Daily review 01/08/2019

Written By: - Date published: 5:52 pm, August 1st, 2019 - 68 comments
Categories: Daily review - Tags:

 

Daily review is also your post.

This provides Standardistas the opportunity to review events of the day.

The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy).

Don’t forget to be kind to each other …

68 comments on “Daily review 01/08/2019 ”

  1. Sacha 1

    The Audit Office notes the Parliamentary Service's gentle wet bus ticket for MP Maggie Barry using (public-funded) staff time at her (public-funded) electorate office for (private) political party business: http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1908/S00025/response-to-parliamentary-services-report.htm

    The Service's investigation miraculously excluded some other allegations:

    The former employee also noted they had seen:
    – The member’s Channel magazine column being used for Party messaging.
    – The use of the out-of-Parliament office to host Party events.
    – The storage [of] National Party material at the out-of-Parliament office.

  2. Rapunzel 2

    Who needs Whaleoil when you have Bryce Edwards and his "spin" in a certain direction courtesy of the "Herald" but paywalled
    He says:
    "Will New Zealand have its first Māori Prime Minister next year? That's what Simon Bridges is suggesting, and despite scepticism from critics and commentators, there's good reason to take him seriously. The National Party annual conference in the weekend went well for the party, and there are other signs to suggest the chances of "Prime Minister Simon Bridges" are looking stronger than ever."

    He goes on: "In his keynote speech in the weekend Bridges seemed to relish the fact that his ordinary background"

    No mention that another of one of the higher up MPs Guy announced he was leaving just two days later?
    Other quotes "rapture in the auditorium"
    "It looks as though the ongoing low-key leadership challenge to National Leader Simon Bridges has fizzled out"
    "National's announcement of a new cancer agency policy has been judged to be very successful." (no mention that it was a farce and will go to few"
    "David Cormack welcomed the policy as a sign that National wasn't going too rightwing under Bridges: "it's a particularly good thing when you consider that New Zealand's largest right-of-centre party is wanting to put more money into socialised healthcare. "

    Is it me? Ok I suppose this is a different leader than the one that National had when they did none of the tings they now claim an interest in? Bridges is just not fit to be put forward as a viable PM of NZ. From Ross onwards they act with self-interest all the time. I'm not saying the coalition are "saints" but collectively they will put NZers first (not a pun) in a way I would not trust National or Bridges to ever consider doing.

    • ianmac 2.1

      Bryce is biased in his reporting because he is probably looking forward to a Knighthood from his mate when Bridges becomes the first maori PM. Though I haven't heard Bridges doing anything for Maori let alone visit the Ihumātao protest site.

      • mickysavage 2.1.1

        He does not like this site after lprent gave him a hard time in a post. He has stopped referring to us ever since. He should get out more often …

        • I seem to remember Micky, that we had a discussion on this journalist and his tendency to promote the National view and selectively twist the supposed Labour left view, by omitting facts. Bryce Edwards is the new Armstrong in many ways.

          • Sacha 2.1.1.1.1

            He works for a university, so is not a journalist. Not that it matters much these days..

      • Rapunzel 2.1.2

        I get the around 40% for National in the polls but that leaves a good chuck of NZ with wider interests. Nothing in Edwards syrupy summation indicated anything more than preaching to the converted.

        • Wayne 2.1.2.1

          Just about all the journalists and commentators at the conference reckoned Simon Bridges's speech on Sunday was the best that he has given to date. It was at prime ministerial level.

          So Bryce Edwards was reflecting a consensus.

          I done know why commenters on this site seem to think that unless a journalist or commentator is of the left they can't actually be a journalist. What happened to the idea that journalists/commentators should endeavour to be neutral and try and report things as objectively as they can.

          • KJT 2.1.2.1.1

            Maybe because "Journalist's" in New Zealand, gave up being impartial long ago, and took the easier option of regurgitating right wing propaganda.

            The Herald, and TV commentators, in particular, have become National's, "Ministry of Truth".

            • greywarshark 2.1.2.1.1.1

              The ridiculous traitors to our NZ democracy took away the Public Service television we had which was a powerful means of reflecting back to us the good things we had, and also the problems to be sorted. Then profit came in and celebrities and Hawkesby being paid $8 million for having his nose put out of joint. Money and advertising is now the main business, the content is built round them whereas in PS it would have remained central on the box.

              Those politicians had our trust, and their smug faces are still around. I feel like the parent of someone who has been killed, and is grieving the death while the perp has a short time in prison and then can renew his life again. The conniving perps roam the places that elite people go and we are without our country-with-a-great-future. Now we must cobble together what we can, if we can, in the time we have got and despite obstacles from the smug elite.

          • Rapunzel 2.1.2.1.2

            Where are these "left" leaning journalists then? Because I am suggesting there are very few of them. Hoskings, Young, Hawkesby, O'Sullivan (the main NZ daily newpaper) and the whole cast of Newshub in the morning, various talkback radio and in particular the "Magic" rubbish all day, Stuff with Grant? Possibly there is Simon Wilson and I won't waste my time reading Marvelly, I probably have other opinions on some subjects, but is OK to disagree or not agree entirely. Obviously you will say Campbell on Breakfast but the others offer balance there. So where are they?

