Congratulations Hone Harawira, MP for Te Tai Tokerau

Written By: - Date published: 8:21 pm, June 25th, 2011 - 165 comments
Categories: by-election, hone harawira, mana, Maori seats - Tags:

Hone Harawira has won the by-election for Te Tai Tokerau, despite the best efforts of the msm, John Key’s endorsement of Kelvin Davis, dirty tricks from the Maori Party, and despite Labour’s typically ill-considered, hamfisted attempts to wipe out Mana at its first election.

At last we have a glimmer of genuinely left-wing representation in Parliament – led by a politician with the guts and skill to start denting the Government. After nearly three years of Labour demonstrating just how ineffectual it’s become, and the Greens becoming more bourgeois and fake with the passing of each season, it’s edifying to know there will now be a left wing political leader in Parliament.

Congratulations Hone – the best man won.

165 comments on “Congratulations Hone Harawira, MP for Te Tai Tokerau ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Anne 1
    25 June 2011 at 8:24 pm

    Hone’s had a big fright. I hope he learns from it. Congratulations to Kelvin Davis for running a damm good campaign. He will be rewarded in time.

    • Jim Nald 1.1
      25 June 2011 at 8:34 pm

      Congrats to Hone and Kelvin.
      TTT would be a good northern bastion for the left.
      What should ACT do?
      Reconsider their Epsom candidate and phone KKK & Key?

    • Hanswurst 1.2
      25 June 2011 at 8:36 pm

      Yes, Harawira probably has had a big fright. However, in terms of actual electoral outcomes, as opposed to how easily Harawira can sleep at night, the mere fact that he has won unambiguously makes a big difference.

      Much of the vote that went to the Maori Party this time may well defect to him now that it is clear that the MP has no chance in that electorate, as may much of the Labour vote, seeing as Harawira appears to be entrenched.

      Certainly, it will mean that Mana can be a credible force immediately, at least in the Maori electorates.

      • the sprout 1.2.1
        25 June 2011 at 9:27 pm

        Much of the vote that went to the Maori Party this time may well defect to him now that it is clear that the MP has no chance in that electorate, as may much of the Labour vote, seeing as Harawira appears to be entrenched.

        Harawira’s majority will increase in the general election for those reasons and because Davis won’t get the same party support and msm coverage as he did this time

        • Frank Macskasy 1.2.1.1
          27 June 2011 at 12:38 am

          Congratulations Hone – the best man won.

          Or, just as likely, Maori realised that by voting for Hone, they could have TWO MPs (Harawira and Davis), instead of just one.

          One vote, two MPs.

          Canny bunch, those Te Tai Tokerau folk.

        • lprent 1.2.1.2
          27 June 2011 at 1:04 am

          Yeah, I really need to have a bit of a think about the Maori seats and those big mostly rural seats. There has to be a better way to use resources.

    • Liberty 1.3
      26 June 2011 at 8:54 am

      Labour lost big time
      Hone is a racist git
      Labour had the best candidate
      Labour had more resources
      The Maori seats were hard core labour seats for donkey years.
      If labour can’t win a Maori seat how does it expect to win a marginal
      seat ?
      Labour is doomed.

  2. weka 2
    25 June 2011 at 8:32 pm

    Yep, congrats to Harawira and Mana.
     
    Looking forward to seeing some analysis of the results.

  3. Salsy 3
    25 June 2011 at 8:34 pm

    Really great result. Good for Maori, good for the left in general. Bad for mNACT

  4. Anthony 4
    25 June 2011 at 8:37 pm

    Pretty good result for a small grass roots party up against one of the big ones.

  5. Chess Player 5
    25 June 2011 at 8:41 pm

    Am looking forward to everyone in Northland being employed by Xmas, like you promised on Radio Live the other day, Hone. You have the mandate now, albeit 90% less mandate than you used to have…

    • Colonial Viper 5.1
      25 June 2011 at 8:43 pm

      Exactly how much Budget is the mNACT Government giving Hone for the direct employment programme in Northland again?

      • Chess Player 5.1.1
        25 June 2011 at 8:47 pm

        None, I would expect, and nor will they ever, which is why it was so completely ridiculous of him to promise that….but I guess he managed to find around 5,500 people dumber than he is…

        • Colonial Viper 5.1.1.1
          25 June 2011 at 8:58 pm

          5,500 people who know the Government could provide direct employment in Northland if it wished too.

          After all, it does for their NACT mates.

          • Chess Player 5.1.1.1.1
            25 June 2011 at 9:04 pm

            How exactly? Last time I looked, political persuasion wasn’t a valid criteria for employment.

            • Draco T Bastard 5.1.1.1.1.1
              25 June 2011 at 9:36 pm

              http://blog.labour.org.nz/index.php/2011/06/24/of-troughs-and-trotters/

              McCully wasn’t aware of the details, he said, but knew Finny had the requisite skills. There are lots more questions to ask here – like, at what threshold does a requirement to tender kick in, etc., etc. McCully had given another gift to one of his mates.

              Add that to: $75k contract to former Nat MP, Mark Blumsky for development work in Niue (requisite skills – the man used to be a shoe salesman?)

              It seems that the answer is through nepotism and corruption.

  6. millsy 6
    25 June 2011 at 8:45 pm

    Good effort by Hone, but I see him as Maori first and left/socialist (a distant) second. Which is all good, but he needs to come out and be honest about that.

    The Mana Party have a strong Tino Rangatiratanga tinge to their policies and because of that will not reach the level of support that parties such as the Alliance had in their heyday. Policies such as Whanau Ora and whether to deliver the National Park system into the hands of iwi will be major areas of contention in Mana, given that public ownership and the welfare state are two key planks of left policy and the abject aim of the tino rangatiratanga movement is to dilute them.

    Mana has a future, but as a Maori focused party. The left is better off in a mass movement such as the Alliance.

    • Adele 6.1
      25 June 2011 at 9:12 pm

      Teenaa koe, Millsy

      Your views represent why Māori will always be second class citizens under a
      Pākehā worldview.

      Tino Rangatiratanga is not some protest song with a reggae beat. It has whakapapa to a Treaty. Honouring the Treaty is what Māori want from both the left and the right.

      • millsy 6.1.1
        25 June 2011 at 9:31 pm

        The concepts in the Treaty (ie the guarantee of Maori control over resources, etc) is incompatible with the concept of social democracy/democratic socialism.

        It essentially concentrates wealth in the hands of a few. As the treaty settlement process has shown us.

        • North 6.1.1.1
          25 June 2011 at 11:10 pm

          So the present John Key (and Ph’Goff) set-up doesn’t concentrate wealth in the hands of a few Millsy ?

          I reckon this result has brought out your essentialness Millsy – call yourself Left or whatever you wanna………you’re just a white-settler racist at heart !

          Eat it……..eat it hard !

          • Bill 6.1.1.1.1
            26 June 2011 at 8:56 am

            Good to have a party that concentrates the left -wings arse holes.

            [lprent: We already have a Bill handle in use. Please use a handle that is different. ]

      • North 6.1.2
        25 June 2011 at 10:15 pm

        Hey Adele……..been waiting for your post taku hoa.

        Always thought the Left housed the more intelligent, humane, considered, the unprejudiced, the good people. That’s why I’ve voted Labour for 40 years.

        Must say, while many contributors to The Standard claim to be SO clever and SO developed and all of the above, I guess unwittingly they expose an essential subliminal racism, an insistence on docile Maori assimilation. To be performed with a demure and sufficiently respectful tugging of the Maori forelock.

        Abusive otherwise, as seen in all this visceral Hone-Hate – the latest over the word “bullshit”……..excuse me ???

        In my delight about the result I may run to drama but sometimes here on The Standard I’ve felt like it was only you and me Adele.

        Just so the “impeccable” Left doesn’t imagine these are the mouthings of the Anti-Christ – my CV – Pakeha, 60, pursuing a traditionally conservative and timorous professional calling in the North. Fabulously however, and lucky for me, none of the pathologically arrogant, dismissive, know-it-all, Pakeha perspective which disallows the legitimacy of a different and indeed multi-faceted Maori perspective.

        It’s a great night. You enjoy. I am.

        • Roflcopter 6.1.2.1
          26 June 2011 at 9:36 am

          Ah so you’re just a white mofo who thinks by virtue of location it gives you some kind of insight and maori-ness.

          Thanks for clearing that up…. dickhead.

          • Adele 6.1.2.1.1
            26 June 2011 at 1:40 pm

            Teenaa koe, Roflcopter

            Mofo is a perjorative term to describe ignorant Pākehā. There is nothing remotely motherfuckerish about North. His analysis of the Māori body politic is excellent. And he is not the only one – there are others that contribute to this site that also make a worthy contribution to the Māori perspective.

            I am thinking to print a few mofo t-shirts, would you like one?

    • Lanthanide 6.2
      25 June 2011 at 9:19 pm

      “Good effort by Hone, but I see him as Maori first and left/socialist (a distant) second. Which is all good, but he needs to come out and be honest about that.”

      And yet he managed to snag Minto and Bradford into his merry band. This by itself puts paid to anyone saying Mana is only for Maori.

      • Chess Player 6.2.1
        25 June 2011 at 9:28 pm

        Minto and Bradford have time on their hands and are both desperate for attention. If anyone else would have them, they wouldn’t be wasting time with the Harawira party.

        • North 6.2.1.1
          25 June 2011 at 10:19 pm

          And you’re an arrogant sore loser Cheese Player. If you’re Left the Left is all Redneck Shit

          [lprent: he isn’t – he mostly comments from the right. You get all sorts here. Just use search to look up their previous comments. ]

      • millsy 6.2.2
        25 June 2011 at 9:28 pm

        Minto is on record as being a strong supporter of the tino rangatiratanga movement, and would sign up with anyone if he thought he could achieve his revolutionary aims.

        Bradford (plus McCarten) probably should really have the brains to know better. Especially given that both of them are strong supporters of the social wefare system (that includes our universal health and education systems). The tino rangatiratanga movement is incompatiable with the values of the left movement as a whole. Why these idiot Trotskyites and Workers Party losers with to sign up to Maori seperatism is beyond me.

