national

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END GAME

Written By: - Date published: 7:03 pm, November 24th, 2024 - 16 comments

What is the game plan for the Coalition government? What characteristics can we observe and what is the “end game?”

A guide to making a submission on the Treaty Principles Bill

Written By: - Date published: 12:04 pm, November 23rd, 2024 - 9 comments

Want to make a submission opposing David Seymour’s dog whistle Treaty Principles Bill? Here’s how.

The great gaslighter

Written By: - Date published: 11:26 am, November 19th, 2024 - 44 comments

In the gaslight to end gaslights David Seymour is suggesting that anyone opposed to his Treaty Principles Bill is also opposed to fundamental human rights.

Blowout in costs of Roads of National Significance

Written By: - Date published: 10:06 am, November 17th, 2024 - 33 comments

There has been a major blowout in the cost of the Roads of National Significance with the cost being potentially $10 billion more than National claimed during last year’s campaign.

This Government’s day of shame

Written By: - Date published: 10:33 am, November 14th, 2024 - 63 comments

David Seymour thinks that opponents to his bill cannot explain what it is they are opposed to but ignores the clear advice of 40 Kings Counsel who have written to the Government telling it that the bill is itself a breach of the treaty.

Government bars Journalist for asking tough questions

Written By: - Date published: 12:39 pm, November 11th, 2024 - 28 comments

The Government has prevented journalist Aaron Smale from attending the Crown apology to victims of abuse in state care because his questions are too tough.

Nicola Willis Deflects As National Splurge On Roads

Written By: - Date published: 8:33 am, November 10th, 2024 - 10 comments

Nicola Willis deflects a question on why National are spending billions on roads without a business case – after cancelling the 2026 i-Rex – which had a strong business case and required $1.4bn more to complete seismic upgraded ports and next generation ferries.

The Treaty of Waitangi Principles Bill gets slammed

Written By: - Date published: 12:42 pm, November 8th, 2024 - 14 comments

The Treaty of Waitangi Principles Bill has now been released and it appears that the provisions take away more rights from Māori than originally proposed.

What’s up with Matt Doocey, Mike King & the $24mn of taxpayers money?

Written By: - Date published: 1:55 pm, November 1st, 2024 - 15 comments

Mike King calls alcohol a solution to mental health anguish. But evidence shows alcohol is linked to a 94% increase in suicide and has links to family violence. So what is happening with King and the $24m this government handed him in a highly “irregular” contract process?

Luxon Promotes Wealthy & Foreign Interests

Written By: - Date published: 6:28 pm, October 30th, 2024 - 12 comments

Chris Luxon continues to talk up privatisation and wealthy foreign interests from the Middle East and elsewhere. Privatisation and PPP models have been shown to cost a country – but he and ACT and NZ First seem set on their course to sell NZ assets.

Act’s revenge on the Waitangi Tribunal

Written By: - Date published: 10:28 am, October 26th, 2024 - 16 comments

In what must be the most unsuitable appointment decision ever made Richard Prebble has been appointed to the Waitangi Tribunal.

Government succumbs to Sensible Sentencing Trust pressure and makes Three Strikes Bill worse

Written By: - Date published: 10:45 am, October 22nd, 2024 - 10 comments

The Goverment has bowed to pressure from the Sensible Sentencing Trust and made the Three Strikes Bill even more unworkable.

Luxon Tells The World Andrew Bayly Lied

Written By: - Date published: 10:24 pm, October 21st, 2024 - 48 comments

Today, Christopher Luxon said Andrew Bayly got it “horribly” wrong when telling a Kiwi worker to “f*ck” off and repeatedly call him a loser. But Bayly had denied it just last week.

Will This Be a One-Term Government?

Written By: - Date published: 12:21 pm, October 20th, 2024 - 24 comments

Elliot Crossan at System Change Aotearoa reviews the past year. Despite the tepid public support for this government’s problematic actions, he warns that ‘The Right Is United By Power — Don’t Underestimate Them’

Who is the loser?

Written By: - Date published: 9:25 am, October 20th, 2024 - 22 comments

National Minister Andrew Bayley has apologised for his conduct after a complaint that he repeatedly called a worker “a loser” and swore at him while on a business visit.

Ferry crisis what ferry crisis?

Written By: - Date published: 12:35 pm, October 17th, 2024 - 21 comments

The Cook Strait Ferry issue is getting to a critical point. An announcement was expected in July. But it appears that NZ First is digging its heels in about the need tor the replacement ferries being rail capable.

Hauraki Gulf Marine reserves are being Jonesied*

Written By: - Date published: 9:21 am, October 15th, 2024 - 13 comments

* the process whereby a Marine Reserve is opened up to commercial fishing.

Twelve months of this Government

Written By: - Date published: 10:33 am, October 14th, 2024 - 49 comments

This Government was elected 12 months ago. And I don’t think any of us could have appreciated how bad it would have been.

The best Government that money can buy

Written By: - Date published: 9:31 am, October 11th, 2024 - 35 comments

Radio New Zealand has reported that $500,000 in donations to National, Act and NZ First were made by entities associated to those who had their projects included in the recently released schedule to the Fast Track Projects Bill.

Inventing a crisis to privatise NZ healthcare

Written By: - Date published: 10:41 am, October 4th, 2024 - 12 comments

Yesterday a former Health NZ Chair said the government is intentionally manufacturing a crisis to privatise healthcare. However privatisation will not solve anything and will only lead to worse financial and health outcomes for all Kiwis as confirmed by Lancet Medical Journal and case studies around the world.

He is wealthy and he is sorted

Written By: - Date published: 10:58 am, October 2nd, 2024 - 57 comments

“You just fake it until you make it. I have spent a whole career doing that” – Christopher Luxon.

Ferry ferry quite contrary

Written By: - Date published: 8:22 am, September 26th, 2024 - 24 comments

There appears to be an impasse in the Coalition’s ranks with Act and National not wanting rail enabled replacement ferries but Winston Peters demanding that they be rail enabled.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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