Yeah. I was more talking about the Nat caucus. Even when they are trying to endorse her no-one can bring themselves to say they like her. It's always through gritted teeth.
Ha!- Over in Twitter land the conspiracy is Tova is batting for Labour, as all the leaks come from National. First she went after Simon, the Todd, and now Judith, National just can't get a break! So it goes. Maybe Labour just aren't leaking? & certainly not to O'Brien.
there's a real risk that if Collin's implodes National even further or goes down in a ball of flames that the left in turn will implode from the schadenfreude.
In the same vein Collins sounded really stupid on Checkpoint when she said she can't use the government's tracer app….and at the same time undermines it.
It is really easy to use ….she must be technologically challenged.
Those comments were very revealing of Collins' 'character', for want of a better word.
She can't (or won't) use the Government's tracer app, and then implies it's unnecessary to use it because "I thought the borders were secure, aren't they?"
These are irresponsible comments – Collins is virtually encouraging the team of nearly 5,000,000 to let their Covid-19 guard down, because community transmission would be a gift to the opposition National party's election campaign. DISGUSTING & DIRTY.
Would expect any opposition 'leader' to do during a global pandemic? There's Bridges/Muller for comparison – do their ethics compare favourably to Collins'? I think Muller's do, although admittedly there's not that much evidence to assess.
Then, once you have mastered the first identification challenge, the next challenge is identifying exactly which one is the original master lurking in amongst the sea of enthralled clones.
Last night Farrar ran a poll of his readers. He listed the six top contenders for the Nat leadership & invited them to choose their preference. He advised that the poll would close when caucus convened at 7pm last night. I just went & checked out the result:
UPDATE: Over 4,000 votes cast and the results are:
Judith Collins 67%
Simon Bridges 12%
Nikki Kaye 6%
Mark Mitchell 6%
Gerry Brownlee 4%
Amy Adams 4%
I'm surprised at how decisive respondents were in agreeing on the best contender and how huge the margin ahead of the also-rans she was. I thought it would be close. Goes to show my grasp of current rightist politics is rather ephemeral! 😕
Dennis, it's not that surprising. IMHO Collins' views are far more closely aligned to traditional nat voters than either Muller or Brudges. Collins has always been popular with national's grass roots, just not it's caucus. How things change when people are looking at a career change!
Yes, the prospect of a Labour landslide sure did herd them in behind JC. Such evident unity will likely only persist if polls leading up to the election show National in with a chance. If not those in caucus who see her as divisive may start to brainstorm a plot or two. Or three. Depends if the faction divides run deep or not I guess. If she really does bridge the liberals & conservatives she may instead consolidate despite any plots.
IMHO there will be no attempt to bridge liberals and conservatives. Many of Collins ideas are actually very traditional national, but rather than being a 'wet' (like Muller – eg the MAGA hat back down), her approach is likely to be 'take it or leave'. Following the reaction to her elevation yesterday, I suspect she will galvanise centre right support, which was drifting to NZF/Act. But broad enough appeal to win an election?
I just can't see Judith Collins holding it together. She will never have faced the sort of pressure which is going to be applied over the next 8 weeks and she clearly doesn't have the emotional intelligence to weather that storm.
Collins doesn’t play to win in September, she plays to hurt Labour, in particular. Oppositions don’t win elections, Governments lose them. She has the advantage of being the underdog and has almost nothing to lose and everything to gain. I don’t think she has what it takes but my opinion doesn’t matter at all in this.
They tried nasty in Bridges, didn't work. They tried nice in Muller but that turned out nastier. Now they are desperate and are trying the nastiest of the lot.
I'll say it,It's bitch. No such thing as a female dog. We here in Dunedin have lawyers working for that council that thinks the use of bitch should be changed to female dog,woof wooof.
It's no so much about facing the pressure, IMO. It's more that she just loves the sound of her own voice, and will keep on talking and giving gifts.
Personally I'd like to see Labour accepting these gifts more, not by attacking her but simply quoting her. I know Ardern doesn't want to have "opposition research" and attack ads, but they can at least notice what she says.
Like the cheese thing above – a social media meme waiting to happen. No need for nastiness, just quote her own words. With a picture of a supermarket shelf, 2020. Done.
I thought earlier today that Collins most resembled Muldoon and you'd not be surprised if one day soon she was stopped by the media drunk, then proceeding to give it to reporters.