        • fatty 6.2.2.1
          25 June 2011 at 9:39 pm

          Maori separatism…yawn. Try again millsy, simplistic scaremongering doesn’t work here, this isn’t radio live

          • millsy 6.2.2.1.1
            25 June 2011 at 9:43 pm

            Scaremongering.

            I would hardly call the transfer of hundreds of billions of dollars worth of land and assets into private hands over the past 15 years (called ‘Treaty settlements’) to be scaremongering.

            The treaty settlement process is the biggest privatisation program in history, and the sooner that the left divorces itself from the tino rangatiratanga movement, the better.

            • dave brown 6.2.2.1.1.1
              25 June 2011 at 10:12 pm

              Millsy you are obviously pissed by Hone winning cause it upsets your white settler superiority. Colonisation was the privatisation. Treaty settlement puts a tiny fraction back into iwi ownership. You could argue that that is a form of private shareholding or collective ownership, but whatever its not an actual privatisation, nor is it more than a drop of piss in the empty bucket that won’t sustain Maori. For that end there is a much bigger scare coming your way and its called workers’ expropriation of private property. Now that’s really something to worry about cause it will mean that the majority of non-Maori don’t share your racist views and the working class is united against the white settler regime.

              • millsy …
                25 June 2011 at 10:19 pm

                Hi Dave,

                I am not racist. I am anti privatisation. The iwi elite have amassed huge amounts of wealth, due to the fact that governments on both sides of the House have handed it to them on a plate.

                • Hanswurst …
                  25 June 2011 at 10:23 pm

                  The catalyst for Harawira’s split from the Maori Party seems to have been his belief that the settlements in themselves aren’t enough. He is obviously in favour of compensation to iwi via treaty settlements, and in favour of Maori tribal structures regulating their own affairs and dealing with the money as they see fit. He would also appear, however, to be in favour of employment, welfare and educational conditions that benefit the less privileged in society. The fact that this probably stems from his experience that the disadvantaged are disproportionately Maori does not make his outlook any less left-wing.

                  Of course there are elements of Maori who want to run their tribes as a business – there are right and left-wing Maori, too – and of course those will be the groups who are favoured by potential business partners and by the government, because that fits best with the model on which the rest of the economy is run. Harawira would not appear to be part of that camp, however, and linking him to that ideology simply because he is a Maori activist is somewhat akin to linking Sue Bradford to the policies of Key’s government because she happens to be white.

                • North …
                  25 June 2011 at 10:56 pm

                  Now Millsy, I saw you manfully offering up congratulations to Hone somewhere an hour or so ago………don’t let those sour gwapes bile-up inside you mate.

                  Losec used to cost 3 bucks from the doc……..28 now direct form the chemist. Hone’s cost you sleep clearly………don’t let the bugger cost you bucks as well !

              • dave brown …
                25 June 2011 at 10:58 pm

                National Parks going as iwi settlements is not privatisation. Its a shift from the collective ownership of the bourgeois state that represents private property to the collective ownership of an iwi. Its a myth to say that state ownership of property in capitalist society belongs to the people. Nationalisation means ownership by the collective capitalist in the interest of the capitalists. That’s why bourgeois states in a crisis situation bail out bosses and not workers. Capitalists nationalise land and corporations to rescue them and run them for the benefit of all capitalists, then sell them off again to individual capitalists when they are profitable. But the form of ownership doesnt change.
                Even if you say that iwi ownership of Treat Settlements is a form of private property its no more than a shift from one form of private property to another. That is not a privatisation. Its even clearer in the case of Whanau Ora where the iwi contracts a service to the state. No privatisation. That’s why I think you are racist because you accuse Maori of privatisation rather than attack capitalists and argue for socialisation.
                The confusion over state ownership arises because most people take the state at face value as representing the people, when in reality the state manages the working class on behalf of the ruling class, reproducing it via education, welfare, labour law etc policing it when it breaks the law etc etc. If the present global situation tells us anything it is that the state is the ‘managing committee of the ruling class’. Instead of attacking Maori for ripping off a tiny fraction of property when they are not, why not attack the real enemy, the global capitalist class for ripping off the whole working class?

        • the sprout 6.2.2.2
          25 June 2011 at 9:55 pm

          is beyond me

          clearly.

    • Deadly_NZ 6.3
      26 June 2011 at 10:42 pm

      Congratulations to Hone for his win. But rather than join the policy argument, there is one thing that has me a little puzzled and that is the complete and utter disinterest in the by election by the electorate. What was it 2/3rd did’nt come out to vote, why?. The same question could be asked of the last By election (Pansy Wong) why did’nt so many people bother to come out and vote?? and are they the last elections undecided that voted National, and are now saying oh fuck that we’ll never vote for them again, or it puts them off voting all together and there are enough to make`a difference.

    • kia manawanui 6.4
      28 June 2011 at 4:43 pm

      If we have a look at this whole saga. It was the whiteman from UK started all this. it is known in history, on this matter every TRUE King Must have first territory of his own to rule. The UK kIng had this. Aftere that this is not enough for him, so what he dose, is his first of appointment is to extend his rule of territory don’t matter where in the world this may happen, every King has that brain wave of authority & control. When he extends his rule he also intends to take over by colonising that territory with nothing else but his will, his character and culture. In this case, Maori boy what you have is no good and i need to replace it. Out Maori and i want your land. Fisrt thing he attacks is language then inrpint his culture and his will. The dirty King dose not do this work himself, he sends across his little yes man called the governor. We as maori gets sucked into all this crap from day one. Do we have a Maori Governor or did we have one????. to replace previous. What was his Name I can’t remember???. i don’t think i would want to.

      Now the signing of the treaty what was this all about??. I’ll tell you? “TAKE OVER” completely. Understand the mind of the King. It was a begining to complete his task Take over . Don’t be fooled by this treaty thingy, it was not to MAHI TAHI that was not in the mind of the KING or any KING. Nothing has changed and never will . Not in the mind of any true king anyway..

      By the way do we still have the Royal Navy or the Royal Arm forces. ROYAL, ROYAL or LOYAL to protect us maori.?? We may get a bit of help at last from the Taitokerau. He don’t have a royal army but he may have a loyal force.LOYALTY FOR AOTEAROA. mo nga tangata katoa.

  7. North 7
    25 June 2011 at 8:46 pm

    Sprout, your first paragraph should be etched in stone and your third paragraph says it all !

    No, it’s your third paragraph should be etched in stone ! Your first paragraph establishes what a massive job has been done by Hone and Mana.

    Oh Boy, dying to hear from Millsy, Draco Te Bastard, Brett Dale, and a number of other insufferably arrogant, 100% pakeha perspective wahanui. To say nothing of the “startled Edwardian dowager” Ken Mair.

    Kia Ora Whanau !

  8. kaipara pete 8
    25 June 2011 at 9:57 pm

    Mana 1, Labour 0

    • Colonial Viper 8.1
      25 June 2011 at 10:02 pm

      Or strictly speaking, Labour 42, Mana 1 🙂

      • North 8.1.1
        25 June 2011 at 10:41 pm

        Yes, strictly speaking, since it is unlawful for 1 candidate to hold more than 1 parliamentary seat.

        Goliath’s looking a little reduced wouldn’t you say…….?

        You see Ph’Goff in all his wan-ness at LP gathering at Kawakawa RSA when Kelvin (being the good fulla he is) conceded to his whanaunga Hone ?

        Still, I guess Kelvin says to himself – “Oh well, I’m back on the plane on Monday anyway…….”

        Ph’Goff would probably be rather more troubled given his ridiculous, cheaply gratuitous appeal to the Hone-Haters of middle and redneck New Zealand, seemingly his constituency – “Labour will not work with………”

        Never say never !

    • Kaplan 8.2
      26 June 2011 at 9:35 am

      Mana 1, National -1

  9. Taruke 9
    25 June 2011 at 10:07 pm

    Congratulations Hone, Hilda and family for your determination and strength in the face of a concerted, collective, and aggressive attempt by mainstream political parties (and some media) to eliminate you from the political landscape. You have a clear mandate from your people, and its time to build. Hoea te waka, Hoea, Hoea ki uta!

  10. IrishBill 10
    25 June 2011 at 10:23 pm

    Bloody good stuff.

  11. Joe carolan 11
    25 June 2011 at 10:24 pm

    today is a great victory for Maori and a great victory for the working class. Mana wins on 48%, against all the might of the Labour party “machine”, backed by National, the NZ Herald, Guy Espiner, Duncan Garner, Winston Peters and NZ First, the Business Roundtable, Iwi leaders forum and the Maori Party. Now we’re going nationwide. The Revolution has begun.

    • the sprout 11.1
      25 June 2011 at 10:32 pm

      yes, predictable but still amusing to see Labour trying to paint it as a victory for (temporarily) reducing Hone’s margin.

      another way of looking at it is that despite going all-out and having all that backing, Labour still lost.

      • Colonial Viper 11.1.1
        25 June 2011 at 11:20 pm

        another way of looking at it is that despite going all-out and having all that backing, Labour still lost.

        Steady on, TTT was a very safe Mp / Hone seat. And safe seats are not taken overnight. LAB was in the running and remain in the running.

        I notice the NZ Herald is still on its anti-Hone rampage with dodgy figures, they make it sound like Hone’s majority has collapsed by 85% and don’t mention lower turn out because it is a by-election.

        Hone Harawira has kept his Te Tai Tokerau seat after quitting the Maori Party to form Mana but Labour’s Kelvin Davis has slashed his majority in today’s byelection.

        With 100 per cent of the vote counted, Mr Harawira’s majority is now 867, compared with 6308 majority in the 2008 byelection.

        http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10734477

    • North 11.2
      25 June 2011 at 10:50 pm

      Hey slow down Joe………I’m with you of course but at my age a bloke can only take so much future shock………gimme some time to behave so as to deserve an alcoholic hangover………and then some more time to get over it.

      Great plan though !

      cc. Brett Dale…….drinking a bitter potion right now I’ll venture……..it’s called Hone Hooch !!!!

  12. R 12
    25 June 2011 at 10:47 pm

    left 1, else 0. Quel relief. Thank the gods, and go Mana.

