todd muller
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The inside story of National’s civil war
Written By: - Date published: 12:24 pm, July 25th, 2022 - 16 comments
Andrea Vance’s book Blood Bath provides an insider’s view of the carnage that erupted in the National Party from 2017 to 2021. And while things have calmed down under Christopher Luxon’s his weaknesses, including his glossing over the importance of policy detail and his tendency to bag businesses has been noted.
National’s politicisation of Covid over the past two years
Written By: - Date published: 9:07 am, March 21st, 2022 - 34 comments
A slightly deeper review of National’s response to the Covid epidemic over the past two years. The overwhelming impression is that they have always complained about supposed Government incompetence in handling the pandemic and have always argued for the loosening of restrictions no matter how justifiable.
National’s advice to the poor – you are on your own
Written By: - Date published: 8:11 am, March 13th, 2022 - 125 comments
To help the poorest amongst us during the current times of International hyper inflation National has come up with a list of tips to help them. But no money.
National’s caucus reshuffle
Written By: - Date published: 7:49 am, December 7th, 2021 - 140 comments
The deckchairs have been reshuffled. And Chris Luxon is confident that reorganising the pecking order of a deeply dysfunctional caucus will make all the difference.
National’s new leader is …
Written By: - Date published: 2:06 pm, November 30th, 2021 - 291 comments
Chris Luxon is set to be the next leader of the National Party.
Stick a fork in them, they’re done
Written By: - Date published: 7:58 am, June 25th, 2021 - 84 comments
The details of a particularly brutal National Party caucus meeting that resulted in Todd Muller announced his pending retirement from Parliament have been leaked in detail to the Herald’s Claire Trevett.
Todd’s going … who is next?
Written By: - Date published: 7:31 am, June 24th, 2021 - 67 comments
Yesterday National suffered further damage to its ranks when Harete Hipango was outed as the MP with Parliamentary Services resources issues and Todd Muller announced that he will stand down as an MP at the end of this term nominally so that he can eventually spend more time with his family.
Latest Colmar Brunton poll – people disapprove of Judith
Written By: - Date published: 7:35 am, May 28th, 2021 - 44 comments
In the latest Colmar Brunton poll although National’s result and Judith Collins’ result as preferred Prime Minister went up slightly her approval rating for her job performance has plunged deep into negative figures.
National announces terms of reference for its election campaign review
Written By: - Date published: 7:45 am, November 24th, 2020 - 62 comments
National wants to work out what went wrong during the last election.
National’s 2020 election campaign in billboards
Written By: - Date published: 4:51 pm, October 11th, 2020 - 24 comments
A review of National’s billboards used this year shows what an utter disaster the campaign has been for them.
National’s many and varied Covid border policies
Written By: - Date published: 7:31 am, September 24th, 2020 - 12 comments
On Tuesday National announced the fifth variation of its Covid border policy this year.
Mea culpa
Written By: - Date published: 12:48 pm, August 2nd, 2020 - 33 comments
Back in 2017 I was upset, we had a leadership vote only in caucus – just before the election. I didn’t realise at the time that Andrew Little was actually stepping down in favour of Jacinda Ardern. She’d had the potential, but I hadn’t realised that Little thought she was up for the task. I’m delighted with the result. Thank you Andrew.
If Judith and Gerry are the answer it must have been a desperate question
Written By: - Date published: 7:55 am, July 15th, 2020 - 189 comments
In a great leap backwards Judith Collins and Gerry Brownlee are now leaders of the National Party.
Muller goes, bring back Simon?
Written By: - Date published: 8:15 am, July 14th, 2020 - 181 comments
In breaking news Todd Muller has resigned for “health reasons”, effective immediately.
Time to bring back Simon?
Updated with some breaking links.
Of course it’s dirty politics
Written By: - Date published: 10:01 am, July 13th, 2020 - 39 comments
National’s latest attempted spin is to try and suggest that last week’s clusterfuck of rolling events did not involve in any way the slightest trace of dirty politics. How wrong they are.
Everybody gets a road
Written By: - Date published: 8:57 am, July 10th, 2020 - 13 comments
National has made two major roading project announcements in the past week. Both announcements recycled announcements that were also made before the last election.
Walkergate: MP Quits
Written By: - Date published: 1:49 pm, July 8th, 2020 - 65 comments
Privacy breaching MP Hamish Walker has announced he will step down at the next election. But who else should go?
Update: Muller tries to divert attention by announcing that National still want a 4 lane highway from Chch to Ashburton. Problem solved!
Trashing the country’s Covid response for political advantage
Written By: - Date published: 8:39 am, July 8th, 2020 - 126 comments
As details emerge about Hamish Walker’s leaking of confidential information of Covid sufferers for political advantage, questions are being asked about Todd Muller’s leadership and if National is actually committed to assisting the country’s response to Covid 19.
National’s dilemma – business as usual is failing them.
Written By: - Date published: 9:52 am, July 6th, 2020 - 99 comments
Audrey Young’s take in Granny Herald was interesting. “No ordinary Labour speech by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern”. That is because the political ‘business as usual’ approach by the business orientation of National campaigning using the politics of fear and envy doesn’t work well in times of crisis. Business simply has too short a viewpoint to be acceptable in government at present – or increasingly in our uncertain future.
Does National actually have any policy?
Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, July 6th, 2020 - 66 comments
National has recently been upping the campaign rhetoric but there is a disturbing lack of policy detail.
Muller is floundering
Written By: - Date published: 9:39 pm, June 30th, 2020 - 47 comments
Todd Muller had a bad day yesterday with adverse confidential National polling leaked to the media and with Grant Robertson and Winston Peters showing in the house that Muller’s denial that he had proposed opening up the border with China was simply not correct.
One News/CB Poll June
Written By: - Date published: 6:33 pm, June 25th, 2020 - 49 comments
The latest One News/Colmar Brunton poll continues to show Labour are the favourites to lead the next Government.
National is relentlessly negative about the country’s Covid response
Written By: - Date published: 10:03 am, June 24th, 2020 - 95 comments
You would think in the midst of a world pandemic that is threatening established countries everywhere that National would do the responsible thing and work constructively to resolve all of government issues. If you do think this you are wrong.
Todd Muller and the strange tale of the Leader’s Safe
Written By: - Date published: 8:45 am, June 19th, 2020 - 22 comments
The Herald has reported that Todd Muller’s staff used a safe cracker to open up a safe previously used by Simon Bridges, even though they had the access codes.
Todd’s Odd Distress Signal
Written By: - Date published: 5:39 pm, June 14th, 2020 - 64 comments
How odd of Todd! A condescending gesture turns into a cry for help.
Strike Force Raptor is no more
Written By: - Date published: 12:20 pm, June 11th, 2020 - 10 comments
National has backed away from its policy of creating Strike Force Raptor Police Unit, a unit based on an Australian force dedicated to terrorising possible gang members.
Dear Hamish please keep it up
Written By: - Date published: 7:50 am, June 8th, 2020 - 39 comments
Hamish Price’s twitter game is proving to be a boon to Labour.
National Has Found a Moral Compass
Written By: - Date published: 3:46 pm, June 6th, 2020 - 34 comments
National has embarked on a moral crusade to not lose the Election.
How Covid 19 appears to be playing out
Written By: - Date published: 10:51 am, June 4th, 2020 - 108 comments
The politics of Covid 19 present difficulties for the opposition. They cannot fault execution of the plan so far and have been reduced to complaining that the restrictions are not being loosened quickly enough.
Stunned Muller
Written By: - Date published: 8:01 am, June 3rd, 2020 - 85 comments
Todd Muller thinks it is up to Donald Trump to decide if Donald Trump is a racist.
Is National Just Inconsistent or Incompetent?
Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, June 1st, 2020 - 65 comments
National’s new job-creation scheme appears to be inconsistent with their desire to fully re-instate the 90-day trial period.
- Labour grovels to the bigots
In the wake of the March 15 terror attack, the inquiry recommended tougher hate-speech laws. And after dragging their feet on it for a full year, the government has basicly said "fuck that": The Government has drastically watered down its hate speech reforms, Justice Minister Kiri Allan said on Saturday. ...10 hours ago - Are We in a Stagflation?
Recently, I have often been asked whether we (New Zealand or the World) are experiencing a stagflation. There is no meaningful ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer. You have to define the term before deciding what is going on.Rutherford once said there were only two kinds of science: stamp collecting and physics. ...1 day ago - More police racismThe police annual report was released this month, with the usual statutory information on surveillance warrants and DNA samples. And it turns out there's some shocking evidence of racism among the latter: The proportion of youth DNA samples collected by police that belong to rangatahi Māori continues to rise, ...1 day ago
- The Political Minefield
Poor Christopher Luxon. His lack of political experience (and judgment) is constantly being highlighted – not least by his recent foray into the treatment of child criminality. So keen was he to draw attention to his assertion that “Labour is soft on crime” that he was prepared to run the ...2 days ago - Media Link: “AVFA” on US midterms and Trump’s return.
