democracy under attack
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Dirty Politics 2017 style
Written By: - Date published: 4:05 pm, June 8th, 2017 - 27 comments
Latest polls and some anecdotal evidence from the doorstep are showing a move back to the Tories in Britain. If so it may in part be due to last-minute dark and dirty personally targeted Facebook advertising to voters in marginal seats. They cost so will need to be watched later on here.
Oh Manchester …
Written By: - Date published: 2:19 pm, May 23rd, 2017 - 242 comments
Terrible news from Manchester where two explosions have killed at least 19 people and injured many more. This post will be updated as more news comes in.
Slater v Craig – battle of the has beens
Written By: - Date published: 8:55 am, May 21st, 2017 - 22 comments
The High Court this week has been asked to dissect the decline of the Conservative Party and of the 2014 form of dirty politics.
Alfred Ngaro reprimanded for being “naïve”
Written By: - Date published: 7:54 am, May 15th, 2017 - 52 comments
Alfred Ngaro has apologised to the Prime Minister for threatening the funding of voluntary organisations critical of the Government, not for expressing the views or even thinking them but for being naïve.
National threatens Government critics with loss of Government contracts
Written By: - Date published: 9:31 am, May 14th, 2017 - 78 comments
Alfred Ngaro has told a National Conference that critics of the Government can expect to lose Government support for proposed contracts. And that Labour prompted concern about families living in cars.
Environment Southland won’t talk in public about water quality
Written By: - Date published: 10:24 am, April 28th, 2017 - 14 comments
Discussions of the MfE Our Fresh Water 2017 report to be held in workshop that excludes the public and the media.
Stewart: “Dying days of democracy”?
Written By: - Date published: 2:11 pm, April 27th, 2017 - 59 comments
Probably not, but after 9 years of Brighter Future / Dirty Politics it certainly can feel that way.
The French Presidential Runoff
Written By: - Date published: 8:37 am, April 26th, 2017 - 79 comments
The French Presidential run off presents worrying signs for progressives. Why is the electorate sliding to the right?
Racist campaigns and attack ads
Written By: - Date published: 7:03 am, March 10th, 2017 - 32 comments
A couple of racist groups seem to be hawking their wares recently. Unfortunately this may herald the start of a dirty election, dragged down by well funded and unaccountable pressure groups.
Who would have thunk that Government’s approach to housing is inadequate
Written By: - Date published: 10:46 am, March 2nd, 2017 - 34 comments
Radio New Zealand has reported on a review of the Government’s housing policy which described it as fragmented and lacking a robust plan but it took intervention by the Ombudsman to have the review released.
Shock after shock
Written By: - Date published: 9:15 am, January 31st, 2017 - 62 comments
Understanding shock events is part of the solution.
The CIA Director confirmation hearings
Written By: - Date published: 11:03 am, January 10th, 2017 - 17 comments
Mike Pompey is Donald Trump’s chosen head for the CIA. He is someone who believes in the mass collection of all metadata and combining it with all publicly available information. Are we going to see the unprecedented destruction of rights of privacy?
Faith in democracy falls
Written By: - Date published: 8:12 am, December 1st, 2016 - 42 comments
Is the belief that democracy is essential falling in “Western” countries? In New Zealand particularly so?
America’s broken democratic system
Written By: - Date published: 9:20 am, November 27th, 2016 - 91 comments
Through partisan control of the electoral system and continuing attempts to suppress votes America’s electoral system is in clear need of an overhaul.
Democracy can be refined
Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, November 15th, 2016 - 125 comments
Democracy is difficult. Government is far too complex and ordinary people have neither the time nor the inclination to spend time to understand it properly. So what are the alternatives?
Ombudsman to investigate John Key’s dirty politics communications
Written By: - Date published: 8:42 am, September 27th, 2016 - 91 comments
The Ombudsman is to investigate John Key’s failure to disclose communications with David Farrar and Cameron Slater
Parliamentary Services is snooping on MPs’ emails
Written By: - Date published: 9:14 am, September 14th, 2016 - 123 comments
It appears that Parliamentary Services is monitoring MPs emails. And not just for things such as spam and viruses.
Spy vs Us
Written By: - Date published: 9:08 am, August 16th, 2016 - 135 comments
Today National introduced a bill that will enable the NZ Government to spy on its citizens.
How to collapse liberal society
Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, July 19th, 2016 - 130 comments
Liberal society is in reverse in many parts of the world. What do we do to arrest this?
GPS
Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, June 23rd, 2016 - 219 comments
GPS may offer the perfect way to enforce a fuel tax but how do we feel about the Government knowing where we are and where we are heading every minute of the day?
ECAN turning a blind eye
Written By: - Date published: 12:56 pm, June 21st, 2016 - 41 comments
Is ECAN just another typical Nat party fuckup, or are they deliberately turning a blind eye?
Mike Hosking should not be TVNZ’s frontman
Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, June 19th, 2016 - 128 comments
Liz Gunn sets out why Mike Hosking needs to be removed as TVNZ’s frontman.
Petition against the veto of the paid parental leave bill
Written By: - Date published: 9:15 am, June 18th, 2016 - 19 comments
“We request that you withdraw the financial veto certificate against the Parental Leave and Employment Protection (Six Months’ Paid Leave and Work Contact Hours) Amendment Bill.” You can sign the petition here.
Nats overrule Parliament to veto parental leave extension
Written By: - Date published: 3:54 pm, June 16th, 2016 - 102 comments
So – like Canterbury, like Auckland, the democratic process can get stuffed as far as National are concerned.
Screw democracy – Auckland to get the Canterbury treatment
Written By: - Date published: 7:24 am, May 28th, 2016 - 171 comments
It’s naked panic now. In response to the crisis that isn’t a crisis Key is going to overrule the council that his government created and screw over Auckland democracy just like he screwed over Canterbury. What do you think of that Aucklanders?
Guest Post: Dancing to the Neo-Liberal Songbook
Written By: - Date published: 10:19 am, May 23rd, 2016 - 25 comments
In a guest post, regular commenter Tony Veitch takes some learnings from Noam Chomsky’s latest documentary Requiem for the American Dream. The neo-liberal plan has been in place for over thirty years. How come we’re only just starting to understand it?
