grant robertson
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Nicola Willis’s Debt Higher Than All 6 Years of Ardern Government
Written By: - Date published: 12:31 pm, May 28th, 2025 - 18 comments
Current & planned debt will surpass Labour’s full term debt in less years. Willis also admitted Budget 2024 had a higher deficit than all of Grant Robertson’s bar Covid.
Yeah, Nah, National Don’t Deserve A Second Term
Written By: - Date published: 3:34 pm, March 27th, 2025 - 23 comments
A response to right wing commentator Matthew Hooton.
Ferry sweary
Written By: - Date published: 9:08 am, June 27th, 2024 - 45 comments
The Government is in a rather precarious position relating to the contract to replace the ageing Cook Straight ferries, which clearly need replacing.
Making up for lost time
Written By: - Date published: 8:34 am, May 22nd, 2024 - 39 comments
Guest post by Nigel Haworth where he discusses Labour membership’s desire for taxation reform and why it is important that Labour decides on its position as soon as possible.
Hoatu he tumanako ki a rātou
Written By: - Date published: 10:30 am, March 21st, 2024 - 20 comments
Grant Robertson has given his valedictory speech in Parliament.
What’s Left?
Written By: - Date published: 12:07 pm, February 25th, 2024 - 51 comments
From Election 2023’s result through to February 2024 there has been massive loss and damage to the Parliamentary capacity of Labour and Greens. Who still has the capacity to lead? What’s left?
Go well Grant Robertson
Written By: - Date published: 8:56 am, February 21st, 2024 - 72 comments
Yesterday it was announced that Grant Robertson was leaving politics.
Willis’s budget analysis is either deeply cynical or evidence she does not know what she is talking about
Written By: - Date published: 8:33 am, December 5th, 2023 - 75 comments
Recent claims by Nicola Willis that the Governments Finances are full of fiscal cliffs is evidence either that National will cynically make baseless claims to attack Labour or that Nicola Willis has no idea about what she is talking about and has not been doing her most basic job of reading and comprehending previous budget documents.
Tax or quality public services – which is more important to NZ voters?
Written By: - Date published: 10:31 pm, September 27th, 2023 - 16 comments
Earlier this year Andrew Marr wrote in the New Statesmen, that Britain’s problem was that it wanted Scandinavian levels of Public Services and North American levels of taxation. His view was that Britain was overdue for an honest debate about tax and public spending. In New Zealand, there is a similar challenge.
National’s back of the envelope $715 million tax calculation
Written By: - Date published: 8:58 am, September 25th, 2023 - 39 comments
Nicola Willis has essentially confirmed that the design of National’s foreign purchase of land tax was and remains sufficient to be done on the back of an envelope.
There is no recession in New Zealand
Written By: - Date published: 11:29 am, September 21st, 2023 - 57 comments
The growth figures are up and National operatives will be in despair. Not only did the economy grow considerably faster than anticipated in the last quarter at 0.9% but the previous quarter’s figure has been resolved from -0.1% to 0%.
National is devastated as PREFU is better than expected
Written By: - Date published: 9:17 am, September 13th, 2023 - 26 comments
National has reached new levels of excessive hyperbole in response to the PREFU release which was better than expected.
Labour should not cut spending on climate change
Written By: - Date published: 9:06 am, August 30th, 2023 - 22 comments
At a time when the effects of Climate Change are becoming pronounced now is not the time to cut spending on carbon reduction projects.
How come government doesn’t improve our economy?
Written By: - Date published: 8:24 am, May 21st, 2023 - 41 comments
When we continue to spend our money on stupid stuff, we get a dumb country.
National thinks tax cut good, reduction in Government charges bad
Written By: - Date published: 8:13 am, May 19th, 2023 - 77 comments
National has promised to reverse the removal of prescription charges even though it has a strong policy support and is an example of the state taking less of individuals’ private wealth.
Budget day
Written By: - Date published: 9:55 am, May 18th, 2023 - 49 comments
Today is Budget Day with the proceedings kicking off at 2 pm.
Lonely on the right side of history?
Written By: - Date published: 11:07 am, April 17th, 2023 - 18 comments
Musing after the recent IMF/World Bank meetings, Former White house economist and US Treasury secretary Larry Summers said “it’s looking a bit lonely on the right side of history..as others are increasingly banding together in a whole range of structures.”
But How Do You Pay For It?
Written By: - Date published: 8:39 am, March 5th, 2023 - 27 comments
To pay for recent flood damage Grant Robertson has to decide on what proportion of this will be paid by new debt, what proportion by reallocation of expenditure, and what proportion by special tax levies. Is an Australian style levy under consideration?
The Cabinet Reshuffle
Written By: - Date published: 10:25 am, February 1st, 2023 - 22 comments
Chris Hipkins has announced his cabinet reshuffle and there have been some dramatic changes.
Running on empty
Written By: - Date published: 8:23 am, January 20th, 2023 - 180 comments
Jacinda Ardern has realised that she was not in a position to commit to four more years as Prime Minister and has called it quits. Recent levels of abuse and misogyny shown to her have clearly played their part.
New Zealand is in a terrible state *
Written By: - Date published: 10:55 am, January 6th, 2023 - 116 comments
* or is it?
Are Luxon’s days numbered?
Written By: - Date published: 8:09 am, November 17th, 2022 - 66 comments
Yesterday was a bad day for Chris Luxon. It is increasingly clear that he is not up to the job of being leader of the opposition and National’s senior management must be worried.
Why Is Labour Such a Hard Sell Now?
Written By: - Date published: 7:40 am, November 10th, 2022 - 140 comments
So why is Labour and Ardern struggling when the economy is so strong?
