Calling it a day

Written By: - Date published: 9:30 am, May 12th, 2009 - 48 comments
Categories: blogs - Tags:

When I first started writing for The Standard way back in August 2007 I never envisaged it would become what it is today, nor that it would take up anywhere near as much of my time as it does. A year and half later, I’ve decided I want my life back.

Contrary to the conspiracy theories of the right, I’ve always done this on a voluntary basis, in my own time, in order to advance my own personal political views. This has meant that as the blog’s got busier and I’ve taken on other projects I’ve found my free time slowly disappearing to the point where I’m on the go pretty much 24/7. And that’s no way to carry on.

It’s fair to say there’s also a certain disillusionment with New Zealand politics. Aside from all the usual nonsense, it’s disheartening to be writing left-wing politics when neither party of the Left is in any fit state to support.

As a Green voter and supporter who has handed out their flyers, stuffed their envelopes and put up their hoardings over the last few elections I’ve found their recent turn quite hard to swallow. I simply can’t support them so long as they’re propping up a right-wing government and their leader thinks running sectarian smears and National Party lines is a good strategy to promote progressive values. I’m sure the Greens will find their way in time, but it’s going to be a bumpy ride and it’ll probably be without Russel Norman.

Labour, on the other hand, just seems utterly bereft of vision. In the midst of the greatest economic crisis of our age, when they should be putting forward a bold alternative vision, Labour doesn’t seem have a clue where it’s going. Their miserable poll ratings don’t so much represent a rejection of their platform as a complete lack of relevance. As the world wakes up to the fact the policies of Reagan and Thatcher were a gigantic swindle by the rich, Labour still seems haunted by the ghost of 1984.

If we’re going to have an effective, fighting Left (and lord knows we need it) it’ll come through ordinary activists discussing, organising and campaigning for progressive values, both through the parties of the Left and our own independent activist organisations. I’m convinced sites like The Standard have a crucial role to play in this.

But for me it’s time to take a different tack. For now I’m going to get my life back and do a bit more grassroots organising and campaigning in the real world. I might start blogging again at some stage in the future, either here or elsewhere, but that’s a decision for another time.

It’s been great working with the team here, and I’ll miss all the lively conversations in the comments section. The Standard has already made an impact and I’m sure it’ll go from strength to strength, but as I’m keenly aware it’s in constant need of new content. If you think you can make a contribution as an author then send the team a post or two and see where it goes from there. I might not leave a very large gap, but it’ll need to be filled somewhere. And like any collective endeavour, The Standard will only work if we all pitch in together.

48 comments on “Calling it a day ”

  1. Don’t do it Tane

    The Blogosphere needs independent perceptive leftie comments that you always seem to be capable of producing …

  2. higherstandard 2

    Enjoy the break Tane even though I don’t always agree with your position you’re a decent chap and will be missed here.

    And you’re quite right about the need for a strong left voice in NZ, democracy doesn’t work well without a strong opposition and tends to lead to lazy arrogant government.

  3. r0b 3

    Nooooo! Bugger.

    Though I do understand the need for a life in the real world.

    Don’t write Labour off, we know that we need to wait out the honeymoon, wait until people are ready to listen to us again. Then I hope and expect that you will see Labour coming back strong.

    Anyway, thanks Tane, thanks all Standard authors…

  4. Jem 4

    Hey Tane, the gang’s going fast. Loved your contributions. Enjoy your new happy life. xxxx

  5. I hope this isn’t the beginning of the end for The Standard…. with Red Alert having been established just this week…

    • Eddie 5.1

      far from it. in fact, we have some exciting plans just around the corner and there are always new writers.

      I was looking back at our first posts the other day at the beginning it was mostly all your base, then mostly tane, then mostly steve, for now it’s me trying to do one or two a day. It’s an evolving, changing thing.

      I don’t see why Red Alert would have anything to do with The Standard.

      • Nomorefundig? 5.1.1

        Eddie, just to confirm you are denying the rumours that are going around that with the start up of Red Alert that the funding for the Standard has dried up?

