If a group intent on Dirty Politics signed up in the Labour Party determined to be wooden horses to destroy the party’s election chances from the inside, they could hardly do better than the ‘intern’ shambles in Auckland today.
In soccer they have own goals. This is standing up and booting the ball into your own goal again and again.
repateet, well said.
To his credit Andrew Little has came out and ‘accepted ‘ the debacle. What he didn’t do is sack McCarten. What McCarten has not done is resign. The fuck up festers.
The Maori party and Winnie have come out with strong condemnation and this is telling with about 3 months until
‘D’ day.
IMO legal action has a good chance of happening.
The Greens, so far, are silent but I doubt this will do much for MoU solidarity, particularly if this hits the Courts or litigation payments ensue.
Any apologists on these pages for McCartens plan will do little to restore this mess, it will damage and maybe destroy Labour.
You’re either ignorant or wilfully ignoring the realities of the news cycle. This will be gone by tomorrow. The Barclay debacle has abruptly ended the phoney campaign around the election. Expect the usual proxies to start to try and fill the airwaves with one scandalous exclusive after another.
Lets be honest here if we’ve learnt anything over the last decade or so its that when Labour have National on the back foot you can bet that Labour will shoot themselves in the foot
Nah billshitter ain’t off the hook buddy. They will draw this out slowly to maximize the damage to the gnats when he resigns. Only a matter of time till even his best friends in caucus vote against him.
For God’s sake, this is suppose to be the workers party and they want people to work for nothing just confirms why I have not voted for them since 1984 and it will be a long time before I do again.
Labour is not responsible for an outside organisation inviting young people to come to NZ and help out during the election campaign. That this organisation let it all get out of hand is NOT the fault of the Labour Party. It’s the Labour Party who are stepping in to sort the mess out.
Now we have the ludicrous claim by a crackpot and hysterical MSM (and I’m sorry to say John Campbell is one of them), that these youngsters are “immigrants” and then use it to accuse Labour of “hypocrisy”.
THEY ARE NOT IMMIGRANTS. They are visitors and are only here for a matter of weeks.
If Andrew Little doesn’t get off his back-side and tear strips off all of them for the bullshit they’re currently spouting, then he lets us down in a big way. This is one time when “Angry Andy” needs to pull out all the stops!
[Calling what’s happened to the interns ‘slave labour’ in the way you just did is trolling. If you think that you’re going to be able to troll like that going towards the election you are wrong. Expect a hefty ban. I haven’t caught up with the whole thing properly yet, but I’m smelling Dirty Politics here, and I’ve got less than zero tolerance for trolling under those conditions. By all means make your points, but you know well enough now where the line is. Please acknowledge you have read this note – weka]
Anne. It was NZ Labour seeking the help through a so-called fellowship programme. Those things are standard enough. Where I’m having some problem is in the misleading marketing of those fellowships. Labour said in its literature that NZ would be great place to be given the “global political climate” – as though NZ Labour was a part of the resurgence of social democracy 🙄
It’s not. And any (say) Sanders supporter who came here hoping to a part of some Sanders or Corbyn or Menchalon or SNP thing would be bitterly disappointed.
That being by the by and even putting the clusterfuck of non-organisation that Matt McCarten put in place to one side too.
If a person on a fellowship is not an immigrant because they are here for a set amount of time, then why does NZ Labour consider international students to be immigrants when they too are here for a set amount of time?
I’d like to hear Andrew Little square that circle he created tonight on Checkpoint.
I actually don’t think they’re above that level of stupidity. But more likely just simply putting out a pitch they thought would get peoples’ attention. Certainly seems to have worked. I wonder how many fellows they’d normally expect?
I’ve yet to see a write up of the whole thing that I trust, and not sure I can be bothered going and parsing past all the bullshit tbh. The background stinks of dirty politics and mostly it looks like something that should have died away as Little said yep, this isn’t good and we’re going to sort it.
Nope. It’s a clusterfuck. Forget the nonsense about the door hinges and all that guff. Could be a parting “fuck you” from McCarten, or just sheer incompetence, or whatever. But it ain’t dirty politics.
That’s not the dirty politics. It’s what the right are doing while the left are busy bashing their own. The ‘slave labour’ meme arose very quickly. And the whole cupboard hinge thing is important, because people aren’t willing to talk about what is actually wrong (the larger numbers and the disorganisation) because on its own it won’t be a scandal, so they’re pointing to every little possible thing. FFS, sleeping dorms on a Marae is a hardship? Really? And there were people on social media calling that a slum. The nasty is big on this one.
From what I can tell McCarten and some Labour bods set up a scheme outside of Labour and fucked it up, and there are some students from overseas who probably rightfully feel ripped off. But it’s not in any way comparable to what National have done over a long period of time re Clutha Southland. As far as I can tell the reaction to the intern thing is out of proportion and the left are falling for it all over again. Bash Labour and see how that helps with changing the govt.
If they were that concerned about ‘slave labour’ you’d think that they’d be raising a massive fuss about the businesses that really are abusing imported labour. But they tend to defend those people instead.
Of course “slave labour” became the go-to term! Why wouldn’t it? It requires about zero thought, isn’t accurate, but is good for shits and giggles among a given set of political what-evers.
That’s not ‘dirty politics’.
Hone Harawira highlighted this back in April but was poo pooed by Labour and Labour supporters. And no, it wasn’t set up outside of Labour. They may have been kept in the dark in the latter stages, but then that just raises questions about their internal structures of accountability and communication.