Minister Robertson, UK Pensions, and Risk
Written By: - Date published: 9:44 am, October 15th, 2022 - 19 comments
The political question is whether Kiwis currently losing money on paper can remember this: all investment involves risk and it’s entirely fair for our government to only manage so much of that risk and for the rest to fall on us the investor. Will irrational anxiety beat rational risk in our upcoming politics?
National’s PR support springs into action
Written By: - Date published: 8:19 am, September 2nd, 2022 - 52 comments
Yesterday National’s PR machine also known as Mike Hosking on Newstalk ZB sprang into action to get the message out that National will not negotiate with Destiny Church over support. Even though eight days previously Chris Luxon pointedly did not rule this out.
The Goldilocks budget
Written By: - Date published: 9:25 am, May 20th, 2022 - 24 comments
How was the 2022 budget? Was it the worst since Ruth Richardson’s mother of all budgets or the best since the first Labour Government gave everyone a Christmas bonus in 1935?
Budget Day!
Written By: - Date published: 8:15 am, May 19th, 2022 - 50 comments
Today is budget day. What surprises will Grant Robertson announce to address the country’s many and varied problems. Will Christopher Luxon and Nicola Willis be able to sound like they actually understand what is in the budget? Stay tuned for 2 pm …
What Can Be Saved?
Written By: - Date published: 7:12 am, April 29th, 2022 - 157 comments
The tide of this government is running out. There’s 18 months left in the term. What would you save?
Can This Government Be Saved?
Written By: - Date published: 5:43 pm, March 25th, 2022 - 118 comments
Can Labour win a third term? Here are some pathways up, and some pathways down.
Pick a side
Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, March 17th, 2022 - 351 comments
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelinsky has made a direct appeal broadcast to the United States Congress. That will sort out the Putin supporters from the rest. And with climate change beckoning it is time to pick a side.
Light Rail: The State Is Back
Written By: - Date published: 9:46 am, January 31st, 2022 - 30 comments
The light rail route and mode decision this week shows something new. It’s in the nature of the state itself.
- Fact brief – Did CO2 contribute to early 20th century warming?
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Did CO2 contribute to early 20th century warming? Warming from 1920 to 1940 was influenced by both natural dynamics or “forcings” as well ...58 minutes ago - Australia wins by committing to Horizon Europe
The race for dominance in certain technologies sits at the core of the ever-intensifying competition for strategic advantage, and Australia is part of this dynamic. It will have to remain competitive and avoid becoming a ...2 hours ago - Was MethaneSAT Deliberately Compromised?
New Zealand’s MethaneSAT, launched with fanfare in March 2024 to tackle methane emissions, has become a troubling case study in corporate overreach and government opacity. The satellite’s abrupt failure in June 2025, attributed to a mysterious loss of power, raises serious questions about the role of Blue Canyon Technologies (BCT), ...3 hours ago - This industry should be destroyed, not subsidised
The health insurance industry is parasitic on our public health system, taking people's money, providing them with th easy, cheap stuff, then sending them straight back into the public health system for anything which might cost them money. But not enough people are buying it anymore. So they're doing what ...3 hours ago - Australia must fight for its voice in the Indo-Pacific
The battle for hearts and minds in the Indo-Pacific is being fought not on traditional battlefields, but in the digital realm where truth and falsehood collide at the speed of light. As authoritarian regimes weaponise ...5 hours ago
- Health NZ Caught Faking Wait Times
In a nation that prides itself on fairness and transparency, the National-led coalition’s handling of New Zealand’s health system is nothing short of a scandalous betrayal. Reports emerging from Nelson Hospital suggest Health New Zealand (Te Whatu Ora) may have instructed hospitals to concoct “ghost appointments”, non-existent bookings designed to ...5 hours ago
- What were the Minister and Treasury doing?
Four weeks ago I noted that I was going to be tied up for the following couple of weeks. Between a busy trip to Papua New Guinea, the extremely dubious governance of the Reserve Bank superannuation scheme, various family members coming to stay, and a health relapse all that turned ...5 hours ago - Compensating Criminals & Animal Abusers: A Dystopian Future
ACT already planning to compensate property owners under the RSBACT’s Nicole McKee is obtaining advice on how to compensate bitcoin ATM owners1, under the Regulatory Standards Bill framework, as the government plans to ban crypto ATMs. The Ministerial Advisory Group on Transnational, Serious and Organised Crime noted these ATMs are ...6 hours ago - Tuesday 15 July
The TEU is calling the government’s disestablishment of Te Pūkenga a “disaster for regional New Zealand”. ASMS and NZNO have accused Nelson Hospital of booking patients for appointments that didn’t exist to make their numbers look better. The RMTU says it was not consulted on KiwiRail’s melatonin ban, and the ...7 hours ago - Artificial Intelligence in the Workplace: A Resource for New Zealand Trade Unions
SUMMARY This resource has been developed to support trade union organisers dealing with the introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) in the workplace. It outlines existing laws and organising tools relevant to AI and how collective bargaining can be used to ensure workers benefit from and are not harmed by AI. ...7 hours ago
- South Pacific threats are rising. JORN now needs to look eastwards
Australia’s eastern maritime approaches haven’t got much attention since World War II. Defence policy has tended to look northwards and westwards. So, too, do the three great Jindalee over-the-horizon radars that we have deep inland. ...7 hours ago
- Women, Peace and Security is more than a side quest
Somewhere between the fifth email about rescheduled meetings and the third cup of coffee, another email arrives. It’s about Women, Peace and Security (WPS). A few people skim it. One or two frown: ‘Didn’t we ...10 hours ago
- Look Who’s Back…
Sharp and open, leave me aloneAnd sleeping less every nightAs the days become heavier and weightedWaiting in the cold lightA noise, a scream tears my clothes as the figurines tightenWith spiders inside themAnd dust on the lips of a vision of hellI laughed in the mirror for the first time ...10 hours ago - Manufacturing, services & retail mired in recession
The services sector joined the manufacturing sector in contracting in June,and retail sales have fallen 7.5% in inflation-adjusted terms in the last two years.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāBriefly for all subscribers for at 7 am on Tuesday, July 15, the key scoops, breaking news, deep-dives, editorials, analysis and other ...11 hours ago - Gordon Campbell On Ducking The Costs Of Climate Change
Looking for consistency in all things is said to be the hallmark of a small mind. Duly noted, but the Luxon government’s stance on climate change does seem strikingly inconsistent. For starters, New Zealand claims to still be committed to the emissions targets contained in the Paris Accords, but the ...16 hours ago - Update on Texas flooding
