Collins’ attack on Pullar continues

Written By: - Date published: 8:53 am, March 26th, 2012 - 58 comments
Categories: ACC - Tags: , , ,

It’s strange watching National’s factions fight it out in the media- the Herald on Sunday running the Collins/Slater faction stuff and the Dompost running material from Boag/Pullar. Both sides are scum. Pullar received (somehow) the largest leak in ACC and passed to the media. Collins has imitated her fellow ministers by leaking Pullar’s private details in revenge.

While Pullar and Boag are undoubtedly acting disgracefully, its Collins’ behaviour that’s more important. She’s a Cabinet Minister with access to privileged information. Collins’ leaking of Pullar’s name and the  facts of her income protection insurance (it’s clearly her, ACC wouldn’t do it). Collins’ position as minister gives her access to a mountain of private and sensitive information, with that comes an absolute responsibility not to release that information without permission.

Oh, and don’t forget, that Collins’ leak of Pullar’s information led to Nick Smith’s resignation. That’s one hell of an own goal.

If Collins wants to claim that Pullar’s information isn’t coming from her, then she should launch an inquiry to find the leak within ACC.

Here’s what the Cabinet Manual has to say on improper release of official information:

Improper release or use of official information

Unauthorised release of official information

8.6 If official information is released without authority, a range of responses may be considered, depending on the circumstances. These include:

(a) an internal inquiry by the chief executive of the department concerned, perhaps in association with the State Services Commission;
(b) an inquiry by the Secretary of the Cabinet;
(c) a ministerial inquiry (see paragraphs 4.91 – 4.92);
(d) a State Services Commission inquiry at the direction of the Prime Minister or Minister concerned, or initiated by the State Services Commissioner;
(e) a police inquiry.

8.7 Sections 78A of the Crimes Act 1961 and 20A of the Summary Offences Act 1981 create an offence, in certain circumstances relating to the security and defence of New Zealand, of improperly disclosing or retaining official information.

Exploitation of official information for private gain

8.8 The use by an official of official knowledge for private gain or benefit of others, even if not involving the disclosure of information, is an offence under section 105A of the Crimes Act 1961.

2.53 In all these roles and at all times, Ministers are expected to act lawfully and to behave in a way that upholds, and is seen to uphold, the highest ethical standards. Ultimately, Ministers are accountable to the Prime Minister for their behaviour.

Maybe, when Key’s finished making a dick of himself and pathetically trying to get some of Obama’s glow to rub off on him, he’ll get around to holding Collins to account.

58 comments on “Collins’ attack on Pullar continues ”

  1. I am wondering at the end game here.  It must be related to the jockeying for the position of next leader of the National Party.
     
    Having a pretty good idea of the internal machinations that occurred during the Labour leadership struggle I must say that Labour’s were a pale insignificant comparison to what is happening in the National Party.
     
     

    • Anne 1.1

      Collins is one by one eliminating all future opposition to her leadership ambitions?

      • RJL 1.1.1

        Maybe, but I don’t think it was thoroughly thought through like this.

        I think that Pullar’s details were leaked purely to discredit Pullar, and this was done in ignorance of the fact that there was potential to inflict collateral damage on Smith.

        • mickysavage 1.1.1.1

          It will possibly depend if the Smith ACC letters were themselves leaked.  Although I am not sure what Collins’ concern was.  She was not the Minister when the original loss of information occurred or when the Boag – Pullar – Senior manager meeting occurred.

          • RJL 1.1.1.1.1

            It seems plausible that some of Pullar’s details — like the fact that she allegedly tried to blackmail ACC — were leaked to attempt to minimise this story: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/acc/news/article.cfm?o_id=3&objectid=10792157

            The spin presumably being that while the privacy breach was bad, the actions of Pullar were so much worse, and therefore she rather than ACC / the government is the real villain that we should all be concentrating on. Fits the general MO for Bennett, Brownlee, et al.

