Is Casey Costello Corrupt?
Written By:
- Date published:
3:15 pm, August 26th, 2024 - 27 comments
Categories: corruption, health, national/act government, nz first, taxpayers union, Tobacco -
Tags: Associate Minister of Health, Casey Costello, tobacco excise, tobacco paper, tobacco tax cuts
Today, the Casey Costello tobacco saga continues. Despite trying to close the chapter on her pro-tobacco record, saying “we’ve traversed this issue many times already” and refusing to answer questions fulsomely in Parliament, Costello is not having that much luck closing it all down.
Today, RNZ’s Guyon Espiner reports that Casey Costello has finally fronted up with the pro-tobacco document she previously said didn’t exist.
That document was sent by her to NZ Health Officials in her capacity as Associate Health Minister. Yes, Health.
She pleaded for tobacco friendly actions – including freezing excise for the industry – and said that tobacco really wasn’t very harmful at all.
In December 2023, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello gave health officials the document which claimed “nicotine is as harmful as caffeine” and argued Labour’s smokefree generation policy was “nanny state nonsense”.
For anyone who isn’t aware yet – those words are the same words the tobacco industry provides its lobbyists.
And she’s not the only one who uses it
The National, NZ First and ACT parties all appear united in their support and repetition of tobacco industry positions (seen in video contending nicotine may not be that harmful).
And while the Ministers consistently argue for austerity in our disabled, health, social service and educations sectors, they appear ready to give $216 million of taxpayers money at the drop of a hat to tobacco esp. Philip Morris.
Yet Costello claims she didn’t write the document and maintains she has no idea how it even entered her office.
Now something is very wrong when Government Ministers act “contrary to the law” – when it comes to tobacco & development interests.
What could be driving it?
Well, Nicola Willis, Chris Bishop, David Seymour, Casey Costello all came directly from Atlas Network aligned groups i.e tobacco funded groups. And Paul Goldsmith is a friend of Alan Gibbs and Don Brash (Debbi Gibbs works as Atlas’s Global Chair).
The question to all this is – is there corruption at play? And if not, why so many games?
This is something the government will needs to answer for – else questions around if Casey Costello is corrupt or not, will remain in circulation.
Related articles on Casey Costello:
- Simply not credible (No Right Turn)
- Casey Costello gaslights Labour in the House, saying Labour is “fixated on tobacco companies” (Mountain Tui)
- Casey Costello Strikes Again (Mountain Tui)
CommentsOpinions
Recent Comments
FeedsPartyGovtMedia
- Is This A Dagger Which I See Before Me: A Review and Analysis of The Rings of Power Episode 5 (Seaso...
Another week of The Rings of Power, season two, and another confirmation that things are definitely coming together for the show. The fifth Episode of season one represented the nadir of the series. Now? Amid the firmer footing of 2024, Episode Five represents further a further step towards excellent Tolkien ...8 hours ago - In Open Seas; A Book
The background to In Open Seas: How the New Zealand Labour Government Went Wrong:2017-2023Not in Narrow Seas: The Economic History of Aotearoa New Zealand, published in 2020, proved more successful than either I or the publisher (VUP, now Te Herenga Waka University Press) expected. I had expected that it would ...12 hours ago - The Hoon around the week to Sept 13
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts and talking about the week’s news with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on the latest climate science on rising temperatures and the climate implications of the US Presidential elections; and special guests Janet ...12 hours ago - Do or do not. There is no try
1. Upon receiving evidence that school lunches were doing a marvellous job of improving outcomes for students, David Seymour did what?a. Declared we need much more of this sort of good news and poured extra resources and funding into them b. Emailed Atlas network to ask what to do next c. Cut ...14 hours ago - Dangerous ground
The Waitangi Tribunal has reported back on National's proposed changes to gut the Marine and Coastal Area Act and steal the foreshore and seabed for its greedy fishing-industry donors, and declared it to be another huge violation of ti Tiriti: The Waitangi Tribunal has found government changes to the ...15 hours ago - Climate Change: National wants to cheat on Paris
In 2016, the then-National government signed the Paris Agreement, committing Aotearoa to a 30 (later 50) percent reduction in emissions by 2030. When questioned about how they intended to meet that target with their complete absence of effective climate policy, they made a lot of noise about how it was ...15 hours ago
- Treasury warned Govt lower debt limits meant less ‘productivity-enhancing investment’
17 hours ago - Is the Media Complicit?
This is a long read. Open to all.SYNOPSIS: Traditional media is at a cross roads. There is a need for those in the media landscape, as it stands, to earn enough to stay afloat, but also come across as balanced and neutral to keep its audiences.In America, NYT’s liberal leaning ...20 hours ago - Black Friday
It's Black Friday, the end of the weekYou take my hand and hold it gently up against your cheekIt's all in my head, it's all in my mindI see the darkness where you see the lightSong by Tom OdellFriday the 13th, don’t be afraid.No, really, don’t. Everything has felt a ...20 hours ago - Weekly Roundup 13-September-2024
Ooh, Friday the thirteenth. Spooky! Is that why certain zombie ideas have been stalking the landscape this week, like the Mayor’s brainwave for a motorway bridge from Kauri Point to Point Chev? Read on and find out. This roundup, like all our coverage, is brought to you by the Greater ...22 hours ago - Skeptical Science New Research for Week #37 2024
Open access notables Early knowledge but delays in climate actions: An ecocide case against both transnational oil corporations and national governments, Hauser et al., Environmental Science & Policy: Cast within the wide context of investigating the collusion at play between powerful political-economic actors and decision-makers as monopolists and debates about ‘the modern ...1 day ago - What it is
I liked what Kieran McAnulty had to say about the Treaty Principles bill this morning so much I've written it down and copied it out for you. He was saying that rather than let this piece of ordure spend six months in Select Committee, the Prime Minister could stop making such ...2 days ago - A government-funded hate campaign
Cabinet discussed National's constitutionally and historically illiterate "Treaty Principles Bill" this week, and decided to push on with it. The bill will apparently receive a full six month select committee process - unlike practically every other policy this government has pushed, and despite the fact that if the government is ...2 days ago
- How Substack works to take (some) craziness out of America’s elections
I spoke with Substack co-founder yesterday, just before the Trump-Harris debate, about how Substack is doing its thing during the US elections. He talks in particular about how Substack’s focus on paid subscriptions rather than ads has made political debate on the platform calmer, simpler, deeper and more satisfying ...2 days ago
- Kamala Harris Did Something Unthinkable
2 days ago - Kamala Harris Did Something Unthinkable
2 days ago
- Kamala Harris Did Something Unthinkable
2 days ago
- David Seymour is such a loser
For paid subscribersNot content with siphoning off $230,000,000 of taxpayers money for his hobby projects - and telling everyone his passion is education and early childcare - an intersection painfully coincidental to the interests of wealthy private families like Sean Plunkett’s1 backers, the Wright Family, Seymour is back in the ...2 days ago - Cross-party consensus: there’s no pipeline without good faith
There’s been a lot of talk recently about a cross-party agreement to develop a pipeline for infrastructure, including transport. Last month, outgoing CRL boss Sean Sweeney talked about the importance of securing an enduring infrastructure programme. He outlined the high costs of the relentless political flip-flopping of priorities, which drives ...2 days ago
- Voters love this climate policy they’ve never heard of
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Karin Kirk The Inflation Reduction Act is the Biden administration’s signature climate law and the largest U.S. government investment in reducing climate pollution to date. Among climate advocates, the policy is well-known and celebrated, but beyond that, only a minority of Americans ...2 days ago
- ACC wants to administer inflation at more than double the RBNZ’s target rate
ACC levies are set to rise at more than double the inflation rate targeted by the RBNZ. Photo: Lynn GrievesonKia ora. Long stories short, here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Thursday, September 12:The state-owned monopoly for accident insurance wants ...2 days ago - Harris vs Trump
2 days ago - Treaty Bill “a political stunt”
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon appears to have given ACT Leader David Seymour more than he has been admitting in the proposals to go forward with a Treaty Principles Bill.All along, Luxon has maintained that the Government is proceeding with the Bill to honour the coalition agreement.But that is quite specific.It ...2 days ago
- An average 219 NZers migrated each day in July
Kia ora. Long stories short, here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Wednesday, September 11:Annual migration of New Zealanders rose to a record-high 80,963 in the year to the end of July, which is more than double its pre-Covid levels.Two ...3 days ago - What you’re wanting to win more than anything is The Narrative
Hubris is sitting down on election day 2016 to watch that pig Trump get his ass handed to him, and watching the New York Times needle hover for a while over Hillary and then move across to Trump where it remains all night to your gathering horror and dismay. You're ...3 days ago - National’s automated lie machine
The government has a problem: lots of people want information from it all the time. Information about benefits, about superannuation, ACC coverage and healthcare, taxes, jury service, immigration - and that's just the routine stuff. Responding to all of those queries takes a lot of time and costs a lot ...3 days ago
- Christopher Luxon: A Man of “Faith” and “Compassion” Speaks on the Treaty Pr...
