Electoral (Integrity) Amendment Bill (aka Waka Jumping Bill)
There has been a lot of discussion here and elsewhere re the Green Party now supporting the Electoral (Integrity) Amendment Bill (aka the waka jumping Bill) put up by NZF supported by Labour, particularly in light of the views expressed by Jeanette Fitzsimmons at the Green Party AGM last weekend.
What has surprised me is that some (many?) people seem to think that this Bill is something in the future rather than in the very ‘here and now‘. For example, Dennis Frank on OM 20 Aug in his comment at 1.7 said:
I’m still waiting to see if amendments to Winston’s bill have emerged in the select committee process to balance the rights of party and electors against the right of an MP to dissent and then jump the waka.”
This Bill is well passed the select committee process and way down the tracks in its passage through the House. It passed its Second Reading on 2 August, and is already at least halfway through the Committee stages, with only the Third Reading remaining after that. In fact it took up some 10 hours of the House’s time (almost 120 videos!) on 2, 7, 8 and 9 August.
During that time there were many votes – all of which split with Labour, NZF and the GP voting together (63), and National either voting alone (56) or with an extra ACT vote.
But to backtrack slightly re Dennis Frank’s question as to what amendments emerged from the Select Committee process? The answer is none. With the make-up of the Justice Select Committee being 4 Labour members, and 4 National Mps*, the select committee reached an impasse. As a result, the day before they were due to report back to the House (31 July 2018) the Bill was discharged from consideration by the Justice Committee under Standing Order 295(3):
SELECT COMMITTEE REPORTS – 295 Time for report
(1) A select committee must finally report to the House on a bill within six months of the bill being referred to it or by such other time as fixed by the House or the Business Committee.
(2) The Business Committee may extend the time for report for any bill.
(3) If the committee has not reported within the time for report, the bill is discharged from further consideration by the committee and set down for its next stage in the House on the third sitting day following.
* Dennis Frank has subsequently asked why the make-up of the Committee does not include GP or NZF members. I will do a separate short comment on this – if not tonight, hopefully in the next day.
So then what happened?
On Thursday 2 August, the Bill appeared at No 2 on the Order Paper for 2nd Reading that day. The House debated the Bill for two hours with speeches from all Parties except ACT, including 8 National speeches, 4 Labour, 1 NZF (Darrock Ball) 1 GP (Golriz Ghahraman). The Bill passed its 2nd Reading with 63 Ayes (L/NZF/GP) and 57 Noes (Nat/ACT).
On Tues afternoon, 7 August, the House then commenced the clause by clause Committee stages of the Bill. Over the next three sitting days (7,8 and 9 August including under urgency/extended hours on Thurs morning, 9 August) the Committee of the House considered and passed Clauses 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the Bill with the Ayes 63 (L/G/NZF) and the Noes 56 (N) or 57(N/ACT). This leaves only Clauses 5 and 6 remaining for Committee stage consideration, followed by the Third Reading of the Bill. (More on these below.)
During these debates, the Committee of the House also considered about 20 SOPs raised by the National Party Mps which included attempts to include new clauses (eg new Clause 3A) and to delete Clause 4 in its entirety. None of these SOPs were agreed.
When the House commenced the 2nd Hearing, Nick Smith raised an ‘Instruction to the Committee’ motion calling for the Bill “to be discharged and referred back to the Justice Committee to enable the many amendments proposed by officials and submitters to be considered.” Following debate, this motion was not agreed to with the Ayes 56 (Nat only) and the Noes 63 (L/NZF/GP).
During the Committee stages debates, Smith raised a further two motions, the first to get an Instruction to the Committee to make it explicit that the Bill be considered in terms of the overriding provisions of the Parliamentary Privileges Act. This failed, as did the third Motion “.. that it [the Committee of the Whole House] consider and, if it thinks appropriate, adopt the amendments suggested by many submitters that constituency members of Parliament be exempted from the new power of party leaders to dismiss MPs.” . This motion was raised as earlier attempt to limit the Bill to constituency (electorate) members only had been ruled out of order (procedurally). This third Motion attempt was chaired by Mallard himself, with short speeches by Smith and Brownlee but the motion was not agreed to on a party vote of Ayes 56; Noes 63.
Remaining Clauses of the Bill still to be debated
As stated above, only Clauses 5 and 6 of the Bill still remain to be debated in the Committee stages (plus the final 3rd reading). Clause 6 is a mere editorial amendment to the principal Act (the Electoral Act 1993) consequent upon the outcome on Clause 5.
It should be noted that the Clause 5 proposals appear to seek to reinstate provisions that were introduced by the previous 2001 Electoral (Integrity) Amendment Act but expired on 18 September 2005 under the provisions of that Act. I have not had time to compare the two – and National have been busy over the last week writing new SOPs which may affect clause 5. There are currently 34 SOPs listed against the Bill, with 16 of these filed on 15 August.
