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Beware the Ides of May
Written By: - Date published: 11:09 pm, January 15th, 2019 - 41 comments
It’s D Day for Theresa May’s Brexit plan. Will Jeremy Corbyn finally put her out of our misery?
David Seymour can’t handle criticism
Written By: - Date published: 8:21 am, January 14th, 2019 - 112 comments
ACT MP David Seymour has lashed out on Facebook at Dianne Khan apparently for successfully fact checking him.
President Peaches
Written By: - Date published: 11:22 am, January 12th, 2019 - 150 comments
I’m moving to the country, gonna eat a lot of peaches! Donald Trump has yet another bizarro, almost Freudian, moment as his threat to invoke a national emergency to fund his wall falls flat. Peaches, people! Not impeachment, peaches!!!
Julian Assange and the Streisand Effect.
Written By: - Date published: 6:45 pm, January 7th, 2019 - 161 comments
Wikileaks has tried to silence media organisations on behalf of Julian Assange. Why is a ‘transparency’ organisation opposed to free speech and have they made things worse for the Aussie hacker?
UPDATE: The list has been leaked. Link in post.
Farrar criticises Genter for not solving National’s transport safety mess quickly enough
Written By: - Date published: 10:17 am, January 5th, 2019 - 119 comments
David Farrar has accused Julie Anne Genter of saying she can do nothing about the road safety when she said nothing of the sort.
Political punditry in 2019
Written By: - Date published: 8:57 am, January 4th, 2019 - 79 comments
The media has recently reviewed its predictions from last year and made a few new ones. How did it go? And what is going to happen in the next 12 months?
Matt King goes full nut job
Written By: - Date published: 10:00 am, December 29th, 2018 - 77 comments
National MP Matt King has claimed that Stuff has been censoring comments that are critical of the Government and that an article expressing concerns about the run down of health infrastructure, the increase in child poverty, the use of private contractors to spy on us and the inability of NZTA to properly regulate WOF inspections is “left wing claptrap”.
The Taxpayers’ Union* responds to the Clark and Thompson spying fiasco
Written By: - Date published: 9:30 am, December 24th, 2018 - 9 comments
* not a real union.
National’s varied response to the Thompson and Clark report
Written By: - Date published: 7:33 am, December 20th, 2018 - 26 comments
Simon Bridges and Gerry Brownlee have offered diametrically opposed versions of how to respond to the crisis presented by the report into Thompson and Clark’s activities.
Trump’s smocking gun
Written By: - Date published: 9:09 am, December 14th, 2018 - 82 comments
This week in America former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen admitted electoral finance violations by using campaign money to pay off two hookers to stop them going public during the last election campaign with news about Trump’s infidelity. And Russian national Maria Butina was convicted of conspiring to infiltrate the NRA.
National’s Sroubek fizzle
Written By: - Date published: 7:40 am, December 13th, 2018 - 159 comments
National are trying to manufacture a conspiracy out of revelations that someone who knows Karel Sroubek and has met Jacinda Ardern sent her a text.
You’ve got to lively up yourself …
Written By: - Date published: 7:18 am, December 12th, 2018 - 44 comments
National have responded to the Government’s medicinal cannabis law by suggesting hordes of cancer sufferers will hang around schools smoking joints.
On the first day of leakmas …
Written By: - Date published: 8:30 am, December 10th, 2018 - 46 comments
Overheard at a Press Gallery BBQ …
Nutjobs and the UN Global Migration Pact
Written By: - Date published: 8:35 am, December 7th, 2018 - 137 comments
National and ACT have alleged that a United Nations Pact supported by New Zealand in 2016 will take away sovereign rights even though the pact itself says that it is not legally binding.
National’s dead cat strategy
Written By: - Date published: 7:41 am, December 6th, 2018 - 56 comments
National has attempted to drown out news of further leaks, bad poll results and a reference of Maggie Barry’s behaviour to the Auditor General by staging a big stink in Parliament.
Memo from Crosby Textor – National’s leak problem
Written By: - Date published: 7:34 am, December 5th, 2018 - 23 comments
The Standard has been leaked an internal memo from Crosby Textor to the National Party concerning its current situation.
National; Leaking Like a Sieve
Written By: - Date published: 1:02 pm, December 4th, 2018 - 60 comments
Another day, another leak from the National Party. If it’s not JLR, just who is poking the borax inside the Tory caucus?