  13. TightyRighty 13
    25 June 2011 at 11:10 pm

    Congratulations to Hone indeed. Given the ability of the party organizations ranged against him, if not the candidates, this indeed shows the respect in which he is held by the electorate. While I don’t agree that the best candidate won, I do believe the victory is more than symbolic, especially given the low turnout.

    I don’t think anything meaningful for the general election can be extrapolated from the result with such a low turnout, apart from leveling the playing field for the mana party.

    • ak 13.1
      26 June 2011 at 12:10 am

      Well of course you’d “think” that, Tightarse, because your every utterance has long since defined you as a psychologically trapped and relentless spintosser for the selfish and greedy. No offence brother, but you’re almost the personification of a manic righty parody.

      But here, dear Tighty, is what your current plastic mouthpiece will be thinking: “SHIT!”

      Because he’s less blinkered, and more venal, than yourself. He knows his numbers: and feels fully the chill wind of reliance on an increasingly febrile and desperate bought media.

      Maori and he Left are charging the letterboxes and the interweb: your monopoly, Colonel Blimp, is on the wane. And with it, your final, bullying, assault on Progression.

  14. Irascible 14
    25 June 2011 at 11:35 pm

    Congratulations TTT on electing yet another conservative reactionary to Parliament. It is a pity that the democratic socialist didn’t win. Instead the electorate has voted for further isolation from the mainstream of New Zealand although the result has probably shaken the Maori Party to its core with the message that its prolonged intercourse with the Key-led NACTional party has damaged its credibility and sustainability beyond November this year.

    • Colonial Viper 14.1
      26 June 2011 at 12:05 am

      It is a pity that the democratic socialist didn’t win.

      ? Which candidate was it who supports democratic socialism in NZ?

      • Irascible 14.1.1
        26 June 2011 at 2:01 pm

        It definitely isn’t or won’t be Hone or Tipene. Regardless of his fair-weather hangers on of Minto & McCarten.

  15. idlegus 15
    25 June 2011 at 11:48 pm

    yep good news, its def a defeat for the right!

  16. Jenny 16
    25 June 2011 at 11:52 pm

    This win by Mana makes the tactical formation of a left leaning Labour led government a real possibility. Even on current dismal poll results.

    How?

    If the Mana and the Maori Party forge a rapprochement, as Mana leader Hone Harawira has just stated is his intention, then between them they could carve up all the Maori seats.

    And possibly gain some list seats as well.

    If a deal is struck that in return for Mana not challenging the Maori Party in the seats they currently hold, then combined they could put enough MPs into parliament to hold the balance of power.

    Obviously as part of this deal for Mana to agree not to stand in the Maori Party seats, the Maori Party must accept that their future with National is over.

    For the Maori Party this would only mean for them to admit the reality of the fact, that they have no future if they stick with National.

    As Harawira has been saying and as this result confirms. If the Maori Party stick with National beyond this election they will have no future in parliament at all.

    • weka 16.1
      26 June 2011 at 12:08 am

      How do you see the MP fitting into that Jenny? In a govt with Labour, Mana, Greens? Or outside but working with Mana on Maori issues?

      • Deadly_NZ 16.1.1
        26 June 2011 at 11:19 pm

        The pm with the MP is that now they are tainted by their association with the NACTS, and thats not going to be an easy thing to get away from.

    • Jenny 16.2
      26 June 2011 at 12:09 am

      Some Pakeha may resent the above scenario on the grounds that it gives Maori too much power, Maori being a minority.

      But, as Harawira is fond of saying, “What is good for Maori. is good for all New Zealanders.”

      I believe this sentiment of Harawira’s to be a truism, and that many of us on the left take to heart as ours, as well.

    • ak 16.3
      26 June 2011 at 12:28 am

      Onnit Jen. Nightmare for NACT, fillip for Lab, hopefully wakeup for Phil. Major, seminal wakeup. Prayer to St Jude.

  17. jackal 17
    25 June 2011 at 11:59 pm

    Here was I thinking Hone might have split from the Maori Party a bit too late to run an effective campaign. Nice to be proven wrong.

  18. Jenny 18
    26 June 2011 at 12:23 am

    “How do you see the MP fitting into that Jenny? In a govt with Labour, Mana, Greens? Or outside but working with Mana on Maori issues?”

    Weka

    Personally Weka, I don’t care how they work it out. As long as they keep the Nacts away from the Treasury benches.

    • Jenny 18.1
      26 June 2011 at 12:25 am

      P.S. Anyway that is for them to decide, not me. That is if they do decide to work together.

      • Jenny 18.1.1
        26 June 2011 at 10:02 am

        .
        Paul Holmes: Hone, you have said that the Maori Party will have to pay a price?

        Hone Harawira: Certainly Paul, they will have to move away from the likes of Don Brash and the National Party.

        • Jenny 18.1.1.1
          26 June 2011 at 10:15 am

          .
          On “Marae Investigates” this morning, Kelvin Davis descends into bitter sectarian sniping.

          Kelvin Davis: “If we wanted comedians to be an MP we should have got Mike King”

          In my opinion this is not what voters want to see.

          • Jenny 18.1.1.1.1
            26 June 2011 at 10:21 am

            .
            Marae Investigates: Will you work with Mana?

            Pita Sharples: “We are prepared to work with anyone who approaches us.”

          • the sprout 18.1.1.1.2
            26 June 2011 at 12:04 pm

            i think overall Davis has been gracious in defeat, he’s risen in my estimation

            • Jenny 18.1.1.1.2.1
              26 June 2011 at 12:57 pm

              On reflection it is possible that Kelvin was just trying to be jocular, however his demeanor meant he could not quite pull it off.

  19. HC 19
    26 June 2011 at 1:20 am

    CONGRATULATIONS to Hone and the voters of Te Tai Tokerau. Yes, this is now a true mandate, although it cost half a million to get it 6 months before the national election in November.

    So I wish Hone and Mana the best of luck for the big one coming up. We can do with a bit of re-balancing and a more outspoke voice in Parliament. It has most certainly shifted too far to the right for my liking, there is NO doubt in that.

    Mana is another option available to us voters, particularly to the many so disillusioned ones that have not even bothered to vote anymore in last elections.

    This makes the upcoming elections much more interesting now, and I can’t wait to get this fading and dumb smiling assassin get thrown out of the Beehive now.

    I may not vote for Mana, but nevertheless:

    Kia Kaha Mana

  20. Jum 20
    26 June 2011 at 1:32 am

    I find it odd that people didn’t vote for Jim Anderton Progressives if they wanted more left of centre to Labour. If he had received a larger vote share we would have had decent dental health care from his previous policy.

    Kiwibank has been a huge success at keeping the foreign banks under a watching and competitive brief. That was thanks to Anderton.

    • Draco T Bastard 20.1
      26 June 2011 at 2:04 am

      The Alliance has still been there as well and their policies tend to be of the left. They did, at one point, have 13% of the vote so it can’t be that their policies are too far away from what a lot of people think.

      • Colonial Viper 20.1.1
        26 June 2011 at 2:35 am

        Unfortunately, despite his considerable abilities and vision, Anderton couldn’t build a talented team that could operate as a team for very long without fragmenting into a million bits.

        • Draco T Bastard 20.1.1.1
          26 June 2011 at 2:38 pm

          True, but the Alliance is still there. Not quite sure what they’re doing though – never hear of them in the MSM (Though, that’s not surprising – the MSM doesn’t seem capable of covering more than two political parties at a time) and some of their website is out of date (They still have the minimum wage stated as $11.25) and badly presented.

        • McFlock 20.1.1.2
          26 June 2011 at 5:09 pm

          Actually, it was more Anderton’s habit of creating policy on the trot. Especially policy that was against Alliance policy – supporting the invasion of Afghanistan was the last straw.
          So he hung around and shafted us so we’d be below 1% for ages. But we’re still around, with good policies and a good team. And our $20k largesse from the electoral commission, of course. 🙂

      • millsy 20.1.2
        26 June 2011 at 11:11 am

        I would still vote Alliance if I knew they had a decent chance of getting in parliment.

        People forget it was the Alliance that saved a large amount of Auckland’s assetts.

        • Draco T Bastard 20.1.2.1
          26 June 2011 at 6:04 pm

          Well, they won’t have a chance unless you vote for them. I mean, come on, the whole point of having different parties is so that you can vote for the party with the policies which most closely represents your own thoughts and values.

          • Colonial Viper 20.1.2.1.1
            26 June 2011 at 6:19 pm

            The Alliance had an electorate seat which they could really have capitalised on. Left voters will be very nervous about wasting any votes this Nov, so unless there is more certainty I don’t think the Alliance will get too far.

    • millsy 20.2
      26 June 2011 at 11:10 am

      The progressives came across as being all about Jim Anderton (he actually officially called it “Jim Anderton’s Progressive Party”).

      The demise of the Alliance Party is one of the most lamentable episodes in our history, and both sides in that break up need to take responsibility for what happened, along with the Labour Party, and the EPMU who ensured Laila Harre came second in Waitakere.

      I think the country started its rightward drift from there on in.

      • lprent 20.2.1
        26 June 2011 at 3:27 pm

        The demise of the Alliance Party is one of the most lamentable episodes in our history, and both sides in that break up need to take responsibility for what happened, along with the Labour Party, and the EPMU who ensured Laila Harre came second in Waitakere.

        As I remember it, Labour merely stood a reasonably good candidate and did their usual levels of support. In other words what they try to do in every seat (it is a bit harder in the rural electorates). As a party, we’re not given to giving any candidate from other parties a free ride and you’ll find that most active members of the party feel that way.

        In my observation, the unions generally tend to support candidates out of the union movement and Lynne Pillay was one, and Laila had done a lot of work with the unions. So I’d guess that there would have been support from various unionists for both sides in that seat.

  21. belladonna 21
    26 June 2011 at 1:45 am

    Too many are against fluoridation to support JimAnderton’s dental policies,especially in Christchurch. Shame really as Jim is a good left wing politician.

  22. Tigger 22
    26 June 2011 at 6:49 am

    I look forward to Mana’s position on gay rights.

    • Lanthanide 22.1
      26 June 2011 at 10:50 am

      Probably silence, I think.

