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NZ First and the SFO
Written By: - Date published: 8:57 am, September 30th, 2020 - 38 comments
Some random musings on the news yesterday that persons associated with NZ First had been charged by the Serious Fraud Office.
SFO exonerates NZ First
Written By: - Date published: 5:51 pm, September 29th, 2020 - 56 comments
The SFO has put out a press release a few days before overseas voting starts. They have not laid charges against NZ First or anyone in it. They have laid charges against two other people. What I find appalling is that they waited so close to the election before making it clear that whatever NZF did was lawful. To me that smacks of political malfeasance. And the complainants probably should be brought up on charges themselves for wasting police and SFO time.
Will NZ First make it back into Parliament?
Written By: - Date published: 10:07 am, September 8th, 2020 - 43 comments
One of the most interesting questions about the current election campaign is will New Zealand First make it back into Parliament after the election, with polling and a slew of not dissimilar parties on the right suggesting that Winston’s time may be up.
Will Jacinda Ardern meet her promise to transform?
Written By: - Date published: 6:53 am, September 4th, 2020 - 62 comments
Neoliberalism has run its course and displayed its profound inability to address inequality issues. It makes the poor get ever poorer while the affluent top 10% ticks of society get bloated and increasingly insufferable on untaxed capital gains. In 2017 Jacinda Ardern set a goal of bringing all children out of poverty within six years. So how is that going? And what are the next steps?
The test of MMP
Written By: - Date published: 12:20 pm, August 5th, 2020 - 123 comments
With the left’s political fortunes having changed greatly in the past three years, and with more change on the way, does the left still want MMP?
Pollwatch: Colmar Brunton poll released 2020-07-30
Written By: - Date published: 7:30 am, July 31st, 2020 - 54 comments
Poll analysis and modelling results: Is Colmar Brunton “the real rogue?” Who’s likely in and out for National, Labour, and the Greens on this poll result?
Hong Kong principles
Written By: - Date published: 9:49 pm, July 28th, 2020 - 38 comments
According to our Prime Minister, today’s announcement that New Zealand is suspending extradition arrangements with Hong Kong is because of our principles. But it is not immediately clear what these principles are, other than falling into line with our Five Eyes spying partners. Some history is important.
Winston Peters Names Alleged Super Leaker
Written By: - Date published: 4:44 pm, July 22nd, 2020 - 87 comments
Winston Peters has named the person he says leaked his super details. Has ACT joined National in doing Dirty Politics?
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.
Relentless negativity
Written By: - Date published: 8:22 am, March 18th, 2020 - 57 comments
Simon Bridges has been criticised for his relentless negativity towards the Government’s urgent Covid-19 budget response and for playing politics as usual at a time when unity is required.
Someone should keep a Talley
Written By: - Date published: 7:51 am, February 26th, 2020 - 15 comments
Radio New Zealand has published details of Talley donations totalling $27,000 being made to the NZ First Foundation.
WTAF NZ First?
Written By: - Date published: 6:44 am, February 22nd, 2020 - 148 comments
It has been reported that NZ First will oppose the Green’s attempt to make the country’s car fleet more sustainable and that it may hold up proposed gun law changes designed to address the problems clearly shown by the Christchurch massacre.
What was Winston thinking?
Written By: - Date published: 11:52 am, February 15th, 2020 - 120 comments
It has been revealed that NZ First acquired photographs of its former President and two reporters emerged on the Whaleoil mark 2 site, raising the concerning possibility that Simon Lusk may be involved in helping NZ First.
The problem with opinion polls
Written By: - Date published: 7:38 am, February 14th, 2020 - 77 comments
This week the Reid Research Poll predicted a Labour Green government and the Colmar Brunton poll predicted a National ACT government. Which one will be proved correct?
Will DPF condemn National for hiding the identity of its donors?
Written By: - Date published: 7:35 am, February 11th, 2020 - 59 comments
David Farrar has called for the suspension of Winston Peters from Cabinet for reasons which would also justify the suspension of Simon Bridges from the National Party.
The MPs go to Waitangi
Written By: - Date published: 9:04 am, February 5th, 2020 - 93 comments
Yesterday the political parties were welcomed onto the upper Marae at Waitangi. Jacinda Ardern took the occasion to give a stock take of what the Government was doing to address Iwi concerns, Andrew Little gave his speech totally in te reo, and Simon Bridges chose to use the opportunity to politic.
Bridges’ biggest gamble
Written By: - Date published: 3:46 pm, February 2nd, 2020 - 103 comments
Simon Bridges has mimicked John Key and ruled out National working with NZ First after the election. The difference is however that back then Key ruled out working with NZ First because NZ First was involved in a SFO investigation about the hiding of a $100,000 donation. This time it is National.
Get out now
Written By: - Date published: 2:21 pm, January 6th, 2020 - 76 comments
General Soleimani was visiting Iraq at the request of the Iraqi Prime Minister to discuss mediation between the US and Iran. Following his assassination by the US the Iraqi Parliament has voted to ask all foreign troops to leave the country. New Zealand’s remaining troops should bring forward their scheduled departure and leave immediately.
