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An Ineffectual Opposition Is Bad News
Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, October 28th, 2018 - 42 comments
An ineffectual Opposition creates a vacuum that will be filled by the Mainstream and Social Media as they will assume the role of unelected and non-representative opposition in effectuo.
Eye of the storm
Written By: - Date published: 10:31 am, October 27th, 2018 - 106 comments
Simon Bridges thinks that he is past trouble caused by the Jami-Lee Ross incident. But the way things are developing he may be in the middle of things.
Nothing to worry about
Written By: - Date published: 7:36 am, October 25th, 2018 - 48 comments
National thinks that it has weathered the storm caused by the Jami-Lee Ross revelations and it has nothing to worry about even though the Police have gone to the Electoral Commission. And Simon Bridges has been in touch with Cameron Slater. What could go wrong?
Everything is awesome
Written By: - Date published: 8:28 am, October 21st, 2018 - 463 comments
National is trying to say that everything is fine with Simon Bridges’ leadership, that he has handled the Jami-Lee Ross crisis well and that his leadership is assured. I beg to differ.
Jami-Lee Ross: But Wait, There’s More!
Written By: - Date published: 6:09 pm, October 19th, 2018 - 191 comments
Jami-Lee Ross has twisted the knife a little further into Simon Bridge’s back this arvo, releasing a second tape and announcing he won’t be quitting Parliament. Turns out he may need the income to fund a divorce.
The Jamilee tweets
Written By: - Date published: 7:49 am, October 18th, 2018 - 246 comments
Jami-Lee Ross has released the tape of his talking with Simon Bridges where the suggestion was made that two Chinese MPs would be more valuable than two Indian MPs. And Melanie Reid has published an article containing the allegations of four women against Ross of inappropriate behaviour.
Khashoggi
Written By: - Date published: 12:50 pm, October 17th, 2018 - 56 comments
A counter to the “heroic dissident” narrative.
Mutually assured destruction
Written By: - Date published: 8:17 am, October 17th, 2018 - 380 comments
Paula Bennett has broken the understanding that MPs do not refer to each other’s private lives. And Jami-Lee Ross has alleged that a $100,000 donation was split so that it did not have to be declared and it has been confirmed that National then nominated the donor for a Queen’s Birthday Honour.
National’s caucus meeting today – nothing to see here
Written By: - Date published: 7:30 am, October 16th, 2018 - 83 comments
All eyes will be on National’s caucus meeting today. And Simon Bridges will need to explain what Jami-Lee Ross meant when he said that he had recorded a conversation where he was asked by Bridges to break the law.
For a Better New Zealand?
Written By: - Date published: 8:05 am, October 15th, 2018 - 44 comments
A new political party has emerged with what could be loosely described as a stunning website.
Simon Bridges is totes relaxed about his leak inquiry
Written By: - Date published: 9:11 am, October 13th, 2018 - 26 comments
After spending over a hundred thousand dollars on the inquiry into who leaked his travel information Simon Bridges now claims that he is no longer worried about who leaked his travel expense information.
The leak inquiries
Written By: - Date published: 8:11 am, October 11th, 2018 - 37 comments
Trevor Mallard has shut down one possible conclusion of National’s leak inquiry by conducting his own inquiry into his office which has concluded that the leak of Bridges’ travel information did not come from there.
National’s firearms forums – what could go wrong?
Written By: - Date published: 7:56 am, October 10th, 2018 - 125 comments
National has launched a series of public meetings to discuss a major issue. Not child poverty or climate change or how badly wrong Steven Joyce’s $11.5 billion hole claim was, but guns.
Do we have cheaper fuel or do we trash the planet?
Written By: - Date published: 10:41 am, October 9th, 2018 - 64 comments
On the day that the IPCC has confirmed that the world is running out of time to do something to try and preserve what we have National and associated entities have complained that fuel prices are too high.
Meanwhile in America …
Written By: - Date published: 10:52 am, October 6th, 2018 - 123 comments
America has had an interesting week with Kavanaugh’s appointment to the Supreme Court all but confirmed, Donald Trump’s finances being the subject of an intensive review by the New York Times and Trump being filmed boarding Air Force One with a piece of toilet paper stuck to his shoe.
National’s leak inquiry blows up
Written By: - Date published: 8:31 am, October 4th, 2018 - 76 comments
Newshub has been leaked a copy of an email from Paula Bennett sent to National Party staffers advising that the inquiry into who leaked Simon Bridges’s travel expense information now includes them.
The Taxpayers’ Union’s identity problem
Written By: - Date published: 2:23 pm, October 3rd, 2018 - 45 comments
David Fisher in the Herald has reported that the Taxpayer’s Union has used numerous fictitious identities to make Official Information Act requests.
