Breaking: Libertarian opposes free speech

Written By: - Date published: 3:44 pm, November 27th, 2017 - 50 comments
Categories: articles, don brash, equality, Maori Issues, radio - Tags: , , , , ,

Don Brash has emerged from his crypt once again to tackle the greatest problem facing New Zealand today (in his strange little world) – ‘Maori privilege’.

Apparently he’s “utterly sick” of the likes of Guyon Espiner speaking Te Reo on air because only “one listener (to that programme) in hundreds has any knowledge of what he is talking about.”

Is it just me or is his logic getting even more confused in his old age than it used to be?

I thought right wingers loved free speech?!?

Shouldn’t they apply the same arguments to Morning Report that they tell us to apply to Mike Hosking – if you don’t like it, change the station cupcakes. Or is it snowflakes? Whatever us “PC gone mad” “SJW” types are supposed to be…

I tell you what though, one of the truly great things about the amazing job Guyon Espiner and others are doing educating all of us in the native language of our country, aside from winding Brash up, is it’s been widely supported by the general public from what I’ve seen.

I was almost too scared to read the Facebook comments on that Newshub piece, but when I parted my fingers from my eyes I was pleasantly surprised that they seemed to be about 50-1 in favour of more Te Reo on air, not less.

So get a life Don. Or should I say – hei aha tāu Don!

50 comments on “Breaking: Libertarian opposes free speech ”

  1. mickysavage 1

    Haha welcome Enzo.

    And to Don Brash if he reads this can I say Meri Kirihimete me ngā mihi o te tau hou ki a koutou katoa!

    • weka 1.1

      Lol, micky.

      Nau mai Enzo, great to see you have a login.

    • mac1 1.2

      And dear Dr Brash says that only one in hundreds could understand what Guyon Espiner was saying. What I’ve heard are nothing more than simple sentences of introduction.

      Those I understood. At High School here 10% of boys did Māori to some level. This is not a prime zone for cultural renaissance and the local kura kaupapa is struggling to find a kaiako Māori, but the local paper featured a headline in te reo, “Kei te kimi kaiako mātou”.

      Good on that paper. And for shame on Dr Brash.

      • weka 1.2.1

        +1 The issue for Brash isn’t that so few understand te reo, it’s that he doesn’t want them to. Best way for the language to increase is to use it as much as possible, including in public spaces like te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa.

        • mac1 1.2.1.1

          And I suspect buried beneath the rage is that hatred of foreigners who dare speak in a language that the hearer might not understand. (Don’t they understand that the best people only speak English? That they might be talking, or laughing, about me behind my linguistic back? That it’s just rude not to speak English in my hearing, dash it!)

          Google “Dr Brash and Maori” and the Internet is full of his fulminations.

          • D'Esterre 1.2.1.1.1

            Mac1: “Google “Dr Brash and Maori” and the Internet is full of his fulminations.”
            In 2004, after Brash gave That Speech to the Orewa Rotary Club, I sent him a long e-mail, pointing out the multiple errors in what he’d said. I’d add that I was polite. I got a very polite response. He’s entitled to a point of view, and to express it. In the end, the poll bump the Natz got as a consequence wasn’t enough to get them into government at the 2005 election.
            However, his speech triggered many debates, including, for us, with a friend who was a Nat apparatchik. I was surprised at how little that person knew about NZ history. Including – in the context of the Natz wanting to abolish them – when the Maori seats were established and why. I wonder how many of the commenters here know that?

        • Carolyn_Nth 1.2.1.2

          Well, maybe all Kiwis need a crash immersion course in NZ’s two official languages: Te Reo and Sign Language.

          Stop using English in all NZ mainstream media, until most everyone has some fluency in Te Reo and sign language.

          English is, after all only NZ’s de facto language and doesn’t, apparently, have official status under law.

          • One Anonymous Bloke 1.2.1.2.1

            All the laws are published in English, Parliamentary business is almost all conducted in English, court business is almost all conducted in English, and it has no official status?

            Sounds like ‘official status’ is the second prize.

          • D'Esterre 1.2.1.2.2

            Carolyn_Nth: “Stop using English in all NZ mainstream media, until most everyone has some fluency in Te Reo and sign language.”
            English is the language of public discourse here. People can’t be forced to speak other languages: that would be a serious abrogation of our civil rights and freedoms. And daily life would grind to a halt….

    • mac1 1.3

      Hō! Hō! Hō!