That 1914 Feeling
Written By: - Date published: 10:28 pm, January 3rd, 2020 - 104 comments
President Trump personally ordered the assassination of General Qassem Soleimani, head of Iran’s elite military Quds force. He was killed by rockets fired from US drones over Baghdad Airport. This is unlawful by any standards, as well as an act of war. Iran has promised retaliation.The doomsday clock just moved closer to midnight.
Hypocrite
Written By: - Date published: 12:23 pm, November 20th, 2019 - 74 comments
Simon Bridges has accused NZ First of engaging in the most significant breach of electoral law in New Zealand’s history. But has not ruled out working with NZ First in the future. And has forgotten about National’s neat partition of a $100,000 donation to hide it from the authorities.
‘Donations’ or bribes
Written By: - Date published: 9:58 pm, November 19th, 2019 - 95 comments
It has been ironic at our media frenzy on political ‘donations’. I suspect that our legal structure has been setup for bribing politicians with ‘donations’. Let us just make all politicians and donors guilty until proven innocent of false reporting of ‘donations’. It’d be more interesting than the current farce. Start with Simon Bridges – currently still under investigation by the SFO.
Not a good look
Written By: - Date published: 11:10 am, November 19th, 2019 - 98 comments
There has been recent media exposure on New Zealand First’s treatment of donations and the use of a trust to receive donations and avoid contribution disclosure requirements by making payments loans rather than gifts.
Slapdown
Written By: - Date published: 7:45 am, November 7th, 2019 - 66 comments
Jacinda Ardern has publicly slapped Shane Jones down for blatantly racist comments by requiring Immigration Officials to reverse a policy change that was adversely affecting Kiwis who have recently entered into arranged marriages.
NZ First Youth drags party screaming and kicking into 20th century
Written By: - Date published: 8:08 am, October 21st, 2019 - 24 comments
At New Zealand First’s weekend conference the party’s youth wing has forced the party to rethink its ultra conservative view on pill testing services being offered at festivals.
Caption contest
Written By: - Date published: 7:05 am, October 15th, 2019 - 19 comments
Keep it seemly …
I agree with Heather
Written By: - Date published: 11:03 am, August 23rd, 2019 - 37 comments
Heather du Plessis Allan has concluded that National was responsible for leaking details about Winston Peters superannuation overpayment. And believes that it was business as usual for National.
What is up with NZ First?
Written By: - Date published: 8:37 am, August 9th, 2019 - 105 comments
New Zealand First’s late decision to promote a referendum concerning abortion has caught everyone including its spokesperson Tracy Martin by surprise and is the latest example of last minute changes of position.
Peters, Pence, Pompeo and the Rapture
Written By: - Date published: 2:57 am, July 21st, 2019 - 25 comments
Hamish Rutherfurd writes that Winston Peters’ trip to the US to secure a trade deal is far-fetched and a waste of time. I agree. But if Peters has his agenda, so will Mike Pompeo, Mike Pence, John Bolton and Dan Coats have theirs. He was scheduled to meet them all. No wonder the 9th floor are worried.
The right wing death threat against Winston
Written By: - Date published: 10:44 am, July 1st, 2019 - 117 comments
Newshub has revealed that Winston Peters has received death threats. And the allegations involve the European far right, the Christchurch attack, the anti UN Migrant pact movement and the National Party.
@Melulater on Teachers’ Strike
Written By: - Date published: 9:10 am, May 13th, 2019 - 98 comments
Reprinted with permission from the blogsite How Melulater sees it, an important backgrounder to the impending teachers’ strike.
National’s bad day in the house
Written By: - Date published: 7:28 am, May 2nd, 2019 - 70 comments
In an unprecedented move yesterday in Parliament Government MPs agreed to Simon Bridges having extra time to harangue them during the general debate.
- Worming Through Dangerous Times
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As space becomes more contested, Australia should play a key role with its partners in the Combined Space Operations (CSpO) initiative to safeguard the space domain. Australia, Britain, Canada and the United States signed the ...2 weeks ago - Dave’s Cats
Ooh you're a cool catComing on strong with all the chit chatOoh you're alrightHanging out and stealing all the limelightOoh messing with the beat of my heart yeah!Songwriters: Freddie Mercury / John Deacon.It would be a tad ironic; I can see it now. “Yeah, I didn’t unsubscribe when he said ...2 weeks ago - Friday 21 March
The PSA are calling the Prime Minister a hypocrite for committing to increase defence spending while hundreds of more civilian New Zealand Defence Force jobs are set to be cut as part of a major restructure. The number of companies being investigated for people trafficking in New Zealand has skyrocketed ...2 weeks ago - Weekly Roundup 21-March-2025
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The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts & talking with special guest author Michael Wolff, who has just published his fourth book about Donald Trump: ‘All or Nothing’.Here’s Peter’s writeup of the interview. Hoon: Trumpism ...2 weeks ago - Hoon: Trumpism dies with Trump says Wolff
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- The ADF reserve system is obsolete. We need a dramatically expanded force
Australia needs to radically reorganise its reserves system to create a latent military force that is much larger, better trained and equipped and deployable within days—not decades. Our current reserve system is not fit for ...2 weeks ago
- Pick ‘n’ Mix at 6am on Friday, March 21
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I have argued before that one ought to be careful in retrospectively allocating texts into genres. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1818) only looks like science-fiction because a science-fiction genre subsequently developed. Without H.G. Wells, would Frankenstein be considered science-fiction? No, it probably wouldn’t. Viewed in the context of its time, Frankenstein ...2 weeks ago - Skeptical Science New Research for Week #12 2025
Open access notables The severe 2020 coral bleaching event in the tropical Atlantic linked to marine heatwaves, Rodrigues et al., Communications Earth & Environment: Marine heatwaves can amplify the vulnerabilities of regional marine ecosystems and jeopardise local economies and food resources. Here, we show that marine heatwaves in the tropical ...2 weeks ago - Elbridge Colby’s vision: blocking China
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- Pressure grows for commonsense correction on safe local speeds
Concern is growing about wide-ranging local repercussions of the new Setting of Speed Limits rule, rewritten in 2024 by former transport minister Simeon Brown. In particular, there’s growing fears about what this means for children in particular. A key paradox of the new rule is that NZTA-controlled roads have the ...2 weeks ago
- Luxon’s Guests.