Being in NZ feels like being nicely hauled up inside on a cosy couch with a nice hot cuppa and the cat purring away while a winter storm is raging outside and battering the house. Don’t go outside if you don’t need to and open doors and windows very carefully or the wind will smash them wide open and cause major damage. Alert Level 1.
Judith Collins allows herself to be wound up by man-bun wearing Ryan Bridge.
"If Jacinda Ardern hasn't noticed that I'm here and leader of the National Party, then perhaps maybe she should stop being quite so woke and wake up a bit," she says.
"Jacinda Ardern knows fully well that I'm there, so I think she's just playing games. I'm not a kid, I don't play games."
"Of course I'll debate Jacinda Ardern on your show… I think that if she refuses to do so then she's probably running a bit scared."
To me, Collins comes across as easily the most capable and intelligent member of the National caucus. Even from the early years of the Key administration, she seemed like their only debater able to think on their feet, whether in the house or in interviews (I think that situation is even more pronounced now). That doesn't mean that she's good at anything other than using her replies to put people in their place, of course, but it wouldn't surprise me if she were. Her statements about Ardern there, though, look rather petulant, and suggest an insecure, "Look at me, please…" attitude that could actually damage her tough image. If she gets frustrated that easily, or even simply comes out with poor wording or inopportune phrases when trying to present her person, as opposed to the substance of an argument, it does not bode well for her at all.
A ray of hope for the future of natural environments and our civilisation, all without genocide. We don't have to maintain population numbers, or patterns of consumption.
"Our findings suggest that continued trends in female educational attainment and access to contraception will hasten declines in fertility and slow population growth. A sustained TFR [total fertility rate] lower than the replacement level in many countries, including China and India, would have economic, social, environmental, and geopolitical consequences. Policy options to adapt to continued low fertility, while sustaining and enhancing female reproductive health, will be crucial in the years to come." https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30677-2/fulltext https://episodes.buzzsprout.com/n7oh3nfooiuswhpux42zgxpl8j0b
Interesting about birth rates. The mental health of a society may be more affected by drops in wages and job numbers through replacement by technology. It is notice able that education is not as encouraged, in all its forms, as it used to be in NZ. It has been turned into a business, and so the poor get less concern, and have to pay for courses that were free. Why bother to educate our own when the masses from overseas will pay to come here and give the barons the business and profits.
The idea that education will save us and raise living standards was a 20th century truth that has been diluted by how we are brain washed by tv and other technology.
Also falling birth rates for women in China has turned females from being advanced people in a modern country to being sought after in rather dodgy ways. Chinese men are looking for wives, and now they are tending to go to the Philippinnes. These are things that have cropped up which I have noticed.
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Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
I was initially resistant to the idea often suggested to me that the Government should deliver an arts strategy. The whole point of the arts and creativity is that people should do whatever the hell they want, unbound by the dictates of politicians in Wellington. Peter Jackson, Kiri Te Kanawa, Eleanor ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector. "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
A poem from Robin Peace’s new collection Detritus of Empire: feather / grass / rock. Cereal giving I see a woman’s hands, see her curious hands break a stalk as she walks through the tall prairie, the savannah, the steppe, wherever it was. See her idly bite the grass that ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)A handsomely produced (debossed cover, lovely ...
The Commissioner's decision validates the longstanding efforts of the local community and ensures that Awataha Marae will be managed to serve the needs of the local community, particularly for hosting tangihanga. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tristan Salles, Associate professor, University of Sydney Examples of Australian landscapes.Unsplash Seventy thousand years ago, the sea level was much lower than today. Australia, along with New Guinea and Tasmania, formed a connected landmass known as Sahul. Around this time – ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Felicity Castagna, Lecturer, Creative Writing, Western Sydney University Day Day Market, ParramattaPhoto: Garry Trinh I live on the edge of Parramatta, Australia’s fastest-growing city, on the kind of old-fashioned suburban street that has 1950s fibros constructed in the post-war housing boom, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Ryan, Teaching Fellow in Economics, University of Waikato GettyImagesfatido/Getty Images There is an ongoing global debate over whether the high inflation seen in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic can be lowered without a recession. New Zealand is not ...
The ‘Wicked Game’ heartthrob is in his late 60s now. That didn’t stop him putting on a lively, goofy and very sparkly show. Apart from ‘Wicked Game’, which graces a sultry playlist of mine simply called 💋, my last sustained Chris Isaak listening session took place when I was about ...
