached in the final hours of COP29 has been criticised as a free pass for countries to slack off on efforts to reduce emissions at home. ...1 hour ago - Protest photographer John Miller records Hīkoi mō te Tiriti with his historic lens
RNZ News For almost six decades photographer John Miller (Ngāpuhi) has been a protest photographer in Aotearoa New Zealand. From his first photographs of an anti-Vietnam War protest on Auckland’s Albert Street as a high school student in 1967, to Hīkoi mō te Tiriti last week, Miller has focused much ...2 hours ago -
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jacqueline Peel, Director, Melbourne Climate Futures, The University of Melbourne The petroleum-laden dust has settled on this year’s United Nations climate summit, COP29, held over the past fortnight in Baku, Azerbaijan. Climate scientists, leaders, lobbyists and delegates are heading for home. ...4 hours ago
- All Blacks end of year tour: What we learned
Analysis - There's plenty to talk about including TJ Perenara's statement during the haka, Jamie Wall writes. ...8 hours ago
- ‘To love is to move towards freedom’: Parliament’s newest MP makes their maiden st...
Green MP Benjamin Doyle has joined the 54th Parliament a year into its term. Their maiden statement emphasised the need for radical love. ...13 hours ago
- Live: Minister absent on crucial day as climate talks near collapse
Small island and vulnerable nations walked out of climate finance negotiations on Saturday afternoon in Baku, Azerbaijan, protesting a process they say excluded their participation and views.The COP29 talks are now on the edge of collapse on the crucial issue of a new global finance goal, as the summit has ...14 hours ago - Hīkoi hats: Why are so many people wearing red berets?
For the march to Parliament, many young wahine donned a red beret. It's a pōtae steeped in history and symbolism. ...15 hours ago
- An Ode to .. Erica Stanford
Mean Girl HighSchool swot Jan Tinetti hurries to classAs the bell rings.Slouching against the lockers,Mean Girl Erica lies in waitWith her surly gang of Teen Delinquents.Erica whispers somethingAnd leers horribly at Jan at she scurries past.Jan’s lip trembles,And a hot tear rolls down her face.The Meanies all cackle with gleeAnd ...16 hours ago
- Behind the Banner: Inside the hīkoi mō te Tiriti
Over nine days, rangatahi and veterans of past hīkoi walked shoulder-to-shoulder to take their message to Parliament. Ella Stewart and Cole Eastham-Farrelly were there. ...23 hours ago - Concern Regarding Inconsistent Designation Of Terrorist Organizations
While it is important to maintain strong alliances, it is equally crucial to uphold our Kiwi values of fairness and justice. New Zealand has always prided itself on its commitment to equality and human rights. ...23 hours ago
- New Zealand Government’s Racially Divisive Treaty Principles Bill Passes First Reading
By voting for the bill and allowing it to proceed to the select committee, the coalition parties are enabling ACT—an extremely unpopular party that received just 8.6 percent in the 2023 election—to dominate political discourse, posturing as the party of ...1 day ago
- Fiji’s Immigration Minister steps down temporarily over ‘unauthorised’ passports for cult memb...
RNZ Pacific Fiji’s Home Affairs and Immigration Minister Pio Tikoduadua has ordered an inquiry into the “possible unauthorised issuance of passports” by immigration staff and “offered to step aside temporarily from role”. In a statement on Thursday night, Tikoduadua said the passports in question were issued to the children of ...1 day ago
- A 4.45 billion-year-old crystal from Mars reveals the planet had water from the beginning
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Aaron J. Cavosie, Senior lecturer, School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Curtin University JPL-Caltech/NASA Water is ubiquitous on Earth – about 70% of Earth’s surface is covered by the stuff. Water is in the air, on the surface and inside rocks. ...2 days ago
- COP29 summit runs overtime as finance talks falter over ‘insult’
“Is it a joke?”That’s what Bolivian diplomat Diego Balanza said on Wednesday in Baku, Azerbaijan, when asked by a reporter about the possibility of the new global climate finance goal (the NCQG) landing at just US$200 billion a year. Developing countries have been pushing for a number in the trillions, ...2 days ago
- The Weekend: What would you march for?
