Daily Review 23/06/2017

Written By: - Date published: 5:30 pm, June 23rd, 2017 - 91 comments
Categories: Daily review - Tags:

Daily review is also your post.

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

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

Don’t forget to be kind to each other …

91 comments on “Daily Review 23/06/2017 ”

  1. It’s hard to be sure with Martyn Bradbury but from what he says here it appears that he and/or Matt McCarten tried a policy coup of the Labour Party.

    What happened however was Labour Party HQ Wellington become panicked by how big the Campaign had grown and despite green lighting it started dragging their feet until the thing fell over.

    A whispering campaign targeting the funders strangled off money because Labour Party HQ Wellington’s preference is to win over voters who are exisiting voters because the policy platform doesn’t have to be particularly radical for that.

    What Labour didn’t want was a huge campaign to the Left of Labour pressuring them for a Corbyn or Sanders platform.

    Labour didn’t want this…

    Campaign for Change Manifesto
    1: Free public transport for students and beneficiaries
    2: 18month rent freeze
    3: 5% maximum rent rise
    4: $20 per hour minimum wage
    5: Artists and Volunteers benefit
    6: Free condoms, contraceptive pills and sanitary pads available at schools and family planning
    7: Universal Student Allowance for Tertiary students
    8: Free public internet
    9: Lower voting age to 16
    10: Free school lunches

    …so the fear of a successful left wing agenda has once again managed to doom Labour. Just like the candidate selection fiasco and just like the Party List fiasco, this has come down to poor internal management by the Wellington arm of the Party.

    https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2017/06/23/why-the-labour-party-student-intern-scandal-is-a-smear/

    It would have been election suicide to through out all the party’s policy development and take on that list.

    It looks like the revolution is over before it got properly started.

    • Anne 1.1

      God you’re boring. 🙄

      • Pete George 1.1.1

        Whatever the plan was Labour has been badly compromised, and Little’s leadership has been compromised. A major disruption like this leading into the election campaign is unlikely to end well, and is more likely to be a disaster.

        Labour had there best chance in nine years to take advantage of a major National vulnerability but the got embroiled in a mess of their own making.

        I don’t find the poor party options and the weakened state of our democracy boring, I think it’s getting alarming.

        I’m starting to think that the best hope for shaking up the status quo is to give TOP the balance of power, they have very limited experience (not necessarily a bad thing) but also limited craziness, and well researched and thought through policies.

        • Anne 1.1.1.1

          I don’t find the poor party options and the weakened state of our democracy boring,

          It’s you who is boring.

          If you’re so exercised by a bit of ‘inept’ management by a former Labour Party staffer, then I can’t imagine what state you must be in over a soon to be former National MP in your neck of the woods who not only illegally recorded private conversations of his former electorate secretary… his friends/accomplices then proceeded to harass her and leave threatening messages on her personal telephone.

          Ineptness versus criminality. I know which one I consider to be the more serious and in need of a proper police investigation this time – not a half-pie one as obviously took place last year. But then Glenda Hughes…..

        • Robert Guyton 1.1.1.2

          “Whatever the plan was Labour National has been badly compromised, and Little’s English’s leadership has been compromised. A major disruption like this leading into the election campaign is unlikely to end well, and is more likely to be a disaster.”
          Fify
          The Todd Barclay debacle is the very worst thing that could have happened to National right now, AND IT’S STILL GOT FAR TO GO!
          There ya go, Pete. A dose of Friday night reality for you to chew on.

    • Yeah you really are boring Pete and predictable yawn 🙄

    • BM 1.3

      Hooton said Bradbury was heavily involved in all of this.

      Seriously, Martyn Bradbury!!! , where were the checks and balances Labour?

    • mickysavage 1.4

      Pete this is not a Labour Party smear. I know of some of the deep dark tactics that some within the party get up to.

      This was just some inept organising. No more and no less.

      There is no conspiracy. Young progressives go throughout the world travel and get engaged in politics in other countries. It is a bit like a rite of passage now.

      My kids have done similar.

      The longer I reflect on this the bigger that I understand it is a big beat up.

      • Pete George 1.4.1

        I realise it’s possible that Bradbury is just big noting and trying to be a part of the revolution, but him aside, the intern thing is more than some inept organising.

        Either Little and Kirton didn’t know enough about what was going on, or they are inept.

      • Bill 1.4.2

        I’ve no problem with Labour running a Fellowship programme, and no problem with young people from overseas volunteering to do stuff for Labour. As noted several times, it’s common-place enough.

        As for a broken shower and wobbly doors or whatever – seriously, who gives a fuck? This is young kids on an adventure of sorts and they probably don’t give a damn about a door hinge or whatever.

