Their timing on releasing all this is extremely embarrassing to watch.
Should feel sorry for him, but he is a bullying arsehole, so not possible.
Will be very interesting to see how our caring, sharing govt will vote in his vote of no confidence in the new year, and whether they vote to support his bullying.
The figure, revealed to the National Party in a written parliamentary question, includes a $158,000 settlement payment from the Speaker to the staffer, $171,000 to cover legal fees, and $4641.70 for Crown Law advice to the former deputy speaker.
Mallard on Tuesday afternoon publicly apologised to the staffer, saying, in a statement, he had been wrong to describe the allegation as rape, and apologised for the “distress and humiliation” this caused the staffer.
The statement was slipped under the Stuff press gallery office door on Tuesday afternoon, hours after the Royal Commission on the March 15 terror attack released its report. It did not detail the cost of the settlement.
Mallard would not comment on the matter in the House or to media and, when ask to comment for this story, responded: “No.”
National leader Judith Collins, in a statement releasing Mallard’s answers to written questions, said her party had decided Mallard was no longer fit to be Speaker of the House.
“This is unacceptable behaviour from the Speaker …. It is the Speaker’s job to set the standard of behaviour for everyone at Parliament, but he has been reckless with his words, resulting in taxpayers footing a bill of more than $330,000 to clean up this mess.
“There has been no formal apology to Parliament for this, despite the National Party encouraging the Speaker to do so on the final sitting day this year.
“Because Mallard has not lived up to the high standards of behaviour that he has set for Parliament, we believe he is no longer fit to hold the role of Speaker.”
Only of real interest to political opportunists looking for a hit out.
More important is the quote from a sufferer in Alison Mau's take.
She praised Mallard for his "take no prisoners" attitude and said it was a relief to hear him call serious sexual assault, rape.
“I think Trevor’s helped us turn a bit of a corner here,” she said.
“When a woman makes an accusation of sexual offending she is confused and scared that she somehow imagined it. She feels responsible for the trouble she is causing. To have the man fronting the response (be) so unequivocal about where the blame lies, relieves her of all that confusion and blame, and fear.”
A man was sexually harassing young women. No, it was not technically rape, but to the unfortunate victims it had the same effect – that is, fear and a feeling of degradation. Mallard voiced those feelings with his comment that ran along the lines that… it looked to him to be rape.
Maybe unwise given his parliamentary status but not a sacking offence.
The perpetrator used the technical breach to obtain $160,000 compensation which is yet another example of the morality – or the lack of it – of the NZ justice system and indeed the perpetrator himself.
The perpetrator who was sued and apologised, changed the rules apparently, and paid out 1/3 of a million dollars of tax payer money to make it go away was Mallard.
[please provide a credible citation to support that allegation. Linking to hearsay and unsubstantiated opinion doesn’t count – weka]
dropping you in premod until I get a response. You ignored my first request, now it's from a moderator. It's not ok to keep repeating the same lines without backing up your claim.
You gave me 4 minutes and didn't actually say which bit you wanted a response to.
[You’re in premod because I was about to log off for the night and you were already spamming the thread with the same lines. Nothing to do with other timing. It’s pretty clear from my mod note and comments what I want backing up. We’re now in wasting moderator time phase and I’m inclined to just ban you until after the holidays simply because I don’t want to spend my time on this.
– weka]
"Apparently, according to political editor Barry Soper"
[you don’t get to decide where the boundaries are. Adding the word apparently doesn’t change things. Either provide evidence for the assertion or withdraw it or get a ban – weka]
In my opinion Mallard should resign. He's cost the tax payer thousands slandering someone which has been proven to be incorrect. It's not only Judith that wants him gone but also Seymour as well of course. I would be surprised if there were no Labour MP's that think he should go after this.
I have worked with him along with many others during 1992-1996 when Mallard was Whip. A more straight up person you could not meet. Called a spade a spade, what you see is what you got. Far preferable to anyone who is of a touchy feely bent, and many other and who cannot see or read the environment to note that touchy feely is actually not on in a workplace and especially where there is an imbalance of power.
I don't know the person, I could easily find out. He has damned himself by owning up to hugging, kissing and complimenting – all actions that sensible people don't do in a workplace.
I doubt, given that he has publicised ie minimised what he did, that anyone other than he himself may have caused people in the future to wonder about 'fit' in a workplace where women work.
Your view/opinion exhibits a degree of personal animus that makes me wonder.
I agree with Judith Collins, the Speaker “has been reckless with his words”, which is “unprofessional” according to David Seymour, and the Taxpayers’ Onion wants him to pay the money back, which is ironic coming from them 😀
No, I'm saying Collins should shut the fuck up. Running lines that Mallard should resign because of unacceptable behaviour when she supported all Key all those years is bullshit politicking.
Given the brand Ardern has created for the govt, they shouldn't have to be told by anyone the bloke should go/be moved to a different position.
[You see, it’s comments like this one that make me wonder whether or not you’re really a clever troll siding with the DP gang in and of National. In this case, you’re trying to politicise the issue to attack Ardern.
My tendency is to give people the benefit of doubt but my gut instinct is telling me that you’re a troll. I have looked into your history here on this site and you’re a recidivist offender who has received many bans and countless Moderation notes. You’re wasting precious Moderator time.
Lprent recently cut the Gordian Knot when he said this in a Moderation:
Ambiguity carries penalties around here. And as most ambiguity seems to be a tactic, it leaves it completely up to a moderators personal choice about how they want to treat it.
You can look it up yourself.
Well, the tea leaves show an awful lot of ambiguity when asking about your motives here.
Feel where I’m going with this?
You’re in Pre-Moderation watch by weka but I think it’s fair to let you know that I’m actively monitoring you now to boot you off the site for a while. So, this is your final warning, as far as I’m concerned – Incognito]
I have seen it. But since this Pre-mod thing I can't post (well at least after they said it, so the booting off threat is a bit moot.
Edit: Apparently now I can, you just have to approve them.
[Warnings, warnings, warnings, so many warnings. Warnings are not threats. They are invitations to you to lift your game here. Something tells me that this is not going to happen.
This particular warning was not an invitation to you to rebut or litigate your moderation. It was a request to take heed.
Generally, Moderators are happy to answer any questions commenters might have about (their) moderation but in your case we’ve passed it and it would simply be wasting more of our time; ignorance is no excuse and you cannot feign it anyway.
You’d be better advised to get yourself out of Pre-Moderation by providing an adequate response to weka’s moderation notes. Of course, if you’re a troll, and I’m now more convinced of this, then it will be another token effort until next time with lots of “I’m sorry” and “please, forgive me”. If you’re genuine, then we will see a genuine and lasting attempt to lift your game. Others here make an effort to improve so why not you??
Weka's moderation post didn't say which part of my post I had to clarify.
I get modding is annoying. I do it on other forums, but this
My post
The perpetrator who was sued and apologised, changed the rules apparently, and paid out 1/3 of a million dollars of tax payer money to make it go away was Mallard.
"The perpetrator who was sued and apologised,"
Mallard in the case in question we were discussing Unless you deny this happening when it was reported in multiple media.
"changed the rules apparently,"
My fault. Should have put a disclaimer it was an accusation by Soper.