Madeleine Chapman reflects on the week that was. When I was a junior writer at The Spinoff, Simon Wilson joined the team as Auckland editor. He’d been the editor of Metro for many years and was easily the most experienced journalist in the room. So if we both happened to ...2 days ago - Short story: Freefall, by Owen Marshall
Gordon was meant to be with him on that hike. It wasn’t high mountain stuff, but it was rugged, and it’s always sensible to have a companion when that far into the back country. They’d planned to do it in two days and knew each other’s capabilities. But Gordon got ...2 days ago
- Celebrating families who give the ultimate gift
Amy Ng-Thomson’s first time walking up One Tree Hill/Maungakiekie was six months after a lung transplant.“It was a beautiful March day, and I always do it in March now… seeing the blue skies, the views, feeling the breeze, I get the sense that she’s with me every time I go ...2 days ago
- ‘You bring your whole life to watching TV’: Critic Diana Wichtel on a life in review
The veteran reviewer takes us through her life in television, including the allure of property shows, the crushing end of Campbell Live, and the review that got the most hate mail. Having reviewed television for The Listener for over three decades, award-winning critic Diana Wichtel has chronicled the medium through ...2 days ago
- Can poets drive? A sociocultural investigation
Of all the stereotypes about poets, perhaps the most enduring cliche is that poets can’t drive. But what evidence do we have to back that up? A non-driving poet attempts to find out the truth. Bob Dylan said it. Jo Shapcott said it. Wendy Cope said it. Martin Amis said it, ...2 days ago
- How to read a poem: selections from Slender Volumes by Richard von Sturmer
The latest in a semi-regular series that breaks down a poem to analyse what it’s really trying to tell us. I’ve been interested in Richard von Sturmer’s work since I saw him perform at Wellington’s LitCrawl years ago. He was compelling, using his whole body to thump out a poem, ...2 days ago
- ‘By golly it slaps’: Arthur Ahbez’s perfect weekend playlist
Psychedelic folk singer Arthur Ahbez shares his perfect weekend playlist. Arthur Ahbez will likely wake up this weekend with breathing exercises informed by Dutch motivational speaker Wim Hof, and perhaps a bit of yoga. That’s an ideal Saturday, but if he can’t get to it, it’s because life’s responsibilities have ...2 days ago
- The Secret Diary of .. Heather and Barry
HEATHER DU PLESSIS-ALLANI was driving down the middle of the road and Barry who was sitting next to me said,BARRY SOPER“Watch where you’re going!”HEATHERBy which he meant of course the idiots driving on either side of us, but mainly in the left lane. And he had a good point. Because ...2 days ago
- Gold medal Black Ferns Sevens take on world again without three champions
The 12th edition of the World Sevens Series (SVNS) starts in earnest next weekend in Dubai. Australia are the defending champions having won the Grand Final in Madrid in May. They also won the 2023 Dubai Sevens, snapping New Zealand’s 41-game unbeaten streak in the process.The Black Ferns Sevens are Olympic ...2 days ago
- Denmark’s uprooting of settled residents from ‘ghettos’ forms part of aggressive plan to assim...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Selma Hedlund, Postdoctoral Associate at Center of Forced Displacement, Boston University History is full of examples of governments using forced segregation against ethnic minorities. From settler colonialists coercing Indigenous peoples into reservations, Nazis forcing Jews into ghettos or the United States ...2 days ago
- Maritime Union joins opposition to live export shipments
The Maritime Union also has zero faith in government assurances of a gold standard for ships used for the trade. ...2 days ago
- Offshore oil and gas ban ‘worst political decision’, Shane Jones says
Shane Jones says the offshore oil and gas ban is "the worst political decision" he has ever been involved with. ...2 days ago
- Andrew Bayly ‘loser’ incident: Frantic texts, thumbs-up from PM, photo of drinking from ...