I think it is quite a big thing to entice people into New Zealand for political campaigning when the literature used can reasonably be held up as being mis-leading btw. (ie – the literature suggested rather strongly that NZ Labour was a part of the resurgence of social democracy.)
As for comparisons – not interested, if that implies only commenting on the worst excesses of politicians if they happen to be from ‘the right’ party. Labour may need to be in government if we aren’t going to have another three years of National, but that doesn’t make them left. And it doesn’t mean they get a free pass on shit (not that they would, even if they were).
This being a political blog, apart from the few who have made a conscious decision to not vote, anyone reading here is going to vote. The overwhelming majority will vote in a way that runs counter to the interests of the National Party. And they have options. (eg – if not Labour, then perhaps Green)
edit – yes, it’s entirely possible someone sat on this until it could be used to deflect heat away from National. That’s not dirty politics either – just strategy.
Like I said, bash Labour and see how that helps to change the govt. Lots of people won’t vote Green for various reasons, so that leaves Labour, NZF or not voting. The last two won’t help change the govt. If the left can’t figure out how to do constructive criticism instead of bashing its own then maybe it’s ok with handing National a 4th term, or settle for a centrist L/NZF govt.
Well, if you think that having genuine questions and making reasonable observations is ‘bashing’, or buying into some dastardly plot, then hey, we’ll just have to agree to disagree.
Some people are looking at TOPs and others at MANA btw. So there’s potential beyond these Labour or Green or NZF or nothing set of options you propose.
And picking the timing for something is what every political party does. It’s ‘management’ (as McFlock termed it) and it certainly isn’t a ‘dead cat’ – that’s when you throw out shit about your own side to shift the conversation.
I don’t think asking genuine questions and making reasonable observations is bashing. I’ve already differentiated between bashing and constructive critique.
Mana and TOP votes might also cost the left the election. So a narrative of Labour are shit for the next 3 months leading to 1.5% and 3.5% of the left vote going to Mana and TOP is not helping to change the govt.
And picking the timing for something is what every political party does. It’s ‘management’ (as McFlock termed it) and it certainly isn’t a ‘dead cat’ – that’s when you throw out shit about your own side to shift the conversation.
Pretty interesting seeing you minimise the dirty shit from the right as if it’s just par for the course political strategy.
Pretty interesting seeing you minimise the dirty shit from the right as if it’s just par for the course political strategy.
Yeah. Timing releases for maximum effect is what every political party does. Pulling in contacts for penetration is also what every political party does. So unless you’re suggesting or claiming that “Politik” is an updated incarnation of “whaleoil” seeding msm with stories from the National Party…
Throwing lots of shit at a target in the hope some sticks so that any stink from the original story increases is also just par for the course. If you think that’s the preserve of National or anything to do with what Nicky Hagar was on about, then you didn’t understand the issues raised in his book.
Meanwhile, it seems the timing was just the timing on this issue. From ‘stuff’.
General Secretary of the Labour Party Andrew Kirton heard about the problems with the scheme late last week and flew up on Monday to sort things out.
and
“Earlier this week the Labour Party Head Office contacted me (Matt McCarten) about these issues and requested to take the programme over so that it could resolve them. I have agreed to this and am no longer involved in the programme.”
So shit happened and shit was reported in pretty quick succession.
Yes, saying that nasty shit in politics is what everyone does and is par for the course, is minimising what just happened.
“Timing releases for maximum effect is what every political party does.”
It’s not just a release though, it’s lies. Every political party doesn’t do that. There’s a difference between using truth to criticise one’s opponent and using lies. We see this on TS too and moderate for it. The left parties might cross the line sometimes but generally they don’t use blatant mistruth to smear National. And they don’t have a whole system set up to do that on multiple fronts.
There’s another thing here too, The Chairman is doing this on today’s OM, which is that no-one is allowed to make mistakes. Labour or any party should be allowed to fuck up and then make amends. If that’s not true then we’re basically fucked. But it is still true, and so there is a need to push back against the moves that will condemn out of proportion to the offence and the response to the offence.
So yeah, minimising. You appear to be ok with that culture, I’m not.
( If the left can’t figure out how to do constructive criticism instead of bashing its own )
In MHO they aren’t on the left what left party would ask people to travel from another country and work for nothing and complain about young people working for shit wages here. Shit wages is better than no wages. Bunch of fucking tory lite
An organisational disaster, that began as a Labour Party Fellowship Programme, which then became some weird (and failed) “Campaign for Change” that sits very oddly with NZ Labour’s immigration policy, and that raises multiple questions about NZ Labours internal structures for accountability and communication in general?
Or was people running around referring to fellowship volunteers as interns and slaves what happened?
You seem to be suggesting that the latter is what happened and that the former is just some incidental detail not worth mentioning.
Yes, saying that nasty shit in politics is what everyone does and is par for the course, is minimising what just happened.
I’ll add that I didn’t say anything even remotely like “nasty shit in politics is what everyone does”. I said that people will throw shit (mud, if you prefer) at a target.
What is the “blatant mistruth” you suggest that the National Party have told about Labour? And what is this “whole system set up to do that (smear and spread lies) on multiple fronts” that you imagine National to have these days?
Both those things happened, and I’ll just note the minimising again.
Go follow Hooton on twitter for a while, that’s a reasonably good indicator of the lines being run, the degree of nasty, and the attempt to undermine via smear and mistruth rather than actual critique. And rather than me responding to a request about my imagination I’ll just say that I find it extremely unlikely that National and co have stopped Dirty Politics. You can prevaricate over semantics, but it looks to me like the machine still runs.
