Caption Competition

Written By: - Date published: 1:00 pm, April 24th, 2015 - 114 comments
Categories: caption contest, social media lolz, uncategorized, you couldn't make this shit up - Tags: , ,

John Key Kate Middleton

114 comments on “Caption Competition ”

  1. Capn Insano 1

    “You do *what* with a bath, custard and a diving costume with the bottom cut out?”

  2. Puckish Rogue 2

    “Guess what”
    “what?”
    “Nationals still 47% in the polls according to Roy Morgan”
    “No way!”
    “Way, oh and nice hair”

    🙂

    • swordfish 2.1

      (1) 45.5%, not 47% (as you yourself acknowledged just a couple of hours ago here… http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-24042015/#comment-1004827 …how strange that you’d suddenly add a phantom 1.5 points).
      Lowest Nat support level in quite some time.

      (2) Roy Morgan concludes an election today would be “too close to call”.

      (3) Conducted, of course, before the latest bizarre scandal.

      Still, amusing to see you clutching at straws 🙂

      • Puckish Rogue 2.1.1

        Sorry force of habit with National I guess 🙂

        “Guess what”
        “what?”
        “Labours dropped to 27.5% in the polls according to Roy Morgan”
        “No way!”
        “Way, oh and nice hair”

        🙂

    • ankerawshark 2.2

      Pukish rogue………………Good god man! You still want National to be high in the polls when they are lead by a man with a pony tail fetish who just can’t keep it under control!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What does this tell us about you?

      • Puckish Rogue 2.2.1

        That i don’t judge someone with a mental illness as harshly as you? For shame ankerawshark for shame

        • ankerawshark 2.2.1.1

          It depends on the mental illness. Psychopathy, anti social personality disorder, sexual disorder such as fetishism…………………..not so sure I judge them, just want to stay clear of them and I certainly don’t want someone running the country with one of the above!!!!!! Less judgemental of the above if they seek out treatment and try and contain their problem rather than inflicting it on others.

          • Brendon Harre 2.2.1.1.1

            People this is not a mental health issue -I am a psychiatric nurse.

            John Key was acting in a way consistent with being a dick, a dork, a kindergarten bully, an attention seeking teenager who lacks social skills to attract the opposite sex or someone who tries too hard for everybody to love him.

            Another possibility being John Key was pissed off and physically teased the waitress because she did not show him the ‘love’ that he expects. Maybe the waitress didn’t like John before the hair pulling had started, maybe she was professional to him while the other staff went along with his ‘horsing around’ and John wasn’t going to let her get away with that so started the pony tail pulling.

            Whatever it was, it was John Keys behaviour and he was responsible for it. There is no excuses, certainly not that John Key was mentally ill.

            • ankerawshark 2.2.1.1.1.1

              Hi Brendon,

              I think you are spot on and this is one of the best analysis I have heard so far.

              Key is likely use to sycophantant behaviour and likely Amanda didn’t respond in this way to him, but kept it civil and professional. So she became a target for him “Iam going to make you love me” comes to mind…………….pathetic and sickening.

              JK is certainly responsible for his own behaviour as most people with a mental illness are (unless they are acutely psychotic).

              I do think this need of his to be “loved and admired” and not getting this bothered him enough to harass the waitress into compliance. Except, she wasn’t going to comply. Good on you Amanda

        • te reo putake 2.2.1.2

          “That i don’t judge someone with a mental illness as harshly as you? ”

          An interesting acknowledgement there, PR. If someone as devoted to Team Blue as you is prepared to publicly claim the PM is mentally ill, howdya reckon the voters are seeing it?

          • Puckish Rogue 2.2.1.2.1

            Well heres the latest poll from Roy Morgan:

            http://www.roymorgan.com/findings/6187-roy-morgan-new-zealand-voting-intention-april-2015-201504230106

            But seriously I think the rabid Key supports will cancel out the rabid Key haters and the rest of NZ that don’t really care won’t worry about it that much, like his comments on pink shirts or mincing down a cat walk

            • te reo putake 2.2.1.2.1.1

              Well, I know I’ve said this before … but wait until the next one 😉 That RM reflects the country over the last couple of weeks, including a by-election bounce for Winnie. And it still has the opposition bloc in a strong position.