            Name them.

            All I want is the news and getting back to Bridges had Andrew Little been afforded other than derision as the then Opposition leader he may not have stepped aside – to all accounts he is highly respected now, funny that. Bridges has had 18 months and makes one speech that rallies people who saw him as flawed and who could not in my opinion given the true background of how his relationship with his "numbers man" and close "friend" evolved, NZ will never really know. Having to be that patient to see someone show some sort of leadership via one speech just illustrates to me what a poor line-up the National Party expect NZ to accept and the ranks grow even thinner as they leave.

            • Wayne 2.1.2.1.2.1

              I would say the newspapers have a balance with some being neutral.

              Commercial radio is probably more conservative.

              TV, probably has all opinions represented, but they try and be neutral.

              • Stuart Munro.

                They never fail to represent the odious right, the 0.5% or so who support ACT. But en bloc their bias is predominantly failed RWNJ nonsense.

                Oz has borrowed the wretched NZ model:

                No editor I worked for would have put up with the biased anti-Labor rubbish that, shamefully, the papers now produce on a daily basis. Gone is the requirement for balance. One has only to look at the story selection and headlines on the front pages of the papers each day to see that an anti-Labor angle has been taken, however contorted had been the literary gymnastics required to finally arrive at that particular bit of stupidity.

            • Incognito 2.1.2.1.2.2

              One swallow does not a summer make.

          • Stuart Munro. 2.1.2.1.3

            "What happened to the idea that journalists/commentators should endeavour to be neutral and try and report things objectively"

            You might ask partisan hacks like Armstrong, Young, and Hoskings, and the unprofessional editors who select such wretched non-journalists for their vacuous fact-free opinions, Wayne.

            But since you're a spinner too you'll merely cry crocodile tears for the demise of a critical civic function the far right found inconvenient and nobbled.

  3. greywarshark 3

    According to a sociologist in a report some decades back from a very poor area of Naples, when someone gets close and personal with his hand on your shoulder as in the image with Obama, you better watch out because he is going to slide a knife between your ribs.

    • ianmac 3.1

      I thought that was a subtle form of racism. "You just watch your step boy!"

      • Anne 3.1.1

        He's always been and arm around shoulders type. He was in trouble recently because some silly women whose shoulders he armed got the idea into their heads he was sexually harassing them.

        • James 3.1.1.1

          So they feel like it was inappropriate and he was sexually harassing them – and your view (based on no real evidence other then what you read in papers, and not knowing the people) is to call them some silly women.

          Ffs – some people are happy to bash the victim if it suits their political views.

          • Anne 3.1.1.1.1

            There was a video showing him briefly put his arm around a woman's shoulder and the woman apparently objected.

            I know the difference between a man lightly putting his arm across a woman’s shoulder (as he did) in a gesture of affection and a man slithering his hand around a woman’s back etc. But James doesn't need "real evidence" about anything. He just jumps to conclusions and projects. 🙄

            • James 3.1.1.1.1.1

              Anne –

              deciding how women feel (after all she saw a clip on TV).

              Next she she will be calling rape victims “silly women” – because she thinks she knows how the victim should have felt.

            • greywarshark 3.1.1.1.1.2

              You know James is adept at sliding his poison penknife in the ribs of sincere commenters. Anything anyone says he twists and points back at you. He probably designed one of those elaborate knots that are shown on boating web pages.

  4. Exkiwiforces 4

    Found this YouTube clip over at the WONZ Fourm site, of the Senior Service/ RNZN (Pirates) attempting to a RAS (Replenishment At Sea while underway) in their haste to get to Kaikoura after the earthquakes.

    It’s a wee bit wet over the pointy bit (I think it’s called bow or foc’sle) of the Te Kaha.



    • I think the guy who says "Holy fuck!" part-way through offers all the commentary required for this video. If I was on board I would have been bringing up internal organs by that point.

      • In Vino 4.1.1

        As a sailor, I have always been wary of being sent up to the bow of a keelboat to do whatever. It appears that the Navy had 4 or so guys simply standing at attention up at the bow in those conditions. (When they weren't being washed off their feet.) Can anyone explain? Why were the poor buggers there at all? The ship could survive those waves OK… (Or could it ?)

    • Rosemary McDonald 4.2

      If that were a West coast boat… regularly crossing the Bar….we'd be putting a shit load more weight down the back. Sacks of cement works.

  5. ianmac 5

    Just read the amendments offered by Maggie Barrie re the End of Life Bill. Wordy but not unreasonable unless they make a person's decision so complicated that no decision could be made.

    http://legislation.govt.nz/sop/members/2019/0262/latest/whole.html#LMS234911

    http://legislation.govt.nz/sop/members/2019/0263/latest/whole.html#LMS234924

    • chris T 5.1

      Agree to a degree, but even if they implemented all of them, her and her group of followers still wouldn't vote for it.

      She has turned to just trying to make it take as long as humanly possible.