Analysis - Two ministers were stripped of portfolios in a warning to Cabinet, drama broke out at the Waitangi Tribunal, and the gang patch ban bill ran into opposition. ...
Tara Ward makes an impassioned plea for some vital pop culture merch. In April 1999, I became obsessed with a new reality television show called Popstars. Every Tuesday night, five strangers transformed into music royalty before my very eyes as Joe, Keri, Carly, Erika and Megan were chosen to form ...
PNG Post-Courier In the early hours of ANZAC Day, aerial photographs captured an impressive gathering of Australians and Papua New Guineans at Isurava in the Northern (Oro) Province. The solemn dawn service yesterday was held at a site steeped in history, where some of the fiercest battles of World War ...
The PSA is shocked that Oranga Tamariki has used the cost cutting drive to downgrade its commitment to Te Ao Māori and remove many specialist Māori roles. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Kemish, Adjunct Professor, School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, The University of Queensland There can be no more powerful symbol of the relationship between Australia and Papua New Guinea than the prime ministers of these neighbouring countries walking together on the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sharon Robinson, Distinguished Professor and Deputy Director of ARC Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future (SAEF), University of Wollongong, University of Wollongong Andrew Netherwood Over the last 25 years, the ozone hole which forming over Antarctica each spring has started to shrink. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Viktoria Kahui, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Economics, University of Otago Getty Images/Amy Toensing Biodiversity is declining at rates unprecedented in human history. This suggests the ways we currently use to manage our natural environment are failing. One emerging concept focuses on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Colin Bednall, Associate Professor in Management, Swinburne University of Technology marvent/Shutterstock Finding the best person to fill a position can be tough, from drafting a job ad to producing a shortlist of top interview candidates. Employers typically consider information from ...
Wondering where to host your next BYO? Whether its a small gathering or a massive party, we’ve got some recommendations. I was first introduced to the concept of BYOs at Dunedin’s India Gardens, a legendary but sadly defunct establishment, which purveyed enormous quantities of mango chicken to Aotearoa’s drunkest future ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julien Cooper, Honorary Lecturer, Department of History and Archaeology, Macquarie University Julien Cooper The hyper-arid desert of Eastern Sudan, the Atbai Desert, seems like an unlikely place to find evidence of ancient cattle herders. But in this dry environment, my new ...
The sector says it’s hopeful her replacement Paul Goldsmith will be able to throw it a lifeline, after six months with a minister deemed missing in action, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign ...
The government can't just rely on axing public sector jobs and has to do more to cut spending, says the chief economist at a free market think tank. ...
Rock The Vote NZ, known for its advocacy for minor party unity and its role within the Freedoms NZ Coalition during the 2023 General Election, celebrates this merger as a strategic enhancement of its operational strength and outreach. ...
Nearly everyone has experienced the frustration of something you use breaking and being difficult or expensive to fix. Proposed legislation could change that. It’s been raining on and off all Sunday afternoon but people are lining up outside a building in a corner of Gribblehirst Park in Sandringham, Auckland. In ...
What does a forever relationship look like when you don’t believe in marriage? And how do you celebrate it? This essay is part of our Sunday Essay series, made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.I’m going to do it, right now. I’m going to say ...
The Prime Minister has committed to resuming direct flights to Thailand. But it’s not a promise he will be able to deliver on anytime soon. The post Prime Minister jumps the gun in Thailand appeared first on Newsroom. ...
It’s not that long ago Eliza McCartney was seriously wondering if the Paris Olympics would be her pole vaulting swansong. After years of being hounded by injury after injury, the Rio Olympics bronze medallist was still confident she would compete at her second Olympics in Paris in July, unless something ...
FICTION 1 Take Two by Danielle Hawkins (Allen & Unwin, $36.99) There’s commercial fiction, like this book, and then there’s quality fiction, quality writers, quality literature; the forthcoming Auckland Writers Festival is full of quality, and ReadingRoom has two tickets to give away to the following events: Paul Lynch (Dublin ...
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You can’t have missed the Gallipoli story as the movies, documentaries, essays and books capture what it was like for New Zealand troops in their eight-month campaign on the Peninsula. But this Anzac Day the Auckland War Memorial Museum has published a book that sheds light on a little-known aspect of the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra In the free-for-all between the Australian government and Big Tech boss Elon Musk this week, the government had to be on a winner. Most people would have little sympathy with Musk’s vociferous opposition to ...