After a small hiatus due to Covid hitting my household, Selwyn Manning and I resumed our weekly ” A View from Afar” podcast series with an analysis of the 2022 US midterm results and a look at what Trump’s decision to run for president again means for the GOP. You ...2 days ago - Bryce Edwards: National wants to brand the Govt as soft on crime
As Government politicians put the boot into National’s bootcamp announcement yesterday, Christopher Luxon would have been celebrating. His populist announcement wasn’t only designed to scratch an electoral itch, but to cynically trap his opponents into looking soft on crime. And it probably worked. Soon after announcing his policy for bootcamps ...2 days ago - Free Speech to fight anti-Semitism
Free Speech Union member Daphna Whitmore talks with Daniel Ben-Ami, an author, and journalist based in London. His website “The Radicalism of Fools” https://www.radicalismoffools.com/ aims to develop a better understanding of anti-Semitism and its root causes. Daniel talks about different forms of anti-Semitism from the right and the left. He explains ...2 days ago - Hello, do you know the difference? The Raytheon, Goldman Sachs Left is not the LeftThe left free speech site Plebity has published this handy chart. When you say left, you probably aren’t actually talking about the left. Find another name. Or at least understand the difference between the woke left and the traditional left which although largely silenced does still exist. Here is a ...2 days ago
- Skeptical Science New Research for Week #46 2022
Notables: Presence or absence of stabilizing Earth system feedbacks on different time scales Arnscheidt and Rothman confirm the stabilizing effect of carbonate geochemistry on Earth's climate, at least on "short" timescales. More provocatively: "We have shown that the observations are inconsistent with a dominant stabilizing feedback on the longest time scales ...2 days ago - Gordon Campbell on the case for universal free dental care
Like Banquo’s ghost, the issue of universal free dental care keeps hovering into sight at Labour’s top table. ‘Tis a goodly, progressive idea, but it is also one that’s been done in repeatedly down the years by the shafts of political expedience, some of which were fired again this week ...3 days ago - Political Roundup: 17 November 2022Items of interest and importance today FOREIGN AFFAIRS Claire Trevett (Herald): Russia, China, a Trump comeback – PM Jacinda Ardern will face a big plate of troubles at Apec (paywalled) Thomas Manch (Stuff): Risky business: NZ seeks greater trade with Vietnam as China dependency causes concern Thomas Manch (Stuff): Prime Minister ...3 days ago
- New reports spell out climate urgency, shortfalls, needed actionsThis is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Michael Svoboda In the weeks leading up to the 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, often called COP27, several organizations released major reports detailing the many difficult tasks on the climate negotiators’ agenda. Some of ...3 days ago
- Climate change: The cost of inactionA couple of days ago I highlighted National's opposition to all actual policies to reduce emissions. Now, the government has put some numbers on the cost of that, and it is staggering: nearly 24 million tons by the end of the decade: Labour says National’s promises to repeal its ...3 days ago
- The Facts Don’t Always Tell The Truth.
4 days ago - Bryce Edwards: Labour’s decaying policy on free universal dental careGrant Robertson has once again ruled out implementing a popular Labour Party policy: free universal dental care. He did so yesterday on RNZ’s Morning Report, citing the cost factor. The Acting Prime Minister suggested that spending on dental care wasn’t a priority for the Government and that the health budget ...4 days ago
- Grant says “no” againYesterday the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists released a report on dental care in Aotearoa, highlighting its unaffordability and recommending free, universal dental care. This is something the left has been campaigning for for a long time - Jim Anderton pushed for it before the 2011 election, and Helen Clark ...4 days ago
- On NZ foreign policy “independence.”For many years New Zealand elites have claimed to have an “independent” foreign policy, so much so that it has become a truism of NZ politics that transcends the partisan divide in parliament and is a shibboleth of the NZ foreign policy establishment that is parroted by media and pundits ...4 days ago
- Bryce Edwards: Momentum growing to reform lobbying lawsThis week global anti-corruption agency Transparency International released a report on lobbying, which described New Zealand’s lack of regulation as “glaring”. Transparency International New Zealand has developed an international comparison of New Zealand’s lobbying regulations so that MPs here can decide whether to reform this sector. Currently, a group of ...5 days ago
- The “Us versus Them” Worldview.Behind Closed Doors: What were the organisers of He Whenua Taurikura, the second hui called into existence by the recommendations of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Christchurch mosque shootings, afraid of? Were they worried that journalists not 100 percent sympathetic to the ideals animating the hui might report ...5 days ago
- Don’t get fooled: Electric vehicles really are better for the climateThis is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Daisy Simmons You may have heard the myth that electric vehicles are just as bad for the climate — or worse — than gas-powered cars and trucks. One common myth claims that the climate-warming pollution caused by manufacturing electric vehicle batteries ...5 days ago
- Privatisation screws the futureThere's a major report out today from 350 Aotearoa, First Union and the CTU about how National's privatisation of the electricity sector has led to entirely predictable outcomes of price gouging and underinvestment: Meridian, Mercury, Genesis and Contact Energy paid out $8.7b in dividends to shareholders between 2014 ...5 days ago
- Gordon Campbell on abortion politics, Murdoch and the DeSantis surgeSo the Democrats did a whole lot better than OK in the midterm elections despite the cost of living crisis and despite the President’s low approval ratings. How come? In a word, “abortion” was the key mobilising issue. It inspired many women (and some men) to register to vote. In ...6 days ago
- New BookI have a new book being published this month. It is entitled “What Does It Mean to Be Human?” and is an attempt to arrive at a moral code of our own making – one that will serve all our interests and those of other creatures and of the planet ...6 days ago
- Three Little Words!The crucial moment in the Black Ferns’ Rugby World Cup triumph came in the closing minute. The Red Roses had used a penalty to kick to the corner, and from the throw-in that followed they had clearly planned to use a rolling maul to get the ball across the line ...6 days ago
- Geoffrey Miller: Jacinda Ardern’s Asia trip rekindles New Zealand’s independent foreign policyNew Zealand’s independent foreign policy is back. That’s a key underlying message from Jacinda Ardern’s trip this week to Southeast Asia. The New Zealand Prime Minister attended the East Asia Summit in Cambodia over the weekend. She will head to Thailand for the APEC leaders’ meeting later in the week. ...6 days ago
- 2022 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #45A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Nov 6, 2022 thru Sat, Nov 12, 2022. Story of the Week What the tiny remaining 1.5C carbon budget means for climate policy The latest estimates from the Global Carbon Project (GCP) show that total worldwide CO2 ...7 days ago
- David Farrier’s unsettling new documentary ‘Mister Organ’ – a film to watch through your fin...
In this age of entitled white men behaving badly, it’s common to hear the term “malignant narcissist” Anyone who’s had the misfortune to be sucked into the orbit or one of these miscreants, (let alone been obliged to, say, sue one for copyright infringement) eventually learns that the ONLY ‘exit ...1 week ago - The End of Neoliberalism?
Gary Gerstle’s The Rise and Fall of the Neoliberal Order: America and the World in the Free Market Era is a frustrating book. It is an impressive sweeping history of American politics and economic policy from the New Deal in the 1930s to today, predicting that we are coming to ...1 week ago - Phil Ferguson on radical youth politics and the Irish republican strugglePhil Ferguson is a founding editor of Redline and was a regular contributor. He has been out of action for the past year after suffering a stroke. He is learning to walk again and hoping to get back to writing. Tim Leadbeater sat down with Phil to talk about about ...1 week ago
- Climate Change: Submit!Farming industry groups today released a joint statement against their own proposal - as adopted by the government - to price agricultural greenhouse gas emissions at the farm level. Its a perfect example of the bad faith with which they have engaged in the entire process, and of the industry's ...1 week ago
- Is is the beginning of the end of the toxic Trump TV show?