Synopsis: Today - we explore two different realities. One where National lost. And another - which is the one we are living with here. Note: the footnote on increased fees/taxes may be of interest to some readers.Article open.Subscribe nowIt’s an alternate timeline.Yesterday as news broke that the central North Island ...3 days ago - Member’s Day
Today is a Member's Day. First up is the third reading of Dan Bidois' Fair Trading (Gift Card Expiry) Amendment Bill, which will be followed by the committee stage of Deborah Russell's Family Proceedings (Dissolution for Family Violence) Amendment Bill. This will be followed by the second readings of Katie ...3 days ago
- Northern Expressway Boondoggle
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has been soaring high with his hubris of getting on and building motorways but some uncomfortable realities are starting to creep in. Back in July he announced that the government was pushing on with a Northland Expressway using an “accelerated delivery strategy” The Coalition Government is ...3 days ago
- Never Enough
However much I'm falling downNever enoughHowever much I'm falling outNever, never enough!Whatever smile I smile the mostNever enoughHowever I smile I smile the mostSongwriters: Robert James Smith / Simon Gallup / Boris Williams / Porl ThompsonToday in Nick’s Kōrero:A death in the Emergency Department at Rotorua Hospital.A sad homecoming and ...3 days ago - Question Two of The Kākā Project of 2026 for 2050 (TKP 26/50)
Kia ora.Last month I proposed restarting The Kākā Project work done before the 2023 election as The Kākā Project of 2026 for 2050 (TKP 26/50), aiming to be up and running before the 2025 Local Government elections, and then in a finalised form by the 2026 General Elections.A couple of ...3 days ago
- Why is God Obsessed with Spanking?
Hi,If you’ve read Webworm for a while, you’ll be aware that I’ve spent a lot of time writing about horrific, corrupt megachurches and the shitty men who lead them.And in all of this writing, I think some people have this idea that I hate Christians or Christianity. As I explain ...3 days ago - Inside the public service
In 2023, there were 63,117 full-time public servants earning, on average, $97,200 a year each. All up, that is a cost to the Government of $6.1 billion a year. It’s little wonder, then, that the public service has become a political whipping boy castigated by the Prime Minister and members ...3 days ago
- New Models Show Stronger Atlantic Hurricanes, and More of Them
This is a re-post from This is Not Cool Here’s an example of some of the best kind of climate reporting, especially in that it relates to impacts that will directly affect the audience. WFLA in Tampa conducted a study in collaboration with the Department of Energy, analyzing trends in ...4 days ago
- Where ever do they find these people?
A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma, is how Winston Churchill described the Soviet Union in 1939. How might the great man have described the 2024 government of New Zealand, do we think? I can't imagine he would have thought them all that mysterious or enigmatic. I think ...4 days ago - Motorway madness
How mad is National's obsession with roads? One of their pet projects - a truck highway to Whangārei - is going to eat 10% of our total infrastructure budget for the next 25 years: Official advice from the Infrastructure Commission shows the government could be set to spend 10 ...4 days ago
- Our transport planning system is fundamentally broken
Ever since Wayne Brown became mayor (nearly two years ago now) he’s been wanting to progress an “integrated transport plan” with the government – which sounded a lot like the previous Auckland Transport Alignment Project (ATAP) with just a different name. It seems like a fair bit of work progressed ...4 days ago
- Thou Shalt Not Steal
And they taught usWhoa-oh, black woman, thou shalt not stealI said, hey, yeah, black man, thou shalt not stealWe're gonna civilise your black barbaric livesAnd we teach you how to kneelBut your history couldn't hide the genocideThe hypocrisy to us was realFor your Jesus said you're supposed to giveThe oppressed ...4 days ago - How mismanagement, not wind and solar energy, causes blackouts
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections In February 2021, several severe storms swept across the United States, culminating with one that the Weather Channel unofficially named Winter Storm Uri. In Texas, Uri knocked out power to over 4.5 million homes and 10 million people. Hundreds of Texans died as a ...4 days ago
- The ‘Infra Boys’ Highway to Budget Hell
Chris Bishop has enthusiastically dubbed himself and Simeon Brown “the Infra Boys”, but they need to take note of the sums around their roading dreams. Photo: Lynn GrievesonMōrena. Long stories short, here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Tuesday, September ...4 days ago - Media Link: “AVFA” on the politics of desperation.
In this podcast Selwyn Manning and I talk about what appears to be a particular type of end-game in the long transition to systemic realignment in international affairs, in which the move to a new multipolar order with different characteristics … Continue reading ...5 days ago - The cost of flying blind
Just over two years ago, when worries about immediate mass-death from covid had waned, and people started to talk about covid becoming "endemic", I asked various government agencies what work they'd done on the costs of that - and particularly, on the cost of Long Covid. The answer was that ...5 days ago
- Seymour vs The Clergy
For paid subscribers“Aotearoa is not as malleable as they think,” Lynette wrote last week on Homage to Simeon Brown:In my heart/mind, that phrase ricocheted over the next days, translating out to “We are not so malleable.”It gave me comfort. I always felt that we were given an advantage in New ...5 days ago - Unstoppable Minister McKee
All smiles, I know what it takes to fool this townI'll do it 'til the sun goes downAnd all through the nighttimeOh, yeahOh, yeah, I'll tell you what you wanna hearLeave my sunglasses on while I shed a tearIt's never the right timeYeah, yeahSong by SiaLast night there was a ...5 days ago - Could outdoor dining revitalise Queen Street?
This is a guest post by Ben van Bruggen of The Urban Room,.An earlier version of this post appeared on LinkedIn. All images are by Ben. Have you noticed that there’s almost nowhere on Queen Street that invites you to stop, sit outside and enjoy a coffee, let alone ...5 days ago
- Hipkins challenges long-held Labour view Government must stay below 30% of GDP
Hipkins says when considering tax settings and the size of government, the big question mark is over what happens with the balance between the size of the working-age population and the growing number of Kiwis over the age of 65. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short; here’s ...5 days ago - Your invite to Webworm Chat (a bit like Reddit)
Hi,One of the things I love the most about Webworm is, well, you. The community that’s gathered around this lil’ newsletter isn’t something I ever expected when I started writing it four years ago — now the comments section is one of my favourite places on the internet. The comments ...5 days ago - Seymour’s Treaty bill making Nats nervous
A delay in reappointing a top civil servant may indicate a growing nervousness within the National Party about the potential consequences of David Seymour’s Treaty Principles Bill. Dave Samuels is waiting for reappointment as the Chief Executive of Te Puni Kokiri, but POLITIK understands that what should have been a ...5 days ago
- 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #36
A listing of 34 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, September 1, 2024 thru Sat, September 7, 2024. Story of the week Our Story of the Week is about how peopele are not born stupid but can be fooled ...5 days ago
- Time for a Change
You act as thoughYou are a blind manWho's crying, crying 'boutAll the virgins that are dyingIn your habitual dreams, you knowSeems you need more sleepBut like a parrot in a flaming treeI know it's pretty hard to seeI'm beginning to wonderIf it's time for a changeSong: Phil JuddThe next line ...6 days ago - Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies: Excerpt Six.