      • Jenny 22.1.1
        26 June 2011 at 7:30 pm

        Tigger 22
        26 June 2011 at 6:49 am
        I look forward to Mana’s position on gay rights.

        Reply
        Lanthanide 22.1
        26 June 2011 at 10:50 am
        Probably silence, I think.

        Lanthanide, I am sure that this is another presumption about Mana and Harawira that will be disproved.

        When has Hone been silent about any issue?

        I am also sure that as champions of the underdog, challenging the established way of doing things, support for gay rigthts will be a stated policy of Mana

  23. Carol 23
    26 June 2011 at 6:59 am

    Congratulations to Hone and Mana. I think they will provide a great impetus for left wing policies in the up-coming election and (hopefully) in a new government.

    I still will be giving my party vote to the Greens, because I need to see how Mana perform and more of their policies. I still have some questions. The main ones of these are not so much their general political position and aims, but to do with how (with what policies), and how successfully they will be in putting them into practice.

    Also, so far Mana has looked like a bit of a macho male outfit. I’m told Annette Sykes has much ….erm mana, & cred in Maori circles. But I have yet to see anything much of her in other public forums.

    Also, I’m with Tigger:

    I look forward to Mana’s position on gay rights.

    • Adele 23.1
      26 June 2011 at 1:54 pm

      Teenaa kōrua, Tigger and Carol

      Being ‘gay’ was never an issue under Te Ao Māori. Only when religion arrived into Aotearoa did Māori perspectives change. Hone will absolutely support the rights of the GLBTQI in Aotearoa, because to do less would diminish Mana.

  24. just saying 24
    26 June 2011 at 8:43 am

    Absolutely congratulations!

    I’m stoked by this victory. Life is grim for the poor and oppressed in this country, but now, finally, a voice!

    I’m looking forward to helping Mana in any way I can.

    My only concern is the potential for the macho thing you mention Carol, and all it entails. However, I have confidence in the power of these particular flax-roots.

    For Hone and all the other hard workers. Tihore mai:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXtZJya24-Q&feature=related

    ps the online version of the herald has practically obliterated this victory. You have to scroll down a long way to find any mention of it. Poor losers eh?

  25. The Voice of Reason 25
    26 June 2011 at 8:46 am

    Good on Hone for making it over the line. Much as I think it’ll all end in tears eventually, I’m happy to acknowledge the work he has put in to achieve this and I look forward to seeing how he goes over the next few months. If I can suggest a decisive factor, I’d say the Electoral Office saved his arse by registering the party two days out from the election. That official credibility makes a difference, as Hone noted himself.
     
    My guess is that Labour will take some positives out of it, too and will still look forward to winning the seat on a higher turnout. Or maybe, do a deal on the basis that they ruled out working with Hone Harawira, independant MP, but not Hone Harawira, leader of the Mana Party.
     
    The really good news is that the maori party is now deservedly stuffed. If they have more than one MP elected in November, it’ll be a miracle.

    • RedLogix 25.1
      26 June 2011 at 8:57 am

      Thanks for that VoR, nicely put and I think what you’ve said there encapsulates best how I feel at the moment.

      I’ve been struggling to see what all this means. Everyone has something to say that makes sense. Even when millsy says he’s ‘anti-privatisation, not anti-maori’ I can see where he is coming from.

      All up yes, Hone has worked hard for a win here and for the moment he’ll be basking in the deserved satisfaction of having made it over the line. Well done.

      But as you say VoR, if Hone continues with his radical lines, lines that are an offensive anathema to much of the electorate, it will end in tears. Sure, he’s saying things that need saying, but frankly the country does not want to hear them right now.

      And Labour will be unelectable if there is even a hint that they will depend on him to form a govt…. there someone has said it.

      • Colonial Viper 25.1.1
        26 June 2011 at 9:23 am

        Now, what if Mana was being led by a nice consistently polite (and perhaps quite white) gentleman who espoused clearly left principles and policies of democratic socialism.

        Would Labour still be in the dog house with the wider electorate if it became clear that Labour had to rely on Mana in the same way then?

        I’m just trying to figure out what ingredient you might consider to be the one the wider electorate finds more unacceptable at this point: the Harawiras, or clear left political economic philosophy.

        • The Voice of Reason 25.1.1.1
          26 June 2011 at 9:27 am

          I think you’ve just described the late Matiu Rata, CV, whose mana motuhaka party had many of those virtues.

        • RedLogix 25.1.1.2
          26 June 2011 at 9:44 am

          Someone at some point is going to have to come out and say precisely what they mean by ‘tino rangatiratanga’. Bear in mind I’ve been around a while. I’ve likely spent more time on various NI marae than many others here… and I’ve heard a thing or two. Some of it not very pretty at all, and utterly incompatible with social democracy as we currently think of it.

          I do get what colonisation meant to Maori; us pakeha only have to imagine the experience of say 10-20 million Chinese arriving here within a few decades to get the picture.

          And I do appreciate and admire much of the subtle strengths and differing viewpoints of the Maori world. Just this morning I’ve been reading Patricia Grace’s latest short stories; my family has close Ngati Porou connections… you can pull the racist card on me all you want… it’s a bullshit tactic that shuts down sane conversation.

          Because conversation is what this nation needs. We are not going back to pre-colonial iwi tribal life. There are lessons we can learn from our history, but we have to draw the right conclusions from them. Every culture has it’s strengths and weaknesses. God knows I’ve been as critical of the Anglo-American pakeha money/death culture as anyone here… equally the Maori world has it’s own blind spots and failings. It is only by choosing and weaving together our mutual strengths that we have any future at all.

          But if we focus ONLY on the weaknesses, if we persist in magnifying our differences, in drawing apart in purpose and spirit… it will end very, very badly. No nation can progress when it is divided against itself. The lessons we must learn from each other will only come from continuing a sane engagement, not from confrontational agitation that results only in anger and resentment.

          And that takes time, patience and good will. Maori have unquestionably given most into that pot, and most white New Zealanders don’t appreciate it. That’s pretty typical of the blind smugness you get from all majorities… but it’s a mistake to label this blindness ‘racism’, because for the most part it isn’t. Mostly it’s just unawareness and a natural uneasiness with the unknown.

          • weka 25.1.1.2.1
            26 June 2011 at 10:40 am

            “It is only by choosing and weaving together our mutual strengths that we have any future at all.”
             
            That’s true, but there’s no reason why that can’t be done by two peoples, instead of One Nation. We can choose diversity instead of divisiveness (and in my experience Maori are far better at being inclusive of both/all peoples than pakeha).
             
            I’m curious what you’ve heard about rangatiratanga and democracy that worries you. Alot of this comes down to trust. I trust Maori about the same way I trust non-Maori i.e. it comes down to who is doing what and why, and how it’s being done.
             
            But I think that it’s easy for pakeha to mistrust Maori because we’re being constantly told that Maori are x,y,z by the MSM who have a supremacist agenda (whether they’re aware of it or noT). This doesn’t mean that everything that Maori want is going to be good for non-Maori. It just means that pakeha don’t get to have everything their own way and choose to give up some things to be in equitable relationship with Maori.
             
             

            • RedLogix 25.1.1.2.1.1
              26 June 2011 at 11:16 am

              We are probably having exactly the same conversation that the Normans were having a thousand years ago after they colonised ancient Britain. You know, we’ve conquered these barbaric, backward, Anglo-Saxons and brought them all the advantages of real civilisation and they refuse to be grateful.

              I’d suggest a quick read of the relevant wikipedia page, just to refresh the memory… and yes the more things change the more they stay the same.

              Yet with time the importance of the distinction between Norman and Anglo has more or less vanished. Yes we can still trace influences from both, but the people we now know as English no longer think of themselves in these terms. (Welsh, Scot and Irish yes, but those are different concepts.)

              History is made of this kind of change. Cultures rising, falling and being subsumed into something else. Nothing is frozen forever in time… if it were we might still be leaping bulls under a Minoan sun.

              But in the modern era the process of history itself seems to have changed. Conquest brings with it not analloyed rights, but strange new responsibilities owed to the conquered. All humans have universal rights, all are equal before the law. At least in principle. The harder question is ‘which rights?’ and ‘whose law?’…

              If there was an easy answer to this, smarter people than me would have worked it out by now. I agree the hurdle is trust. Earning trust is hard and often the burden of it is unfairly distributed… but in the long-run everyone gives up everything… it is the only way we gain anything worth having.

              • weka …
                26 June 2011 at 11:37 am

                I’m not sure where to start with that.

                Correct me if I’m wrong, but did you just say that Maori will be assimiliated into the dominant culture and in 1000 years it won’t matter because people won’t be thinking about it in terms of Maori and pakeha anymore?
                 
                So runs the line of the colonisers. Of course those being colonised tell a different story, and even I with my inherited privileges can see massive differences between the the Normans/Anlgo saxons and us here in little old Aotearoa. I also know that we can choose to decolonise, we still have time to do that. I doubt that there was a choice in the UK 1000 years ago.

                • RedLogix …
                  26 June 2011 at 11:48 am

                  Correct me if I’m wrong, but did you just say that Maori will be assimiliated into the dominant culture and in 1000 years it won’t matter because people won’t be thinking about it in terms of Maori and pakeha anymore?

                  Well yes… that is what history informs us happens. The forms of human cultural diversity are transient; in a thousand years time there will be new ones… neither Pakeha nor Maori.

                  I also know that we can choose to decolonise, we still have time to do that.

                  Umm exactly what do you mean by that? Create two separate nations? Several dozen little bantustans each ruled by an iwi? The return of all assets to Maori? The exile of all New Zealanders with non-Maori genes back to whence they came? I doubt it.. yet in failing to explain what you mean you leave a dark vacuum into which demons will rush.

                  The only sane possibility is a future in which the distinction between Maori and Pakeha becomes less important with time… because each has assimilated portions of the other and become something new. Nothing else makes sense.

                  • Colonial Viper …
                    26 June 2011 at 11:58 am

                    I want to know if we even know and have strength in our identity as New Zealanders. Or is that all subsumed until this discussion is compeleted?

                    What is our quality and self belief which distinguishes us from the Chinese, the Ozzies, the Americans or the Russians?