Nature of the Debates to date
The debates have been long and heated, with National basically filibustering every inch of the way, mainly through diversions such as Points of Order, off topic and long historical speeches, raising new SOPs – and from time to time berating and heckling the Greens for their support of the Bill and calling on them to change their minds. One memorable attempt was also made by David Bennett to seek the recall of the Speaker, Trevor Mallard, for allegedly remarking to Bennett when the Speaker was leaving the House that “He said that my head would fall off if I shook it at him”. (LOL! See the fourth para below for video.)
During the Committee stages, to date Labour and NZF have put up very few speakers other than Andrew Little and Darroch Ball – except for one amusing instance when Ron Mark heard a call from Mark Mitchell in the debate challenging him, went to the Chamber and took a call where he turned the books on Mitchell and implied he would be leaving National to set up a new party.
At least one Green MP appeared to be in the House at all times during the Committee Stage debates – eg Shaw, Davidson and Hughes. The Green MPs have not sought any calls to speak, although Shaw twice objected to National remarks re the Greens. Many votes were called for with the Greens consistently voting with Labour and NZF.
The various Deputy Speakers chairing the debates (Anne Tolley, Poto Williams and Adrian Ruawhe) have been very clearly frustrated by the filibustering and overall distractions, and have raised concerns at some National MPs (eg Brownlee and Bennett plus others) making comments that brought the impartiality and integrity of the Chairs (= Deputy Speakers) into question. During the morning extended hours debate on 9 August, this resulted in Speaker Mallard being recalled to the House to deal with this issue. Here is the Hansard for that small section: https://www.parliament.nz/en/pb/hansard-debates/rhr/combined/HansDeb_20180808_20180809_12
This video starting about 11.30 puts this small section into context, and also contains David Bennett complaining about the Speaker immediately afterwards! Then Brownlee immediately questions Williams ruling on that; then Smith, followed by Bennett and so on … Unbelievable. The Hansard on this is the first part of this one. https://www.parliament.nz/en/pb/hansard-debates/rhr/combined/HansDeb_20180808_20180809_16
Where to from Here?
On 9 August, Chris Hopkins (Leader of the House) advised that several Bills would be introduced the following week (14 – 16 Aug) and the NAIT Amendment Bill would be considered under urgency, but that the Electoral (Integrity) Bill was expected to complete its Third Reading.
Come Tues 14 August, the Bill had been moved down to No 10 on the Order Paper, and did not see light of day last week . The House is now in two weeks’ recess until Tues, 4 September.
Whether that was ‘just life’ or intentional is unknown. In light of the upcoming Green AGM it was probably good to have a breather; likewise in view of the heated situation in many of the debates on the Bill. It would not surprise me if there are things going on behind the scenes on procedural matters – particularly in regard to the lack of regard etc being displayed to the role, rights etc of the Speakers/Chairs. The real question is whether any concessions, changes etc to the actual provisions of the Bill will be considered on either side.
My opinion on the Bill? I am divided and currently too close to the procedural aspects to make a considered decision. I think there is some need for some controls on waka jumping – absolutely in regard to list Members. On electorate Members there is the old dilemma of Party vs Electorate voters.
Is this a good Bill? IMHO not really. A cobbled together rerun with warts and all, but possibly better than nothing. Who knows whether it is really needed at this time. but with some of the alleged movements by National to ‘talk to people’, perhaps it is.
Has the process been good? Ummm. Again, IMHO not really. I will leave it at that, but will be watching with interest as to whether any changes happen before the next round.
Back to the Green Party Dilemma
Quite frankly, if the Greens were to pull the plug now, what do you think the consequences would be?
IMHO for the Greens to change tack this far down the track would bring the viability of the current government into serious question; and probably lead to the confidence and supply agreement falling over. No other party would trust them enough to consider any form of coalition in the future; and many soft or split voters would probably feel the same. Again I will leave it at that right now, although it would be interesting to see what the legal position would be vis a vis the Bill and the status of the votes taken on the various Clauses already agreed.
NOTE – I have not included many links as there are masses – 120 videos (c.10 hours) of Parliament debates for instance! If there are any particular bits of video or Hansard you would like links to, I could probably oblige as I have waded my way through most as the above is a condensation of a more detailed analysis done for other purposes.
Thanks, you’ve done an excellent job there. I hope other readers will give it serious consideration. Quite an eye-opener for me – I’ve never bothered to examine parliamentary process, having only ever been interested in results. I have to say that the select committee process appears to be a total travesty.
Unless you know more than me, we still have no idea why there were no NZF or GP parliamentarians on the justice committee, and a quick scan of your report didn’t show me any evidence that they were able to contribute to the process. How anyone could think this is a suitable result from MMP, I can’t imagine. In no way can this be seen as a genuine consensus-seeking process.
So it looks like Labour is driving the process on behalf of NZF to get the result Winston wants, and the Nats are trying to get sensible improvements incorporated, but with no luck so far. Do you agree?
I listened to that and Greg Newbold is no more crazed than you Ed. He has been there, done that, knows what he is talking about. Sorry if it is in contrast with your favourite opinion.
Brickbats for the MSM.
Prime tv’s trailer said Winston was angry at his press conference with Julie Bishop today and the Herald claimed he snapped.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Winston was relaxed and in good humour and it seems like the press corpse is using a totally different dictionary from the rest of us.