      Probably to make sure there is no time for a referendum with the weed one at the next election.

  6. joe90 7

    Stephen Fry is a gem.
    (do have a close look)

    https://twitter.com/stephenfry/status/1156493366357573632

  7. soddenleaf 8

    Greenland icesheet gone, sooner than thought. As the cooler artic shuts down and moves over the interior of northern continuents, does it expose why brexit, why syria, why china trade war, why oz wants less people not more. But it however doesn't explain China's need for monkey human hybrids, can't even see a smigg of connection to climate change!

    • greywarshark 8.1

      Another threat soddenleaf. After all that struggle to get on a modern path in China, this is the one they choose? Better refer to the wise people of the past for a guide that illuminates their way – apparently now to the dungeons and the frankenstein labs. I didn't want to believe the Falun Gong but….

  8. The Chairman 9

    Tobacco taxes resulting in the high cost of cigarettes is leading NZ to be increasingly targeted by international crime syndicates.

    https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2019/08/auckland-businessman-arrested-for-smuggling-over-500-000-worth-of-cigarettes-from-china.html

    I see National have ruled out any further tax increases on tobacco, have Labour?

    https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2018/11/simon-bridges-vows-to-halt-sin-taxes-on-cigarettes-or-alcohol-if-national-wins-2020-election.html

    • Drowsy M. Kram 9.1

      Simon promises to get rid of the Capital Gains Tax – bold and beautiful leadership laugh

      Maybe The lefty” “more left than mostChairman could update readers of The Standard on some more recent National party policies.

      • Incognito 9.1.1

        National’s latest bright idea was to pump $200 million into cancer treatment but do nothing about tackling causes of cancer such as … smoking. They are so conflicted and conflicting but can’t even see it or can they but just don’t give a toss?

        • The Chairman 9.1.1.1

          Bacon, ham and sausages rank alongside cigarettes as a major cause of cancer, is Labour going to go after consumers of them next?

          Moreover, with these items being given directly to children, shouldn't Labour be targeting them first?

          • Incognito 9.1.1.1.1

            Don’t mention BBQ or James will be all over you before you can squeeze the Wattie’s on your sausage. Personally, I think children should walk to school in walking school buses. Does Labour have any policies on this? If not, I’d be highly concerned and may have to vote for ACT next year.

            • Sacha 9.1.1.1.1.1

              Act would demand that each child have their own walking bus – for maximum freedom.

          • Psycho Milt 9.1.1.1.2

            Bacon, ham and sausages rank alongside cigarettes as a major cause of cancer…

            That is a straightforward lie. A smoker's risk of lung cancer is orders of magnitude higher than a non-smoker's. A processed-meat eater is at fractionally higher risk of cancer than a non-meater, according to some studies. They don't "rank alongside" each other.

            • The Chairman 9.1.1.1.2.1

              Processed meat is classified as carcinogenic to humans (Group 1).

              Tobacco and asbestos are also both classified as carcinogenic to humans and both also sit in Group 1. Thus, they all rank along side – i.e. all sit in Group 1.

              You've put forward a straw man. Rather than assessing the level of "risk", such as your straw man presented, IARC classifications describe the strength of the scientific evidence about an agent being a cause of cancer.

              Therefore, your bold statement that I’m lying is in fact a lie (intentional or not) made by you.

              • Incognito

                Actually, Psycho Milt is correct.

                Are you thinking that all agents in Group 1 are equally carcinogenic? The part in your comment about IARC suggests that you are not thinking this but the rest of your comment implies that you are thinking exactly that! Maybe you are confused about the IARC classification system …

              • Lol, on that basis my son "ranks alongside" Cristiano Ronaldo as a footballer, because they both play football.

      • The Chairman 9.1.2

        Simon promises to get rid of the Capital Gains Tax…

        He's too late on that one, Jacinda beat him to it.

        Jacinda, not as left as most thought.

        • Incognito 9.1.2.1

          Do know what most thought? Are you an omni-mind reader by any chance? Do you know what I am thinking right now? Don’t write it here because I’d have to ban you 😉

          • The Chairman 9.1.2.1.1

            I stand corrected.

            Jacinda, not as left as some thought.

            • Incognito 9.1.2.1.1.1

              Almost but no cigar for you.

              Jacinda, not as left as one thought who is more left than most.

              FIFY

              • The Chairman

                If you believe I was the only one disappointed with Jacinda beating National in delivering on their promise of getting rid of a CGT, then you are simply out of touch.

                Did you expect Jacinda to be delivering on National's promise in Labour's so called year of delivery?

                And were you not surprised she is no more left than National on this issue? Or did you think she was more left than that?

                • Drowsy M. Kram

                  According to your link, Simon 'read my lips, no more taxes' Bridges "promised to get rid of both the Auckland Regional Fuel Tax and the Capital Gains Tax" on Monday 26 November 2018, in “poll position” so to speak.

                  PM Ardern's subsequent promise not to introduce a new CGT took the wind out of Simon's sails – he does seem all at sea. #Let'sKeepSimon

                  • The Chairman

                    PM Ardern's subsequent promise not to introduce a new CGT took the wind out of Simon's sails

                    Indeed. But it was delivering on National's promise in Labour's so called year of delivery that disappointed and caught some by surprise.