"and paid out 1/3 of a million dollars of tax payer money "
This is true and reported in multiple links provided by me.
"to make it go away was Mallard."
Admittedly my opinion, apologies, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist given the timing.
[all you had to do was provide a credible link to support your assertion that wasn’t from a partisan hack like Soper. I would have accepted something from a right winger, had it been credible. But seeing as how you can’t even be bothered to do that, I’m banning you until after the holidays so I don’t have to keep spending my time on this. Can’t emphasise how much wasting mod time is a factor in moderation, learn from this when you come back – weka]
[checked the Mod post to see previous moderations and there’s too many to look at. Three month ban mostly for wasting my time, but also, if you want to comment here you *have to provide evidence for assertions of fact especially about public figures. Noting in the back end because if this happens again you can expect a much longer ban. See also https://thestandard.org.nz/a-bit-about-how-the-standard-works/ – weka]
Re the 4 minute, no warning complaint. My first mod note was at 8.06pm on 11/12/20. The ban was given after 10pm and you had posted again by then. I don't know if you didn't see my notes, or ignored them (again, the issue here is about my time spent and the onus is on the commenter to do the legwork), but my suggestion is to use the Reply list so you can see who has replied to you and if it is a moderator, go read what they say before doing anything else.
In August, the Speaker issued new 'directions' (rules for MPs funding and spending), which expanded the range of legal costs MPs could have funded from the taxpayer purse, to include "damages and payments to settle a legal action."
In the past, that funding was only available for legal costs to defend the legal proceedings taken against them in their capacity as MPs – and not for settlements.
To get approval for it, it has to be signed off by the Speaker and chief executive of Parliamentary Service.
They must "consider the extent to which the member's involvement in the proceedings is due to the member acting in their capacity as a member of Parliament."
The money usually comes out of a political party's overall pool of funding.
There are separate provisions for Cabinet Ministers' legal costs.
In cases where Cabinet minister are sued for something such as defamation, the Cabinet Manual said Cabinet will decide whether their legal costs are covered – and whether to pay for any costs or damages awards if the Minister loses in court.
[thanks Chris. Had you provided that the first or even second time you were asked for it, two things would have happened. One is you wouldn’t now be on a 3 month ban. The other is that we could have had an actual political debate about that aspect of the situation, because instead of partisan hack reckons, we had some actual facts to work with. That’s what we are here for. – weka]
Yes, agree but then she/National Party not given to introspection or knowledge of the glasshouses and stones analogy.
And arguably the involvement of Paula Bennett in this whole saga when she treated the fact that women had come to her as a political point scoring exercise rather than alerting the PM in a one on one basis was another low point.
Jacinda did say in politics we should be kinder to each other & that she would have an open & transparent government. She has failed on both counts & when questioned about Mallard’s behaviour doesn’t act like a decent prime minister. If Helen Clark was in charge Mallard would be off to the chopping block.
It's been confirmed that the almost $334,000 in legal costs have been paid out by the taxpayer. Why? Well Mallard had the rules changed after he made his outrageous comment to protect him from having the pay the bill for something he clearly knew would go against him.
there's a lot of unsubstantiated assertion in that opinion piece, and its from Soper, do you have a better reference?
Mallard made a mistake in an RNZ interview, conflating legal definitions of sexual assault with rape. He didn't know who the staffer was and from what I can tell believed that the person wasn't known generally. I don't know if he was mistaken on that.
No offence, and forgive me if I am wrong, but you seem to be coming across as trying to fob off what Mallard did as just a mistake, lets just forget about it.
Wellington is a small place, with loads of govt departments who all know each other and gossip.
It's not 'just' a mistake, it's an important mistake, but not one that I think he should lose the Speaker role for. I haven't seen a convincing argument for why he should eg he knew who the man was and knew his words would seriously impact on the man.
Also, if you ask me who I think is more likely to be accurate and truthful over the nature of the assaults, Mallard or Soper, I'd pick Mallard. But I don't know the details of the case, so I am guessing.
The man claimed the three allegations were related to hugging a colleague, complimenting another colleague on her hair, and kissing another on her cheek as he said goodbye to her after she visited him and his wife for tea.
"We're talking about serious sexual assault. Well that, for me, that's rape," he said. "That is the impression I get from the report."
I know the right wing have nightmares about "woke liberal" complaints, but there's more than just a semantic difference between those two descriptions of behaviour.
the extent to which those on the right are willing to use rape culture and minimising of it for political gain (including Collins today) is a big factor in why I'm more inclined to believe Mallard. Although it could just be that I don't trust Soper as far as I could throw him.
Agree with you Weka. I would trust Mallard over Soper any day and Mallard over Collins any day.
National Party is the last party to be acting shocked about this and calling anyone to account……bearing in mind the lack of ethical and moral framework that was so apparent last year.
There an important time delay between the statements. Mallard's was in reaction to the Debbie Francis report, a survey done of Parliamentary staff, ongoing cases of sexual shenanigans, Paula Bennett using the approach of several Labour staff members to her as a political point scoring exercise. There were allegations all round. At one stage it was thought that there were several of these men in staff positions.
I have not seen the statements from the person who got the payout before now. These were not around or public when all the above were going on. We did not know who it was.
So Mallard was not aware that the person had admitted to touching, kissing and complimenting ie his 'rape' response was not to this. It was to report after report seeming to be coming out about Labour staff having gone too far.
The point is in all of this is that the man has admitted to doing things that could be unwelcome, could cause women to wonder if they were safe etc with him, wonder if they are going to be able to keep working there. Power imbalance
It is a big stretch from unproven indecent assault to an allegation of rape.
It may not have been proven in a court of law but from memory several women came forward with complaints about the same person. That indicated he harassed and degraded young women.
My memory of the context around Mallard's words was not a formal allegation of rape, but rather he regarded it as something along the lines of rape. A fair enough conclusion given what else was being reported at the time.
This is the usual kind of pathetic political one-up-man-ship game we have come to expect from National and ACT.
And so we minimise the 'things' that this person has done…….by applying male chauv standards. Next thing we know he'll be saying 'she couldn't take a joke'.
a hug, when one may have neither wanted or expected and certainly not normal in a public service setting.
compliments – most thinking bosses or people in charge know this is an absolute minefield.
kissing on the cheek – see above when one may have neither wanted or expected and certainly not normal in a public service setting.
These do sound overly touchy feely and unwelcome attention from someone in power to an underling and fit the usual definitions of sexual harassment.
This appears to have been investigated by parliamentary services. They concluded the accusations were unsubstantiated so the only account we have of the nature of events is from the Soper interview.
There isn't really anything public backing up Mallards description of events, not even a claim by reporters that the accusations were more serious than described.
Personally, I hope he's not taking the reputational hit just to protect the complainant by keeping the details of a serious sexual assault from being trawled through civil court.
300k isn't all that's stopping Grant Robertson from signing the cheques for a bold nay revolutionary government agenda of social and economic reform. In the greater scheme of things, it's fuckall.
They concluded the accusations were unsubstantiated…
I remember no such claim from Parliamentary Services!