        To a story…

        A few years back there was a reality TV programme in the UK (I believe it’s quite well known) where some number of people were persuaded to throw in their jobs and take part in their chance to be millionaires. All the hype was duly conducted with the swanky parties and what not. And on the first day of filming they were taken onto the streets of London and dropped off in teams. And that was it. They had no resources. Nothing. The daft producer had some notion that 12 people (or whatever) could easily earn a million from scratch.

        This McCarten fiasco reminded me of that programme.

        Having just read Bombers piece, (and ingested the recommended amount of salt – now drinking copious amounts of water), I’m thinking about the document I read last night. It read as genuine and gave a rough itemisation for expenses of around a quarter million from memory. It also listed how those expenses would be realised – some from unions and some from fund raising presumably carried out by the volunteers and whatever.

        Now, you don’t think it even remotely possible that McCarten ran the “global political climate” line to hook in young enthusiastic Sander supporter types? That he got big bites and that Bomber is being truthful with that “Campaign for Change” manifesto? (It chimes with the “global political climate” guff that went out on the original NZ Labour Party literature that, I assume, Matt had a hand in.)

        See. If promotion of that list is accurate, then of course, NZ Labour would cut the whole thing loose. (Apparently in mid-May). And the only way McCarten could keep things going is to claim it’s non-partisan. Remember how he was going to do a big launch through TDB? You reckon he got more than 5 or 6 responses from that?

        One week after the Daily Blog piece the whole thing implodes/explodes and McCarten is banished to the wilderness by NZ Labour (finally!).

        But did McCarten seriously think he could run some weird kind of Trotskyist thing on the Labour Party from the outside? Did he think potential donors (unions) would cough to avoid any potential embarrassment that might result if Fellows were unable to be catered to, given that they would be associated with Labour – that he had them over a barrel? Was he deluded enough to believe that young NZers would “flock to his cause” just because young people in the UK and the US had got involved in politics? Did he seriously not understand that the reason they got involved in the UK and US was because of complex reasons, not least of which was that senior political figures had given them something to believe in?

        How many Fellows would Labour usually utilise at any one time (eg – in past elections) btw. Any idea?

        Because I can’t see how anyone could forget to ‘shut the door’ on applications when a target is reached…and that goes back to (I suspect) delusions about what could possibly be achieved by using enthusiastic Sanders types to promote a “McCarten” Manifesto to young or younger NZs.

        • marty mars 1.4.2.1

          So full of judgments based on the worse interpretation possible.

          Matt has done more for more people than most. Still going after so many years trying things, trying to get labour in. yet somehow hes a baddy. FFS I agree with some other commenters – this is being used to take the heat off billshitter – open your eyes man – I’m not some big labour fanboy but I can see it.

          • Ed 1.4.2.1.1

            +1

          • Bill 1.4.2.1.2

            If there was no heat on English and National, then would it be fair enough to seek clarification for wtf went on? Because for me, that doesn’t change just because of some tribal nonsense that some people give themselves over to .

            Labour pulled the plug on Matt’s ‘scheme’ on Monday or Tuesday. And then the story hit on Wednesday. Good timing for National? Yup. Who determined when to pull the plug? Labour. Now, maybe they had no option on timing. Maybe they decided to just do the right thing regardless.

            But I’d like to know how it can be that a Labour party fellowship programme became an allegedly non-partisan, and somewhat fucking crazy “Campaign For Change” that was still strongly linked to Labour.

            Don’t you wonder what Matt was thinking there marty? Both Bradbury and Mike Treen offer up some pointers. Both Bradbury and Mike Treen had some level of connection to the whole crazy affair. So maybe listening to them could shed some light on matters, no?

            And I’m also curious as to how Labour apparently didn’t know what was being done in their name. I mean, this looks like they’re going be picking up a fairly hefty bill – ie, roughly $200 000 right before an election campaign. I imagine that’s going to hurt.

            Of course, you just might not care – be utterly incurious. And that’s a choice you can make.

            • marty mars 1.4.2.1.2.1

              No I don’t wonder. I see mistakes, and I see mistakes being sorted. But with a bigger picture view I see a distraction from billshitter. I think you are pushing a barrow. THAT is petty party politics.

              And I get it. I have blindspots with labour. Plus you’re being stubborn but that’s just you ☺

        • Pat 1.4.2.2

          “How many Fellows would Labour usually utilise at any one time (eg – in past elections) btw. Any idea?”

          it was indicated that typical was around half a dozen…observers, rather than boots on the ground

      • Pat 1.4.3

        a big beat up that should never have been given the opportunity…no foresight… and all the disclaimers in the world cannot remove Labour’s attachment to this debacle….I despair.