What the TTIP teaches us about the TPP
Written By: - Date published: 9:40 am, May 13th, 2016 - 11 comments
TTIP, TTPA, same game around the globe, a take-over by American corporations, with the rights of the public held in no regard whatsoever.
Fairfax and NZME and merger talks on
Written By: - Date published: 9:57 am, May 11th, 2016 - 13 comments
As previously discussed here, bad for the media, bad for democracy.
APN Fairfax NZ merger?
Written By: - Date published: 9:31 am, May 10th, 2016 - 19 comments
A healthy democracy requires a healthy media, and in NZ both are getting sicker.
Key attends secret lunch to raise cash for flag change campaign
Written By: - Date published: 10:36 am, April 9th, 2016 - 102 comments
The Herald has reported that John Key helped with fundraising for the flag referendum by attending a private lunch with six wealthy donors.
Oliver Stone backs Sanders; attacks pro-war Clinton
Written By: - Date published: 9:19 pm, April 1st, 2016 - 84 comments
Oliver Stone says that the fascism and corruption of big money has poisoned US politics. And Hilary Clinton has embraced it.
- Gender quotas weed out incompetent men – study
Does a new study answer an old debate? Photo: 123rf New research from the London School of Economics has found gender quotas can weed out “mediocre men” from politics and business. The merits of quotas and targets ...1 hour ago - OIA timeliness complaints
Official Information Act requests are supposed to be responded to "as soon as reasonably practicable, and in any case not later than 20 working days after the day on which the request is received". But as we all know, delays ...2 hours ago - The British used waterboarding in Northern IrelandIts long been known that the British government used torture in Northern Ireland during "the troubles". The Five Techniques were the subject of a case before the European Court of Human Rights, and it has since emerged that (contrary to ...3 hours ago
- Hard News: Blockchain, what is it?
Many people will have heard Blockchain or “distributed ledger technology” and some may have dismissed it as hype – especially when you hear claims that Blockchain is possibly the most important IT invention of our age. But no matter what ...4 hours ago - What Kiwirail is investing their budget money in
In the government’s budget last month, they allocated $450 million to Kiwirail over the next two years $450 million of that funding will be invested in KiwiRail over the next two financial years. “KiwiRail has achieved significant productivity and efficiency ...5 hours ago - The heart in the horror of Spookers
It's the largest haunted attraction in the Southern Hemisphere, an Auckland institution and, now, a film. We talk to director Florian Habicht about the people and the past of Spookers. Photo: Greta Anderson If you’ve ever been to Spookers, you’ll ...5 hours ago - Hard News: How journalism looks nowThere is more than one thing to be taken from the BBC Panorama programme London Tower Fire: Britain's Shame. The first is, of course, its damning indictment of the authorities whose catastrophic failure of care allowed so many people to ...5 hours ago
- Climate change: To the courts!There's an interesting case in court today: student Sarah Thomson is challenging the government's climate change target:Sarah Thomson, 26, will have her case against Climate Change Minister Paula Bennett for the perceived failure to set emissions targets that reflect the ...5 hours ago
- Not grovelling after allLast week, after a report in Stuff, I accused the Labour Party of grovelling to the almighty cow by backing away from resource rentals for water. But it turns out they were misreported:“It was reported following my speech to Federated ...6 hours ago
- Growing up at Granddad’s – A Matāriki story
As we walk forward into new beginnings, Matāriki reminds us of our past, loved ones who are no longer with us and the memories we shared with our whānau. Chev Hassett shares his story. With the whānau back ...6 hours ago - The racist right wing
7 hours ago - Corbyn at Glastonbury
Although this video of Jeremy Corbyn speaking at Glastonbury has already torn up lefty Twitter and Facebook, it deserves all the plugging it can get: The full text is here, and it’s a demonstration of how to communicate progressive values ...9 hours ago - Reviewing the OECD’s economic reviewThe Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the ‘rich countries club’, conducts an economic survey of its members. They just published their latest (2017) edition for New Zealand, which makes for some interesting reading. While the OECD’s reviews reflect its ...10 hours ago
- National Party Congress breakout: How to Deal with a Scandal
This weekend many hundreds of National Party delegates have descended on Wellington for the party’s pre-election congress. Apart from sounding slightly rude, this gathering is designed to pump the troops before the cut and thrust of this year’s, undoubtedly, turgid ...23 hours ago - TV Commercials – How Bad Are They?
When my wife and I returned home from England 23 years ago, one aspect of New Zealand life we noticed was the length of the commercial breaks on television. I could get down to the end of a long drive ...1 day ago - Do We Have to Put Up with Mike Hosking?Why do so many people dislike Mike Hosking? On the face of it, he has everything needed to host a successful daily television show. He is nice-looking (if you like that sort of thing), articulate and intelligent (or passably intelligent ...1 day ago
- Sunday readsA few pieces that caught my eye this week. Bec Shaw: Fat of the Furious I couldn’t write about what happened at the time because I felt so despairing when Roxane Gay discussed how humiliated the incident made her feel. ...1 day ago
- Sunday reading 25 June 2017
Welcome back to Sunday reading. It’s been a pretty interesting week in New Zealand politics, if you’ve been reading. But that’s not what this is about, so we’re not going to talk about it. Here’s a thought-provoking factoid about technological ...1 day ago - 2017 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #25
A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook page during the past week. Editor's Pick From heatwaves to hurricanes, floods to famine: seven climate change hotspots Global warming will not affect everyone equally. Here we look ...2 days ago - Foot in Mouth Award – Nicky Wagner, because disabilities issues are such a drag on a nice day
. . Bennett had it (and probably still does)… . . Key had it; . . … still had it; . . Aaron Gilmore had it; . . Steven Joyce has it; . . Alfred Ngaro has it; . . ...2 days ago - Opinion: I would never listen to any of my employees
By Winston Peters. By my count, it’s been four days since the Prime Minister and his smarmy little yuppie were exposed for what they are: liars, crooks, filthy, cronyistic, career-politician peddlers of self-interested rubbish. One of them is gone and ...2 days ago - Todd Barclay, Bill English and the OUTRAGE that is the Labour PartyThis week has been an interesting week in New Zealand politics. Here at MyThinks we thought we would ask our alt-right correspondent Richard Sevenhouses to pen a few words on his thoughts. Over to you Dick. This week started out ...2 days ago
- National penalising Kiwi homebuyers
The National led government appears to not give a damn that the levels of home ownership in New Zealand are continuing to decline.After much public and media concern about housing, the government through the Reserve Bank changed lending criteria in ...2 days ago - This is why they can’t have nice things
Earlier this year I bought the book Shattered: Inside Hillary Clinton's Doomed Campaign for my Dad. Here's how one reviewer opens his account of that account:read more ...2 days ago - Nick Smith lied about combustible panels in NZ
The Grenfell Tower fire, which has caused many more deaths than the 79 currently confirmed, was thought to have started because of a faulty refrigerator. However the cause of the fire spreading so quickly has been identified as substandard combustible cladding, ...2 days ago - Christie’s law based on court incompetency
The killing of Christie Marceau was a very terrible thing, not least of all because it could have been prevented if the court system wasn't incompetent. Amongst other things, that’s one of the findings the inquest into her murder should ...2 days ago - Flashback Saturday: “What’s wrong with this picture?”
