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The Benefit Arrives
Written By: - Date published: 7:32 pm, July 31st, 2018 - 38 comments
Simon ‘Soimon’ Bridges calls his deputy by her critic’s favourite nickname. Cui bono, as the Romans used to say. Who benefits?
There’s nothing vague about National’s education policy announcement *
Written By: - Date published: 8:30 am, July 30th, 2018 - 30 comments
* according to Simon Bridges.
Sanctions for beneficiary bashers
Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, July 25th, 2018 - 76 comments
Simon Bridges, who is clearly struggling for relevance, has decided to try and improve his political position by bashing beneficiaries.
What has happened to Simon Bridges?
Written By: - Date published: 8:40 am, July 19th, 2018 - 42 comments
You would think that while Jacinda Ardern takes time out to properly introduce baby Neve to the world opposition leader Simon Bridges would be striding throughout the country like a colossus and really make a name for himself. But of late he has been rather invisible.
Trumputin
Written By: - Date published: 8:10 am, July 17th, 2018 - 206 comments
Donald Trump has directly contradicted the collective decision of the United States Security agencies by denying that there was Russian involvement in the last US general election.
Do republicans really want to arm infants?
Written By: - Date published: 10:40 am, July 16th, 2018 - 17 comments
It appears that Sacha Baron Cohen has succeeded in getting prominent Republicans to say stupid things about arming kids.
Free Tommy Robinson *
Written By: - Date published: 10:29 am, July 15th, 2018 - 66 comments
* with every purchase.
Theresa May’s and England’s bad week
Written By: - Date published: 4:01 pm, July 13th, 2018 - 47 comments
In the space of a week England has lost in its goal of winning the world cup, had three senior ministers resign over May’s “soft” BREXIT proposal and now Donald Trump has effectively called for Theresa May to be replaced by Boris Johnson.
Apparently Labour was to blame for the global financial crisis
Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, July 5th, 2018 - 65 comments
These sorts of debates do my head in. Essentially because they are so removed from reality that anyone with any sense would know that Labour was not responsible for the last global financial crisis. But apparently the opposition spokesperson does not understand what happened in 2008. Does this seem a bit harsh? Well it is […]
US Democrats plan to start civil war today *
Written By: - Date published: 11:32 am, July 4th, 2018 - 42 comments
* according to Alex Jones on Infowars.
The right wing media’s infatuation with breeding
Written By: - Date published: 8:57 am, July 3rd, 2018 - 99 comments
Elements in the media clearly think that the payment of a modest amount to families with young babies will cause them to breed babies for a business.
Families Package and Auckland Regional Fuel tax kick in
Written By: - Date published: 10:24 am, July 2nd, 2018 - 48 comments
Labour’s Family Package and the Auckland Regional Fuel tax have both kicked in.
Doofus of the week – July 1, 2018
Written By: - Date published: 10:34 am, July 1st, 2018 - 15 comments
The latest in an occasional series where we celebrate the horrendously awful and bizarre behaviour of political figures both locally and overseas.
Soper gets sucked in by National’s fake Ardern quote
Written By: - Date published: 4:35 pm, June 28th, 2018 - 51 comments
Barry Soper in the Herald has fallen for National’s fake news concerning something said by Jacinda Ardern that was taken totally out of context.
Shock horror, National is telling fibs about Labour’s Industrial Relations policy
Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, June 27th, 2018 - 102 comments
National has claimed that Jacinda Ardern ruled out national strikes during the last year’s election campaign. And has trimmed a video and taken comments out of context to justify its claim.
The right is in disarray
Written By: - Date published: 8:17 am, June 26th, 2018 - 163 comments
David Seymour bombs out of dancing with the stars and Simon Bridges refuses to apologise for calling Neve’s parents “pinko”. Just another week in the train wreck that is right wing politics in New Zealand.
Doofus of the week June 24, 2018
Written By: - Date published: 12:44 pm, June 24th, 2018 - 37 comments
The latest in an occasional series where we celebrate the horrendously awful and bizarre behaviour of political figures both locally and overseas.
How low can Simon Bridges go?
Written By: - Date published: 3:12 pm, June 22nd, 2018 - 90 comments
Simon Bridges was interviewed on Radio Hauraki and chose to suggest that Jacinda’s baby may vote National, cost too much money even though she was born in a pubic hospital and transported to hospital in a private vehicle, and should go to school in boy’s clothing.
Children should never be used as bargaining chips
Written By: - Date published: 8:27 am, June 21st, 2018 - 66 comments
Donald Trump has announced a “backdown” of the policy of separating children of refugees from their parents at the US border. Instead they will be imprisoned with their parents potentially for extended periods of time.