  2. One Anonymous Bloke 3

    Speaking of such things, someone could ask the Institute of Directors if they really think insulting people with a Clayton’s apology is the best course of action right now.

  3. AB 4

    Don is an example of what used to be a very common (even the dominant) strain of thought. He’s an assimilationist racist.
    At the personal level he would not treat a Maori person badly and would always favour Maori having equal legal rights. So he is not a crude, discriminationist racist at the personal level.
    He just thinks Maori culture is inferior, not worthy of attention and the language not worth saving, and especially not if saving it requires any special effort. And that’s because he thinks 21st century western European neoliberal capitalism is the pinnacle of human endeavour, the last word on everything, a self-evident truth. Everything else is an historical footnote of interest only to a few scholars.
    His attitude is best described as ‘cultural ethnic cleansing’ – the aim is not to destroy Maori, but to destroy ‘Maoriness’.

    • UncookedSelachimorpha 4.1

      I reckon this is pretty accurate.

      Doesn’t make Dr Don any better.

    • D'Esterre 4.2

      AB: “He’s an assimilationist racist.”
      No he’s not. He’s an old conservative. Don’t sling about the racism epithet: it’s inaccurate and just serves to squelch debate.

  4. Tautoko Mangō Mata 5

    Dr Brash has once again displayed his arrogance and his ignorance. Why doesn’t he avail himself of the opportunity to attend a class in Te Reo, and while he’s at it he can encourage Wililam Gallagher to. do the same. Learning something new will help stave off dementia and help open closed minds!

  5. adam 6

    The libertarians are just waking up to the fact the authoritarian right have left them behind.

    The libertarian is now rushing to be racist, just to stay relevant.

  6. My objection to Espiner’s speaking Maori is that he gabbles. It is almost unintelligible. Genuine speakers of Te Reo at least give it a bit of gravitas.

    • In Vino 7.1

      Inclined to agree, Ann. I was also thoroughly disillusioned in Espiner in early days when he started spouting at top speed what were then new phrases for most of us, making me wonder if he was showing off… only to hear him say later in the programme ‘Tea Tai Toke-er-row’ (as in ‘now’).
      I have often wondered if he has realised what he did, and would now pronounce
      ‘Te Tai Tokerau’ at least a little bit more correctly. Haven’t been (un)lucky enough to hear him say it since.
      But if he did pronounce it more correctly, Don Brash would probably complain that he couldn’t understand.

      • enzo 7.1.1

        He’s doing pretty well for a non-native speaker. I know I couldn’t do any better, and I love the fact that I’m picking up new words from it. As someone who has struggled to learn a language of my ancestry – Italian – I know how hard it is and also how brave he must be to use what he’s learned live on air. So what if he doesn’t always get it perfect?

        • Jilly Bee 7.1.1.1

          Absolutely enzo, I have to admit since I have been in the happy state of retirement for the past few years and no longer need to wake up at sparrow fart, I have no great desire to tune into Morning Report live. I do make sure to catch up online though and enjoy the te reo interactions and work hard to work out what is being said – I know some of the phrases and intend to work on learning more having had a tutorial tape (from RNZ) for a few years in my archives and making the excuse of too much to do! I have just watched Kanoa Lloyd’s plea on ‘The Project’ to embrace our indigenous language and I yelled back at the screen ‘you rock Kanoa’. She is a national gem – totally.

      • weka 7.1.2

        Fluent speakers speak fast, even in learning media, so I assume the point is to develop an ‘ear’ for how it should sound. I want people to slow down too, but maybe that’s going to teach me bad habits.

        I agree with enzo, it’s good to encourage people rather than knock them when they are learning. Pākehā are notorious for being afraid to speak te reo for fear of making mistakes, but making mistakes is part of the process.

        • In Vino 7.1.2.1

          OK, maybe I am harsh, but I don’t like shallow pretence. If Espiner was as good as he tried to sound by rattling off fast phrases at the start of the programme, he would have kept that standard up during the programme.
          Becoming fluent in a second language is not an easy thing. I studied hard to become OK in French and German, and spent time in each country. I have since learnt a little Spanish, and enough Maori to know when I am hearing disgusting Pakeha distortions. I feel that Espiner pretended to be better than he was.
          I agree that when people are learning a language, you do not nitpick and undermine them.
          But on this occasion Espiner tried to sound like a seasoned speaker, then gave it away. He set himself up.
          We need to be humble in learning as well as in teaching. Too few New Zealanders have any idea of what it takes to become competent in a second or 3rd language. I don’t like obvious fakes, and Espiner seemed that to me.. Just learning some pat phrases to sound good.
          There can be charlatans and fakes in language too, you know? But if I had heard him say Te Tai Tokerau correctly since, I would have forgiven all and not written this. Just haven’t heard him.