                    As for National promising to drop fuel taxes, good. They are non progressive, thus impact hardest on the poor.

                    • Drowsy M. Kram

                      And yet the most recent increase in GST (a non-progressive Rogernomics initiative) occurred under a Key-led National government. Have National committed to no further increases in GST, and would you trust a National government to honour such a promise?

                      "Mr Key went on to say that if a National government was doing "a half decent job" it wouldn't need to either raise GST or raise taxes."

                      http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/3311679/Key-no-GST-rise-video-emerges

                    • The Chairman

                      GST is another tax both Labour and National support, yet it is non progressive. Expected from National. Disappointing for Labour.

                      Yes, National increased it. Haven't seen Labour racing to reduce it.

                      Once again, Labour showing us they are no longer as left as some have hoped.

                    • Drowsy M. Kram

                      I was genuinely disappointed by the introduction and subsequent increases in the GST, and by the decision not to introduce a GCT.

                      The election of another National government so soon after the previous kleptocracy would be a disaster – National party ‘principles’ and ‘integrity’ are indistinguishable from "the love of money".

                      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kleptocracy

                      The optimum course for NZ and Kiwis is to party vote Labour or Green, wouldn't you (a “lefty” who is “more left than most“) agree?

                • Incognito

                  Another disingenuous comment from you to paint Labour and Jacinda Ardern in a bad way.

                  Please explain why the Coalition Government did not take CGT further. Please don’t insult the intelligence of most here by suggesting the reason is that “Jacinda, [is] not as left as most/some thought”.

                  FYI, I rarely am genuinely surprised as I try to limit/lower my expectations as to what others will do or say; it is an exercise in futility that wastes a lot of energy and time.

                  • The Chairman

                    Please explain why the Coalition Government did not take CGT further.

                    Jacinda claimed New Zealanders didn't support it while a number of polls showed otherwise.

                    NZF claimed they stopped it.

                    Some believe it was done to take the wind out of Simon's sails.

                    Nevertheless, regardless why she did it, she did it nonetheless (making her no more left than National on this issue) beating National to it in the process.

                    • Sacha

                      Why is it that some people can only focus on one person in collective decisions? The same mistake was made with Key.

                    • Incognito

                      Jacinda claimed New Zealanders didn't support it while a number of polls showed otherwise.

                      She did? She literally said that or are you ‘paraphrasing’ in your usual disingenuous way?

                      Nevertheless, regardless … nonetheless …

                      Evasive, vague, and waffly to make it look as bad as possible for the PM on this issue or any issue for that matter. In other words, your MO.

    • Anne 9.2

      I see National have ruled out any further tax increases on tobacco, have Labour?

      Ask them.

      • Incognito 9.2.1

        That would be a Gordian knot for The Chairman 😉

        So much rope, so many knots, the mind boggles …

      • The Chairman 9.2.2

        Ironic, isn't it?

        Tobacco taxes are negatively impacting the poor, yet it's National announcing an end to them.

        • Incognito 9.2.2.1

          National is going to end tobacco taxes?? I fully expect that to be a front-page headline tomorrow: The Chairman says …

          • The Chairman 9.2.2.1.1

            National is going to end tobacco taxes??

            Yes, if elected. The headline and story was in the link provided above.

            As for Labour, do they really want to continue to put the boot into Māori?

            One of New Zealand’s most renowned tobacco control researchers is questioning the merit of the apparent Budget decision to keep raising the excise duty on tobacco.

            Budget 2019’s tax forecasts included another 10% increase in tobacco excise on 1 January 2020.

            New Zealand tobacco control expert Dr. Marewa Glover, director of the Centre of Research Excellence: Indigenous Sovereignty & Smoking believes the annual tobacco tax increases are disproportionately impacting Māori, of whom around 170,000 smoke.

            http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1905/S00543/tobacco-control-expert-questions-budget-tobacco-tax-increase.htm

            Speaking of Labour and Māori, Chris Trotter has put out an interesting read.

            https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2019/08/02/endgame-will-winston-peters-blow-up-the-coalition-over-ihumatao/

            And so has Martyn Bradbury

            https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2019/08/02/who-says-nz-first-and-labour-are-on-opposite-sides-over-ihumatao-plus-the-only-solution-moving-forward/

            • Drowsy M. Kram 9.2.2.1.1.1

              The "lefty" "more left than most" Chairman, still shredding their 'friend of the left' credibility! The sogginess, it burns! Here's a selection from this Daily Review – up to readers to decide just how ‘friendlyThe Chairman really is.

              "I see National have ruled out any further tax increases on tobacco, have Labour?"

              "is Labour going to go after consumers of them next?"

              "Jacinda, not as left as most thought."

              "Jacinda, not as left as some thought."

              "disappointed with Jacinda"

              "Labour's so called year of delivery"

              "she [PM Ardern] is no more left than National on this issue"

              "As for Labour, do they really want to continue to put the boot into Māori?"