Givealittle legal fund set up for Renae Maihi for defence against Bob Jones’ claim
Written By: - Date published: 3:50 pm, June 19th, 2018 - 58 comments
Bob Jones has threatened Renae Maihi with a defamation lawsuit for seeking to have his knighthood taken off him. Laura O’Connell Rapira of Action Station has responded by starting a givealittle page to cover Renae’s legal costs.
Hosking poll shows overwhelming support for cycle lanes
Written By: - Date published: 8:04 am, June 19th, 2018 - 54 comments
Mike Hosking created an online poll which he must have thought would show opposition to cycleways but which has indicated that cycleways are very popular with Aucklanders.
Jessica Williams tweets about the stupidity of the Taxpayer’s Union
Written By: - Date published: 2:17 pm, June 18th, 2018 - 26 comments
Twitter in the right hands can be a very dangerous thing. As shown by Jessica Williams when she questioned the intellectual grunt of the taxpayers union in this series of tweets.
Nats indignant that Twyford is not fixing their housing crisis quickly enough
Written By: - Date published: 7:24 am, June 14th, 2018 - 95 comments
Judith Collins has criticised Phi Twyford because after eight months as Minister he has not fixed a crisis that took nine years to create.
Hoax video of Paul Goldsmith starts circulating on the Internet
Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, June 8th, 2018 - 23 comments
Surely it cannot be real …
Labour does not want to let them all out
Written By: - Date published: 11:48 am, June 1st, 2018 - 170 comments
Andrew Little has proposed the repeal of the irrational three strikes law. But signs are that National will not engage in a reasoned debate about what the law should be.
National tags parody account in Northcote by election tweet
Written By: - Date published: 8:30 am, May 31st, 2018 - 6 comments
The difference between running a professional well organised campaign and a chaotic shambles can be slight.
Where the f*ck is Simon Bridges?
Written By: - Date published: 4:52 pm, May 30th, 2018 - 9 comments
An ongoing series where we try to work out what social media strategy Simon Bridges is following.
Where the f*ck is Simon Bridges?
Written By: - Date published: 9:37 am, May 29th, 2018 - 18 comments
An ongoing series.
Where the f*ck is Simon Bridges?
Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, May 28th, 2018 - 9 comments
An ongoing series.
Doofus of the week – May 27, 2018
Written By: - Date published: 8:54 am, May 27th, 2018 - 28 comments
Lots of competition this week with Katie Hopkins preferring to be called a racist to being described as being on drugs, Judith Collins for fronting the most naff scandals in the last decade, and Simon Bridges for going on tour to strange places. But the real contest was between Paula Bennett and Gerry Brownlee …
#twyfordaccusations
Written By: - Date published: 12:53 pm, May 26th, 2018 - 52 comments
The Twitter hashtag #twyfordaccusations has been set up to allow people to speculate on what other nefarious allegations will be made against Phil Twyford by Judith Collins.
- Industry supportive of government’s planned KiwiSaver changes
The government wants to loosen the rules to allow KiwiSaver funds to invest in private assets, housing and infrastructure projects. ...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 - A gift guide for people who really don’t want to buy shit
Gifts can be a source of joy this Christmas even if you hate capitalism. It can get very tiring buying stuff and yet giving people gifts is also a joy and Christmas is a time when one is expected to do a lot of it. But while snazzy and expensive ...2 weeks ago
- The cost of being: A 30-something dad with a mortgage and a bike
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, an engineer with a toddler shares how he spends and saves. Want to be part of The Cost of Being? Fill out the questionnaire here. Gender: Male. Age: 34. Ethnicity: Māori/European. Role: Engineer, husband and dad. ...2 weeks ago
- $115m public loan secured against a solar power illusion
Analysis: When NZGIF chair Cecilia Tarrant emerged from her Beehive ‘please explain’ meeting last week, she insisted the Govt green investment bank’s lending was “against the installation of equipment at customers homes”.The experienced business leader’s statement was intended to reassure ministers Nicola Willis and Simon Watts, and the taxpaying public ...2 weeks ago - Rugby: Black Ferns Sevens win big at national awards
This article first appeared at rnz.co.nz and is republished with permission.The Black Ferns Sevens have swept the 2024 New Zealand Rugby Awards picking up team and individual accolades.Twenty-year-old Jorja Miller claimed the player of the year title, Black Ferns Sevens coach Cory Sweeney was named coach of the year and ...2 weeks ago
- The week in two minutes and 10 stories