In 2016 the US electorate was feeling frustrated, let down, embattled, even desperate. It was – truth be told – willing to indulge its tendency for some racism and misogyny. So it screwed up its face, held its breath and reached out for Donald Trump. The years since have been ...1 week ago - Political Roundup: 11 November 2022Items of interest and importance today PARLIAMENT AND GOVERNMENT Shane Jones (Herald): Stop the forays into identity politics, de-colonisation and global posturing, St Jacinda. We must focus on economic essentials (paywalled) Peter Dunne (Newsroom): Luxon is not yet the direct threat Labour is painting him as Jo Moir (Newsroom): Luxon set ...1 week ago
- Skeptical Science New Research for Week #45 2022Catastrophic reverb Kemp et al. caused prolonged ripples with their paper Climate Endgame: Exploring catastrophic climate change scenarios. One can't help but think most of the heat is emotional, not intellectual; excited critics of the paper offer little more than "this sounds scary, don't harsh our vibe." Vague and even outlandish concerrns over terminology aside, true ...1 week ago
- Solar panels on car parks are a no-brainerThe Guardian reports that France is going to require all large car-parks to be covered by solar panels: All large car parks in France will be covered by solar panels under new legislation approved as part of president Emmanuel Macron’s renewable energy drive. Legislation approved by the French Senate ...1 week ago
- Climate Change: National wants to burn the planetLast month, the National Party announced they would repeal any price on agricultural greenhouse gas emissions, effectively declaring that they would do nothing about them. Today, they've followed that up by announcing that they will repeal the ban on offshore oil and gas exploration: The National Party has reaffirmed ...1 week ago
- DrawnA ballot for a single Member's Bill was held today, and the following bill was drawn: Fair Trading (Gift Card Expiry) Amendment Bill (Melissa Lee) Its a worthy but minor bill, and the best you can say about it is that at least none of National's tough-on-crime ...1 week ago
- Gordon Campbell on the midterms, Adrian Orr and taxing the BanksIt used to be a joke, but it seems that a lot of Republicans really might have moved to Florida to escape from the gulag of Dr Fauci. While in these midterms the “red wave” didn’t happen anywhere outside of Florida, the GOP control of the Senate will now come ...1 week ago
- Political Roundup: 10 November 2022Items of interest and importance today BANKING Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Why Jacinda Ardern hit out at banks (paywalled) Bernard Hickey (Interest): Open banking still two years away 1New: Open banking to make it easier to switch banks, compare rates Bridie Witton (Stuff): Government moves to introduce open banking Martien Lubberink (Newsroom): ...1 week ago
- Addicted to secrecyBack in July, Public Service Minister Chris Hipkins said he was concerned about the growing number of secrecy clauses excluding information from the coverage of the Official Information Act, and promised "safeguards" to limit their use in future. meanwhile, the government he is part of has just introduced another one, ...1 week ago
- Bryce Edwards: Will the Govt act on mega bank profits and reform the banking sector?The corporate retail banks are making mega profits on the back of Government policies and indirect subsidies of recent years. As a result, there are calls from across almost the whole political spectrum for greater regulation of the banking sector, including windfall taxes. But will outrage turn into action? Prime ...1 week ago
- Member’s DayToday is a Member's Day. First up is the second readings of Ginny Andersen's Crimes (Child Exploitation Offences) Amendment Bill and Deborah Russell's Employment Relations (Extended Time for Personal Grievance for Sexual Harassment) Amendment Bill. Following that, the House should complete the first reading of Duncan Webb's Companies (Directors Duties) ...2 weeks ago
- Climate change reparations – who pays?This is a re-post from the NZ Newsroom by Kevin Trenberth Climate change reparations are expected to be one of the main issues at COP27, the next round of international climate talks from November 6-18 in Egypt. Climate change reparations are a new way of looking at how to pay developing countries ...2 weeks ago
- Much Worse Than It Looks.Bad News: While Labour’s refusal to back away from its most controversial policies is mobilising right-wing voters against them, its all-too-evident failure to address the worsening problems associated with the cost of living, health, education, housing and criminal offending will be having the opposite effect on the voters in its ...2 weeks ago
- The Drift South: The Changing Face of New Zealand Population
One of the defining aspects of New Zealand population dynamics since European settlement was the so-called Drift North. People relocating from the South Island to the North Island, in search of economic opportunity and of warmer weather. The early years of settlement saw most Europeans head for the South ...2 weeks ago - Free Speech Union holds its first symposium and AGMReport by Daphna Whitmore The growth of the Free Speech Union is remarkable. In just a few years it has grown to 72,000 registered supporters, 6,000 New Zealanders have donated to it, and more than 1000 people are members of its trade union arm. The FSU put on a symposium ...2 weeks ago
- All noise and no policyOver the weekend Labour had a very bad poll - basicly, the chickens coming home to roost on their fuck around and do nothing policy. But on Monday, price-gouging Aussie bank Westpac offered them a golden opportunity, in the form of a billion dollar profit. Everyone hates the banks, they're ...2 weeks ago
- Gordon Campbell on bank profits, and the US midtermsSo far, the political response to excessive bank profits has held up a mirror to party identity. Labour thinks the level of bank profits is “open to question” but offers no action in response. National thinks the problem must lie with the state (not the banks), and wants to investigate ...2 weeks ago
- Luxon and WillisChristopher Luxon was, presumably, in his day a dab hand at airline schedules, but he is obviously a little less competent when it comes to running a country. There is a world of difference between focussing on the single objective of the bottom line when running a trading company and ...2 weeks ago
- Jacinda Ardern’s Wall Of Sound.Thirty Minute Symphony? Among her peers there is no one who approaches Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern when it comes to talking the talk. She is, indisputably, New Zealand’s foremost impresario of political verbiage.PHIL SPECTOR’S “WALL OF SOUND” production technique revolutionised the recording of popular music in the 1950s and 60s. ...2 weeks ago
- Political Roundup: 8 November 2022Items of interest and importance today PARLIAMENT, ELECTION Chris Trotter (Daily Blog): Much Worse Than It Looks Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Battle of the polls: Internal poll has Labour equal with National Newshub: Video: Newshub political editor Jenna Lynch breaks down ‘terrible, terrible’ poll result for Labour David Fisher (Herald): Why ...2 weeks ago
- Are clean technologies and renewable energies better for the environment than fossil fuels?This is a re-post from the CCL Blog The grand transition from a fossil fuel-based economy to a green one is underway. It will involve a fundamental shift in the way we generate and use energy for various purposes. Instead of drilling and mining for fossil fuels, we’ll need to mine ...2 weeks ago
- Labour’s morally indefensible choicesLabour held its party conference over the weekend, and the government announced a minor expansion of its free ECE policy - actually a subsidy to ECE providers - to try and shore up middle-class support. And in the Herald today, Jacinda Ardern said she'd go further if money was no ...2 weeks ago
- Climate Change: A “nightmare” of their own makingLast month, the government grovelled to the sacred cow, basicly adopting Federated Farmers' he waka eke noa framework to not-really price greenhouse gases at the farm level. And of course, farmers hate it and are calling it a "bureaucratic nightmare": "Paying taxes doesn't equal doing our part, and paying ...2 weeks ago
- Bryce Edwards: Labour’s version of conservatism is no longer popularNew Zealand now essentially has two conservative major parties for the public to choose from. Unfortunately for one of them – the Labour Party – the public increasingly prefers the more authentic conservative option, National. This can be seen in the latest opinion poll showing National continuing to storm ahead ...2 weeks ago
- 2022 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #44A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Oct 30, 2022 thru Sat, Nov 5, 2022. Story of the Week COP27 climate summit to test resolve of world battling war, inflation Many of the biggest players distracted by crises Global ...2 weeks ago
- Is New Zealand covertly supporting the glorification of neo-Nazism?
Ukrainian veterans of the Azov Battalion, formed by a white supremacist and banned from receiving U.S. aid, attend a rally in Kyiv on March 14, 2020. Source “Ukraine’s Nazi problem is real, even if Putin’s ‘denazification’ claim isn’t” Vladimir Sindeyeve / NurPhoto via Getty ...2 weeks ago- Disingenuous National Party s(loga)neering continues to make seeing out 2022 way harder than it need...
Make it make sense. For the love of retaining some sanity as we chase down the end of the year, make. it. make. sense! A Party that wants us to get in thousands more people to fill jobs… that being, the ones that are presumably to be vacated ...2 weeks ago- Climate Change: Winning slowly
Five years ago David Wallace-Wells published "The Unihabitable Earth", looking at the horrifying consequences of what-were-then-likely climate change scenarios. Today, he has something of a followup in the New York Times, "Beyond Catastrophe: A New Climate Reality Is Coming Into View". Its a very long article, but the TL;DR is ...2 weeks ago- Why are Bond Markets So Terrifying?
‘I used to think that if there was reincarnation, I wanted to come back as the president or the pope or as a .400 baseball hitter. But now I would like to come back as the bond market. You can intimidate everybody.’ James Carville.The rule by British politicians Liz Truss ...2 weeks ago- Political Roundup: 4 November 2022
Items of interest and importance today GOVERNMENT, PARLIAMENT, ELECTIONS Toby Manhire (Spinoff): Labour’s conference challenge is to launch Project Dawn Matthew Hooton (Herald): Bureaucracy needs shaking into action (paywalled) Brent Edwards (NBR): Economic gloom, Iranian balance, Labour’s tough challenge(paywalled) RNZ: Labour’s party faithful to gather for annual conference as pressure mounts ...2 weeks ago- 0-800-STASI
The Lidless Eye: New Zealand’s Security Intelligence Service has scoured its own files, and drawn on the relevant files of its Five Eyes partners, to produce a handbook identifying all the tell-tale signs that a citizen has undergone radicalisation, and is on the verge of organising and/or engaging in an act ...2 weeks ago- Three Waters. Three Mayors. Three Cheers!
Three Wise Men: Who should pay for upgrading New Zealand's waste, storm and drinking water services? That is the $64 billion (at the very least!) question. The most obvious answer: and the one Mayor Wayne Brown in Auckland, Mayor Phil Mauger in Christchurch, and the Mayor of the Waimakariri District, ...2 weeks ago- Skeptical Science New Research for Week #44 2022
Notables: Usable, but unused: A critical story of co-producing the UK’s Climate Change Risk Assessments. We seem to have all the pieces needed to build climate-risk-responsive policy but often there's no policy product at the end of the assembly line. James Porter & Caitlin Clark investigate and explain how our blueprint for building ...2 weeks ago- More wind
If Aotearoa is going to decarbonise, we're going to need a lot more renewable electricity. And it looks like the industry is stepping up, with the announcement of Aotearoa's first offshore wind farm: New Zealand’s first offshore wind farm will be built 22km off the coast of South Taranaki ...2 weeks ago- Media Link: “AVFA” on electoral politics in Brazil, US and Israel.