            And to the extent that we have been distracted from the original ACC privacy breach, it was a well executed plan!

  2. ACC insider 2

    Four questions Minister Collins needs to be asked:

    Has the Minister run an IT sweep of her office for the email relating to Bronwyn Pullar that was leaked to the Herald on Sunday. If not, why not?
    Is the Minister aware that emails and attachments can be tracked, including when these are opened and the ISP address of where they are opened?
    Did the Minister or her office provide a copy of the memo regarding Bronwyn Pullar to Cameron Slater or any of his ISP’s?
    Did the Minister or her office encourage Cameron Slater to provide the memo regarding Bronwyn Pullar to the media?

  3. “Both sides are scum.”

    “…when Key’s finished making a dick of himself and pathetically trying to get some of Obama’s glow to rub off on him…”

    ACCPullarSmithBoagCollinsgate deserves a lot more scrutiny, like some that’s raised here, but I think you will preach more effectively beyond the converted if you raise the tone of attack above the scumminess. Trash talk doesn’t make a good argument.

    • Bored 3.1

      Hmmm, it is morning tea on Monday, lots going on..quick glance at the Standard reveals the following comment….“Both sides are scum.”.

      Yes, the world is still rotating, the comment is accurate from my viewpoint. Trash talk? Hey we are talking about trash which I define as people desperate enough to do any number of nasty things to each other.

  4. Sarah 4

    Potentially new things you can gamble on at Ipredict:

    Police compliant laid against Collins over Pullar email
    Collins resigns as Minister of ACC
    Police investigation of Minister’s office
    Collins charged under the Crimes Act

    • Hami Shearlie 4.1

      Mind you, she’s not called Crusher for nothing – she’ll think that she can crush all opposition, like a giant rolling pin and she’s already looking slightly green in hue! LOL

  5. ianmac 5

    Mickey: “It must be related to the jockeying for the position of next leader of the National Party.” Wondered about that. With the flow of events unhelpful to National leadership it may be a cause or an effect for setting up for those who want to become the Boss.
    Collins v Joyce?
    The MSM should be suggesting possible infighting, misquotes, rumours and advice to Collins and Joyce.
    They did so for the leadership for Labour didn’t they?

    • Tom Gould 5.1

      @ ianmac, but that would cost the MSM bosses money, and some of their flunkies too. There was a time when they made their money from reporting the news.

      • bbfloyd 5.1.1

        tom.. which lifetime were you living when that was happening?

        who has always owned the presses?

  6. Sarah 6

    Has the Minister run an IT sweep of her office? If not, why not?

  7. tc 7

    cage fight time….cue PG’s indignation but I bet he’d watch it with glee.

  8. Sarah 8

    Is the Minister aware that technology exists to track emails and attachments to any recipients ISP, the pathways of communication, and the ISP address where they have been opened or printed?

  9. Sarah 9

    Is the Minister of ACC going to turn up and answer questions?

  10. Sarah 10

    Will the Minister be gone by lunchtime?

  11. Sarah 11

    Can the Minister trust the staff in her office not to squeal?

  12. ianmac 12

    A new Act makes it possible for a “journalist” to be compelled to hand over the source.
    Whaleoil is a sort of journalist who has published some unfortunate stuff about Pullar.
    If there was an Enquiry could Whaleoil be compelled to reveal the source of his email?

    • Kotahi Tane Huna 12.1

      Surely Whale’s legal aid lawyer could argue that “Mr. Oil’s output does not constitute “journalism” in any meaningful definition of the word.”

      • felix 12.1.1

        Hasn’t the Slater child been arguing for a while now that he and his ilk ought to be granted proper press credentials?