              The Chairman – “As transparent as a transparent thing.

            • Incognito 9.2.2.1.1.2

              I asked you specifically if National was going to end tobacco taxes and even italicised “end”.

              Your reply:

              Yes, if elected. The headline and story was in the link provided above.

              The headline you linked to used the verb “halt”, not “end”. As usual, you are misleading others into believing stuff that is incorrect and/or non-existent except for in your mind.

              I read the Scoop link (but right now I can’t be bothered with the other two links to your Heroes of the Left).

              New Zealand tobacco control expert Dr. Marewa Glover, director of the Centre of Research Excellence: Indigenous Sovereignty & Smoking believes the annual tobacco tax increases are disproportionately impacting Māori, of whom around 170,000 smoke. [my bold]

              I find the choice of words very odd for a scientist calling for “more science-based approach to smoking cessation and harm reduction”.

              Can you point to where in that piece they referred to the Government or more specifically Labour? It seems to me that once again you take ‘liberty’ to put the boot into Labour. You know full well that we have a Coalition Government and that Winston Peters who is Deputy Prime Minister used to be an avid smoker. Do you know where he stands on this topic?

              I am waiting with bated breath …

              • The Chairman

                The headline you linked to used the verb “halt”, not “end”.

                Really?

                Fuck off clown.

                I'm sick of your fucken bullshit.

                You can all get fucked.

                I’m out of this shit hole so fuck the lot of you.

                • Drowsy M. Kram

                  Wherever you're off to Chair, please continue your work to ensure the election of progressive left-of-centre governments – PARTY VOTE LABOUR/GREEN.

        • The Al1en 9.2.2.2

          So the poor should use their fucking brains and stop spending thousands of dollars a year to give themselves cancer, and their offspring through second hand smoking, and spend the money on decent food and shoes so the kids don't have to walk hungry and barefoot to school in the winter as a by product of their parents selfishness.

          I'm all for helping people out of poverty, but giving smokers extra cash per week is like giving a junkie the keys to your safe deposit box and trusting them not to rip you off for a fix.

          Tax the fuckers into common sense, even if they vote national and cheaper smoking over their, and their families best interests.

          Idiots. 🙄

        • Sacha 9.2.2.3

          Tobacco taxes are negatively impacting the poor

          If reducing smoking is regarded as a negative. Guess it would be if you were a tobacco company.