This week Selwyn Manning and I do a post-mortem on Brazil’s election and a preview of the US midterms under the general banner of “it is about the movement, not the man,” then turn to the tactical and existential issues surrounding Israel’s latest (and increasingly rightwing-leaning) elections. You can draw ...2 weeks ago- Gordon Campbell on inflating the threat posed by social media
It has been a big week for the preachers of the social media apocalypse. During her speech on Monday to the He Whenua Taurikura hui on Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism, PM Jacinda Ardern told us that the country’s security agencies have just released a draft National Security Long Term ...2 weeks ago- David Parker Rejects Co-Governance.
Stubbornly Thoughtful: According to veteran political journalist, Richard Harman, the Environment Minister David Parker rejected the inclusion of co-governance provisions in his Natural & Built Environments Bill, facing-down the opposition of Nanaia Mahuta and Labour’s Māori Caucus “in what may be seen as a defining move by the Government, which ...2 weeks ago- Bryce Edwards: A Culture war over hate speech and free speech is unlikely
Sunday’s announcement by Justice Minister Kiri Allan about forthcoming legislation on hate speech has sparked concerns that the country is headed for a second round of culture wars over free speech. As one journalist states today, Allan is “reigniting last year’s political firestorm”. Some have suggested that Labour are about ...2 weeks ago- No, Aragorn and Conan Are Not Alike: A Reply to The Brothers Krynn
Due to a new laptop, I have been spending early November making excellent progress on Old Phuul. It turns out that when one has a functioning computer at one’s disposal, there is a corresponding renewal of interest in actually writing. So much so, I intend for the next couple ...2 weeks ago- Climate Change: Taxing the rich is a climate change policy
The Greens are often criticised by the right for linking social equality with environmental issues. But it turns out that they are deeply connected: the ultra-rich are responsible for a massive amount of climate pollution: The top 1% of earners in the UK are responsible for the same amount ...2 weeks ago- 26,000 employed under Labour
The quarterly labour market statistics were released this morning, showing unemployment stable at 3.3%. There are now 97,000 unemployed - 26,000 fewer than when Labour took office. So, I guess the bankers aren't getting what they want. Which means we can expect the howling for ordinary people to be thrown ...3 weeks ago- How sea level rise contributes to billions in extra damage during hurricanes
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters When Hurricane Ian barreled into the coast of southwest Florida on Sept. 28, the mighty hurricane’s 150-mph winds drove a massive and destructive storm surge inland. A preliminary estimate from NOAA puts Ian’s damage at more than $50 billion, and ...3 weeks ago- Political Roundup: 2 November 2022
Items of interest and importance today ECONOMY, BUSINESS, EMPLOYMENT Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Nearly $6b in National’s planned tax cuts for richest 5 per cent according to union analysis Thomas Manch (Stuff): CTU attacks National’s ‘massive and uncosted’ tax cut plan; National rejects ‘false assumptions’ Ireland Hendry-Tennent (Newshub): Christopher Luxon defends ...3 weeks ago- Gordon Campbell on Iran getting worse, alcohol in sport and a music playlist
So we’ve found a ledge for our Iran policy, and are now doing our best to call it a mezzanine. Yesterday, the government announced the suspension of the Human Rights Initiative with Iran that both countries launched in 2018. The suspension is in protest at Iran’s violations of human rights ...3 weeks ago- Climate Change: No Magic bullets for agriculture
Farmers are responsible for 50% of our greenhouse gas emissions, mostly in the form of methane from their animals' digestion of grass. For the past two decades, our agricultural climate change policy has basicly focused on finding a technological fix for this, a magic bullet which will let them keep ...3 weeks ago - Disingenuous National Party s(loga)neering continues to make seeing out 2022 way harder than it need...
- Hate speech change welcome, but still leaves communities at risk
The Green Party welcomes hate speech reform to protect religious groups, but is concerned that the exclusion of gender, rainbow, and disability communities sends a signal that these groups are less deserving of protection. ...13 hours ago - Young people deserve betterThe National Party’s plan to put children into military boot camps is so flawed it is dangerous. ...2 days ago
- Thousands more homes under Labour
We’ve just announced a massive infrastructure investment to kick-start new housing developments across New Zealand. Through our Infrastructure Acceleration Fund, we’re making sure that critical infrastructure - like pipes, roads and wastewater connections - is in place, so thousands more homes can be built. ...2 days ago - Green Party solution better for Māori voters, not deal with NationalAn agreement between Labour and National misses an historic opportunity to make our democracy more accessible for Māori voters. ...4 days ago
- Govt must extend Samoa visa changes to all Pacific countriesThanks to Green Party pressure, visitors from Samoa can soon travel to Aotearoa without a visa – a right that should be extended to every Pacific country. ...4 days ago
- A cheaper, faster, better resource management systemOur Government is delivering a new resource management system that will better protect the environment while cutting red tape, lowering costs and speeding up the time it takes to approve new homes and infrastructure projects. ...4 days ago
- Nature missing in RMA reformThe Government has missed a crucial opportunity to redesign the resource management system with climate and nature at its heart. ...4 days ago
- Govt continuing to prioritise high income earners in immigration systemThe resumption today of the parent visa category needs to be followed by an end to the Government’s unfair salary based family reunification policy. ...5 days ago
- Supporting more Kiwis into jobsWe’re helping more Kiwis into work, to help support whānau, grow our skilled workforce and secure our economy for future generations. During our time in Government, we’ve delivered record low unemployment rates, as well as a steady fall in the number of New Zealanders receiving a main benefit, and we’re ...6 days ago
- Fix electricity market to help both climate and cost of livingThe four big electricity companies should be required to reinvest massive profits into cutting both household bills and climate pollution, the Green Party says. ...6 days ago
- Next Waitematā Harbour crossing must be climate-friendlyThe Minister for Transport can show climate leadership and consider only the lowest carbon ways of crossing Waitematā harbour. ...7 days ago
- Changes needed to three waters plansGreater local oversight and control, seven instead of four entities, stormwater staying with councils, and stronger safeguards against privatisation are among the changes the Green Party wants to three waters legislation. ...1 week ago
- Bold action needed on food prices and supermarket profitsSupermarkets are profiteering from families struggling to put food on the table. ...1 week ago
- Don’t let open banking close the door on action to address excess profitOpen banking is fine but the simplest and most effective way to address record bank profits is to tax them fairly to provide relief to families struggling to get by. ...1 week ago
- Rainbow Report shows more needs to be done for takatāpui and Rainbow peopleThe Green Party welcomes the Rainbow report released by Stats NZ today and calls for better support for takatāpui and Rainbow people, particularly our trans and non-binary whānau. ...1 week ago
- Greens call on Education Minister to bring tertiary sector to the tableThe Green Party is once again calling on the Minister of Education to bring union, government officials and sector leaders together to urgently improve the pay and condition of tertiary education staff. ...2 weeks ago
- Making childcare more affordableWe know childcare is one of the biggest costs for working families. That’s why, as part of our work to support New Zealanders with the cost of living, we’re making childcare more affordable for low and middle income families. ...2 weeks ago
- Greens welcome childcare support, call for more actionThe Green Party is welcoming the modest support for families announced by the Labour Government but calling for more urgent action to ease the pressure on households. ...2 weeks ago
- Jacinda Ardern: Speech to the Labour Party Conference 2022As we near the end of 2022, Jacinda Ardern addresses the Labour Party Conference in South Auckland. Watch the Labour Leader’s speech here. ...2 weeks ago
- Kelvin Davis: Address to the Labour Party Conference 2022I often refer to, and draw inspiration from, our tupuna, and when I reflect on the last few years the words of a famous Ngapuhi chief Te Ruki Kawiti come to mind. ...2 weeks ago
- Grant Robertson: Speech to the Labour Party Conference 2022Labour Finance Spokesperson Grant Robertson speaks at the Labour Party Conference in South Auckland. ...2 weeks ago
- Luxon risks burning down five years of climate progressChris Luxon’s plan to reopen new gas projects in the middle of the climate crisis is about as irresponsible as it gets. ...2 weeks ago
- Greens call on Govt to grant visa waiver status to all Pacific countriesThe Green Party is calling on the Government to change visa settings to allow people visiting Aotearoa from the Pacific Islands to do so without having to apply for a visa. ...2 weeks ago