Toby Manhire takes a whistlestop tour through a big week in the news. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. That sound you can hear is logs, logs upon logs upon logs, ...2 weeks ago
- Pouākai win with mum’s Cann-do attitude
It’s a decision most mums would stew over.But Mikhaela Cann had no qualms about bringing her three young daughters to live in New Zealand; to take care of them on her own, while she played professional basketball.It’s a decision the Mainland Pouākai point guard made earlier this year with her ...2 weeks ago
- All those recent political polls: a quick recap
ICYMI: that festive pileup of opinion polling, in one snapshot. It’s just like London buses. You wait for ages for a poll to arrive and then a rush of them arrive at once. In the blur of December you might well have missed them. What, you’re probably asking, is the ...2 weeks ago
- Ministers block Kāinga Ora bid to develop housing in Tauranga growth zone
No special treatment for Tauranga’s Western Corridor, but the city’s mayor says the Govt’s new tools might work better The post Ministers block Kāinga Ora bid to develop housing in Tauranga growth zone appeared first on Newsroom. ...2 weeks ago
- Ranking the Dunedin malls that are actually one mall
One mall to rule them all, one mall to find them, one mall to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them; in the Meridian where the shadows lie. This is the fifth and final instalment in our Malls of New Zealand ranking series. In order to answer the ...2 weeks ago
- The most memorable local television moments of 2024
From Chris Warner’s beard to Newshub’s tearful goodbye, here are the TV moments that gripped the nation this year. We’re not going to lie, it has been a tough year for television in Aotearoa. We’ve lost current affairs institutions that have been around for decades and likely seen the end ...2 weeks ago
- ‘No rehabilitation, no parole’ bill enters lock-up
The Parole Board has ‘grave concerns’ about a draft law tying parole eligibility to rehabilitation The post ‘No rehabilitation, no parole’ bill enters lock-up appeared first on Newsroom. ...2 weeks ago
- Parliament fraying at the seams in final weeks
Tempers are fraying as under-pressure MPs get through a final punishing fortnight of the year The post Parliament fraying at the seams in final weeks appeared first on Newsroom. ...2 weeks ago
- ‘Unprecedented’ fast-track ruling bulldozes past a tricky question
Speaker pushes past argument over the public v private benefits of a law fast-tracking 149 named projects The post ‘Unprecedented’ fast-track ruling bulldozes past a tricky question appeared first on Newsroom. ...2 weeks ago
- Newsroom daily quiz, Friday 13 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, Friday 13 December appeared first on Newsroom. ...2 weeks ago
- The year in Detail
Sharon Brettkelly is a serious journalist, formerly specialising in finance, who beavers away explaining the top news stories of the moment for The Detail.But her favourite episodes this year, she says, shows how shallow she really is.“Married at First Sight … that was a lot of fun … Shortland Street ...2 weeks ago
- Daily crossword, Friday 13 December
The post Daily crossword, Friday 13 December appeared first on Newsroom. ...2 weeks ago
- Two steps forward on pay gaps – let’s make it three
Opinion: Next step is for businesses to report their gender and ethnic pay gaps The post Two steps forward on pay gaps – let’s make it three appeared first on Newsroom. ...2 weeks ago
- The way NZ treats animals is a race to the bottom
Racing Minister Winston Peters’ decision to ban greyhound racing from 2026 was both courageous and evidence-led. It is a rare good news story for anyone who cares about the interests of animals, and warrants celebration. It was also astonishingly overdue, and successive governments’ delay in arriving at the only logical ...2 weeks ago
- The bestselling books at Xmas
We have given away oh probably like 40 books this year in our weekly contest published every Friday within the Nielsen BookScan bestseller chart. We have one final book up for grabs in 2024. Simply identify one book in this week’s chart – and get into the spirit of Xmas ...2 weeks ago
- Is the economy responding to interest rate cuts?
Opinion: There is a general expectation that cuts in interest rates will eventually pull the economy out of recession. The Official Cash Rate (OCR) has been slashed 125bps since August. It’s early days, but folk are starting to ask if we’re seeing a response.Below, we check in on some of ...2 weeks ago
- New Zealand COVID-19 Inquiry Endorses Abandonment Of Elimination Strategy
The scientific knowledge & resources exist that could eliminate COVID-19 & other preventable diseases. If the elimination strategy initially adopted in New Zealand & China had been implemented on a global scale, the COVID pandemic could have been ...2 weeks ago
- New Sex Education Curriculum Should Be Age Appropriate And Scientifically Accurate, Women’s Rights...