        IrishBill: Go fuck yourself.
        [lprent: Exactly. The site is now pre-paid until March 2010 and since that is the only funding required, it is a ridiculous statement. But what else you you expect from a creep. Ummm did the usual troll investigation and that comment came from Fiji ?? Wierd ]

        • Maynard J 5.1.1.1

          I thought this comment would be about sand castles. No more fun dig.

          No more fun dig (stop picking your nose), are you trying to tell us that there are such incredibly thick people out there that they believe a blog is expensive enough to require a significant level of financial support?

          • Required 5.1.1.1.1

            To be fair, this blog does seem to get quite a bit of traffic, and it isn’t ad-supported (though I wouldn’t notice if it was, AdBlock).

            However, moving it Off Shore and to a place with significantly cheaper bandwidth if I remember correctly, sends Nomorefundig?’s thought-process to hell.

            That is, if IrishBill and lprent didn’t hear a wooshing sound go over their head.

          • lprent 5.1.1.1.2

            The bandwidth wasn’t a problem. The NZ site had no limits on local bandwidth. The US site just has no limits.

            It was the cost of the virtual server that was a issue. It was costing $180/mo here, and about $200/year in the US. Double the cost wouldn’t have been a problem. 10x is too big to ignore.

            It also made it difficult for someone to do something stupid legally. Now they pretty much have to use internet procedures rather than legal letters.

  6. IrishBill 6

    Damn your eyes Tane. This better not mean more work for me. We’ll miss you and remember you’re welcome back anytime bro.

  7. roger nome 7

    Yes – there is more to life than blogging, so i can’t blame you for this decision.

    Frankly i don’t know how DPF and whaleoil manage to blog 24/7. I wonder what would happen if you took the internet away from them for a month? With whaleoil’s gun fetish we could see some horrific consequences.

  8. Eddie 8

    Enjoy retirement, Tane. Hope to see you back here some day.

  9. TightyRighty 9

    Goodbye Tane, I hope that you get more time to enjoy the little things in life after this. I also hope that your vision for the left, as much as i disdain it, comes true, because once again you are right, it is the only future for the left. Good Luck.

  10. lprent 10

    You’re right Tane, this is going to leave a hole. You’ve been a really great part of the coop. I know the feeling about the time this takes though – especially the moderation and troll squelching.

    My personal commitment of time has been steadily rising over the years, and I’ve even started writing posts since the election and getting better at writing them. Much of that has come from your kind commentary on the early ones that I wrote.

    Hopefully you’d still be interested in popping in to do occasional posts either under your own pseudonym or as guest posts.

    However, as always, as Tane says we’re interested in taking on new writers to do their bit. Step up if you think you have something to say.

  11. burt 11

    Tane

    Reading what you have said here I think that you leaving the standard is a great loss.

    As much as the partisan supporters and apologists hate hearing stuff like “Labour, on the other hand, just seems utterly bereft of vision’ it needs to be said and discussed.

    All the best Tane, do you want a logon to write guest posts at ‘editing the standard’ so you can speak your mind about left wing ideology outside of the “must support Labour, cannot be critical’ framework ?

  12. Tim Ellis 12

    I’ll be sorry to see you go Tane. I have often disagreed with you, but you have always debated the issues honourably and effectively, and I’ve always saluted your willingness to see beyond partisan Labour Party stuff and take a dig at them where you’ve seen fit.

    • lprent 12.1

      …your willingness to see beyond partisan Labour Party stuff…

      Thats what happens when you support the left, but not the Labour party. It has always amused me the way that some on the right tend to the broad brush when it comes to this site. Basically the myths appear to be more important then reality – it seems to hurt their ego’s to deal with facts rather than prejudices.

      Tane doesn’t support the Labour Party (and never has as far as I can see). He does support the labour movement, the left, progressive politics, and unions. In the past he has supported the Green Party, but maybe not as a member.

      Probably the majority of writers on this site have a similar position. I think that I’m probably the only party card-carrier on the site, and I’m a bit of a maverick tending to the right of the party. But we really don’t bother to ask.

      The defining characteristic of people who write posts on this site is that they generally do not support the ‘right’ and the parties of that side of the political spectrum. They tend to support the broader labour position.