We’re dreaming of a White Christmas
Written By: - Date published: 8:30 am, December 3rd, 2018 - 116 comments
Social media has erupted because a Santa Claus was not a fat old white guy with false facial hair.
Another National MP accused of bullying
Written By: - Date published: 9:27 am, December 1st, 2018 - 135 comments
The Herald has reported this morning on allegations of bullying being made by staff against Nati0nal MP Maggie Barry.
National wants there to be no unions
Written By: - Date published: 9:06 am, November 30th, 2018 - 76 comments
Dan Bidois this week in Parliament confirmed what we have always known, that National want there to be no unions around.
TERFed Out: UPDATED
Written By: - Date published: 10:56 pm, November 29th, 2018 - 327 comments
Labour MP Louisa Wall has written an opinion piece in response to Herald columnist Rachel Stewart’s attack earlier in the week on the trans community and their LGBTIQ+ allies. It’s very good.
UPDATE: Rachel Stewart, as predicted, has blocked me on twitter. But not before going full on racist.
The strange case of the missing text from Bridges’ speech
Written By: - Date published: 5:04 pm, November 27th, 2018 - 25 comments
National’s social media team have sent out a tweet with a quote from Simon Bridges that does not appear in the speech that he gave.
Bridges believes fictional character is definitely a male
Written By: - Date published: 7:22 am, November 27th, 2018 - 91 comments
Simon Bridges is going for the under 10 misogynist vote by claiming that Santa Claus is definitely a man.
Bridges Billion dollar bungle
Written By: - Date published: 8:42 am, November 23rd, 2018 - 126 comments
Simon Bridges has claimed that Labour’s Kiwisaver fund is $18 billion short of the amount needed to meet the Government’s goals of constructing ten thousand Kiwibuild houses a year. The claim has as much credibility as National’s claim that Labour’s budget figures had an $11.5 billion hole in them.
Another day and more Simon Bridges f*&k ups
Written By: - Date published: 2:30 pm, November 19th, 2018 - 54 comments
Simon Bridges has in the last 24 hours blamed Labour law changes for increasing rentals but has forgotten which ones, and has disagreed that an apology is owed to the families of the Pike River miners on the 8th anniversary of the disaster.
Go Bus Lockout; Hypocrites Ngai Tahu and Tainui Screw Workers
Written By: - Date published: 1:31 pm, November 19th, 2018 - 70 comments
Ngai Tahu and Tainui remind us that they like exploiting working people as much as the next capitalist. They’ve locked out their Waikato bus drivers for asking to be paid the Living Wage.
Will Andrew Little be responsible if the Pike River mine gets hit by a meteor?
Written By: - Date published: 10:10 am, November 18th, 2018 - 102 comments
Stacy Kirk has made the outlandish claim that Andrew Little is prepared to risk someone’s life in his desire to have the Pike River mine properly investigated.
All that is wrong with America’s democracy
Written By: - Date published: 10:46 am, November 10th, 2018 - 40 comments
In Georgia, despite the Repbublican candidate who oversaw the election process engaging in the mass disenfranchisement of Democrat voters, the removal of voting machines to make voting in Democrat areas more difficult and baseless smearing of the Democrat candidate, the result is on a knife edge and a second vote is a possibility.
Rude ‘n Terrible?
Written By: - Date published: 6:55 pm, November 8th, 2018 - 38 comments
Trump’s…I don’t actually have words for this little escapade.
Proxy Music
Written By: - Date published: 5:37 pm, November 7th, 2018 - 39 comments
Jami-Lee Ross has passed his proxy vote to NZ First, elevating waka jumping to an Olympic sport. How bad does it have to get before the Tory caucus puts Simon Bridges out of his misery?
Simon’s sure fire way to deal with difficult questions
Written By: - Date published: 2:37 pm, November 6th, 2018 - 45 comments
Simon’s strategy is that cunning you could be tempted to pin a tail on it and call it a weasel.