              I’m guessing the likes of Reid Research and Curia will be on the phones as we speak doing a round of unscheduled ‘preferred PM’ polling. That’s where the hit will be felt first.

              PS. I have a new slogan for Labour: Sure we’ve been pretty average, but at least we’re not weirdos.

  3. Clemgeopin 3

    “ What a tantalising lock of hair you have, Katy! Deviant older men don’t pull it do they? No. That’s good. We don’t want that to happen, do we!”

  4. joe90 4

    Gimme head with hair
    Long beautiful hair
    Shining, gleaming,
    Streaming, flaxen, waxen

    Give me down to there hair
    Shoulder length or longer
    Here baby, there mama
    Everywhere daddy daddy

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFy-yzj02FE

    • Puckish Rogue 4.1

      🙂

    • Unicus 4.2

      Walking along Mt Eden Rd a while back behind a group of middle aged guys going to a game at Eden park . Festooned with fashionably ” isis black ” flags – suddenly – and apparently oblivious of small children and old ladies also sharing the footpath one dropped his trackies and did a brown-eye for his mates following behind – enough to make a gynecologist puke.

      Oh the hilarity ! having not attended a rugby game since the National Party instigated civil war of 1981 Id forgotten what fun it must be to be out with the boys (sic) abandoned to the prerogatives of brainless mate-ship.

      So John think about what real men are doing next time you’r horsing around at Rosie’s drop those designer jeans – hey why not really test your popularity and choke a number on the magazine rack while you’re at it- you can always blame Bronagh !!

  5. oarSum 5

    What will two bottles of red wine get me?

  6. BLiP 6

    Oh, yeah, on the world stage I’m a real joker, love to relax and horse around, can’t be serious all the time, gotta have a laugh otherwise, well, you know, and ackshully do you know what? I once told everyone my wife looked like a Hobbit when standing next to Michelle Obama. Somehow neither Bronagh or Michelle thought that was hilarious, but everyone else cracked up. It was great. Almost as good as the cannibal joke I told about Maori, talk about shit-yourself-funny, it was EPIC. But enough about me. How are you? I love what you’re doing with your hair. Do you happen to know Liz Hurley at all?

  7. No, I don’t believe I’ve seen ‘Something about Mary’. Why do you ask?

    Guava, balsam and a little kiwifruit. Why do you ask?

    It’s woven out of possum, you say?

  8. Pasupial 8

    “Love the hair – give us a tug.”

  9. rawshark-yeshe 9

    I might be a party pooper. I don’t think this caption competition is appropriate especially in the current climate. Can’t articulate why just yet … but it seems to be minimalising the issues and making them seem ok ? Kind of like when somebody says ” I know it’s a bit racist, but this joke is really funny” and I ask them not to continue. Racism is never funny. And maybe this sexism shouldn’t be either.

    • BLiP 9.2

      Hmmm . . . pause for thought. Thank you, rawshark-yeshe.

      Reminder to Self: Just pause for a moment and have a wee think before jumping into a potential Dog Pile.

      • rawshark-yeshe 9.2.1

        Thx Blip — and I promise no Dog Pile from me ! I thought your caption was very clever and funny, but then I realized none of it can be truly funny. Like racism. None of it ever can be. And I thought hard before posting .. Bailey and Billingsley and millions of unseen others made me do it.

        Reminder to self: try not to leave dog piles for others to step into.

    • Murray Rawshark 9.3

      If you feel uncomfortable, I’d say that’s enough. You have good instincts.

