Politics

Posts on government and governence at national and local level, political parties,politicians, and political participation

Categories under Politics

Lester Levy, $320,000 Part time Health NZ Commissioner: “It’s not for me to fix everything”

Written By: - Date published: 2:12 pm, September 19th, 2024 - 16 comments

Lester Levy claims he is working so hard it’s probably not good for his health. Meanwhile, he failed to bring financials to the Health Select Committee while explaining he was doing well on cutting costs – and would continue to do so.

National’s gang patch ban may hinder police investigations

Written By: - Date published: 10:55 am, September 18th, 2024 - 18 comments

The police’s recent successful operation against the Comanchero gang could concievably have been compromised by National’s proposed gang patch ban.

Under National crime is out of control

Written By: - Date published: 9:07 am, September 17th, 2024 - 35 comments

Christopher Luxon yesterday celebrated a 22% reduction in crime in Downtown Auckland even though crime in the Auckland region went up by 7% during the same time. And later that day had to explain how the number of victims of violent crime had increased by 30,000.

National plan for 2000 extra Kiwis in prison per year

Written By: - Date published: 9:01 am, September 17th, 2024 - 20 comments

The government plans to put up to 2000 more Kiwis behind bars by 2034 at a potential cost of up to $1.2bn per budget in today’s money. Meanwhile crime, including violent crime is increasing across all of NZ.

Free School lunches have a profound beneficial effect on learning

Written By: - Date published: 11:23 am, September 13th, 2024 - 23 comments

This is what David Seymour was told. But he and the Government still chose to push through significant cuts to the scheme.

Trouble at Mill

Written By: - Date published: 1:00 pm, September 12th, 2024 - 25 comments

It seems clear that the Government refused to do anything to stop Winston Pulp from closing its mills. And the Government’s plans to address price volatility by the use of LPG is counterproductive, especially when the cost of renewable energy is considered.

Attorney General’s constitutional advice on Treaty Principles bill will be interesting

Written By: - Date published: 10:13 am, September 12th, 2024 - 46 comments

Judith Collins - Attorney General

David Seymour finally released some hard information about Act’s coalition bone – Treaty Principles bill. The regulatory impact statement is damning and points to the status quo as being preferable. It will provide an interesting scope for Judith Collins in her non-partisan role as Attorney-General.

Towards the abyss

Written By: - Date published: 12:34 pm, September 10th, 2024 - 37 comments

Yesterday it was confirmed that Act’s Treaty Principles Bill had been approved by Cabinet for drafting and introduction into Parliament in November this year. Get ready for the circus to start.

A new Labour electricity policy

Written By: - Date published: 10:19 am, September 9th, 2024 - 70 comments

Proposed policy for the Labour Party. New Zealand’s power system should empower the people in their lives and systems, secure electricity use and production for New Zealand in perpetuity, and make the electricity system serve New Zealand not the other way round. How do we achieve this?

Gormless Government releases confidential legal advice on Charter School law

Written By: - Date published: 9:30 am, September 6th, 2024 - 31 comments

The Government has mistakenly released confidential legal advice confirming that the Charter School legislation breaches ILO conventions, free trade agreements and potentially the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act.

Guess who needs help with his literacy and numeracy?

Written By: - Date published: 10:37 am, September 5th, 2024 - 76 comments

Remember when Christopher Luxon told the National Party that we had a maths teaching crisis? Experts have concluded that the statement is misleading. And an OIA dump suggests that behind the scenes there is an attempt to radically rewrite the existing curriculum.

Shane Jones is obsessed with communists

Written By: - Date published: 1:50 pm, September 4th, 2024 - 20 comments

Shane Jones has been getting into the news recently after his comment that High Court Judge Cheryl Gwyn was a communist made at a private meeting was revealed in the media. He has been called out by Judith Collins and Winston Peters but surprisingly not by Christopher Luxon.

Willis’s Bungling of the Kiwirail Interislander Cancellation

Written By: - Date published: 9:23 am, September 4th, 2024 - 26 comments

Nicola Willis’s bungling of the Kiwirail Interislander project cancellation has so far cost Kiwis $1bn, but that’s not all. Today RNZ’s reporting reveals the government may have also undermined NZ’s relationship with South Korea.

National’s eternal road obsession

Written By: - Date published: 8:58 am, September 3rd, 2024 - 39 comments

The year is 2035 and after the McAnaulty-Sepuloni Government is removed from power new National Prime Minister Simeon Brown makes his first new announcement. Guess what it is?

How can you forget $178,394 in campaign donations?