What I do remember is evidence they tried to sweep the complaints under the carpet which many of us have found to be normal practice from Public Service entities when faced with allegations of bullying, sexual harassment and other forms of intimidation.
a complainant who didn't want to be targeted by Soper and tories so did not want to take their complaint further, and Mallard is taking a hit for summarising the complaint accurately but prematurely in public;
the initial confidential findings getting a massive backtrack when employment and more serious options started being pursued
Mallard completely misread and conflated the allegations into something that nobody had described;
maybe some other possibility that hasn't occurred to me
If I were offered a million dollars if I could pick the correct scenario, I wouldn't be picking that Mallard thought an innocent but unwelcome hug was a serious sexual assault akin to rape.
In the past that is exactly what some Public Service entities did when an employee came forward and tried to lay complaints about a superior officer.
In my case, it was bullying and intimidation but I did also report a series of obscene phone calls I was receiving around the same time. Instead of giving me support, they effectively accused me of lying.
It happened a long time ago now but I have noted from cases which have landed in the media from time to time that in reality not a lot seems to have changed.
I don't see how calling an accusation of sexual harassment 'a rape' and being unable to pursue that with the police is helping victims of sexual harassment. So unless the accusation was of that nature I don't see any difference between parliamentary services sweeping this under the rug and alternatively sacking the staffer for inappropriate behaviour. Probably they think the punishment was fit and you think it was a thorough cover up.
You need to look at the Debbie Francis report. Read press from the time. There was also an SSC(?) or parliamentary services (?) investigations. There were around 40 complaints, from memory, about things there.
These were piling up and then the latest, whether a conflation of several complaints, or what, was that there had been at least instance of more serious issues.
it did not come out of nowhere
we had no idea who was involved then though some could find out joining dots
all the accounts were saying that a person/s were persistently crossing boundaries
'kissing', 'hugging', 'complimenting' were not what Mallard was directly referring to, he may be hot-headed but he is not silly enough to call that rape.
They were unwarranted and unwise approaches to young female staff by a person who should have known better.
It's the appropriation of empathetic sounds while obviously not understanding a word they say that pisses me off. They just seem to think it's some sort of ritual one does to score points.
I was not saying that nothing did not happen. When it comes to what Mallard said happened (allegation of rape) this did not happen and the government employee was defamed.
The women who were harassed were put into a position by Mallard which possibly made it differcult to make a complaint to the police. Where there is no police complaint the police usually do not do an investigation. Not every person wants to make a complaint either.
I don't think it was Mallard who put them in that position. It was more the actions of Paula Bennett and the politically motivated furore – aided an abetted by some in the media – that followed. They didn't want to go the police. They wanted their employers, Parliamentary Services to take action -perhaps move on the person who was causing them grief.
Mallard did not make an outright allegation. He served to make a comparison with rape as the effects of the harassment on the young victims were reasonably serious. Not a good suitable description granted and he has acknowledged as much.
It is different to an allegation of rape, and that is conveniently being ignored by Collins, Seymour, Soper and other journos who have jumped on the story.
I do expect any MP or the speaker of the house who is in charge of Parliamentary Services to know the difference between bullying, sexual harassment, gaslighting, indecent assault, sexual assault, sexual violation and rape. All of these offences cause harm. In some cases years go by until a person is psychologically well enough to make a complaint and has the resources for a lawyer. In some instances the perpetrator continues their horrid behaviour and the employer needs a reason for them to be removed or excuses are made by the employer for not removing the perpetrator.
The $158,000 made to him is for the payment of his legal bills and a $171,000 has been paid to Mallard's lawyers at Dentons Kensington Swan. A further $4641 went to Crown Law for advice to Parliament's then deputy Speaker Anne Tolley who Mallard delegated to have the rules changed to protect him.
Pretty sure Mallard ordering Tolley to "change the rules to protect me" would have raised some pretty big headlines, even if Tolley were inclined to go along with it. Seems more like Mallard stepped back from the issue due to the conflict of interest.
Barry Soper went berserk when Labour won the 2017 election. He could not hide his anger and malice and behaved like a spoiled brat for a year or more afterwards at every PM media stand-up. Ardern's patience with him was remarkable. I would have told him to shit off and never return – which is why I never contemplated a political career.
For one thing, NZ political commentators are breathless gossips who are completely wrong more often than they are correct.
The only message they communicate is their own. One or two of them have been treading the line between reporting and advocacy (ISTR allegations of friendship between them and the staffer?). So "if" you have any actual evidence that Mallard committed a corrupt act, take it to the cops.
You might not see Soper "making it all up". Neither do I. I'm quite prepared to believe that Mallard recused himself from making the decision due to a conflict of interest, and delegated Tolley to decide what the correct thing to be done was.
But I can definitely see Soper spinning a proper and responsible course of action into something corrupt, especially if Soper happened to be mates with the guy who got three definite complaints for inappropriate behaviour.
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Buzz from the Beehive Just before Christmas, Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivered something that was pitched as a mini-budget and brayed about the decisive action being taken to repair the Government books and support income tax relief in Budget 2024. In a statement headed Fiscal repair job underway. she introduced ...
My sister Belinda asked Dad yesterday what one word would describe Mum best. He said: vivacious.If you only knew her from the photos on the slideshow we've made for today,you might wonder about that, because the camera tended to lie with Mum.If ever she saw a camera pointed at her, she ...
There are two major public consultations closing in the next week, Auckland Council’s Long Term Plan (LTP), and the draft Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS). Closing dates and times: LTP closes Thursday 28 February, at 11.59pm – a minute to midnight! GPS closes Tuesday 2 April, at 12pm noon – note that’s ...
From Kiwiblog’s David Farrar – Bryce Wilkinson writes: Senior Fellow Bryce Wilkinson’s analysis reveals that since March 2009, New Zealand has spent $158 billion more overseas than it has earned, but its NIIP has only fallen by $32 billion.Statistics New Zealand shows that receipts from overseas reinsurers have ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition? Brian Easton writes – The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could ...
Dear Nicola Willis,Right now you’ve probably got lots of competing demands coming at you. Ministers who’ve inherited quite a mess, or so you’ve told us, looking for money in the budget to improve things. I imagine that’s why they came to parliament - to make things better.You’ll have to make ...
The Local Government, Transport and Auckland Minister hasthreatened councils with intervention if they don’t merge water assets to take them off balance sheet, just as the now-repealed Three Waters plan directed. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things of note this morning for Monday, March 25 include:Simeon ...
A listing of 36 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 17, 2024 thru Sat, March 23, 2024. Story of the week Thanks to John Mason having the stamina to sit down to watch "Climate - the Movie" ...
This morning the Q&A programme had Simeon Brown on to talk about National’s replacement for Three Waters. In case anyone’s forgotten the three are - drinking water, waste water, and sewerage. It’s quite important not to get them mixed up. In much the same way that you wouldn’t want to ...
Today’s newsletter comes with a mini-podcast conversation between me and my buddy Liv Tennet, talking about her time as a child actor in Lord of the Rings. It’s a conversation with a lot of giggles as she talks about falling off a horse, and becoming a meme. Read ...
The Desmog Climate Disinformation Database documents, "individuals and organisations that have helped to delay and distract the public and our elected leaders from taking needed action to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and fight global warming." It's a who's who of the organised climate change denial movement, in other words. In ...