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Figures released by Statistics New Zealand today showed that the economy grew by 0.7% ending the very deep recession seen over the past year, said NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi Economist Craig Renney. “Even though GDP grew in the three months to December, our economy is still 1.1% smaller than it ...2 weeks ago
- Maybe there’s a connection?
What is going on with the price of butter?, RNZ, 19 march 2025: If you have bought butter recently you might have noticed something - it is a lot more expensive. Stats NZ said last week that the price of butter was up 60 percent in February compared to ...2 weeks ago - I, too, got a few things wrong
I agree with Will Leben, who wrote in The Strategist about his mistakes, that an important element of being a commentator is being accountable and taking responsibility for things you got wrong. In that spirit, ...2 weeks ago
- Commandments & Cures
You’d beDrunk by noon, no one would knowJust like the pandemicWithout the sourdoughIf I were there, I’d find a wayTo get treated for hysteriaEvery dayLyrics Riki Lindhome.A varied selection today in Nick’s Kōrero:Thou shalt have no other gods - with Christopher Luxon.Doctors should be seen and not heard - with ...2 weeks ago - Australia needs greater defence self-reliance, and extra funding
Two recent foreign challenges suggest that Australia needs urgently to increase its level of defence self-reliance and to ensure that the increased funding that this would require is available. First, the circumnavigation of our continent ...2 weeks ago
- Pick ‘n’ Mix at 6am on Thursday, March 20
Here’s my selection1 of scoops, breaking news, news, analyses, deep-dives, features, interviews, Op-Eds, editorials and cartoons from around Aotearoa’s political economy on housing, climate and poverty from RNZ, 1News, The Post-$2, The Press−$, Newsroom/$3, NZ Herald/$, Stuff, BusinessDesk/$, Politik-$, NBR-$, Reuters, FT/$, WSJ/$, Bloomberg/$, New York Times/$, The Atlantic-$, The ...2 weeks ago - Gordon Campbell on Winston Peters’ bad trip, and the return of the PPPs zombie
According to RNZ’s embedded reporter, the importance of Winston Peters’ talks in Washington this week “cannot be overstated.” Right. “Exceptionally important.” said the maestro himself. This epic importance doesn’t seem to have culminated in anything more than us expressing our “concern” to the Americans about a series of issues that ...2 weeks ago - Climate Fresk – a neat way to make the complexity of climate change less puzzling
Up until a few weeks ago, I had never heard of "Climate Fresk" and at a guess, this will also be the case for many of you. I stumbled upon it in the self-service training catalog for employees at the company I work at in Germany where it was announced ...2 weeks ago
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Japan and Australia talk of ‘collective deterrence,’ but they don’t seem to have specific objectives. The relationship needs a clearer direction. The two countries should identify how they complement each other. Each country has two ...2 weeks ago
- Submission on the Draft Biometric Processing Privacy Code
The NZCTU strongly supports the OPC’s decision to issue a code of practice for biometric processing. Our view is that the draft code currently being consulted on is stronger and will be more effective than the exposure code released in early 2024. We are pleased that some of the revisions ...2 weeks ago
- Eggs in more baskets: diversify Australian agricultural exports away from US
Australia’s export-oriented industries, particularly agriculture, need to diversify their markets, with a focus on Southeast Asia. This could strengthen economic security and resilience while deepening regional relationships. The Trump administration’s decision to impose tariffs on ...2 weeks ago
- The Fisheries Reform Scam – Sam Woolford
Minister Shane Jones is introducing fastrack ‘reforms’ to the our fishing industry that will ensure the big players squeeze out the small fishers and entrench an already bankrupt quota system. Our fisheries are under severe stress: the recent decision by the High Court ruling that the ...2 weeks ago - Climate Change: Failed again
In what has become regular news, the quarterly ETS auction has failed, with nobody even bothering to bid. The immediate reason is that the carbon price has fallen to around $60, below the auction minimum of $68. And the cause of that is a government which has basically given up ...2 weeks ago
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US President Donald Trump’s tariff threats have dominated headlines in India in recent weeks. Earlier this month, Trump announced that his reciprocal tariffs—matching other countries’ tariffs on American goods—will go into effect on 2 April, ...2 weeks ago
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Now I've heard there was a secret chordThat David played, and it pleased the LordBut you don't really care for music, do you?It goes like this, the fourth, the fifthThe minor falls, the major liftsThe baffled king composing HallelujahSongwriter: Leonard CohenI always thought the lyrics of that great song by ...2 weeks ago - People matter—especially when frigate crews are too small
People are getting carried away with the virtues of small warship crews. We need to remember the great vice of having few people to run a ship: they’ll quickly tire. Yes, the navy is struggling ...2 weeks ago
- Auckland’s Western Line: Walking and cycling catchments