A series of frantic text messages from Andrew Bayly to government staffers amid scrutiny over his actions at a winery have been revealed. ...2 days ago
- ACT’s David Seymour won’t ‘bow down’ to his hapū leaders
They have pleaded with the ACT leader to stop what they say are abusive violations of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. ...2 days ago
- Former political figure who abused teens loses name suppression
However, his name remains under wraps as he has already indicated he will appeal. ...2 days ago
- Educating young people about social media would be far more effective than a ban – Finland can sh...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Susan Grantham, Lecturer in Communication, Griffith University Shutterstock The federal government’s proposed social media ban for under-16s has sparked widespread debate, affecting millions of young Australians, their families and educators. But will it actually work? While the aim behind this ban ...2 days ago
- Ant stings can be painful. Here’s how to avoid getting stung this summer (and what to do if you do...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sam Robinson, Senior Research Fellow, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland AG-PHOTOS/Shutterstock With the start of summer just days away, many of us will be looking forward to long sunny days spent at the beach, by the pool, out ...2 days ago
- Is using the Future Fund for housing, energy and infrastructure really ‘raiding Australia’s nest...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Crosby, Professor, Monash University Chichimaru/Shutterstock Australia has a seriously big “nest egg”. The Future Fund – our sovereign wealth fund set up in 2006 – now manages about $230 billion. Specifically, its remit is to “invest for the benefit ...2 days ago
- Women are less likely to receive CPR than men. Training on manikins with breasts could help
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jessica Stokes-Parish, Assistant Professor in Medicine, Bond University Pixel-Shot/Shutterstock If someone’s heart suddenly stops beating, they may only have minutes to live. Doing CPR (cardiopulmonary resusciation) can increase their chances of survival. CPR makes sure blood keeps pumping, providing oxygen to ...2 days ago
- The Friday Poem: ‘Boyhood’ by Art Nahill
A new poem by Art Nahill. Boyhood I hate the way the dog cowers when I raise my voice. After all this time together she’s still not sure what I’m capable of. As kids with too much time we sprinkled salt on slugs plucked from summer gardens watched them shrivel ...2 days ago
- The Unity Books bestseller chart for the week ending November 22
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington. AUCKLAND 1 Orbital by Samantha Harvey (Jonathan Cape, $26) The slight, superb winner of the Booker Prize ...2 days ago
- ‘Wanted’ for war crimes over Gaza: Israel’s Netanyahu, Gallant face ICC arrest warrants
Democracy Now! NERMEEN SHAIKH: In The Hague, the International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed during Israel’s assault on Gaza. In a statement, the ICC said the Israeli leaders had, ...2 days ago
- New Child Protection Investigation Unit announced by Children’s Minister
The unit will be up and running by early next year, Children's Minister Karen Chhour says. ...2 days ago
- In-person submissions on Treaty Principles Bill to be at Parliament or by video call
In-person submissions on the Treaty Principles Bill will all be held at Parliament or by video call. ...2 days ago
- ‘Got my support’ – Christopher Luxon stands by Erica Stanford after ‘stupid ...
The prime minister says it wasn't appropriate behaviour but that Erica Stanford had apologised. ...2 days ago
- Gang chapter president’s patch seized in first 24 hours of ban
The first arrest was made just three minutes after midnight, with 11 more to come. ...2 days ago
The server will be getting hardware changes this evening starting at 10pm NZDT.
The site will be off line for some hours.
National, after years of being that conservative yet quite respectable relative at family gatherings, have become the xenophobic drunk waxing lyrical about things most are horrified by.
Here might be something better to wax lyrical about instead.
For more on the proposal to shut the Suicide Prevention Office, see yesterday evening's one news – first item:
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/shows/one-news-at-6pm/episodes/s2024-e97
So the ministries are being forced to take all the blame for the “confusion” around decision making? I smell a smokescreen around ministerial bungling and incompetency in carrying out their functions.
They tried to do the same with the Disability cuts. This is a pattern.
Yes and there will be more of them. That is inevitable. Someone needs to start a list of them as they happen for future use.
They don't know what they're doing.
Right. And the previous government did know what they were doing? What did they touch that didn't turn to cack? They handled the pandemic OK, but apart from that … How many ministers did they lose in embarrassing circumstances during their last year in office?
You mean they had the decency to resign for their errors of judgement, as opposed to the current administration which places no value on competence or integrity, and does not punish malfeasance but seeks to cover it up.
"They handled the pandemic OK, but apart from that …"
Hilarious!
That wee pandemic thingy; they done okay…I suppose…if I have to give them anything, BUT!!!
One of the things they are doing..is something the left should also do..
That is tell the punters what they will achieve/do in the upcoming quarter/three months…and into the future..and then having to deliver on those pledges..
(This is something the last gummint failed at)
..they didn't explain to us what they were doing..and so didn't take us with them…
In fact this could be taken to the degree of the left parties going into the next election campaign not only with a unified/coherent voice/policy-planks…but with a timetable for those policies to be enacted..
For the left to win they must do this…so the voters know exactly what they are voting for..and when they can expect those promised changes to happen…
Its not so much they didn't explain, but rather their explanations were too long and too academic in nature. Labour governments going back decades have tended to over estimate the ability of the average voter to absorb complex policy proposals.
Helen Clark understood this, and she boiled down her election pledges at one election to 5 or 6 simple one liners that hit the bullseye. Think it was the 2002 election. That was going to the other extreme of course but it worked.