Bob Edlin writes – A High Court judge has decided miscreants who have mana – or who claim to have mana – should be treated differently from miscreants who have none. It’s a ruling that suggests indigenous law-breakers have a better chance of securing a discharge without conviction ...
Welcome to the first, and possibly last, edition of Brickbats, Bouquets and Bull’s Wool. In which I’ll take a look at the events of the last week or so, and rate them.In such ratings the numbers usually have more to do with the opinions of the reviewer, than the actual ...
Roger Partridge writes – My earlier column this month, New Zealand’s highest court could be facing a turning point, prompted a flood of feedback from business readers and lawyers alike. A common query was what Parliament can do to restrain an overreaching judiciary. This week I discuss two steps Parliament ...
TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.16pm on Friday, March 22: writes about New Zealand's Building Boom—And What the World Must Learn From It over at his substack. challenges the Auckland Council’s use of a 3.8 degrees of warming forecast to oppose a wave-park and data centre project ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition?The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could deliver her promised income tax cuts. Appointed minister, she ...
Buzz from the Beehive Ministers of the Crown have drawn attention to one sector of the science sector which is unlikely to be subjected to heavy spending cuts, a state-funded broadcaster which is doing nicely, thank you, and a sporting event that had $5.4 million from the public purse puffed ...
Abbott’s Freestyle Libre sensors allow continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). The sensor is applied to the back of the patient’s arm, with a thin filament under the skin measuring glucose levels constantly. But it costs around $100 per sensor and must be replaced once every 14 days. Photo by BSIP/Universal Images ...
The Inspector General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) recently released a report in which he exposes the existence of a foreign intelligence partner-controlled technological “capability” inside the headquarters of the GCSB, NZ’s 5 Eyes-affiliated signals intelligence collection and analysis agency. … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – Nearly three decades after the introduction of MMP and multiparty governments there should be a greater level of understanding about their finer points than often appears to be the case. The reaction to the despicable outburst from the Deputy Prime Minister at the weekend highlights ...
The sweet kisses from fruit of summerHave slowly been turning dullerYou say, "those times"And "remember the daysWhen we went outside and there still was the shade?"Taking no reason into play…Autumn. Clear, blue days shortening to longer nights, growing colder. Aotearoa.That’s us. The temperature dropping, the looming car crash - so ...
Bryce Edwards writes – “It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April ...
David Farrar writes – The Electoral Commission has published the expense returns for political parties for the 2023 election. I’ve put them in a table with how many votes a party got so we can see the spend per vote. National only spent $3.34 for every vote they got, almost ...
Winston Peters’ headline-making actions over the past week may have been a show of political power intended to strengthen his hand in Budget negotiations. It was no accident that his State of the Nation speech was as it was. He made it as New Zealand First Leader, not as Deputy ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:Former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson bowed out of politics this week, giving a series of exit ...
Graham Adams writes — If you love the law or sausages, as the saying goes, best not to look too closely at how they are made. And after watching the orgy of self-pity when Newshub’s closure was announced on February 28, television journalism should definitely be added to the list of those ...
Venerable New Zealand political commentator, Chris Trotter (https://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/), is a sad creature these days. Once one of the most reliable Leftist writers out there – Economic Left at that – Trotter seems to have absorbed the worldview of Auckland culture-war obsessives. It is not for me to categorise what he ...
The cruelty of short-term memory loss is that each time you ask where she is, you get the fresh shock and grief of the news. That was Dad's day yesterday.Comfortingly, it seems to be less so today. Last night he looked crumpled, today he seems more settled. There's a card ...
Photo by Alvan Nee on UnsplashIt’s that new day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when and I co-host our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm. Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news ...
Buzz from the Beehive One minister is talking tough while a colleague – whose ministry had acted tough and drawn a barrage of flak – has shown an official softening. Some ministers are doing what Labour was good at, which is distributing public funds to causes regarded as worthy or ...
A ballot for 4 Member's Bills was held today, and the following bills were drawn: Insurance Contracts Bill (Duncan Webb) Income Tax (Clean Transport FBT Exclusion) Amendment Bill (Julie Anne Genter) Crimes (Increased Penalties for Slavery Offences) Amendment Bill (Greg Fleming) Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) ...
One of the strongest narratives about "our" spy agencies is that they are basically institutional traitors, working for foreign powers (or just themselves), without any control or oversight by the elected government. And today, we have yet another report from the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security which explicitly confirms this. ...
“It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April to meet the Prime Minister’s ...
The Coalition Government’s plan to ‘get Auckland moving’ is a cuts cover-up that will ultimately cost Aucklanders more to move around the city, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Slashing the Ministry of Pacific Peoples by 40% will have a devastating impact on pacific communities and further highlights how little this government cares about anything other than cutting taxes for the wealthiest few. ...
Labour has proposed an urgent inquiry to investigate the ever-increasing profits of supermarkets, aiming to lower costs for shoppers and food producers alike, says Labour Spokesperson for Commerce and Consumer Affairs Arena Williams and Primary Production Spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel. ...
With 14% of jobs on the line at the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, the responsible Minister Melissa Lee is failing to stand up for the very communities she’s meant to be representing. ...
COURT OF APPEAL: TRIFECTA OF VICTORY FOR NZ FIRST, TRIFECTA OF FAILURE FOR OPPONENTS For the third time since April 2020, New Zealand First has defeated the Serious Fraud Office and all those complicit in a malicious attack against a political party going about its lawful business in a lawful ...
The Green Party stands with people who live in public housing, people in dire housing need, experts and advocates in demanding better than the Government’s archaic approach to housing those who need our support the most. ...
New Zealand has recently lost the hosting rights of some major international sporting events including the America’s Cup, the Rugby Championship, Netball World Cup, and the Wellington Sevens. We are now at a huge risk of losing SailGP as well. And it won’t stop there. The recent issues with SailGP ...
A Member’s Bill drawn this week would modernise insurance law and make things fairer and more transparent for consumers, Christchurch Central MP Duncan Webb said. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues has confirmed she was aware of funding issues in mid-December and did nothing to stop it. On 14 March, she signed off on changes that were announced and implemented on 18 March without any consultation with disability communities. ...
Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter says her members' bill is an opportunity for the coalition government to plug the gap in electric vehicle incentives. ...
The National Government continues to talk about irresponsible tax cuts that will only drive up inflation, despite the country entering a technical recession. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues must act urgently to reinstate flexibility around the funding for disability support and apologise to disabled carers. ...
This story has been initiated by a leftie shill reporter who proactively sought to call a member of a former band, which disbanded twelve years ago, give their biased appraisal of what was said in my speech, and concocted a ham-fisted attempt at a story that does nothing but show ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Many in the mainstream media have taken what was said in New Zealand First’s State of the Nation Speech in Palmerston North on Sunday and deliberately, deceitfully, and ignorantly misrepresented what I said and why I said it. The headlines and commentary on the news stated that I compared ‘co-governance ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
Good afternoon. Thank you for, in your very busy lives, turning up to this meeting today. On October 14th last year New Zealanders overwhelmingly voted for change. That is exactly what this new government is bringing. New Zealand First campaigned to ‘take back our country’ and stop the disastrous economic ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April. “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates. Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend. “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says. Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track. “Dam safety regulations ...