Asia Pacific Report Chief Mandla Mandela, a member of the National Assembly of South Africa and Nelson Mandela’s grandson, has joined the Freedom Flotilla in istanbul as the ships prepare to sail for Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. Mandela is also the ambassador for the Global Campaign to Return to ...
Pacific Media Watch Journalists who report on environmental issues are encountering growing difficulties in many parts of the world, reports Reporters Without Borders. According to the tally kept by RSF, 200 journalists have been subjected to threats and physical violence, including murder, in the past 10 years because they were ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. 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 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra BagzhanSadvakassov/Upsplash, CC BY-SA Australia’s inflation rate has fallen for the fifth successive quarter, and it’s now less than half of what it was back in late 2022. ...
ACT's Rural Communities and Veterans spokesman Mark Cameron responds to cancellations and protests of ANZAC Day commemorations in Wellington. He says, "These pitiful attempts to detract from ANZAC Day are not at all indicative of the feelings of mainstream ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Meighen McCrae, Associate Professor of Strategic & Defence Studies, Australian National University American and Australian stretcher bearers working together near the front line during the Battle of Hamel in 1918.Australian War Memorial While the AUKUS alliance is new, the Australian-American partnership ...
Pōneke based peace activists staged a silent protest at the ANZAC day service to highlight New Zealand’s complicity in war and genocide, and urge the government to take concrete steps to stop the genocide in Palestine. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Magdalena M.E. Bunbury, Postdoctoral Researcher, James Cook University Burial with a horse at the Rákóczifalva site, Hungary (8th century AD).Sándor Hegedűs, Hungarian National Museum, CC BY How do we understand past societies? For centuries, our main sources of information have been ...
Amanda Thompson doesn’t really do Anzac Day. But what she does do is remember the people she knew who had a lifetime to remember stuff they didn’t really want to, because of a war they didn’t ask for. And she does make Anzac biscuits.First published in 2021.All my ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kathryn Willis, Postdoctoral Researcher, CSIRO Xavier Boulenger/Shutterstock In the two decades to 2019, global plastic production doubled. By 2040, plastic manufacturing and processing could consume as much as 20% of global oil production and use up 15% of the annual carbon ...
With our collective remembrance, and steadfast belief in our common humanity, we strengthen our hope and resolve to do what we can to foster dialogue and understanding, and to heal divisions in our pursuit of peace. ...
Principal reasons for the opposition is the loss of the public’s democratic right to have “a fair say” and the vital need for a government free from corruption, said Casey Cravens of Dunedin, president of the New Zealand Federation of Freshwater ...
Never mind the scoreboard – in the 2000 Bledisloe Cup decider, the real trans-Tasman battle was won before kickoff.First published in 2016. The dawn of the new millennium was a dark time for the All Blacks. Their final game pre-Y2K was a 22-18 loss to South Africa in the ...
I’m on the wrong side of 40, I never pursued creative work and now my job is killing my soul. Help! Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzDear Hera,May I start with the least original conversation opener you’re likely to hear around the motu at the moment, particularly in Wellington: ...
“Never again - No AUKUS” was the message of the wreath laid at this morning’s national ANZAC Day commemorative service at Pukeahu National War Memorial Park this morning by the Stop AUKUS group. ...
Until this month, Auckland swimmer Hazel Ouwehand had never met a qualifying time in an Olympic event for a New Zealand team, even as a junior. Now she’s very likely off to the Paris Olympics after swimming well under the qualifying standard in the 100m butterfly twice – both in ...
While Anzac Day has experienced a resurgence in recent years, our other day of remembrance has slowly faded from view.The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand. Original illustrations by Hope McConnell.First published in 2022.The high school’s head girl and ...
Australian and New Zealand volunteers fought together in the Waikato War, yet still its place in the Anzac tradition is unacknowledged by our defence forces or Returned Services Association.First published in 2018.When I was a boy cub I attended Anzac Day services in the South Auckland suburb of ...
A poem by Wellington writer Tayi Tibble.Hoki Mai She kisses him goodbye with her eyes still wet and alight from their last swim in the Awatere river. At the train station celebration, she leads the Kapa Haka but her voice keeps breaking under and over itself like waves. ...
A poem from Bill Manhire’s 2017 book of verse Some Things to Place in a Coffin.My World War I Poem Inside each trench, the sound of prayer. Inside each prayer, the sound of digging. Image courtesy of Auckland War Memorial Museum. ...