This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler My heart is breaking for the tragedy that’s unfolding in central Texas right now. At present, more than 70 people have died in the flooding in the Texas Hill Country. Given the widespread interest in this event and numerous requests ...24 hours ago
- Cost of Defence’s roadmap for spending 3 percent of GDP on defence
The current debate on Defence funding, sparked by our 29 May report The Cost of Defence: ASPI Defence budget brief 2025–2026, and a subsequent US request for Australia to spend more, has swung between a ...1 day ago
- Chain gang
This is really nice. Three hundred people in Melbourne formed a human chain in the rain to help a bookshop move house.Hill of Content has been selling books on Bourke Street for more than a century. When it came time to relocate, they asked their community: Would you possibly be ...1 day ago - In the fight against drugs, Australia should follow the money
Australia is losing the fight to disrupt illicit drug supply chains, not for lack of effort, but because we need additional weapons and new approaches. Despite record-breaking seizures and sophisticated policing, national wastewater data tells ...1 day ago
- Bookshelf: Taiwan’s journey to geopolitical hotspot
The US administration is still formulating its Indo-Pacific policy, but recent indications suggest that it will take a tough stance on Taiwan. At the Shangri-La Dialogue, held in Singapore from 30 May to 1 June, ...1 day ago
- A step towards freedom in Kanaky
Last year, New Caledonia burned after colonial France attempted to renege on a hard-won decolonisation deal and unilaterally impose constitutional changes without the consent of Kanaks. But now, after months of negotiations, France has finally consented to a further devolution of power, making Kanaky a state within France: One ...1 day ago
- The Moral Abyss of Concentration Camps
The concept of detention centres and concentration camps is a grim spectre in human history, a mechanism of dehumanisation and control that has no place in a civilised world. These camps, defined as large-scale detention sites where civilians are imprisoned without due process based on ethnicity, religion, or political beliefs, ...1 day ago
- Black Nykövä: Accepted
New story acceptance! My 1,000-word dark fantasy piece, Black Nykövä, has been accepted by Exquisite Death for their November issue (https://www.exquisitedeathezine.com/fiction.html)
This one has the distinction of being my first published fiction set ... 1 day ago - Luxon, back from a week’s holiday, comes back swinging
It’s hard not to see the contradictions in National Party policies and statements.Last week on Q&A with Jack Tame, Paul Goldsmith - the Minister who wants Te Reo Māori gone - told Maiki Sherman that National was getting tougher on crime by for example, fining shoplifters of up to $1000 ...1 day ago - Shane Jones’ Sky News Lies
In a cringe-worthy spectacle, Shane Jones, New Zealand First’s shameless spruiker for the oil and gas industry, slithered onto Sky News Australia on Friday, peddling lies so brazen that they would have collapsed under even a whiff of scrutiny.By blaming renewable energy like solar and wind for New Zealand’s exorbitant ...1 day ago
- India, Australia collaborate on critical minerals for renewable energy and climate action
India and Australia are reinforcing their partnership on critical minerals to secure supply chains and enable the global transition to clean energy. This strategic collaboration recognises that lithium, cobalt, rare earth elements and similar resources ...1 day ago
- Women Rise Up: 2025 Women’s Council Conference
On July 4 and 5, NZCTU Women’s Council welcomed over 120 wāhine toa at the biennial Women’s Conference “Women Rise Up” at the Lower Hutt Event Centre. The programme was designed around “anger, hope, action.” We wanted members to leave feeling connected, well-equipped and confident to organise and use ...1 day ago
- Monday 14 July
More than 36,000 Te Whatu Ora nurses, midwives, health care assistants and kaimahi hauora have voted to strike for 24 hours of what they say is a failure by Health NZ to address their safe staffing concerns. Erica Stanford has unveiled a plan to double the economic benefits brought into ...1 day ago
- A studiously ignored problem: force projected from Australia must go through Indonesia
While the United States spends billions on military infrastructure from Guam to Darwin, one crucial enabler of Indo-Pacific deterrence remains noticeably underdeveloped: rights to pass through Indonesia. The sea and air space of the archipelago ...1 day ago
- Rolling Stone Gets Hoaxed about a Hoax
Hi,Last week legendary music magazine Rolling Stone, home to some quite amazing journalism over the years, blasted an exclusive story:If you just woke up from a decade long coma, that headline would make very little sense. If you missed it, last month a band called “Velvet Sundown” appeared on Spotify, ...2 days ago - Slash blamed in climate change-free flash-flood coverage
Briefly for all subscribers for at 6am on Monday, July 14, the key scoops, breaking news, deep-dives, editorials, analysis and other news links in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate today are:Another slash catastrophe unfolded over the weekend in the Nelson/Marlborough/Tasman region as the second ‘one-in-one-hundred-year’ flash flood ...2 days ago - David Seymour Can’t Handle the United Nations Jandal
David Seymour, who is unfortunately the current Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand, despite only receiving 8% of the party vote, is having another whinge about people disagreeing with him. This time it's the UN’s Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Albert K. Barume, who recently issued a ...2 days ago
- 2025 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #28
A listing of 29 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 6, 2025 thru Sat, July 12, 2025. Stories we promoted this week, by category: Climate Change Impacts (6 articles) DeBriefed 4 July 2025: Trump `megabill` guts clean ...2 days ago
- The Malign and Indifferent Goeteia of Faerie: Tolkien and AI
Redoubtable YouTuber GirlNextGondor has put out a detailed look at how Tolkien might have viewed contemporary AI. It’s well worth watching: GirlNextGondor, to her credit, looks beyond the standard notion that Tolkien’s knee-jerk response would have been abject horror, and engages with the question through ...2 days ago - Managed Retreat gets Mentioned in the News
The Nelson Tasman region, battered by relentless storms, stands as a stark reminder of New Zealand’s vulnerability to climate-driven disasters. The floods of June and July 2025, which inundated homes, crippled infrastructure, and forced evacuations in areas like Tapawera and Motueka Valley, have exposed the government’s woeful inaction on flood ...2 days ago
- Statesmanship
In our democracy, former leaders usually fade into the background after they lose power. Occasionally, they might pop up when compelled to by what they see happening, offering the benefit of their years. Usually, this occurs after a couple of changes in government, when they’re no longer closely associated with ...2 days ago - What if there’d been no vaccine?