The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says. “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says. “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009. ...
The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function. The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union. “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says. “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
Good morning, it’s great to be here. First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning. I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed. “Northland has faced a number ...
New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
EDITORIAL:The Jakarta Post It happens again and again; indigenous Papuans fall victim to Indonesian soldiers. This time, we have photographic evidence for the brutality, with videos on social media showing a Papuan man being tortured by a group of plainclothes men alleged to be the Indonesian Military (TNI) members. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn J. Whitaker, Director of the Wesley Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Policy & Associate Professor, New Testament, Pilgrim Theological College, University of Divinity A strange and eclectic range of activities takes place across these few weeks of the year. Some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University It’s Easter weekend, which means many of us will be kicking back with the greatest hits on repeat. But whether you’re a boomer, or an ‘80s or ’90s kid, you might be ...
RNZ Pacific Fiji’s Acting Public Prosecutor has filed an appeal against the sentences of former prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama and suspended police chief Sitiveni Qiliho in their corruption case. Bainimarama was granted an absolute discharge for attempting to pervert the course of justice while Qiliho received a conditional discharge with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Arosha Weerakoon, Senior Lecturer and General Dentist, School of Dentistry, The University of Queensland Casezy idea/Shutterstock How does toothpaste work? What did people use before toothpaste was invented? – Amelia, age 7, Meanjin (Brisbane) Thanks for your ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brett Hallam, Associate professor, UNSW Sydney IM Imagery/Shutterstock Solar SunShot is well named. The Australian government announced today it would plough A$1 billion into bringing back solar manufacturing to Australia, boosting energy security, swapping coal and gas jobs for those ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Dix, Research Fellow in Nutrition & Dietetics, The University of Queensland Easter is the time for chocolate. The shops are full of fantastically packaged and shiny chocolates in all shapes and sizes, making trips to the supermarket with children more challenging ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Felton, Adjunct Senior Researcher, University of South Australia Even in a stubborn cost-of-living crisis, it seems there’s one luxury most Australians won’t sacrifice – their daily cup of coffee. Coffee sales have largely remained stable, even as financial pressures have ...
Mining company Trans-Tasman Resources has unexpectedly withdrawn its application for a consent to suck the valuable metals vanadium and titanium from the Taranaki seafloor, as it apparently wagers on the Government’s new fast-track process. It had spent two-and-a-half days putting its case to the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision-making committee, at ...
Contrary to the Associate Minister of Education’s claims, analysis of Healthy School Lunches Programme - Ka Ora, Ka Ako assessments has revealed it provides excellent value for the taxpayer dollar, as a groundswell of public opposition to Government ...
Greenpeace says wannabe Taranaki seabed miner Trans-Tasman Resources is likely banking on Christopher Luxon’s fast-track process to side-step proper scrutiny of its Taranaki seabed mining proposal by bailing out of the Environmental Protection Agency hearing ...
Kiwis Against Seabed mining today slammed Australian owned would-be seabed miner Trans Tasman Resources (TTR) for abandoning its application to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to mine the seabed of the South Taranaki Bight. The company ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katie Attwell, Associate Professor, School of Social Sciences, The University of Western Australia Ground Picture/Shutterstock Months after COVID vaccines were introduced in 2021, governments and private organisations mandated them for various groups. Health and aged care workers were among the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Dzurak, Scientia Professor Andrew Dzurak, CEO and Founder of Diraq, UNSW Sydney Diraq For decades, the pursuit of quantum computing has struggled with the need for extremely low temperatures, mere fractions of a degree above absolute zero (0 Kelvin or ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne A national Essential poll, conducted March 20–24 from a sample of 1,150, gave the Coalition a 50–44 lead including undecided, a reversal ...
The Taxpayers’ Union has today made a formal request under the Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on Open Government Information () for information held about how New Zealand Members of Parliament are spending taxpayer ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Nelson, Honorary Principal Fellow, The University of Melbourne A Byzantine depiction of the Eucharist in Saint Sophia Cathedral, Kyiv.Jacek555/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA A nasty quarrel arose in the 11th century over what kind of bread should be used in holy ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Patrick Hesp, Professor, Flinders University Patrick Hesp In some parts of Australia, coastal dunes are retreating from the ocean at an alarming rate, as waves carve up the beach and wind blows the sand inland. But coastal communities are largely ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luke Heemsbergen, Senior Lecturer, Digital, Political, Media, Deakin University With an impressive 60% of the US smartphone market, Apple is undeniably big, but not a clear monopoly. Yet, years of innovation by Apple have effectively given the company its own exclusive ...
Whether you’re facing layoffs or are just an emotional junior staffer, it’s always a good idea to scout out a good crying place before you need it. It’s an incredibly hard time for Wellington. Across the city, thousands of public servants are hearing tough news about redundancies and layoffs. Government ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Miller-Jones, Professor, Curtin University Nuclear explosions on a neutron star feed its jets. Danielle Futselaar and Nathalie Degenaar, Anton Pannekoek Institute, University of Amsterdam, CC BY-SA How fast can a neutron star drive powerful jets into space? The answer, it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daryl Adair, Associate Professor of Sport Management, University of Technology Sydney Earlier this week, independent MP Andrew Wilkie accused the AFL of conducting “off the books” illicit drug testing to identify players using substances of abuse, then inappropriately withdrawing them from matches ...
The Government’s announcement that it will scrap plans for a vast marine sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands is ‘shameful’ and will make it impossible for Aotearoa New Zealand to meet its international commitments, says the World Wide Fund for Nature ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Quiggin, Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland Shutterstock The federal government has bowed to pressure from the car industry, announcing it will relax proposed emissions rules for utes and vans and delay enforcement of the new standards ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Suzanne Rutland, Professor Emerita, University of Sydney In his latest book, Jewish Life in Medieval Spain, Jonathan Ray focuses on the tumult of the 14th century in Spain – a time of the plague, civil strife and war between the two largest ...
While creating a slate of world-class shows, Whakaata Māori also developed a generation of world-class creatives. Television is an odd word. It mixes the Ancient Greek and Latin languages, and its most literal meaning is “far-off sight”. In the contemporary and living language of te reo Māori, “whakaata” as a ...
Yesterday the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza. This significant step and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza prompted an urgent debate in the New Zealand Parliament. Leader ...
The Government’s decision to reduce access to continuous glucose monitors (CGM) not only threatens the lives of children with type 1 diabetes and increases the potential for ‘Dead in Bed’ syndrome, but also threatens the health of their parents an ...
Apples are available year-round, but the wide variety on offer involves intensive scientific research – and large-scale commercialisation. What’s beautiful, red, sweet and crunchy? Tony Martin’s favourite kind of apple: Sassy. The CEO of apple and pear breeding organisation Prevar, Martin’s fondness for Sassy represents professional success as well as ...
Family violence specialist service Shine is calling on employers to stop asking for proof of domestic violence in order for employees to access domestic violence leave. The call comes five years after the introduction of the Domestic Violence ...