  10. swordfish 10

    Key: “Come on, Girly, just give your Old Uncle John a quick thrill ! Oh come on, now, I just want to cop a quick feel !, where’s the harm in that ? I’ve got some sweeties in my pockets”

  11. cogito 11

    Kate: “Sleazebag”.
    Key: “That’s what they all say”.

  12. ankerawshark 12

    KEY: “I’d like to horse around with your pony”

    KATE: …………….the expression says it all

  13. Clemgeopin 13

    “Would your eyes pop out in shock if I confess I am not fond of brazilians?”

  14. joe90 14

    Come to me, my own, my love, myyy preccccccciiiouuuussss…..

  15. Change the flag to a ponytail, you say? How very interesting.

    No, I will not get you a latte even if you do call me Princess!

    No, I hadn’t heard of that practice. And you say it’s called a Hoskings? Frightfully good!

  16. and even after she asked you to stop you kept touching her hair in a creepy abusive way – what the hell are you?

  17. Potato 17

    Kate’s thought bubble – “People in New Zealand actually vote for this guy?”

  18. cogito 18

    Kate: “galloping colonial clot”.

  19. amirite 19

    “Happy to see you Your Royal Highness, that’s a hair tie in my pocket,”

  20. b waghorn 20

    Get your hand off there!!

  21. rod 21

    Hi, if you like fun, banter, horsing around and hair pulling. I’m your man.

  22. Can’t say I’m in favour of this caption contest. Sure it’s all a bit of good fun but at it’s core it’s still joking about a serious, harmful form of harassment. And I suspect the bulk of people participating have never had to worry about people in their workplace casually treating them like sexual objects, and don’t appreciate what a viscerally unpleasant topic this is for many.

    • felix 22.1

      Agree it’s minimising.

    • swordfish 22.2

      Fair enough. Must admit I had a few qualms after posting my caption. Probably should have deleted. Don’t really want to make light of an unpleasant issue.

    • BLiP 22.3

      Hmmmm . . . rawshark-yeshe said the same sort of thing. I was wondering if it was just a bit too soon but, yeah, it is joking about sexual assault, victim blaming, workplace safety, human rights abuses, and a scantily clad operation across the MSM being run by John Key’s Dirty Politics Machine.

      Interesting dillemma, though. The worker is a hero and there is much cause for everyone to be grateful to her, even John Key. It is essential that this matter be treated seriously and the delivery of whatever justice the worker requires is prompt, fulsome and complete. But what about ensuring momentum? For what ever reason, this display of John Key’s character has had real cut through across the spectrum. This issue could do so much good for so long, especially it an eternal source for universally enjoyed mockery. Does this process have to result in a minimisation of the wider situation? How else can John Key mocked without reference to this crime?

      • rawshark-yeshe 22.3.1

        Maybe it’s a little to do with power .. and I am still thinking deeply about this.

        For example only, if the competition had been for things we wish Amanda Bailey had been able to say or do to Key, would that be ok ? My first thought is yes, but am still working through why.

        And trying not to step in dog pile. And Blip .. I agree. It is vital we can keep oxygen flowing to all of this.

      • phillip ure 22.3.2

        that is what is hurting key the most at the moment..

        ..that the world is essentially laughing at him..

        ..and the more fuel on that fire..the better…

        ..and i don’t think that doing this minimises the underlying issues..

        ..in any way..

        ..in fact this is just part of an unfolding theme of awareness (finally!) of how screwed over/abused the lowest-paid are..(c.f. widespread revulsion at zero hour contracts..)

        ..satire/piss-taking has long been an effective weapon against the powerful and corrupt..

        ..a tool to hold them to account..

        ..and calls to stop that satire/piss-taking chill the blood..

        • rawshark-yeshe 22.3.2.1

          agree. but what if we are satirising the wrong target ? nowhere do i suggesxt not doing it.