- Overwhelming Majority Of New Zealanders Want Easter Trading Restrictions Repealed
A new Taxpayers’ Union – Curia poll has revealed that an overwhelming majority of New Zealanders think shops should be allowed to open on Good Friday and Easter Sunday if they want to do so. ...2 weeks ago - NZCTU Condemns Contractor Reform As Fundamental Attack On Workers’ RightsMinister for Workplace Relations, Brooke van Velden, has instructed her officials to begin work on preventing workers misclassified as contractors from challenging their employment status in the courts. ...2 weeks ago
- The cost of being: An out-of-work theatre-maker on the benefit
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a mostly out-of-work twentysomething flatting in Wellington explains how he gets by. Want to be part of The Cost of Being? Fill out the questionnaire here. Gender: Male Age: 27 Ethnicity: Pākehā Role: Volunteer twice a ...2 weeks ago - Government Ferry Decision A Case Of Political Steering FailureThe Maritime Union says the Government’s U-turn on purchasing new Interislander ferries is the predictable but costly outcome of flawed decision making. The Government has said it is now looking at building new ferries again following the advice of ...2 weeks ago
- Pharmac budget boost goes beyond National’s cancer drug promiseBut, writes Stewart Sowman-Lund in this extract from The Bulletin, does it risk leading to underinvestment in the future? To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. Blowing the budget Pharmac’s been given a $604m budget boost, in line with reports that emerged before the weekend. The prime ...2 weeks ago
- “Fast Track Bill Pulls Credibility Of Crown’s Apology Into Question” – Ngāti Manuhiri“In its current form, the Bill does not afford us the opportunity to engage on projects that will affect us, at all stages. ...2 weeks ago
- Geoffrey Palmer on rapid reforms: ‘You should learn from history, not repeat it’The former prime minister’s campaign against unbridled power continues. The Nation Is at Risk, the second episode of Juggernaut: The Story of the Fourth Labour Government, is now available wherever you get your podcasts. Geoffrey Palmer has been raging at the executive for ages. In the late 70s, while on academic ...2 weeks ago
- Sinking lids and rising profits: The problem with pokiesThere are fewer pokie machines in Aotearoa than ever, but they still rake in more than $1bn a year. So are strict council policies working – and do the community funding arguments stack up? Shanti Mathias investigates. ‘Gambling affects your relationships – you feel pressured to conceal losses from ...2 weeks ago
- Former Green MP Golriz Ghahraman's Shoplifting Sentencing Delayed Until ThursdayThe former Green MP's lawyer asked for a discharge without conviction. ...2 weeks ago
- Former MP Arthur Anae Slams National's Stance On Samoa Citizenship BillA former National Party MP says his late party looked "like dickheads" not supporting the first reading of a bill that would restore New Zealand citizenship to a group of Samoans. ...2 weeks ago
- Very Flawed Decision Will Have ConsequencesRecently Prime Minister Luxon and Environment Minister returned from Asia where they were surprised that climate change was top of the business people and politicians they met, but I don’t think that they learned anything from it. ...2 weeks ago
- Charities Commission Needs To Act On Manurewa MaraeThe Taxpayers’ Union is calling on the Charities Commission to open an investigation into the new allegations relating to Te Pāti Māori’s alleged campaign use of a charity’s van, as reported by TVNZ’s Q+A yesterday. ...2 weeks ago
- Why I’m no longer writing novels for adultsRachael King is a finalist in the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults 2024 with her novel The Grimmelings. She explains why writing books for kids is more important to her than ever. I’m a children’s author. I write for kids. I am shielded from the question ...2 weeks ago
- Anti-stalking Petition Handover To Minister Paul Goldsmith on 26 JuneThe Coalition for the Safety of Women and Children and AVA will hand over a petition, calling on the Government to urgently make stalking illegal, to Minister of Justice Paul Goldsmith in person at 1 pm this coming Wednesday 26 June 2024. ...2 weeks ago
- Submissions Open On International Treaty Examinations Relating To The Indo-Pacific Economic Framewor...The Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee is inviting public submissions on four international treaty examinations relating to the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) and the accompanying National Interest Analysis. ...2 weeks ago
- After a years-long dry spell, horny and hypermelodic pop stars are suddenly backThe pandemic made a lot of big pop music sound hushed and melancholic. Duncan Greive assesses three women bringing the beat back – and the shock return of Lorde. New Zealand is seasonally cross-matched for pop culture. The big budget movies all come out in the northern hemisphere summer, when ...2 weeks ago