This post originally appeared in June 2012. Now I’m sure many of you will assume that this post is going to be about the old thing on rails in the middle of this picture but that isn’t what interests me ...2 days ago - A call to Israelis to disrupt the occupation
An Israeli sniper aiming at Palestinian protestors with live ammunition during confrontations following a protest against the occupation and in solidarity with the Palestinian prisoners hunger strike, in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh, 26 May. Two weeks ...2 days ago - Trumpwatch – How Elon Musk can overcome Trump’s climate-change obstinacy. . Fun Fact #1: “According to an ongoing temperature analysis conducted by scientists at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS), the average global temperature on Earth has increased by about 0.8° Celsius (1.4° Fahrenheit) since 1880. Two-thirds of ...3 days ago
- If North Korea didn’t exist the US would create itUS naval carrier taking part in manoeuvres off coast of Korea; Photo by JO JUNG-HO / Yonhap via AP) by Nizar Visram IN its latest move early June 2017, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) unanimously adopted a resolution drafted ...3 days ago
- Correcting the wrongs of the pastGermany is to pardon and compensate victims of a Nazi-era anti-homosexual law: Germany’s parliament has voted to quash the convictions of 50,000 gay men sentenced for homosexuality under a Nazi-era law that remained in force after the second world war. ...3 days ago
- Farewell Gchat. Now we have to Hangout.
We pay tribute to the home of inane online chat. The sun has almost set on Gchat. Photo: 123rf On Monday, millions of office workers will wipe away a tear as instant messaging system Gchat is shut ...3 days ago - Grenfell Tower: the voice of a firefighterThis piece of writing is up on the Facebook ‘Save the Fire Service’ page and begins with ‘”Sent to us at STUKFS, powerful and emotional story from a firefighter who attended Grenfell Tower” (STUKFS is Save the UK Fire Service); ...3 days ago
- New Zealand votes against international lawOver fifty years ago, Britain stole the Chagos Islands and forcibly expelled their inhabitants to Mauritius to make way for a US military base. Since then, they've been fighting for justice through the UK courts, and most recently at the ...3 days ago
- Pull the other oneIssues around illegal interception of communications have been prominent in the media over the last few years. There's the Kim Dotcom case, of course, and all the GCSB's shennanigans around driftnetting communications (including those of New Zealanders) from our Pacific ...3 days ago
- East-West questioned in ParliamentThe East-West Link has been in the news a bit recently, such as on TV3’s The Nation on Saturday where Simon Bridges received a grilling about the business case. Cam has also written recently about the economics of the project and ...3 days ago
- French elections: Macron’s hollow ‘majority’by René Gimpel And so it came to pass – the prodigal obtained his majority. Emmanuel Macron, youngest French president and elected to public office for the first time, last year conjured up ex nihilo a political party, ...3 days ago
- The End of a Promising CareerMy twenty years in parliamentary politics taught me that, contrary to the opinions of many, most politicians pursue a political career for other than exclusively self-serving reasons. Most genuinely want to serve their fellow citizens or believe that they can ...3 days ago
- Unpaid, unhappy and over here – Labour’s intern scandal explained
What a mess. The gates of Awataha Marae, where the interns were staying. Photo: Mihingarangi Forbes/RNZ . WHAT WAS THE INTERNSHIP SCHEME? About 85 interns from overseas arrived in New Zealand to join the ...3 days ago - No comparison in substandard housing
The hypocrisy of the right wing concerning substandard accommodation couldn’t be more apparent this week. Happy to try and take the focus off of their Todd Barclay problem, the right wing propagandists are clearly overreacting to Labour’s voluntary overseas student's ...3 days ago - Hard News: Friday Music: Digging ASMRA week ago today on Lorde Listening Day, the singer and producer Chelsea Jade (who has a good new tune out, see below) tweeted that she was "getting ASMR shivers cascading down my skull from ella's voice all through this ...3 days ago
- Keeping up with the Kontentsphere
Has another week passed you by with nary a fleeting glance at the weird and wonderful world of online content? Do you quake with fear at the prospect of rolling up to yet another Friday drinks with no idea what’s ...3 days ago - Bill English must resign
The Todd Barclay debacle highlights just how dishonest many right wing politicians really are. For over a year Bill English and the National party maintained a lie, even reselecting Barclay knowing that he had committed a potential crime.Yesterday, the NZ ...3 days ago - Twitter is ridiculing ‘racist propaganda’ Hobson’s Pledge
Don Brash-led trust is stepping up its campaign to abolish what it claims is Māori favouritism. Straight in the fire. Photo: Twitter / Vincent O'Malley A group targeting what it says is rife “race-based privilege” in New ...3 days ago - London’s new transport strategy
Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, recently released his new transport strategy and – in short – it looks fantastic. Crucially, the strategy recognises that transport is – literally – a means to an end and it really focuses on the ...3 days ago - What’s that banner up the top all about?Whether you visit Pundit frequently or just stop by now and then, you might have noticed recently a new banner across the top of the site and a bright red button on the right hand panel. They're there because the ...4 days ago
- Claiming that Listerine alleviates cold symptoms is false: To repeat or not to repeat the myth durin...