    • Stuart Munro 1.5

      Your insights into electoral suicide might carry more weight had you employed them to prevent UF collapsing inward to become the terrestrial equivalent of a white dwarf.

  2. weka 2

    John Drinnan‏ @Zagzigger2 1h

    If correct this is media a own goal Including me,
    US intern defends Labour’s campaign.

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11880781

    https://twitter.com/Zagzigger2/status/878139260863365120

  3. weka 3

    A second intern talks to RNZ about how the programme has been good, and the ‘scandal’ is a beat up originating from one intern.

    http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/checkpoint/audio/201848679/labour-intern-speaks-out-denies-accusations-of-poor-treatment

    Synopsis of interview here,

    https://twitter.com/melulater/status/878156358410846209

    • Carolyn_nth 3.1

      And a print article based on the interview just up online.

      One American intern, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that while the programme was not perfect, the interns had been well looked after.

      She told Checkpoint with John Campbell the views of a couple did not reflect the majority.

      “The fact that the experience of two to three people who have a personal agenda is what’s really being pushed forward is pretty disappointing.”

      The American said she would do the internship again.

    • Anne 3.2

      And that intern’s claims were revealed on TV1 tonight. He’s off home. Good riddance. I note they have made no attempt to talk to any of the others interns. What a pathetic bunch of Nat prats.

      If Labour doesn’t finally stand up to these MSM prats responsible for the smears then they are fools.

  4. billmurray 4

    Lot more on this debacle, front page NZ Herald 7.39 pm, Claire Trevett.
    Labour needs to move fast and furious to save their skins.
    My speculation is Martyn Bradbury and the big fat German.

      • Gabby 4.1.1

        It’s hard to shake the feeling that someone might be pretty good at coming up with cunning plans but totally uninterested in details, consequences and fallout.

      • Bill 4.1.2

        From this mad document (which I’m reading as being genuine). It does seem to dovetail somewhat with stuff subsequently quoted from Mike Treen as well as Bombers thing linked to by PG above.

        Contracts with First Union and Unite – 60k (Presumably signing up members?)
        16 fund raising dinners looking to spin 4k a pop.
        each ‘fellow’ to sell 10 raffle tickets a week – 64k
        Donations of $100 per day – 10k

        Or recruit an additional 800 members on top of honoured contracts to get 40k

        • Gabby 4.1.2.1

          If Labour proper are taking over this ‘programme’ I really hope they make it crystal clear what the ‘fellows’ are doing.

    • BM 4.2

      Their skins have been well and truly skinned.

      • McGrath 4.2.1

        Bad look for Labour, though I reckon it’s the result of piss-poor organisational ability rather than some grand nefarious scheming.

        • Stuart Munro 4.2.1.1

          Most likely – but the whereabouts of Mr Wewege and Tilikum at the time should probably be established.

        • BM 4.2.1.2

          I disagree it’s nefarious to the power of 10 with a huge side helping of scheming.

          Seriously this is Labour, disingenuous and dodgy is their modus operandi.

          • Ed 4.2.1.2.1

            Trolling desperately….

          • McGrath 4.2.1.2.2

            Bro, if I didn’t know any better I’d swear you’re trying to stir… The timing doesn’t help either. Bill gets caught being economical with the truth and then this pops up. A very handy diversion for Bill.

        • Draco T Bastard 4.2.1.3

          No, it’s actually looking like sour grapes on the part of one of the interns.

    • Ed 4.3

      Claire Trevett is not an unbiased source.

    • Draco T Bastard 4.4

      My speculation is Martyn Bradbury and the big fat German.

      Speculating what?

      Why the Labour Party Student Intern ‘scandal’ is a smear

      By Martyn Bradbury

      When the Labour Party Student Intern story erupted this week, just as Bill English was in serious trouble, I thought “Well that’s convenient isn’t it”.

      I was out to the Marae 2 weeks ago having a look around at what they were doing. I had a meal with them, talked with some of the volunteers. They were fantastic young people who were loving the adventure of it all.

      And KDC is now out of politics in this country.

  5. Ben 5

    Latest Roy Morgan:
    The overall support for the governing National-led coalition was up 4% to 49% with National support up 3.5% to 46.5%, support for the Maori Party unchanged on 1.5%, Act NZ up 0.5% to 1% and support for United Future unchanged at 0%.
    • Support for a potential Labour/Greens alliance was down 3% to 39.5% caused entirely by the 3% drop in support for Labour, now on 25.5%, while support for the Greens was unchanged at 14%. Support for New Zealand First was down 1% to 9%.
    • Support for the parties currently outside Parliament was unchanged at 2.5%.
    New Zealand Roy Morgan Government Confidence Rating up in May

    The Roy Morgan Government Confidence Rating has increased 1pt to 134.5pts in May with 61.5% of NZ electors (up 1%) saying NZ is ‘heading in the right direction’ cf. 27% of NZ electors (unchanged) that say New Zealand is ‘heading in the wrong direction

    • Ed 5.1

      I never trust polls.
      Follow the money. Who owns them?