- 100 things we’ve delivered this yearOver the past year, we’ve worked hard to deliver for Kiwis. As we’ve continued to secure our economy, we’ve also made good progress across long term challenges like climate change, housing, and health. While there is more to do, we’ve achieved a lot over the past year. Here are just ...2 weeks ago
- New Zealand’s place in the worldPrime Minister Jacinda Ardern recently gave a speech on the economy and New Zealand’s place in the world. Here’s a super quick overview of what she had to say about global challenges, like workforce shortages, and why New Zealand can be optimistic about the future. ...2 weeks ago
- Tax excess profits, don’t leave it to the good will of large corporationsThe Green Party is once again calling on the Government to introduce an excess profits tax and use the money to support people, rather than relying on the good will of corporations. ...2 weeks ago
- RBNZ report strengthens case for excess profit tax and more income supportA drop in household income from rising bank interest rates further demonstrates the need for an excess profits tax, the Green Party says. ...2 weeks ago
- Human Rights Act enhanced to protect religious communities
The Government will amend the law to make sure religious communities feel safe and welcome in New Zealand. After extensive consultation, with more than 19,000 submissions on six proposals, the Government will make one change to address incitement towards religious communities while asking for further work to be done alongside ...15 hours ago - Defence Minister meets with UK counterpart and visits NZDF personnelMinister of Defence Peeni Henare held talks in the UK today with his counterpart, Secretary of State for Defence Ben Wallace. The Ministers reiterated the importance of our defence relationship, and reflected on the strong historical and cultural ties between the United Kingdom and New Zealand. Together, they ...2 days ago
- Government takes action to reduce gambling harm from pokiesThe Government is announcing today changes to strengthen the requirements in venues which have pokie (gambling) machines to reduce the harm they cause people. “The changes focus on reducing harm caused by pokies, which can affect both those people gambling and their whānau. In short, they would make the ‘host ...2 days ago
- The Pacific business village comes to AucklandThe Pacific Business Village (the Village) is now going to set up in the Auckland region, said Minister for Pacific Peoples Aupito William Sio. The Ministry secured $15.5 million in Budget 2022 to meet community demand volumes for services to support Pacific businesses and Pacific social enterprises across Aotearoa. “The ...2 days ago
- Government’s health investments making a difference for New ZealandersFewer New Zealanders say cost is a barrier to visiting a GP or getting a prescription. The number of children going hungry has halved over the past decade. Statistics show why the Government has made major investment in mental health. Official statistics released today show the Government’s targeted health investments ...2 days ago
- Speech to the Asia New Zealand FoundationKia koutou, warm pacific greetings.I am delighted we have the opportunity to meet kanohi ki te kanohi and talanoa in-person, I would like to extend my thanks to Adele and her team for organising this event, for us, today; fa’afetai tele lava. I am also delighted to see some rangatahi ...2 days ago
- Major investment in Māori HealthLargest commissioning investment to date from Te Aka Whai Ora | Māori Health Authority boosts funding for Maori health providers $29.3 million for Te Pae Tata | interim New Zealand Health Plan priority areas $13.0 million for Māori primary and community providers $17.6 million for te ao Māori solutions, mātauranga ...2 days ago
- Govt delivers connectivity for rural and remote householdsSome of New Zealand’s most remote communities will receive broadband for the first time thanks to a new Government-led initiative. The Remote Users Scheme will equip as many remote households as possible with the connectivity infrastructure needed to access broadband services, Minister for the Digital Economy and Communications, David Clark ...3 days ago
- Government appoints investigator to work with Christchurch City Council to improve housing supplyAssociate Minister for the Environment, Phil Twyford has appointed an investigator under part 4 of the Resource Management Act, to work with Christchurch City Council on its housing intensification plan. “John Hardie is a skilled and experienced mediator with local knowledge of Christchurch City. The aim of the investigation is ...3 days ago
- New Zealand records lowest smoking rate everStatistics released today show New Zealand’s smoking rate has fallen to an historic low of 8% of adults smoking daily, down from 9.4% a year ago, Associate Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall said. “The Government’s plan to reduce smoking is working. The number of people smoking fell by 56,000 ...3 days ago
- Over 16,000 more new homes to be unlocked with infrastructure bonanzaApproximately 16,600 new homes across New Zealand set to be unlocked by Government’s third tranche of the Infrastructure Acceleration Fund New homes enabled in Hamilton, Auckland, Tauranga, Christchurch, Kawakawa, Kaikohe, Westport, Upper Hutt, Waipukurau, Hokitika and Pahiatua Critical infrastructure projects will get Government support to unlock thousands more homes in ...3 days ago
- New model to better support kids with the highest needsThe Government is committed to designing a system that better supports our kids and young people with the highest needs, Associate Minister of Education Jan Tinetti announced today. The Highest Needs Review was launched in April 2021 and was completed recently, with 1100 submissions received. “Following the feedback from the ...3 days ago
- Firearms Prohibition Orders now in force help to reduce gun harmNew tools to reduce gun crime come into force today, Police Minister Chris Hipkins said. Firearms Prohibition Orders will improve public safety by stopping people whose behaviour and actions represent a high risk of violence from accessing firearms or restricted weapons. “Firearms Prohibition Orders are another measure that will help ...4 days ago
- New Deputy Public Service Commissioner appointedMinister for the Public Service Chris Hipkins has today announced the appointment of Ms Rebecca Kitteridge CVO as Deputy Public Service Commissioner. The Deputy Public Service Commissioner is appointed by the Governor-General on the recommendation of the Prime Minister, under the Public Service Act 2020. Subject to the control of ...4 days ago
- Innovative projects to cut transport emissions and costs, get government co-fundingThe first marine project under the Low Emission Transport Fund is among 11 projects getting $2.14 million Eleven new transport projects including clever solutions for electric vehicle charging, ways to cut fuel costs in heavy freight, and the first marine project will get co-funding from the Government, Energy and Resources ...4 days ago
- Government buys land for affordable housing on major transport corridor in WellingtonThe Government’s plan to increase housing supply and affordability in Wellington in places with good access to public transport has moved another step forward following the acquisition of a 2,016m2 section of land on Adelaide Road in Mount Cook, as part of a Kāinga Ora urban development programme. “Wellington, in ...4 days ago
- New Zealand National Statement – COP27Tēnā koutou katoa. Mr President, Excellencies, Delegates. This 27th Conference of the Parties is being referred to as the Implementation COP. The Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC asked us at the start of this Conference to show evidence of how we have started to implement the decisions that we collectively ...4 days ago
- Minister to travel to UK for bilateral defence meetingMinister of Defence Peeni Henare departs for the United Kingdom tomorrow to meet with Secretary of State for Defence Ben Wallace to discuss the UK and New Zealand’s shared security interests and ongoing defence co-operation. “This will be my first trip to Europe as Minister of Defence, and I’m looking ...4 days ago
- New Zealand Sovereign Green Bonds issuedThe Government welcomes New Zealand Debt Management’s issuance today of NZ$3 billion of the New Zealand Sovereign Green Bonds that will mature in 2034. Launched in September, New Zealand’s Sovereign Green Bond Programme provides the opportunity to invest in projects that contribute to climate and environmental objectives. “Green Bonds will ...4 days ago
- NZ steps up with extra support for climate adaptationAotearoa New Zealand has announced a five-fold increase in its contribution to global efforts to support climate change adaptation. The announcement of a new $15 million commitment to the Adaptation Fund was made while Climate Change Minister James Shaw is at COP27 in Egypt. “Aotearoa New Zealand is committed to ...4 days ago
- Resource Management reform ensures Crown fulfils Treaty obligationsNew Resource Management reform will uphold Treaty settlements, commitments and arrangements and ensure Māori maintain established decision-making and participation at both a regional and national level, which has been the case to date as a result of successive governments’ Treaty Settlement arrangements, Associate Minister for the Environment Kiri Allan said. ...4 days ago
- Cheaper, faster, better resource management lawThe system is broken, consent fees have almost doubled, and consenting time frames increased by 50% New standardised conditions will see fewer “bespoke” consents and speed up the process Time to consent will shorten, and fast track process retained On a conservative estimate costs will fall 19% a year ($149m) ...4 days ago