This is a guest post by Peter Bisley. It previously appeared on his substack, and is republished here by kind permisison. How can active transport connections maximise City Rail Link benefits City Rail Link successfully ran a test train last month on the 3.45km line under central Auckland, ahead ...2 weeks ago
- Bernard’s Pick ‘n’ Mix at 6am on Wednesday, March 19
Mōrena. Here’s my selection1 of scoops, breaking news, news, analyses, deep-dives, features, interviews, Op-Eds, editorials and cartoons from around Aotearoa’s political economy on housing, climate and poverty from RNZ, 1News, The Post-$2, The Press−$, Newsroom/$3, NZ Herald/$, Stuff, BusinessDesk/$, Politik-$, NBR-$, Reuters, FT/$, WSJ/$, Bloomberg/$, New York Times/$, The Atlantic-$, ...2 weeks ago - Unity is the answer to Europe’s defence woes
US President Donald Trump’s hostile regime has finally forced Europe to wake up. With US officials calling into question the transatlantic alliance, Germany’s incoming chancellor, Friedrich Merz, recently persuaded lawmakers to revise the country’s debt ...2 weeks ago
- Australian politics needs clearer national security boundaries
We need to establish clearer political boundaries around national security to avoid politicising ongoing security issues and to better manage secondary effects. The Australian Federal Police (AFP) revealed on 10 March that the Dural caravan ...2 weeks ago
- Government must act decisively and ban engineered stone
The NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi have reiterated their call for Government to protect workers by banning engineered stone in a submission on MBIE’s silica dust consultation. “If Brooke van Velden is genuine when she calls for an evidence-based approach to this issue, then she must support a full ban on ...2 weeks ago
- Tuesday 18 March
The Labour Inspectorate could soon be knocking on the door of hundreds of businesses nation-wide, as it launches a major crackdown on those not abiding by the law. NorthTec staff are on edge as Northland’s leading polytechnic proposes to stop 11 programmes across primary industries, forestry, and construction. Union coverage ...2 weeks ago
- First-person view drones: transitioning from sport to battle
It’s one thing for military personnel to hone skills with first-person view (FPV) drones in racing competitions. It’s quite another for them to transition to the complexities of the battlefield. Drone racing has become a ...2 weeks ago
- ‘There are no exemptions. Just eat it.’
Seymour says there will be no other exemptions granted to schools wanting to opt out of the Compass contract. Photo: Lynn GrievesonLong stories shortest: David Seymour has denied a request from a Christchurch school and any other schools to be exempted from the Compass school lunch programme, saying the contract ...2 weeks ago - Nuclear Ukraine: Budapest Memorandum – what it says and is it relevant?
Russian President Boris Yeltsin, U.S. President Bill Clinton, Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma, and British Prime Minister John Major signed the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty in ... 2 weeks ago - A Palate Cleanser
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- Do Americans really want urban sprawl?
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Sarah Wesseler (Image credit: Antonio Huerta) Growing up in suburban Ohio, I was used to seeing farmland and woods disappear to make room for new subdivisions, strip malls, and big box stores. I didn’t usually welcome the changes, but I assumed others ...2 weeks ago
- Myanmar’s desperate condition: fragmentation, drugs, money-laundering and more
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- The Hardest Word
What've I gotta do to make you love me?What've I gotta do to make you care?What do I do when lightning strikes me?And I wake up and find that you're not thereWhat've I gotta do to make you want me?Mmm hmm, what've I gotta do to be heard?What do I ...2 weeks ago - Bernard’s Pick ‘n’ Mix at 6am on Tuesday, March 18
Here’s my selection1 of scoops, breaking news, news, analyses, deep-dives, features, interviews, Op-Eds, editorials and cartoons from around Aotearoa’s political economy on housing, climate and poverty from RNZ, 1News, The Post-$2, The Press−$, Newsroom3, NZ Herald, Stuff, BusinessDesk-$, NBR-$, Reuters, FT-$, WSJ-$, Bloomberg-$, New York Times-$, The Atlantic-$, The Economist-$ ...2 weeks ago - Gordon Campbell On Luxon’s Survival Chances, And The India FTA
Whenever Christopher Luxon drops a classically fatuous clanger or whenever the government has a bad poll – i.e. every week – the talk resumes that he is about to be rolled. This is unlikely for several reasons. For starters, there is no successor. Nicola Willis? Chris Bishop? Simeon Brown? Mark ...2 weeks ago
- Feedback on work with engineered stone and materials containing crystalline silica
The NZCTU remains strongly committed to banning engineered stone in New Zealand and implementing better occupational health protections for all workers working with silica-containing materials. In this submission to MBIE, the NZCTU outlines that we have an opportunity to learn from Australia’s experience by implementing a full ban of engineered ...2 weeks ago
- Big deal
The Prime Minister has announced a big win in trade negotiations with India.It’s huge, he told reporters. We didn't get everything we came for but we were able to agree on free trade in clothing, fabrics, car components, software, IT consulting, spices, tea, rice, and leather goods.He said that for ...2 weeks ago - A Return to a US Gilded Age?