Failed Estate – the ABC of Trust
Written By: - Date published: 2:30 pm, September 30th, 2018 - 7 comments
In Australia this week the Liberal Government has become embroiled in a scandal relating to political pressure being brought to sack the head of the ABC and one of its most senior reporters. Failed estate has the details.
Pretty legal
Written By: - Date published: 7:30 am, September 29th, 2018 - 37 comments
National has another potential copyright problem involving the use of music without permission.
Is Michelle Boag advising Derek Handley?
Written By: - Date published: 11:58 am, September 28th, 2018 - 79 comments
Politik has reported that Derek Handley has been receiving PR advice from Michelle Boag.
National is now barking at Tahrs
Written By: - Date published: 1:38 pm, September 26th, 2018 - 157 comments
National has launched an online petition against the culling of Tahrs, an animal that has been culled for years pursuant to a plan that was finalised by National in 1993.
Simon says the weirdest things – shoplifting fines
Written By: - Date published: 9:05 am, September 24th, 2018 - 23 comments
In one interview Simon Bridges shows that he cannot do basic maths in his head and does not know a core feature of a law change he wants to support.
How some men celebrated Suffrage Day
Written By: - Date published: 8:10 am, September 20th, 2018 - 37 comments
Two prominent men chose to celebrate Suffrage day yesterday, one by having himself photographed in front of female members of his caucus and the other by complaining that at different times different groups of men also did not have the vote.
What Government crisis?
Written By: - Date published: 5:06 pm, September 19th, 2018 - 35 comments
News of the Coalition’s bad health appears to be something of a beat up.
Police spying must be investigated
Written By: - Date published: 2:13 pm, September 17th, 2018 - 14 comments
Amnesty International is calling for an inquiry into the actions of Thompson and Clark to be expanded to include their involvement in police activities.
Simon says the weirdest things – Ardern is apparently like Trump
Written By: - Date published: 8:16 am, September 17th, 2018 - 42 comments
Simon Bridges has caused jaws to drop everywhere by comparing Jacinda Ardern to Donald Trump.
North Carolina and Hurricane Florence
Written By: - Date published: 10:40 am, September 14th, 2018 - 42 comments
North Carolina Republicans’ refusal to accept that climate change exists means that Hurricane Florence’s effects are going to be greater than they should be.
We need to push back on Leighton Smith
Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, September 8th, 2018 - 85 comments
Leighton Smith is living for the day when it is proved that climate change is nothing more than a lefty hoax. I hope he is right.
The Trump New York Times Op ed
Written By: - Date published: 7:59 am, September 7th, 2018 - 121 comments
Donald Trump thinks that the anonymous opinion writer in the New York times may have committed an act of treason. Others think that this is an act of loyalty to the country.
Farrar peddles climate change denial nonsense
Written By: - Date published: 8:57 am, September 3rd, 2018 - 151 comments
David Farrar has posted a guest post by climate change denialist Bryan Leland where he has criticised the Royal Society of New Zealand for accepting that climate change is an actual phenomenon.
Simon Bridges says the weirdest things – Criminal Justice
Written By: - Date published: 10:29 am, September 1st, 2018 - 30 comments
Simon Bridges has justified his claim that the three strikes law is working by releasing an Italian study that has not been peer reviewed on the effects on white collar criminals of a pardon system.
- Conservation staffer fired after tampering with jobs system
Details of a malicious privacy breach at the Department of Conservation have been released following the Ombudsman’s intervention The post Conservation staffer fired after tampering with jobs system appeared first on Newsroom. ...2 weeks ago - Polytechnics losing foreign enrolments due to study visa wait times, Te Pūkenga warns
NZ is in a "global market" for international students, Te Pūkenga boss says, and those facing delays will often opt to go to other countries. ...2 weeks ago - To all the TV news we lost in 2024
Bulletins and beloved current affairs programmes fell like flies in an agonising year for screen journalism. You don’t know what you don’t know. The great vanishing of news and current affairs from New Zealand television is a tragedy not simply, or even principally, because of the many hours of compelling ...2 weeks ago - Carbon credits, fish poo and the push to discover the secrets of the sea floor
Shanti Mathias spends a day in the Hauraki Gulf with a group of British scientists investigating the links between carbon and biodiversity in the seafloor mud. The ocean swell is tilting the boat as the metal tube hovers above the water. “A-Frame out,” calls a marine scientist helping to operate ...2 weeks ago
- As 2024 ends, central banks take victory lap as interest rate relief buoys sentiment