With terms such as “post-truth” and “fake news” becoming increasingly prominent in the media and public discourse, the ability to effectively correct inaccurate information has never been more pertinent. Unfortunately, the task of correcting misinformation is far from trivial. In ...4 days ago - The Scalise Shooting: this solves nothing!. . A few days ago; Congressman Steve Scalise, the No. 3 Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives, was in critical condition on Wednesday night after he and three others were shot as they practiced for a charity baseball ...4 days ago
- Todd Barclay made decision to resign after listening to himself on dictaphone
Barclay says hearing himself “say things” was the “final straw.” Embattled National MP Todd Barclay resigned yesterday over allegations that he had maliciously recorded one of his staffers, Glenys Dickson. The scandal also landed the Prime Minister, Bill English, in ...4 days ago - Social Detox: On addiction, recovery and refusing to be compliant
Social Detox: On addiction, recovery and refusing to be compliantDay One I am writing this to you from Puna Whakataa, which is a Social Detox unit in Auckland, New Zealand, and what this means is that I have decided my ...4 days ago - US politics: with or without Trump, the ruling class assault proceeds on workersby The Spark The Trump administration might be mired in multiple investigations. A special prosecutor appointed by Trump’s own Department of Justice might be investigating Trump himself. The U.S. news media might obsess over Trump’s every rant on Twitter. ...4 days ago
- Guest Post: Education Amendment Bill – A Call to Action
The Education Amendment Bill is set to create great damage to tertiary education, in the guise of equity. In brief, it proposes equal funding to private and public tertiary institutions, for comparable programmes. This means public money goes to support private tertiary ...4 days ago - The schlocky and the gory and the cult.
A dive into New Zealand’s B movie past. A still from Death Warmed Up. On Tuesday, 22 people will cram into a small room with the best view in Wellington to watch a film called This ...4 days ago - Keep it Public
The Green Party strongly supports the Tertiary Education Unions call to #KeepitPublic Keep what public? Out quality tertiary education system that National is trying to open up to more private for-profit providers with a new law change. The (Tertiary Education ...4 days ago - There is corruption in New ZealandIts commonly believed that New Zealand is not a corrupt country. But that belief is wrong, according to a new study by Deloitte's:[A]ccounting firm Deloitte's latest bribery and corruption survey has found that about 20 percent of New Zealand companies ...4 days ago
- Oh What a Tangled Web WeWeave…
...4 days ago - Labour grovels to the almighty cowFarmers are destroying our environment, sucking our rivers dry and filling them with cowshit, while poisoning underground aquifers. So naturally, Labour wants to let them off paying for any of that:Labour has dropped its 2014 election policy to charge a ...4 days ago
- Boo hooFaced with the undeniable degradation of its rivers and lakes due to intensive dairy farming, ECan is finally planning to do something about it by imposing nutrient limits. Naturally, farmers hate the idea, claiming that it will put them out ...4 days ago
- The latest Labour muppetryLast week, the Labour Party announced a policy aimed at reducing the number of foreign students in New Zealand. Meanwhile, it turns out they've been using foreign students on their campaign - and mistreating them:A group of 85 Labour Party ...4 days ago
- Unlocking the Western City Centre – Federal St Laneway Stage 3
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- New international student wellbeing strategy offers littleA new government International Student Wellbeing strategy sets lofty objectives for supporting overseas students, but provides little new information about how its broad vision will be achieved. Launched last week by Tertiary Education Minister, Paul Goldsmith, the strategy says the wellbeing of international ...4 days ago
- Another for-profit provider found plagiarisingThe New Zealand Qualifications Agency (NZQA) has told an international school in Auckland that it can no longer enrol new students after finding the institution was passing students with plagiarised assessments. More than 150 international students enrolled at the Imperial College ...4 days ago
- Otago university confirms plans to cut 13 jobsThe University of Otago is proposing to cut 13 full-time equivalent jobs from its School of Physical Education, Sport and Exercise Sciences, management confirmed this week. Almost one third of academic full-time equivalent positions are expected to be cut, reducing the number ...4 days ago
- Additional funding announced for industry trainingWork-based training received a boost this week with the announcement that an extra $7 million will be made available for the Industry Training Fund. Tertiary Education Minister Paul Goldsmith and Associate Tertiary Education Minister Louise Upston told the Industry Training Federation Workforce Development ...4 days ago
- Groser and GCSB damage international reputation
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Welcome to weekly series The Singles Life, where known experts Katie Parker and Hussein Moses peruse, ponder and pontificate on the latest and (maybe) greatest in New Zealand music. Gussie Larkin and Lily Paris-West of Mermaidens. Wellington act ...4 days ago - Making PT hard
Over recent years public transport has clearly improved, as can be so easily observed by looking at the ridership figures. Yet, while it has improved and more improvements are on the way, it often feels like the system is let ...4 days ago - Gordon Campbell on the fallout from the Barclay tape
First published on Werewolf Todd Barclay – soft exit or hard exit? Anyone feeling that the watchdog roles of the media and Parliament have seen justice done to the scoundrel behind the taping scandal…well, maybe they should think again. This ...5 days ago - Identity politics – the beginning of the end?by Daniel Lopez In 2015, Rachel Dolezal, who had for years passed as black, was exposed as having Caucasian parents. She was accused of blackface and epitomising white privilege. Unsurprisingly, she was ruined. In a recent autobiography, she defined herself ...5 days ago
- To lead on climate, leave the ivy tower
America’s top universities expend considerable efforts to lead in the rankings, but last week they fell short—missing a critical opportunity to show moral leadership on climate change. If top schools want to lead on climate action, they should join the “We ...5 days ago - Is the pot plant recording?