      But Tane’s body of work speaks for itself. There are 14 LONG pages of his posts to look at
      http://www.thestandard.org.nz/author/tane/

      • Tim Ellis 12.1.1

        LP, I don’t think it would be very gracious to have this discussion in a thread that salutes Tane for his contribution, but I do believe one of the reasons his departure will be felt so greatly is that he is one of the few regular contributors who is prepared to sock it to the Labour Party and take a strongly, non-partisan Left approach. I haven’t seen a lot of that from the other contributors recently. IrishBill certainly is prepared to sock it to Labour when it’s important to him, but his posts have become much less frequent.

        I don’t know what Eddie’s membership status is, but he has always presented posts that are supportive of Labour. John A likewise. If you are looking to recruit other writers, in the interests of balance on the left, it wouldn’t hurt to try and get some objectively Green writers who won’t just push the Labour Party line. It’s your blog so you can do what you like, though, and I hope you take this with the constructive intent.

        • lprent 12.1.1.1

          Personally I think that you have problem recognizing a chicken and egg problem. There is a high proportion of the time that the posts here are written by various authors well in advance of the topic even being considered by any party. The same goes for other sites particularly No Right Turn, g-blog, kiwipolitico, and even Kiwiblog (although that seems to be falling more into the spokes-blog for the party line).

          We haven’t had an overt Green Party member wanting to write for us, but there is nothing to stop them from wanting to do so. However they’d probably actually not talk that much about Green party matters, just as I seldom talk about Labour party matters (well apart from my favourite electorate). What we talk about are issues that are important to us.

          There are a number of green issue writers – currently mainly demeter and myself doing the most. But other writers have done considerable posts on green issues. Just as we have writers who tend to concentrate on labour movement issues or economics on occasions.

          For that matter I seldom write on Labour Party lines or issues. I’ve sometimes written posts specifically to boot Labour into action. For instance the whole of the super-city debate that I started here because the more I thought about it, the more cracked Rodney’s proposal was. I wanted Labour and the Greens and anyone else to get off their arse and start opposing this stupidity. Sometimes I write posts on topics that Labour has NO policy on – for instance the series on police and activists late last year.

          Like the other writers, I try to get issues of interest to me into debate.

          The ‘Labour’ line you keep whining about (in conspiracy mode) are not that at all. They are the reverse it is an anti-NACT line, usually generated by writers here, and sometimes picked up from politicians. Frankly to us, it is hard to look at NACT and not find something to disapprove of. So we do. Sometimes those lines from here and other blogs are picked up by the parties, and sometimes not.

          Why exactly the right has such a hard time understanding grass-roots activism not associated with political parties is beyond me. But then they are conservative and appear to still be coming to terms with the 20th century rather than current times.

          BTW: I don’t think anyone who knows me would even attempt to call me gracious. I’m real handy when you need something fixed or need help. But I’m never gracious

  13. Thanks Tane, I have enjoyed your contributions over the last year or so. Enjoy your time off. And don’t you worry, for every tired old blogger hanging up their keyboard for more Shortland Street or Parliament TV time, there are plenty more even wittier, better looking and just as motivated young bucks champing at the bit to make their mark on the interweb… aidos amigo

  14. Daniel 14

    This is a real shame. I don’t agree with a lot of your conclusions, but you’ve always been reasoned and happy to accept that people have differing opinions on things, a quality far too lacking in the blogging world. It’s because of this openmindedness that I have a lot of respect for your opinions regardless of whether I agree or not. Sorry to see you go, and all the best.

    (Edited to rephrase)

  15. Tane: love your work, you’ve helped keep the standard to the fore of the blogheap.

    I totally agree with your assessment of the Greens under Normans sway.

    I hope you post when the wheels need some oiling, or whales need boiling.

  16. Macro 16

    Sorry to see you go Tane your post are always high on my reading list – both here and your comments on frogblog. But we all need a life and you are more than worthy of having yours back.
    E iti noa ana, na te aroha

  17. Julie 17

    It’s a job that’s never done really, being a leftie in modern day Aotearoa New Zealand. Best wishes for your off blog activities Tane, you’ll be missed here and I hope you can still fit in guest posts from time to time when you want to write (rather than when you feel obligated!) I’m sure our paths will cross again 🙂

  18. felix 18

    Best of luck IRL Tane, you’ll be missed here. I’ll try to keep an eye on the spelling.