Inflation returns to within its target band faster than predicted but 2025 could see Trump’s import tariffs derail that The post As 2024 ends, central banks take victory lap as interest rate relief buoys sentiment appeared first on Newsroom. ...2 weeks ago
- Somewhere along the line someone always pays
Opinion: Govt thinks if they stop funding something in favour of private provision, then the cost disappears The post Somewhere along the line someone always pays appeared first on Newsroom. ...2 weeks ago
- Daily crossword, Monday 16 December
The post Daily crossword, Monday 16 December appeared first on Newsroom. ...2 weeks ago
- Student allowance recipient numbers drop 40% in a decade
The number of people in tertiary study receiving the student allowance has dropped almost 40 percent since 2013 amid a freeze on eligibility income thresholds and falling enrolments. The allowance is available if your parents earn under a certain threshold or you’re at least 24 and have an eligible income. It ...2 weeks ago
- Newsroom daily quiz, Monday 16 December
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp');Got a good quiz question? Send Newsroom your questions.The post Newsroom daily quiz, Monday 16 December appeared first on Newsroom. ...2 weeks ago
- Book of the Year: Delirious, by Damien Wilkins
The best novel of the year is also the best book of any kind of 2024, a moving story of a retired couple who downsize, reluctantly, to a retirement village somewhere or other on the Kāpiti Coast – Kāpiti Island looms and broods in the background of the book – just ...2 weeks ago
- NZ swims against Pacific currents at global climate case
NZ’s arguments before the ‘World’s Court’ look progressive but ultimately align with polluters and developed nations, a law lecturer says The post NZ swims against Pacific currents at global climate case appeared first on Newsroom. ...2 weeks ago
- Much at stake for a New Caledonia on the brink
The New Caledonian riots which began on May 13 this year, triggered by French President Emmanuel Macron’s attempt to change the New Caledonian provincial electoral roll, have left the French territory in economic despair. Around 800 businesses have been destroyed with the loss of more than 20,000 jobs. The economic ...2 weeks ago
- NZ forestry holds up as China’s property crisis drags on
Low prices and reliable supply has helped to weather the worst of China’s downturn for NZ forestry The post NZ forestry holds up as China’s property crisis drags on appeared first on Newsroom. ...2 weeks ago
- New Zealand Far-Right Government’s Anti-Democratic “Law And Order” Agenda
The legislation is part of the far-right government’s sweeping “law and order” agenda targeting the most alienated and vulnerable layers of society, including impoverished youth and welfare beneficiaries. Sooner rather than later, the crackdown will extend ...2 weeks ago - Government launches new plan for reducing family and sexual violence
The second Te Aorerekura - the National Strategy to Eliminate Family Violence and Sexual Violence - has been launched. ...2 weeks ago
- Parliament on the home stretch, but first, a 30-hour sitting week
The bills ...2 weeks ago
- An Ode to .. Nicola Willis
The Horror! The Horror!“Now Captain,” says Admiraless Willis,Striding onto the bridgeOf the antique ferry Roi des BelgesAs it winds up the endless brown riverThrough a steaming jungle.“I expect you to follow my commandsTo the letter. Do you understand?”The Captain is silentAs he steers between treacherous sandbars.“We’ve entrusted you with this ...2 weeks ago
- Mental Health Bill: ‘No place for compulsory care’ in new law, academic says
The legislation is "completely inconsistent with expert advice and international law and best practice", associate professor says. ...2 weeks ago
- Ōtaki highway tolls to reach vital services unfair – mayor
Ōtaki and surrounding communities could be split off from vital resources they depend on - or hit in the pocket - if a planned toll goes ahead on State Highway 1, a mayor says. ...2 weeks ago
- This year’s sports superstars and triumphs – and who’ll be big in 2025
The Paris Olympics, a cricketing marvel, a shooting star in tennis and coaches who pulled off wonders: some of the LockerRoom highlights of a super year for NZ women’s sport.Best individual sports achievementKristy Havill: Lydia Ko’s Olympic gold followed quickly by her Women’s Open win at St Andrews a fortnight ...2 weeks ago
- The Secret Diary of .. Xmas songs
CHRIS HIPKINSIt was Christmas Eve, babeIn the Beehive bar.An old man said to me,“What’s your name, son?”And then he sank his glassOf cold clear Mountain Dew.I looked him in the eyeAnd sank a glass too.Had a quiet yearWithout a single care.I’ve got a feelingNext year’s much the same.So happy Christmas,Old ...2 weeks ago
- Our report to you – Newsroom in 2024
We want to thank you for the support you’ve given us to continue delivering groundbreaking, robust and independent journalism of public importance. That support is through your subscriptions and donations – and critically, it’s also through you sharing and championing our work to friends, family and colleagues. We’re grateful.We owe it to you to ...2 weeks ago
- The Treaty principles bill – bad execution of a good idea?