The Deputy Chairperson of the Finance and Expenditure Committee is calling for public submissions on the Budget Policy Statement 2024. The Budget Policy Statement 2024 (BPS) sets out the Government's priorities for the 2024 Budget. It explains the approach ...
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Meanwhile Trev' again.
Their timing on releasing all this is extremely embarrassing to watch.
Should feel sorry for him, but he is a bullying arsehole, so not possible.
Will be very interesting to see how our caring, sharing govt will vote in his vote of no confidence in the new year, and whether they vote to support his bullying.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/123678280/parliaments-speaker-trevor-mallard-costs-taxpayer-333000-after-rape-allegation
Only of real interest to political opportunists looking for a hit out.
More important is the quote from a sufferer in Alison Mau's take.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/112955052/alison-mau?rm=a
This is an important counter to the 'poor me' expressed for the person who has had a payout.
This person has admitted to touching. What more is there to say really.
"he is a bullying arsehole"
You're siding with Judith on this.
Okay.
I am not siding with anyone.
It is my own opinion.
He is a prick. I have had the displeasure of meeting him, and have seen enough with his reported past escapades (Like his fist fight).
"It is my own opinion."
It is an ignorant opinion.
A man was sexually harassing young women. No, it was not technically rape, but to the unfortunate victims it had the same effect – that is, fear and a feeling of degradation. Mallard voiced those feelings with his comment that ran along the lines that… it looked to him to be rape.
Maybe unwise given his parliamentary status but not a sacking offence.
The perpetrator used the technical breach to obtain $160,000 compensation which is yet another example of the morality – or the lack of it – of the NZ justice system and indeed the perpetrator himself.
The perpetrator who was sued and apologised, changed the rules apparently, and paid out 1/3 of a million dollars of tax payer money to make it go away was Mallard.
[please provide a credible citation to support that allegation. Linking to hearsay and unsubstantiated opinion doesn’t count – weka]
Shit off.
So he didnt apologise, pay the bloke off because he was totally wrong?
mod note for you.
dropping you in premod until I get a response. You ignored my first request, now it's from a moderator. It's not ok to keep repeating the same lines without backing up your claim.
Do you mind pointing out which bit, as I had to guess.
You gave me 4 minutes and didn't actually say which bit you wanted a response to.
[You’re in premod because I was about to log off for the night and you were already spamming the thread with the same lines. Nothing to do with other timing. It’s pretty clear from my mod note and comments what I want backing up. We’re now in wasting moderator time phase and I’m inclined to just ban you until after the holidays simply because I don’t want to spend my time on this.
– weka]
I said apparently.
Forgive me.
"Apparently, according to political editor Barry Soper"
[you don’t get to decide where the boundaries are. Adding the word apparently doesn’t change things. Either provide evidence for the assertion or withdraw it or get a ban – weka]
In my opinion Mallard should resign. He's cost the tax payer thousands slandering someone which has been proven to be incorrect. It's not only Judith that wants him gone but also Seymour as well of course. I would be surprised if there were no Labour MP's that think he should go after this.
We should regard your opinion as … Chris T's.
That would be how it normally works.
And we should rank your view alongside of your previous views expressed here – hence Anne's response 🙂
I have no idea which view you are talking about.
"I am not siding with anyone."
Ha, ha, ha, ha!
Poetry!
I have worked with him along with many others during 1992-1996 when Mallard was Whip. A more straight up person you could not meet. Called a spade a spade, what you see is what you got. Far preferable to anyone who is of a touchy feely bent, and many other and who cannot see or read the environment to note that touchy feely is actually not on in a workplace and especially where there is an imbalance of power.
I don't know the person, I could easily find out. He has damned himself by owning up to hugging, kissing and complimenting – all actions that sensible people don't do in a workplace.
I doubt, given that he has publicised ie minimised what he did, that anyone other than he himself may have caused people in the future to wonder about 'fit' in a workplace where women work.
Your view/opinion exhibits a degree of personal animus that makes me wonder.
Sorry Mallard not whip all that time…..did not mean to imply this.
I agree with Judith Collins, the Speaker “has been reckless with his words”, which is “unprofessional” according to David Seymour, and the Taxpayers’ Onion wants him to pay the money back, which is ironic coming from them 😀
However, it was the current Speaker who instigated the Independent External Review into Bullying and Harassment in the New Zealand Parliamentary Workplace (https://www.parliament.nz/en/visit-and-learn/how-parliament-works/office-of-the-speaker/corporate-documents/independent-external-review-into-bullying-and-harassment-in-the-new-zealand-parliamentary-workplace-final-report/) and it seems he was overzealous and overstepped the line.
AFAIK, Parliamentary Services have been following up and implementing many (?) of the recommendations in the Report.
Arch hipocrisy from National, given nine years of creepy FJK including him yelling at the opposition that they support rapists.
Are you saying that condones what Mallard has done?
No, I'm saying Collins should shut the fuck up. Running lines that Mallard should resign because of unacceptable behaviour when she supported all Key all those years is bullshit politicking.
Given the brand Ardern has created for the govt, they shouldn't have to be told by anyone the bloke should go/be moved to a different position.
[You see, it’s comments like this one that make me wonder whether or not you’re really a clever troll siding with the DP gang in and of National. In this case, you’re trying to politicise the issue to attack Ardern.
Here’s another almost identical example, in a thread on a sensitive and complex issue: https://thestandard.org.nz/assisted-dying-law-in-new-zealand-and-the-uk/#comment-1770385.
My tendency is to give people the benefit of doubt but my gut instinct is telling me that you’re a troll. I have looked into your history here on this site and you’re a recidivist offender who has received many bans and countless Moderation notes. You’re wasting precious Moderator time.
Lprent recently cut the Gordian Knot when he said this in a Moderation:
You can look it up yourself.
Well, the tea leaves show an awful lot of ambiguity when asking about your motives here.
Feel where I’m going with this?
You’re in Pre-Moderation watch by weka but I think it’s fair to let you know that I’m actively monitoring you now to boot you off the site for a while. So, this is your final warning, as far as I’m concerned – Incognito]
See my Moderation note @ 6:43 PM.
I have seen it. But since this Pre-mod thing I can't post (well at least after they said it, so the booting off threat is a bit moot.
Edit: Apparently now I can, you just have to approve them.
[Warnings, warnings, warnings, so many warnings. Warnings are not threats. They are invitations to you to lift your game here. Something tells me that this is not going to happen.
This particular warning was not an invitation to you to rebut or litigate your moderation. It was a request to take heed.
Generally, Moderators are happy to answer any questions commenters might have about (their) moderation but in your case we’ve passed it and it would simply be wasting more of our time; ignorance is no excuse and you cannot feign it anyway.
You’d be better advised to get yourself out of Pre-Moderation by providing an adequate response to weka’s moderation notes. Of course, if you’re a troll, and I’m now more convinced of this, then it will be another token effort until next time with lots of “I’m sorry” and “please, forgive me”. If you’re genuine, then we will see a genuine and lasting attempt to lift your game. Others here make an effort to improve so why not you??
TTFN – Incognito]
See my Moderation note @ 7:17 AM.
Weka's moderation post didn't say which part of my post I had to clarify.