      • Stuart Munro 5.1.1

        There’s a story floating about that this one closed on the 11th & has been held back for strategic release.

        • Ed 5.1.1.1

          No surprises there.
          Dirty politics in action.
          The owners of poll companies have political agendas.

        • Chuck 5.1.1.2

          Suggest you go and look back as to when RM release there NZ poll results mate.

          The strategic reason is drum roll…

          • Stuart Munro 5.1.1.2.1

            You know what, I’m not very concerned by whatever their reason is. And, with a 6.5% margin of error it really isn’t very meaningful.

            I think it’s about time we had some real polls like YouGov – large sample size, real attention paid to reducing sampling error.

    • Jenny Kirk 5.2

      Roy Morgan Research put out a press release this afternoon (23.6.2017) showing results of a poll, and suggesting that the National Party has a huge lead in the polls.

      What they are NOT telling you all – is this poll was taken just after the Budget speech – between 29 May to 11 June, 874 electors surveyed, and 6.5% were don’t knows.

      But – to hold back on such a poll, and bring it out just as the Nats are floundering around trying to pretend the Barclay incident hasn’t happened – is just too coincidental – in my personal opinon. This is “dirty politics” being played yet again !

  6. The Friday night question that everyone’s asking: Is the time right for Bill’s rolling?

    • McGrath 6.1

      Not when the polls consistently put your party in front.

    • Incognito 6.2

      Well, today is 23rd June which means the election is in 13 weeks. After almost 9 years I can wait a few more weeks …

    • Graeme 6.3

      It is going to happen, it’s whether it’s before or after the election. And that will depend on what the Nat’s internal polls say about this week’s goings on. Mr Farrar is probably a busy boy.

      Popcorn stocked up for next week

    • Rob 6.4

      Well he has lied and covered up a possible crime.
      (I wonder how interesting it would be to be the proverbial ‘fly on the wall’ at police headquarters)

      • Graeme 6.4.1

        Not only lied and covered up a crime, but threw a sector of the National Party under the bus along with young toddles. The fall out from the investigation into toddles’ selection and re-selection could cause some angst around the party

    • Chuck 6.5

      Robert, Bill going will not have the outcome you so desire. In fact it may have the opposite effect and give the Nats another couple of % in the polls,

  7. Alwyn 7

    And in further news there is a barbecue being organised at Robertson’s place.
    Bring your own booze of couse. They can’t afford to supply it.
    Perhaps someone can help me. Is Little gone from Parlament if Labour get 25.5%?
    Trevor Mallard has obviously given up the ghost. Off to see whe yacht racing rather than try aand help them campaign.

    • patricia bremner 7.1

      Alwyn, I think we will wait for a better poll than this unreliable nat prop.

      • Alwyn 7.1.1

        I suspect that there are people who comment on this site who have been saying that for a decade.
        “The tide has turned”. “But this poll was just before …” “Wait till you see next months”.
        etc, etc, etc.

  8. patricia bremner 8

    Trevor is a loner these days. Attended a farewell for Annette. He propped up the bar alone, seemed moody.

    • McFlock 8.1

      mind you, farewells suck. They’re ok for “work acquaintances” with whom you basically just say hi and bye and fwd emails to, but for close colleagues they bite.

  9. Ad 9

    All Blacks did incredibly well to hold on to the lead as well as they did.
    Pretty average penalty kicking, Sonny Bill red carded, lots of odd midfield decisions, average set pieces, and a properly fired up Lions pack.

    Lions fully had momentum for last 15 minutes.

    Well past time All Blacks lost, and great to see the series alive.

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    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from 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 public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    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 ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    5 days ago
  • That Word.
    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 ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    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 ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    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. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The 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 ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    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 ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    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 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    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 ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter 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 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    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 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    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 ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    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 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    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 ...
    6 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    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 ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    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, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    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 ...
    6 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    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 ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    6 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    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 ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    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 ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    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 ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    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 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    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, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 hours ago
  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    12 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    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.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    14 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    15 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    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, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    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. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    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, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    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, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Speech to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Government backs rural led catchment projects
    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,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    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. ...
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  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
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  • Government lowering building costs
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  • Trustee tax change welcomed
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  • Minister’s Ramadan message
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  • Minister appoints new NZTA Chair
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    1 week ago
  • Speech to Life Sciences Summit
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  • Minister to attend World Anti-Doping Agency Symposium
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