...5 days ago - Green Party will repeal solar taxIt’s ridiculous for an electricity distribution monopoly to apply a charge on solar panels but worse than that, it’s harming our effort to tackle climate change. Hawke’s Bay lines company Unison last year announced a new solar charge for their ...5 days ago
- Tobacco Company Moves to Distance Itself From MP
Tobacco company Philip Morris is moving to distance itself from Clutha-Southland MP Todd Barclay, who once worked for it. Some people believed that Mr Barclay had been a high-ranked executive or spin doctor for the tobacco giant, but a Philip ...5 days ago - Treasury and the OIAHow does Treasury handle OIA requests? Someone is using FYI, the public OIA request system, to ask agencies for their OIA processes as part of a wider research program. Treasury's response to this request is here, and the documents they ...5 days ago
- Bill English must be upfront about his involvement in Barclay scandal
Bill English’s explanations that he was on the periphery of the long running employment dispute involving Todd Barclay don’t stack up, says Labour Leader Andrew Little. “The Prime Minister claims to have been a bystander, but we know he was ...3 hours ago - Labour will not resile from royaltiesLabour believes cleaning up our rivers so that they are clean enough to swim in is the most important freshwater issue for this election, but that it is also fair that a royalty should be charged where public water is ...1 day ago
- With friends like Hone, who needs enemies?With less than three months until the election, Hone Harawira has delivered another blow to the Māori Party’s flagship policy of Te Ture Whenua Māori reform and the already unstable MANA-Maori Party alliance, says Ikaroa-Rāwhiti MP Meka Whaitiri. “On The ...1 day ago
- Shifty Bill jumps the sharkBill English's claim today that it has never been established that Todd Barclay's recordings of his staff took place is bizarre and shows a complete lack of honesty and leadership, says Labour’s Finance spokesperson Grant Robertson. "Todd Barclay told Bill ...2 days ago
- Te Ture Whenua – gone by lunchtime?Māori Development Minister Te Ururoa Flavell has to front up about yesterday’s mysterious withdrawal of Te Ture Whenua Bill from Parliament’s order paper, says Labour’s Ikaroa Rawhiti MP Meka Whaitiri. “Has he lost his way and has decided to run ...3 days ago
- Bill English ignorance of law beggars beliefFor Bill English to claim he and others in the National Party didn’t realise the law may have been broken in the Todd Barclay taping scandal is simply not credible, says Leader of the Opposition Andrew Little. “The Prime Minister ...3 days ago
- Government ignored advice on Pacific people’s superannuationThe Government ignored advice from the Ministry of Pacific Peoples that raising the Superannuation age of eligibility would have a ‘disproportionately high impact’ on Pacific people, says Labour’s Pacific Island Affairs spokesperson Aupito William Sio. “The Ministry for Pacific ...3 days ago
- Bill English misleads Parliament on Police statementBill English's attempt to restore his damaged credibility over the Todd Barclay affair has backfired after his claim to have "reported" Mr Barclay's actions to Police has proven not to be true, says Labour MP for Wellington Central Grant Robertson. ...4 days ago
- Keep it Public
The Green Party strongly supports the Tertiary Education Unions call to #KeepitPublic Keep what public? Out quality tertiary education system that National is trying to open up to more private for-profit providers with a new law change. The (Tertiary Education ...4 days ago - This ‘technical error’ is hurting big timeJonathan Coleman cannot resort to his ongoing litany that the Ministry of Health’s $38 million budget blunder is an error on paper only, says Labour’s Health spokesperson David Clark. “He might keep saying it’s a ‘technical error’ but the reality ...4 days ago
- Labour to invest in public transport for Greater ChristchurchLabour will commit $100m in capital investment for public transport in Greater Christchurch, including commuter rail from Rolleston to the CBD, says Leader of the Opposition Andrew Little. “As the rebuild progresses, there are huge opportunities for Greater Christchurch, but ...4 days ago
- Green Party will repeal solar taxIt’s ridiculous for an electricity distribution monopoly to apply a charge on solar panels but worse than that, it’s harming our effort to tackle climate change. Hawke’s Bay lines company Unison last year announced a new solar charge for their ...5 days ago
- English fails the character test over BarclayBill English is hoping this scandal will go away, but he is still dodging important questions over his role in covering up for Todd Barclay, says Leader of the Opposition Andrew Little. ...5 days ago
- Government must apologise for Christchurch schools stuff-upThe Ombudsman’s findings that the Ministry of Education botched the reorganisation of Christchurch schools after the 2011 earthquake are damning for an under-fire National Government, says Labour’s Education spokesperson Chris Hipkins. “The Ombudsman has found the reorganisation of schools in ...5 days ago
- Government’s multinational tax measures weakThe Government’s proposals to crack down on multinational tax avoidance, by its own admission only recovering one third of the missing money, means hardworking Kiwis will bear more of the tax burden, says Labour’s Revenue spokesperson Michael Wood. “The Government ...5 days ago
- World Refugee Day – we can do our bitI’m really proud that yesterday, on World Refugee Day, the Greens launched an ambitious plan to increase the refugee quota to 5000 over the next six years. Of those places, 4,000 will be directly resettled by the government and another ...5 days ago
- PM’s leadership in question over Barclay affairThe Prime Minister must belatedly show some leadership and compel Todd Barclay to front up to the Police, says Labour Leader Andrew Little. “Twice today Bill English has been found wanting in this matter. ...6 days ago
- Another memory lapse by Coleman?The Minister of Health ‘couldn’t recall’ whether the Director General of Health Chai Chuah offered his resignation over the Budget funding fiasco involving the country’s District Health Boards, says Labour’s Health spokesperson David Clark. “In the House today Jonathan Coleman ...6 days ago
- Bill English needs to come clean over BarclayBill English needs to explain why he failed to be upfront with the public over the actions of Clutha-Southland MP Todd Barclay, following revelations that he knew about the secretly recorded conversations in the MP’s electorate office, says Labour Leader ...6 days ago
- Minister, show some backbone and front up and debateRather than accusing critics of his Te Ture Whenua Māori Bill of telling ‘lies’, Māori Development Minister Te Ururoa Flavell should show some backbone and front up to a debate on the issue, says Ikaroa-Rāwhiti MP Meka Whaitiri. “Te ...6 days ago