That would be funny if you yourself weren’t running around seeking to shut down worthwhile critique by ignoring and sidestepping the substantive issues that arise in comments from this Fellowship debacle (read above), as well as hectoring people for not discussing whatever fallout from what the likes of Hooton are discussing, and generally getting all wavy armed and stompy booted when you don’t like people’s criticisism of NZ Labour and all because, it seems, the election! The election!!
The framework and structures that Nicky Hagar wrote about are gone.
The framework and structures that Nicky Hagar wrote about are gone.
You sure about that? This volunteer thing seems to have been going on for a while, and it all blows up the very day after Barclay trips on his own sword. Almost like a very convenient distraction.
Some of the nodes of the old network are defunct, but a new network with different nodes could be there. The timing could just be spectacularly bad luck, but… I’m a bit suspicious
The NZ Labour Party/McCarten thing blew itself apart on Monday through Tuesday. It was reported on on the Wednesday. NZ Labour decided when to pull the plug – no-one else. And the timing’s really nice for National.
I wrote that the framework Hagar wrote about is gone. Do I think National and Labour and the Greens et al have media networks they can utilise? Yes.
Do I think National has stories and lines being spun by Bill English’s office that are then fed to bloggers who feed it all back through msm? No.
Different thread, it’s inconceivable that the timing of this is coincidence. There’s a grey area between strategy and out and out two track, Hager-documented dirty politics, but I think this is easily towards the nasty shit end of the spectrum. Call it a dead cat. Whatever, this is bullshit and the left is playing right into it.
Calling something slavery is a highly political act (esp as I’m guessing some of the students are from the US). As you’ve pointed out this is a political space. People aren’t unthinking, they know exactly what they are doing.
The origin of the complaints may be because of inter tribal warfare over the use of that marae. Others reject its use largely for hosting visitors I think so it may not be as bad as it sounds. The issue timing is very convenient indeed.
In part, Grenfell Tower is a testimony of the government’s ideological obsession with deregulation. In 2000 the government was warned that current guidance “may not be adequate for the purposes of ensuring the safety of external cladding systems in a fire”. Recommendations from the inquest into the 2009 fire were also ignored, while in 2013, the all All-Party Parliamentary Fire Safety and Rescue Group issued a report on the safety of tower blocks yet the minister refused to meet them. In March 2014, the all-party group wrote to the minister to say “Surely… when you already have credible evidence to justify updating… the guidance… which will lead to saving of lives, you don’t need to wait another three years in addition to the two already spent since the research findings were updated, in order to take action?”
There is no doubt that the reason for government inaction was anti-regulatory zeal. Brandon Lewis, the Tory housing minister between 2014 and 2016, warned against increasing fire safety regulations to include sprinklers in 2014 because it could discourage house building. He told MPs: “We believe that it is the responsibility of the fire industry, rather than the Government, to market fire sprinkler systems effectively and to encourage their wider installation.” He said the Tory Government had committed to being the first to reduce regulations nationwide. Lewis added: “The cost of fitting a fire sprinkler system may affect house building – something we want to encourage – so we must wait to see what impact that regulation has.”
This is how capitalism kills. Cutting corners, not building to high enough standards all so that a few people can make higher profits and supported by the scum in parliament.
Not sure if this has been covered re Labour’s Fellowship Campaign. The good side. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11880781
“An American student taking part in a “fellowship” programme for the Labour Party campaign has defended it, saying most of the 85 interns on it are happy.
She believed the complaints and leaks to the media were driven by one or two interns who had a beef with the programme. She claimed one was dropped from a leadership position on the programme after allegedly taking bottles of wine from Labour MP Jenny Salesa’s house after Salesa hosted a meal for them.”
And this appeared late Thursday 22.00:
Former National staffer Glenys Dickson says MP Todd Barclay should have resigned immediately. First she has spoken since the original interview.
Britain’s old order is crumbling. Those who sense this most acutely, such as the rightwing press, are its defenders. This week, The Sun was reduced to begging its readers to see the evils of socialism. They are right to panic when 30% of its readers ended up voting for Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour party. Right to reflect that, according to a new YouGov poll, 43% of people believe a “genuinely socialist government” would make Britain a “better place to live” and just 36% say the reverse. Those who represent the future – younger Britons, particularly younger working-class voters – are decisively plumping for Corbyn’s new Labour party.
now to engineer the same collapse of the Tories here. Including those in Labour.
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It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
Buzz from the BeehiveThe text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary. It can be quickly analysed ...
For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
Questions need to be asked on both sides of the worldPeter Williams writes – The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read:Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop:The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
TL;DR:Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
Bob Edlin writes – The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
The New Zealand public voted for a change in direction at the 2023 general election and that is exactly what this coalition government has been delivering in its first 100 days. There was an immediate focus on the economy, easing the cost of living, cracking down on law and order ...
The Government has left the health system as an afterthought, announcing half-baked targets at the last minute of their 100-day plan, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
Kiwis are still waiting for their promised cost of living support after 100 days of a National Government that is taking us backwards, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
100 days of National taking NZ backwardsThe National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
The Government must commit to funding free and healthy school lunches, as thousands of people sign the petition to keep them, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti says. ...
If the Government was serious about moving families into public housing, they would build more houses so there is actually somewhere for people to go. ...