        • Chooky 22.3.2.2

          pu +100…”satire/piss-taking has long been an effective weapon against the powerful and corrupt”

          ….i dont think it is minimising the topic…more like role playing empathising…and exploring the permutations around it…far better than hiding it away…and laughter is good medicine

          …absolutely anyone can be subject to offensive innuendo, harassment, bullying, false accusations, sexual harassment, assault …even guys ….by other guys or by women in positions of power

          …and I am one who once was subject to sexual harassment in the workplace by a ‘boss’ who i considered and still consider dangerous , so I sure as hell don’t minimise it! …and I have nothing but admiration for Amanda Bailey for bringing it out into the light of day!

      • Clemgeopin 22.3.3

        Amanda Bailey, the waitress, likened John Key’s behaviour to “school yard bullying” and said she felt powerless and humiliated.

        In the wake of the revelations, many prominent people and groups have weighed in, mostly in defence of Ms Bailey and ridiculing the Prime Minister.

        Political analyst Bryce Edwards told TV ONE’s Breakfast programme yesterday that Mr Key may struggle to recover from damages incurred by his ponytail tugging.

        “A lot of people will be laughing at John Key, that’s harder to recover from,” Mr Edwards said.

        link here,
        http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/john-key-hopes-retain-happy-go-lucky-nature-in-wake-ponytail-saga-6299208 .

        • Chooky 22.3.3.1

          Clem +100…”“A lot of people will be laughing at John Key, that’s harder to recover from,” Mr Edwards said.”

  23. Sutton's li'l helper 23

    “Ever been to a ‘princess party’ Kate”?

  24. Stickler 24

    Key meets Locks.

  25. ianmac 25

    “Kate. Umm. Kate. When you get your lovely smooth sensuous hair cut next time, can I have the cuttings to stroke in my hidden place? Please?”

  26. key:..’would you like to come and see my little pony collection..?

    ..i’ll let you brush them’..

  27. key:..

    ‘can i ask what conditioner you use in your (gulp!) hair..?’

  28. key:..

    ‘would you like me to plait that for you..?’

    • Chooky 28.1

      Kate: “No !…fuck off!…lay one pudgy finger on my hair and I will smite your head off with my special knighting sword”

      …” I am going to tell my Mother-in -law on you!…just you wait”

  29. cogito 29

    Key: “Well Kate, it’s pretty simple ackshually. You either let me have a feel or I’ll change the NZ flag…. And it’ll be bye bye royals…. HAHAHA”.

  30. cogito 30

    Kate: “Mr Keylusconi, I presume”.
    Key: “Bring on the punga punga party!”

  31. Planet Earth 31

    So it is just a bit of banter, right? just checking

  32. Adrian 32

    “Ooooh, thats a lovely HEAD of hair Queen Kate”
    “Touch it , and you’ll lose yours! “.

    I wish.

  33. Clemgeopin 33

    “Hey, Kate, would your eyes pop out if I were to tell you that I have had a vasectomy done on myself? “

  34. sckiwireddevil 34

    Key; ”I’m a cross-dresser, don’t you know”.

  35. key:..

    ‘say sorry to yr mum-in-law..eh..?..for me pulling her hair when i was staying there..eh..?..’

  36. Jiminy Cricket 36

    Key sprouts blonde mullet

  37. fender 37

    “Yeah, I’m a pretty sick guy, so I’ll be emptying out the shower-trap before you board the airplane”

  38. Tel 38

    Kate never got the memo, “You might not want to invite him around to lunch.”

  39. Chooky 39

    Jeezuz what a good picture !…i can think of all sorts of things for the dialogue box….but I won’t say them!

  40. Walk Away 40

    Kate: “Security if he touches my hair shoot him.”

    or

    Kate to Key: “Yes I am more important, powerful and richer than you but NO! I will not touch your hair your little creep.”

    or

    Key to self “Hair goes the knighthood.”

    or

    Kate: “Do that again and you will find out why we still have Trident”

  41. Chooky 41

    Message to John Key:

    “Ride your own pony!”