- Equal pay for mental health workersToday, mental health workers are filing an equal pay claim through their unions. Mental health support workers do important and difficult work in our communities. But because the workforce is largely female, they are not paid enough. It’s wrong for ...1 week ago
- Nats’ HAM-fisted housing crisis denialNational’s decision to knowingly release a flawed Housing Affordability Measure that underestimates the cost of housing is the latest evidence of their housing crisis denial, says Labour’s Housing spokesperson Phil Twyford. ...1 week ago
- New Pike footage builds compelling case for mine re-entryNew footage of the Pike River Mine deep inside the operation, revealing no fire damage or signs of an inferno, provides a compelling reason to grant the families of Pike River’s victims their wish to re-enter the drift, says Labour ...1 week ago
- Labour will get tough on slum boarding housesThe next Labour-led Government will legislate a Warrant of Fitness based on tough minimum standards to clean out slum boarding houses, says Labour’s Housing spokesperson Phil Twyford. “It’s not acceptable for New Zealanders in the 21st Century to be living ...1 week ago
- Green Party tribute to Dame Nganeko Minhinnick
Haere ngā mate ki tua o paerau; te moenga roa o ngā mātua tupuna. Haere, haere, haere. It was with a huge sense of loss that we learned of the death of Dame Nganeko Minhinnick yesterday. The Green Party acknowledges ...1 week ago - Urgent answers needed on DHB fundingJonathan Coleman must come clean and answer questions about what actual funding DHBs received in Budget 2017, says Labour Health Spokesperson David Clark. ...1 week ago
- Treasury puts Māori Land Service on red alertA damning Treasury report raises serious questions about the delivery of Te Ururoa Flavell’s proposed Māori Land Service, giving it a ‘red’ rating which indicates major issues with the project, says Ikaroa-Rāwhiti MP Meka Whaitiri. “Treasury’s Interim Major Projects Monitoring ...2 weeks ago
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- English must confirm we still stand by our principles on UN resolutionBill English must tell New Zealand whether we remain in support of the UN Security Council resolution on Israeli settlements in Palestinian territory, says Labour Leader Andrew Little. “After Foreign Affairs Minister Gerry Brownlee’s evasive answers to repeated questions on ...2 weeks ago
- Māori party drop the poi on Māori healthThe Māori Party have dropped the poi when it comes to supporting Ngati Whakaue and Māori interests in Bay of Plenty by allowing an iwi owned and operated service Te Hunga Manaaki to be brushed aside in favour of a ...2 weeks ago
- Labour to invest in Whanganui River infrastructureLabour will work in partnership with the Whanganui Council to repair and redevelop the city’s Port precinct in advance of planned economic development and expansion. To enable Whanganui’s plans, Labour will commit $3m in matching funding for repairing the Whanganui ...2 weeks ago
- Parihaka: an apology
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- Councils step up as Nats drop the ball on housing crisisPhil Goff’s Mayoral Housing Taskforce is another positive example of councils stepping up where National has failed on housing, says Labour Housing spokesperson Phil Twyford. ...2 weeks ago
- Time for a breather on immigrationLabour will introduce moderate, sensible reforms to immigration to reduce the pressure on our cities, while ensuring we get the skilled workers our country needs, says Leader of the Opposition Andrew Little. “New Zealand is a country built on immigration. ...2 weeks ago
- Inaction puts Māui dolphins at riskConservation Minister Maggie Barry was at the United Nations Oceans Conference in New York last week, trying to convince the world that the New Zealand Government is doing a good job at protecting our marine environment. Yet last week after ...2 weeks ago
- National unprepared as immigration runs four times faster than forecastNational has been caught asleep at the wheel by record immigration that has outstripped Budget forecasts, says Leader of the Opposition Andrew Little. ...2 weeks ago
- First home buyers shouldn’t carry the can for National’s failed policiesThe introduction of tighter limits on lending to first home buyers would see them paying the price for the National Party’s failure to recognise or fix the housing crisis, Labour’s Finance spokesperson Grant Robertson says. “Nine years of denial and ...2 weeks ago
- Motel bill blows out as Nats fail to deliver emergency housingMinister Amy Adams has admitted at select committee that National has now spent $22m on putting homeless families in motels as it fails to deliver the emergency housing places it promised, says Labour Housing spokesperson Phil Twyford. ...3 weeks ago
- Minister, how out of touch are you?What was going through Jonathan Coleman’s head in the Health Select Committee this morning when he claimed he was unaware that an estimated 533,000 people have missed out on a GP’s visit in the last 12 months due to cost, ...3 weeks ago
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- Labour’s Electoral Amendment Bill to enhance democracyDemocracy will be enhanced under Labour’s Private Member’s Bill which will have its First Reading today, says Labour’s Local Government spokesperson MP Meka Whaitiri. ...3 weeks ago
- Police underfunded despite rise in crimeAs crime continues to rise dairy owners are scared for their lives and communities reel under a record increase in burglary numbers, it has now been revealed that Police received less than three quarters of their bid in this year’s ...3 weeks ago
- Road pricing years off, public transport investment needed nowWith road pricing still years away, Labour will step up with investment in public transport to ease Auckland’s congestion woes, says Labour’s Auckland Issues spokesperson Phil Twyford. ...3 weeks ago
- Call to protect Easter Sunday in AucklandAuckland’s Labour MPs are backing the community to protect Easter Sunday by retaining current trading restrictions in the city, says Labour MPs Aupito William Sio and Michael Wood. “The Government’s weak and confusing decision to delegate the decision over Easter ...3 weeks ago
- $2.3 billion shortfall in healthThe funding needed for health to be restored to the level it was seven years ago to keep pace with cost pressures has widened to a massive $2.3 billion, says Labour Leader Andrew Little. “We used to have a health ...3 weeks ago
- Helensville -Winston Peters Public Meeting
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- The Treasury appoints new Deputy SecretaryTreasury Secretary Gabriel Makhlouf has announced the appointment of Jon Grayson as the Treasury’s new Deputy Secretary, Financial & Commercial. ...2 hours ago