                    How does this country face the world and the other peoples of the world if we do not know these things?

                    If you look at the long histories of civilisations e.g. Persia, China, etc I have to say that RL is correct – tribal identities and cultural traits within a given region always transform and change over the period of centuries.

                    • weka …
                      26 June 2011 at 12:07 pm

                      ” tribal identities and cultural traits within a given region always transform and change over the period of centuries.”
                       
                      Sure, who’s saying they don’t?
                       
                      What I’m saying is that the assimilation view, which let’s be honest, in this context we’re talking about Maori assimilating into the dominant culture – it’s not inevitable. We have a choice here.
                       
                      btw, NZ culture seems pretty obvious to me. But then I did all those decol type workshop things in the 80s 😉

                    • Draco T Bastard …
                      26 June 2011 at 2:56 pm

                      which let’s be honest, in this context we’re talking about Maori assimilating into the dominant culture

                      Nope, we’re talking about all cultures assimilating into the new culture which will be an amalgam of all previous cultures. Preferably the best of those cultures but there’s no guarantee of that unless we actively choose which aspects we want which, so far, we aren’t doing. In fact we all seem to be actively trying to prevent those necessary changes from happening often by trying to “save”* a culture.

                      * You can no more prevent a culture from changing than King Canute could stop the tides.

                  • weka …
                    26 June 2011 at 12:04 pm

                    I’m sorry you have so many demons around you. I’m also sorry that you have no way to see how two peoples can coexist peaceably and easily. Your reply and the examples therein are extraordinarly reactionary, it hurts my ears and heart.
                     
                    If you want to know how Maori desire to co-exist here with non-Maori I suggest you ask them. I would however offer a caution – you are unlikely to be met well if you approach with a one nation, ‘assimilation is the only way’ world view, and I think that view will stop you from seeing the good possibilities.
                     
                    Decolonisation is the process where we give up the idea that Maori are a subset of NZ society and that pakeha have to be in charge. There are lots of difference ways of doing this. Try googling decolonisation +nz (it’s a different use of the word decolonisation than gets used internationally).

                    • pollywog …
                      26 June 2011 at 1:01 pm

                      If you’re still framing the argument between Maori and Pakeha, you’re failing to see the truth of what’s really happening. Maori are heading towards being assimilated into the wider Pasifika culutre again after centuries of colonial brainwashing into thinking they are a separate ‘race’.

                      Decolonisation is taking place as part of a wider mindset in Hawaií, Tahiti and all over Pasifika. As Marcus Garvey famously said, and later to be reinforced by Uncle Bob, emancipate yourself from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our mind

                      It is not inconcievable that we will one day see a United States of Pasifika with a single currency, free trade and open travel that excludes mainstream NZ and Australia, as it used to be.

                      Polynization…in line with Garvey’s sentiment of taking African fundamentalism and applying it to Pasifika is happening now. Tino Rangatiratanga is about chiefs acting like chiefs instead of indians.

                      http://pollywannacracka.blogspot.com/2010/02/trick-of-treatyahhh-flag-it.html

                      chant down babylon 🙂

                    • weka …
                      26 June 2011 at 1:07 pm

                      I think the most likely thing is that NZ will be come polynesian with a strong core of what we currently call Maori. I hope that non-Maori will hold into their own cultures within that (and no I don’t mean in a static way, it’s a given that culture changes over time).
                       
                      But that’s now what this debate was about. It was that Maori should naturally be assimilated into the dominant pakeha culture (Maori as a subset of NZ society). I don’t believe that Maori will let that happen (and they’re in a position to stop it), and I think we all have the opportunity to create something awesome here that appreciates diversity and doesn’t just follow down our predetermined colonisation pathway.

                    • pollywog …
                      26 June 2011 at 1:59 pm

                      …that’s not what this debate was about. It was that Maori should naturally be assimilated into the dominant pakeha culture (Maori as a subset of NZ society). I don’t believe that Maori will let that happen (and they’re in a position to stop it)

                      I’d argue that it’s already happened and the only way out is to allow Maori culture and indeed all Pasifika cultures, where it has also happened, to become part of a new awareness of who we really are and how we fit, or indeed want to fit into the world at large and to reflect that in a new cultural and political paradigm.

                      Culture defines us and in turn we define the culture. It’s a choice. We can either choose to be secular Maori or Pakeha or Samoan or whatever living in NZ or we can choose to be Pasifikan by nature, living in Pasifika with Pasifikan ideal and values.

                    • weka …
                      26 June 2011 at 2:19 pm

                      “We can either choose to be secular Maori or Pakeha or Samoan or whatever living in NZ or we can choose to be Pasifikan by nature, living in Pasifika with Pasifikan ideal and values.”
                       
                      So how does that work between Maoridom and Pasifika? In the broader Pacific region we’re a pacific nation. But are you saying that Maori have no legitimate status here as tangata whenua?

                    • pollywog …
                      26 June 2011 at 7:30 pm

                      But are you saying that Maori have no legitimate status here as tangata whenua?

                      If ,after all treaty claims are settled and Maori unite as one people then sure, All Maori can be tangata whenua.

                      However, as long as Maori define themselves by iwi first and foremost as guaranteed by the treaty then yeah. Without naming names, some iwi can barely lay claim to tangata whenua status.

                      I mean, how does that work ? Last tribe to occupy any lands after the treaty was signed becomes tangata whenua ?…dubious claim at least, spurious at most.

                      Seriously, can you define what it is to be Maori without deferring to iwi first… No ?

                      …and therein lies the problem why the Maori party cannot solely represent the interests of Maori, nor can the Iwi Leaders Forum nor can the Mana party, which i suspect is why Hone wants a Maori Parliament. To have one body that does, can and will rep for all Maori everywhere.

            • Jum 25.1.1.2.1.2
              26 June 2011 at 2:10 pm

              Weka

              I don’t like being called a non-anything. I have never blogged about whites and non-whites because it would be an insult.

              The minute I experienced on Marae Investigates that Willy Jackson and the interviewer (the one I think should take over from TV1’s Espiner because he asks a question and then waits for an answer, unlike Espiner attacking Goff) made it quite clear they want rid of Labour, which are made up of the same sort of workers as the Maori Party and the Mana Party, I knew we had started down a road none of our children are going to like because they’ll end up either spilling blood or cleaning it up. What fools New Zealanders are. National and Act and their backers will be loving this. It does begin to show, however, that Maori’s only goal is to become the new business roundtable, with rich Maori and serfs. Maori work with National because their goals are the same – divide and control, in this case one lot of workers from another, just like they are dividing and controlling women and men.

              When are you people ever going to learn; we’re being used, but here you all are playing your silly little games with colour and control. You’ve taken your eyes off the egalitarian ball with the changes everyone wants – a reasonable lifestyle where everyone mattered and everyone was treated with respect. That goal is now gone. Thanks a lot.

              • weka …
                26 June 2011 at 2:23 pm

                “It does begin to show, however, that Maori’s only goal is to become the new business roundtable, with rich Maori and serfs. Maori work with National because their goals are the same –”
                 
                What? Are you talking about the Maori Party there or Maori people in general? I would have thought the byelection just showed how many Maori don’t support Nact/MP.
                 
                I’m not sure why Maori are expected to be any more sensible than everyone else. Some Maori are going to chase power and money. But how is that any different or worse than people who aren’t Maori doing that?
                 

                • Draco T Bastard …
                  26 June 2011 at 3:09 pm

                  He’s talking about people actively splitting the populace up into Maori, Non-Maori, Pakeha, Pasikan etc and that doing so is a sure course for war.

                • Jum …
                  26 June 2011 at 6:44 pm

                  Weka,
                  “I’m not sure why Maori are expected to be any more sensible than everyone else. Some Maori are going to chase power and money. But how is that any different or worse than people who aren’t Maori doing that?”

                  You are a very intelligent ‘bird’. I saw one on my New Zealand travels – they’re gorgeous.

                  You have ‘hit the nail right on the head’. I had this conversation with Adele not long ago over humanity vs culture. She went for culture first; I went for humanity first. People are people are people in whatever language you use. Maybe I should have said Maori Party rather than Maori. But people in the Maori Party have the same good and bad as all the rest of us.

                  Many Kiwis (I like using birds – they’ve got magic and when I want us to think from inside of us that’s the word I use to describe us) wonder about the make-up of the Labour Party; all you see in Parliament are these MPs – they get called all sorts of names and all sorts of labels are attached to them. Any Maori who is struggling to achieve their goal knows about labels and name-calling; I have friends that I despair of that think teachers for example are from hell yet teachers care. You care, Weka. I care. The parties which are fighting for people over profit care. They have egos I daresay and I would happily attack any party that risks the type of country I want for my family. But the people; judge them individually. Don’t judge them in blocks and remember they really are human. I have trouble thinking of NAct in that way, but hey, I’m human!

                  The main thing Willie Jackson in this case on Marae Investigages needs to remember is that by deliberately denigrating Labour and the Left, he is endangering all of our future as an autonomous country. This present small cabal which has taken over National and which controlled Labour in the 80s is readying New Zealand for chopping and dicing.

    • Jenny 25.2
      26 June 2011 at 8:24 pm

      ‘
      Good on you ‘Voice of Reason’, I am glad to see that you are open to the idea of working with the Mana Party, if that is necessary to keep National out.

      It would be even better if Labour was prepared to work with Mana while both are still in the opposition.

      You never know, combined they could make some serious hits on the Nacts.

      Also I wouldn’t rule out the Maori Party as a possible coalition partner, just yet either.

  26. Chris 26
    26 June 2011 at 9:27 am

    Some home truths.

    1/ Mr Harawira said tonight’s defeat was embarassing for Labour.

    “Given they had the money for mailouts that we didn’t have, given that they were pouring tens of thousands of dollars into this to try and give themselves a win at a time when they weren’t getting any wins anywhere – this is a horrendous defeat for the Labour Party. We, Mana, didn’t have two cents to rub together, yet we beat that machine. We stopped it in its tracks.”

    2/ In an interview on the 3 News election special tonight Mr Harawira said he was keen to “arrange a sit-down” with Tariana Turia and Dr Pita Sharples to “Look at what might be a possible future for the Maori Party and Mana”.
    “Ultimately I would like to see us come back together as Mana-Maori,” he said.