The “double shocks” in post Cold War international affairs. The end of the Cold War fundamentally altered the global geostrategic context. In particular, the end of the nuclear “balance of terror” between the USA and USSR, coupled with the relaxation … Continue reading ...6 days ago
- Buried deep
Here's a bike on Manchester St, Feilding. I took this photo on Friday night after a very nice dinner at the very nice Vietnamese restaurant, Saigon, on Manchester Street.I thought to myself, Manchester Street? Bicycle? This could be the very spot.To recap from an earlier edition: on a February night ...6 days ago - Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies, Excerpt Five.
Military politics as a distinct “partial regime.” Notwithstanding their peripheral status, national defense offers the raison d’être of the combat function, which their relative vulnerability makes apparent, so military forces in small peripheral democracies must be very conscious of events … Continue reading ...7 days ago
- Leadership for Dummies
If you’re going somewhere, do you maybe take a bit of an interest in the place? Read up a bit on the history, current events, places to see - that sort of thing? Presumably, if you’re taking a trip somewhere, it’s for a reason. But what if you’re going somewhere ...7 days ago - Home again
7 days ago - Dead even tie for hottest August ever
Long stories short, here’s the top six news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above between Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer:The month of August was 1.49˚C warmer than pre-industrial levels, tying with 2023 for the warmest August ever, according ...7 days ago
- The Hoon around the week to Sept 7
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts and talking about the week’s news with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on the latest climate science on rising temperatures and the debate about how to responde to climate disinformation; and special guest ...7 days ago
- Have We an Infrastructure Deficit?
An Infrastructure New Zealand report says we are keeping up with infrastructure better than we might have thought from the grumbling. But the challenge of providing for the future remains.I was astonished to learn that the quantity of our infrastructure has been keeping up with economic growth. Your paper almost ...1 week ago - Councils reject racism
Last month, National passed a racist law requiring local councils to remove their Māori wards, or hold a referendum on them at the 2025 local body election. The final councils voted today, and the verdict is in: an overwhelming rejection. Only two councils out of 45 supported National's racist agenda ...1 week ago
- Homage to Simeon Brown
1 week ago
- Government of deceit
When National cut health spending and imposed a commissioner on Te Whatu Ora, they claimed that it was necessary because the organisation was bloated and inefficient, with "14 layers of management between the CEO and the patient". But it turns out they were simply lying: Health Minister Shane Reti’s ...1 week ago
- The professionals actually think and act like our Government has no fiscal crisis at all
Treasury staff at work: The demand for a new 12-year Government bond was so strong, Treasury decided to double the amount of bonds it sold. Photo: Lynn GrievesonMōrena. Long stories short; here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Friday, September ...1 week ago - Weekly Roundup 6-September-2024
Welcome to another Friday and another roundup of stories that caught our eye this week. As always, this and every post is brought to you by the Greater Auckland crew. If you like our work and you’d like to see more of it, we invite you to join our regular ...1 week ago
- Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies; Excerpt Four.
Internal versus external security. Regardless of who rules, large countries can afford to separate external and internal security functions (even if internal control functions predominate under authoritarian regimes). In fact, given the logic of power concentration and institutional centralization of … Continue reading ...1 week ago
- A Hole In The River
There's a hole in the river where her memory liesFrom the land of the living to the air and skyShe was coming to see him, but something changed her mindDrove her down to the riverThere is no returnSongwriters: Neil Finn/Eddie RaynerThe king is dead; long live the queen!Yesterday was a ...1 week ago - Bright Blue His Jacket Ain’t But I Love This Fellow: A Review and Analysis of The Rings of Power E...
My conclusion last week was that The Rings of Power season two represented a major improvement in the series. The writing’s just so much better, and honestly, its major problems are less the result of the current episodes and more creatures arising from season one plot-holes. I found episode three ...1 week ago - Who should we thank for the defeat of the Nazis
As a child in the 1950s, I thought the British had won the Second World War because that’s what all our comics said. Later on, the films and comics told me that the Americans won the war. In my late teens, I found out that the Soviet Union ...1 week ago - Skeptical Science New Research for Week #36 2024
Open access notables Diurnal Temperature Range Trends Differ Below and Above the Melting Point, Pithan & Schatt, Geophysical Research Letters: The globally averaged diurnal temperature range (DTR) has shrunk since the mid-20th century, and climate models project further shrinking. Observations indicate a slowdown or reversal of this trend in recent decades. ...1 week ago
- Join us for the weekly Hoon on YouTube Live at 5pm
Photo by Jenny Bess on UnsplashCome and join us for our weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news with special guests:5.00 pm - 5.10 pm - Bernard and ...1 week ago - Media Link: Discussing the NZSIS Security Threat Report.
I was interviewed by Mike Hosking at NewstalkZB and a few other media outlets about the NZSIS Security Threat Report released recently. I have long advocated for more transparency, accountability and oversight of the NZ Intelligence Community, and although the … Continue reading ...1 week ago
- How do I make this better for people who drive Ford Rangers?
Home, home again to a long warm embrace. Plenty of reasons to be glad to be back.But also, reasons for dejection.You, yes you, Simeon Brown, you odious little oik, you bible thumping petrol-pandering ratfucker weasel. You would be Reason Number One. Well, maybe first among equals with Seymour and Of-Seymour ...1 week ago - A missed opportunity
The government introduced a pretty big piece of constitutional legislation today: the Parliament Bill. But rather than the contentious constitutional change (four year terms) pushed by Labour, this merely consolidates the existing legislation covering Parliament - currently scattered across four different Acts - into one piece of legislation. While I ...1 week ago
- Nicola Willis Seeks New Sidekick To Help Fix NZ’s Economy
Synopsis:Nicola Willis is seeking a new Treasury Boss after Dr Caralee McLiesh’s tenure ends this month. She didn’t listen to McLiesh. Will she listen to the new one?And why is Atlas Network’s Taxpayers Union chiming in?Please consider subscribing or supporting my work. Thanks, Tui.About CaraleeAt the beginning of July, Newsroom ...1 week ago - Inflation alive and kicking in our land of the long white monopolies
The golden days of profit continue for the the Foodstuffs (Pak’n’Save and New World) and Woolworths supermarket duopoly. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short; here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Thursday, September 5:The Groceries Commissioner has ...1 week ago - The thermodynamics of electric vs. internal combustion cars
This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler I love thermodynamics. Thermodynamics is like your mom: it may not tell you what you can do, but it damn well tells you what you can’t do. I’ve written a few previous posts that include thermodynamics, like one on air capture of ...1 week ago
- Minister of Injustice seeks to Entrench largest land confiscation in History
The Waitangi Tribunal has released an Urgent Report on the Government’s proposed amendments to the Takutai Moana Act 2011. The report calls out Paul Goldsmith’s proposal for what it is: a “gross breach of the Treaty” and an “illegitimate exercise of kāwanatanga”. The Tribunal is recommending the Crown step down ...14 hours ago
- Takutai Moana changes another assault on Te Tiriti
The Government must abandon its Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Act interventions after the Waitangi Tribunal found it was committing gross breaches of the Treaty. ...14 hours ago - Greens call on Govt to leave Te Reo in schools alone
As Te Wiki o te Reo Māori approaches, the Government is considering deprioritising teaching Te Reo Māori in our schools. ...16 hours ago
- Govt cannot ignore racism
The Government’s directive to the public service to ignore race is nothing more than a dog whistle and distraction from the structural racism we need to address. ...16 hours ago
- Release: Lemauga Lydia Sosene to take medical leave
Labour’s Mangere MP Lemauga Lydia Sosene has been diagnosed with breast cancer and will shortly take medical leave. ...21 hours ago - Potential intelligence sharing with Israel must be investigated
Concerns have been raised that our spy arrangements may mean that intelligence is being shared between Aotearoa and Israel. An urgent inquiry must be launched in response to this. ...2 days ago