Rachel Stewart is a breath of fresh air.
If only there were 20 commentators with the same courage.
I’ll let both you, and BigAg, in on a secret. Way more revelations are coming. Wait until you hear about winter cropping, and what’s going on there regarding animal welfare.
Not really any different from feedlots, and arguably even more mud and shit everywhere. Fodder beets are commonly used for high carbs and quick fattening, and also with no shelter from the elements. And, environmentally? It’s all bad news.
If you’re shocked now, wait until you hear about foetal blood taken from pregnant cows at slaughter. Wait until you find out how that’s done, and the irony of what it’s used for. The stuff about to come down the pipe will make feedlots look like a walk in the park. Your hair’s gonna curl.
Before you blame animal rights groups for what’s coming, think again. Sure, they’re in the mix. But industry insiders are starting to open up about what they’re seeing too. I applaud them.
If BigAg had any sense, they’d have changed their ways well before upcoming public pressure forces them too.
Maybe this is the sort of stuff she’s alluding to.
As soon as people understand what happens behind the walls of the gigantic gulag of factory farming, people will stop eating meat in droves.
“I cannot tell how long this open water patch will remain open, but even if it closes in few days from now, the harm will be done: the thick old sea ice will have been pushed away from the coast, to an area where it will melt more easily,” he added.
A wee bit of an overkill in my books and I would’ve thought they would’ve have used for the USA bound flights knowing how paranoid the yanks are with terrorists, but really using them for NZ domestic flights come on.
No doubt some muppet from the last Government signed off on this waste of money.
“Devices that produce an unclothed image of a person breach New Zealand’s Aviation Crimes Act, so the scanners will be configured to reveal only a genderless stick figure image that highlights the areas of a passenger’s body that require investigation by security staff.
Suspicious or foreign objects will also not be displayed – they will instead be indicated with a coloured marker.
The scanners use non-ionizing radiation, which has no proven adverse health effects.
Passing through the scanners won’t be mandatory, but those who refuse will have to undergo a “pat-down” search.
There has been no increase in New Zealand’s terror threat level. But documents released by the Aviation Security Service (Avsec) under the Official Information Act note the scanners “are becoming the norm” in international airports.”
Maybe they should just take some advice/direction from one of Sacha Baron Cohens characters from “Who is America?”.
Erran Morad…. he’s a genius on terrorism and how to spot a terrorist and what to do. Here he is with Jason Spencer, who was an elected official, until the show aired… 🙂 5 minute clip below 🙂 enjoy 🙂
Firstly, of course they take nudey pictures. They have to collate the raw data and then match it to the icon listing, and techs would need to see raw images to calibrate the machines, especially if new threats are identified. Do I trust them not to have a c\ache of the raw reference pictures that might be accessible by a technician? Fuck no.
Secondly, it’s a bit unclear: if I don’t want a nudey picture taken of me, do I only get touched up on international flights, or local ones, too? It’s a bit unclear.
Thirdly, did that article say that Soimon Bridgeless okayed this shit just because other people do it (sorry, because ‘it’s increasingly the norm overseas’)?
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While commentators, including former Prime Minister Helen Clark, are noting a subtle shift in New Zealand’s foreign policy, which now places more emphasis on the United States, many have missed a key element of the shift. What National said before the election is not what the government is doing now. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
The Government’s newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealand’s urgent transition to a climate safe future, the Green Party said. ...
The Government must commit to the Maitai School building project for students with high and complex needs, to ensure disabled students from the top of the South Island have somewhere to learn. ...
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey and his Government colleagues have made a meal of their mental health commitments, showing how flimsy their efforts to champion the issue truly are, says Labour Mental Health spokesperson Ingrid Leary. ...
Māori are yet to see anything from this Government except cuts, reversals and taking our people backwards, Māori Development spokesperson Willie Jackson said. ...
The Coalition Government’s refusal to commit to ongoing funding for social housing is seeing the sector pull back on developments and families watch their dreams of securing a home fade away, says Labour Housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty. ...
Changes to minimum wage and benefit indexation means many New Zealanders will get less this year, as the Government gives a big tax break to landlords instead. ...
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 ...
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 ...
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singapore’s outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpart’s almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has made further appointments to the Board of Antarctica New Zealand as part of a continued effort to ensure the Scott Base Redevelopment project is delivered in a cost-effective and efficient manner. The Minister has appointed Neville Harris as a new member of the Board. Mr ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis will travel to the United States on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Five Finance Ministers group, with counterparts from Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. “I am looking forward to meeting with our Five Finance partners on how we can work ...
The coalition Government has today announced purrfect and pawsitive changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to give tenants with pets greater choice when looking for a rental property, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Pets are important members of many Kiwi families. It’s estimated that around 64 per cent of New ...
State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the Government has also asked NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to consider and provide advice on a Long Tunnel option, Transport Minister Simeon Brown ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have condemned Iran’s shocking and illegal strikes against Israel. “These attacks are a major challenge to peace and stability in a region already under enormous pressure," Mr Luxon says. "We are deeply concerned that miscalculation on any side could ...