There are three books I have wolfed down in one sitting over the last two years. Colleen Maria Lenihan’s gorgeous and sad debut Kōhine, Noelle McCarthy’s memoir Grand about becoming her mother and then unbecoming her, and now Hine Toa, a staunch yet gentle self-portrait by living legend Ngāhuia te ...
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Asia Pacific Report Students and activist staff at Australia’s University of Sydney (USyd) have set up a Gaza solidarity encampment in support of Palestinians and similar student-led protests in the United States. The camp was pitched as mass graves, crippled hospitals, thousands of civilian deaths and the near-total destruction of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James B. Dorey, Lecturer in Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong Australian teddy bear bees are cute and fluffy, but get a look at that massive (unbarbed) stinger! James Dorey Photography Most of us have been stung by a bee and we ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jen Roberts, Senior Lecturer, School of Humanities and Social Inquiry, University of Wollongong Aussie~mobs/FlickrVictor Farr, a private in the 1st Infantry Battalion, was among the first to land at Anzac Cove just before dawn on April 25 1915. Victor Farr ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Gregory Moore I had the good fortune to care for the sugar gum at The University of Melbourne’s Burnley Gardens in Victoria where I worked for ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra BagzhanSadvakassov/Upsplash, CC BY-SA Australia’s inflation rate has fallen for the fifth successive quarter, and it’s now less than half of what it was back in late 2022. ...
https://twitter.com/bex_stevenson/status/1282973047125762050
I was wondering how Tova always seemed to have a mic in the Nats caucus meetings, but this explanation makes more sense
Will Tova get a very high place on the List?
Tova is still receiving leaks (plural) from inside National's caucus, and doing her job, reporting them to us. Good.
True. I'd just prefer we got past the aggravated political model and then we'd have less terrier at the trouser leg journalism.
It highlights how absolutely nothing has changed in the National Party despite their spin machine claiming she is a game changer.
They are still fractured (probably even more so because absolutely no-one has a nice word to say about her) and leaking and in disarray.
What the hell is Judith Collins going to bring to the table except more bile, division and intolerance?
I've always been amazed at how varied the people are that profess to like her .
Fucked if I know why . But it's a worry.
Yeah. I was more talking about the Nat caucus. Even when they are trying to endorse her no-one can bring themselves to say they like her. It's always through gritted teeth.
Heh.
Ha!- Over in Twitter land the conspiracy is Tova is batting for Labour, as all the leaks come from National. First she went after Simon, the Todd, and now Judith, National just can't get a break! So it goes. Maybe Labour just aren't leaking? & certainly not to O'Brien.
Has Katie Bradford written about this thrilling development yet?
Katie doesn't do political reporting any more. She's based in Auckland and seems to be their business/industrial reporter.
It did occur to me that the Caucus which is claimed to be so capable, elected a man who only lasted a few weeks. Very capable lot don't you think?
Have they done it again with Collins?
there's a real risk that if Collin's implodes National even further or goes down in a ball of flames that the left in turn will implode from the schadenfreude.
Remember it was Collins who swung crucial votes behind Muller rather than Bridges. Maybe she could see exactly how competent he was?
A sort of evil masterplan perhaps? Surely not.
And would Hooton be party to that? Surely n-n-n…
Collins needs to be careful with her language saying she won't put up with Ardern's nonsense………….she runs the risk this sort of talk will back fire.
In the same vein Collins sounded really stupid on Checkpoint when she said she can't use the government's tracer app….and at the same time undermines it.
It is really easy to use ….she must be technologically challenged.
Those comments were very revealing of Collins' 'character', for want of a better word.
She can't (or won't) use the Government's tracer app, and then implies it's unnecessary to use it because "I thought the borders were secure, aren't they?"
These are irresponsible comments – Collins is virtually encouraging the team of nearly 5,000,000 to let their Covid-19 guard down, because community transmission would be a gift to the opposition National party's election campaign. DISGUSTING & DIRTY.
Yip a real leader would be getting kiwis to behave responsibly around covid . Attack on the other shit ,but covid is levels above bullshot politics.
KiwiBuild-19
That is closer to what you'd expect any opposition leader to do than most of her other behaviour.
Would expect any opposition 'leader' to do during a global pandemic? There's Bridges/Muller for comparison – do their ethics compare favourably to Collins'? I think Muller's do, although admittedly there's not that much evidence to assess.