The current guidelines, which cover 1-10 yrs, are to be replaced by a refreshed curriculum that would define the core knowledge & skills students should learn at each age, & will look at extending compulsory relationships & sexuality education to senior ...2 weeks ago
- Raw Politics picks the best and worst of 2024 – and 2025
Four different MPs are nominated by our four Raw Politics panelists for the honour of standout politician of 2024 – and consensus is hard to come by for many of our other accolades.The Raw Politics podcast weighs the good and bad for 2024 – leaders, new MPs, policy pushes, controversies and cringeworthy ...2 weeks ago
- What we should have done with Candace Owens is nothing
Immigration NZ could have made any decision on the controversial speaker’s visa and it would’ve been better than a minister intervening. It’s happened again. As the world turned and things progressed in their natural way, we as a country have managed to trip over our own feet, face first into ...2 weeks ago
- Minister Reverses Visa Denial, Allows Candace Owens Access To New Zealand: Massive Win For Kiwis’ ...
Those calling for censorship should take note: denying Owens’ entry into the country has simply widened interest in her. Those who disagree with Owens should channel that into counter speech and peaceful protest – cancellation won’t get us anywhere. ...2 weeks ago
- Gone By Lunchtime: A plan to have a plan about some ferries
Ready the lifeboats: the coalition boat appears to be listing. Twelve months after the coalition government torpedoed the new ferry plan it had inherited, along with a wild cost blowout, from the previous government, a much heralded announcement finally arrived on Wednesday, and it provided plenty more questions that it ...2 weeks ago
- Govt Acting With Too Much Haste To Upend Established Flexible Work Practices
Te Kawa Mataaho today issued new flexible work guidelines just days after the PSA filed action with the Employment Relations Authority challenging the Government’s legal right to do so. ...2 weeks ago
- A love letter to community newspapers
Bethany Rolston looks back at the three years she wrote for the Te Awamutu Courier, one of the 14 NZME community newspapers set to close before Christmas. Looking back at the three years I was a journalist at the Te Awamutu Courier feels like a happy sort of fever ...2 weeks ago
- The Spinoff’s best NZ book covers of 2024
In which Claire Mabey judges this year’s New Zealand books by their covers. Among a sea of books some are more alluring than others, like tropical fishes glinting. The art of the book cover is a serious matter: the cover has to help the book stand out as well as ...2 weeks ago
- Will Taxpayer Bailouts Of Failing Skifield Never End?
“It’s time for the abuse of taxpayer money to stop, and start investing in things that will actually benefit hardworking Kiwis.” ...2 weeks ago
- Modern Slavery Legislation Drafted To Drive Cross Party Political Support For NZ Law
A team of independent experts has drafted legislation ready for immediate introduction to Parliament in a bid to fast-track progress on modern slavery laws with cross-party backing. ...2 weeks ago
- A brief history of celebrity cameos on Shortland Street
Ahead of Conan O’Brien’s Shortland Street cameo tonight, Alex Casey looks back at some of the more memorable cameos to grace Ferndale. Nothing signals the festive season better than a tall redhead American late show host visiting our favourite fictional hospital. Tonight, Conan O’Brien will don a pair of grape ...2 weeks ago
- Help Me Hera: How do I navigate Auckland traffic without going insane?
The selfishness of this city’s drivers never fails to ruin my day. How do I get from A to B without wishing punishment and retribution on my fellow commuters? Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nz Help Me Hera! Why do I see Auckland driver behaviour (not letting people merge, tailgating, etc) ...2 weeks ago
- Own goal? Govt sets new $4b goalpost for ferries
This new Number of the Day is based on 42 very, very costly words in an old Treasury report, and some ‘spotty’ costings out of China and Korea The post Own goal? Govt sets new $4b goalpost for ferries appeared first on Newsroom. ...2 weeks ago
- An ‘announcement of an announcement’ of two new boats
The wait for replacement Interislander ferries will drag on until 2029, as ministers reveal a plan to buy two smaller ships, reports Joel MacManus reports from parliament. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. Crown company created to procure two new Interislander ferries by 2029 The long-awaited ...2 weeks ago
- Communities swamped by torrent of new water reforms
Without the fire and fanfare of the previous Govt’s three waters reforms, the coalition has this week quietly introduced a 100,000-word whale of a water services bill The post Communities swamped by torrent of new water reforms appeared first on Newsroom. ...2 weeks ago
- From elusive principles to the year’s biggest loser – 2024 had it all
A lighthearted celebration: Newsroom’s political team awards the coveted annual political prizes – from Biggest Loser to Teen Choice The post From elusive principles to the year’s biggest loser – 2024 had it all appeared first on Newsroom. ...2 weeks ago
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