- Government Can’t Put Cancer Treatment On The Credit CardThe Taxpayers’ Union understands that the Government is today making an announcement of additional funding for medicines and is urging them to ensure that it is funded through a reprioritisation of spending, not loaded onto the taxpayer credit card. ...2 weeks ago
- Strong Support Across All Demographics For Māori Wards To Be Decided By Local Referenda58% of respondents believed local voters should be the final decision maker while just 23% believed it should be left to local mayors and councillors. The remaining 19% were unsure. ...2 weeks ago
- Interislander Should Be Sold Off, Not Kept Afloat By TaxpayersResponding to repeated incidents and mismanagement with the Interislander ferry service, the Taxpayers’ Union is calling on the Government to sell off the Interislander ferry service instead of funnelling even more taxpayer money into it. Taxpayers’ ...2 weeks ago
- Government Fails On Plastic PollutionAs Plastic Free July approaches, the Ministry for the Environment is indicating that the long-awaited third phase of plastics phase-outs has been put on hold. Even if the government decides to go ahead with them again, the start date has been postponed ...2 weeks ago
- Te Māngai Pāho ‘facing a fiscal cliff’With a growing demand for reo Māori content, is it time for an increase for the funding agency? A who’s who of Māori radio and TV gathered together last Thursday to celebrate 30 years of Te Māngai Pāho, but the future of the Māori broadcasting funding agency remains uncertain. Despite ...2 weeks ago
- Need For Strong Regulation And Long-Term Certainty For Water ServicesStrong economic, water quality and environmental regulators are vital to ensure consumer protection and healthy water under the Government’s new Local Water Done Well policy direction. ...2 weeks ago
- Stop The Ram Raid Bill: Petition HandoverA group of over 30 organisations is preparing to deliver a petition to political leaders on Wednesday 26 June, at 12pm at the steps of parliament. ...2 weeks ago
- Punitive Responses To Children Won’t Build Safer Communities – Chief Children’s CommissionerMilitary-style academies and the establishment of a Young Serious Offender category for children announced yesterday are not the answer to reducing youth crime, says Chief Children’s Commissioner Dr Claire Achmad. ...2 weeks ago
- Is this the end of NZ reality TV as we know it?Some of the biggest shows on television might well be airing their final seasons in 2024. Duncan Greive explains why. If you’re just watching television on your couch, the way god intended, this might look like a strong year for New Zealand reality TV. Three has screened My Mum, Your ...2 weeks ago
- Aratere grounding raises bigger questionsIt capped a ‘week of failures’ when it comes to issues of infrastructure, writes Stewart Sowman-Lund in this extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. Grounded ferry dominates news cycle It’s been a busy news weekend, dominated by the dramatic grounding of the Cook ...2 weeks ago
- Chinese, but not a Chinatown: The rise and rise of Dominion RoadDominion Road has made a name for itself as a destination for authentic, regionally-specific Chinese food. How did it get here? Imagine Dominion Road with trams and trolley buses. That’s how Mahmmad Bhikoo first knew the place when he opened Hollywood Dairy in 1982. “In those days, supermarkets used ...2 weeks ago
- Windbag: Wellington thinks it has found its next superstar industry – climate techAt a flashy conference at St James Theatre, the capital pitched itself as a future global hub for hi-tech climate action. “This is where the future of jobs is going to come from,” said Rebekah Campbell, the tech lead for WellingtonNZ, the council-controlled agency responsible for economic development in the ...2 weeks ago
- Minister Breaks Promise – NZ Public Denied Consultation On Firearms Legislation ChangesMaking a promise to consult New Zealanders and then breaking the promise by only inviting selected organisations is simply crossing the boundary of genuine and transparent consultation. ...2 weeks ago
- Sall Grover, ‘Tickle V Giggle’ To Tour New Zealand, 4-10 JulyPublic meetings are being held in Auckland [4 July], New Plymouth [6 July], Wellington [9 July], and Christchurch [10 July]. ...2 weeks ago
- The Weekend: The darkest day is behind usEditor Madeleine Chapman reflects on a (literally) dark week. Mōrena and welcome to The Weekend, we’re officially on our way back towards the light. There’s something that happens in June where it feels like everyone is moving through molasses and it’s somehow dark by the time you leave the office. ...2 weeks ago