    ( someone said this was a joke doing the rounds in South Auckland)

  42. Clemgeopin 42

    ” Katy, Would your eyes pop out if I were to show a bit of happy-go-lucky horsing around with much jolly banter and do a quick hair-pulling prank on that irresistible lock of hair of yours? I don’t normally ask permission, but you are so special!”

  43. Treetop 43

    So your the new court jester John. I do not find you to be amusing at all.

  44. fender 44

    “Some people think my wife’s a greenie cos I won’t let her shave her legs”

  45. Incognito 45

    “I bet you’d be a lovely Lady Godiva”

  46. Clemgeopin 46

    ” I am looking forward to my visit to Turkey, princes. A penny for your guess!”

    http://liberation.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83451d75d69e201bb0822093f970d-800wi

  47. linda 47

    creepykey to, ” rapunzel rapunzel may i pull your hair”

  48. david 48

    My next goal is to pull the ponytail of a Royal. How about it Kate?

  49. david 49

    JK looks like he has his own grey ponytail!

    • Chooky 49.1

      yes…does this mean he is wearing a wig toupee hair piece?…because the fringe at the neck is not the same colour as the top mat!

      …maybe Winston should challenge him and Peter Dunne to a duel …a wig pulling contest to see whose hair is really really real

      ….I reckon Winston’s is real and Peter Dunne’s is real ….but I suspect that Jonkey’s wig would go flying

  50. Alpha z 50

    dont b afraid of me the big bad wolf. only want to put finger in yur luvrly hair

    ~ nah, fok off kreep!

  51. Joy Clark 51

    “May I pull your…. finger your Royal Highness….? I have been advised to change tack somewhat aye…..”

  52. Neil 52

    You want to do WHAT???
    I somehow think your wife & my husband would be utterly disgusted.

  53. Clemgeopin 53

    “Hey, Kate, would your eyes pop out if I were to tell you that my wife refers to herself as ‘Stud-Screwer’?….Oops! your eyes did pop out!, ha,ha! What a lot of fun and banter I am having!”

    [ John Key tells UN ambassadors about how Bronagh filed a tax-return with stud-screwer as her occupation!
    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11436771 ]

  54. Clemgeopin 54

    Kate : In UK we love to go hare hunting.
    J Key : In NZ, I do too and I’m the top dog!
    Kate : (Confused and eyes pop out) What!?

  55. rod 55

    Hello I’m John Key, It must be a great thrill for you to meet me.

  56. The Real Matthew 56

    Kate: So the major opposition party in your country is led by someone who came 3rd in a caucus vote?

  57. Chooky 57

    Kate: “You should join a pony club…on second thoughts maybe not!”

  58. weka 58

    Thanks Stephanie and yeshe, I also feel uncomfortable about this post and thread.

  59. Alpha z 59

    prinsuss, i got 2 films for u to see. ull luv them. hot hot as!

    ~ https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Key+pony+tail
    ~ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6WUYzLaEOo&feature=player_detailpage

    [lprent: despite the tone. This is not spam. ]

  60. SMILIN 60

    “You want to do what? Im a married woman “

  61. cogito 61

    Kate: do you support the TPP?
    Key: but of course, Kate. Not only do I support it, I am it – The Ponytail Puller.

  62. Murray Rawshark 62

    This is also not my favourite post of all time. I’m not 100% sure why, but possibly because the power differential at the heart of Key’s assault on Amanda Bailey is not present in this picture.

    • I’ve been thinking about it a bit, too, Murray. For me, I agree the photo does ignore Amanda Bailey, but that’s because it’s focussing on the fallout, not the incident. It’s looking at an aspect of what this means for Key, which is international humiliation.

      This is a guy who makes a big deal about how he’s BFF’s with world leaders and royalty. But I’m betting if he ever gets to play golf with Barack Obama again, the Secret Service will be watching him like a hawk if the Obama girls are within stroking distance. Key’s forever going to be that weird guy from New Zealand; the Perve Minister, The Prime Molester etc.