The free and healthy school lunches programme feeds our kids, helps them to learn, and saves families money – but it is at risk under this Government, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
The Government’s proposed changes to Firearms Prohibition Orders (FPO) add almost nothing new and are merely an attempt to distract from its plans to loosen gun laws, police spokesperson Ginny Andersen and justice spokesperson Dr Duncan Webb said. ...
The great Victorian era English politician Lord Macauley stood in the British House of Parliament and said, "The gallery in which the reporters sit has become a fourth estate of the realm".He understood and outlined even way back then, the significant role and influence media have in a democracy. ...
The government’s attack on Māori health this week is committing tangata-whenua to a premature death, says Te Pāti Māori. “The government have begun their onslaught on Māori health with the abolishment of the Māori Health Authority and smokefree laws in the same day” said health spokesperson and co-leader, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. ...
"The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April. ...
Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand. Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships. “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland Acknowledgements and opening Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says. “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024 Acknowledgements and opening Morena, Nga Mihi Nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country. “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week. “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee. “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today. “The Amendment Paper represents ...
Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level. “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024. “Lower fruit and vege ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction. Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness. It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology. It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government has agreed to restore deductibility for mortgage interest on residential investment properties. “Help is on the way for landlords and renters alike. The Government’s restoration of interest deductibility will ease pressure on rents and simplify the tax code,” says ...
Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop will travel to Switzerland today to attend an Executive Committee meeting and Symposium of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mr Bishop will then travel on to London where he will attend a series of meetings in his capacity as Infrastructure Minister. “New Zealanders believe ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Deborah Lupton, SHARP Professor, Vitalities Lab, Centre for Social Research in Health and Social Policy Centre, and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society, UNSW Sydney kitzcorner/Shutterstock The assertion from Queensland’s chief health officer John Gerrard that ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Shutterstock Why are musicians so keen to get played on the radio? It can’t be because of the money. In Australia they are paid at rates so low they ...
"Farmers make a point not to tell our urban cousins how to live, yet Chlöe from central Auckland is hell-bent on having her say about farmers," says ACT Rural Communities spokesman Mark Cameron. “On her first day in the House as Green ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards – Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Curran, Associate Professor of Ecology, Lincoln University, New Zealand Getty Images/Gerald Corsi In the latest move to reform environmental laws in New Zealand, the coalition government has introduced a bill to fast-track consenting processes for projects deemed to ...
Uber has argued it does not have as much control over drivers as the unions suggest, and wants a judgment ruling that drivers are employees and not contractors set aside and sent back to the Employment Court. The 2022 ruling followed a three-week hearing in which four drivers sought to ...
What can and can’t be purchased by disabled people or their carers has been slashed in an effort by the Ministry of Disabled People Whaikaha to save money. The purchasing guidelines, a set of rules that sets out what can be purchased using the various streams of Government disability funding, ...
The Treasury has published today a new Analytical Note by Tod Wright and Hien Nguyen, Fiscal incidence in New Zealand: The effects of taxes and benefits on household incomes in tax year 2018/19 . Analyses of the distributional impact of taxation and government ...
The Treasury has published today a new Analytical Note by Cory Davis, Boston Hart and Benjamin Stubbing, Household cost-of-living impacts from the Emissions Trading Scheme and using transfers to mitigate regressive outcomes . This Analytical Note ...
A coalition of public transport and climate organisations, united as ‘Transport for All’, is actively opposing the government’s transport proposals. The draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) includes plans for higher fares for public transport, ...
Greater Wellington is inviting feedback on proposed changes to its Revenue and Financing Policy. The Revenue and Financing Policy covers the Council’s various sources of funding, and how the cost of services is shared across the region. This includes ...
Labour has conceded it could have done more to deal with disruptive state housing tenants while in government but says the current coalition is going too far. ...
The band has asked their record label to issue a cease and desist to stop the NZ First leader using their 1997 hit to support his ‘misguided political views’. “I get knocked down, but I get up again,” blared through the speakers on Sunday as Winston Peters took the stage ...
By Lydia Lewis, RNZ Pacific journalist Food rationing is underway in remote areas in Papua New Guinea’s Highlands following torrential rain and flash flooding. More than 20 people have been reported dead in Chimbu Province. In nearby Enga Province, the centre of last month’s massacre, a 15-year-old boy has been ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Hughes, Lecturer, Research School of Management, Australian National University After months of debate and intrigue, the AFL’s 19th and newest team, the Tasmania Devils, finally launched its jumper, logo and colours in Devonport this week. The Devils will wear green, ...
Brannavan Gnanalingam reviews the debut novel by Saraid de Silva.One of the most baffling things for children who move to a new country is what their parents’ (or grandparents’) lives were like prior to moving – for kids in particular, they’re too busy trying to fit in in their ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Gaunson, Associate Professor in Cinema Studies, RMIT University Narelle Portanier/Binge “If you don’t know who your mob are, you don’t know who you are,” Detective Andrea “Andie” Whitford (played by Leah Purcell) is told early into the new crime ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elise Klein, Associate professor, Australian National University It’s commonly accepted that women do the vast majority of caregiving in Australian society. But less appreciated is that Indigenous women do larger amounts of unpaid care than any other group. Working with the Aboriginal ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne Joe Biden and Donald Trump have both secured their parties’ nominations for the November 5 United States general election by winning a ...
Comment: There has been a striking contrast in trans-Tasman interest about Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi’s visit to New Zealand and Australia. While the Australian press has been full of articles about the visit – including his curious decision to meet with former prime minister and China booster Paul Keating ...