I get modding is annoying. I do it on other forums, but this
My post
"The perpetrator who was sued and apologised,"
Mallard in the case in question we were discussing Unless you deny this happening when it was reported in multiple media.
"changed the rules apparently,"
My fault. Should have put a disclaimer it was an accusation by Soper.
"and paid out 1/3 of a million dollars of tax payer money "
This is true and reported in multiple links provided by me.
"to make it go away was Mallard."
Admittedly my opinion, apologies, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist given the timing.
[all you had to do was provide a credible link to support your assertion that wasn’t from a partisan hack like Soper. I would have accepted something from a right winger, had it been credible. But seeing as how you can’t even be bothered to do that, I’m banning you until after the holidays so I don’t have to keep spending my time on this. Can’t emphasise how much wasting mod time is a factor in moderation, learn from this when you come back – weka]
[checked the Mod post to see previous moderations and there’s too many to look at. Three month ban mostly for wasting my time, but also, if you want to comment here you *have to provide evidence for assertions of fact especially about public figures. Noting in the back end because if this happens again you can expect a much longer ban. See also https://thestandard.org.nz/a-bit-about-how-the-standard-works/ – weka]
two mod notes.
Re the 4 minute, no warning complaint. My first mod note was at 8.06pm on 11/12/20. The ban was given after 10pm and you had posted again by then. I don't know if you didn't see my notes, or ignored them (again, the issue here is about my time spent and the onus is on the commenter to do the legwork), but my suggestion is to use the Reply list so you can see who has replied to you and if it is a moderator, go read what they say before doing anything else.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/trevor-mallard-defamation-case-settling-speakers-false-rape-claim-against-staffer-costs-taxpayers-333000-national/P2J7YX4WTQM3EZWLBCPAWPZGFM/
[thanks Chris. Had you provided that the first or even second time you were asked for it, two things would have happened. One is you wouldn’t now be on a 3 month ban. The other is that we could have had an actual political debate about that aspect of the situation, because instead of partisan hack reckons, we had some actual facts to work with. That’s what we are here for. – weka]
mod note.
Yes, agree but then she/National Party not given to introspection or knowledge of the glasshouses and stones analogy.
And arguably the involvement of Paula Bennett in this whole saga when she treated the fact that women had come to her as a political point scoring exercise rather than alerting the PM in a one on one basis was another low point.
Jacinda did say in politics we should be kinder to each other & that she would have an open & transparent government. She has failed on both counts & when questioned about Mallard’s behaviour doesn’t act like a decent prime minister. If Helen Clark was in charge Mallard would be off to the chopping block.
Why should Mallard go?
He accused a staff member of being a rapist, which basically cost the bloke his career (given the size of Wellington.
He is supposed to understand the intricacies of House Rules, yet doesn't know what rape is.
He tried to hide his apology in amongst the announcements of the biggest report of the year.
According to Soper this afternoon he changed the rules after doing it so he didnt have to pay for his bullying, as he obviouslyknew he would lose.
https://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/opinion/barry-soper-trevor-mallard-should-resign-for-his-disgraceful-behaviour/
there's a lot of unsubstantiated assertion in that opinion piece, and its from Soper, do you have a better reference?
Mallard made a mistake in an RNZ interview, conflating legal definitions of sexual assault with rape. He didn't know who the staffer was and from what I can tell believed that the person wasn't known generally. I don't know if he was mistaken on that.
No offence, and forgive me if I am wrong, but you seem to be coming across as trying to fob off what Mallard did as just a mistake, lets just forget about it.
Wellington is a small place, with loads of govt departments who all know each other and gossip.
Trust me. Most of them know who it is.
It's not 'just' a mistake, it's an important mistake, but not one that I think he should lose the Speaker role for. I haven't seen a convincing argument for why he should eg he knew who the man was and knew his words would seriously impact on the man.
Also, if you ask me who I think is more likely to be accurate and truthful over the nature of the assaults, Mallard or Soper, I'd pick Mallard. But I don't know the details of the case, so I am guessing.
Especially as we don't know the details of the case that had been described to Mallard at the time.
One the one hand you have the guy's description:
and at the other end there is Mallard saying:
I know the right wing have nightmares about "woke liberal" complaints, but there's more than just a semantic difference between those two descriptions of behaviour.
the extent to which those on the right are willing to use rape culture and minimising of it for political gain (including Collins today) is a big factor in why I'm more inclined to believe Mallard. Although it could just be that I don't trust Soper as far as I could throw him.
Agree with you Weka. I would trust Mallard over Soper any day and Mallard over Collins any day.
National Party is the last party to be acting shocked about this and calling anyone to account……bearing in mind the lack of ethical and moral framework that was so apparent last year.
There an important time delay between the statements. Mallard's was in reaction to the Debbie Francis report, a survey done of Parliamentary staff, ongoing cases of sexual shenanigans, Paula Bennett using the approach of several Labour staff members to her as a political point scoring exercise. There were allegations all round. At one stage it was thought that there were several of these men in staff positions.
I have not seen the statements from the person who got the payout before now. These were not around or public when all the above were going on. We did not know who it was.
So Mallard was not aware that the person had admitted to touching, kissing and complimenting ie his 'rape' response was not to this. It was to report after report seeming to be coming out about Labour staff having gone too far.
The point is in all of this is that the man has admitted to doing things that could be unwelcome, could cause women to wonder if they were safe etc with him, wonder if they are going to be able to keep working there. Power imbalance
Trust you? You're connected to the "loads of govt departments who all know each other and gossip"?
We should trust you on that basis??
Okey-dokey!
"Gossip"?
"Gossip" !!
Our new realty – gossip!
Nice, Chris T!
Shades of Helen Clark and her own issue over the legal semantics between "murder" and "manslaughter". Meh.
Soper's mate claimed it was all about an innocent hug and a hair compliment. Yeah, right.
334k is a lot of money to have been spent on lawyers.
Surely a legal opinion was given to Mallard at the onset.
It is a big stretch from unproven indecent assault to an allegation of rape.
I have little faith in any MP when it comes to a mental injury covered by ACC because I am not at all surprised by their ignorance.
Mallard has seen his error. If the situation affects how he does his job as speaker in the future, then his job has become untenable.
It may not have been proven in a court of law but from memory several women came forward with complaints about the same person. That indicated he harassed and degraded young women.
My memory of the context around Mallard's words was not a formal allegation of rape, but rather he regarded it as something along the lines of rape. A fair enough conclusion given what else was being reported at the time.
This is the usual kind of pathetic political one-up-man-ship game we have come to expect from National and ACT.
And so we minimise the 'things' that this person has done…….by applying male chauv standards. Next thing we know he'll be saying 'she couldn't take a joke'.
a hug, when one may have neither wanted or expected and certainly not normal in a public service setting.
compliments – most thinking bosses or people in charge know this is an absolute minefield.
kissing on the cheek – see above when one may have neither wanted or expected and certainly not normal in a public service setting.
These do sound overly touchy feely and unwelcome attention from someone in power to an underling and fit the usual definitions of sexual harassment.
Do not put words in my mouth which I did not say.
Clearly something happened and Mallard's stupidity has probably added to the distress of the women who spoke up about the government employee.