Hundreds of people in little over a week have turned out in Northland to hear Regional Development Minister Shane Jones speak about plans for boosting the regional economy through infrastructure. About 200 people from the infrastructure and associated sectors attended an event headlined by Mr Jones in Whangarei today. Last ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has today thanked outgoing Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora Chair Dame Karen Poutasi for her service on the Board. “Dame Karen tendered her resignation as Chair and as a member of the Board today,” says Dr Reti. “I have asked her to ...
The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has signalled their proposed delivery approach for the Government’s 15 Roads of National Significance (RoNS), with the release of the State Highway Investment Proposal (SHIP) today, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Boosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Government’s plan to ...
New Zealand is renewing its connections with a world facing urgent challenges by pursuing an active, energetic foreign policy, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “Our country faces the most unstable global environment in decades,” Mr Peters says at the conclusion of two weeks of engagements in Egypt, Europe and the United States. “We cannot afford to sit back in splendid ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced the Australian Governor-General, His Excellency General The Honourable David Hurley and his wife Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley, will make a State visit to New Zealand from Tuesday 16 April to Thursday 18 April. The visit reciprocates the State visit of former Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced that Medsafe has approved 11 cold and flu medicines containing pseudoephedrine. Pharmaceutical suppliers have indicated they may be able to supply the first products in June. “This is much earlier than the original expectation of medicines being available by 2025. The Government recognised ...
New Zealand and the United States have recommitted to their strategic partnership in Washington DC today, pledging to work ever more closely together in support of shared values and interests, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The strategic environment that New Zealand and the United States face is considerably more ...
April 11, 2024 Joint Declaration by United States Secretary of State the Honorable Antony J. Blinken and New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs the Right Honourable Winston Peters We met today in Washington, D.C. to recommit to the historic partnership between our two countries and the principles that underpin it—rule ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced further New Zealand cooperation with the United States in the Pacific Islands region through $16.4 million in funding for initiatives in digital connectivity and oceans and fisheries research. “New Zealand can achieve more in the Pacific if we work together more urgently and ...
Kia Ora Gaza A passionate haka reverberated through Auckland International Airport as a medical team of three New Zealand doctors received an emotional farewell from a big crowd of supporters before flying to Turkey to join the international Freedom Flotilla to Gaza. The doctors, who left Auckland yesterday, hope to ...
With submissions closing today, Macassey-Pickard says groups around the country have been supporting a huge range of people to make their submissions. ...
Our response to the new legislation is informed by targeted conversations with practitioners working in the system and through an implementation lens. ...
The new ‘Fast-track Approvals Bill’ would give just three Ministers the power to approve or deny development projects. They would avoid the usual checks and balances that are in place to protect rivers, land, the ocean, and communities. ...
COMMENTARY:By Eugene Doyle Helen Clark, how I miss you. The former New Zealand Prime Minister — the safest pair of hands this country has had in living memory — gave a masterclass on the importance of maintaining an independent foreign policy when she spoke at an AUKUS symposium held ...
The government's released the list of organisations provided with information on how to apply - just hours before public submissions on the bill close. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Milton Speer, Visiting Fellow, School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Technology Sydney Before climate change really got going, eastern Australia’s flash floods tended to concentrate on our coastal regions, east of the Great Dividing Range. But that’s changing. Now ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elizabeth Finkel, Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow, La Trobe University Sia Duff / South Australian Museum In February, the South Australian Museum “re-imagined” itself. In the face of rising costs and inadequate government funds, CEO David Gaimster, who took the reins last June, declared ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alan Pearce, Professor, School of Allied Heath, Human Services & Sport, La Trobe University, La Trobe University This week, Collingwood AFL player Nathan Murphy announced his retirement, brought on by his concussion history and ongoing issues. The 24-year-old’s seemingly sudden retirement, ...
The Mental Health Foundation provides support and resources for those facing the loss of their job, so it’s wrong in the very week the Government adds another 1000 jobs to its tally of cuts, that this is happening. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Howard, Senior Lecturer, Discipline of English and Writing, University of Sydney Daniel Boud/Sydney Theatre Company Decay, terror, revulsion. These are three of the central themes of Thomas Bernhard’s rarely performed play The President. The Austrian is one of the greatest ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ye In (Jane) Hwang, Postdoctoral Research Associate at School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney Shutterstock You’d be hard pressed to find any aspect of daily life that doesn’t require some form of digital literacy. We need only to look back ten ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says threats by ministers Shane Jones and David Seymour to reform or close down the Waitangi Tribunal were “ill-considered”, as legal experts say the ministers may have breached Cabinet Manual conventions. “I think those comments are ill-considered and we expect all ministers to actually exercise good ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rob Newton, Professor of Exercise Medicine, Edith Cowan University Pexels/RDNE stock project You’re not in your 20s or 30s anymore and you know regular health checks are important. So you go to your GP. During the appointment they measure your waist. ...