It was pretty damn impressive how swiftly they managed to produce a vaccine for COVID. Not soon enough to save all those lives in New York and London and Milan, but enough to get back comparatively soon to something like normal.Feels a bit comical now to recall how fondly some ...3 days ago - DOGE is Legally Liable for Texas Drownings
In a world increasingly battered by the ferocity of climate-driven storms, the catastrophic Texas floods of July 2025 stand as a grim testament to governmental negligence. The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), under the previous stewardship of Elon Musk and propelled by Donald Trump’s administration, slashed funding and staffing to critical ...3 days ago
- Since Australia hosts US facilities, we need a joint war plan
Australia hosts several joint Australian-American facilities and provides the US with privileged access to a range of functions that are performed at Australian facilities. As a consequence, Australia is deeply integrated into US strategies of ...3 days ago
- Could NZ First vs ACT blow up the coalition over the Regulatory Standards Bill?
Briefly for paying subscribers at 7am on Saturday, July 12, the key scoops, breaking news, deep-dives, editorials, analysis and other news links in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate today are:Tension is mounting in Cabinet between ACT and NZ First over the Regulatory Standards Bill, with Winston Peters ...3 days ago - Is Progress Progressive?
We should not assume that all adopted innovations are progressive. Jonathon Haidt’s ‘The Anxious Generation’ illustrates that sometimes they require social measures to enhance well being.The Anxious Generation is a book which probably everyone engaging with adolescents should read. Haidt’s thesis is that smartphones replacing flip phones led to a ...4 days ago - National security isn’t what it used to be—and that’s the point
All prime ministers and presidents frequently tell us that national security is the top priority for government, but does the public see it the same way. And does that matter? When people think of national ...4 days ago
- No one told us life was gonna be this way
1. What has been named 2025 NZ Tree of the Year?a. Tane Mahutab. The Chook Treec. Steven Adamsd. The Bucket Fountain2. The botanical name for macrocarpa, Hesperocyparis macrocarpa, means: a. Large-fruited western cypressb. Tree most likely to crush your shedc. Will not lay eggs no matter how much you trim ...4 days ago - ASPI Defence Conference: Industry, policy and national resilience
Concerns about the strength of Australia’s defence industrial base were central to the industry policy panel at ASPI’s 2025 Defence Conference. The defence industrial base—a network of domestic and foreign industries, companies, research institutions and ...4 days ago
- Elon Musk’s Anti-Woke Grok AI Backfires
In the ever-evolving landscape of artificial intelligence, Elon Musk’s Grok, developed by xAI, has sparked heated debate. It’s not for its promised “truth-seeking” prowess but for its alarming descent into extremism. Designed to counter what Musk perceived as the “woke” leanings of other AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Grok’s recent updates ...4 days ago
- Ray Chung – Arsehole of the Week
In the murky world of local politics, few things reek as badly as Wellington mayoral candidate Ray Chung’s despicable conduct. His smearing email, circulated to fellow councillors in early 2023, peddling baseless and salacious gossip about Mayor Tory Whanau, is not just a personal attack, it’s a grotesque abuse of ...4 days ago
- Collateral benefit: space launch centre’s sensors will plug Cape York gap
Australia’s northern approaches are increasingly contested, yet the airspace over Cape York remains under-monitored and operationally thin. But only for the moment. Civilian sensors will close the gap. My company, Space Centre Australia, has begun ...4 days ago
- For smuggled drones, China wouldn’t be as soft a target as Russia
Ukraine did it. Israel did it. Could Taiwan do it? If China attacks Taiwan, could the island unleash smuggled drones on Chinese territory against high-value targets? Maybe, but China has long been aware of the ...4 days ago
- Economic Bulletin June July 2025
We have two feature articles in this edition. In the first, Morgan James-Tresidder, the new pay equity lead at the NZCTU, sets out why pay equity is such a critical tool for advancing working women’s interests, and outlines how unions are fighting back against the government’s retrograde changes to the ...4 days ago
- Bernard Hickey, Peter Bale, Cathrine Dyer, Jonathan Boston & Wolfgang Rack ‘Hoon’ around the...
