political parties

“Our Plan to Change the Government”

Written By: weka - Date published: 11:07 pm, June 3rd, 2016 - 277 comments

The Green Party conference is on this weekend, with keynote speeches from Andrew Little and James Shaw on changing the government, and a centrepiece environmental campaign launch from Metiria Turei.

Salvation Army contradicts Key’s homelessness claims

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 2:32 pm, June 3rd, 2016 - 95 comments

Remember Key saying yesterday that the MSD and the Salvation Army knocked on the doors of eight cars that people were living in and no one wanted their help? The Salvation Army says nothing of the sort happened.

Drinnan – Treatment of state-funded broadcasters smacks of political expediency

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 8:07 am, June 3rd, 2016 - 35 comments

John Drinnan has a pretty explosive piece in The Herald this morning. (See also Drinnan’s new blog ZagZigger).

Help Te Puea Marae help the homeless

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 7:01 am, June 3rd, 2016 - 19 comments

The Marae providing practical support to the homeless in Auckland needs our help. You can donate at the Givealittle page here. It is shameful that this is needed in NZ, but there it is, this is what the Brighter Future looks like.

Why not just – build some damn houses?

Written By: Natwatch - Date published: 3:46 pm, June 2nd, 2016 - 91 comments

Today the Nats released a National Policy Statment (NPS) on housing. It formalises their recent strategy of incorrectly blaming local councils – and it doesn’t build anything.

Strategic Arse Elbow

Written By: advantage - Date published: 7:46 am, June 2nd, 2016 - 135 comments

Today at about the same time the Government will turn the first sod of the city rail link and then announce more urban sprawl for Auckland. This is the most massive policy and programme contradiction in a lifetime.

Why is it that?

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:49 am, June 1st, 2016 - 205 comments

Why is it that elements of the media always claim that any sort of cooperation between Labour and the Greens will be disastrous for both parties?

Labour Green announcement – working together to change the government

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 3:10 pm, May 31st, 2016 - 291 comments

Excellent! A memorandum of understanding – Labour and Greens to work together to change the government.

Labour builds the houses (yet another Key lie)

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 2:49 pm, May 31st, 2016 - 19 comments

Good work fact-checking by Geoff Simmons at the Morgan Foundation. Contrary to Key’s lie, Labour builds more houses than National.

National party to be banned from future budget lockups

Written By: Natwatch - Date published: 9:55 am, May 31st, 2016 - 6 comments

After a significant security leak National will be forced to ban itself from future budget lockups.

Fine for fox to guard henhouse – says fox

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 9:31 am, May 31st, 2016 - 26 comments

The Nats are happy for the fishing industry to effectively self-monitor, despite the fact that this has already been shown to be massively ineffective. In other news: John Key questioned on National’s closeness to fishing industry.

A scene from the National War Cabinet in September 2014

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:52 am, May 31st, 2016 - 38 comments

News broke this morning about a major mistake discovered in September 2014 during the height of an election campaign. But it was hidden from view until now. It makes you wonder how the news could have been hidden for so long.

Watkin on the Nats’ housing blame game

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 9:35 am, May 30th, 2016 - 57 comments

Tim Watkin: “What’s clear is that National, as is their well worn tactic, will do its best to ensure the blame gets shared around”.

Housing should not depend on charity – but this is an emergency

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 8:15 am, May 30th, 2016 - 45 comments

Bravo to Te Puea Marae and their supporters – you are doing what needs to be done – and you are putting the government to shame.

More Panama papers and other dirty money

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 6:38 am, May 30th, 2016 - 143 comments

Both One News and The Herald have pieces this morning highlighting different cases of dirty money being “filtered” through NZ. Panama papers, National donors, SkyCity and more…

Auckland’s housing crisis is just like Christchurch’s except …

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:20 am, May 29th, 2016 - 38 comments

Steven Joyce has claimed that Auckland’s housing crisis is like Christchurch’s. Has Auckland recently had two disastrous earthquakes?

Labour should front-foot tax

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 12:53 pm, May 28th, 2016 - 167 comments

Good advice for Labour from Standard author Simon Louisson, writing on The Spinoff. Labour should front-foot tax!

Screw democracy – Auckland to get the Canterbury treatment

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 7:24 am, May 28th, 2016 - 172 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?

Housing policy omnishambles

Written By: Natwatch - Date published: 2:45 pm, May 27th, 2016 - 19 comments

The Nats will pay you $3000 to move to Auckland and $5000 to leave it. This is what happens when you have no vision, no plan, and no NFI what you’re doing.

Budget 2016 – F for Fail

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 8:15 am, May 27th, 2016 - 31 comments

budget-quote
— Deborah Russell

John Key used to be ambitious about dealing with poverty in New Zealand

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:30 am, May 27th, 2016 - 23 comments

A read of John Key’s state of the nation speech from 2007 suggests that he was really ambitious to do something for the poor in New Zealand. And something weird is happening to his speeches on his website. They are disappearing.