I have been trying to figure out the logic of Trump’s tariff policies and apparent desire for a global trade war. Although he does not appear to comprehend that tariffs are a tax on consumers in the country doing the tariffing, I can (sort of) understand that he may think ...2 weeks ago - France is prominent in efforts to shape Syria’s future, again
As Syria and international partners negotiate the country’s future, France has sought to be a convening power. While France has a history of influence in the Middle East, it will have to balance competing Syrian ...2 weeks ago
- “Capital poor”
One of the eternal truths about Aotearoa's economy is that we are "capital poor": there's not enough money sloshing around here to fund the expansion of local businesses, or to build the things we want to. Which gets used as an excuse for all sorts of things, like setting up ...2 weeks ago
- Pictures Tell The Story
National held its ground until late 2023 Verion, Talbot Mills & Curia Polls (Red = Labour, Blue = National)If we remove outlier results from Curia (National Party November 2023) National started trending down in October 2024.Verion Polls (Red = Labour, Blue = National)Verian alone shows a clearer deterioration in early ...2 weeks ago - Daddy
Daddy, are you out there?Daddy, won't you come and play?Daddy, do you not care?Is there nothing that you want to say?Songwriters: Mark Batson / Beyonce Giselle Knowles.This morning, a look at the much-maligned NZ Herald. Despised by many on the left as little more than a mouthpiece for the National ...2 weeks ago - Monday 17 March
Employers, unions and health and safety advocates are calling for engineered stone to be banned, a day before consultation on regulations closes. On Friday the PSA lodged a pay equity claim for library assistants with the Employment Relations Authority, after the stalling of a claim lodged with six councils in ...2 weeks ago
- Luxon announces start of India trade deal talks
Long stories shortest in Aotearoa’s political economy: Christopher Luxon surprises by announcing trade deal talks with India will start next month, and include beef and dairy. Napier is set to join Whakatane, Dunedin and Westport in staging a protest march against health spending restraints hitting their hospital services. Winston Peters ...2 weeks ago - In a divided world, momentum behind negotiations grows
At a time of rising geopolitical tensions and deepening global fragmentation, the Ukraine war has proved particularly divisive. From the start, the battle lines were clearly drawn: Russia on one side, Ukraine and the West ...2 weeks ago
- Mercury Lane, and Auckland Transport’s habitual failure
When the City Rail Link opens (circa 2026), all signs point to it immediately being a huge success. It will be transformational for Auckland, with ripple effects across the city. Thousands of people an hour will pour in and out of the new and upgraded stations. So, as well as ...2 weeks ago
- Bernard’s Pick ‘n’ Mix at 6am on March 17
Here’s my selection1 of scoops, breaking news, news, analyses, deep-dives, features, interviews, Op-Eds, editorials and cartoons from around Aotearoa’s political economy on housing, climate and poverty from RNZ, 1News, The Post-$2, The Press−$, Newsroom3, NZ Herald, Stuff, BusinessDesk-$, Newsroom-$, Politik-$, NBR-$, Reuters, FT-$, WSJ-$, Bloomberg-$, New York Times-$, The Atlantic-$, ...2 weeks ago - 2025 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
A listing of 26 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 9, 2025 thru Sat, March 15, 2025. This week's roundup is again published by category and sorted by number of articles included in each. We are still interested ...3 weeks ago
- Maxing out – next steps for progressives
Max Harris and Max Rashbrooke discuss how we turn around the right wing slogans like nanny state, woke identity politics, and the inefficiency of the public sector – and how we build a progressive agenda. From Donald Trump to David Seymour, from Peter Dutton to Christopher Luxon, we are subject to a ...3 weeks ago
- Bernard’s Soliloquy for the week to March 16
The Government dominated the political agenda this week with its two-day conference pitching all manner of public infrastructure projects for Public Private Partnerships (PPPs). Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories shortest in our political economy this week: The Government ploughed ahead with offers of PPPs to pension fund managers ...3 weeks ago - Eating Like Kings
You know that it's a snake eat snake worldWe slither and serpentine throughWe all took a bite, and six thousand years laterThese apples getting harder to chewSongwriters: Shawn Mavrides.“Please be Jack Tame”, I thought when I saw it was Seymour appearing on Q&A. I’d had a guts full of the ...3 weeks ago - David now turns to Rodney with a stricken face
So here we are at the wedding of Alexandra Vincent Martelli and David Seymour.Look at all the happy prosperous guests! How proud Nick Mowbray looks of the gift he has made of a mountain of crap plastic toys stuffed into a Cybertruck.How they drink, how they laugh, how they mug ...3 weeks ago - Fact brief – Is waste heat from industrial activity the reason the planet is 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. Is waste heat from industrial activity the reason the planet is warming? Waste heat’s contribution to global warming is a small fraction of ...3 weeks ago
- On why complaining about incompetent David Seymour’s School Lunches is the only rational respo...