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts and talking with regular guest about the week’s news in geopolitics and climate, along with special guests Professor Jonathan Boston from Victoria University of Wellington and Professor Wolfgang Rack from University ...4 days ago
- Friday 11 July
NZ Post is being told to start over on its consultation process for a proposed business reorganisation after the ERA found it failed to meet its obligations to union members. Southland Hospital staff have taken industrial action for the third time since February over safety concerns. More people moved away ...4 days ago
- Wednesday 10 July
Foodstuffs has confirmed 180 roles at Victoria Park’s New World supermarket will be disestablished after a fire three weeks ago – Workers First have negotiated an extended redundancy period in support of the workers. Residential rents are falling in most parts of the country with Wellington leading the way down. ...4 days ago
- Brickbats
The past is always knocking incessantTrying to break through into the presentWe have to work to keep it outBut I won't be the first to SHOUT it's overSong: Billy Bragg.BrickbatnounA piece of brick used as a missile."he had received a blow with a brickbat"A critical remark or comment."The plaudits were ...4 days ago - 2018 offences should be retained in a new age of espionage
Australia’s 2018 espionage laws are instrumental to defending against espionage, foreign interference, sabotage and theft of trade secrets. A current review of them by Independent National Security Legislation Monitor’s (INSLM) should recommend their retention and ...4 days ago
- Young workers leaving in their droves
Briefly for paying subscribers at 6.30am on Friday, July 11, the key scoops, breaking news, deep-dives, Op-Eds, analysis and other news links in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate are:Net migration to Australia hit a 12-year high in 2024 and overall net migration in the last two months ...4 days ago - David Seymour Dodges Truth on Mass Kiwi Exodus
New Zealand is bleeding talent, and the National-led government’s ineptitude is squarely to blame. A record 70,000 Kiwis fled our shores in the year to March 2025, with Australia’s brighter economic prospects luring two-thirds of them across the Tasman. The 18-30 age group, particularly young professionals and high-performing students, is ...4 days ago
- Christian Nightmares
Hi,Ever since Donald Trump was elected, and then lost, and was then elected again, I’ve finally come to accept that terrible shit just keeps coming back around.Annoyingly, my work here on Webworm reminds me of this all the time.Back in 2022, I proudly published that the leaders of New Zealand’s ...5 days ago - National gets a warning from its friends
Some of the National Party’s key stakeholders came to Parliament yesterday and ripped into one of the Government’s showpiece Bills. Underlying the criticism of the Bill, which would establish the industry training bodies to replace Labour’s loss-making Polytech body, Te Pūkenga, was a familiar theme. There was too much direction ...5 days ago - Skeptical Science New Research for Week #28 2025
Open access notables Americans and policymakers underestimate endorsement for the most popular climate solution narrative, combining personal and political action, Sparkman et al., Communications Earth & Environment A wide variety of existing narratives describe how we might address climate change. Which of these approaches is popular among the American public? ...5 days ago
- Trump’s tariff war risks undermining US alliances in East Asia
New York Times columnist David Brooks once remarked that Donald Trump is the wrong answer to the right questions—a sentiment that captures the core challenge facing US policy in East Asia. Trump correctly identified the ...5 days ago
- Dealing to the evidence
Rob Campbell recently wrote a piece for Newsroom entitled “Government continues its blunt refusal to acquire knowledge”.He quoted Karl Popper: “true ignorance is not the absence of knowledge but the refusal to acquire it.”He then quoted the PM on bootcamps “I don’t care what you say about whether it does ...5 days ago - Australia’s freedom-of-navigation activities raise more questions than answers
A freedom-of-navigation activity that the Australian and British navies jointly conducted near the Spratly Islands last month was notable. It was the first they’d done together, following a joint Australia and New Zealand transit of ...5 days ago
- “Can you have a peaceful revolution?”
“Trump’s win was the triumph of capitalism and neoliberalism, and he’s going to wreak havoc. There’s nothing we can do about that, except maybe incremental changes. That’s not what we need. We need revolution. Can you have a peaceful revolution? I don’t know.”David SuzukiWell, David Suzuki has called it, and ...5 days ago - Gas is still dead
The National regime, with its outdated fossil thinking, is desperately trying to revive the fossil fuel industry. Meanwhile, that industry seems to be voting with its feet: one of my regular checks of the gas permit map, and comparison with the permit spreadsheet, shows that OMV has surrendered another two ...5 days ago
- India’s water treaty power play signals regional shift
As India renegotiates the Ganges Water Treaty with Bangladesh following the suspension of the Indus Water Treaty, it is adopting a new posture in its water diplomacy. India appears to be charting a China-like path ...5 days ago
- The Dust of Israel’s Genocide Settles Across the World
In the annals of human cruelty, the Holocaust stands as a grotesque monument to industrialised slaughter. Hitler’s regime exterminated six million Jews, alongside Romani people, disabled individuals, political dissidents, LGBTQ+ communities, and intellectuals, a genocide shrouded in secrecy, its full horrors only grasped after the German's were defeated.Fast forward to ...5 days ago
- Wednesday 9 July
CTU president Richard Wagstaff warned the “light touch” approach in the Government’s new AI strategy would do nothing to protect workers from the serious risks from AI. Lawyers representing unions have urged the Supreme Court to uphold a landmark Court of Appeal ruling that a group of Uber drivers were ...5 days ago
- Good enough to win: rethinking risk in innovation
Innovation policy is often built around optimism. But in a world of live contest across the economy, the environment and the broader geostrategic landscape, progress cannot afford to wait for perfection. The scale of technology ...5 days ago
- Of Story Salvaging, Magazine Demise, and a Thousand Posts (+ Accursed AI)
This marks A Phuulish Fellow’s thousandth blog post. I was rather hoping that this milestone would coincide with the tenth anniversary in November 2025, but it was not to be. A thousand posts, spread over nearly a decade, is obviously a fair number, and the sheer number of post-categories on ...5 days ago - Rainbow Warriors