        • Robert M 12.1.1.1

          Well why not, the cameron rag is sometimes amusing and informed. Unlike people like Michelle Boag , Bill English and Nick Smith, the Slaters clearly belong in something that would be a recognisable National Party or any other legitmate right centre party like the Australian liberal party or the UK Tory Party.
          I find the Michelle Boag performace intolerable and unbelievable. How this women who fronted for New Zealand finest, most brilliant and effective and ideological new right businesspeople and accountants and lawyers like Micheal Fay and David Richwhite sit in the same party as such pathetic left wing wets as Nick Smith and Bill English who in their gutlessness and betrayal are doing unlimited damage to the NZ economy and our society every day.
          I am sure Fay and Richwhite would never have defended a mindblowing rort like ACC in which numerous people known to every kiwi and every street got mindblowing take and bread of about 90,000 dollars a year for decades with very little wrong with them other some minor injury which supposedly derailed them from doing some specific technical job they had done for a year. Compared with any DPB living on a pittance and doing the outrageous crime in the view of the very stupid of actually enjoying sex and leisure, pleasure – Michelle Boag and Puller really take the cake. But then of course like me Michelle Boag has always the morals of an alley cat, after all she was the press secretary for Muldoon and Bolger. Rob Muldoon always had admiration for alley cats of a wide variety of types-ie hot women, criminals and gang members.

    • Cactus Kate 12.2

      Whaleoil made it perfectly clear Bronwyn told him (rather unwisely) several years ago the information he has published thus far. Therefore she appears the source for what he has published.

      • felix 12.2.1

        The Slater child is also on record saying there’s no such thing as the truth except whatever he decides it is at the time.

        So there’s that too.

      • mickysavage 12.2.2

        Cameron and friends seem to be very sensitive to this particular issue.  Could it be that he has wittingly or unwittingly been caught up in an internal Cabinet gunfight for the future leadership of the National Party?  And he thought he was just giving Boag a hard time?

  13. tsmithfield 13

    Eddie, you appear to be making totally unsupported assertions in your article. Mere plebs, such as me, would probably get banned for making similar statements.

    The article you link to only refers to an e-mail from Boag. It says nothing about who it was sent to. So, to say it was Collins is a complete stretch as there doesn’t appear to be any evidence in the article that the e-mail was sent to the government at all.

    • Lanthanide 13.1

      The double standards that go on around here do rather rankle me, as well.

      • Clashman 13.1.1

        +1

      • tsmithfield 13.1.2

        I know we have substantial disagreements in politics Lanth. But I have seen you take a principled approach to a number of issues now, and have high respect for you for that.

      • lprent 13.1.3

        A. The post inferred it, it did not assert it. In other words it is clear it is speculation by the author. Where commentators and sites get into trouble is when they assert it as fact without offering proof.

        B. The Lange vs Atkinson decision means that considerably more speculation can be used about politicians in the public interest than can used for private individuals, companies and unions.

        C. Similar limits exist around the criminal law and what we can do in those areas.

        If there are double standards then they appear to pervade legal system because that is our boundary.

        Many of the critics here don’t really appear to understand the nuances of the legal limits that the authors routinely work around. Personally, I’m always impressed about how much finesse that the authors use and how little I have to worry about getting hauled into court.

        And of course our own internal ‘law’ is pretty straight forward. It is hard enough motivating ourselves to write, moderate, keep servers going, and the software operating. If someone has been around for an instant and wants to waste our time with stuff about the site we have heard a thousand times before, don’t listen when warned, then we presume that they would really prefer to be elsewhere where they don’t waste our time.

        • tsmithfield 13.1.3.1

          I don’t know if my e-mail to the site has managed to get me unbanned. However, I trust that this post will get through.

          Thanks for the thoughtful answer BTW. Your explanation helps.

          I guess we could debate whether what Eddie has said is assertion or inference. Anyway, that is not really the point.

          Its your site. So, obviously, you can decide what you allow or disallow. Probably my beef is that, from my perspective, I have been banned for similar instances as what I see in Eddies post above. I guess if you want others to behave in a certain way, it would be good for those posting articles to set the example of what is expected. Otherwise, it can seem rather arbitrary and unfair when people get banned for similar behaviour.