After years of pressuring banks and other institutions to stop investing in fossil fuels, climate campaigners are making some progress. So how does divestment work?For years, climate activists have been pushing banks and other big institutions to divest from fossil fuels. New research from climate advocacy group 350 Aotearoa ...
For Boba, Ethan and Ashley, K-pop is a place to belong, a way to express themselves, and a bridge to connect with others. The three young Polynesians are part of a K-pop fan community in Tāmaki Makaurau. It’s one of many that have sprung up worldwide as K-pop has gone ...
For Boba, Ethan and Ashley, K-pop is a place to belong, a way to express themselves, and a bridge to connect with others. This one-off documentary presents three intimate portraits of young Polynesians who are pulled into a Korean cultural phenomenon. K-POLYS is directed by Litia Tuiburelevu, Produced by Hex ...
There’s ample evidence demonstrating free school lunch programmes provide wide benefits across schools, households and communities according to public health researchers. ACT Minister David Seymour wants to reduce the spending on Aotearoa New Zealand’s ...
By Wata Shaw in Suva Fiji is facing an exodus of Fijians as many are leaving for overseas seeking employment and education and others are migrating, says Opposition MP Viliame Naupoto. Speaking in Parliament, he said: “His Excellency’s speech (Ratu Wiliame Katonivere) comes after a little over one year of ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming comments from Christopher Luxon this morning recommitting to ‘no new taxes’ as part of Budget 2024. “Mr Luxon’s refusal at the Post-Cabinet press conference yesterday to repeat the ‘no new taxes’ promise ...
SAFE is urgently calling on the Environment Committee to reject the Government’s Fast-Track Approvals Bill, and is urging New Zealanders to rally behind the call. The proposed Bill, currently under consideration with the Environment select committee, ...
Teammates who spend all their time picking fights with spectators are only helpful for the other team, writes Madeleine Chapman. Anyone who has ever played a team sport competitively, particularly as a child and particularly, for some reason, basketball, will know that there’s a lot of politics involved. While there ...
The long-running Wellington music festival is too focused on the Jim Beam-ness and not enough on the Homegrown-ness.There is something about Homegrown that’s difficult to place. A barely perceptible-ness. Like feeling a ghost is watching you from the corner of the room but when you look, there’s nothing there. ...
The latest Ipsos New Zealand Issues Monitor reveals that fewer New Zealanders believe crime / law and order is one of the top issues facing our country. In 2018, Ipsos New Zealand started tracking the key issues facing New Zealand. In this wave ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Griffiths, Deputy Program Director, Budgets and Government, Grattan Institute Australia’s political donations rules are woefully inadequate, but donations reform is finally on the agenda. The federal government has signalled its interest in reform and will soon begin briefing MPs on its ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Patrick Taylor, Chief Environmental Scientist, EPA Victoria; Honorary Professor, School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University Naiyana Somchitkaeo/Shutterstock A recent study published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine has linked microplastics with risk to human health. The study ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Albert Van Dijk, Professor, Water and Landscape Dynamics, Fenner School of Environment & Society, Australian National University Global climate records were shattered in 2023, from air and sea temperatures to sea-level rise and sea-ice extent. Scores of countries recorded their hottest year ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a teacher explains why he and his partner are in frugal mode – and how they’re making it work. Gender: Male Age: 35Ethnicity: Pākehā Role: I am an intermediate school teacher and my partner is ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Bendall, Senior Lecturer, Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences, Australian Catholic University Binge Mary & George, the new British television drama series, depicts the real-life story of Mary Villiers and her son George, and their social climbing at the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jason Nassios, Associate Professor, Centre of Policy Studies, Victoria University This article is part of The Conversation’s series examining the housing crisis. Read the other articles in the series here. Australian state and federal governments spend money in many ways to ...
The finance minister is denying that there’s a $5.6b shortfall in paying for the government’s campaign promises, including tax cuts. At his post-cabinet press conference yesterday, the PM refused to rule out new taxes to pay for the cuts, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s ...
Kāinga Ora tenants abused by their neighbours are doubting the government's crackdown on disruptive tenants will make a difference on their behaviour. ...
Kāinga Ora is New Zealand’s biggest residential landlord, housing more than 180,000 vulnerable people in more than 67,000 properties. Yesterday the government announced a crackdown on its tenants who fall behind on rent. One longtime Kāinga Ora tenant shares her experience.For 18 years I lived in a 1960s standalone ...
Why does this myth persist, and what’s the real reason our skin is suffering?It’s one of the biggest international grievances New Zealanders hold, up there with the sinking of the Rainbow Warrior and 1981’s underarm incident. We’re quick to tell international travellers that the world’s pollution led to the ...
When the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act was introduced in 2009 it was firmly targeted at gangs and drugs. The legislation means police no longer need a conviction to seize assets that criminals can’t prove were paid for legitimately, as long as their alleged offences are punishable by more than a ...
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If a group intent on Dirty Politics signed up in the Labour Party determined to be wooden horses to destroy the party’s election chances from the inside, they could hardly do better than the ‘intern’ shambles in Auckland today.
In soccer they have own goals. This is standing up and booting the ball into your own goal again and again.
repateet, well said.
To his credit Andrew Little has came out and ‘accepted ‘ the debacle. What he didn’t do is sack McCarten. What McCarten has not done is resign. The fuck up festers.
The Maori party and Winnie have come out with strong condemnation and this is telling with about 3 months until
‘D’ day.
IMO legal action has a good chance of happening.