Where the Banshees cryAnd the bells they soundWhen you lift me highWhen you pull me downWhen you pull me downWhen you pull me downSongwriter: Donald Bain Mcglashan.Forty years ago today, the French government committed a terrorist action, an unprovoked act of war on our nation, for the crime of peaceful ...5 days ago - A criminal nation
The European Court of Human Rights has found Russia guilty of horrific human rights violations during its unlawful invasions of Ukraine: Russia has committed flagrant and unprecedented abuses of human rights since it invaded Ukraine in 2014, including extrajudicial killings, sexual violence and forced labour, the European court of ...5 days ago
- Winning on economics means losing on national security
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese needs to make a formal statement to the Australian Parliament addressing Australia’s place in a changing world and unambiguously asking the Australian public to pay a price to defend the nation’s ...5 days ago
- Trump just gave a huge gift to China’s economy
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections On the Fourth of July – America’s 249th birthday – President Donald Trump signed into law a bill that could very well cede the country’s position as the leading global economic superpower to China. As the nonpartisan energy think tank RMI has argued, the ...5 days ago
- Kāinga Ora selling Wellington land it once planned to build 320 homes on
Briefly for paying subscribers at 7am on Wednesday, July 91, the key scoops, breaking news, deep-dives, Op-Eds, analysis and other news links in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate are:Kāinga Ora is selling two plots of land in Wellington it once planned to put 320 homes on, and ...5 days ago - Gordon Campbell On Why The Regulatory Standards Bill Is A Hot Mess
When the politician pushing a controversial piece of legislation starts accusing his critics of “derangement syndrome” – as David Seymour has done this week – then any chance of a rational debate on the Regulatory Standards Bill has gone out the window. Seymour’s tantrum confirms the fears held by constitutional ...6 days ago
- Minister must back regional vocational education with real support
The Government’s move to re-establish ten polytechnics fails to ensure the thriving, future-focussed vocational education sector Aotearoa deserves. ...10 hours ago - Submissions show overwhelming opposition to RSB
The Green Party is calling on Cabinet to stop the Regulatory Standards Bill, after only 19 of a total 208 submissions heard over the course of last week’s submissions process supported the Bill. ...1 day ago
- An update on Winston’s War on Woke & June wrap up
New Zealand First continues to bring balance, experience, and commonsense to Government. During the month of June, we made progress on many of our promises to New Zealand. An update on Winston's War on Woke ...4 days ago - Green Party won’t contest Tāmaki Makaurau by-election
After careful consideration, the Green Party will not stand a candidate in the upcoming Tāmaki Makaurau by-election. ...4 days ago
- Te Pāti Māori Announces Award-Winning Broadcaster Oriini Kaipara to Contest Tāmaki Makaurau By-El...
Te Pāti Māori have confirmed the selection of celebrated broadcaster and longtime West Auckland advocate Oriini Kaipara (Ngāi Tūhoe, Ngāti Awa, Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Rangitihi) as its candidate for the Tāmaki Makaurau by-election. Oriini’s deep whakapapa to Tāmaki Makaurau is grounded in her upbringing at Hoani Waititi Marae, where she was ...5 days ago
- OPED – Mark Patterson: “Do something about the bloody trees”
“Do something about the bloody trees” would be the most common refrain I hear around Clutha and when travelling about rural New Zealand. Forestry has been, and is, a legitimate land use option for farmers and forestry companies. Always has been, always will. Sensible farmers have incorporated planting out of ...5 days ago
- OPED – Jenny Marcroft: Supporting our oyster farmers
Most of us who live in the Mahurangi region are well aware of the ongoing challenges faced by oyster farmers because of multiple significant sewage spills into Mahurangi Harbour. Watercare’s sewerage network in Warkworth is infiltrated with stormwater following rainfall, resulting in overflows into the Mahurangi River and the wider ...6 days ago
- NZ First Introduces Bill to Protect New Zealanders’ Ability to Use Cash
New Zealand First has today introduced a Member’s Bill that would protect New Zealanders’ ability to use cash. The Bill will provide for the enduring use of cash as a private, accessible, and reliable method of payment. “People who rely on cash due to barriers to digital banking deserve ...1 week ago
- New study shows speed of Antarctic ice melt, Govt fans climate flames
As the Government pulls out of global climate commitments, a significant new report shows that sea ice around Antarctica is melting at unprecedented speed. ...1 week ago
- Family Boost announcement does little to boost families
Today’s announcement on the Family Boost scheme is little more than tinkering around the edges while real issues in the ECE system are ignored, says the Green Party. ...1 week ago
- Serious Response to Serious Problems
As New Zealand has positively responded to the crack down on gang patches there has been a growing recognition of the influence of organized crime on our communities. New Zealand First continues to be focused on all aspects that undermine the safety and security in our neighbourhoods, businesses, and ...2 weeks ago
- NZ First Bill: Only Official New Zealand Flag to Fly on Government Buildings
New Zealand First has today introduced a member's bill which would make it law that government buildings can only display the official flag of New Zealand. “Government buildings are for all New Zealanders and should not be hijacked to force cultural, woke, or divisive political ideology down the throats of ...2 weeks ago
- Healthy Homes standards need more teeth
With mandatory Healthy Homes standards coming into effect for all tenancies tomorrow, the Green Party is calling for a new Rental Warrant of Fitness system to give the new standards true effect. ...2 weeks ago
- Green Party pays tribute to Takutai Tarsh Kemp
The Green Party has paid tribute to Te Pāti Māori MP Takutai Tarsh Kemp who sadly passed away early this morning. ...3 weeks ago
- Government Sabotages Settlement: Te Pāti Māori Backs Te Whānau-Ā-Apanui
Te Pāti Māori stands in solidarity with Te Whānau-ā-Apanui after revelations the Government is looking to derail their almost completed Treaty settlement. Minister Goldsmith has stated that the Government will not budge on its position that the Crown is sovereign. They are seeking to remove the ‘sovereignty clause’ agreed to ...3 weeks ago