Comment: To anyone genuinely interested in resolving the role of the Treaty of Waitangi in modern New Zealand, the arrival of the Treaty principles bill must be deeply disappointing.Part circus, part political stunt. Part farce, part tragedy.A ‘phantom’ bill that will never be enacted, Act and Te Pāti Māori politicking ...2 weeks ago
- The Weekend: The phrase of the year is ‘gingle malt’
Madeleine Chapman reflects on the week that was. This is my final weekend editorial for the year and I was struggling to think of how I could sum up the year in a clever, succinct way. At our Spinoff Year in Review event in Auckland on Wednesday, host Anna Rawhiti-Connell ...2 weeks ago
- I see hundreds of ads for togs so why is it so hard to find a decent pair?
Togs, togs, everywhere and not a pair I want to wear. A few years ago, during another round of Cranium, my dad announced that as he only had a certain number of “good summers left”, he would not be spending them playing board games with his family. He has no ...2 weeks ago
- ‘I’m very happy about that’: Frankie Stevens on being the voice of Christmas
New Zealand’s ‘Godfather of Christmas’ looks back on his life in TV and music. When The Spinoff reaches Frankie Stevens, he’s in a festive mood. Christmas is barely two weeks away, and he’s riding the high of having emceed his local Waverley Summer Christmas Jam last Sunday while also looking ...2 weeks ago
- ‘A great song is one you can dance and cry to’: Elliott Dawson’s perfect weekend playlist
Art rock singer-songwriter Elliott Dawson shares his perfect weekend playlist. It’s nighttime in the world of Pōneke-based musician Elliott Dawson, the perfect period for introspection, stargazing and letting the singer serenade you in dim light. “I’m talking about that 20-30 minute period after the sun has gone below the horizon ...2 weeks ago
- Wasteland: A response to a university restructure
This essay is the joint winner of this year’s Landfall Essay Competition and was first published in Landfall 248: Spring 2024. “What is most distinctive, and perhaps distinctively valuable, about what universities do is precisely what cannot be captured by the metrics societies increasingly use to measure value.” – Stefan ...2 weeks ago
- A love letter to my five friends
After nearly 50 years of friendship, Venetia Sherson thanks her inner circle. Over a decade ago, when British anthropologist Robin Dunbar deduced humans typically have 150 friends, of whom just five are intimate, I did a head count. My inner circle aced the test. I have five close women friends ...2 weeks ago
- Report card shows some mental health services hit targets, others fall short
There is "still work to do" around getting people timely treatment when they go to ED for mental health. ...2 weeks ago
- No plans for scaling back of Whangārei’s hospital redevelopment
Health Minister Shane Reti says stage one is still on budget and on track to be completed by 2031. ...2 weeks ago
- Govt’s cuts to contractor and consultant spending ahead of schedule
The government says it is well ahead of its target to cut contractor and consultant spending. ...2 weeks ago
- Fair Digital News Bargaining Bill officially put on hold
The government has put legislation that would force tech giants to pay media companies for journalism on hold. ...2 weeks ago
- Health New Zealand cuts: 569 staff take voluntary redundancy
Almost 600 staff have taken voluntary redundancy in job cut proposals laid out to staff today, it has been confirmed. ...2 weeks ago
- New three-strikes regime passed into law
The Sentencing (Reinstating Three Strikes) Amendment Bill was among a raft of legislation debated under urgency on Thursday. ...2 weeks ago
- The Friday Poem: ‘Cash register ding’ by Eliana Gray
A new poem by Eliana Gray. Cash register ding If the price of rigidity is fracture The price of flexibility is bent over backwards sleeping on couches seeding twice a day paracetamol The price of pressure to leave an imprint like the price of new mountains is the destruction of ...2 weeks ago
- The Unity Books bestseller chart for the week ending December 13
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington. AUCKLAND 1 Understanding Te Tiriti by Roimata Smail (Wai Ako Press, $25) The little book that made ...2 weeks ago
- New laws to protect ground-based space infrastructure from foreign spies
Laws will be introduced to stop foreign military or intelligence interference in radar and other space infrastructure being built here. ...2 weeks ago
- Conan O’Brien just gave us the weirdest two minutes of Shortland Street ever
For the past three decades, there’s only been room for one Dr Love in Ferndale. Until now. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. In its 32 glorious years, Shortland Street has given us a cornucopia of memorable celebrity cameos. We’ve had Ed Sheeran ...2 weeks ago
- NZ Young Labour Condemns Assoc Min Of Immigration Decision To Overturn Denial Of Entry To Far-right ...
Immigration New Zealand’s original decision, based on section 15(1)(f) of the Immigration Act following Owens’ denial of entry to Australia, was a lawful and necessary measure to safeguard Aotearoa’s values of inclusivity and manaakitanga. ...2 weeks ago
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