The Greens, so far, are silent but I doubt this will do much for MoU solidarity, particularly if this hits the Courts or litigation payments ensue.
Any apologists on these pages for McCartens plan will do little to restore this mess, it will damage and maybe destroy Labour.
What could he sack him from?
What could McCarten resign from considering that he’s already left?
You’re either ignorant or wilfully ignoring the realities of the news cycle. This will be gone by tomorrow. The Barclay debacle has abruptly ended the phoney campaign around the election. Expect the usual proxies to start to try and fill the airwaves with one scandalous exclusive after another.
what brain deads within Labour thought this could possibly be a good idea?…..own goal doesn’t begin to describe it…
you can read all about them here http://www.95bfm.com/news/exclusive-transcript-with-labour-student-intern
Lloyd Burr on Newshub tonight did point out that the emergence of this story today is awfully convenient for the government…
Awfully convenient,
Lets be honest here if we’ve learnt anything over the last decade or so its that when Labour have National on the back foot you can bet that Labour will shoot themselves in the foot
Yes. I smell a huge rat.
Lol, Is the “intern” Clint Smith?
What an awful shambles. Game over.
Game over?
It makes labour look like complete and utter hypocrites on its main electioneering positions.
Any sort of credibility Labour had clawed back is now gone.
Nah billshitter ain’t off the hook buddy. They will draw this out slowly to maximize the damage to the gnats when he resigns. Only a matter of time till even his best friends in caucus vote against him.
For God’s sake, this is suppose to be the workers party and they want people to work for nothing just confirms why I have not voted for them since 1984 and it will be a long time before I do again.
For a wonderful take on UK politics, there’s noone better than George Galloway.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baMvUb908m8
Fuck me Galloway doesn’t hold back. Old fashioned oratory whatever you feel about it. Only need to listen to the first 10 min.
No post today I see on Labours shameful bs.
[you just copped a ban in OM. But know criticising authors here for what they don’t write is also against the rules. – weka]
Labour is not responsible for an outside organisation inviting young people to come to NZ and help out during the election campaign. That this organisation let it all get out of hand is NOT the fault of the Labour Party. It’s the Labour Party who are stepping in to sort the mess out.
Now we have the ludicrous claim by a crackpot and hysterical MSM (and I’m sorry to say John Campbell is one of them), that these youngsters are “immigrants” and then use it to accuse Labour of “hypocrisy”.
THEY ARE NOT IMMIGRANTS. They are visitors and are only here for a matter of weeks.
If Andrew Little doesn’t get off his back-side and tear strips off all of them for the bullshit they’re currently spouting, then he lets us down in a big way. This is one time when “Angry Andy” needs to pull out all the stops!
Copied from another site
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Community/MessageBoard/Messages.aspx?id=1702958&topic=7
Proof Labour’s name all over slave labour scheme.
Going right back to at least February (date of first link from Michigan University)
https://umichpicsannouncements.wordpress.com/2017/02/24/labo
ur-party-campaign-fellowship-in-new-zealand/
https://casit.illinoisstate.edu/sites/pol/2017/04/12/2017-la
bour-campaign-fellowship/
https://www.tilburguniversity.edu/students/news/show/news-labour-campaign-fellowship/
Dutch University links:
http://stage.wp.hum.uu.nl/170424-2-new-zealand-labour-party-2017-campaign-fellowship/
https://bskstage.weblog.leidenuniv.nl/2017/05/12/internship-
2017-labour-campaign-fellowship-new-zealand/
https://www.tilburguniversity.edu/students/news/show/news-la
bour-campaign-fellowship/
[Calling what’s happened to the interns ‘slave labour’ in the way you just did is trolling. If you think that you’re going to be able to troll like that going towards the election you are wrong. Expect a hefty ban. I haven’t caught up with the whole thing properly yet, but I’m smelling Dirty Politics here, and I’ve got less than zero tolerance for trolling under those conditions. By all means make your points, but you know well enough now where the line is. Please acknowledge you have read this note – weka]
🙂
He certainly didn’t describe this shambles the way you have Anne, on RNZ tonight!
What idiot ever ever thought using unpaid migrants as campaign assistants stuffing them in poor living conditions was a good idea?
And what idiots thought it such a good idea not to monitor and micro manage all initiatives to avoid such a fuck up?
Anne. It was NZ Labour seeking the help through a so-called fellowship programme. Those things are standard enough. Where I’m having some problem is in the misleading marketing of those fellowships. Labour said in its literature that NZ would be great place to be given the “global political climate” – as though NZ Labour was a part of the resurgence of social democracy 🙄
It’s not. And any (say) Sanders supporter who came here hoping to a part of some Sanders or Corbyn or Menchalon or SNP thing would be bitterly disappointed.
That being by the by and even putting the clusterfuck of non-organisation that Matt McCarten put in place to one side too.
If a person on a fellowship is not an immigrant because they are here for a set amount of time, then why does NZ Labour consider international students to be immigrants when they too are here for a set amount of time?
I’d like to hear Andrew Little square that circle he created tonight on Checkpoint.
Maybe someone in Labour was trying to be subversive bring in Sandernistas or Corbynites 😉
I actually don’t think they’re above that level of stupidity. But more likely just simply putting out a pitch they thought would get peoples’ attention. Certainly seems to have worked. I wonder how many fellows they’d normally expect?
I’ve yet to see a write up of the whole thing that I trust, and not sure I can be bothered going and parsing past all the bullshit tbh. The background stinks of dirty politics and mostly it looks like something that should have died away as Little said yep, this isn’t good and we’re going to sort it.