- Release: Charter schools undermine our education system
The Government is taking a wrecking ball to our public education system by reinstating charter schools. ...2 days ago
- Youngest MP to travel to Canada to accept Politician of the Year Award
Aotearoa’s Youngest Member of Parliament, and Te Pāti Māori MP, Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, will travel to Montreal to accept the One Young World Politician of the Year Award next week. The One Young World Politician of the Year Award was created in 2018 to recognise the most promising young politicians between ...2 days ago
- Greens celebrate huge step forward for ADHD community
The Greens welcome today’s long-coming announcement by Pharmac of consultation to remove the special authority renewal criteria for methylphenidate, dexamfetamine and modafinil and to fund lisdexamfetamine. ...2 days ago
- Release: Millions to be spent dividing NZ for no reason
The National Party is wasting millions of dollars allowing David Seymour’s Treaty Principals Bill to be drafted and go to Select Committee. ...2 days ago
- Release: New Zealanders departing our shores at a record rate
The Migration figures released by Stats NZ today show National is continuing to drive Kiwis away from New Zealand in record numbers. ...2 days ago
- Te Tai Tokerau MP Slams Govt Overreach in Scrapping Māori Wards
Mema Paremata for Te Tai Tokerau, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi, has reflected on the decisions made by the councils of the North amidst the government’s push to remove Māori Wards and weaken mana whenua representation. “Actions taken by the Kaipara District Council to remove Māori Wards are the embodiment of the eradication ...2 days ago
- Govt already seeking advice on Treaty referendum
On one hand, the Prime Minister has assured Aotearoa that his party will not support the Treaty Principles Bill beyond first reading, but on the other, his Government has already sought advice on holding a referendum on our founding document. ...3 days ago
- Release: Aged care will be worse off if redesign rushed
New Zealanders needing aged care support and the people who care for them will be worse off if the Government pushes through a flawed and rushed redesign of dementia and aged care. ...3 days ago
- Release: Govt fails hundreds of workers as mills close
Labour is devastated at news hundreds of workers are set to lose their jobs following the closure of Winstone Pulp mills. ...3 days ago
- Job losses from mill closures consequence of Govt inaction
Hundreds of jobs lost as a result of pulp mill closures in the Ruapehu District are a consequence of government inaction in addressing the shortfalls of our electricity network. ...4 days ago
- Ngarewa-Packer devastated for Ruapehu following WPI closure
Te Pāti Māori Co-Leader and MP for Te Tai Hauāuru is devastated for the Ruapehu community following today’s decision to close two Winstone Pulp mills. “My heart goes out to all the workers, their whānau, and the wider Ruapehu community affected by the closure of Winstone Pulp International,” said Ngarewa-Packer. ...4 days ago
- Release: Cabinet should stop the Treaty Principles Bill
National Party Ministers have a majority in Cabinet and can stop David Seymour’s Treaty Principles Bill, which even the Prime Minister has described as “divisive and unhelpful.” ...5 days ago
- Release: Staff gagged to keep fast track list secret
The National Government is so determined to hide the list of potential projects that will avoid environmental scrutiny it has gagged Ministry for the Environment staff from talking about it. ...5 days ago
- Release: Labour challenges Te Whatu Ora gag orders
Labour has complained to the Te Kawa Mataaho Public Service Commission about the high number of non-disclosure agreements that have effectively gagged staff at Te Whatu Ora Health NZ from talking about anything relating to their work. ...5 days ago
- Greens call on Treaty Principles Bill to be abandoned after letter from Christian leaders
The Green Party is once again urging the Prime Minister to abandon the Treaty Principles Bill as a letter from more than 400 Christian leaders calls for the proposed legislation to be dropped. ...5 days ago
- Sign the petition: Keep military-style firearms off our streets
Help us tell the Government that reintroducing military-style firearms should not be up for debate. ...7 days ago
- Vast majority of councils support Māori wards
Councils across the country have now decided where they stand regarding Māori wards, with a resounding majority in favour of keeping them in what is a significant setback for the Government. ...1 week ago
- Release: Government on the wrong side of Māori wards
The National-led government has been given a clear message from the local government sector, as almost all councils reject the Government’s bid to treat Māori wards different to other wards. ...1 week ago
- Release: Labour congratulates Kuīni Ngā Wai hono i te po Paki
The Labour Party congratulates Kuīni Ngā Wai hono i te po Paki on being crowned as the eighth Te Ariki Nui – head of Te Kiingitanga. ...1 week ago
- Green Party welcomes new Maaori Kuiini
The Green Party welcomes the coronation of the new Maaori Kuiini, Te Arikinui Nga Wai Hono i te Po, today in Turangawaewae. ...1 week ago
- ECE teachers deserve better than this Government
The Green Party is unsurprised but disappointed by today’s announcement from the Government that will see our Early Childhood Centre teachers undermined and pay parity pushed further out of reach. ...1 week ago
- Urgent intervention needed on supermarkets
The Green Party is calling on the Government to intervene in the supermarket duopoly dominating our supply of groceries following today’s report from the Commerce Commission. ...1 week ago
- Release: Rainbow youth neglected in mental health funding
Labour backs the call from The Rainbow Support Collective members for mental health funding specifically earmarked for grassroots and peer led community organisations to be set up in a way that they are able to access. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Transport in NZ has to be more than just roads
As expected, the National Land Transport Programme lacks ambition for our cities and our country’s rail network and puts the majority of investment into roads. ...2 weeks ago
- Speech: Barbara Edmonds Building Nations 2024
Tēnā koutou katoa, Thank you for your warm welcome and for having my colleagues and I here today. Earlier you heard from the Labour Leader, Chris Hipkins, on our vision for the future of infrastructure. I want to build on his comments and provide further detail on some key elements ...2 weeks ago
- Govt transport plan deepens fossil fuel fix
The Green Party says the Government’s new National Land Transport Programme marks another missed opportunity to take meaningful action to fight the climate crisis. ...2 weeks ago
- Greens call for public to back Wrybill in BOTY and beyond
The Green Party is calling on the public to support the Ngutu Pare Wrybill not just in this year’s Bird of the Year competition but also in pushing back against policies that could lead to the destruction of its habitat and accelerate its extinction. ...2 weeks ago
- Building consents data bad news for construction
News that the annual number of building consents granted for new homes fell by more than 20 percent for the year ended July 2024, is bad news for the construction industry. ...2 weeks ago
- Te Pāti Māori Pay Tribute to Kiingi Tūheitia Pōtatau Te Wherowhero VII
Papā te whatitiri, hikohiko te uira, i kanapu ki te rangi, i whētuki i raro rā, rū ana te whenua e. Uea te pou o tōku whare kia tū tangata he kapua whakairi nāku nā runga o Taupiri. Ko taku kiri ka tōkia ki te anu mātao. E te iwi ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Gaps still to be addressed in callouts response
The Government must guarantee New Zealanders will not be at risk after making changes to the way mental health callouts are handled. ...2 weeks ago
- Poroporoaki: Kiingi Tuheitia passing
Haere e te Kīngi o te kotahitangi Haere ki o nui, ki o rahi I te pō ...2 weeks ago
- Green Party pays respects to Kiingi Tuuheitia
The Green Party is paying tribute to the Māori King, Kiingi Tuuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero XVII, after he passed away earlier this morning. ...2 weeks ago
- Potaka Brings Whakaata Māori to its Knees
Today’s Whakaata Māori announcement is yet another colossal failure from Minister Potaka, who has turned his back on te reo Māori, forcing a channel offline, putting whānau out of jobs, and cutting Māori content, says Te Pāti Māori. “A Senior Māori Minister has turned his back on Te Reo Māori. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: National restricts access to disability care homes
With disability communities still reeling from the diminishing of Whaikaha, a leaked document now reveals another blow with National restricting access to residential care homes. ...2 weeks ago
- Need and value at forefront of public service delivery
New Cabinet policy directives will ensure public agencies prioritise public services on the basis of need and award Government contracts on the basis of public value, Minister for the Public Service Nicola Willis says. “Cabinet Office has today issued a circular to central government organisations setting out the Government’s expectations ...18 hours ago - Minister to attend Police Ministers Council Meeting