  27. Colonial Viper 27
    26 June 2011 at 9:34 am

    John Armstrong: by-election a major loss for Harawira

    Apparently Hone’s 48% to 41% win over Kelvin Davis isn’t really a comprehensive mandate. Harawira therefore clearly a loser from last night’s results, now “on notice”.

    What do these people at the Herald suck down on a Saturday night???

    John Key and National may turn out to be the ultimate losers from yesterday’s unnecessary contest.

    Along with the Maori Party, Harawira is one of the immediate losers

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=10734620

    • just saying 27.1
      26 June 2011 at 10:03 am

      Not to mention more than a thousand specials, the vast majority of which, will go to Mana.

    • felix 27.2
      26 June 2011 at 10:03 am

      Arrmstrong fancies his ability to read the minds of the voters:

      Their message is clear. They want something more than someone who seems to see his role as an MP purely as a lone conscience in a parliamentary den of compromise.

      They want less of playing the outsider and more supping with the devil to get some gains for his constituents.

      It’s impressive that he can read so much from the results. By contrast, I looked at the same numbers Armstrong did, and concluded that 49% of those who voted wish to be represented by Harawira and 41% by Davis.

      I obviously wasn’t squinting my left eye hard enough.

  28. North 28
    26 June 2011 at 10:08 am

    We’ve still got the Pakeha perspective wiseacres trying to spin “the demon Hone”.

    Last night there was talk about “Oh, wait for the city booths to come in……..Kelvin’ll be OK”.

    Well, have a look at the city vote figures. Hone and Mana – 38% – Kelvin and Labour – 34%.

    That augurs terribly badly for Labour. Cities was where Labour was gonna give Hone his comeupance. Where the trustworthy and sensible mainstream would be vindicated and the nation saved.

    Please, would the subliminally racist “oracles” and “spinners” on this blog get real or get off. It’s getting to the point of a real dishonesty. What you all want rather than what is. Peddled with such pomposity as well.

    • RedLogix 28.1
      26 June 2011 at 10:20 am

      What exactly do you have in mind by “get real” North?

      Because what I’m hearing from you so far is noise with the word ‘racist’ liberally shouted into the mix. Not very helpful.

      Cities was where Labour was gonna give Hone his comeupance. Where the trustworthy and sensible mainstream would be vindicated and the nation saved

      Equally you could argue that Hone got his comeuppance, after all Te Tai Tokerau was Hone’s iwi, his people who could be trusted to support their man.

      Nah.. this is the kind of talking past each other that takes us nowhere.

      • Adele 28.1.1
        26 June 2011 at 2:26 pm

        Teenaa koe, Redlogix

        Te Tai Tokerau is the place – Ngā Puhi is the Iwi. There are other Iwi within Te Tai Tokerau. This is a huge victory for Māori. It tells me that Māori are finally waking up to how poorly represented they have been under both Labour and National as governments.

  29. Brett 29
    26 June 2011 at 10:22 am

    Mana = wasted vote.
    No party could work with Hone, it would be a nightmare.

    • Colonial Viper 29.1
      26 June 2011 at 10:31 am

      Hone’s clear victory shows that Mana has the momentum and the energy.

      In fact, the true wasted vote in November is the Maori Party.

      They are destined for political oblivion now. Their grass roots support is withering on the vine. National has lost a signficant coalition partner.

      • Brett 29.1.1
        26 June 2011 at 10:43 am

        To be honest, I would be surprised if National got less than 50% of the vote.
        Maori party isn’t even needed now, so it would be no great loss.
        As you know they were only included within the government because Key wanted too be seen as open minded and inclusive.

        • Lanthanide 29.1.1.1
          26 June 2011 at 10:55 am

          “To be honest, I would be surprised if National got less than 50% of the vote.”

          Seems you’re going to be surprised, then. No party has gotten more than 50% of the vote in NZ for a long long time. National would need to be consistently polling 60%+ for that to happen, and they aren’t.

          The gap will shrink considerably in the next few months, it always does.

          “As you know they were only included within the government because Key wanted too be seen as open minded and inclusive.”

          Primarily they were there so that National could pass it’s watered down emissions trading scheme, because Act wouldn’t vote for it and neither would Labour and the Greens. The MP very nearly didn’t vote for it either, but they wrangled National dropping the Maori electorate seat issue as well as repealing the F&S legislation, which is all the MP really wanted.

          Probably they also saw a potential future where Act didn’t get back into parliament, leaving them with very few friends and no chance of forming a minority government.

          • Brett 29.1.1.1.1
            26 June 2011 at 11:11 am

            The gap will shrink considerably in the next few months, it always does.

            Depends on how Hone behaves and how Goff responds.

  30. pollywog 30
    26 June 2011 at 11:03 am

    Congrats to H-ONE…now to widen the scope of representation to include the disenchanted Pasifika vote. Sure it’ll mean siphoning of more of Labour’s percieved bread and butter votes but really, the question needs asked ?

    What the fuck have you done for me lately ?

    Apart from parachuting some brown nosing oompa loompa into a safe electorate who hasn’t done shit but talk it during the Mana election (Yeah Fa’afoi I’m talking bout you), there hasn’t been a whole lot of political capital spent on Pasifika.

    If Labour thinks it can just roll out these poly wannabe a cracka candidates and expect the Pasifika vote to just unflailingly endorse them no questions asked, they could now be in for a rude shock.

    Te Mana need to party go after the brown party vote and Pasifika voters need to wise up, take a cue from Epsom and vote strategically. Labour for the candidate, Mana for the party vote.

    MANA is after all a Pasifikan word and concept not exclusive to Maori.

    • Pascal's bookie 30.1
      26 June 2011 at 11:37 am

      From your keyboard to Hone’s eyes polly. You emailing that?

      • pollywog 30.1.1
        26 June 2011 at 11:49 am

        yeah nah…he’s prolly read it by now anyway 🙂

        It’d be a fool hardy politician who didn’t lurk in the shadows of the Standard and read between the lines and besides, what i think is hardly rocket surgery.

  31. travellerev 31
    26 June 2011 at 11:03 am

    I am over the moon with Hone’s win. Absolutely awesome!!! He has my vote if he ever goes for Prime minister.

  32. Zoobaby 32
    26 June 2011 at 12:55 pm

    Hi Sprout and Pollywog get a clue. Hone isn’t the best man you guys are the type of people who hold the left back. Hone talks nothing but rubbish and has done nothing for Maori or the left. Really come on the real issues in this country are jobs and the economy Hone doesn’t have a clue about any of that do yo.

    I am a left voter Hone doesn’t represent me and instead of moaning about Labour why don’t you get out from behind your key boards and talk to real Kiwis about what is important to them because its not Hone. Until you do that Labour will stay in opposition while you just sit around moaning.

    • Colonial Viper 32.1
      26 June 2011 at 1:06 pm

      You still astroturfing? Seems that 48% of TTT voters disagree with you that Hone has done nothing for them. Bring on November your Money Masters Key and English will be out, and hopefully the final nail will be put into Brash’s badly conceived come back as well.

      • Zoobaby 32.1.1
        26 June 2011 at 1:10 pm

        Actually given Hone’s vote fell significantly that sends a message that many of the people who voted for him last time are totally disaffected. He limped to victory hardly a resounding endorsement.

        In fact it was a fairly clear message shape-up and do a better job Hone or you will be gone at the general election.

        • Colonial Viper 32.1.1.1
          26 June 2011 at 1:14 pm

          You repeating John Armstrong’s electorate mind-reading lines now? Once specials are counted its quite possible that Hone will reach 50% of the vote. He was after a mandate and he got one.

          The Mp and National’s Money Masters thought they had this year sown up and are packing it now. And that’s why we’ll see a continuing MSM and astroturfer campaign designed to run Hone down over the next few months.

          • Zoobaby 32.1.1.1.1
            26 June 2011 at 1:22 pm

            Mandate I am actually laughing out loud, a few hundred votes is not a mandate. God so funny and delusional.

            • Colonial Viper 32.1.1.1.1.1
              26 June 2011 at 1:32 pm

              Keep up the astroturfing mate, your Money Masters really appreciate it. Work for the crumbs from their dining table.

              Hone and Mana were tested by Labour and by the electorate of TTT, and came through. This going to complicate NACT’s calculations this year, so you have a lot of work to do.

          • lprent 32.1.1.1.2
            26 June 2011 at 3:13 pm

            I think that a much higher proportion of the specials will be disallowed than usual. This is a Maori seat, and I’d bet that a lot of the specials will be for people who are actually on the general roll.

            Incidentally, I hadn’t clicked on it before, but stopping the census this year is going to have an effect on the Maori roll. The census is the only time for people to go from the general roll to the maori roll and vice versa.

            • Tiger Mountain 32.1.1.1.2.1
              26 June 2011 at 3:53 pm

              Worth monitoring the specials anyway, TTT has a high special dissallowment rate from my reading of several elections on Elections NZ. People that are correctly enrolled, even right up to the deadline should have their vote counted. But those properly enrolled on the general are of course out of luck anyway in a Maori electorate.

              My partner who has done a few elections working in the booth and as a scrutineer, says a common problem is when polling booth staff dish out special declaration voting forms to people that are not correctly enrolled which results in a wasted effort and a lose/lose for the voter and electoral democracy. They often do it to save time when in a convoluted conversation with an unsure would be voter… “oh well you better have a special then”…

              The lessons are for staff to be better trained and to give more of a shit, and for political parties to hammer enrolment.

              • lprent …
                26 June 2011 at 4:16 pm

                I kind of read it a bit differently. If someone wants to vote then the presumption should be that they can. Sure it takes time to do specials. But I’d prefer that people feel that they can vote rather than feeling that they cannot.

                It can all be sorted at the backend where the informed information is available

  33. weka 33
    26 June 2011 at 1:01 pm

     
    I am a left voter Goff doesn’t represent me and instead of moaning about Mana why don’t you get out from behind your key board and talk to real Kiwis who think a bit differently than you about what is important to them because its not Labour. Until you do that the left will stay in opposition while you just sit around moaning.