I agree totally with this. I am not sure who was doing their Comms around Three Waters in particular I suspect those in the policy management mould. With the greatest respect to my former fellow colleagues Policy people are not skilled communicators. They are two different disciplines.
I know when I mentioned, on here, my experience in the nexus between Policy & Communication and the advice we were given to aim for the comprehension of a pre secondary school reader I was slammed a little.
The other good way is to listen to how someone who knows the topic explains it verbally to say pre secondary schoolers. Often these explanations can be worked up into press releases/explanations.
Another thing to do is to pretend that you are at a public meeting, what questions are asked? Then go through any material to make sure these questions are answered within the release.
Looking at the huge rises in our rates (16.4% in Wgtn) because of water related issues, I rue the fact we don't have 3 Waters and that Labour did not seem to follow basic best practice comms in getting buy-in on this flagship work.
One possible approach is to meet somewhere in the middle where top-down and bottom-up deliberation through extensive consultation synthesises explanations and policy proposals that can be understood by most people if they want to.
Here’s just one illustrative example of what might be achieved: https://newsroom.co.nz/2024/04/05/chosen-aucklanders-change-minds-in-favour-of-time-of-use-charging/
Yes we did similar many moons ago when I was in one of the better iterations of the health reforms.
We found that we needed time so staff in time-,staff- and cost- cut depts may not be able to do this.
We also found that we needed to confidence build in those that we wanted bottom up from.
It worked.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/labour-to-campaign-with-pledge-cards/MYXBAG2DO7QB7Y2WR264J5VUXQ/
https://www.odt.co.nz/news/national/national-launch-campaign-eight-point-pledge-card
Its not so much they didn't explain, but rather their explanations were too long and too academic in nature.
This is Labour's problem in a nutshell.
There is a level of intellectual snobbery in the top ranks. And they want 5 page discussion documents instead of three bullet points.
Absolutely. Julius Caesar, Act III, Scene II is a perfect demonstration. Brutus gives a closely-reasoned academic analysis of why he and his band believed it necessary to assassinate JC. Antony responds with a shameless appeal to the emotions and baser instincts of his audience. And who wins out?
Intellectual snobbery? Then you get "Labour didn't explain it well enough". I hope you are taking your point to the policy discussions going on. If you can three dot points out of members having a say, well done.
What I hope our lot don't do when they get back in in 2026 is to embark on the tiresome refrain of 'we're doing this because they did it'.
I hope we don't have 3 monthly or 100 days of nasty creepy OTT stuff over innovations that may have been good for NZ, their constituencies, included
What I hope they will do is to look carefully at whatever has been put in place from the point of view that it may not have been exactly what we would have done but it does benefit the wider group of people of NZ. (I know hard to imagine but I am sure over the next few years by luck there may be something) This concept is called 'throwing the baby out with the bathwater'.
What I hope they will do is to get some quick hit runs on the board of innovative/creative ideas.
These ideas are put forward on the basis that not everything done by a group or person is bad
We should not be bad mouthing those who went before, especially as they were elected by NZers. This based on comms theory that it is a reputational loss making venture to do what the Nats are doing and bad mouthing those who went before all the time. It makes them look petty.
The comms theory is that we shouldn't do this as these people were responding to a different set of drivers ie the beat of a different drum.
We should be concentrating on signalling a way forward and then giving priority to the actions that will effect positive change.
Taking to the Nats I know, don't know any ACT followers, there is a sort of sighing at the level of pettiness of some of the actions (like the Maori names for Depts, the allowance for translator type expertise in Te Reo, the bald slashing of PS budgets like the sinking lids of old)
The Nats seem to think the cuts are like a household budget where some use the mantra of 'look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves'. We are a million miles away from running a country as if it was a household budget or we should be.
"That is tell the punters what they will achieve/do in the upcoming quarter/three months…and into the future..and then having to deliver on those pledges.."
Nah. They're bullshi**ing.
The Left shouldn't adopt the Right's cynical, misleading strategies, or they'll become … the Right!
Agree with this.
I find it OTT and creepy and worrying at the same time. Worrying because in many cases they've ruled by fiat without genuine select committee submissions /hearings etc.
The excuse for doing this is that it was in the manifesto or the coalition agreement.
This fact has never stopped Govts in the past from seeking submissions etc on the basis of democracy etc. Also the reason the one that depts found great, and that was that some submissions would present a new way of thinking about legislation or a better way of expressing it. Thus reinforcing that Govt, Ministers & departments are not the sole repositories of knowledge
Most of which, while arousing hatred in the political opposition, goes down rather well with their core constituency.