Some continue to defend David Seymour on school lunches, sidestepping his errors to say:“Well the parents should pack their lunch” and/or “Kids should be grateful for free food.”One of these people is the sitting Prime Minister.So I put together a quick list of why complaint is not only appropriate - ...3 weeks ago - Whistling Past The Graveyard.
“Bugger the pollsters!”WHEN EVERYBODY LIVED in villages, and every village had a graveyard, the expression “whistling past the graveyard” made more sense. Even so, it’s hard to describe the Coalition Government’s response to the latest Taxpayers’ Union/Curia Research poll any better. Regardless of whether they wanted to go there, or ...3 weeks ago
- Jane Kelsey – Transforming neoliberalism
Prof Jane Kelsey examines what the ACT party and the NZ Initiative are up to as they seek to impose on the country their hardline, right wing, neoliberal ideology. A progressive government elected in 2026 would have a huge job putting Humpty Dumpty together again and rebuilding a state that ...3 weeks ago
- Ain’t No Use
See I try to make a differenceBut the heads of the high keep turning awayThere ain't no useWhen the world that you love has goneOoh, gotta make a changeSongwriters: Arapekanga Adams-Tamatea / Brad Kora / Hiriini Kora / Joel Shadbolt.Aotearoa for Sale.This week saw the much-heralded and somewhat alarming sight ...3 weeks ago - Bernard’s Pick ‘n’ Mix on Saturday, March 15
Here’s my selection1 of scoops, breaking news, news, analyses, deep-dives, features, interviews, Op-Eds, editorials and cartoons from around Aotearoa’s political economy on housing, climate and poverty from RNZ, 1News, The Post-$2, The Press−$, Newsroom3, NZ Herald, Stuff, BusinessDesk-$, NBR-$, Reuters, FT-$, WSJ-$, Bloomberg-$, New York Times-$, The Atlantic-$, The Economist-$ ...3 weeks ago - Is the New Zealand Healthcare System Doing Badly?
By international standards the New Zealand healthcare system appears satisfactory – certainly no worse generally than average. Yet it is undergoing another redisorganisation.While doing some unrelated work, I came across some international data on the healthcare sector which seemed to contradict my – and the conventional wisdom’s – view of ...3 weeks ago - Labour draws a clear line in the sand on National’s privatisation binge
Mountain Tui is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Over the last year, I’ve been warning about Luxon’s pitch to privatise our public assets. He had told reporters in October that nothing was off the cards:Schools, hospitals, prisons, and ...3 weeks ago
- CubaDupa captured a sense of defiant joy
Wellingtonians are so used to negative media narratives that celebrating their city feels like a radical act. In that context, CubaDupa’s ‘communal joy’ theme made perfect sense, write Joel MacManus and Lyric Waiwiri-Smith. The theme of this year’s CubaDupa was “communal joy”. At first glance, it’s an eye-roller; less of ...1 day ago - CubaDupa captured a sense of defiant joy
Wellingtonians are so used to negative media narratives that celebrating their city feels like a radical act. In that context, CubaDupa’s ‘communal joy’ theme made perfect sense, write Joel MacManus and Lyric Waiwiri-Smith. The theme of this year’s CubaDupa was “communal joy”. At first glance, it’s an eye-roller; less of ...1 day ago
- You don’t have to be called Steve to be a stevedore
As the Govt changes the law to prioritise ‘merit-based appointments’, the Port of Auckland’s boss explains why diversity and inclusion is good business The post You don’t have to be called Steve to be a stevedore appeared first on Newsroom. ...1 day ago - You don’t have to be called Steve to be a stevedore
As the Govt changes the law to prioritise ‘merit-based appointments’, the Port of Auckland’s boss explains why diversity and inclusion is good business The post You don’t have to be called Steve to be a stevedore appeared first on Newsroom. ...1 day ago
- Dogs see their world through smell – and scientists are starting to translate it like never before
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jacqueline Boyd, Senior Lecturer in Animal Science, Nottingham Trent University Lorenzooooo/Shutterstock Scent is how dogs largely experience the world, a lot like the way we humans rely on sight. We know little about how dogs interpret scent, but thanks to a ...1 day ago - Dogs see their world through smell – and scientists are starting to translate it like never before
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jacqueline Boyd, Senior Lecturer in Animal Science, Nottingham Trent University Lorenzooooo/Shutterstock Scent is how dogs largely experience the world, a lot like the way we humans rely on sight. We know little about how dogs interpret scent, but thanks to a ...1 day ago
- William Wordsworth’s last home is up for sale – returning it to a private residence would be a l...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amy Wilcockson, Research assistant, University of Glasgow Until recently, fans of William Wordsworth could visit his final home, Rydal Mount and Gardens, nestled in the heart of England’s green and beautiful Lake District. Renowned as one of the most prominent British poets, ...1 day ago
- William Wordsworth’s last home is up for sale – returning it to a private residence would be a l...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amy Wilcockson, Research assistant, University of Glasgow Until recently, fans of William Wordsworth could visit his final home, Rydal Mount and Gardens, nestled in the heart of England’s green and beautiful Lake District. Renowned as one of the most prominent British poets, ...1 day ago
- ‘Putin’s brain’: Aleksandr Dugin, the Russian ultra-nationalist who has endorsed Donald Trump