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    Have a story to share about St Paul’s, but today just picturesPopular novels written at this desk by a young man who managed to bootstrap himself out of father’s imprisonment and his own young life in a workhouse Read more ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Paula Bennett’s political appointment will challenge public confidence
    The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill English, Simon Bridges, Steven Joyce, Roger Sowry, ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    2 days ago
  • NZDF is still hostile to oversight
    Newsroom has a story today about National's (fortunately failed) effort to disestablish the newly-created Inspector-General of Defence. The creation of this agency was the key recommendation of the Inquiry into Operation Burnham, and a vital means of restoring credibility and social licence to an agency which had been caught lying ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago
  • Winding Back The Hands Of History’s Clock.
    Holding On To The Present: The moment a political movement arises that attacks the whole idea of social progress, and announces its intention to wind back the hands of History’s clock, then democracy, along with its unwritten rules, is in mortal danger.IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in ...
    2 days ago
  • Sweet Moderation? What Christopher Luxon Could Learn From The Germans.
    Stuck In The Middle With You: As Christopher Luxon feels the hot breath of Act’s and NZ First’s extremists on the back of his neck and, as he reckons with the damage their policies are already inflicting upon a country he’s described as “fragile”, is there not some merit in reaching out ...
    2 days ago
  • A clear warning
    The unpopular coalition government is currently rushing to repeal section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act. The clause is Oranga Tamariki's Treaty clause, and was inserted after its systematic stealing of Māori children became a public scandal and resulted in physical resistance to further abductions. The clause created clear obligations ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago
  • Poll results and Waitangi Tribunal report go unmentioned on the Beehive website – where racing tru...
    Buzz  from the Beehive The government’s official website – which Point of Order monitors daily – not for the first time has nothing much to say today about political happenings that are grabbing media headlines. It makes no mention of the latest 1News-Verian poll, for example.  This shows National down ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago
  • Listening To The Traffic.
    It Takes A Train To Cry: Surely, there is nothing lonelier in all this world than the long wail of a distant steam locomotive on a cold Winter’s night.AS A CHILD, I would lie awake in my grandfather’s house and listen to the traffic. The big wooden house was only a ...
    2 days ago
  • Comity Be Damned! The State’s Legislative Arm Is Flexing Its Constitutional Muscles.
    Packing A Punch: The election of the present government, including in its ranks politicians dedicated to reasserting the rights of the legislature in shaping and determining the future of Māori and Pakeha in New Zealand, should have alerted the judiciary – including its anomalous appendage, the Waitangi Tribunal – that its ...
    2 days ago
  • Ending The Quest.
    Dead Woman Walking: New Zealand’s media industry had been moving steadily towards disaster for all the years Melissa Lee had been National’s media and communications policy spokesperson, and yet, when the crisis finally broke, on her watch, she had nothing intelligent to offer. Christopher Luxon is a patient man - but he’s not ...
    2 days ago
  • Will political polarisation intensify to the point where ‘normal’ government becomes impossible,...
    Chris Trotter writes –  New Zealand politics is remarkably easy-going: dangerously so, one might even say. With the notable exception of John Key’s flat ruling-out of the NZ First Party in 2008, all parties capable of clearing MMP’s five-percent threshold, or winning one or more electorate seats, tend ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • Bernard’s pick 'n' mix for Tuesday, April 30
    TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:30am on Tuesday, May 30:Scoop: NZ 'close to the tipping point' of measles epidemic, health experts warn NZ Herald Benjamin PlummerHealth: 'Absurd and totally unacceptable': Man has to wait a year for ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Why Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating in the country
    Bryce Edwards writes – Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • Worst poll result for a new Government in MMP history
    Luxon will no doubt put a brave face on it, but there is no escaping the pressure this latest poll will put on him and the government. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Pinning down climate change's role in extreme weather
    This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler In the wake of any unusual weather event, someone inevitably asks, “Did climate change cause this?” In the most literal sense, that answer is almost always no. Climate change is never the sole cause of hurricanes, heat waves, droughts, or ...
    2 days ago
  • Serving at Seymour's pleasure.
    Something odd happened yesterday, and I’d love to know if there’s more to it. If there was something which preempted what happened, or if it was simply a throwaway line in response to a journalist.Yesterday David Seymour was asked at a press conference what the process would be if the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Webworm LA Pop-Up
    Hi,From time to time, I want to bring Webworm into the real world. We did it last year with the Jurassic Park event in New Zealand — which was a lot of fun!And so on Saturday May 11th, in Los Angeles, I am hosting a lil’ Webworm pop-up! I’ve been ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago
  • “Feel good” school is out
    Education Minister Erica Standford yesterday unveiled a fundamental reform of the way our school pupils are taught. She would not exactly say so, but she is all but dismantling the so-called “inquiry” “feel good” method of teaching, which has ruled in our classrooms since a major review of the New ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • 6 Months in, surely our Report Card is “Ignored all warnings: recommend dismissal ASAP”?
    Exactly where are we seriously going with this government and its policies? That is, apart from following what may as well be a Truss-Lite approach on the purported economic plan, and Victorian-era regression when it comes to social policy. Oh it’ll work this time of course, we’re basically assured, “the ...
    exhALANtBy exhalantblog
    2 days ago
  • Bread, and how it gets buttered
    Hey Uncle Dave, When the Poms joined the EEC, I wasn't one of those defeatists who said, Well, that’s it for the dairy job. And I was right, eh? The Chinese can’t get enough of our milk powder and eventually, the Poms came to their senses and backed up the ute ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Why Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating in the country
    Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is higher than for any other mayor ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Justice for Gaza?
    The New York Times reports that the International Criminal Court is about to issue arrest warrants for Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, over their genocide in Gaza: Israeli officials increasingly believe that the International Criminal Court is preparing to issue arrest warrants for senior government officials on ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • If there has been any fiddling with Pharmac’s funding, we can count on Paula to figure out the fis...
    Buzz from the Beehive Pharmac has been given a financial transfusion and a new chair to oversee its spending in the pharmaceutical business. Associate Health Minister David Seymour described the funding for Pharmac as “its largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff”. ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • FastTrackWatch – The case for the Government’s Fast Track Bill
    Bryce Edwards writes – Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Bernard’s pick 'n' mix for Monday, April 29
    TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:10am on Monday, April 29:Scoop: The children's ward at Rotorua Hospital will be missing a third of its beds as winter hits because Te Whatu Ora halted an upgrade partway through to ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on Iran killing its rappers, and searching for the invisible Dr. Reti
    span class=”dropcap”>As hideous as David Seymour can be, it is worth keeping in mind occasionally that there are even worse political figures (and regimes) out there. Iran for instance, is about to execute the country’s leading hip hop musician Toomaj Salehi, for writing and performing raps that “corrupt” the nation’s ...
    3 days ago
  • Auckland Rail Electrification 10 years old
    Yesterday marked 10 years since the first electric train carried passengers in Auckland so it’s a good time to look back at it and the impact it has had. A brief history The first proposals for rail electrification in Auckland came in the 1920’s alongside the plans for earlier ...
    3 days ago
  • Coalition's dirge of austerity and uncertainty is driving the economy into a deeper recession
    Right now, in Aotearoa-NZ, our ‘animal spirits’ are darkening towards a winter of discontent, thanks at least partly to a chorus of negative comments and actions from the Government Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Disability Funding or Tax Cuts.
    You make people evil to punish the paststuck inside a sequel with a rotating castThe following photos haven’t been generated with AI, or modified in any way. They are flesh and blood, human beings. On the left is Galatea Young, a young mum, and her daughter Fiadh who has Angelman ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Of the Goodness of Tolkien’s Eru
    April has been a quiet month at A Phuulish Fellow. I have had an exceptionally good reading month, and a decently productive writing month – for original fiction, anyway – but not much has caught my eye that suggested a blog article. It has been vaguely frustrating, to be honest. ...
    3 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #17
    A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 21, 2024 thru Sat, April 27, 2024. Story of the week Anthropogenic climate change may be the ultimate shaggy dog story— but with a twist, because here ...
    3 days ago