          [You said Ambrose had committed an offence – no caveats, just a bald statement that he had committed an offence. That’s defamation, because it is clearly not true on the facts and cannot not be reasonably be believed to be true on the known facts. I said that Collins was imitating her cabinet colleagues in using personal information held by the government to intimidate opponents of the government. That isn’t defamation thanks to Lange v Atkinson, and arguably honest opinion – in that my opinion is honestly held and can be reasonably extrapolated from the known facts. – As I’m in a good mood and you’re taking this well, I’ll waive the ban. Eddie]

          • tsmithfield 13.1.3.1.1

            Thanks for that.

            I have deleted my reply to MS below. It was probably OK, but is now unnecessary given your comments.

    • hawk 13.2

      I agree TS.

      It seem that a few days ago people were getting banned for not providing links to info they were suggesting over the MUNZ bullying lockout etc.

      Yet he have a blanket statement “it’s clearly her, ACC wouldn’t do it” with no link at all. Apart from the fact that it follows a link to the fact that she has been paided out privately.

      So to me a clear case of “do what we say not what we do ” by the Standard.

      In no way has Collins been shown to be linked to a leak expect from the thoughts of EDDIE. Total fail for being a fair and unbias site. Interesting that the right aligned comment do get harsher moderation.

    • TS obviously Eddie may be privy to more information than he is letting on.  And if he is right will you apologise?

      [My post makes no mention of the letter from Boag. It is simply about who leaked Pullar’s name. If Pullar’s name wasn’t leaked by Collins then she should launch an investigation to find out how it was leaked. Because Pullar claims ACC leaked it and they deny that. Eddie]

  14. Cactus Kate 14

    Bronwyn negotiated a confidential settlement with her private insurer, while The Herald reported this as a fact, it did so off Michelle Boag’s email to Crusher. If you read the misleading piece again slowly it was the Herald that claimed it was over $1million, not Boag and not Crusher.

    The only people who would have known the settlement figure were indeed Bronwyn and anyone she has told. Which I doubt would include ACC but given Whaleoil actually published the number a week before the Herald, clearly includes him. I didn’t know the exact number and I knew her well at the time it was settled. I never asked.

    ACC themselves have stated that the settlement does to form part of their calculations for eligibility to ACC.

    Therefore Bronwyn herself appears to have been the “leak” to Whaleoil who blogged it.. Nothing at all to do with Crusher.

    • Ross 14.1

      Nevertheless, Collins hasn’t disguised her intense dislike of Pullar. Would she resort to releasing private information ala her colleague Paula Bennett? I have no doubt she would.

      • Cactus Kate 14.1.1

        Yes but Crusher didn’t. Read above. Bronwyn has spoken to anyone who will listen to her concerns about ACC well back into the Labour government years. If you want privacy you must keep your information private, she hasn’t.

    • What about the Boag email itself Kate?  I am sure this was a private Nat activist to Nat activist but it appears to have made its way to ACC and was then transmitted somehow to Slater.
       
      Care to comment on this?

      • Cactus Kate 14.2.1

        Why? Too many insane conspiracy theories here already.
        Boag was clearly lobbying the incoming Minister by the sounds. And again, want privacy, be private.

        • Bored 14.2.1.1

          So Prickly One, who benefits (the most)….whats the real score according to the inside tequila? (I would lay a bet on your version being close to the mark).

          • Cactus Kate 14.2.1.1.1

            Interesting question FINALLY on The Standard

            Who benefits most from what has happened?
            I suspect Bronwyn.
            Hello, who is going to cut her ACC off after this?
            Boag and Smith are the losers.
            Crusher has been inconvenienced with the kerfuffle.
            Reporters have had a weeks great copy.
            And Winston mentioned the word sex in Parliament so his ratings driven by conspiracy have increased.