    • Chooky 62.2

      as i see it this post is all about taking the mickey out of John Key

      …it is John key who should be feeling uncomfortable because he looks like an inappropriate creep around woman…looks like even female royalty are astounded and have their doubts about him!

      … if anything all the comments here are supporting the heroic stand of Amanda Bailey against Jonkey’s abuse of power and creepy behaviour

      …most unbecoming of New Zealand’s Prime Minister!…or any Prime Minister in the civilised world….

  63. cogito 63

    Kate: Her Majesty has been informed of your proclivities, Mr Key.
    Key: Well, Kate I am honoured. So far I’ve only done it with a waitress and a couple of kids, but doing it with Her Majesty… well, that has been my dream ever since I was small boy growing up in a little state house in Christchurch with my Austrian mother working three jobs….

  64. alwyn 64

    Kate. What ever happened to that peculiar man Cunliffe we were forced to be polite to last year?
    Key. He got a bit carried away with his fantasies. His peccadillos were like those of your husband’s uncle, Prince Andrew. At least David’s wife came to her senses and dumped him.
    Kate. Really. I thought he was a creep but I didn’t realise he was that bad.

    • Chooky 64.1

      @alwyn…obviously this post is getting to you because you are trying to undermine David Cunliffe….no one is fooled

      • alwyn 64.1.1

        Me, undermining David Cunliffe?
        I thought he did a pretty good job of that himself without any help from anyone else.
        Did you see the way that the Labour Party poll support dropped steadily every month that he was the leader?
        Anyway, why bother. He is like last week’s newspaper. Good only for wrapping up the rubbish and dumping it into the bin.

    • Murray Rawshark 64.2

      That’s just sick garbage. Andrew’s peccadillos are alleged to include sex with an underage woman. It’s not the Labour Party you should be looking at for that. Even so, the woman in question was a hell of a lot older than the victims of the prominent New Zealander.

  65. cogito 65

    Kate: So do you think that your tactile fascination with hair is going to damage you politically , Mr Key?

    Key: On the contrary, Kate. My fascination with hair is even shared by my political opponents, who are bringing in an attractive ex-hairdresser as their new MP. Hair politics could well determine the future look of the NZ government.

  66. burt 66

    I’ve got 2 bottles of wine, want to play Amy Winehands while I pull your hair ?

  67. Clemgeopin 67

    ” Kate, my dear! What nice eyes you have! Will those by chance pop out if I were to tell you that I am so popular down here that I can aukshully get away with anything, anything at all!…For instance, I can tug on your lock of hair many many times and carry on without a care in the world again and again, even after you tell me to stop, because, I am Rt. Honourable Mr Key and I am very popular here and everywhere! I have carefully worked people around to think that I am an easy going funny guy full of bucks and banter! And oh, if I do get caught out, no worries! All I have to do is give you a bunch of my bottles of red wine, say ‘Oh, sorry, so very sorry, didn’t realise’ and just move on! Yep, all will be kosher! No drama. Cool ye, princess?”

  68. Anon E Mouse 68

    If you pull my hair again I’m going to swat you

  69. Donald Rutherford 69

    “Akshully Im really just another wineo but I left my raincoat at the cafe “

  70. e-clectic 70

    I do a great version of the Jaws theme song, wanna hear it?

  71. e-clectic 71

    Say, how about you hop on my lap and we talk about the first thing that pops up – don’t worry it won’t be a long conversation.

  72. e-clectic 72

    Lucky that glistening mane of yours isn’t in a ponytail or I’d be all over you like impetigo.

  73. Clemgeopin 73

    “Katy, my dear, I am just looking at your tantalising hair! And such pretty big eyes too! Will those pop out even bigger if I were to casually tell you that we too have big eyes, FIVE big eyes, in fact!”