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kevin Riehle, Lecturer in Intelligence and Security Studies, Brunel University of London Aleksandr Dugin, sometimes referred to as “Putin’s brain” because of his ideological influence on Russian politics, endorsed the policies of Donald Trump in a CNN interview aired on March 30. ...1 day ago
- ‘Putin’s brain’: Aleksandr Dugin, the Russian ultra-nationalist who has endorsed Donald Trump
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kevin Riehle, Lecturer in Intelligence and Security Studies, Brunel University of London Aleksandr Dugin, sometimes referred to as “Putin’s brain” because of his ideological influence on Russian politics, endorsed the policies of Donald Trump in a CNN interview aired on March 30. ...1 day ago
- Canada a 51st state? Here’s how American annexation could actually favour Canada
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Felix Arndt, Professor and John F. Wood Chair in Entrepreneurship, University of Guelph When United States President Donald Trump first floated the idea of annexing Canada, many observers rolled their eyes. The common assumption was that this proposal, like much of Trump’s ...1 day ago
- Canada a 51st state? Here’s how American annexation could actually favour Canada
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Felix Arndt, Professor and John F. Wood Chair in Entrepreneurship, University of Guelph When United States President Donald Trump first floated the idea of annexing Canada, many observers rolled their eyes. The common assumption was that this proposal, like much of Trump’s ...1 day ago
- ‘Sorry mate, I didn’t see you’: when drivers look but don’t see cyclists on the road
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Giulio Ponte, Research Engineer at the Centre for Automotive Safety Research, University of Adelaide Serhii Milekhin/Shutterstock When a vehicle and a cyclist collide, the cyclist almost always emerges worse off. Globally, more than 40,000 cyclists are killed and millions more seriously ...1 day ago
- ‘Sorry mate, I didn’t see you’: when drivers look but don’t see cyclists on the road
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Giulio Ponte, Research Engineer at the Centre for Automotive Safety Research, University of Adelaide Serhii Milekhin/Shutterstock When a vehicle and a cyclist collide, the cyclist almost always emerges worse off. Globally, more than 40,000 cyclists are killed and millions more seriously ...1 day ago
- Defence is shaping up to be a key election issue, whether politicians like it or not
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter J. Dean, Director, Foreign Policy and Defence, United States Studies Centre, University of Sydney International and domestic policy have collided in Australia in recent weeks with a force not seen in decades. Foreign policy concerns have dominated media headlines, from ...1 day ago
- Defence is shaping up to be a key election issue, whether politicians like it or not
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter J. Dean, Director, Foreign Policy and Defence, United States Studies Centre, University of Sydney International and domestic policy have collided in Australia in recent weeks with a force not seen in decades. Foreign policy concerns have dominated media headlines, from ...1 day ago
- New RNZ-Reid Research poll: Half of Kiwis want defence spending to increase
It comes on the back of increases announced by Australia, the UK, and other European nations. ...1 day ago - New RNZ-Reid Research poll: Half of Kiwis want defence spending to increase
It comes on the back of increases announced by Australia, the UK, and other European nations. ...1 day ago
- Cancer patients from migrant backgrounds have a 1 in 3 chance of something going wrong in their care
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ashfaq Chauhan, Research Fellow, Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Macquarie University SeventyFour/Shutterstock More than 7 million people in Australia were born overseas. Some 5.8 million people report speaking a language other than English at home. But how well are we ...1 day ago
- Cancer patients from migrant backgrounds have a 1 in 3 chance of something going wrong in their care
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ashfaq Chauhan, Research Fellow, Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Macquarie University SeventyFour/Shutterstock More than 7 million people in Australia were born overseas. Some 5.8 million people report speaking a language other than English at home. But how well are we ...1 day ago
- Australians want nature protected. These 3 environmental problems should be top of the next governme...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Euan Ritchie, Professor in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, School of Life & Environmental Sciences, Deakin University Christina Zdenek Australia is a place of great natural beauty, home to many species found nowhere else on Earth. But it’s also particularly vulnerable to ...1 day ago
- Australians want nature protected. These 3 environmental problems should be top of the next governme...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Euan Ritchie, Professor in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, School of Life & Environmental Sciences, Deakin University Christina Zdenek Australia is a place of great natural beauty, home to many species found nowhere else on Earth. But it’s also particularly vulnerable to ...1 day ago
- Giving up a daily coffee or weekly parma? How the cost-of-living crisis is reshaping our spending ha...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Meg Elkins, Senior Lecturer, School of Economics, Finance and Marketing and Behavioural Business Lab Member, RMIT University Bangkok Click Studio/Shutterstock Remember when grabbing a coffee was just… grabbing a coffee? When a parma at the local was a budget meal? When ...1 day ago