Nope. It’s a clusterfuck. Forget the nonsense about the door hinges and all that guff. Could be a parting “fuck you” from McCarten, or just sheer incompetence, or whatever. But it ain’t dirty politics.
the fuckup, if the bulk of the reports are accurate, isn’t dirty politics.
The timing of the break stinks of, at the very least, “media management”.
That’s not the dirty politics. It’s what the right are doing while the left are busy bashing their own. The ‘slave labour’ meme arose very quickly. And the whole cupboard hinge thing is important, because people aren’t willing to talk about what is actually wrong (the larger numbers and the disorganisation) because on its own it won’t be a scandal, so they’re pointing to every little possible thing. FFS, sleeping dorms on a Marae is a hardship? Really? And there were people on social media calling that a slum. The nasty is big on this one.
From what I can tell McCarten and some Labour bods set up a scheme outside of Labour and fucked it up, and there are some students from overseas who probably rightfully feel ripped off. But it’s not in any way comparable to what National have done over a long period of time re Clutha Southland. As far as I can tell the reaction to the intern thing is out of proportion and the left are falling for it all over again. Bash Labour and see how that helps with changing the govt.
If they were that concerned about ‘slave labour’ you’d think that they’d be raising a massive fuss about the businesses that really are abusing imported labour. But they tend to defend those people instead.
Of course “slave labour” became the go-to term! Why wouldn’t it? It requires about zero thought, isn’t accurate, but is good for shits and giggles among a given set of political what-evers.
That’s not ‘dirty politics’.
Hone Harawira highlighted this back in April but was poo pooed by Labour and Labour supporters. And no, it wasn’t set up outside of Labour. They may have been kept in the dark in the latter stages, but then that just raises questions about their internal structures of accountability and communication.
I think it is quite a big thing to entice people into New Zealand for political campaigning when the literature used can reasonably be held up as being mis-leading btw. (ie – the literature suggested rather strongly that NZ Labour was a part of the resurgence of social democracy.)
As for comparisons – not interested, if that implies only commenting on the worst excesses of politicians if they happen to be from ‘the right’ party. Labour may need to be in government if we aren’t going to have another three years of National, but that doesn’t make them left. And it doesn’t mean they get a free pass on shit (not that they would, even if they were).
This being a political blog, apart from the few who have made a conscious decision to not vote, anyone reading here is going to vote. The overwhelming majority will vote in a way that runs counter to the interests of the National Party. And they have options. (eg – if not Labour, then perhaps Green)
edit – yes, it’s entirely possible someone sat on this until it could be used to deflect heat away from National. That’s not dirty politics either – just strategy.
Like I said, bash Labour and see how that helps to change the govt. Lots of people won’t vote Green for various reasons, so that leaves Labour, NZF or not voting. The last two won’t help change the govt. If the left can’t figure out how to do constructive criticism instead of bashing its own then maybe it’s ok with handing National a 4th term, or settle for a centrist L/NZF govt.
Well, if you think that having genuine questions and making reasonable observations is ‘bashing’, or buying into some dastardly plot, then hey, we’ll just have to agree to disagree.
Some people are looking at TOPs and others at MANA btw. So there’s potential beyond these Labour or Green or NZF or nothing set of options you propose.
And picking the timing for something is what every political party does. It’s ‘management’ (as McFlock termed it) and it certainly isn’t a ‘dead cat’ – that’s when you throw out shit about your own side to shift the conversation.
I don’t think asking genuine questions and making reasonable observations is bashing. I’ve already differentiated between bashing and constructive critique.
Mana and TOP votes might also cost the left the election. So a narrative of Labour are shit for the next 3 months leading to 1.5% and 3.5% of the left vote going to Mana and TOP is not helping to change the govt.
And picking the timing for something is what every political party does. It’s ‘management’ (as McFlock termed it) and it certainly isn’t a ‘dead cat’ – that’s when you throw out shit about your own side to shift the conversation.
Pretty interesting seeing you minimise the dirty shit from the right as if it’s just par for the course political strategy.
Pretty interesting seeing you minimise the dirty shit from the right as if it’s just par for the course political strategy.
Yeah. Timing releases for maximum effect is what every political party does. Pulling in contacts for penetration is also what every political party does. So unless you’re suggesting or claiming that “Politik” is an updated incarnation of “whaleoil” seeding msm with stories from the National Party…
Throwing lots of shit at a target in the hope some sticks so that any stink from the original story increases is also just par for the course. If you think that’s the preserve of National or anything to do with what Nicky Hagar was on about, then you didn’t understand the issues raised in his book.
Meanwhile, it seems the timing was just the timing on this issue. From ‘stuff’.
General Secretary of the Labour Party Andrew Kirton heard about the problems with the scheme late last week and flew up on Monday to sort things out.
and
“Earlier this week the Labour Party Head Office contacted me (Matt McCarten) about these issues and requested to take the programme over so that it could resolve them. I have agreed to this and am no longer involved in the programme.”
So shit happened and shit was reported in pretty quick succession.
Yes, saying that nasty shit in politics is what everyone does and is par for the course, is minimising what just happened.
“Timing releases for maximum effect is what every political party does.”
It’s not just a release though, it’s lies. Every political party doesn’t do that. There’s a difference between using truth to criticise one’s opponent and using lies. We see this on TS too and moderate for it. The left parties might cross the line sometimes but generally they don’t use blatant mistruth to smear National. And they don’t have a whole system set up to do that on multiple fronts.