Police Minister Mark Mitchell will join with Australian Police Ministers and Commissioners at the Police Ministers Council meeting (PMC) today in Melbourne. “The council is an opportunity to come together to discuss a range of issues, gain valuable insights on areas of common interest, and different approaches towards law enforcement ...20 hours ago
- New Bill to crack down on youth vaping
The coalition Government has introduced legislation to tackle youth vaping, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello announced today. “The Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products Amendment Bill (No 2) is aimed at preventing youth vaping. “While vaping has contributed to a significant fall in our smoking rates, the rise in youth vaping ...2 days ago
- Interest in agricultural and horticultural products regulatory review welcomed
Regulation Minister David Seymour, Environment Minister Penny Simmonds, and Food Safety Minister Andrew Hoggard have welcomed interest in the agricultural and horticultural products regulatory review. The review by the Ministry for Regulation is looking at how to speed up the process to get farmers and growers access to the safe, ...2 days ago
- Bill to allow online charity lotteries passes first reading
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government is moving at pace to ensure lotteries for charitable purposes are allowed to operate online permanently. Charities fundraising online, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust and local hospices will continue to do ...2 days ago
- Tax exempt threshold changes to benefit startups
Technology companies are among the startups which will benefit from increases to current thresholds of exempt employee share schemes, Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Revenue Minister Simon Watts say. Tax exempt thresholds for the schemes are increasing as part of the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2024-25, Emergency ...2 days ago
- Getting the healthcare you need, when you need it
The path to faster cancer treatment, an increase in immunisation rates, shorter stays in emergency departments and quick assessment and treatments when you are sick has been laid out today. Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has revealed details of how the ambitious health targets the Government has set will be ...2 days ago
- Targeted supports to accelerate reading
The coalition Government is delivering targeted and structured literacy supports to accelerate learning for struggling readers. From Term 1 2025, $33 million of funding for Reading Recovery and Early Literacy Support will be reprioritised to interventions which align with structured approaches to teaching. “Structured literacy will change the way children ...2 days ago
- Survivors invited to Abuse in Care national apology
With two months until the national apology to survivors of abuse in care, expressions of interest have opened for survivors wanting to attend. “The Prime Minister will deliver a national apology on Tuesday 12 November in Parliament. It will be a very significant day for survivors, their families, whānau and ...2 days ago
- Rangatahi inspire at Ngā Manu Kōrero final
Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini kē - My success is not mine alone but is the from the strength of the many. Aotearoa New Zealand’s top young speakers are an inspiration for all New Zealanders to learn more about the depth and beauty conveyed ...2 days ago
- Driving structured literacy in schools
The coalition Government is driving confidence in reading and writing in the first years of schooling. “From the first time children step into the classroom, we’re equipping them and teachers with the tools they need to be brilliant in literacy. “From 1 October, schools and kura with Years 0-3 will receive ...2 days ago
- Labour’s misleading information is disappointing
Labour’s misinformation about firearms law is dangerous and disappointing, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee says. “Labour and Ginny Andersen have repeatedly said over the past few days that the previous Labour Government completely banned semi-automatic firearms in 2019 and that the Coalition Government is planning to ‘reintroduce’ them. ...3 days ago
- Govt takes action on mpox response, widens access to vaccine
The Government is taking immediate action on a number of steps around New Zealand’s response to mpox, including improving access to vaccine availability so people who need it can do so more easily, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti and Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. “Mpox is obviously a ...3 days ago
- Next steps agreed for Treaty Principles Bill
Associate Justice Minister David Seymour says Cabinet has agreed to the next steps for the Treaty Principles Bill. “The Treaty Principles Bill provides an opportunity for Parliament, rather than the courts, to define the principles of the Treaty, including establishing that every person is equal before the law,” says Mr Seymour. “Parliament ...3 days ago
- Government unlocking potential of AI
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins today announced a programme to drive Artificial Intelligence (AI) uptake among New Zealand businesses. “The AI Activator will unlock the potential of AI for New Zealand businesses through a range of support, including access to AI research experts, technical assistance, AI tools and resources, ...3 days ago
- Government releases Wairoa flood review findings
The independent rapid review into the Wairoa flooding event on 26 June 2024 has been released, Environment Minister Penny Simmonds, Local Government Minister Simeon Brown and Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced today. “We welcome the review’s findings and recommendations to strengthen Wairoa's resilience against future events,” Ms ...3 days ago
- Promoting faster payment times for government
The Government is sending a clear message to central government agencies that they must prioritise paying invoices in a timely manner, Small Business and Manufacturing Minister Andrew Bayly says. Data released today promotes transparency by publishing the payment times of each central government agency. This data will be published quarterly ...3 days ago
- Acknowledgement to Kīngi Tuheitia speech
E te māngai o te Whare Pāremata, kua riro māku te whakaputa i te waka ki waho moana. E te Pirimia tēnā koe.Mr Speaker, it is my privilege to take this adjournment kōrero forward. Prime Minister – thank you for your leadership. Taupiri te maunga Waikato te awa Te Wherowhero ...4 days ago
- Interim fix to GST adjustment rules to support businesses
Inland Revenue can begin processing GST returns for businesses affected by a historic legislative drafting error, Revenue Minister Simon Watts says. “Inland Revenue has become aware of a legislative drafting error in the GST adjustment rules after changes were made in 2023 which were meant to simplify the process. This ...4 days ago
- Strong uptake for cervical screening self-test
More than 80 per cent of New Zealand women being tested have opted for a world-leading self-test for cervical screening since it became available a year ago. Minister of Health Dr Shane Reti and Associate Minister Casey Costello, in her responsibility for Women’s Health, say it’s fantastic to have such ...4 days ago
- Ministry for Regulation’s first Strategic Intentions document sets ambitious direction
Regulation Minister David Seymour welcomes the Ministry for Regulation’s first Strategic Intentions document, which sets out how the Ministry will carry out its work and deliver on its purpose. “I have set up the Ministry for Regulation with three tasks. One, to cut existing red tape with sector reviews. Two, ...4 days ago
- Māori Education Advisory Group established
The Education Minister has established a Māori Education Ministerial Advisory Group made up of experienced practitioners to help improve outcomes for Māori learners. “This group will provide independent advice on all matters related to Māori education in both English medium and Māori medium settings. It will focus on the most impactful ways we can lift ...4 days ago
- Government welcomes findings of NZ Superannuation Fund review
The Government has welcomed the findings of the recent statutory review into the Guardians of New Zealand Superannuation and the New Zealand Superannuation Fund, Minister of Finance Nicola Willis says. The 5-yearly review, conducted on behalf of Treasury and tabled in Parliament today, found the Guardians of New Zealand Superannuation ...4 days ago
- First of five new Hercules aircraft takes flight
Defence Minister Judith Collins today welcomed the first of five new C-130J-30 Hercules to arrive in New Zealand at a ceremony at the Royal New Zealand Air Force’s Base Auckland, Whenuapai. “This is an historic day for our New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) and our nation. The new Hercules fleet ...4 days ago
- Have your say on suicide prevention
Today, September 10 is World Suicide Prevention Day, a time to reflect on New Zealand’s confronting suicide statistics, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “Every death by suicide is a tragedy – a tragedy that affects far too many of our families and communities in New Zealand. We must do ...4 days ago
- Action to grow the rural health workforce