- Better infrastructure to be built fasterMaking the Resource Management process quicker, cheaper and better will help boost New Zealand’s economic growth. “The cost and time it takes to get a resource consent for infrastructure projects has grown significantly in recent years, with smaller projects being disproportionately affected,” Grant Robertson said. Infrastructure developers collectively pay about ...4 days ago
- New resource management system provides clearer direction for farmersThe new resource management system aims to reduce a reliance on consenting and provide clearer direction for farmers and the agricultural sector. Minister for the Environment David Parker today introduced legislation to Parliament for the comprehensive reform of New Zealand’s resource management system – the Natural and Built Environment Bill ...4 days ago
- New Zealand’s tourism rebound continuesTowns and cities up and down the country should be prepping for a busy summer season, as officials numbers released today highlight the continued growth in international visitors, Tourism and Immigration Ministers Stuart Nash and Michael Wood announced today. Overseas visitor numbers for the month of September showed a significant ...4 days ago
- RMA reforms aim to make housing and urban system simpler, faster, cheaperNew Zealand’s housing and urban system is set to benefit from the overhaul of the Resource Management system, making the ability to build new housing simpler, faster and cheaper. ...5 days ago
- Prime Minister reaffirms economic ties with Viet NamPrime Minister Jacinda Ardern met Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh of Viet Nam for a Prime Ministers’ Summit today in Ha Noi, Viet Nam. The Prime Ministers reaffirmed New Zealand and Viet Nam’s commitment to working together as strategic partners. “Viet Nam is an important partner for New Zealand, and ...5 days ago
- Graduate scheme attracts 32 new vets to rural New ZealandThirty-two graduate vets will begin their careers in rural New Zealand, with a financial boost from the Government’s Voluntary Bonding Scheme for Veterinarians (VBS), Acting Agriculture and Rural Communities Minister Meka Whaitiri announced today. Each recipient will receive funding of $55,000 over five years to kick-start their careers and help ...5 days ago
- Next Ambassador to Argentina announcedForeign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta today announced the appointment of Kathryn Beckett as New Zealand’s next Ambassador to Argentina. “Aotearoa New Zealand enjoys a friendly and cooperative relationship with Argentina,” Nanaia Mahuta said. “We work particularly closely together on issues key to New Zealand’s multilateral agenda, such as climate change, human ...5 days ago
- Assistance to Ukraine extended and enhancedNew Zealand is extending its defence commitments and providing further support and personnel to assist Ukraine, as part of the Government’s ongoing response to Russia’s illegal and unprovoked invasion. The NZ Defence Force infantry training for Ukrainian military personnel in the United Kingdom will be extended. There is more funding ...5 days ago
- 2000 visas a year to be granted through resumption of parent categoryThe Government is ensuring skilled migrants can resettle in Aotearoa New Zealand with their families, Immigration Minister Michael Wood announced today. “We recognise the importance for migrants resettling here to have a pathway for their parents to join them,” Michael Wood said. “We are resuming selections of the Parent Category ...5 days ago
- Appointment of Judge and Associate Judge of the High CourtHigh Court Associate Judge Peter Andrew has been appointed a Judge of the High Court, and Tauranga King’s Counsel Grant Brittain has been appointed an Associate Judge of the High Court, Attorney‑General David Parker announced today. Justice Andrew graduated from the University of Otago in 1984 with a BA and an ...6 days ago
- Govt’s economic recovery continues with 20,000 Flexi-Wage placements20,589 people supported into jobs through Flexi-Wage 37 per cent of participants identified as Māori, 13 per cent Pacific 88% of those on benefit for 2+ years at referral are current, completed or finished early and are not currently on benefit. 2478 participants (12 per cent) have a health condition, ...6 days ago
- Prime Minister attends East Asia SummitThe Prime Minister has wrapped up meetings in Cambodia with her Indo-Pacific counterparts at the annual meeting of the East Asia Summit (EAS) and the Second ASEAN Global Dialogue on Post-COVID-19 Comprehensive Recovery. Leaders from ASEAN nations as well as Australian Prime Minister Albanese, US President Biden, Republic of Korea ...6 days ago
- ASEAN trade deal upgrade boost for exportersNew Zealand’s new free trade agreement upgrade with the Association of South East Asian Nations and Australia has been announced today by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. “As the world feels the impact of global economic pressures, the importance of securing high-quality, modern free trade agreements is essential to the economic ...6 days ago
- Auckland now Australasia’s most connected city to North AmericaToday’s arrival of the first direct Air Canada flight from Vancouver in almost two years means Auckland Airport is now the most connected airport to North America across the whole of Australasia, Stuart Nash said today. “This addition to North American airline capacity is another welcome step in our tourism ...1 week ago
- Joint Statement: Ministerial Statement on the Importance of Fossil Fuel Subsidy Reform at a Time of ...The Friends of Fossil Fuel Subsidy Reform (Costa Rica, Denmark[1], Ethiopia, Finland, New Zealand, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and Uruguay) We reflect on the urgency of phasing out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies given the current climate crisis and in an effort to limiting global average temperatures to 1.5°C above pre-industrial ...1 week ago
- NGO Hui, Locally led development and amplifying Pacific voices Location: National Library, Tiakiw...Tēnā koutou katoa, talofa lava, warm Pacific greetings to you all. Thank you for joining us for the 2022 MFAT-NGO Hui-ā-tau — annual hui. This is the first time in three years that we have gathered kānohi-ki-te-kānohi for this event. I am delighted to be here, today, to lend my ...1 week ago
- ‘Celebrating New Zealand’s Diplomatic Relations – Global Connections and Diversity through...Warm pacific greetings to each of you. First of all, I want to offer my deepest condolences to families of those who lost their lives, those who were injured, and the families and friends of all involved in the tragic incident in Seoul on 29 October. The thoughts of the ...1 week ago
- Iwi and Government partnership delivers homes for Ngāti WhakaueThe first of many builds for Ngāti Whakaue Lands Trust was delivered today with Associate Minister of Housing (Māori Housing) Peeni Henare attending the opening of eight affordable whānau homes. “House by house, whānau by whānau, we are working together to address housing needs. Ngati Whākaue are walking the talk ...1 week ago
- Who says Britain’s Conservative MPs are not future oriented?
In fact, they are acutely focused on what job they might be able to get after the next general election, due in 2024. Prospects looked worse after new Chancellor Jeremy Hunt delivered his mini-budget on Thursday. His programme: rolling tax increases for the next six years. And because tax ...2 hours ago - COP27 finale: Leaders debate climate damage funding for Pacific nations
By Rachael Nath, RNZ Pacific journalist After two weeks of negotiations at the United Nations’ Climate Change Conference (COP27) talks at an Egyptian resort, it is now down to the wire. Diplomats have created proposals on the controversial loss and damage agenda that will be decided upon by politicians. Robust ...7 hours ago - Regional USP staff, students call for vote against FijiFirst over $85m unpaid feesGRUBSHEET: By Graham Davis With barely four weeks to go to the election, students and staff at the regional University of the South Pacific have stepped up their political activity against the FijiFirst government over its refusal to pay $85 million (and counting) in outstanding contributions to the running of ...7 hours ago
- Papuan solidarity group criticises NZ for ‘weak’ concern over Indonesian human rights abusesAsia Pacific Report The solidarity group West Papua Action Aotearoa has criticised New Zealand for not “being stronger” over growing global concern about Indonesian human rights violations in West Papua, and contrasted this with Vanuatu’s leadership. The group was reacting to the UN Human Rights Council Universal Periodic Review into ...7 hours ago
- Government Backdown On 'Hate Speech' Laws Major Win For Free Speech
The Free Speech Union welcomes Minister of Justice Kiri Allan’s announcement that each of the 6 proposals released last year to amend hate laws will be dropped, except the inclusion of religious communities. We commend the Minister for listening to ...11 hours ago - Confirmation Of 2022-2023 Work ProgrammeOn Friday 18 November, the Minister responsible for Te Aka Matua o te Ture | Law Commission, Hon Kiritapu Allan, referred to the Commission the following issues: Legal responses to hate-motivated offending; Legal responses to speech that expresses ...12 hours ago
- THOMAS CRANMER: ‘New Zealand has been duped’
‘New Zealand has been duped’was the view expressed by National’s Maureen Pugh in the House this week, but despite opposition from National and Act, the Water Services Entities Bill passed its second reading. THOMAS CRANMER writes: This week, the Water Services Entities Bill passed its second reading in the House ...14 hours ago - Govt goes to war against pokies but gambles on Putin keeping his hands off the button and takes a pu...