A new poem by Evangeline Riddiford Graham. Mitochondrial Problem I. It was long drive to Kansas for the man and his dog but you have to understand he said She doesn’t fly. Which calls to mind not carsick shitting barking or whining but a dog who chooses not to as ...
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)Hot off the press, this debut ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laura Wajnryb McDonald, PhD candidate in Criminology, University of Sydney Less than 24 hours after Ashlee Good was murdered in Bondi Junction, her family released a statement requesting the media take down photographs they had reproduced of Ashlee and her family without ...
Chief executive Shaun Robinson said it has not had any government funding cut, but government-funded contracts have not kept pace with rising costs. ...
The Ministry of Health has delayed the release of its evidence brief on the safety, reversibility and mental health and wellbeing outcomes for puberty blockers. While we wait, Julia de Bres speaks to those with firsthand experience. Best practice gender-affirming healthcare is based on trans people’s self-determination and agency. The ...
Barcelona’s city streets have gone from traffic-clogged to pedestrian-friendly. How? Superblocks. Ellen Rykers explains. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week I read a great interview with renowned urbanist Janette Sadik-Khan by The Spinoff’s Wellington editor Joel MacManus: “You can reimagine streets, ...
Student groups ‘Climate Action VUW’, Schools Strike 4 Climate and VUWSA will be on the street in Wellington today, the last day for submissions on the Fast-track Approvals Bill, with a message that the fight against the Government’s ‘War on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sofia Ammassari, Research Fellow, Griffith University Since 2014, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity has grown exponentially – and so has the formidable organisational machine of his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). These two factors will be key to delivering the BJP a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brendon Hyndman, Associate Professor of Education (Adjunct) & Senior Manager (BCE), Charles Sturt University During COVID almost all Australian students and their families experienced online learning. But while schools have long since gone back to in-person teaching, online learning has not gone ...
Yes, they’re better for the environment. No, that’s not a good enough reason for me to use them. Once every 26 days or so, my period arrives, and if struck by an act of God, I am caught red-crotched without products. How, after 17 years of this, do I still ...
“It will cause significant harm to our environment and communities. It is completely at odds with New Zealanders’ relationship with nature and our need for a low-carbon, sustainable economic future." ...
The Chair of the National Maori Authority, Matthew Tukaki, has warned a Parliamentary Select Committee that fast-tracking legislation is a perilous practice that undermines the core tenets of democracy, transparency, and accountability. ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Wong, Forrest Fellow, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia Have you ever wondered if there are more insects out at night than during the day? We set out to answer this question by combing through the scientific ...
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The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) is sounding a warning to migrants, that running foul of the law may see them leaving the country prematurely. ...
The government’s plan to get 50,000 people off jobseeker support by 2030 has had a rocky start, 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 up here. Beneficiary numbers are up – and so are ...
Raglan Roast is a staple of Wellington coffee culture. But with five branches across the capital, which one is the best? I am a die-hard Raglan Roast fan. It’s consistently the most affordable cafe in Wellington, and one of the only places you can get a coffee after 3pm. So, ...
Residents of University of Auckland halls are being urged to withhold their accommodation fees from May 1, in a bid to force the university to take student concerns over rent hikes seriously.The University of Auckland is facing a strike from students over the cost of on-campus accommodation. The Students ...
Opinion: The famed American architect and urban designer Daniel Burnham once said, “Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men’s blood!” Burnham wouldn’t have been referring to the transport plans in Aotearoa New Zealand over the past five years; projects so big they hadn’t the credibility to ...
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New Zealand and the Philippines have signed a new maritime security agreement and stated their concerns over activity in the South China Sea, as Chinese vessels continue to flout international law. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Philippines President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos committed to signing a Mutual Logistics Supporting Arrangement by ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra When ASIO boss Mike Burgess delivered his annual threat assessment earlier this year, he stressed the rising danger posed by espionage and foreign interference. “In 2024, threats to our way of life have surpassed ...
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Family First says that the latest abortion statistics make grim and upsetting reading, with a 25% increase in abortions since the decriminalisation of abortion in March 2020. According to an Official Information Act request received by Right to Life ...
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Electoral (Integrity) Amendment Bill (aka Waka Jumping Bill)
There has been a lot of discussion here and elsewhere re the Green Party now supporting the Electoral (Integrity) Amendment Bill (aka the waka jumping Bill) put up by NZF supported by Labour, particularly in light of the views expressed by Jeanette Fitzsimmons at the Green Party AGM last weekend.
What has surprised me is that some (many?) people seem to think that this Bill is something in the future rather than in the very ‘here and now‘. For example, Dennis Frank on OM 20 Aug in his comment at 1.7 said:
This Bill is well passed the select committee process and way down the tracks in its passage through the House. It passed its Second Reading on 2 August, and is already at least halfway through the Committee stages, with only the Third Reading remaining after that. In fact it took up some 10 hours of the House’s time (almost 120 videos!) on 2, 7, 8 and 9 August.
During that time there were many votes – all of which split with Labour, NZF and the GP voting together (63), and National either voting alone (56) or with an extra ACT vote.