- Neoliberalism stopped the rise in inequality"The left-wing hullabaloo is wrong, inequality hasn't changed in 20 years", said Jordan Williams, Executive Director of the Taxpayers’ Union, responding to new research findings by the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research. ...3 hours ago
- Insurance Council supports thrust of EQC reformsThe Insurance Council of New Zealand supports the thrust of the reforms to the EQC Act announced by the Government today, but seeks a clear expectation that insurers should be responsible for assessing and managing claims for house damage. “The ...3 hours ago
- Foreign Policy conference tackles forced migration, bordersForced migrations of hundreds of thousands of people worldwide, the closing and enforcement of immigration borders, and the widespread misery and geopolitical instability that ensues is the focus of the Otago Foreign Policy School that takes place this weekend. ...3 hours ago
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- Sugar kills more New Zealanders than drugsJust hours from the Fizz Symposium opening Mika Haka , Auckland Central candidate for The Opportunities Party states: ...4 hours ago
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- Five actions to save our oceansFresh from UN talks in New York, a University of Auckland doctoral student has drafted five key actions she says New Zealand must take now to protect our oceans. ...6 hours ago
- Unanimous Cross-Party Support Reached on Students’ WelfareA remit successfully passed by the National Party Conference on Saturdaymarks a full cross-party political consensus on the increase of weekly loan living costs, according to the Aotearoa Students’ Alliance. ...6 hours ago
- New Dingle Foundation Programme Builds ResilienceThe Graeme Dingle Foundation is launching its latest research and evaluation report at Parliament tomorrow, which confirms the effectiveness of its newest programme, MYND Sibling. ...6 hours ago
- Sarah Thomson Sues NZ Government Over Climate Change TodayMy name is Sarah Thomson I’m a 26-year old law student, and I’m taking the Government to court over their failure to act on climate change. The case will be heard in the Wellington High Court over three days from ...7 hours ago
- David Seymour’s End of Life Choice BillRight to Life requests that Members of Parliament support a culture of life, by voting down this contentious bill at its first reading. This was the prudent action of Parliament when defeating Michael Law’s Death with Dignity bill in 1995 ...7 hours ago
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- Rally outside High Court supporting climate caseA rally supporting Sarah Thomson's climate change case against the Minister for Climate Change Issues is happening at 9:30 am outside the Wellington High Court today. ...8 hours ago
- Enrolment packs go out to 3.15m votersMore than three million packs will be sent out this week as the Electoral Commission launches its campaign to enrol voters for the 2017 General Election. ...8 hours ago
- New Political Party Offers EmpowermentNew Political Party Offers Empowerment June 23 2017 Kia Koe Party Press Release Tags: Politics, voting and policies. ...22 hours ago
- Get a grip, sugar is not the ‘new tobacco’Anti-sugar political campaigners, launching their election campaign tomorrow for a new ‘soda tax’, show their true colours when they make ridiculous claims that ‘ sugar is the new tobacco’ . ...22 hours ago
- English puts cart before the horse in tax cut offer“Tax cuts shouldn’t be contingent on healthy growth and incomes, tax cuts are the pathway to healthy growth and incomes,” said Jordan Williams, Executive Director of the Taxpayers’ Union, responding to Prime Minister Bill English’s speech to ...22 hours ago
- Labour’s “About Face” on Rivers Sad for EnvironmentA national trout fishing organisation says the Labour Party’s reversal of its policy on charging commercial users for use of freshwater is a retrograde 180 degree turn around and therefore disappointing. ...1 day ago
- PCE receives Forest & Bird ‘Old Blue’ environmental awardForest & Bird has awarded the outgoing Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment an ‘Old Blue’ for her significant contribution to New Zealand’s environment and wildlife. “Over ten years, Dr Jan Wright’s insightful reports have illuminated ...1 day ago
- Nick Smith re-writes Ngati Paoa historyNick Smith re-writes Ngati Paoa history In an interview on Te Karere yesterday, Building and Construction Minister Nick Smith dismissed Labours alternative plan for Treaty settlement with Ngati Paoa saying “…Ngati Paoa is wanting to do housing on their ...1 day ago
- Antarctica Conference puts the spotlight on climate changeAntarctica Conference puts the spotlight on climate change Media release for immediate use on 25 June 2017 Over 150 leading scientists from New Zealand and around the world are coming together over the next three days to showcase the latest ...1 day ago
- Q+A: Anthony Wilson and Andrew LittleQ+A: Anthony Wilson interviewed by Jessica Mutch | Andrew Little also interviewed by Jessica Mutch ...1 day ago
- Q+A: Prime Minister Bill English interviewed by Corin DannPrime Minister still “unclear” of Todd Barclay employment dispute details Prime Minister Bill English says he is still unclear of exactly what happened between Todd Barclay and the staff member who took an employment dispute against him. ...1 day ago
- Kiwis And Govt Fleeced in Massive Fuijxerox NZ RacketKiwis And Govt Fleeced in Massive Fuijxerox NZ Racket Schools, councils and the government have been fleeced by the $500m fraud at FujiXerox NZ – with the financial fallout on schools and ratepayers likely to be felt in coming months. ...2 days ago
- The Nation: Lisa Owen interviews Hone HarawiraOn The Nation: Lisa Owen interviews Hone Harawira Headlines: Mana Party Hone Harawira has raised the idea of executing Chinese drug dealers, imprisoning them for life or deporting them, as a response to the methamphetamine problem in his area. “We ...2 days ago
- The Nation: Patrick Gower interviews Bill EnglishOn The Nation: Patrick Gower interviews Bill English Headlines: Prime Minister Bill English now says there’s no evidence that his MP Todd Barclay actually did make recordings of his colleague, Glenys Dickson. English says he’s satisfied that the ...2 days ago
- Hamilton student to battle Govt in landmark climate lawsuitFriday, June 23: A law student from Hamilton is preparing to challenge the Government in the High Court on Monday over what she says is a “failure” to properly address climate change. ...3 days ago
- Roy Morgan Poll – National Party consolidates leadIn June New Zealand’s governing National Party has jumped 3.5% to 46.5% after Finance Minister Steven Joyce handed down a New Zealand Budget projecting a string of surpluses over the next few years. National are now well ahead of the ...3 days ago
- Last chance for Lawrence Yule to release expensesNational Party Tukituki Candidate and former Hastings Mayor, Lawrence Yule, is the only mayor in New Zealand whose travel, entertainment, and slush fund is kept secret from New Zealand ratepayers as head of ratepayer-funded lobby group, Local Government ...3 days ago