- Giving up a daily coffee or weekly parma? How the cost-of-living crisis is reshaping our spending ha...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Meg Elkins, Senior Lecturer, School of Economics, Finance and Marketing and Behavioural Business Lab Member, RMIT University Bangkok Click Studio/Shutterstock Remember when grabbing a coffee was just… grabbing a coffee? When a parma at the local was a budget meal? When ...1 day ago
- A ban on price gouging and new powers to break up supermarkets are on the table this election. Would...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Barbora Jedlickova, Senior Lecturer, School of Law, The University of Queensland wisely/Shutterstock With the federal election campaign now underway, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has promised that if re-elected, Labor would seek to make price gouging illegal in the supermarket sector. A ...1 day ago
- A ban on price gouging and new powers to break up supermarkets are on the table this election. Would...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Barbora Jedlickova, Senior Lecturer, School of Law, The University of Queensland wisely/Shutterstock With the federal election campaign now underway, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has promised that if re-elected, Labor would seek to make price gouging illegal in the supermarket sector. A ...1 day ago
- Adolescence has sparked fears over teen slang – but emoji don’t cause radicalisation
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jessica Kruk, Lecturer in Indonesian Studies and Linguistics, The University of Western Australia Shutterstock Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham’s crime drama Adolescence has earned widespread praise for its portrayal of incel culture and male violence. But the show’s portrayal of ...1 day ago
- Adolescence has sparked fears over teen slang – but emoji don’t cause radicalisation
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jessica Kruk, Lecturer in Indonesian Studies and Linguistics, The University of Western Australia Shutterstock Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham’s crime drama Adolescence has earned widespread praise for its portrayal of incel culture and male violence. But the show’s portrayal of ...1 day ago
- New Zealand’s concerns over Cook Islands’ ‘shadow fleet’ revealed
Cook Islands-registered ship, Eagle S, was seized on Christmas day, 2024, in the Baltic Sea. ...1 day ago
- The battle to control NZME is heating up
The Herald’s publisher is reopening nominations for boardroom directors in an attempt to stave off Jim Grenon’s aggressive takeover bid, writes Catherine McGregor in today’s extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. NZME strikes back After weeks of forward momentum, Jim Grenon’s attempted ...1 day ago
- The battle to control NZME is heating up
The Herald’s publisher is reopening nominations for boardroom directors in an attempt to stave off Jim Grenon’s aggressive takeover bid, writes Catherine McGregor in today’s extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. NZME strikes back After weeks of forward momentum, Jim Grenon’s attempted ...1 day ago
- Prime Minister doubles down on allowing exclusion of Treaty Principles Bill submissions
But legal scholars warn the move sets a worrying precedent. ...1 day ago
- No armed drones in NZDF arsenal, but tests continue
The NZ Defence Force says it does not have any armed drones, but is involved in experiments with them. ...1 day ago
- No armed drones in NZDF arsenal, but tests continue
The NZ Defence Force says it does not have any armed drones, but is involved in experiments with them. ...1 day ago
- Workplace Relations minister announces plans to relax health and safety laws
Brooke van Velden says business directors and management are doubling up duties because of unclear rules. ...1 day ago
- Workplace Relations minister announces plans to relax health and safety laws
Brooke van Velden says business directors and management are doubling up duties because of unclear rules. ...1 day ago
- Freshwater case attacks decades of policy, Crown says
Eight weeks into Ngāi Tahu’s freshwater trial, after hearing from 40 witnesses, delving into hundreds of documents and previous judgments by courts and tribunals, the Crown tells the judge: don’t get hung up on volume.On Tuesday, barrister Mike Colson KC began closing arguments for the Attorney-General, taken to the High ...1 day ago
- Freshwater case attacks decades of policy, Crown says
Eight weeks into Ngāi Tahu’s freshwater trial, after hearing from 40 witnesses, delving into hundreds of documents and previous judgments by courts and tribunals, the Crown tells the judge: don’t get hung up on volume.On Tuesday, barrister Mike Colson KC began closing arguments for the Attorney-General, taken to the High ...1 day ago
- John Tamihere takes government to court over lost Whānau Ora contract
Lawyers acting for the Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency chief executive have appeared in Wellington High Court to argue for a judicial review of the decision to award the North Island contract to another provider. Lyric Waiwiri-Smith reports. John Tamihere’s challenge to the procurement process that saw his commissioning agency lose ...1 day ago
- Who gets to embrace ‘abundance’ in New Zealand politics?
A new book challenges the left to stop being the parties of ‘no’ and adopt a new type of politics – one that builds. But can anyone in New Zealand politics credibly embrace abundance, or are we doomed to squabble in scarcity for ever? For the first time in a ...1 day ago
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