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    “But, that’s the thing, mate, isn’t it? We showed ourselves to be nothing more useful than a bunch of angry old men, shaking our fists at the sky. Were we really that angry at Labour and the Greens? Or was it just the inescapable fact of our own growing irrelevancy ...
    2 days ago
  • JERRY COYNE: A powerful University dean in New Zealand touts merging higher education with indigeno...
    Jerry Coyne writes –  This article from New Zealand’s Newsroom site was written by Julie Rowland,  the deputy dean of the Faculty of Science at the University of Auckland as well as a geologist and the Director of the Ngā Ara WhetĆ« | Centre for Climate, Biodiversity & Society. In other ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • Ain't nobody gonna steal this heart away.
    Ain't nobody gonna steal this heart away.For the last couple of weeks its felt as though all the good things in our beautiful land are under attack.These isles in the southern Pacific. The home of the Māori people. A land of easy going friendliness, openness, and she’ll be right. A ...
    Nick’s KƍreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Speaking for the future
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.MondayYou cannot be seriousOne might think, god, people who are seeing all this must be regretting their vote.But one might be mistaken.There are people whose chief priority is not wanting to be ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • How Should We Organise a Modern Economy?
    Alan Bollard, formerly Treasury Secretary, Reserve Bank Governor and Chairman of APEC, has written an insightful book exploring command vs demand approaches to the economy. The Cold War included a conflict about ideas; many were economic. Alan Bollard’s latest book Economists in the Cold War focuses on the contribution of ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    3 days ago
  • Willis fails a taxing app-titude test but govt supporters will cheer moves on Te Pukenga and the Hum...
    Buzz from the Beehive The Minister of Defence has returned from Noumea to announce New Zealand will host next year’s South Pacific Defence Ministers’ Meeting and (wearing another ministerial hat) to condemn malicious cyber activity conducted by the Russian Government. A bigger cheer from people who voted for the Luxon ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • ELIZABETH RATA: In defence of the liberal university and against indigenisation
    The suppression of individual thought in our universities spills over into society, threatening free speech everywhere. Elizabeth Rata writes –  Indigenising New Zealand’s universities is well underway, presumably with the agreement of University Councils and despite the absence of public discussion. Indigenising, under the broader umbrella of decolonisation, ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on the skewed media coverage of Gaza
    Now that he’s back as Foreign Minister, maybe Winston Peters should start reading the MFAT website. If he did, Peters would find MFAT celebrating the 25th anniversary of how New Zealand alerted the rest of the world to the genocide developing in Rwanda. Quote: New Zealand played an important role ...
    3 days ago
  • “Your Circus, Your Clowns.”
    It must have been a hard first couple of weeks for National voters, since the coalition was announced. Seeing their party make so many concessions to New Zealand First and ACT that there seems little remains of their own policies, other than the dwindling dream of tax cuts and the ...
    Nick’s KƍreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 8-December-2023
    It’s Friday again and Christmas is fast approaching. Here’s some of the stories that caught our attention. This week in Greater Auckland On Tuesday Matt covered some of the recent talk around the costs, benefits and challenges with the City Rail Link. On Thursday Matt looked at how ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    3 days ago
  • End-of-week escapism
    Amsterdam to Hong Kong William McCartney16,000 kilometres41 days18 trains13 countries11 currencies6 long-distance taxis4 taxi apps4 buses3 sim cards2 ferries1 tram0 medical events (surprisingly)Episode 4Whether the Sofia-Istanbul Express really qualifies to be called an express is debatable, but it’s another one of those likeably old and slow trains tha… ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to Dec 8
    Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro arrives for the State Opening of Parliament (Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)TL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:New Finance Minister Nicola Willis set herself a ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    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. ...
    3 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
    3 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 KƍreroBy 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 KƍreroBy 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 KƍreroBy 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 ...
    7 days ago
  • You cannot be serious
    Some days it feels like the only thing to say is: Seriously? No, really. Seriously?OneSomeone has used their health department access to share data about vaccinations and patients, and inform the world that New Zealanders have been dying in their hundreds of thousands from the evil vaccine. This of course is pure ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    7 days ago