- Minister defends Te Pūkenga breakup, saying rural education will not suffer
Vocational Education Minister Penny Simmonds unveiled the polytechnics that would emerge from breaking up Te Pūkenga on Monday. ...1 hour ago - UN letter fallout: ‘Experience is important in this business’, says Peters
The foreign affairs minister has suggested his coalition partners were wrong to publicly criticise the letter before he officially responded to it. ...2 hours ago
- After a hopeful start, Labor’s affordable housing fund is proving problematic
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katrina Raynor, Director of the Centre for Equitable Housing, Per Capita and Research Associate, The University of Melbourne When the Albanese government announced the A$10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund in 2023, the news reverberated through the housing sector. A new ...3 hours ago - The southern hemisphere is full of birds found nowhere else on Earth. Their importance has been over...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Matthias Dehling, Researcher, School of Biological Sciences, Monash University Matthias Dehling The snow petrel, a strikingly white bird with black eyes and a black bill, is one of only three bird species ever observed at the South Pole. In fact, the ...3 hours ago
- Ray Chung gets a woman to apologise for him
‘Accountability really matters,’ said the woman Ray Chung found to take accountability on his behalf. It was standing room only at the Miramar Community Centre on Monday night for the 14th edition of the Zero Rates Roadshow, the campaign event for mayoral candidate Ray Chung and his politicial-party-that-insists-it-isn’t-a-political-party Independent Together. ...3 hours ago - ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for July 15, 2025
ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on July 15, 2025. A warning from the future: the risk if NZ gets climate adaptation policy wrong todaySource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tom Logan, Senior Lecturer Above the Bar, Civil and Natural Resources Engineering, ...3 hours ago
- Supermarkets seem impervious to bad headlines and court fines
Opinion: If you have the impression the big supermarket chains have been facing a lot of court cases over allegations of abusing competition, heavying suppliers or exploiting customers, then you’re not wrong. The Commerce Commission reveals it will be filing civil proceedings against Foodstuffs North Island and its wholesale arm, Gilmours, for alleged cartel conduct. ...4 hours ago - The new Whittaker’s Banana Caramel block, reviewed
After another ‘discovered before announcement’ launch, Whittaker’s new Banana Caramel block is now on sale. A bunch of people deliver their verdicts. When combined, “gooey” and “banana” are two words that should logically equal “yuck”, and yet… the filling in this new choc offering is pretty yum. Whittaker’s knows how ...4 hours ago
- Auckland’s problems a ‘hangover’ from Labour, Christopher Luxon says
A report says Auckland is at risk of losing its status as a "global city". ...4 hours ago
- A warning from the future: the risk if NZ gets climate adaptation policy wrong today
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tom Logan, Senior Lecturer Above the Bar, Civil and Natural Resources Engineering, University of Canterbury Getty Images New Zealand 2050: On the morning of February 27, the sea surged through the dunes south of the small town of Te Taone, riding ...5 hours ago
- ABC’s and CBS’s settlements with Trump are a dangerous step toward the commander in chief becomi...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael J. Socolow, Professor of Communication and Journalism, University of Maine Will settlements by news companies with President Donald Trump turn journalists into puppets? MARHARYTA MARKO/iStock Getty Images Plus It was a surrender widely foreseen. For months, rumors abounded that Paramount would ...5 hours ago
- Is there any hope for the internet?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Aarushi Bhandari, Assistant Professor of Sociology, Davidson College Hate and mental illness fester online because love and healing seem to be incompatible with profits. Ihor Lukianenko/iStock via Getty Images In 2001, social theorist bell hooks warned about the dangers of a loveless ...5 hours ago
- Christopher Luxon tells off David Seymour over letter to United Nations
"I've just made it clear that I expect Winston Peters to be the person that engages with the UN," the prime minister told reporters. ...5 hours ago
- Cannabis cake taken to shared lunch at Hawke’s Bay Hospital
Health Minister Simeon Brown police are investigating. ...6 hours ago
- Nicola Willis is encouraged Commerce Commission has taken Foodstuffs North Island to court
The finance minister says it is important the Commerce Commission uses its prosecution powers when evidence is brought to it. ...6 hours ago
- Hung parliament still likely outcome of Tasmanian election, with Liberals well ahead of Labor in new...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne A new Tasmanian DemosAU poll gives the Liberals a 34.9–24.7 statewide vote lead over Labor, implying the Liberals will win the most ...6 hours ago
- Luxon and Peters to miss Cook Islands’ 60th Constitution Day celebrations
By Caleb Fotheringham, RNZ Pacific journalist New Zealand will not send top government representation to the Cook Islands for its 60th Constitution Day celebrations in three weeks’ time. Instead, Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro will represent Aotearoa in Rarotonga. On August 4, Cook Islands will mark 60 years of self-governance in ...6 hours ago
- Why Tāmaki Makaurau needs an urban Māori leader
With a byelection set for September 6, and Peeni Henare, Oriini Kaipara and Hannah Tamaki confirmed in the race, Tāmaki Makaurau needs a leader who understands what it means to be urban, disconnected and diasporic, argues Te Rina Ruka-Triponel. I’ve spent most of my life in Tāmaki Makaurau. I’ve lived ...6 hours ago
- Keith Rankin Analysis – Reporting International Migration: Less than the Truth
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Keith Rankin, trained as an economic historian, is a retired lecturer in Economics and Statistics. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand. Yesterday I listened to RNZ’s political commentators. The principal topic was an aspect of the recently released May 2025 international migration. Kathryn Ryan starts by ...6 hours ago
- Whanganui mayor’s advice after achieving lowest rates rise in New Zealand
Whanganui's average rates increase of 2.2 percent is the lowest in the country. ...7 hours ago