            • Colonial Viper 14.2.1.1.1.1

              Who benefits most from what has happened?
              I suspect Bronwyn.
              Hello, who is going to cut her ACC off after this?

              I bet some people are looking at filing criminal charges against Bronwyn. Misuse of private information for personal gain and all that.

              And Winston mentioned the word sex in Parliament so his ratings driven by conspiracy have increased.

              How can it still be a conspiracy if the detail is all coming out in the open?

              • felix

                Odgers is just trying to divert attention away from the political machinations, as the Slater child has been doing.

                Pullar is a dupe and a patsy, neither here nor there in the big picture.

                Who benefits politically?

  15. Has Crusher developed a new career advancement plan? – Link

  16. Ross 16

    Pullar’s list of gripes with ACC is longer than my arm. Isuggest the ACC minister might like to improve the performance of her ministry rather than shoot the messenger.

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/6631240/Full-list-of-Bronwyn-Pullars-complaints-to-ACC

    • ianmac 16.1

      Phew! Somewhat repetitive but no wonder ACC is fed up! Smoke. Fire?
      On Morning Report today it was suggested that the obsessiveness of some can be credited against certain types of brain injury.

  17. felix 17

    I note that an old drunk lady upthread keeps calling Judith Collins “crusher”.

    Has she actually crushed any cars yet or is this just another bit of desperate and pathetically transparent meme generation?

    • deuto 17.1

      Interesting that she continually uses Crusher – but after her first two comments on the post, my instinctive reaction was “the ‘lady” protestive too much” – not correct wording but you get the drift. Playing interference by chance?

      • felix 17.1.1

        Hmm yes, 5 prickly comments in this thread, containing 5 instances of “Crusher” and none of “Collins”.

        I think the idea is to make Collins sound strong and formidable, but really it just makes Odgers sound sycophantic and crawly.

    • David H 17.2

      I think she might have got one. I saw a piccy of it, and I would not even want to get in it. It was a Toymotor Coroda 1988 vintage with more coroda than toymotor.

  18. Adrian 18

    It’s not fair to compare the car that Collins crushed to Nick Smith. As TV3 showed when the authorities turned up to take it away, it was a broken down empty stripped out shell long past it’s use-by date, ohh……

    • felix 18.1

      So she has actually had a car crushed?

      Is it just the one so far?

      • Colonial Viper 18.1.1

        Yep, just that one. As Adrian mentioned it was already an immobile wreck. Probably did the landowners a favour, taking it away.

  19. Sarah 19

    How many people is Collins going to knock off to cover her arse?
    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/6644194/ACC-chairman-called-to-Beehive
    Is John Judge next?
    Who’s going to squeal??!!

  20. Sarah 20

    One thing that can be confirmed now is either ACC or the Minister is lying!
    Which one?
    How can anyone have trust and confidence in ACC and their integrity when we don’t know if it’s the Corporation or the Minister that’s lying?
    Maybe they both need to go?

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    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    4 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    5 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    5 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    5 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • There’s a name for this
    Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • Echoes of 1968 in 2024?  Pocock on the repetitive problems of the New Left
    Mike Grimshaw writes – Recent events in American universities point to an underlying crisis of coherent thinking, an issue that increasingly affects the progressive left across the Western world. This of course is nothing new as anyone who can either remember or has read of the late ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Two bar blues
    The thing about life’s little victories is that they can be followed by a defeat.Reader Darryl told me on Monday night:Test again Dave. My “head cold” last week became COVID within 24 hours, and is still with me. I hear the new variants take a bit longer to show up ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 13
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Angus Deaton on rethinking his economics IMFLocal scoop: The people behind Tamarind, the firm that left a $500m cleanup bill for taxpayers at Taranaki’s Tui oil well, are back operating in Taranaki under a different company name. Jonathan ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    8 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
    Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024.  “Lower fruit and vege ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government backs rural led catchment projects
    The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction.   Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
    Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government lowering building costs
    The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
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  • Trustee tax change welcomed
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