    • Draco T Bastard 33.1
      26 June 2011 at 3:27 pm

      Oh, I think CV has Zoobaby nailed – he’s a far-right astroturfer trying to play himself off as a Labour voter.

      • Colonial Viper 33.1.1
        26 June 2011 at 4:05 pm

        I suspect that the team in the PM’s office is going to be pondering long and hard on the potential implications of Saturday’s result, during the week.

  34. pollywog 34
    26 June 2011 at 1:37 pm

    Really come on the real issues in this country are jobs and the economy Hone doesn’t have a clue about any of that do yo.

    yeah…for one, make it easier for, in Hone’s case, poor Maori from up north with good ideas to start up small businesses by tapping into gov’t resources currently being misdirected into bullshit schemes like roads of national significance.

    and work with rohe (tribal areas) based schemes that see cashed up iwi putting money into projects that benefit the wider iwi rather than just those at the top. Of course that’ll only happen for Nga Puhi and it’s whanaunga when the gov’t du jour stops dragging its feet on settling treaty claims with them.

    but if you’re gonna run the clueless jobs and economy line on me, hows about directing it to Key and English instead ‘cos they’re the ones who have the power to actually do something about it or conversely you could just shut the fuck up ?

  35. Zoobaby 35
    26 June 2011 at 1:41 pm

    Really your politial argument is “just shut the fuck up” yeah you’re a real political mastermind. No wonder Hone’s vote fell and will keep on falling.

    • pollywog 35.1
      26 June 2011 at 1:49 pm

      Really your politial argument is “just shut the fuck up”

      No it’s more like…

      eat a dick and shut the fuck up.

      Actually that’s pretty much the National party line too. Guess the old adage is true…

      the older one gets, the more conservative they become.

      • Zoobaby 35.1.1
        26 June 2011 at 1:54 pm

        Oh dear did I upset someone by pointing out that Hone is on the verge of political oblivion and that he doesnt actually know anything that could benefit the left let alone New Zealand.

        So sad that Hone and obviously his supporters can’t even stand up to mild criticism.

        • pollywog 35.1.1.1
          26 June 2011 at 2:11 pm

          Nah you aint upset me 🙂

          but the thing with Hone is, his mandate currently only applies to benefiting Maori in Te Tai Tokerau. As it stands it’s more like, fuck the left and the rest of NZ.

          What I’m saying is that if he plays his cards right, he has the potential, more than anyone, to galvanise the young and disenchanted from all over the political spectrum who have had a gutsful of the childish antics and petty pointscoring that dominates NZ politics.

          He just need to see things in a wider context than that of Maori and his beef with the Maori party. Surely even a dumbfuck like yourself can see that…yeah ?

          • Zoobaby 35.1.1.1.1
            26 June 2011 at 2:22 pm

            The problem with that argument is that his entire reason for calling the by-election was nothing more than petty point scoring. He didn’t think about what the issues for the young and disaffected were he thought about how much publicity he could get for Hone and unfortunately most of the publicity he got was all wrong.

            He doesn’t represent the disaffected because he doesn’t have the ability to affect any change on their part. Hone is a has been and its at his own hand. Anyone who can wreck their ability to work with any other political party as affectively as Hone has is doomed for total obilivion politically and this weekends by-election and his seriously diminished percentage of the vote shows he is well on the way.

            • weka 35.1.1.1.1.1
              26 June 2011 at 2:28 pm

              There was a 10% swing away from Harawira compared to the last election. I don’t think that is surprising given the situation.
               
              I’m curious as to how you know what Harawira thinks about. What makes you believe he wasn’t thinking about TTT youth?

            • pollywog 35.1.1.1.1.2
              26 June 2011 at 2:33 pm

              The problem with that argument is…blah blah blah

              Yeah, Nah…

              Yeah… i hear what you’re saying, but Nah you got it all wrong. I could go into minute detail of how why and where you got it all twisted but to be honest you’d be better served by just eating a dick and shutting the fuck up k.

              • Zoobaby …
                26 June 2011 at 2:39 pm

                Oh dear back to the name calling – gosh I will just cry into my key board over those insults.

                Get a grip – political debate is robust if you aren’t up to it don’t engage in it.

                [lprent: ‘name-calling’ isn’t a sin around here. I couldn’t give a shit about it. That is part of the robust debate.

                However attempting to set the rules of debate is, so is deliberately trying to start flames, and before you do the usual stupid thing – arguing with me in moderator mode tends to be a terminal behavior. Read the policy to understand who calls the shots in this site and get some idea about how to avoid me having to look at you in the future. ]

          • Jum 35.1.1.1.2
            26 June 2011 at 2:32 pm

            Pollywog,

            I agree. He does have the potential to galvanize New Zealanders in a way that has been lost – the speeches from the back of trucks instead of the carefully orchestrated places and the hate engendering policies from one side against the other. The worst of the campaigns are run by groups that favour one party – usually National – and ask for questions from the audience but only ask the ones that favour the National or Act candidate. I know. My question was not asked.

            But, as long as Harawira and most Maori for that matter see colour instead of worth he’ll be just the same as the very people he despises.

            • pollywog 35.1.1.1.2.1
              26 June 2011 at 2:40 pm

              But, as long as Harawira and most Maori for that matter see colour instead of worth he’ll be just the same as the very people he despises.

              Not just Maori either, but anyone who tries to frame an argument along ‘racial’ lines. They/We now have to look beyond colour and embrace shared values, ideals and customs which resonate with wider NZ society and reflect our unique culture and heritage.

        • weka 35.1.1.2
          26 June 2011 at 2:14 pm

          nah, you’re just being a troll. Harawira just won an election despite difficult odds. You just keep repeating your same old mantra with nothing to back it up other than that you want it to be true. Try engaging with the points that people are raising instead.

  36. Zoobaby 36
    26 June 2011 at 2:30 pm

    Harawira did not just win a by-election despite difficult odds. He called the by-election for gods sake. How is that a difficult odd? The man put himself in that position.

    His vote fell not just because of low voter turn-out but because people many people who previsously voted for Hone this time around thought Kelvin Davis was the better candidate and they thought that because its true.

    Kelvin isn’t focussed on negativity and name calling, he believes in a better future for Maori and knows that working within and with political parties is one way to achieve it. He is a great ambassador for Maori – Hone is a poor one.

  37. the pink postman 37
    26 June 2011 at 2:46 pm

    I also give congratulations to Hone, after all the main thing is that he has beaten the traitorous Maori Party into 3rd place Having said that I’m just hoping that he will not spend all his time attacking Labour . Or cuddling up to the the Maori Party . Then there is the question of his mother , what influence over Honi is she going to have. Its to be hoped that Mana and Labour come to some agreement to defeat the common enemy Act/Nat/
    which now of course includes the Maori Party.

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • Bernard’s Saturday Soliloquy for the week to July 27

    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 27 were:1. The Minister for Ford Rangers strikes againTransport Minister Simeon Brown was again the busiest of the Cabinet ministers this week, announcing an ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    20 mins ago
  • Ticket To Anywhere

    You got a fast carAnd I want a ticket to anywhereMaybe we make a dealMaybe together we can get somewhereAny place is betterYesterday’s newsletter, Trust In Me, on the report of abuse in state care, and by religious organisations, between 1950 and 2019, coupled with the hypocrisy of Christopher Luxon ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 hour ago
  • Stories of varying weight

    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on anything you may have missed. Share Read more ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 hours ago
  • Balancing External Security and the Economy

    New Zealand is again having to reconcile conflicting pressures from its military and its trade interests. Should we join Pillar Two of AUKUS and risk compromising our markets in China? For a century after New Zealand was founded in 1840, its external security arrangements and external economics arrangements were aligned. ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    18 hours ago
  • Weekly Climate Wrap: The unravelling of the offsets

    The ‘50 Shades of Green’ farmers’ protest in 2019 was heavy on climate change denial, but five years on, scepticism and criticism about the idea that pine forests can save us is growing across the board. File photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    23 hours ago
  • What makes us tick

    This morning the sky was bright.The birds, in their usual joyous bliss. Nature doesn’t seem to feel the heat of what might angst humans.Their calls are clear and beautiful.Just some random thoughts:MāoriPaul Goldsmith has announced his government will roll back the judiciary’s rulings on Māori Customary Marine Title, which recognises ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    24 hours ago
  • Foreshore and seabed 2.0

    In 2003, the Court of Appeal delivered its decision in Ngati Apa v Attorney-General, ruling that Māori customary title over the foreshore and seabed had not been universally extinguished, and that the Māori Land Court could determine claims and confirm title if the facts supported it. This kicked off the ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on the Royal Commission report into abuse in care

    Earlier this week at Parliament, Labour leader Chris Hipkins was applauded for saying that the response to the final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care had to be “bigger than politics.” True, but the fine words, apologies and “we hear you” messages will soon ring ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    1 day ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Friday, July 26

    TL;DR: In news breaking this morning:The Ministry of Education is cutting $2 billion from its school building programme so the National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government has enough money to deliver tax cuts; The Government has quietly lowered its child poverty reduction targets to make them easier to achieve;Te Whatu Ora-Health NZ’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Weekly Roundup 26-July-2024

    Kia ora. These are some stories that caught our eye this week – as always, feel free to share yours in the comments. Our header image this week (via Eke Panuku) shows the planned upgrade for the Karanga Plaza Tidal Swimming Steps. The week in Greater Auckland On ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 day ago
  • God what a relief

    1. What's not to love about the way the Harris campaign is turning things around?a. Nothingb. Love all of itc. God what a reliefd. Not that it will be by any means easye. All of the above 2. Documents released by the Ministry of Health show Associate Health Minister Casey ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 day ago
  • Trust In Me

    Trust in me in all you doHave the faith I have in youLove will see us through, if only you trust in meWhy don't you, you trust me?In a week that saw the release of the 3,000 page Abuse in Care report Christopher Luxon was being asked about Boot Camps. ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • The Hoon around the week to July 26

    TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking about the Royal Commission Inquiry into Abuse in Care report released this week, and with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on a UN push to not recognise carbon offset markets and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Friday, July 26

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 26, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Transport: Simeon Brown announced $802.9 million in funding for 18 new trains on the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines, which ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Radical law changes needed to build road

    The northern expressway extension from Warkworth to Whangarei is likely to require radical changes to legislation if it is going to be built within the foreseeable future. The Government’s powers to purchase land, the planning process and current restrictions on road tolling are all going to need to be changed ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 day ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #30 2024

    Open access notables Could an extremely cold central European winter such as 1963 happen again despite climate change?, Sippel et al., Weather and Climate Dynamics: Here, we first show based on multiple attribution methods that a winter of similar circulation conditions to 1963 would still lead to an extreme seasonal ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago
  • First they came for the Māori

    Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedFirst they came for the doctors But I was confused by the numbers and costs So I didn't speak up Then they came for our police and nurses And I didn't think we could afford those costs anyway So I ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    2 days ago
  • Join us for the weekly Hoon on YouTube Live

    Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on UnsplashWe’re back again after our mid-winter break. We’re still with the ‘new’ day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when we have our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Will the real PM Luxon please stand up?