  • Pastor Who Abused People, Blames People
    Hi,I spent about a year on Webworm reporting on an abusive megachurch called Arise, and it made me want to stab my eyes out with a fork.I don’t regret that reporting in 2022 and 2023 — I am proud of it — but it made me angry.Over three main stories ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    4 days ago
  • Vic Uni shows how under threat free speech is
    The new Victoria University Vice-Chancellor decided to have a forum at the university about free speech and academic freedom as it is obviously a topical issue, and the Government is looking at legislating some carrots or sticks for universities to uphold their obligations under the Education and Training Act. They ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Winston remembers Gettysburg.
    Do you remember when Melania Trump got caught out using a speech that sounded awfully like one Michelle Obama had given? Uncannily so.Well it turns out that Abraham Lincoln is to Winston Peters as Michelle was to Melania. With the ANZAC speech Uncle Winston gave at Gallipoli having much in ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • 25
    She was born 25 years ago today in North Shore hospital. Her eyes were closed tightly shut, her mouth was silently moving. The whole theatre was all quiet intensity as they marked her a 2 on the APGAR test. A one-minute eternity later, she was an 8.  The universe was ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago
  • Fact Brief – Is Antarctica gaining land ice?
    Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park in collaboration with members from our Skeptical Science team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is Antarctica gaining land ice? ...
    4 days ago
  • Policing protests.
    Images of US students (and others) protesting and setting up tent cities on US university campuses have been broadcast world wide and clearly demonstrate the growing rifts in US society caused by US policy toward Israel and Israel’s prosecution of … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    5 days ago
  • Open letter to Hon Paul Goldsmith
    Barrie Saunders writes – Dear Paul As the new Minister of Media and Communications, you will be inundated with heaps of free advice and special pleading, all in the national interest of course. For what it’s worth here is my assessment: Traditional broadcasting free to air content through ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Bryce Edwards: FastTrackWatch – The Case for the Government’s Fast Track Bill
    Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its arguments for such a bold reform. ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    5 days ago
  • Luxon gets out his butcher’s knife – briefly
    Peter Dunne writes –  The great nineteenth British Prime Minister, William Gladstone, once observed that “the first essential for a Prime Minister is to be a good butcher.” When a later British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, sacked a third of his Cabinet in July 1962, in what became ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • More tax for less
    Ele Ludemann writes – New Zealanders had the OECD’s second highest tax increase last year: New Zealanders faced the second-biggest tax raises in the developed world last year, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) says. The intergovernmental agency said the average change in personal income tax ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Real News vs Fake News.
    We all know something’s not right with our elections. The spread of misinformation, people being targeted with soundbites and emotional triggers that ignore the facts, even the truth, and influence their votes.The use of technology to produce deep fakes. How can you tell if something is real or not? Can ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Another way to roll
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.Share ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago
  • Simon Clark: The climate lies you'll hear this year
    This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Simon Clark. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). This year you will be lied to! Simon Clark helps prebunk some misleading statements you'll hear about climate. The video includes ...
    5 days ago
  • Cutting the Public Service
    It is all very well cutting the backrooms of public agencies but it may compromise the frontlines. One of the frustrations of the Productivity Commission’s 2017 review of universities is that while it observed that their non-academic staff were increasing faster than their academic staff, it did not bother to ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    6 days ago
  • Luxon’s demoted ministers might take comfort from the British politician who bounced back after th...
    Buzz from the Beehive Two speeches delivered by Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters at Anzac Day ceremonies in Turkey are the only new posts on the government’s official website since the PM announced his Cabinet shake-up. In one of the speeches, Peters stated the obvious:  we live in a troubled ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • This is how I roll over
    1. Which of these would you not expect to read in The Waikato Invader?a. Luxon is here to do business, don’t you worry about thatb. Mr KPI expects results, and you better believe itc. This decisive man of action is getting me all hot and excitedd. Melissa Lee is how ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • The Waitangi Tribunal is not “a roving Commission”…
    …it has a restricted jurisdiction which must not be abused: it is not an inquisition   NOTE – this article was published before the High Court ruled that Karen Chhour does not have to appear before the Waitangi Tribunal Gary Judd writes –  The High Court ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Is Oranga Tamariki guilty of neglect?
    Lindsay Mitchell writes – One of reasons Oranga Tamariki exists is to prevent child neglect. But could the organisation itself be guilty of the same? Oranga Tamariki’s statistics show a decrease in the number and age of children in care. “There are less children ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Three Strikes saw lower reoffending
    David Farrar writes: Graeme Edgeler wrote in 2017: In the first five years after three strikes came into effect 5248 offenders received a ‘first strike’ (that is, a “stage-1 conviction” under the three strikes sentencing regime), and 68 offenders received a ‘second strike’. In the five years prior to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Luxon’s ruthless show of strength is perfect for our angry era
    Bryce Edwards writes – Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in politics. That’s refreshing and will be extremely ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • 'Lacks attention to detail and is creating double-standards.'
    TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the two days to 6:06am on Thursday, April 25:Politics: PM Christopher Luxon has set up a dual standard for ministerial competence by demoting two National Cabinet ministers while leaving also-struggling ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • One Night Only!
    Hi,Today I mainly want to share some of your thoughts about the recent piece I wrote about success and failure, and the forces that seemingly guide our lives. But first, a quick bit of housekeeping: I am doing a Webworm popup in Los Angeles on Saturday May 11 at 2pm. ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • What did Melissa Lee do?
    It is hard to see what Melissa Lee might have done to “save” the media. National went into the election with no public media policy and appears not to have developed one subsequently. Lee claimed that she had prepared a policy paper before the election but it had been decided ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    6 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #17 2024
    Open access notables Ice acceleration and rotation in the Greenland Ice Sheet interior in recent decades, Løkkegaard et al., Communications Earth & Environment: In the past two decades, mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet has accelerated, partly due to the speedup of glaciers. However, uncertainty in speed derived from satellite products ...
    6 days ago
  • Maori Party (with “disgust”) draws attention to Chhour’s race after the High Court rules on Wa...
    Buzz from the Beehive A statement from Children’s Minister Karen Chhour – yet to be posted on the Government’s official website – arrived in Point of Order’s email in-tray last night. It welcomes the High Court ruling on whether the Waitangi Tribunal can demand she appear before it. It does ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    7 days ago
  • Who’s Going Up The Media Mountain?
    Mr Bombastic: Ironically, the media the academic experts wanted is, in many ways, the media they got. In place of the tyrannical editors of yesteryear, advancing without fear or favour the interests of the ruling class; the New Zealand news media of today boasts a troop of enlightened journalists dedicated to ...
    7 days ago
  • “That's how I roll”
    It's hard times try to make a livingYou wake up every morning in the unforgivingOut there somewhere in the cityThere's people living lives without mercy or pityI feel good, yeah I'm feeling fineI feel better then I have for the longest timeI think these pills have been good for meI ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    7 days ago
  • “Comity” versus the rule of law
    In 1974, the US Supreme Court issued its decision in United States v. Nixon, finding that the President was not a King, but was subject to the law and was required to turn over the evidence of his wrongdoing to the courts. It was a landmark decision for the rule ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago
  • Aotearoa: a live lab for failed Right-wing socio-economic zombie experiments once more…
    Every day now just seems to bring in more fresh meat for the grinder. In their relentlessly ideological drive to cut back on the “excessive bloat” (as they see it) of the previous Labour-led government, on the mountains of evidence accumulated in such a short period of time do not ...
    exhALANtBy exhalantblog
    1 week ago
  • Water is at the heart of farmers’ struggle to survive in Benin
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Megan Valére Sosou Market gardening site of the Itchèléré de Itagui agricultural cooperative in Dassa-Zoumè (Image credit: Megan Valère Sossou) For the residents of Dassa-Zoumè, a city in the West African country of Benin, choosing between drinking water and having enough ...
    1 week ago