Written By: - Date published: 9:53 am, September 1st, 2024 - 16 comments

This is going to take some explaining. The police have decided to take no action against National MP David MacLeod for failing to declare $178,394 in electoral donations. No this is not an Onion headline.

In memory of Norm Kirk

Written By: - Date published: 4:11 pm, August 31st, 2024 - 16 comments

Today marks the day 50 years ago when former Labour Prime Minister Norm Kirk died.

About David Parker’s and Labour’s debate about taxation

Written By: - Date published: 10:58 am, August 31st, 2024 - 69 comments

Guest post by Nigel Haworth discussing recent publicity given to the Labour Party’s debate around tax reform.

Local Councils Defy Central Government Agenda

Written By: - Date published: 4:16 pm, August 30th, 2024 - 38 comments

94% of councils that have voted vote to retain Maori wards. Many of them are National background Councillors and previously urged Central Government to not push ahead with the legislation. The forced local referendums are now expected to cost ratepayers and take away from Council workloads

What Happened in the House (Videos)

Written By: - Date published: 12:24 pm, August 30th, 2024 - 8 comments

NZ Parliament sitting where Labour’s Kieran McAnulty implores the Coalition government to stop deceiving Kiwis, and Winston Peters and Louise Upton both get fired up. Meanwhile, Casey Costello still doesn’t know who wrote her tobacco Ministerial papers.

National’s solution to the housing crisis

Written By: - Date published: 9:21 am, August 29th, 2024 - 14 comments

Dan Bidois has unwittingly exposed that National has a list of well honed talking points that are used and repeated ad mauseum. Normally within context, sometimes not.

King Luxon Isn’t Wearing Any Clothes

Written By: - Date published: 10:45 am, August 28th, 2024 - 26 comments

While Luxon and Brown hand it to the Councils, a grassroots campaign is taking effect and the power is with the people. Warning: article contains satire.

Power and Speed

Written By: - Date published: 10:22 am, August 27th, 2024 - 17 comments

We are in a power crisis and the government has had to respond, but will their response make any difference?

Simeon Brown peddling porkies about gas shortage

Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, August 27th, 2024 - 43 comments

Energy Minister Simeon Brown is peddling lies about a gas shortage. The country exports around 40 percent of its annual gas production as methanol. More is used to make synthetic nitrogen fertilizer, a nasty greenhouse emission source, for our farms. We don’t need expensive LNG distribution facilities while exporting the bulk of our own gas.

Is Casey Costello Corrupt?

Written By: - Date published: 3:15 pm, August 26th, 2024 - 27 comments

Casey Costello and the Coalition government have already halved tobacco excise at a cost of up to $216mn. Today RNZ reports there remain more questions on who wrote her Ministerial papers begging for tobacco industry benefits.

Where Does Labour Rebuild? 

Written By: - Date published: 9:01 am, August 26th, 2024 - 48 comments

It won’t come from the working class. But we know where it will come from.

Government contributes to developing homeless crisis

Written By: - Date published: 1:23 pm, August 25th, 2024 - 3 comments

There is increasing concern that recently introduced policy changes by National have made housing for the most needy amongst us more tenuous.

Roger Douglas Has a Lesson for the Left

Written By: - Date published: 12:33 pm, August 25th, 2024 - 28 comments

Roger Douglas, the most revolutionary minister in the postwar history of Aotearoa, knew how to exert change in three years. Rogernomics transformed the economy with dizzying speed, from protectionist welfare state to a neoliberal free market. Elliot Crossan argues that the left needs to take the same approach to end the era of neoliberalism.

Culture wars are a diversion from addressing class struggles

Written By: - Date published: 2:03 pm, August 24th, 2024 - 25 comments

Ditch the NZ culture wars if we really want challenge status quo.

David Seymour’s Ministry of Regulation costs $80mn

Written By: - Date published: 12:38 pm, August 22nd, 2024 - 17 comments

David Seymour’s new Ministry has 91 staff, including 3 Deputy CEOs who earn up to $348K each – more than Ministers. Seymour wants to use it as a vehicle to change how NZ makes laws and invokes Ruth Richardson in his vision.

So much for Localism and Devolution

Written By: - Date published: 10:08 am, August 22nd, 2024 - 18 comments

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced that the Government will do away with Local Government’s obligations to consider the social, cultural and environmental implications of their decisions.

Is the Treaty Principles Bill dead or has it just suffered a flesh wound?

Written By: - Date published: 12:31 pm, August 20th, 2024 - 21 comments

Even though National and NZ First have ruled out supporting Act’s Treaty Principles Bill beyond the first reading David Seymour thinks that the Bill has a chance of succeeding and wishes to proceed with introduction of the bill.

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