Agree 100 per cent Drowsy.
In making the nasty and snide "I thought the borders were secure, aren't they?" comment she showed why she will never get elected as PM.
Have you watched the Natty caucus walking to the Death Star musical signature?
Very Darth and Jabba, with a menagerie of oddly-formed off-worlders in tow.
Know that I'm a bit slow but whose face is on the Caucus faces of top of the page "If Judy and Jerry are the……"
There is only one person of current interest that possesses eyebrows that can shatter glass at 40 paces like those in the image.
(if you need to zoom in on the image, on a desktop hit ctrl + to zoom in, then to go back to normal hit ctrl 0)
Then, once you have mastered the first identification challenge, the next challenge is identifying exactly which one is the original master lurking in amongst the sea of enthralled clones.
Thanks Andre. Sheep always cluster together under threat and try to be anonymous in a group, but sheep very seldom darken their eyebrows.
Last night Farrar ran a poll of his readers. He listed the six top contenders for the Nat leadership & invited them to choose their preference. He advised that the poll would close when caucus convened at 7pm last night. I just went & checked out the result:
UPDATE: Over 4,000 votes cast and the results are:
I'm surprised at how decisive respondents were in agreeing on the best contender and how huge the margin ahead of the also-rans she was. I thought it would be close. Goes to show my grasp of current rightist politics is rather ephemeral! 😕
Dennis, it's not that surprising. IMHO Collins' views are far more closely aligned to traditional nat voters than either Muller or Brudges. Collins has always been popular with national's grass roots, just not it's caucus. How things change when people are looking at a career change!
Yes, the prospect of a Labour landslide sure did herd them in behind JC. Such evident unity will likely only persist if polls leading up to the election show National in with a chance. If not those in caucus who see her as divisive may start to brainstorm a plot or two. Or three. Depends if the faction divides run deep or not I guess. If she really does bridge the liberals & conservatives she may instead consolidate despite any plots.
A plot to do what?
They're stuck with her now, last card played.
That’s when the revolvers come out.
Kiwibog attracts righties with mummy issues, so no surprise there..
IMHO there will be no attempt to bridge liberals and conservatives. Many of Collins ideas are actually very traditional national, but rather than being a 'wet' (like Muller – eg the MAGA hat back down), her approach is likely to be 'take it or leave'. Following the reaction to her elevation yesterday, I suspect she will galvanise centre right support, which was drifting to NZF/Act. But broad enough appeal to win an election?
Similar numbers could probably be found on Kiwiblog for Don Brash, and the Standard for David Cunliffe, when they were leaders of the opposition.
Neither got to be PM.
So, did David take the results into the Caucus meeting?
Farrar hated Muller. Proof of that is the glaring lack of endorsement from him at any point in Muller's leadership.
Muller may not have had the stomach for nasty operators, hence his current position.
Collins thinks 1kg of cheese costs 4 or 5 dollars (Project, TV3). In touch with "real everyday Kiwis", eh?
good grief
The Oravida profit margins must be huge.
No wonder they think beneficiaries are living it up.
Collins is lapping it up and enjoying every minute of being the opposition leader.
Valse du petit chien by Frédéric Chopin.
I just can't see Judith Collins holding it together. She will never have faced the sort of pressure which is going to be applied over the next 8 weeks and she clearly doesn't have the emotional intelligence to weather that storm.
Collins doesn’t play to win in September, she plays to hurt Labour, in particular. Oppositions don’t win elections, Governments lose them. She has the advantage of being the underdog and has almost nothing to lose and everything to gain. I don’t think she has what it takes but my opinion doesn’t matter at all in this.
They tried nasty in Bridges, didn't work. They tried nice in Muller but that turned out nastier. Now they are desperate and are trying the nastiest of the lot.
Good luck with that.
In the old days there used to be words which specified gender, like 'actor' and actress.' The world has changed.
Is there a female word for underdog? To apply to Collins. Is there still a word for female dog?
Ir doesn't matter which way you stack it , the new National team is still YMCA – yesterdays muck cooked up again .
Rabid wolverine (HT to lurgee).
@Peter
I'll say it,It's bitch. No such thing as a female dog. We here in Dunedin have lawyers working for that council that thinks the use of bitch should be changed to female dog,woof wooof.