  19. Ari 19

    I can totally understand Tane. Go get your life back, and don’t dip back into the fight until you’re ready to and you’ve got something or someone you’re confident in doing it for. Can’t say I agree with your take on the Greens, but I’m not gonna do the disrespect of arguing that when you’re going. Take care, and thanks for so much activism on behalf of the progressive side of politics.

  20. Maynard J 20

    Keep fighting the good fight Tane! I hope your exploits out there are as appreciated and valuable as they’ve been here.

  21. What exactly have the greens done to raise your ire?
    They are engaging with the current government to try and push their agenda and they are running their leader in a byelection to try and raise their profile. Neither of these actions are bad for the greens but could be construed as unhelpful to labour.

    Lyn, your comment; “I think that I’m probably the only party card-carrier on the site”
    Hmmmm. Should I go there and risk deletion and banning?

    [lprent: depends what you say doesn’t it. You could check the policy ]

  22. Philonz 22

    A great note to go out on Tane. Enjoy your time away from the blogosphere.

  23. The Voice of Reason 23

    What they said, Tane.

    Always entertaining, witty and well thought out. And that was just the troll banning messages. The posts themselves seemed to me to have a great quality of setting a scene, without cutting off potential avenues of discussion. Inclusive and open rather than limiting or bombastic.

    I look forward to hearing more from you as you get your work/life balance back on the level.

    Kia Kaha, comrade.

  24. Anita 24

    Best of luck, I will miss your writing.

  25. Rex Widerstrom 25

    Bugger.

    There’s not much more I can say, really.

    Whether I agree with a writer or not (and with you, Tane, I often did) I can step back and admire their skill. And even when I didn’t agree with what I was reading I never failed to be impressed by its cogent, intelligent, clear and clearly heartfelt expression.

    captcha: “Great Dickens”. See, even captcha is disappointed.

  26. Bill 26

    For popping informative and/or interesting stuff onto my computer screen over the past while?

    Thanks. I’ve appreciated it.

  27. Lew 27

    Cheers Tane, you’re one of the reasons I bothered reading NZ blogs again. And writing ’em, now. Don’t be a stranger.

    L

  28. Daveski 28

    Bit late to add my 2c plus GST but from the other side of the fence Tane has always represented an independent left view and has been prepared to criticise the left when he’s felt the need to do so. That someone is able to see the strengths – and weaknesses – of a position is a rare strength.

    All the best and enjoy your life after blogging.

  29. mike 29

    See ya Tane – you were the best of a bad lot 🙂

  30. outofbed 30

    catch u later Tane
    enjoyed your posts

  31. Cheers for all the good posts Tane, sad to see you go!

  32. Thanks for the enjoyable posts Tane and for tolerating people like me 😉 .

  33. Ianmac 33

    Sorry to see you go Tane. However I would expect to see your comments pop up from time to time. Cheers.

  34. gingercrush 34

    As with others cheers for the posts you made. Disagree with many but thought they were usually well thought out.

  35. ak 35

    Many thanks for all your wonderful posts and hard work, all the best at the flax roots and hope to see you pop back now and again.

  36. QoT 36

    Byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! Come back soon!

  37. jbc 37

    Many thanks for all your contributions Tane; plentiful and well-thought they were (even when I disagreed with your conclusions). Best of luck for your new tack.

  38. Tane 38

    Wow, thanks all for your kind words, from ideological friends and enemies alike. It’s been fun.

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  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    4 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;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:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    5 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    5 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    5 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • There’s a name for this
    Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • Echoes of 1968 in 2024?  Pocock on the repetitive problems of the New Left
    Mike Grimshaw writes – Recent events in American universities point to an underlying crisis of coherent thinking, an issue that increasingly affects the progressive left across the Western world. This of course is nothing new as anyone who can either remember or has read of the late ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    8 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    8 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
    Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024.  “Lower fruit and vege ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government backs rural led catchment projects
    The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction.   Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
    Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government lowering building costs
    The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Trustee tax change welcomed
    Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister’s Ramadan message
    Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness.  It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister appoints new NZTA Chair
    Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Speech to Life Sciences Summit
    Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology.  It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
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  • Progress continues apace on water storage
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