But to backtrack slightly re Dennis Frank’s question as to what amendments emerged from the Select Committee process? The answer is none. With the make-up of the Justice Select Committee being 4 Labour members, and 4 National Mps*, the select committee reached an impasse. As a result, the day before they were due to report back to the House (31 July 2018) the Bill was discharged from consideration by the Justice Committee under Standing Order 295(3):
* Dennis Frank has subsequently asked why the make-up of the Committee does not include GP or NZF members. I will do a separate short comment on this – if not tonight, hopefully in the next day.
So then what happened?
On Thursday 2 August, the Bill appeared at No 2 on the Order Paper for 2nd Reading that day. The House debated the Bill for two hours with speeches from all Parties except ACT, including 8 National speeches, 4 Labour, 1 NZF (Darrock Ball) 1 GP (Golriz Ghahraman). The Bill passed its 2nd Reading with 63 Ayes (L/NZF/GP) and 57 Noes (Nat/ACT).
On Tues afternoon, 7 August, the House then commenced the clause by clause Committee stages of the Bill. Over the next three sitting days (7,8 and 9 August including under urgency/extended hours on Thurs morning, 9 August) the Committee of the House considered and passed Clauses 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the Bill with the Ayes 63 (L/G/NZF) and the Noes 56 (N) or 57(N/ACT). This leaves only Clauses 5 and 6 remaining for Committee stage consideration, followed by the Third Reading of the Bill. (More on these below.)
During these debates, the Committee of the House also considered about 20 SOPs raised by the National Party Mps which included attempts to include new clauses (eg new Clause 3A) and to delete Clause 4 in its entirety. None of these SOPs were agreed.
When the House commenced the 2nd Hearing, Nick Smith raised an ‘Instruction to the Committee’ motion calling for the Bill “to be discharged and referred back to the Justice Committee to enable the many amendments proposed by officials and submitters to be considered.” Following debate, this motion was not agreed to with the Ayes 56 (Nat only) and the Noes 63 (L/NZF/GP).
During the Committee stages debates, Smith raised a further two motions, the first to get an Instruction to the Committee to make it explicit that the Bill be considered in terms of the overriding provisions of the Parliamentary Privileges Act. This failed, as did the third Motion “.. that it [the Committee of the Whole House] consider and, if it thinks appropriate, adopt the amendments suggested by many submitters that constituency members of Parliament be exempted from the new power of party leaders to dismiss MPs.” . This motion was raised as earlier attempt to limit the Bill to constituency (electorate) members only had been ruled out of order (procedurally). This third Motion attempt was chaired by Mallard himself, with short speeches by Smith and Brownlee but the motion was not agreed to on a party vote of Ayes 56; Noes 63.
Remaining Clauses of the Bill still to be debated
As stated above, only Clauses 5 and 6 of the Bill still remain to be debated in the Committee stages (plus the final 3rd reading). Clause 6 is a mere editorial amendment to the principal Act (the Electoral Act 1993) consequent upon the outcome on Clause 5.
However, Clause 5 is likely to continue to attract considerable debate and filibustering as it continues to propose amendments to Clause 55 of the principal Act (as did Clause 4) of a quite ‘meaty’ nature as can be seen from the Clause by Clause section of the Explanatory Note to the Bill itself here (too long to quote).
http://www.legislation.govt.nz/bill/government/2017/0006/latest/whole.html#DLM7514004
Here is the principal Electoral Act 1993 – http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1993/0087/latest/whole.html?search=y_act_2018_1993_ac%40ainf%40anif_an%40bn%40rn_25_a&p=1#DLM307519
It should be noted that the Clause 5 proposals appear to seek to reinstate provisions that were introduced by the previous 2001 Electoral (Integrity) Amendment Act but expired on 18 September 2005 under the provisions of that Act. I have not had time to compare the two – and National have been busy over the last week writing new SOPs which may affect clause 5. There are currently 34 SOPs listed against the Bill, with 16 of these filed on 15 August.
Nature of the Debates to date
The debates have been long and heated, with National basically filibustering every inch of the way, mainly through diversions such as Points of Order, off topic and long historical speeches, raising new SOPs – and from time to time berating and heckling the Greens for their support of the Bill and calling on them to change their minds. One memorable attempt was also made by David Bennett to seek the recall of the Speaker, Trevor Mallard, for allegedly remarking to Bennett when the Speaker was leaving the House that “He said that my head would fall off if I shook it at him”. (LOL! See the fourth para below for video.)
During the Committee stages, to date Labour and NZF have put up very few speakers other than Andrew Little and Darroch Ball – except for one amusing instance when Ron Mark heard a call from Mark Mitchell in the debate challenging him, went to the Chamber and took a call where he turned the books on Mitchell and implied he would be leaving National to set up a new party.
At least one Green MP appeared to be in the House at all times during the Committee Stage debates – eg Shaw, Davidson and Hughes. The Green MPs have not sought any calls to speak, although Shaw twice objected to National remarks re the Greens. Many votes were called for with the Greens consistently voting with Labour and NZF.