It's no so much about facing the pressure, IMO. It's more that she just loves the sound of her own voice, and will keep on talking and giving gifts.
Personally I'd like to see Labour accepting these gifts more, not by attacking her but simply quoting her. I know Ardern doesn't want to have "opposition research" and attack ads, but they can at least notice what she says.
Like the cheese thing above – a social media meme waiting to happen. No need for nastiness, just quote her own words. With a picture of a supermarket shelf, 2020. Done.
That's what I mean by pressure. Show the country her words in a calm way and Judith will double down. This will lead to reckless behaviour from her.
Is chien a dog?
Please translate.
Also it was Bastille Day in France on 14 July.
Let them eat cheese.
Literally, waltz of the small doggie AKA the minute waltz. It is short but not quite a minute short 😉
Farrar watch:
You know things are bad for National when the attack lines from their pollster and blogger dry up and he is reduced to posting about Trump.
Awaiting fresh orders
You’d love the newly revamped party website.
I thought earlier today that Collins most resembled Muldoon and you'd not be surprised if one day soon she was stopped by the media drunk, then proceeding to give it to reporters.
This columnist makes the link to Muldoon.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/local-democracy-reporting/300058019/dont-give-me-culture-the-appeal-of-judith-collins
But in 1975 Muldoon was 54 and rising. In 2020 Collins is 61 and fading.
Have you seen Anne's comment at 12.1 Judith and Gerry are …
Yep I agree with you and Anne.
Drunk on politics.
Contradictory, weak-willed messages anyone?
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/2018755012/judith-collins-on-her-plans-for-national
The government should have a field day with that.
Being in NZ feels like being nicely hauled up inside on a cosy couch with a nice hot cuppa and the cat purring away while a winter storm is raging outside and battering the house. Don’t go outside if you don’t need to and open doors and windows very carefully or the wind will smash them wide open and cause major damage. Alert Level 1.
Always at least one silly uncle who reckons the weather is just fine and you're oppressing his weiner by keeping the windows closed.
Judith Collins allows herself to be wound up by man-bun wearing Ryan Bridge.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2020/07/prime-minister-jacinda-ardern-should-stop-being-so-woke-judith-collins.html
She's going down the wrong path using pejorative terms like 'woke'. It didn't work for Simon Bridges and to won't work for her.
I think Collins is a more reckless and less intelligent version of Bridges. The National Party caucus apparently agreed.
How pythonesque.
Those pesky kids…
To me, Collins comes across as easily the most capable and intelligent member of the National caucus. Even from the early years of the Key administration, she seemed like their only debater able to think on their feet, whether in the house or in interviews (I think that situation is even more pronounced now). That doesn't mean that she's good at anything other than using her replies to put people in their place, of course, but it wouldn't surprise me if she were. Her statements about Ardern there, though, look rather petulant, and suggest an insecure, "Look at me, please…" attitude that could actually damage her tough image. If she gets frustrated that easily, or even simply comes out with poor wording or inopportune phrases when trying to present her person, as opposed to the substance of an argument, it does not bode well for her at all.
A ray of hope for the future of natural environments and our civilisation, all without genocide. We don't have to maintain population numbers, or patterns of consumption.
"Our findings suggest that continued trends in female educational attainment and access to contraception will hasten declines in fertility and slow population growth. A sustained TFR [total fertility rate] lower than the replacement level in many countries, including China and India, would have economic, social, environmental, and geopolitical consequences. Policy options to adapt to continued low fertility, while sustaining and enhancing female reproductive health, will be crucial in the years to come."
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30677-2/fulltext
https://episodes.buzzsprout.com/n7oh3nfooiuswhpux42zgxpl8j0b
Collapso-praxis advocates and collapsonauts rejoice – this century is your time to shine.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collapsology
Interesting about birth rates. The mental health of a society may be more affected by drops in wages and job numbers through replacement by technology. It is notice able that education is not as encouraged, in all its forms, as it used to be in NZ. It has been turned into a business, and so the poor get less concern, and have to pay for courses that were free. Why bother to educate our own when the masses from overseas will pay to come here and give the barons the business and profits.
The idea that education will save us and raise living standards was a 20th century truth that has been diluted by how we are brain washed by tv and other technology.
Also falling birth rates for women in China has turned females from being advanced people in a modern country to being sought after in rather dodgy ways. Chinese men are looking for wives, and now they are tending to go to the Philippinnes. These are things that have cropped up which I have noticed.