- TOP’s Mika on Labour bringing in unpaid overseas studentsOpportunities Party Auckland Central Candidate Mika responds to Labour Party bringing in unpaid overseas students. ...3 days ago
- NZ Cuban friendship group condemns Trumps anti-Cuba policyThe Auckland Cuba Friendship Society has condemned the latest rollback of the Obama presidency’s easing of relations with Cuba as a deepening of the blockade, now in place for 54 years. ...3 days ago
- Bridges’ handout sees taxpayers fork out $600 eachSimon Bridges has announced a second $300,000 non-refundable taxpayer grant to the Tarawera ultramarathon, apparently to attract only 500 international visitors in what must be one of the most ridiculous examples of corporate welfare to date. Jordan ...3 days ago
- LABOUR FOLDS TO FARMING LOBBYIn electoral desperation, the Labour Party yesterday abandoned any attempt to address one of the greatest concerns facing New Zealanders, the ongoing pollution of our waterways. ...3 days ago
- Southland plan gets ministerial go-aheadThe Southland Civil Defence Emergency Management Group Plan has received sign-off by the Minister of Civil Defence Gerry Brownlee. This means it will set the scene for Emergency Management Southland and its partners for the next five years. ...3 days ago
- Shameful $19 Million Clean-up Bill For TaxpayersEnvironment Minister Nick Smith today provided a little good news and far more frustratingly bad news for our shameful national scrap tyre problem. ...3 days ago
- Green Party to run campaign to unseat Nick Smith in NelsonThe Green Party is today announcing that its Nelson candidate, second term local councillor Matt Lawrey, will run to win the electorate and unseat Nick Smith in September’s election. ...3 days ago
- Green Party Run Campaign to Unseat Nick Smith in NelsonThe Green Party is today announcing that its Nelson candidate, second term local councillor Matt Lawrey, will run to win the electorate and unseat Nick Smith in September’s election. ...3 days ago
- Government announces false solution for tyre woesAfter rejecting an industry-designed workable product stewardship scheme for end of life tyres, Environment Minister Nick Smith announced today the government would allocate $19 million taxpayer dollars into a false solution instead - most of the ...4 days ago
- More than 1000 place names taken forwardThe New Zealand Geographic Board made decisions on 1109 New Zealand, Antarctic and Undersea place names at its recent meeting on 18 May 2017. ...4 days ago
- Two Reports Show Health & Poverty Gaps WideningTwo reports released last week show need for real concern about widening children’s health & poverty gaps, according to the Closing the Gap organisation. ...4 days ago
- Simple, nation-wide window-washer rules needed – WDCWhangarei District has reiterated that window washers at intersections are a significant problem in the District and that simple, low-cost, nation-wide laws are needed to manage them. Speaking to the Transport and Industrial Relations Select Committee ...4 days ago
- Auditor-General’s report, Border securityThe Auditor-General’s report Border security: Using information to process passengers was presented to the House of Representatives today. This report looks at whether staff working on the frontline at major ports have the information they need to effectively ...4 days ago
- Police Association launches election year policy documentPolice Association launches 2017 election year policy document: Towards a Safer New Zealand ...4 days ago
- New zone plan for Taupō catchmentA new high-level plan to guide Waikato Regional Council’s work to promote a healthy catchment in the crucial Lake Taupō zone has been approved by the integrated catchment management committee today. ...4 days ago
- Chinese fishing vessels fined for tuna offencesChinese fishing vessels fined close to NZD$1m for tuna offences near NZ waters 22 June 2017 Chinese authorities have deregistered and fined a Chinese commercial fishing company approximately NZD$825,000 for misreporting bluefin tuna catches and fishing ...4 days ago
- Last week for local board plan feedbackFeedback on Auckland Council’s 21 draft local board plans 2017 closes on Friday 30 June – so don’t miss the chance to have your say on the future of your community. ...4 days ago
- Better Call Saul: an end and a new beginning
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The Todd Barclay affair has plunged the new prime minister into his first major political maelstrom, leading to claims of contradictory statements. Do they add up? Here’s our trawl of the key remarks.Text messages from Bill English to then Clutha-Southland electorate chairman ...1 hour ago - Māori writing in 2017: Apirana Taylor on the making of his novel about two alcoholic drug addicts
All week this week the Spinoff Review of Books looks at new Māori (and Pasifika) writing. Today: Apirana Taylor backgrounds his new novel set in “the criminal underbelly of New Zealand’s underworld”.I sat down one morning to write a sentence ...2 hours ago - Why is The Block NZ so damn white?
Property porn addict Ghazaleh Golbakhsh takes the premiere of The Block NZ out for a spin. Last night was the premiere of New Zealand’s sixth season of The Block NZ. It’s a franchise which I have previously managed to avoid, despite ...3 hours ago - When PJ falls off the foils, watch out
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- NZers in regions should get their fair share – PetersWinston Peters wants 25 percent of royalties and taxes collected by the government from mining, petroleum and water to go back to the region it came from. ...11 hours ago
- Todd Barclay story shadows National Party conferenceThe Todd Barclay story is refusing to die, despite the best efforts of senior government ministers, as the National Party held its election year conference over the weekend. ...12 hours ago
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- National President backs Board over Barclay sagaThe President of the National Party says he backs his board as acting with integrity and professionalism throughout Todd Barclay affair. ...1 day ago
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- Green Party to contest Nick Smith’s Nelson seatThe Green Party will fight National's Nick Smith for the Nelson seat in this year's election, the first time the party has tried to win a seat since 1999. ...3 days ago
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- The Unity Books best-selling chart for the week ending June 23The best-selling books at the two best bookstores known to God. WELLINGTON UNITY1 The Whole Intimate Mess: Motherhood, Politics & Women’s Writing by Holly Walker (Bridget Williams Texts, $15)“There is nothing normal about crawling up the hallway, screaming and hitting yourself ...3 days ago
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