There’s another thing here too, The Chairman is doing this on today’s OM, which is that no-one is allowed to make mistakes. Labour or any party should be allowed to fuck up and then make amends. If that’s not true then we’re basically fucked. But it is still true, and so there is a need to push back against the moves that will condemn out of proportion to the offence and the response to the offence.
So yeah, minimising. You appear to be ok with that culture, I’m not.
( If the left can’t figure out how to do constructive criticism instead of bashing its own )
In MHO they aren’t on the left what left party would ask people to travel from another country and work for nothing and complain about young people working for shit wages here. Shit wages is better than no wages. Bunch of fucking tory lite
@Peter, who will you vote for, and do you want to change the government?
What just happened Weka?
An organisational disaster, that began as a Labour Party Fellowship Programme, which then became some weird (and failed) “Campaign for Change” that sits very oddly with NZ Labour’s immigration policy, and that raises multiple questions about NZ Labours internal structures for accountability and communication in general?
Or was people running around referring to fellowship volunteers as interns and slaves what happened?
You seem to be suggesting that the latter is what happened and that the former is just some incidental detail not worth mentioning.
Yes, saying that nasty shit in politics is what everyone does and is par for the course, is minimising what just happened.
I’ll add that I didn’t say anything even remotely like “nasty shit in politics is what everyone does”. I said that people will throw shit (mud, if you prefer) at a target.
What is the “blatant mistruth” you suggest that the National Party have told about Labour? And what is this “whole system set up to do that (smear and spread lies) on multiple fronts” that you imagine National to have these days?
Both those things happened, and I’ll just note the minimising again.
Go follow Hooton on twitter for a while, that’s a reasonably good indicator of the lines being run, the degree of nasty, and the attempt to undermine via smear and mistruth rather than actual critique. And rather than me responding to a request about my imagination I’ll just say that I find it extremely unlikely that National and co have stopped Dirty Politics. You can prevaricate over semantics, but it looks to me like the machine still runs.
That would be funny if you yourself weren’t running around seeking to shut down worthwhile critique by ignoring and sidestepping the substantive issues that arise in comments from this Fellowship debacle (read above), as well as hectoring people for not discussing whatever fallout from what the likes of Hooton are discussing, and generally getting all wavy armed and stompy booted when you don’t like people’s criticisism of NZ Labour and all because, it seems, the election! The election!!
The framework and structures that Nicky Hagar wrote about are gone.
You sure about that? This volunteer thing seems to have been going on for a while, and it all blows up the very day after Barclay trips on his own sword. Almost like a very convenient distraction.
Some of the nodes of the old network are defunct, but a new network with different nodes could be there. The timing could just be spectacularly bad luck, but… I’m a bit suspicious
The NZ Labour Party/McCarten thing blew itself apart on Monday through Tuesday. It was reported on on the Wednesday. NZ Labour decided when to pull the plug – no-one else. And the timing’s really nice for National.
I wrote that the framework Hagar wrote about is gone. Do I think National and Labour and the Greens et al have media networks they can utilise? Yes.
Do I think National has stories and lines being spun by Bill English’s office that are then fed to bloggers who feed it all back through msm? No.
Different thread, it’s inconceivable that the timing of this is coincidence. There’s a grey area between strategy and out and out two track, Hager-documented dirty politics, but I think this is easily towards the nasty shit end of the spectrum. Call it a dead cat. Whatever, this is bullshit and the left is playing right into it.
Calling something slavery is a highly political act (esp as I’m guessing some of the students are from the US). As you’ve pointed out this is a political space. People aren’t unthinking, they know exactly what they are doing.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/americas/93989679/canadian-sniper-shatters-world-record-by-killing-is-fighter-with-bullet-fired-35km-away
No matter your thoughts on what happening thats impressive
The origin of the complaints may be because of inter tribal warfare over the use of that marae. Others reject its use largely for hosting visitors I think so it may not be as bad as it sounds. The issue timing is very convenient indeed.
John Campbell interviews Bill English at a visit today. John’s repeated point was “If it was OK for Barclay to continue last year, what makes it necessary for him to resign now? What changed?” Clip is 7minutes long.
Bill’s broad grin becomes lost in his growing frown.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/checkpoint/audio/201848531/pm-rejects-national-cover-up-allegation-over-todd-barclay
Grenfell exposes the true face of deregulation
This is how capitalism kills. Cutting corners, not building to high enough standards all so that a few people can make higher profits and supported by the scum in parliament.
Not sure if this has been covered re Labour’s Fellowship Campaign. The good side.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11880781
“An American student taking part in a “fellowship” programme for the Labour Party campaign has defended it, saying most of the 85 interns on it are happy.
She believed the complaints and leaks to the media were driven by one or two interns who had a beef with the programme. She claimed one was dropped from a leadership position on the programme after allegedly taking bottles of wine from Labour MP Jenny Salesa’s house after Salesa hosted a meal for them.”
And this appeared late Thursday 22.00:
Former National staffer Glenys Dickson says MP Todd Barclay should have resigned immediately. First she has spoken since the original interview.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/93991790/former-national-staffer-glenys-dickson-says-mp-todd-barclay-should-have-resigned-immediately
And this,”English today indicated that Barclay didn’t know his recording of a staffer’s conversations could be illegal until a police investigation was launched.”
In spite of the Tea Party? Really? 9:31pm
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11880796
The old Tory order is crumbling – it’s taken Grenfell for us to really see it
now to engineer the same collapse of the Tories here. Including those in Labour.