The various Deputy Speakers chairing the debates (Anne Tolley, Poto Williams and Adrian Ruawhe) have been very clearly frustrated by the filibustering and overall distractions, and have raised concerns at some National MPs (eg Brownlee and Bennett plus others) making comments that brought the impartiality and integrity of the Chairs (= Deputy Speakers) into question. During the morning extended hours debate on 9 August, this resulted in Speaker Mallard being recalled to the House to deal with this issue. Here is the Hansard for that small section:
https://www.parliament.nz/en/pb/hansard-debates/rhr/combined/HansDeb_20180808_20180809_12
This video starting about 11.30 puts this small section into context, and also contains David Bennett complaining about the Speaker immediately afterwards! Then Brownlee immediately questions Williams ruling on that; then Smith, followed by Bennett and so on … Unbelievable. The Hansard on this is the first part of this one.
https://www.parliament.nz/en/pb/hansard-debates/rhr/combined/HansDeb_20180808_20180809_16
Where to from Here?
On 9 August, Chris Hopkins (Leader of the House) advised that several Bills would be introduced the following week (14 – 16 Aug) and the NAIT Amendment Bill would be considered under urgency, but that the Electoral (Integrity) Bill was expected to complete its Third Reading.
Come Tues 14 August, the Bill had been moved down to No 10 on the Order Paper, and did not see light of day last week . The House is now in two weeks’ recess until Tues, 4 September.
Whether that was ‘just life’ or intentional is unknown. In light of the upcoming Green AGM it was probably good to have a breather; likewise in view of the heated situation in many of the debates on the Bill. It would not surprise me if there are things going on behind the scenes on procedural matters – particularly in regard to the lack of regard etc being displayed to the role, rights etc of the Speakers/Chairs. The real question is whether any concessions, changes etc to the actual provisions of the Bill will be considered on either side.
My opinion on the Bill? I am divided and currently too close to the procedural aspects to make a considered decision. I think there is some need for some controls on waka jumping – absolutely in regard to list Members. On electorate Members there is the old dilemma of Party vs Electorate voters.
Is this a good Bill? IMHO not really. A cobbled together rerun with warts and all, but possibly better than nothing. Who knows whether it is really needed at this time. but with some of the alleged movements by National to ‘talk to people’, perhaps it is.
Has the process been good? Ummm. Again, IMHO not really. I will leave it at that, but will be watching with interest as to whether any changes happen before the next round.
Back to the Green Party Dilemma
Quite frankly, if the Greens were to pull the plug now, what do you think the consequences would be?
IMHO for the Greens to change tack this far down the track would bring the viability of the current government into serious question; and probably lead to the confidence and supply agreement falling over. No other party would trust them enough to consider any form of coalition in the future; and many soft or split voters would probably feel the same. Again I will leave it at that right now, although it would be interesting to see what the legal position would be vis a vis the Bill and the status of the votes taken on the various Clauses already agreed.
NOTE – I have not included many links as there are masses – 120 videos (c.10 hours) of Parliament debates for instance! If there are any particular bits of video or Hansard you would like links to, I could probably oblige as I have waded my way through most as the above is a condensation of a more detailed analysis done for other purposes.
Damn – Blockquote should have ended at the end of the Standing Order 295 quote.
That is, before the * note. From there down should be further left-aligned .
[Fixed for ya. This is a tough issue. There needs to be a comprehensive post on it but no one has put their hand up yet … MS]
Thanks, you’ve done an excellent job there. I hope other readers will give it serious consideration. Quite an eye-opener for me – I’ve never bothered to examine parliamentary process, having only ever been interested in results. I have to say that the select committee process appears to be a total travesty.
Unless you know more than me, we still have no idea why there were no NZF or GP parliamentarians on the justice committee, and a quick scan of your report didn’t show me any evidence that they were able to contribute to the process. How anyone could think this is a suitable result from MMP, I can’t imagine. In no way can this be seen as a genuine consensus-seeking process.
So it looks like Labour is driving the process on behalf of NZF to get the result Winston wants, and the Nats are trying to get sensible improvements incorporated, but with no luck so far. Do you agree?
lol…Joe Bennet is a delight of common sense
https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/thepanel/audio/2018659264/the-panel-with-rebekah-white-and-joe-bennett-part-1
https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/thepanel/audio/2018659272/the-panel-with-rebekah-white-and-joe-bennett-part-2
I loved hearing Mora desperately trying to prevent him challenge the crazed Greg Newbold.
challenge??
I listened to that and Greg Newbold is no more crazed than you Ed. He has been there, done that, knows what he is talking about. Sorry if it is in contrast with your favourite opinion.
Listened to that Pat.
The guys a bloody treasure
Brickbats for the MSM.
Prime tv’s trailer said Winston was angry at his press conference with Julie Bishop today and the Herald claimed he snapped.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Winston was relaxed and in good humour and it seems like the press corpse is using a totally different dictionary from the rest of us.
Agreed. He was really funny and mischevious.
Rachel Stewart is a breath of fresh air.
If only there were 20 commentators with the same courage.
Rachel Stewart: Animal cruelty – a storm is coming
And just a reminder about those feedlots.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Okf0JcFhriU
Maybe this is the sort of stuff she’s alluding to.