          • Enzo 7.1.2.1.1

            Were you listening when Mihingarangi Forbes tested him on air a few weeks ago? He got almost all the answers right.

          • weka 7.1.2.1.2

            RNZ in general, and Espiner personally, seem genuinely committed to increasing te reo. I think what they are doing is fantastic.

            • In Vino 7.1.2.1.2.1

              Cool – in that case I withdraw all accusations of pretence, and give Espiner credit for genuinely trying to improve our knowledge of Te Reo.

            • Gareth 7.1.2.1.2.2

              Not sure if you’ve seen this relevant piece by his wife?

              https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2017/11/26/63595/emma-espiner-the-threat-of-te-reo

              • greywarshark

                Emma Espiner feels very encouraged about Te Reo and Don Brash and his ilk are just spectral ghosts of the ignorant past popping up at Halloween, soon to fade away.

                but I believe we can view these people (and they’re always the same people) as the rearguard of progress. As society shifts, they will continue to yap at our heels and protest, but the trend for Aotearoa is against bland mono-culturalism and fearful mono-lingualism. A decade ago it was Māori Television. Today, it’s using Te Reo on Morning Report and Breakfast TV and putting macrons in newspapers. In ten years time these things will be completely normal and there will be another battle, which the rearguard will again resist and lose.

            • D'Esterre 7.1.2.1.2.3

              Weka: “I think what they are doing is fantastic.”
              I do not. I’m becoming increasingly irritated by the way in which RNZ presenters are using te reo. I know they mean well, but it’s just tokenism: it won’t do anything to save the language.
              Many years ago, I learned te reo: long before it was fashionable for pakeha to do so. Before we called it te reo, even. And at a time when there were still native speakers.
              In those days, RNZ broadcast some programming which was presented entirely in te reo: I think that was in the days of Henare te Ua. I used to listen to it. That is what RNZ should be doing once again, not this nonsense of making presenters use (and in some cases, mangle!) words of greeting or farewell. It’s painfully obvious that many are uncomfortable with it, and they shouldn’t be forced into it.
              Back then, those Maori language programmes didn’t go to air in prime time, but on Saturday or Sunday afternoons, if I remember rightly. Let’s have them back.
              The sad fact is, that the language is in trouble, and it’s for the same reason that other indigenous languages struggle: the paucity of native speakers. All the rest of us learning it as a second language won’t save it, unfortunately. Without native speakers,it’ll eventually become like Latin used to be: a dead language. And that’s a stop on the road to extinction.
              I don’t know how we as a country can foster native speakers; the Irish have tried, but I understand numbers are dropping away there, too. The Scots have lost the battle, I believe; only second language speakers there now, though there were native speakers of Gaelic as recently as the 1970s or thereabouts.
              It is a job for Maori, however, it being their language. Bloody hard, but essential to te reo’s survival.

              • weka

                As I understand it, it goes like this. Native speakers are those that learn as a child and grow up with it being used normally and it is their first language. That can be people of any ethnicity.

                For children to learn as they grow and have it in use at home, you need adults who also speak at home. It’s not enough on its own for instance to send kids to koanga, the reo needs to be spoken at home too. In order to have adults speaking at home you have to normalise the language in as many places as possible.

                Ghetto-ising te reo to the weekends fails that. We need it to be normal to say hello, ask for a cup of tea, buy petrol, tweet etc in te reo. When that happens, there will be more people speaking which will enable more people to speak and so on. The goal here is to make the language accessible to a wide range of people.