- Weird men are driving people out of politics
Their smear campaigns are ham-fisted and grotesque. They’re also working. Ray Chung seemed more annoyed than apologetic in what he’d billed as his “unequivocal apology” to Wellington mayor Tory Whanau. The Independent Together mayoral candidate said he regretted sending a florid email full of false rumours about the sitting mayor’s ...7 hours ago
- Local Government Amendment Bill introduced to remove council wellbeing provisions
Requirements on councils to prioritise core services will also be imposed. ...8 hours ago
- National, Labour agree changes needed for weather-event buyouts
Both parties want a bipartisan answer for how to deal with buyouts after future weather events. ...8 hours ago
- Antisemitism plan fails on a number of fronts – a contentious definition of hate is just the start
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Louise Chappell, Scientia Professor, UNSW Sydney The antisemitism strategy presented to the Albanese government has attracted considerable – and wholly justifed – criticism. Produced by Jillian Segal, the special envoy to combat antisemitism, the blueprint falls short in a range of areas ...9 hours ago
- Do I have prostate cancer? Why a simple PSA blood test alone won’t give you the answer
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kevin M. Koo, NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow, The University of Queensland Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in Australia, with about 26,000 men diagnosed per year. The majority (more than 85%) are aged over 60. Prostate cancer kills around 3,900 Australians ...9 hours ago
- Many fish are social, but pesticides are pushing them apart
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kyle Morrison, PhD Candidate in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, UNSW Sydney Kazakov Maksim, Shutterstock Scientists have detected pesticides in rivers, lakes and oceans worldwide. So what are these pesticides doing to the fish? Long before pesticides reach lethal doses, they can ...9 hours ago
- The cost of being: An independent contractor who just left their full-time salaried job
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, an arts and NGO contractor details their expenses. Want to be part of The Cost of Being? Fill out the questionnaire here. Gender: Female. Age: 30. Ethnicity: Pākehā. Role: Independent contractor in the arts and NGO ...9 hours ago
- Shotgun and meth found during search of car
Two officers patrolling in Northcote stopped a BMW on Ocean View Road and found a gun in the driver's footwell, police said. ...10 hours ago
- Almost half of young workers expected to work unpaid overtime, while a quarter aren’t paid compuls...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Howe, Associate Dean (Research), Melbourne Law School, The University of Melbourne Anna Kraynova/Shutterstock A young person gets a job, excited to earn their first paycheck. Over time, they realise the hours are long and the payslips small. They are told ...10 hours ago
- Will 2026 be the year that Auckland gets its mojo back?
A new international report paints a bleak picture of Auckland in 2025. But with major infrastructure projects finally nearing completion, there’s hope the city might yet reclaim its spark, writes Catherine McGregor in today’s extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. Have Aucklanders ...11 hours ago
- The Fold: How Auckland FC aced (almost) everything – including its media strategy
Auckland FC CEO Nick Becker joins The Fold to talk the secrets behind the club’s successful first season. Nick Becker is an Aucklander who spent 15 years in the UK, much of it in key roles with huge EPL teams Arsenal and Manchester City, before a spell in Melbourne. ...13 hours ago
- Auckland’s annual report card is out again – and its grades have barely budged
The 2025 State of the City report shows marginal improvements more than cancelled out by some big drops. So what can be done to turn around the persistent malaise that grips the supercity? Mid-July is a tough time to be in Auckland. In summer the sea all around is calling ...13 hours ago
- The cost of living crisis is over – this is just our reality now
New Zealanders are participating in mass delusion by insisting we are still in a ‘crisis’, argues a nihilistic Mad Chapman. Imagine you don’t smoke. You tell everyone you don’t smoke, and it’s true. Then one night you drink a few too many beers at a party and find yourself smoking ...13 hours ago
- Newsroom daily quiz, Tuesday 15 July
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question? Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Tuesday 15 July appeared first on Newsroom. ...13 hours ago
- How to solve an empire state of mind
Opinion: It took a year and 45 days to build the Empire State Building – less time than it can take to get planning permission to build a supermarket in NZ The post How to solve an empire state of mind appeared first on Newsroom. ...13 hours ago
- Land of the long white saviour fiction
William Delisle Hay is despicable. He travelled to and lived in New Zealand in the 1870s as part of the larger 19th-century British imperial project, and his 1880 novella, The Doom of the Great City, imagines the land as a site primed for imperial conquest and repopulation. He posits the ...13 hours ago
- RNZ reviving a national news wire as it aims to be journalism’s cornerstone
MediaRoom column: Public broadcaster RNZ plans to launch a national news and content ‘wire’ service this year, bringing together at least 30 other media partners. The wire – which would be the country’s first substantive news sharing-system since the NZ Press Association was closed in 2011 – is in the ...13 hours ago
- Scrapping census could compromise infrastructure planning
Reduced data quality expected to be felt from counting homelessness to infrastructure planning The post Scrapping census could compromise infrastructure planning appeared first on Newsroom. ...13 hours ago
- Rough times for a classic NZ fish
The country’s deep-sea darling, the orange roughy, is once again at the centre of controversy. Once hailed as the “white gold” of our oceans, this elusive, slow-growing fish is fast becoming a symbol of what happens when demand outweighs caution. It’s led to our largest orange roughy fishery, accounting for ...13 hours ago
- Anne Salmond: Freedom, for whom?
The debate over the Regulatory Standards Bill has been illuminating. New Zealanders have learned a great deal about how our society is being run at present, by whom and for whom. In this bill, a small libertarian minority is attempting to use the law of the land, past and present, ...13 hours ago
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