    Notes: This is a free article. Abuse in Care themes are mentioned. Video is at the bottom.BackgroundYesterday’s report into Abuse in Care revealed that at least 1 in 3 of all who went through state and faith based care were abused - often horrifically. At least, because not all survivors ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    2 days ago
  • Will debt reduction trump abuse in care redress?

    Luxon speaks in Parliament yesterday about the Abuse in Care report. Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:PM Christopher Luxon said yesterday in tabling the Abuse in Care report in Parliament he wanted to ‘do the ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Olywhites and Time Bandits

    About a decade ago I worked with a bloke called Steve. He was the grizzled veteran coder, a few years older than me, who knew where the bodies were buried - code wise. Despite his best efforts to be approachable and friendly he could be kind of gruff, through to ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Why were the 1930s so hot in North America?

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters and Bob Henson Those who’ve trawled social media during heat waves have likely encountered a tidbit frequently used to brush aside human-caused climate change: Many U.S. states and cities had their single hottest temperature on record during the 1930s, setting incredible heat marks ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago
  • Throwback Thursday – Thinking about Expressways

    Some of the recent announcements from the government have reminded us of posts we’ve written in the past. Here’s one from early 2020. There were plenty of reactions to the government’s infrastructure announcement a few weeks ago which saw them fund a bunch of big roading projects. One of ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    2 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Thursday, July 25

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Thursday, July 25 are:News: Why Electric Kiwi is closing to new customers - and why it matters RNZ’s Susan EdmundsScoop: Government drops ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • The Possum: Demon or Friend?

    Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago
  • Not a story

    Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Thursday, July 25

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Thursday, July 25, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day were:The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry published its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • A tougher line on “proactive release”?

    The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • 'Let's build a motorway costing $100 million per km, before emissions costs'

    TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Lester's Prescription – Positive Bleeding.

    I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Casey Costello gaslights Labour in the House

    Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone icon on the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    3 days ago
  • Why is the Texas grid in such bad shape?

    This is a re-post from the Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler Headline from 2021 The Texas grid, run by ERCOT, has had a rough few years. In 2021, winter storm Uri blacked out much of the state for several days. About a week ago, Hurricane Beryl knocked out ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on a textbook case of spending waste by the Luxon government

    Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    3 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Wednesday, July 24

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • LXR Takaanini

    As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    3 days ago
  • Four kilograms of pain

    Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Wednesday, July 24

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive: Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Luxon gets caught out

    NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago
  • A worrying sign

    Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Are we fine with 47.9% home-ownership by 2048?

    Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloitte report for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Let's Win This

    You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • Waimahara: The Singing Spirit of Water

    There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
    Greater AucklandBy Connor Sharp
    4 days ago
  • A major milestone: Global climate pollution may have just peaked

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’s Oliver LewisScoop: Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announced the Board of Te Whatu Ora- Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • HealthNZ and Luxon at cross purposes over budget blowout

    Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • 2500-3000 more healthcare staff expected to be fired, as Shane Reti blames Labour for a budget defic...

    Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    4 days ago
  • Might Kamala Harris be about to get a 'stardust' moment like Jacinda Ardern?

    As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
    PunditBy Tim Watkin
    5 days ago
  • Solutions Interview: Steven Hail on MMT & ecological economics

    TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
    The KakaBy Steven Hail
    5 days ago
  • Reported back

    The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Vandrad the Viking, Christopher Coombes, and Literary Archaeology

    Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell On The Biden Withdrawal

    History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    5 days ago
  • Joe Biden's withdrawal puts the spotlight back on Kamala and the USA's complicated relatio...

    This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    5 days ago
  • Why we have to challenge our national fiscal assumptions

    A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Existential Crisis and Damaged Brains

    What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • A speed limit is not a target, and yet…

    This is a guest post from longtime supporter Mr Plod, whose previous contributions include a proposal that Hamilton become New Zealand’s capital city, and that we should switch which side of the road we drive on. A recent Newsroom article, “Back to school for the Govt’s new speed limit policy“, ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #29

    A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago
  • I'd like to share what I did this weekend

    This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • For the children – Why mere sentiment can be a misleading force in our lives, and lead to unex...

    National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Order image, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • A friend in uncertain times

    Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • The Chaotic World of Male Diet Influencers

    Hi,We’ll get to the horrific world of male diet influencers (AKA Beefy Boys) shortly, but first you will be glad to know that since I sent out the Webworm explaining why the assassination attempt on Donald Trump was not a false flag operation, I’ve heard from a load of people ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • It's Starting To Look A Lot Like… Y2K

    Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Bernard’s Saturday Soliloquy for the week to July 20

    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Pharmac Director, Climate Change Commissioner, Health NZ Directors – The latest to quit this m...

    Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 week ago
  • Flooding Housing Policy

    The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 week ago
  • A Voyage Among the Vandals: Accepted (Again!)

    As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā's Chorus for Friday, July 19

    An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Roundup 19-July-2024

    Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Climate Wrap: A market-led plan for failure

    TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Tobacco First

    Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Trump’s Adopted Son.

    Waiting In The Wings: For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSA announced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago

  • Joint statement from the Prime Ministers of Canada, Australia and New Zealand

    Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue.  We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    17 hours ago
  • AG reminds institutions of legal obligations

    Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago
  • More young people learning about digital safety

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views.  “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago
  • Speech to the Conference for General Practice 2024

    Tēnā tātou katoa,  Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    23 hours ago
  • Employers and payroll providers ready for tax changes

    New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts.  “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Experimental vineyard futureproofs wine industry

    An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Funding confirmed for regions affected by North Island Weather Events

    The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Indonesian Foreign Minister to visit

    Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.   “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Strengthening partnership with Ngāti Maniapoto

    He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Transport Minister thanks outgoing CAA Chair

    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Test for Customary Marine Title being restored

    The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says.  “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Opposition united in bad faith over ECE sector review

    Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet.  “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Kiwis having their say on first regulatory review

    After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks.  “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government upgrading Lower North Island commuter rail

    The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government moves to ensure flood protection for Wairoa

    Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • PM speech to Parliament – Royal Commission of Inquiry’s Report into Abuse in Care

    Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care.  At the heart of this report are the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government acknowledges torture at Lake Alice

    For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government acknowledges courageous abuse survivors

    The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Half a million people use tax calculator

    With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis.  “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Paid Parental Leave improvements pass first reading

    Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Rebuilding the economy through better regulation

    Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • ‘Open banking’ and ‘open electricity’ on the way

    New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Charity lotteries to be permitted to operate online

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Accelerating Northland Expressway

    The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Sir Don to travel to Viet Nam as special envoy

    Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.    “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Grant Illingworth KC appointed as transitional Commissioner to Royal Commission

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024.  “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ to advance relationships with ASEAN partners

    Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane.    “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says.   “This will be our third visit to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Backing mental health services on the West Coast

    Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ support for sustainable Pacific fisheries

    New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Students’ needs at centre of new charter school adjustments

    Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Commissioner replaces Health NZ Board

    In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today.  “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister to speak at Australian Space Forum

    Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum.  While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation.  “New Zealand has a thriving space ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Climate Change Minister to attend climate action meeting in China

    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will travel to China on Saturday to attend the Ministerial on Climate Action meeting held in Wuhan.  “Attending the Ministerial on Climate Action is an opportunity to advocate for New Zealand climate priorities and engage with our key partners on climate action,” Mr Watts says. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Oceans and Fisheries Minister to Solomons

    Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is travelling to the Solomon Islands tomorrow for meetings with his counterparts from around the Pacific supporting collective management of the region’s fisheries. The 23rd Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee and the 5th Regional Fisheries Ministers’ Meeting in Honiara from 23 to 26 July ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Government launches Military Style Academy Pilot

    The Government today launched the Military Style Academy Pilot at Te Au rere a te Tonga Youth Justice residence in Palmerston North, an important part of the Government’s plan to crackdown on youth crime and getting youth offenders back on track, Minister for Children, Karen Chhour said today. “On the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Nine priority bridge replacements to get underway

    The Government has welcomed news the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has begun work to replace nine priority bridges across the country to ensure our state highway network remains resilient, reliable, and efficient for road users, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“Increasing productivity and economic growth is a key priority for the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Update on global IT outage

    Acting Prime Minister David Seymour has been in contact throughout the evening with senior officials who have coordinated a whole of government response to the global IT outage and can provide an update. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has designated the National Emergency Management Agency as the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • New Zealand, Japan renew Pacific partnership

    New Zealand and Japan will continue to step up their shared engagement with the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.    “New Zealand and Japan have a strong, shared interest in a free, open and stable Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says.    “We are pleased to be finding more ways ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • New infrastructure energises BOP forestry towns

    New developments in the heart of North Island forestry country will reinvigorate their communities and boost economic development, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones visited Kaingaroa and Kawerau in Bay of Plenty today to open a landmark community centre in the former and a new connecting road in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • 'Pacific Futures'

    President Adeang, fellow Ministers, honourable Diet Member Horii, Ambassadors, distinguished guests.    Minasama, konnichiwa, and good afternoon, everyone.    Distinguished guests, it’s a pleasure to be here with you today to talk about New Zealand’s foreign policy reset, the reasons for it, the values that underpin it, and how it ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2024-07-27T00:47:13+00:00