What will be interesting is to see if/when their policies start to impact on their voters.
"It's the economy, stupid" – is just as important between elections as it is in an election year.
Whose economy?
The one the individual concerned is experiencing…..
"It is the economy stupid" if you believe all these destructive Policies and unexpected moves are to improve the economy then I have a bridge to sell you.
"It is about power and wealth, not the country's health.
Agree with both Belladonna and Patricia.
Also lowering farmers' methane target by end of year, completely sidelining the Climate Commission despite its statutory role.
Announcement yesterday.
Could they do this to other departments with a statutory role?
Can the Govt/Ministers be taken to court?
Well firstly it's not illegal for a government to go advice shopping. Climate Commission advice isn't binding.
Even if they'd done something illegal, there's no that many NGOs would have the capacity. Maybe: Lawyers for Climate Action, Greenpeace, and Forest and Bird's legal team. It would need a good coalition to win that's for sure.
Pretty impressive list… at least if you were a Nat NZ1st or Act voter / donor.
Cant say they havent been effective.
Yea, if you want to see who they owe their allegiance and funding too, then it's pretty clear.
Effective for the top 5% Crickle, and negative for the rest of us. Except even the top 5% will be affected as the planet burns.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/apr/06/simply-mind-boggling-world-record-temperature-jump-in-antarctic-raises-fears-of-catastrophe
Micky’s excellent post illustrates that this Coalition of Cuts is trying to do too much too quickly, and many of the things it is doing are not widely popular. This is a recipe for disaster and for a one term government.
Dunno, i'm thinking theyre moving fast with the unpopular stuff so it'll be forgotten by the time the next election rolls around. Helped by a bunch of populist policy and lollies targeted at the middle class and gold card holders.
I don't think people will have forgotten the 352 school building projects being put on hold by this government. For instance this one in Alexandra.
https://www.odt.co.nz/regions/central-otago/%E2%80%98devastated%E2%80%99-after-build-paused
"Devastated." That is how Alexandra Primary School principal Fi Mackley described the school community’s reaction to the decision to put two property projects under review — just weeks before they were due to start……Data released by the Ministry of Education to RNZ last week shows 352 building projects across 305 schools around the country are on hold as they are reviewed for "value for money".
What those schools / hospitals / ferry terminals need is a canny landLord
What I’m learning from this CoC is when Labour/Green/TPM get back in power just go for it. Make sure policy is in place, and ram it through.
And David Spendmore running around moaning about government spending whilst wasting tax payers & rate payers money left right and centre
What annoys the hell out of me is that the Minister for Regulation hasn't taken a knife to the costs of Parliament.
He could:
Reduce MPs/Ministers salaries to the living wage.
Reduce Parliamentary services by 10%
Make Parliament sit 40 hours a week
Have Members pay for their own transport/accommodation
Why stop at Ministers' and MPs' salaries? Reduce the number of MPs! (Wasn't there a referendum one time, with a thumping majority in favour of doing just that?) And why don't we forget the absurd fiction that Cabinet has to number 20-odd? Everyone knows there's never any more than about 5-7 ministers who really matter.
Minimum wage etc always sounds good, but you do know it means only the well off could ever become MPs? If you want the rich dominating, that's the way to go about it. And perhaps you don't realise, but Parliamentary Services includes cleaners who get the living wage, thanks to Labour. More importantly, did you realise that Ministerial positions are now up to 25% of our entire parliament – with multiple associate ministers and new Ministries/Ministers in things such as Guns, Space Minister, Hunting and Fishing Minister? And a whole new Ministry for Mr Seymou's baby for Regulations?
I'm curious. How many hours do you think MPs work now?
That's not what I said. We all know that they claim to put in many many hours "work" outside sitting time but their sole focus should be in the House
Why?
Select committee is where the most important work is completed
"Reduce MPs/Ministers salaries to the living wage."
100% in my opinion our MP's get paid far too much. I think it's gotten so high that you start to get people attracted to the job for the high pay as a major consideration.
I would make it equivalent to the median wage though. That way it is clearly transparent to everybody and it also gives MP's a great helpful incentive for increasing the median wage.
This may also help in starting to get parliament looking more representative of the population it is supposed to represent.
This government is proceeding exactly how we knew it would.
Luxon is the public smile and wave front man, the power behind the scenes is Seymour and Peters.
A weak National Party bereft of ideas and solutions themselves, but beholden to the directions of rich urban yuppy corporates and ranting conspiracy theorists.