                • D'Esterre

                  Weka: “That can be people of any ethnicity.”
                  That’s true. It’s how you and I, along with many others, came to be native speakers of English, even if our linguistic background wasn’t English. Most Maori nowadays are also native speakers of English. Which of course is the problem with regard to language preservation: people can’t be forced to speak te reo, or to bring their kids up as native speakers. Yet if te reo preservation and promotion should concern anyone, it is Maori. It’s their heritage, after all.
                  “It’s not enough on its own for instance to send kids to koanga, the reo needs to be spoken at home too.”
                  I couldn’t agree more. Before about 1980, there were native speakers. The kohanga movement began around 1980, and the years since have been marked by the gradual erosion of the numbers of native speakers. Counterintuitive, but indisputable.
                  If the language is to survive, it’s critical that it’s spoken in the home. Kohanga – formal school generally – can’t do that job.
                  When I was very young, I went to school with European migrant children who were native speakers of their respective languages. None of those languages was spoken in the shops or petrol stations of NZ, yet those children remained fluent in their native languages.
                  “Ghetto-ising te reo to the weekends fails that. We need it to be normal to say hello, ask for a cup of tea, buy petrol, tweet etc in te reo.”
                  I wouldn’t be averse to Maori prime time programmes on RNZ. But good luck with that! Radio isn’t TV: no subtitles. I can’t see the monolingual majority being happy with it. Given that, I’d be ok with programming out of prime time. It’d be better than nothing.
                  Being a bit of a language geek, I can do the quotidian stuff to which you refer, in several languages. But I can’t discuss politics or philosophy in any of them except English. That level of competence is challenging – though not impossible – for second language learners, but much easier for native speakers. This is one of the reasons why they’re necessary to survival of any language.
                  In my view, the heavy lifting needs to go into producing native speakers. Parents who speak te reo need to understand their vital role in that, and how to go about it. It isn’t necessary for children to hear te reo when they’re with their parents at the supermarket. But they need to hear it exclusively in the home, at least for the first 3 to 4 years of their lives. Remember those European children referred to above? They all became competent in English once they started school. And remember how you yourself learned English.
                  RNZ and other outlets could help the parents by broadcasting substantive te reo programmes, rather than just tokenistic greetings and the like.
                  No apologies for going on about this issue: I’m sad at the loss of te reo from NZ society, and I’d love to see a real revival. Nothing I hear at present suggests that’s happening.

  7. savenz 8

    Why does Brash always pop up when National are in opposition? Tales from the Crypt indeed! Halloween’s over.

    Saying that at least Brash puts a face to it, rather that than the sneaky National ways of pretending to be Maori ‘partner’ while undermining Maori and causing friction between Maori. That’s worse!

    Brash tends to unite people… against his views.

  8. Gristle 9

    Speaking Te Reo is a subversive act. The dominant culture cannot understand the language (and maybe the sentiment.). Part of Don Brash’s trouble with speaking Maori is that it excludes him from the conversation and allows for a non neoliberal economic framework to be used to arrive at agreement on what to do.

    • AB 9.1

      “it excludes him from the conversation and allows for a non neoliberal economic framework to be used ”
      +1 Gristle
      This must be really infuriating for him – people are talking but he doesn’t have control over it and doesn’t get to decide the acceptable boundaries of the narrative.

  9. The Fairy Godmother 10

    Ka Pai Enzo!

  10. red-blooded 11

    We had an appalling opinion piece about the same issue published in the ODT last Thursday or Friday, by a local guy. I wrote a response (which wasn’t published, as I’ve had a letter in within the last fortnight), but the heartening thing was that three other people also wrote in condemning his racist rant (one who’s living in Budapest at present but hails from – I think – Milton). Plus, The Spinoff named this piece the next day as the worst column of the year.

    I think Espiner is doing a great job. I struggled my way through a course in te reo a few years ago and never got as confident as he sounds. I’m sure he’s not getting everything right, but he’s flying a flag and he should be congratulated on being committed enough to upskill himself and promote te reo as a living language.

    • gsays 11.1

      Got to agree red blooded, while I often don’t know the meaning of what is being said, with repetition, it gets in.
      I salute all the presenters for their efforts and RNZ’s stance.

      From time to time I greet reps or the public in te reo, at work, and unfailingly get a positive rresponse.

      Haters gotta hate. (To quote da youff).

      • greywarshark 11.1.1

        Never knew much positive stuff or history of Maori when young. Now I try to korero all over the rohe and know a bit of tikanga which can be a nuisance to my impatient mind, but hey it is different cultures acknowledging each others rituals. I could even hongi correctly if appropriate. And everyone knows what koha is.

  11. Tricledrown 12

    Don Brash and Gallagher have huge support from the skin heads neo Nazis the KKK and be the draft dodging pussy grabber in Chief.
    Don Brash looks like a skin head.

  12. mac1 13

    Garner has had a criticism of Brash on air.

    http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/shows/2017/11/duncan-garner-earns-free-car-wash-with-don-brash-takedown.html

    Whilst I concur with Garner’s sentiment, I’m not sure that he is attacking Brash for the right reason when he says “You’re a generation past”.