As soon as people understand what happens behind the walls of the gigantic gulag of factory farming, people will stop eating meat in droves.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9NiOwibz14
Thought provoking
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2pMlY2sJts
Thank you Ed. Dominion is a wonderful and powerful film.
James and Carly recommend it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4L0edjI90pg
They are not wrong. Love how they have their pets with them too.
So how do they feed their cat? Cats can’t be healthy on a vegan diet.
So have you actually watched it now, or just the trailer?
I sense you support animal cruelty……
How long have you been a vegan ed?
Is maui an animal? If you could convince me of this i would certainly be less cruel.
Would you though (“certainly be less cruel”), would you really?
Time to ‘pile in’ on Ed, and (apparently) those who have the temerity to ‘voice’ their support, again.
Broken record vs broken record (EoE). Who will ‘win’ – is anyone keeping score?
Yes i actually care a lot about animal welfare. Ed knows this through the ‘discussions’ we have had here.
“Is maui an animal?” – solkta
Apologies solkta, clearly I misunderstood the intent of your question.
I have watched it and it is excellent. I have also seen the trailer.
Inspiring.
‘Your Democracy Has Been Stolen; It’s Time For Revolution’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=48&v=94eFg1t6PWk
“I cannot tell how long this open water patch will remain open, but even if it closes in few days from now, the harm will be done: the thick old sea ice will have been pushed away from the coast, to an area where it will melt more easily,” he added.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/aug/21/arctics-strongest-sea-ice-breaks-up-for-first-time-on-record
Climate change?….no worries
NZ (aka Terror Central) is getting body scanners at airports.
Ffs.
Hope no exemptions are permitted for the MPs who supported spending millions to put these fuckers in place. Hey, with terror you never know.
https://i.stuff.co.nz/travel/106469801/expect-delays-full-body-xray-scanners-coming-to-new-zealand-airports
A wee bit of an overkill in my books and I would’ve thought they would’ve have used for the USA bound flights knowing how paranoid the yanks are with terrorists, but really using them for NZ domestic flights come on.
No doubt some muppet from the last Government signed off on this waste of money.
fucken hell – this is shit.
“Devices that produce an unclothed image of a person breach New Zealand’s Aviation Crimes Act, so the scanners will be configured to reveal only a genderless stick figure image that highlights the areas of a passenger’s body that require investigation by security staff.
Suspicious or foreign objects will also not be displayed – they will instead be indicated with a coloured marker.
The scanners use non-ionizing radiation, which has no proven adverse health effects.
Passing through the scanners won’t be mandatory, but those who refuse will have to undergo a “pat-down” search.
There has been no increase in New Zealand’s terror threat level. But documents released by the Aviation Security Service (Avsec) under the Official Information Act note the scanners “are becoming the norm” in international airports.”
Crikey that’s an overkill.
Maybe they should just take some advice/direction from one of Sacha Baron Cohens characters from “Who is America?”.
Erran Morad…. he’s a genius on terrorism and how to spot a terrorist and what to do. Here he is with Jason Spencer, who was an elected official, until the show aired… 🙂 5 minute clip below 🙂 enjoy 🙂
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4k4pMTsa1Kw
Firstly, of course they take nudey pictures. They have to collate the raw data and then match it to the icon listing, and techs would need to see raw images to calibrate the machines, especially if new threats are identified. Do I trust them not to have a c\ache of the raw reference pictures that might be accessible by a technician? Fuck no.
Secondly, it’s a bit unclear: if I don’t want a nudey picture taken of me, do I only get touched up on international flights, or local ones, too? It’s a bit unclear.
Thirdly, did that article say that Soimon Bridgeless okayed this shit just because other people do it (sorry, because ‘it’s increasingly the norm overseas’)?
Leaving aside the signals and intention of this technology rollout…
There will of course need to be nude scans taken…will they be stored/sent etc?
Exactly which scanners are being deployed in NZ?
http://healthland.time.com/2011/06/30/did-airport-scanners-give-boston-tsa-agents-cancer/
http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/11/17/europe-bans-airport-x-ray-scanners-that-u-s-still-uses/
The ‘non ionizing radiation’ ‘is safe’ position, does not stand up to the shallowest of investigations…
Airport ‘security’ is of course a perpetual charade…one which the article acknowledges…
The next steps:
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/15/us/los-angeles-metro-body-scanners.html
It’s ‘the norm’ internationally…best we follow along…
The low level of the explanation is staggering…
Just when you thought it was over, the aussies are at it again and Turnbull could be ousted tonight!
“The models can’t handle those landscape-scale changes, all of the processes that could lead to rapid change,” says David Lawrence, a permafrost modeler with the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder. “And it’s going to be a long time before they can.”
By the time some changes are detected, a significant transition may be underway, he says. That means the public and policymakers may not grasp the real risks.
“Most models don’t project major carbon releases until beyond 2100,” Walter Anthony says. That may be the case. But it’s also possible, she says, that they “could actually happen in my children’s lifetime—or my own.”
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2018/08/news-arctic-permafrost-may-thaw-faster-than-expected/