Scholarships awarded to 27 health care students is another positive step forward to boost the future rural health workforce, Associate Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “All New Zealanders deserve timely access to quality health care and this Government is committed to improving health outcomes, particularly for the one in five ...5 days ago
- Pharmac delivering more for Kiwis following major funding boost
Associate Health Minister with responsibility for Pharmac David Seymour has welcomed the increased availability of medicines for Kiwis resulting from the Government’s increased investment in Pharmac. “Pharmac operates independently, but it must work within the budget constraints set by the Government,” says Mr Seymour. “When our Government assumed office, New ...5 days ago
- Sport Minister congratulates NZ’s Paralympians
Sport & Recreation Minister Chris Bishop has congratulated New Zealand's Paralympic Team at the conclusion of the Paralympic Games in Paris. “The NZ Paralympic Team's success in Paris included fantastic performances, personal best times, New Zealand records and Oceania records all being smashed - and of course, many Kiwis on ...5 days ago
- Government progresses response to Abuse in Care recommendations
A Crown Response Office is being established within the Public Service Commission to drive the Government’s response to the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care. “The creation of an Office within a central Government agency was a key recommendation by the Royal Commission’s final report. “It will have the mandate ...1 week ago
- Passport wait times back on-track
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says passport processing has returned to normal, and the Department of Internal Affairs [Department] is now advising customers to allow up to two weeks to receive their passport. “I am pleased that passport processing is back at target service levels and the Department ...1 week ago
- New appointments to the FMA board
Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister has today announced three new appointments and one reappointment to the Financial Markets Authority (FMA) board. Tracey Berry, Nicholas Hegan and Mariette van Ryn have been appointed for a five-year term ending in August 2029, while Chris Swasbrook, who has served as a board member ...1 week ago
- District Court judges appointed
Attorney-General Hon Judith Collins today announced the appointment of two new District Court judges. The appointees, who will take up their roles at the Manukau Court and the Auckland Court in the Accident Compensation Appeal Jurisdiction, are: Jacqui Clark Judge Clark was admitted to the bar in 1988 after graduating ...1 week ago
- Government makes it faster and easier to invest in New Zealand
Associate Minister of Finance David Seymour is encouraged by significant improvements to overseas investment decision timeframes, and the enhanced interest from investors as the Government continues to reform overseas investment. “There were about as many foreign direct investment applications in July and August as there was across the six months ...1 week ago
- New Zealand to join Operation Olympic Defender
New Zealand has accepted an invitation to join US-led multi-national space initiative Operation Olympic Defender, Defence Minister Judith Collins announced today. Operation Olympic Defender is designed to coordinate the space capabilities of member nations, enhance the resilience of space-based systems, deter hostile actions in space and reduce the spread of ...1 week ago
- Government commits to ‘stamping out’ foot and mouth disease
Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard says that a new economic impact analysis report reinforces this government’s commitment to ‘stamp out’ any New Zealand foot and mouth disease incursion. “The new analysis, produced by the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research, shows an incursion of the disease in New Zealand would have ...1 week ago
- Improving access to finance for Kiwis
5 September 2024 The Government is progressing further reforms to financial services to make it easier for Kiwis to access finance when they need it, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Financial services are foundational for economic success and are woven throughout our lives. Without access to finance our ...1 week ago
- Prime Minister pays tribute to Kiingi Tuheitia
As Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII is laid to rest today, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has paid tribute to a leader whose commitment to Kotahitanga will have a lasting impact on our country. “Kiingi Tuheitia was a humble leader who served his people with wisdom, mana and an unwavering ...1 week ago
- Resource Management reform to make forestry rules clearer
Forestry Minister Todd McClay today announced proposals to reform the resource management system that will provide greater certainty for the forestry sector and help them meet environmental obligations. “The Government has committed to restoring confidence and certainty across the sector by removing unworkable regulatory burden created by the previous ...1 week ago
- More choice and competition in building products
A major shake-up of building products which will make it easier and more affordable to build is on the way, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Today we have introduced legislation that will improve access to a wider variety of quality building products from overseas, giving Kiwis more choice and ...1 week ago
- Joint Statement between the Republic of Korea and New Zealand 4 September 2024, Seoul
On the occasion of the official visit by the Right Honourable Prime Minister Christopher Luxon of New Zealand to the Republic of Korea from 4 to 5 September 2024, a summit meeting was held between His Excellency President Yoon Suk Yeol of the Republic of Korea (hereinafter referred to as ...1 week ago
- Universal Road User Charges Needed To Future-Proof Transport Funding
Interim Chief Executive Dom Kalasih says while paying fuel excise at-the-pump was convenient for drivers, changes in vehicle technology and variability in fuel consumption meant it wasn’t an effective way of vehicle users paying a fair contribution towards ...7 hours ago - Government’s Plans For Infrastructure Are “Promising” – Templer
Now, Templer is hopeful these initiatives will help projects get started soon and that there will be consistent management of the pipeline of infrastructure projects and workforce needed to ensure their delivery. ...7 hours ago
- West Papuan independence advocate seeks NZ support against ‘genocide, ecocide’
SPECIAL REPORT: By Te Aniwaniwa Paterson of Te Ao Māori News West Papuan independence advocate Octo Mote is in Aotearoa New Zealand to win support for independence for West Papua, which has been ruled by Indonesia for more than 60 years. Mote is vice-president of the United Liberation Movement for ...7 hours ago - Waitangi Tribunal findings on customary marine title changes no surprise to iwi leader
The Waitangi Tribunal has hit out at the government for blindly adhering to its coalition agreement by making it harder for Māori to get customary marine title. ...10 hours ago - Get set for more extreme weather across Australia this spring and summer
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew King, Senior Lecturer in Climate Science, The University of Melbourne Australia is no stranger to extreme weather. From heatwaves and droughts to flooding rains, hailstorms or fire weather, our continent experiences it all. To help Australians prepare for these hazards, ...11 hours ago
- Are you ready for it? What a Taylor Swift endorsement means for Kamala Harris
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Shortis, Adjunct Senior Fellow, School of Global, Urban and Social Studies, RMIT University As the US Presidential debate wrapped up on Wednesday, commentators and journalists regrouped and drew breath. But then, enter Taylor Swift. The pop superstar posted her endorsement ...11 hours ago
- What the government’s home care changes mean for ageing Australians
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tracy Comans, Executive Director, National Ageing Research Institute; Professor, Centre for Health Services Research, The University of Queensland pikselstock/Shutterstock The Albanese government has this week announced it will introduce one of the largest reforms to Australia’s aged-care sector to date. The ...11 hours ago
- Government exploring ‘all options’ to deal with demand for aged care – Minister
Minister for Seniors Casey Costello insists the government is not considering any spending cuts. ...11 hours ago
- A billionaire and an engineer have completed the first private spacewalk. But this isn’t just a va...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gail Iles, Associate Professor – Physics, RMIT University Two astronauts have carried out the first-ever commercial spacewalk, using new less-bulky spacesuits designed by SpaceX. Tech billionaire Jared Isaacman (who also funded the mission) and SpaceX engineer Sarah Gillis together spent almost ...12 hours ago
- Samoan journalists blast ‘ridiculous’ media restrictions at Commonwealth summit
By Harry Pearl Restrictions on journalists covering an upcoming summit of Commonwealth nations in Samoa are “ridiculous” and at odds with a government that purportedly values democracy, says the Pacific island country’s media association. The Samoa Observer newspaper in an editorial also condemned the government’s attempt to limit coverage of ...12 hours ago