  • Minister acknowledges passing of Sir Robert Martin (KNZM)
    New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    12 hours ago
  • Speech to New Zealand Institute of International Affairs, Parliament – Annual Lecture: Challenges ...
    Good evening –   Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago
  • Accelerating airport security lines
    From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    15 hours ago
  • Community hui to talk about kina barrens
    People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago
  • Kiwi exporters win as NZ-EU FTA enters into force
    Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago
  • Mining resurgence a welcome sign
    There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago
  • Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill passes first reading
    The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government to boost public EV charging network
    Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure.  The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Residential Property Managers Bill to not progress
    The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Independent review into disability support services
    The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Justice Minister updates UN on law & order plan
    Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Ending emergency housing motels in Rotorua
    The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Trade Minister travels to Riyadh, OECD, and Dubai
    Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Education priorities focused on lifting achievement
    Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • NZTA App first step towards digital driver licence
    The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say.  “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Supporting whānau out of emergency housing
    Whānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Tribute to Dave O'Sullivan
    Racing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave O’Sullivan (OBE). “Our sympathies are with the O’Sullivan family with the sad news of Dave O’Sullivan’s recent passing,” Mr Peters says. “His contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Speech – Eid al-Fitr
    Assalaamu alaikum, greetings to you all. Eid Mubarak, everyone! I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and everyone celebrating this joyous occasion. It is a pleasure to be here. I have enjoyed Eid celebrations at Parliament before, but this is my first time joining you as the Minister ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government saves access to medicines
    Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced Pharmac’s largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff.    “Access to medicines is a crucial part of many Kiwis’ lives. We’ve committed to a budget allocation of $1.774 billion over four years so Kiwis are ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Pharmac Chair appointed
    Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Taking action on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
    Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says.  “Every day, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
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  • New sports complex opens in Kaikohe
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