- ‘I have chills’: Simone Nathan picks the most patriotic ad in NZ historyThe star of TVNZ comedy Kid Sister talks Country Calendar, cartoons and an unexpected early TV crush. Simone Nathan is worried that her career may have peaked early. Several years ago, the New Zealand screenwriter and actor was living in New York and taking a friend’s dog for a walk ...2 weeks ago
- ‘I couldn’t really hear anything’: The Beatles in Wellington, reviewed 60 years laterIt was 60 years ago today… that The Beatles played to a roaring crowd in Wellington’s town hall. Alex Casey’s dad was there, straining to hear a single note. Normally my Dad answers my calls with a cheery “Sunny Takeaways” – a reference to the local fish and chip shop ...2 weeks ago
- Northland Power Outages Could Be Mitigated With Increased Battery Storage. Government Must Prioritis...Extreme weather events, increased peak demand, and failures of supply are costing New Zealanders millions of dollars in lost revenue. ...2 weeks ago
- High Levels Of Trust And Confidence In Firearms Regulation Undermine McKee’s Justification For Cha...New data from Police shows a big shift in trust and confidence in its work from the firearms community. ...2 weeks ago
- Watchdog Protests Minister Jones VisitCoromandel Watchdog of Hauraki will be protesting the visit from Minister Shane Jones to Kopu, near Thames on Friday June between 11am and 12 Noon. ...2 weeks ago
- Invercargill Mayor’s Behaviour Demonstrates Need For Recall ElectionsFollowing allegations of inappropriate behaviour from the Invercargill mayor, Nobby Clark, the Taxpayers’ Union is renewing calls for the Government to implement a recall option in local government to allow residents to remove embarrassing, inappropriate ...2 weeks ago
- Local Government Minister Right To Put Wellington Regional Council On The Naughty StepLocal Government Minister Simeon Brown has rebuked Wellington Regional Council after discussions were held around purchasing Wellington Airport shares from the City Council. Commenting in support of the Minister, Taxpayers’ Union Policy and Public Affairs ...2 weeks ago
- PSA Takes Ministry Of Education To Employment Relations Authority TodayThe PSA action against the Ministry of Education in relation to job cuts begins this morning at 9.30am at the Employment Relations Authority. ...2 weeks ago
- Student Nurses Angered By Recruitment RestrictionsNew Zealand Nurses Organisation Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa (NZNO) have voiced concerns about Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora restricting the employment of graduate nurses into their workforce due to budget constraints. ...2 weeks ago
- NZCTU Slams Govt Cutting Disabled Workers Wages As DisgracefulThe NZCTU is slamming a decision by the Government in Budget 2024 to cut a programme which ensured that disabled workers are paid the minimum wage. ...2 weeks ago
- EDS Applauds Select Committee Report Confirming Hauraki Gulf Marine ProtectionThe Committee has recommended that the Bill be passed with minor amendments. The bill will create 12 new high protection areas, 5 new seafloor protection areas and 2 extensions to existing marine reserves. ...2 weeks ago
- Marine Protection Bill Encouraging, But More Work Required“The Green Party campaigned on protecting 30 percent of our oceans. We will continue to fight for our marine environment so it can be enjoyed across future generations,” says Marama Davidson. ...2 weeks ago
- Responses To Our Recommendations About Improving Crown Entity MonitoringWe asked public organisations for an update on their response to the recommendations in our 2022 report Improving value through better Crown entity monitoring. ...2 weeks ago
- Kiwis Keep Getting Poorer Because Government Won’t Take ActionThe economy keeps limping along, and people keep getting poorer. GDP per capita has fallen yet again, and it's now been in freefall for well over a year. ...2 weeks ago
- Restoring Citizenship Removed By Citizenship (Western Samoa) Act 1982 Bill Hearings Begin June 24Public submissions on the Restoring Citizenship Removed By Citizenship (Western Samoa) Act Bill closed on 31 May 2024. ...2 weeks ago
- PSNA Issues Notice To The Government For Complicity In Israel’s Genocidal War In GazaThe Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa (PSNA) has issued the government a "letter of demand" for complicity with Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza. ...2 weeks ago
- Govt Cuts Teams Digitising Public Services & Safeguarding PrivacyCuts come as technology companies call for Govt to provide leadership ...2 weeks ago
- 'Pitiful' alcohol levy increase adds less than half a cent to the price of a can of beer
The levy has been raised but by less than half the amount that would even cover inflation. ...2 weeks ago
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