- The Week in Politics: David Seymour’s dragon soon to be unleashed
Analysis - David Seymour's Treaty Principles Bill is a step closer to Parliament, and Chris Hipkins' hints his party could go into the next election with a radical tax policy. ...13 hours ago
- Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke wins young world politician of the year award
Maipi-Clarke says the award is an honour, as is her day job. ...13 hours ago
- Your gas stove might be making your asthma worse. Here’s what you can do about it
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nusrat Homaira, Senior Lecturer, School of Clinical Medicine, UNSW Sydney Kwon Junho/Unsplash We may think of air pollution as an outdoor problem, made up of car exhaust and smog. But if the air inside our homes is polluted, this can also ...13 hours ago
- The death of printed newspapers has long been predicted – but there are still some pleasing signs ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrea Carson, 2024 Oxford University visiting research fellow RIJS; Professor of Political Communication., La Trobe University Shutterstock This piece is part of a series on the Future of Australian media. You can read the rest of the series here. When ...13 hours ago
- Needs Not Race Directive Threatens Progress We’ve Made As Country
The Government has taken a decision based on ideology which fundamentally impacts Māori without consulting Māori. There’s a clear pattern here of a government again setting out to divide New Zealand. No-one voted for that. ...14 hours ago
- Crown knew it legally had to pay midwives better, court hears
Health ministers' comments prove the Crown knew it breached legally binding agreements to improve midwives' pay and contracts, a lawyer has told the court. ...15 hours ago
- Local Government Freshwater Protections Must Not Be Hamstrung By Anti-nature Government
Successive Govts have failed to regulate NZ’s worst freshwater polluter - the intensive dairy industry, who pollute lakes, rivers and drinking water with contaminants like E coli and nitrate. And now, Luxon’s govt is removing the only effective freshwater ...15 hours ago
- New plan shows Australia’s hydrogen dream is still alive. But are we betting on the right projects...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alison Reeve, Deputy Program Director, Energy and Climate Change, Grattan Institute Producing hydrogen remains vital to Australia’s prosperity through the net-zero transition, according to a major strategy that lays a national pathway to becoming a global leader in the low-emissions technology. The ...15 hours ago
- A new law aims to tackle online lies – but it ignores expert advice and doesn’t go nearly far en...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daniel Angus, Professor of Digital Communication, Director of QUT Digital Media Research Centre, Queensland University of Technology The federal government this week introduced a new bill into parliament aimed at cracking down on the spread of misinformation and disinformation on the internet. ...16 hours ago
- The Friday Poem: ‘Beige Thoughts’ by Sherry Zhang
A poem by 2024 Young Writer in Residence Sherry Zhang. My favourite beige activity is 2048. I started playing on a 12 hour long flight before my 24th birthday. These transient spaces become forced group meditation. I usually let my death anxiety spiral. This time, I let my arms ...16 hours ago - The Unity Books bestseller chart for the week ending September 13
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington. AUCKLAND 1 Make It Make Sense by Lucy Blakiston & Bel Hawkins (Moa Press, $37) The bright brains ...16 hours ago
- The psychology of retirement: why do so many athletes struggle to call time?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Tillott, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Health, Southern Cross University Think back to when you met someone for the first time. One of the first questions you asked, or were asked, was likely: “what do you do for work?” It’s a polite, ...16 hours ago
- Principles or raw power: 3 steps NZ can take to resolve its confused stance on Gaza
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Gillespie, Professor of Law, University of Waikato Ali Jadallah/Anadolu via Getty Images The Gaza crisis is a major moral and legal challenge for New Zealand’s sense of national identity, and to its worldview based on rules and principles rather than ...16 hours ago
- Need medicine in hospital? Our study finds how often IT flaws lead to the wrong drug or dose
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Johanna Westbrook, Professor of Health Informatics and Patient Safety, Macquarie University Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock Every time you are prescribed medicine in hospital a computer will prompt your doctor about the appropriateness of the medicine and its dose. Every time health professionals update patient ...16 hours ago
- What one climate scientist wants everyone to know
‘The fight for a habitable planet is on right now, and we need everyone to show up.’ Ellen Rykers gets a reality check from climate scientist Joëlle Gergis. This is an excerpt from our environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. In the summer of 2019, an acrid fug of smoke ...17 hours ago
- Watch: ACT Party leader David Seymour announces policy directive on ‘need, not race’
Cabinet ministers have issued a directive to the public sector, reminding them all services must be delivered based on need rather than race - and that contracts be awarded on value. ...17 hours ago
- Waitangi Tribunal finds failings in government’s handling of Marine and Coastal Area Act chang...
Changes to customary marine title showed a blind adherence to pre-existing political commitments at the expense of Māori, the Waitangi Tribunal has found. ...18 hours ago
- Ngāti Kahungunu Hits Back At The Government’s Stop To Māori Targeted Health Funding
Targeting services to Māori and Pasifika is not a racist agenda, it is simply acknowledging that there are communities that do not access the appropriate primary health services they need when they need them. ...18 hours ago
- A hole lot of fun: Behind the scenes of Celebrity Treasure Island
Tara Ward travels to the Coromandel to watch the reality show’s first day of filming. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. It’s a warm, grey day in March, and Duncan Garner is up to his elbow in a hole. The well-known broadcaster ...18 hours ago
- The real NZ Fashion Week ran out of cash – so these uni students made their own
Te Wiki Āhua o Aotearoa, the rangatahi-led, do-it-yourself fashion week, opened its first show on Monday. Lyric Waiwiri-Smith reports from the runway. When New Zealand Fashion Week (NZFW) was cancelled for 2024, it seemed to some the death knell of an industry buckling under financial pressure. To others, a gap ...19 hours ago
- Labour MP Lemauga Lydia Sosene diagnosed with breast cancer
Māngere MP Lemauga Lydia Sosene says she will take leave to undergo surgery. ...20 hours ago
- Can AI talk us out of conspiracy theory rabbit holes?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dana McKay, Associate Dean, Interaction, Technology and Information, RMIT University Tanya Antusenok / Shutterstock New research published in Science shows that for some people who believe in conspiracy theories, a fact-based conversation with an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot can “pull them ...20 hours ago
- Medic at 70: long before Meredith Grey or Doogie Howser, this show shaped the modern medical drama
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kit MacFarlane, Lecturer, Creative Writing and Literature, University of South Australia Wikimedia Commons Most of us can think of a TV medical drama that stood out at some point in our lives. The Good Doctor (2017–24) is finishing its seven-year run. ...20 hours ago
- The Spinoff guide to life: How to break up with someone
Breaking up with someone well is an art. Here’s how the professionals get it done. The year was 2014. I was sitting in The Indian Spice Bar in Dunedin’s North East Valley, waiting on an Aloo Gobi. Unbeknownst to me and everyone else in the packed restaurant, we were all ...21 hours ago
- New study links low incomes, stressed parents and child behaviour – better support would bring lif...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jaimie Monk, Research fellow , Motu Economic and Public Policy Research Poverty has long been established as a crucial factor hindering the development of young children. Living in poverty can hurt a child’s lifelong health, social and educational outcomes. But much ...21 hours ago
- $84bn lost to housing tax lurks? That would go a long way towards ending the housing crisis
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alan Morris, Professor, Institute for Public Policy and Governance, University of Technology Sydney Australia’s deep housing crisis is causing enduring and widespread harm. A key impact is that it is increasing inequality. The children of parents who have paid off their mortgage ...21 hours ago
- Peeking behind the curtain of Budget 2024
23 hours ago
- Marsden Point dry dock likely on Northland’s Regional Infrastructure Fund wish list
Northlanders are being asked to identify potential uses for their share of the $1.2 billion Regional Infrastructure Fund. ...1 day ago
- Government told free school lunches have ‘profound impact on wellbeing’ before funding c...