  • A promise kept: govt pulls the plug on Lake Onslow scheme – but this saving of $16bn is denounced...
    Buzz from the Beehive After $21.8 million was spent on investigations, the plug has been pulled on the Lake Onslow pumped-hydro electricity scheme, The scheme –  that technically could have solved New Zealand’s looming energy shortage, according to its champions – was a key part of the defeated Labour government’s ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    7 days ago
  • CHRIS TROTTER: The Maori Party and Oath of Allegiance
    If those elected to the Māori Seats refuse to take them, then what possible reason could the country have for retaining them?   Chris Trotter writes – Christmas is fast approaching, which, as it does every year, means gearing up for an abstruse general knowledge question. “Who was ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    7 days ago
  • BRIAN EASTON:  Forward to 2017
    The coalition party agreements are mainly about returning to 2017 when National lost power. They show commonalities but also some serious divergencies. Brian Easton writes The two coalition agreements – one National and ACT, the other National and New Zealand First – are more than policy documents. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    7 days ago
  • Climate Change: Fossils
    When the new government promised to allow new offshore oil and gas exploration, they were warned that there would be international criticism and reputational damage. Naturally, they arrogantly denied any possibility that that would happen. And then they finally turned up at COP, to criticism from Palau, and a "fossil ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    7 days ago
  • GEOFFREY MILLER:  NZ’s foreign policy resets on AUKUS, Gaza and Ukraine
    Geoffrey Miller writes – New Zealand’s international relations are under new management. And Winston Peters, the new foreign minister, is already setting a change agenda. As expected, this includes a more pro-US positioning when it comes to the Pacific – where Peters will be picking up where he ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    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 KƍreroBy 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
  • Auckland rail tunnel the world’s most expensive
    Auckland’s city rail link is the most expensive rail project in the world per km, and the CRL boss has described the cost of infrastructure construction in Aotearoa as a crisis. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The 3.5 km City Rail Link (CRL) tunnel under Auckland’s CBD has cost ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • First big test coming
    The first big test of the new Government’s approach to Treaty matters is likely to be seen in the return of the Resource Management Act. RMA Minister Chris Bishop has confirmed that he intends to introduce legislation to repeal Labour’s recently passed Natural and Built Environments Act and its ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 week ago
  • The Song of Saqua: Volume III
    Time to revisit something I haven’t covered in a while: the D&D campaign, with Saqua the aquatic half-vampire. Last seen in July: https://phuulishfellow.wordpress.com/2023/07/27/the-song-of-saqua-volume-ii/ The delay is understandable, once one realises that the interim saw our DM come down with a life-threatening medical situation. They have since survived to make ...
    1 week ago
  • Chris Bishop: Smokin’
    Yes. Correct. It was an election result. And now we are the elected government. ...
    My ThinksBy boonman
    1 week ago

  • Ministers visit Hawke’s Bay to grasp recovery needs
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon joined Cyclone Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell and Transport and Local Government Minister Simeon Brown, to meet leaders of cyclone and flood-affected regions in the Hawke’s Bay. The visit reinforced the coalition Government’s commitment to support the region and better understand its ongoing requirements, Mr Mitchell says.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    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 PĆ«kenga begins
    The Government has begun the process of disestablishing Te PĆ«kenga 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 PĆ«kenga 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 NoumĂ©a, 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
    7 days ago
  • Post-Cabinet press conference
    Most weeks, following Cabinet, the Prime Minister holds a press conference for members of the Parliamentary Press Gallery. This page contains the transcripts from those press conferences, which are supplied by Hansard to the Office of the Prime Minister. It is important to note that the transcripts have not been edited ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme scrapped
    The Government has axed the $16 billion Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme championed by the previous government, Energy Minister Simeon Brown says. “This hugely wasteful project was pouring money down the drain at a time when we need to be reining in spending and focussing on rebuilding the economy and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    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
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  • Backing our kids to learn the basics
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