    Brash is a recidivist bigot over decades and deserves people’s opprobrium.

    But I hope that the ‘generation past’ is not another form of unpalatable ‘-ism’; that of ‘agism’. Rather, I hope Garner is saying, as am I, that Brash’s views are from another time when such objectionable beliefs were more often held than now.

    • Tricledrown 13.1

      Brash is a bean brained bean counter with no emotional IQ.
      Typical of a Racist.
      Racists have problems forming long term relationships because of this.
      A pale stale male.
      I wonder if Don Brash would bring home some of his only supporters likes of the National front Skin Heads Neo Nazis Motor cycle gangs.
      Don would look good in bondage gear whipping up some racism.
      Luckily in NZ they are a negligible minority.

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    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
    3 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. ...
    4 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
    4 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 ...
    4 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
    4 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
    4 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
    4 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
    4 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
    4 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
    4 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 ...
    4 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
    4 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
    4 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
    4 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. ...
    5 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
    5 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
    5 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
    5 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
    5 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 ...
    5 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
    5 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
    5 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
    5 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
    5 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
    5 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
    5 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 ...
    6 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
    6 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
    6 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
    6 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
    6 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
    6 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
    6 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
    6 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 ...
    6 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
    6 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
    6 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 ...
    7 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 ...
    7 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 ...
    1 week 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
    1 week 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
    1 week 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
    1 week 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
    1 week 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
    1 week 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
    1 week 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 ...
    1 week 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
    1 week 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
    1 week 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
    1 week ago

  • First step to flexible labour market
    The Government is delivering on its commitment to repeal the Fair Pay Agreement legislation by Christmas 2023. “We are moving quickly to remove this legislation before any fair pay agreements are finalised and the negative impacts are felt by the labour market,” says Minister van Velden.  “Fair pay agreements undermine ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    52 mins ago
  • Extending 90-day trial periods to all employers
    The Government is delivering on its commitment to extend the availability of 90-day trial periods to all employers.  “Extending 90-day trial periods to all employers gives businesses the confidence to hire new people and increases workplace flexibility,” says Minister van Velden.  “Whether a business has 2 or 200 employees, bringing ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    52 mins ago
  • COP28 National Statement for New Zealand
    Tēnā koutou katoa Mr President, Excellencies, Delegates. An island nation at the bottom of the Pacific, New Zealand is unique.          Our geography, our mountains, lakes, winds and rainfall helps set us up for the future, allowing for nearly 90 per cent of our electricity to come from renewable sources. I’m ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days 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
    3 days 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
    3 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
    4 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
    4 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
    4 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
    4 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
    5 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
    5 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
    6 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
    7 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
    1 week 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
    1 week 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
    1 week 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
    1 week ago
  • US Business Summit Speech – Regional stability through trade
    I would like to begin by echoing the Prime Minister’s thanks to the organisers of this Summit, Fran O’Sullivan and the Auckland Business Chamber.  I want to also acknowledge the many leading exporters, sector representatives, diplomats, and other leaders we have joining us in the room. In particular, I would like ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • Keynote Address to the United States Business Summit, Auckland
    Good morning. Thank you, Rosemary, for your warm introduction, and to Fran and Simon for this opportunity to make some brief comments about New Zealand’s relationship with the United States.  This is also a chance to acknowledge my colleague, Minister for Trade Todd McClay, Ambassador Tom Udall, Secretary of Foreign ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • India New Zealand Business Council Speech, India as a Strategic Priority
    Good morning, tēnā koutou and namaskar. Many thanks, Michael, for your warm welcome. I would like to acknowledge the work of the India New Zealand Business Council in facilitating today’s event and for the Council’s broader work in supporting a coordinated approach for lifting New Zealand-India relations. I want to also ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • Coalition Government unveils 100-day plan
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has laid out the Coalition Government’s plan for its first 100 days from today. “The last few years have been incredibly tough for so many New Zealanders. People have put their trust in National, ACT and NZ First to steer them towards a better, more prosperous ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • New Zealand welcomes European Parliament vote on the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement
    A significant milestone in ratifying the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) was reached last night, with 524 of the 705 member European Parliament voting in favour to approve the agreement. “I’m delighted to hear of the successful vote to approve the NZ-EU FTA in the European Parliament overnight. This is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 weeks ago

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