A yet-to-be published study also found achievement improved at some schools participating in the Ka Ora, Ka Ako scheme. ...1 day ago
- This week’s bestselling books – September 13
FICTION1 The Bookshop Detectives: Dead Girl Gone by Gareth Ward & Louise Ward (Penguin Random House, $38)The book that just won’t stop selling, number one for the seventh consecutive week, a pageturner of apparently widespread charm: “Two small-town booksellers (and their cowardly dog) solve a decades-old murder-mystery in this witty ...1 day ago
CoC = Coalition of Corruption The Atlas network links are so blatantly obvioius.. Do they really think we are that stupidI ? I can understand journalists not wanting to upset the Costellos of this world for fear of losing their political contacts and sources of news but honestly do Seymour and Bishop really think they are that superior to us?
On the balance of probabilities – yes. But who in the coalition of chaos isn't?
Never in my life have we endured such a despicable government as this shower of miscreants. They are way beyond the pail. Every thing they have done in the short time they have held the seat of Govt they have done to the detriment of the populace and for the benefit of the few. The country is going to be a basket case when they have finished.
Andrew London sings it all for me from the opposite point of view 🙂
https://youtu.be/auA8jy8km8o?t=1617
Like Steven Joyce used to say: "business as usual".
More like normal business has resumed.
No she is just hopeless, somewhat thick, and doing what she is told. Sad reality but then most of the women on that side of the aisle just follow instructions from the chaps in blue suits, some of them even take to wearing blue suits.
Really ? So just a simple, thick, woman. Have you read and understood the Links provided ?
and argued Labour’s smokefree generation policy was “nanny state nonsense”
this from a government that wants to tell parents what their kids can and cannot do with cellphones in schools and who tells people how they can spend their money at supermarkets. Luxon, Seynour and Peters running a really nanny state govt
Day by day, week by week, this government is increasingly arrogant, dictatorial, secretive, callous. There is no accountability to the voters as they barge ahead with their alienating and divisive policies. They don't give a damn. As long as their donors are happy that is all they care about.
Seems to me the corruption issue raised here targets the player rather than the game. Surely everyone knows democracy was created to simulate rule by the people whilst using politicians who serve industry. That pattern has been consistent in all western countries since the 19th century – perhaps only to those who read history and pay attention to political behaviour though.
The right act as servants of the establishment more obviously than the left, who prefer to wear a thin disguise. The marriage of capitalism and democracy is the only game in town so everyone must play in accord with the rules. Costello hasn't been caught out breaking any rules yet, so far as I can tell. Is blowing hot air around proving to be an effective political tactic for the left? Not yet. The 3-headed dog is two thirds of the way through their first year in office, wondering where the opposition has gone…
Amongst the self-important, half-baked (centrist) waffle, there’s a reasonable point about the opposition not savaging Costello the way the nut jobs did away with Claire Curran. They are leaving it to journalists to do the and their job.
But this only highlights the fact that the left are not as rabid, compassionless, entitled, ethically challenged, and bloodthirstily despotic as the National Party and its voters.
"…the left are not as rabid, compassionless, entitled, ethically challenged, and bloodthirstily despotic…"
Cough Darleen Tana, cough.
Good point, but its corollary is that someone like Tana is outed as not meeting the appropriate professional standards or team culture, in a workplace sense.
These Ministers and Associate Ministers are building the culture of what's acceptable, encouraged even.
That's the difference.
Except, Dennis, the left lobbyists lobby for unions who advocate workers’ rights, for marginalised people, for the environment we all share and for the rights and protections of NZ citizens, and who are happy to undergo democratic scrutiny to ensure that legislation.
Whereas right wing lobbyists lobby for overseas firms that want to addict us to their products or want to monopolise infrastructure, for a small number of people who like guns (despite Aramoana, and the Mosque shooter) and for farmers who don't want to carry the cost of their environmental pollution. None of the second group contribute to a healthier and economically robust NZ. Many of that group want the legislation passed without close scrutiny, after paying large bucks to individuals who are then elected.
Not sure what you mean by left wing lobbyist, but by your definition of right wing lobbyist, Hipkins employed one as his chief of staff.
Andrew Kirton, formerly of Anacta, a trans Tasman lobby outfit that worked for the alcohol industry, Lion and Asahi.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/prime-ministers-chief-of-staff-andrew-kirton-led-lobbying-firm-that-fought-against-reforms-now-binned-by-chris-hipkins/FPPZ3RTX3VGOXPY4OKAYEKUGUI/
IMO yes corrupt. Ex police detective….notwithstanding.
Hi Mountain Tui. Thanks again for your efforts. I have been reading through a link page, which I think you provided earlier ( If not, hope you can utilise some of ?)
Anyway, seeing your Paul Goldsmith is a friend of Alan Gibbs link I seen this on aforementioned…talk about timely.
The whole of NACT1/Atlas Network/TPU reeks of corruption
Thank you PsyclingLeft.Always !
I wrote about Paul Goldsmith's writing of Alan Gibb's life, but hadn't seen the quotes. And as usual what you've shared is immensely useful.
Thank you as ever.
Tui
Power to you, matey : )
Another bent ex copper, whom are so beloved by the right as candidates. But…as other commenters have said, Atlas Network looms large. The old photos of Mr Seymour at their seminars speak to us now. He appears a smirking twat from Epsom but a lot of resources and ideological effort have been expended on him by the backers.
They want results…hence school lunches are downgraded to sandwiches while the Tobacco industry get hundreds of millions in tax cuts. Semi Auto firearms are going to be more available etc.
The NZ Godfather, spew : (…. Alan Gibbs. An old article..from ..The Herald, but History aye?
And now.. years later again, they have their chance..and are going for it . Why I, and others fought hard to stop the scumbags . All are equally corrupt in NACT1
All we can do now is fight back..and hope there is something left of NZ.
It's concerning that Casey Costello worked as a police officer, given her behaviour as an MP. Her initial denials of the existence of the document at issue, then releasing it with redacted comments and cynically claiming to not know who wrote it, shows her up as deceitful and arrogant. It will be interesting to see if the media challenge her or the party leaders to explain why she should remain an MP.
It is concerning indeed. It would seem the bar set for promotion to detective is too low and needs to be urgently reviewed. It won't happen because these miscreants, who are easily bought by society's political scumbags, would seem to be in hot demand.
I am reminded of the Christine Rankin era in the late 1990s where cops were encouraged to perf and join the newly formed Beneficiary Bashing Squad under the guidance of Paula Bennett. They had a brief ball where they bullied and harassed beneficiaries on specious grounds. Fortunately Helen Clark came along and saw them all – including Rankin – off the premises in very quick time.
Sorry. 13 was a reply to Vivie.
Anne – I recall that in the 1990s Income Support staff were required to wear uniforms, which included women wearing knee-length skirts. This seemed dictatorial and with regard to Christine Rankin, completely hypercritical. She was known, amongst other things, for her high hemlines and low necklines, yet women staff were reprimanded for not dressing in a formal, corporate manner. She seemed narcissistic and vain, and was probably fearful that other women would present as more impressive. A classic case of "Do as I say, not as I do".
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/haunting-echo-in-dress-row/WMW2CDKKE4WUTGJDM5ISJ5OO7I/
''By CHRIS DANIELS
Christine Rankin once gave evidence against an Auckland social welfare worker sacked for not wearing official corporate dress.
The worker, who wants to be identified only as "Maria," fought an ultimately unsuccessful three-year battle to get her job back at Income Support Service after she was sacked for not wearing the approved corporate uniform.
Christine Rankin, then a senior manager in Income Support, was called to give evidence about how the official departmental wardrobe standard was applied…..".
Yes. It was all about image in those days. The beneficiaries were just the fall guys and gals who were being used to bolster their narcissistic "look at us aren't we powerful" delusions.
In a reasonable year this insane story about an apparating document in Casey Costello’s office would launch mockery and satire and see the downfall of the government.
On the other hand this is the worst government in 30 years and they don’t give a crap about us.
The truth of the situation in two simple sentences. Good one newsense.