This appears to have been investigated by parliamentary services. They concluded the accusations were unsubstantiated so the only account we have of the nature of events is from the Soper interview.
There isn't really anything public backing up Mallards description of events, not even a claim by reporters that the accusations were more serious than described.
And yet the idea that Mallard read a report about a hug and felt that it amounted to something on the level of rape just doesn't scan.
No it doesn't, but your honour I'm not that stupid, wouldn't qualify as a defence and holds up even less in the court of public opinion.
Well, the former appears to involve a settlement, and the latter isn't actually a court.
Given the price of the advice I would like to believe the defence was of a higher standard than that…
Personally, I hope he's not taking the reputational hit just to protect the complainant by keeping the details of a serious sexual assault from being trawled through civil court.
300k isn't all that's stopping Grant Robertson from signing the cheques for a bold nay revolutionary government agenda of social and economic reform. In the greater scheme of things, it's fuckall.
I remember no such claim from Parliamentary Services!
What I do remember is evidence they tried to sweep the complaints under the carpet which many of us have found to be normal practice from Public Service entities when faced with allegations of bullying, sexual harassment and other forms of intimidation.
Your saying they swept an accusation of sexual assault under the rug?
Well, it wouldn't be the first time.
But other options include:
If I were offered a million dollars if I could pick the correct scenario, I wouldn't be picking that Mallard thought an innocent but unwelcome hug was a serious sexual assault akin to rape.
In the past that is exactly what some Public Service entities did when an employee came forward and tried to lay complaints about a superior officer.
In my case, it was bullying and intimidation but I did also report a series of obscene phone calls I was receiving around the same time. Instead of giving me support, they effectively accused me of lying.
It happened a long time ago now but I have noted from cases which have landed in the media from time to time that in reality not a lot seems to have changed.
I don't see how calling an accusation of sexual harassment 'a rape' and being unable to pursue that with the police is helping victims of sexual harassment. So unless the accusation was of that nature I don't see any difference between parliamentary services sweeping this under the rug and alternatively sacking the staffer for inappropriate behaviour. Probably they think the punishment was fit and you think it was a thorough cover up.
You need to look at the Debbie Francis report. Read press from the time. There was also an SSC(?) or parliamentary services (?) investigations. There were around 40 complaints, from memory, about things there.
These were piling up and then the latest, whether a conflation of several complaints, or what, was that there had been at least instance of more serious issues.
it did not come out of nowhere
we had no idea who was involved then though some could find out joining dots
all the accounts were saying that a person/s were persistently crossing boundaries
'kissing', 'hugging', 'complimenting' were not what Mallard was directly referring to, he may be hot-headed but he is not silly enough to call that rape.
They were unwarranted and unwise approaches to young female staff by a person who should have known better.
It's the appropriation of empathetic sounds while obviously not understanding a word they say that pisses me off. They just seem to think it's some sort of ritual one does to score points.
I was not saying that nothing did not happen. When it comes to what Mallard said happened (allegation of rape) this did not happen and the government employee was defamed.
The women who were harassed were put into a position by Mallard which possibly made it differcult to make a complaint to the police. Where there is no police complaint the police usually do not do an investigation. Not every person wants to make a complaint either.
I don't think it was Mallard who put them in that position. It was more the actions of Paula Bennett and the politically motivated furore – aided an abetted by some in the media – that followed. They didn't want to go the police. They wanted their employers, Parliamentary Services to take action -perhaps move on the person who was causing them grief.
Yep. Fair summary.
It is never good when an organisation investigates itself when bullying, harassment sexual assault and making up false allegations occurs.
Mallard did not make an outright allegation. He served to make a comparison with rape as the effects of the harassment on the young victims were reasonably serious. Not a good suitable description granted and he has acknowledged as much.
It is different to an allegation of rape, and that is conveniently being ignored by Collins, Seymour, Soper and other journos who have jumped on the story.
I do expect any MP or the speaker of the house who is in charge of Parliamentary Services to know the difference between bullying, sexual harassment, gaslighting, indecent assault, sexual assault, sexual violation and rape. All of these offences cause harm. In some cases years go by until a person is psychologically well enough to make a complaint and has the resources for a lawyer. In some instances the perpetrator continues their horrid behaviour and the employer needs a reason for them to be removed or excuses are made by the employer for not removing the perpetrator.
What is the answer?
Sorry. Missed a bit from the article
yeah, that's some of the unsubstantiated assertion from Soper.
In Soper's opinion.
Pretty sure Mallard ordering Tolley to "change the rules to protect me" would have raised some pretty big headlines, even if Tolley were inclined to go along with it. Seems more like Mallard stepped back from the issue due to the conflict of interest.
In which case it's interesting that Soper feels free to assert that.
@ mcflock..
really…?
I think if sopers' allegation that mallard had the laws changed to save his own pocket…are true..
mallard has to walk…
that is corruption..
(just in case anyone was wondering)
it is one thing to run off at the mouth…
…but to do what soper alleges..
..is corruption..
and he can't stay in that role that he now has..
"if"
Barry Soper went berserk when Labour won the 2017 election. He could not hide his anger and malice and behaved like a spoiled brat for a year or more afterwards at every PM media stand-up. Ardern's patience with him was remarkable. I would have told him to shit off and never return – which is why I never contemplated a political career.
I have long thought that soper is a feckin' idjit…
but that does not necessarily mean his allegation is untrue…
..and I really must note..that if a tory speaker was alleged to have done this..(changed the law to protect his pocket)
most here now defending mallard..would be screaming for his head..
..eh..?
If someone credible made the allegation and had evidence, Mallard would be in deeper shit than "Soper wants me to quit".
this is only day one of this little purler..
if true it has a way yet to run..
and if proven correct..
..I can't see mallard surviving it..
and..you all seem to be focused on shooting the messenger..eh..?
soper is just repeating what he has been told..
the focus should be on the proving..or not..of the corruption allegation
.
For one thing, NZ political commentators are breathless gossips who are completely wrong more often than they are correct.
The only message they communicate is their own. One or two of them have been treading the line between reporting and advocacy (ISTR allegations of friendship between them and the staffer?). So "if" you have any actual evidence that Mallard committed a corrupt act, take it to the cops.
um..!..you seem to be confusing me with the source of this allegation..
I am not making it ..
I am commenting on it..
So you have nothing other than your faith in the truth and accuracy of half a dozen words from a NZ professional parliamentary opinionator.
Like I said: "if".
a bit more than that..
all I am saying is that it needs investigating..
..and while not defending soper…yes I can see him spinning..
but this is a serious/detailed allegation..
..involving the speaker and the deputy speaker..
..so it can't just be ignored..
and I don’t see soper just making it all up..
You have a bit more than Soper's word for it?
No you don't.
You might not see Soper "making it all up". Neither do I. I'm quite prepared to believe that Mallard recused himself from making the decision due to a conflict of interest, and delegated Tolley to decide what the correct thing to be done was.
But I can definitely see Soper spinning a proper and responsible course of action into something corrupt, especially if Soper happened to be mates with the guy who got three definite complaints for inappropriate behaviour.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAxIiG_ugRw
new zealand is crying out for a clark & dawes..
we have no political satire..
consider that satire is now called normal day in politics and then we don't need any more comedians.