If Seymour had as much power as you're suggesting, and if Luxon were merely a frontman, we would be facing a referendum on treaty principles, and the demographic ministries would be gone – not just trimmed. What we're seeing is the result of agreements negotiated between the three parties in government. Peters has pandered to the anti-vax lobby, but the current government is hardly "beholden" to covid conspiracy theorists.
No, they're not. They're beholden to life-destroying industries.
Much better, I'm sure you'll agree.
Time will tell. A national MP once wanted to ban water.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/mp-tries-to-ban-water/XM4GJ7XG3WC4ANBIFP2IVFNANE/
And there's lots of conspiracy theories other than COVID-19.
Taking our guns, handing the country over to Maori, 15 minutes cities, cashless society, government surveillance through facial recognition, chemtrails, flat earth, child sex rings, earth is only 6,000 years old, the rapture is coming…..
Help me, Jesus!
The algorithms are at it again. Mention the rapture in this post and what appears in my feed.
Fuck didn't realise it was tomorrow. I haven't even packed.
I haven't finished that netflix series..
Now I'll never know..
(ahem..!)..
I put the 'ure' into 'rapture'..
https://theoatmeal.com/comics/rapture
An oldie, but a goodie.
And so? You have evidence that Luxon, Seymour and/or Peters believe in "chemtrails, flat earth, child sex rings, earth is only 6,000 years old, the rapture is coming….."?
Forgot to mention trickle down economics.
@dolo.. correct me if I am wrong..
But my understanding is that luxon is part of a fundamentalist religion..
..that pretty much has bags permanently packed..
…in anticipation of the rapture..
…and that believe that earth has had a much truncated existence…(which flies in the face of accepted sciences…)
N'est ce pas…?
It is indeed so, Phil.
Ad reminded me of Luxon's attendance at *The Upper Room.
*Not a place to which Gaia has been invited
In the tangled web of National politics and favours another member of his congregation is Ian Grant's daughter.
They of the 2.4 million dollars largesse for parenting courses. Still haven't seen an evaluation of them.
Paula Bennett’s Ministry of Social Development will pay $2.4 million to Parents Inc for “parenting courses for the caregivers of vulnerable children”. This contract was untendered and previously unknown.
https://thestandard.org.nz/parents-inc-its-peda-redux/
That doesn't smell…much..
They should ban protium hydroxide – it's well known to be capable of dissolving more stuff than any other solvent.
FWICS, the Nactzis are delivering to the people who matter to them – the very rich. Unlike Labour, the Nats and ACT don't even pretend to care about people outside their base. They do need votes from people who are not rich but that's what the culture wars are all about – a distraction and a diversion. NZ First is slightly different because their voters are getting shafted by the government their Party is propping up. But that's where the culture wars apply – it's easy to ignore the fact you're getting shafted if another group (Maori, Pasifika, people with disabilities) are getting a good kicking. So I think the Natczis are pretty safe where they are, not least because Labour is totally unfit for office and isn't taken seriously.
The thing is National isn't fit for office either.
I guess another thing is the back-breaking bureaucracy of getting the ECE rebate. If anything gives away that they have no idea about scale and still have small business mindsets then that is it.
They cancelled the much needed Interislander Ferry upgrades, when the project was already half completed, thereby burning a couple of billion, just for spite.
Our Minister of Regulation is planning to relax the rules for building materials, because he thinks another leaky homes disaster would be a laugh.
We can’t afford another leaky homes crisis | The Spinoff
Leaky homes was a design issue not a materials issue.
We’ve been getting absolutely ripped off in building materials prices and availability for decades so anything that may help to change this is welcome
Not entirely correct. 'Underdone' (treatment/drying-wise) framing materials were also part along with the no eaves design, no adequate sub flooring/ventilation/drainage.
They are getting rid of free vaccinations and Seymour wants more sick children to take their germs to school
Changes to free flu vaccine eligibility are a missed opportunity to close NZ’s health equity gap
Some long overdue upgrades to schools just got shitcanned too.
Rotting classrooms as Govt hits pause on school rebuilds (1news.co.nz)
Onslow Lake hydro project, future-proofing the nation's electricity supply – canned.
Back on Track
In a Cadillac
Passing urgent legislation, I'm a power pack
Yes, I'm in the NATs
With some twats
Helping landlords put cash in their vats
'Cause I'm back on track
Not just a management hack
Gonna hurt the poor, gonna give them a whack
So look at me now
Making the bottom half pay
Don't try to push your luck, just get out of my way