Buzz from the Beehive At first blush, our protection and wellbeing was high in the Ardern government’s considerations in the latest batch of statements posted on the Beehive website. One statement was posted in the name of the Minister of Internal Affairs, who is determined to protect us from the ...14 hours ago - Focus on Politics: Poland missile dominates summits in Asia
As Jacinda Ardern returned to the world stage this week, a stray missile threatened to escalate the Ukraine war. Political reporter Katie Scotcher appraises a week of summits and uncertainty. ...15 hours ago - APEC summit: Frank exchange of views important, Jacinda Ardern tells China's President Xi Jinpi...The prime minister has wound up a face to face meeting with Xi Jinping in which he said China saw New Zealand as an "important partner and friend". ...1 day ago
- APEC summit: Frank exchange of views important, Ardern tells XiNew Zealand will continue to raise concerns about Chinese policy in an open manner, the prime minister has told Xi Jinping. ...1 day ago
- VAR and peace? Why tech-assisted refereeing won’t do away with disputed decisions at the World CupSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stan Karanasios, Associate professor, The University of Queensland The football teams of 32 nations are gathered in Qatar for the quadrennial FIFA World Cup. Some 5 billion people around the world are expected to tune in to watch matches over the course ...1 day ago
- If you care about nature in Victoria, this is your essential state election guideSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Bekessy, Professor in Sustainability and Urban Planning, Leader, Interdisciplinary Conservation Science Research Group (ICON Science), RMIT University Daniel Pelaez Duque/Unsplash, CC BY If we learnt anything from the past federal election, it’s that Australians care about climate change and ...1 day ago
- Victoria’s economic growth leads nation, as NSW falls to last placeSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra Shutterstock The latest figures on the economic performance of Australia’s states and territories shows Victoria leading the nation and New South Wales falling to last place. ...1 day ago
- MH17 convictions pave the way for war crime prosecutions from Ukrainian invasionSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lauren Sanders, Senior Research Fellow on Law and the Future of War, The University of Queensland Remko de Waal/EPA/AAP On November 17 2022, the Hague District Court in the Netherlands convicted two Russians and a Ukrainian of murder in relation ...1 day ago
- Week in Politics: National gets tough on young offenders, but policy faces strong oppositionWeek in Politics - National announces a strong youth offender policy; the government calls for an apology after Luxon points the finger at principals over truancy. ...1 day ago
- China’s influence in Myanmar could tip the scales towards war in the South China SeaSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Htwe Htwe Thein, Associate professor, Curtin University The fate of Myanmar has major implications for a free and open Indo-Pacific. An undemocratic Myanmar serves no one’s interests except China, which is consolidating its economic and strategic influence in its smaller neighbour ...1 day ago
- The Jungle and the Sea reminds us war is profoundly local, with the intimate negotiation of human re...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Niro Kandasamy, Lecturer in History, University of Sydney Sriram Jeyaraman/Belvoir Review: The Jungle and the Sea, directed by Eamon Flack, Belvoir. After the roaring success of their debut collaboration, Counting and Cracking, S. Shakthidharan and Eamon Flack have produced another ...1 day ago
- Proposed Changes To Reduce Gambling Harm “don’t Go Far Enough”: GMANZThe Gaming Machine Association of New Zealand (GMANZ) believes DIA’s proposed regulations don’t go far enough to address problem gambling harm. The changes announced by Minister Tinetti today are intended to reduce harm caused by electronic gaming ...1 day ago
- Kiwis' rights in Australia: No mention of 501 policy from minister in 'family' lectur...Australia's Home Affairs minister Clare O'Neil has ignored its controversial 501 deportation policy when speaking about the rights of New Zealanders living in Australia. ...1 day ago
- I’m thinking of surgery for endometriosis. What’s involved? Does it work?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mike Armour, Senior research fellow in reproductive health at NICM Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University Shutterstock Endometriosis is a painful condition caused by the presence of tissue similar to the lining of the uterus found outside the uterus. It ...1 day ago
- Locking up kids has serious mental health impacts and contributes to further reoffendingSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Summer May Finlay, Senior Lecturer – Indigenous Health, University of Wollongong This article contains information on violence experienced by First Nations young people in the Australian carceral system. There are mentions of racist terms, and this piece also mentions self harm, trauma ...1 day ago
- Caution Over Fertility Rate & Ex-Nuptial BirthsFamily First NZ warns that the declining marriage and fertility rates and increase in ex-nuptial births are setting up a ‘perfect storm’ for negative social consequences in New Zealand. According to statistics just released , the number of births to unmarried ...1 day ago
- We created the world’s first donkey embryo using IVF in a bid to save species from extinctionSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andres Gambini, Senior Lecturer, School of Agriculture and Food Science, The University of Queensland Shutterstock You may not realise it, but the world’s donkeys are in trouble: many domestic breeds and wild species are headed for extinction. But my colleagues ...1 day ago
- Diverting children away from the criminal justice system gives them a chance to ‘grow out’ of cr...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Faith Gordon, Associate Professor in Law, Australian National University Shutterstock Prison is no place for a child. Putting children in youth justice facilities can have long-lasting consequences for their physical, psychological and emotional health, wellbeing and development. Prison can ...1 day ago
- Pillars Ka Pou Whakahou Calls For Immediate Implementation Of Care Plans For Children Of People Serv...Pillars Ka Pou Whakahou, a children’s charity supporting positive futures for the tamariki and whānau of people in prison, are calling for urgent legislative action and policy requiring the implementation of care plans for children of people ...1 day ago
- ‘I’ve been on the waiting list for over 20 years’: why social housing suitable for people with...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alan Morris, Professor, Institute for Public Policy and Governance, University of Technology Sydney Shutterstock One of the most common reasons people apply for social housing is because they or their immediate family members have a disability and they are unable ...1 day ago
- Dylan Alcott says he missed out on childhood friends. With support, disabled kids today can have a b...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Armstrong, Senior Lecturer in Special and Inclusive Education, RMIT University Shutterstock At a press conference last week, paralympian Dylan Alcott recalled the pain of being a child with a disability. “I had no friends when I was five,” the ...1 day ago
- Boot camps a 'cliche', says former National minister Chester BorrowsFormer National Party minister Chester Borrows says the solutions to youth crime are better social supports, and we must be prepared to pay for it as a society. ...1 day ago
- Comprehensive Container Return Scheme Major AchievementThe Zero Waste Network is thrilled that Cabinet will consider a container return scheme before Christmas. “We congratulate Minister David Parker and the Ministry for the Environment team in shepherding through the container return scheme to the ...1 day ago
- Mayor’s Office Corrects Misinformation On Three WatersA spokesperson for Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has corrected misinformation from central government about Three Waters costs. Last month, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern incorrectly told media that Auckland rates would go up by 7% if the controversial ...1 day ago
- ‘What shall we have for dinner?’ Choice overload is a real problem, but these tips will make you...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Janneke Blijlevens, Senior Lecturer Experimental Methods, RMIT University Brenna Huff/Unsplash It’s been a long day. Your partner messages you: “let’s just order in, I don’t feel like cooking”. With a sense of relief, you open your usual takeaway app and ...2 days ago
- Piopio College Students Celebrate World Children’s Day With A National Launch Of Child Rights Reso...School students at Piopio College celebrated World Children’s Day on Thursday, a global day of action for children by children, by ‘going blue’ and launching new child rights resources for schools in Aotearoa. Piopio College is the first school ...2 days ago
- Healthcare for New Zealanders with multiple chronic conditions needs ‘radical rethinking’ – he...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anna Askerud, PhD candidate, University of Otago One in four New Zealanders have more than two chronic conditions, including both physical and mental health issues. The COVID pandemic has highlighted how difficult it can be for people with multiple pre-existing ...2 days ago
- National Accounts (industry Production And Investment): Year Ended March 2021The national accounts (industry production and investment) release contains a full reconciled set of detailed industry data on production, investment, and capital stock. It is used to update and maintain the quality of quarterly GDP statistics. Visit ...2 days ago
- National Accounts (income And Expenditure): Year Ended March 2022National accounts (income and expenditure) provides information on domestic production and the resulting income that is available for spending and saving. It also provides an insight into how saving is used and invested between different sectors of the ...2 days ago
- Hāpai Te Hauora Welcomes Long Overdue Review Into PokiesThe Minister of Internal Affairs Jan Tinetti launched a review into pokies today. There will be a focus on increased penalties for venues which are non-compliant with the rules legislated in the Gambling Act 2003, and strengthening of host responsibility ...2 days ago
- Fonterra scoops in $1bn from sale of its Chilean business
NZ’s big dairy co-op Fonterra has sold its Soprole business in Chile for $1.055 bn. It rounds off a significant week for the dairy industry. Fonterra announced in April it would divest the company in order to focus on NZ milk. It also was looking to sell off a ...2 days ago - Terrorist Charges For Terrorist Active And Content OnlyChanges proposed under Clause 15 of the Counter-Terrorism Acts (Designations and Control Orders) Amendment Bill extend the term 'terrorist' (and the option for 'Control Orders,' which remove many basic civil liberties) to those who possess 'objectionable ...2 days ago
- Psychologists Condemn Un-informed And Ineffective ‘Boot Camp’ PolicyThe New Zealand Psychological Society is alarmed at the National Party's latest plan titled "combatting youth offending" which focuses on using power and control to address what they see as a rise in youth crime. We are concerned with ...2 days ago
- Political editors panel: Boot camps, world leaders and Covid-19Morning Report - RNZ Political Editor Jane Patterson and Stuff Political Editor Luke Malpass consider world politics alongside a new National policy and rising viral infections. ...2 days ago
- Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup: National wants to brand the Govt as soft on crimeAnalysis by Dr Bryce Edwards. Political Roundup: National wants to brand the Govt as soft on crime Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. As Government politicians put the boot into National’s bootcamp announcement yesterday, Christopher Luxon would have been celebrating. His populist announcement wasn’t only designed to scratch an electoral itch, but ...2 days ago
- THOMAS CRANMER: Five Waters and a ParkAs the government looks to push through the Water Services Entities Bill under urgency, it’s busy stuffing as much into its goodie bag as it can. THOMAS CRANMER wrote this ahead of the second reading of the Bill – One week on from Parliament’s cross-party Finance and Expenditure Committee ...2 days ago
- Why is the Qatar FIFA World Cup so controversial?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daryl Adair, Associate Professor of Sport Management, University of Technology Sydney The 2022 men’s FIFA World Cup, starting on Monday, promises to add to Qatar’s status as the Middle East’s sporting hub and a burgeoning global power in the business of sport. ...2 days ago
- As New South Wales reels, many are asking why it’s flooding in places where it’s never flooded b...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Gibbs, Adjunct Professor, Queensland University of Technology On Monday, residents of Eugowra in New South Wales had to flee for their lives. They had only minutes to get to higher ground – or their rooftops – to escape what’s been dubbed an “inland ...2 days ago
- New electric cars for under $45,000? They’re finally coming to Australia – but the battle isn’...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hussein Dia, Professor of Future Urban Mobility, Swinburne University of Technology Mark Baker/AAP If you’re shopping for an electric vehicle in Australia at the moment, your options are limited. Of more than 300 electric vehicle models on sale globally, only ...2 days ago
- The teacher shortage plan must do more to recruit and retain First Nations teachersSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Aleryk Fricker, Lecturer, Indigenous Education, Deakin University Courtneyk/Getty Images The federal government has recently released a draft plan to fix the teacher shortage. The plan sets out ways to increase respect for the profession and ease teachers’ workloads. A key aspect ...2 days ago
- Youth workers challenge National's proposal to send teen offenders to boot campsAuckland youth development worker and advocate Aaron Hendry says targeted interventions, which have proved successful, can be achieved without boot camps. ...2 days ago
- Little announces booster shot for Maori health while welcoming figures that show the benefits of a t...Latest from the Beehive Point of Order’s Beehive monitors were treated to a double dose of Health Minister Andrew Little’s rejoicing today. Little and Associate Health Minister Peeni Henare announced what they called a record funding boost for Māori primary and community healthcare providers as part of $71.6 million in ...2 days ago
- Grattan on Friday: A lot may be changing in China-Australia relations, but a lot is staying the sameSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra In retrospect, there were various signposts pointing to Chinese President Xi Jinping’s ice-breaking meeting with Anthony Albanese in Bali on Tuesday. One of the more obscure, perhaps, was China’s ambassador to Canberra, Xiao Qian, ...2 days ago
- Relief as Australian Sean Turnell to be released from prison in Myanmar, but more needs to be doneSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adam Simpson, Senior Lecturer, International Studies, University of South Australia In one of the few positive developments to come out of Myanmar in recent times, the military junta announced on Thursday it would be releasing almost 6,000 prisoners in an amnesty to ...2 days ago
- Newsletter – New Zealand Politics Daily – November 17 2022New Zealand Politics Daily is a collation of the most prominent issues being discussed in New Zealand. It is edited by Dr Bryce Edwards of The Democracy Project. Items of interest and importance today FOREIGN AFFAIRS Claire Trevett (Herald): Russia, China, a Trump comeback – PM Jacinda Ardern will face a big ...2 days ago
- Fiji elections 2022: 342 candidates to contest next month’s pollsBy Kelvin Anthony, RNZ Pacific regional correspondent The Fijian Elections Office has given the green light to 342 candidates from nine political parties and two independents to contest the December 14 general election. Twelve candidates have been rejected and two have withdrawn. Elections Supervisor Mohammed Saneem said his office had ...2 days ago
- Peacemonger – a tribute to peace researcher Owen Wilkes out soonRaekaihau Press Owen Wilkes (1940–2005) was known throughout the Pacific and across the world as an outstanding researcher on peace and disarmament. His work: • exposed plans to build a US Navy satellite tracking station in the Southern Alps• identified a foreign spy base at Tangimoana (near Bulls)• led to ...2 days ago
- Deliveroo’s exit from Australia shows why gig workers need more protectionSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alex Veen, Senior Lecturer and DECRA Fellow, University of Sydney Shutterstock Deliveroo’s decision to quit the Australian market, after what have been boom times for food delivery platforms, may seem surprising. But the writing has been on the wall for ...2 days ago
- Keith Rankin Essay – Science, and the Benefits and Costs of Nose-PickingEssay by Keith Rankin. If … gets up your nose, picket.* This month, Radio New Zealand listeners were treated to not one but two science stories about nose-picking! They make good fodder for a discussion about the practice of science. Self-Vaccination? Keith Rankin, trained as an economic historian, is a ...2 days ago
- National Party youth boot camps policy criticised as ineffective and populistLeft-leaning parties have expressed anger, disgust and derision over National's new youth crime policy, saying it is a failed approach research shows will not work. ...2 days ago
- Politics with Michelle Grattan: Tim Colebatch, Kos Samaras and Sumeyya Ilanbey on the Victorian Elec...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Victorians go to the polls on November 26, with the Andrews government seeking a third term. Labor is the clear favourite, but it is under pressure in a number of seats. The premier ...2 days ago
- Nine days from Victorian election, a new poll gives Labor a modest lead; US Republicans win HouseSource: 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 Joel Carrett/AAP The Victorian election will be held in nine days, on November 26. A Redbridge poll for The Herald ...2 days ago
- Toxic poppy seeds are sending people to hospital. 3 experts explain what’s behind the latest food ...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Darren Roberts, Conjoint Associate Professor in clinical pharmacology and toxicology, St Vincent’s Healthcare Clinical Campus, UNSW Sydney Shutterstock Poisonous poppy seeds have sent a number of people around Australia to hospital with severe symptoms – from muscle cramping and spasms ...2 days ago
- Groundswell group delivers petition calling for stop to farm-level emissions schemeA petition calling on the government to stop its farm-level emissions pricing scheme has been delivered to Parliament. But a minister who received it says its aims are at odds with the sectors own proposals. ...2 days ago
- Age Concern Highlighting The Issue Of Loneliness For SeniorsAge Concern Wellington Region have launched their annual appeal with a somewhat uncomfortable message, designed to raise awareness of the prevalence of loneliness among the Region’s senior population. The campaign features Tom and Dot, both of ...2 days ago
- Jacinda Ardern and Xi Jinping scheduled to meet on Friday nightA meeting between the Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and the Chinese President Xi Jinping is "currently confirmed" for tomorrow evening NZ time, 2130, at the APEC summit in Bangkok, Thailand. ...2 days ago
- Once again, wealthy nations are letting down poor nations at the Egypt climate talksSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jacqueline Peel, Director, Melbourne Climate Futures, The University of Melbourne Short of a miracle, it seems unlikely the COP27 climate change negotiations in Egypt will deliver any concrete action on loss and damage. “Loss and damage” refers to the harms of ...2 days ago
- Tough On Crime Narratives Risk HarmThe below statements can be attributed to Campaigns Director Lisa Woods from Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand. This follows the announcement from the National Party of a new policy for combating youth crime. "We are concerned by tough ...2 days ago
- As a poll shows Labour at 29%–surprise, surprise–Ministers open fire on National leaderPass the salt again, please, for the Prime Minister. She may need it, after another poll contained dismal news for Labour. Last week she contended the Newshub Reid Research poll, showing Labour on 32% trailing National by nearly 9 points, should be taken “with a grain of salt”.Labour’s own ...2 days ago
- Overhaul of the $1.2 billion special education system announcedThe government is promising to extend learning support to thousands more disabled children through a substantial overhaul of the $1.2 billion special education system. ...2 days ago
- Artemis 1 is off – and we’re a step closer to using Moon dirt for construction in spaceSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Matthew Shaw, PhD Candidate – Astrometallurgy, Swinburne University of Technology John Raoux NASA has just launched its first rocket in the Artemis program, which will, among other things, take scientific experiments to produce metal on the Moon. In recent years, ...2 days ago
- Auditor-General Submission And Letter PublishedOur submission on the Productivity Commission’s interim report A fair chance for all We have published our submission to the Productivity Commission on its interim report , A fair chance for all – Breaking the cycle of persistent disadvantage ...2 days ago
- Male Criminals Belong In Men's Prison“Wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, as well as charges of breach of a protection order, intentional damage, and resisting police”. Matthew Richard Nelson was sentenced in Hamilton on Tuesday for stabbing three people in a frenzied ...2 days ago
- PODCAST: Trumpism’s Election Failures and Trump’s Bid to Win Back the Whitehouse – Buchanan an...In this, the 22nd episode of A View from Afar for 2022 political scientist Dr Paul Buchanan and host Selwyn Manning deep dive into the consequences of the United States midterm elections. In particular Paul and Selwyn examine how an historically strong performance by the Democrats bolsters the reputation ...2 days ago
- National Population Estimates: At 30 September 2022National population estimates give the best available measure of the population, by age and sex, usually living in New Zealand. Key facts At 30 September 2022: New Zealand’s estimated resident population was provisionally 5,127,400 there were ...2 days ago
- Māori Population Estimates: At 30 June 2022Estimates of the Māori ethnic population of New Zealand by age and sex. Key facts This release contains the provisional estimate of the national ethnic Māori population at 30 June 2022, and includes an update to the provisional estimate at 30 June 2021. ...2 days ago
- Births And Deaths: Year Ended September 2022Births and deaths releases provide statistics on the number of births and deaths of people resident in New Zealand that are registered during a given period, along with selected fertility and mortality rates. They may differ from statistics presented ...2 days ago
- Parliament is not a normal workplace – anti-bullying policy must start with ethical leadership and...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mike Webster, Senior lecturer, University of Auckland GettyImages Three years after a scathing report into bullying and harassment in parliament, a new review of workplace culture in the Beehive is due to land before the end of this year. Speaker Adrian ...3 days ago
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