Grant Robinson made a good speech in the house today. His point that the National opposition are now more interested in texts, emails, diary’s and goats above now mentioning the economy in any detail shows they just revel in “bad news”. The economy of course under this new govt is doing wonderfully well by most reports.
The gotcha point scoring idiocy was then immediately backed up by Simon Bridges who stood up yelling and literally barking about how the govt is in “chaos”. It’s plain to see that the National opposition is rudderless, either that or it is being manipulated by an invisible puppeteer who’s identity remains open to conjecture.
Crosby Textor tactics, death by a thousand cuts. Mind you it’s just dogs barking at the moment but the plan would be to keep it up and cause maximum distraction. Especially from how good the economy is going. But then its hard to imagine this opposition lot knowing what a plan was. They will just mindlessly carry on barking, must be time to really howl at Winston by now and keep up the ‘War on Winston’ at all cost.
It’s quite pathetic really. Where is the policy beyond joining Trump’s war on drugs and kicking people out of state housing?
They seem micro-focussed on emails, texts, phone calls, and meetings rather than offering New Zealand what they would do differently.
I expect that’s either because they don’t know what to do beyond barking at cars, or they continue along the same path to inequality, housing, infrastructure, and immigration problem, and a destruction of the environment for the profit of a few.
National have never been a party of ideas, apart from cycle trails and new flags they have always promoted themselves as the party of sound economic management. It must be stinging them that notion has been well and truly debunked.
The cycle trails were a reasonably good idea but lets face it, anyone could think of that. Also, this was promoted by Key in his first days as PM and he failed to do anything at all after that except lie, pull women’s pony tails and do radio gags.
“the self absorbed NZ elite who simply cannot stomach a fair society”
Even worse than that I reckon Muttonb – they cannot stand the mere idea of it. Because let’s face reality, a fair society is pretty damn unlikely to actually happen in more than a token way.
Maybe it’s because of all that tremendously ‘hard work’ our elites are putting in to get that capital gain on their investment properties? It can be exhausting.
There’s been a rebound in business confidence, with most indicators showing some sign of improvement.
The ANZ Bank’s monthly survey shows 38 percent of firms expect general business conditions to deteriorate over the next year, an improvement of 12 percentage points over August’s survey.
Amazing what happens when people actually breathe and realise the sky isn’t going to fall on their heads.
And when they realise what a great PM we have and that they could actually both do very well under her vision and contribute to a better New Zealand at the same time.
And that is the other major chagrin for the National opposition, they have no answer to Jacinda Ardern and what a great leader and PM she is and how she stands tall on the international stage. While she is away promoting NZ they are left to bark at their nemesis. They don’t know what to do except sulk and throw hissy fits. You would think they would have got through most of the stages of grief by now.
Karma that Winstons on the the receiving end of something like this for a change but Bishop never struck me as the type to make allegations like this unless he knew something
Bishop is going for broke after Peters said he would reveal the leakers name…. Now would Bishop have more than a passing interest in who that name might be
I just don’t think it will. We’d know by now if we were ever going to. Bridges will have been smoothing over the situation with the leaker, offering all sorts of concessions (or blackmailing) in return for future loyalty, and we the public having been whipped into a frenzy will end up none the wiser having paid out the thick end of $500K after all the limos, and the time spent in parliament, and the enquiries.
Maybe – I think it will come out because bridges has staked so much on it. He may go the, “we know and we are dealing with it in house’ way but imo too many have gone on their hind legs about this including smiley collins – she will want someone to thrash bridges with as she lines up for eventual leadership of that shit of fools – Gnashinal
From your link in the Herald we have
“I have not called nor had any reason to call Mr Haumaha since the controversy.”
When Winston says things like that one should be suspicious.
After all the statement would be technically true, or at least Winston would claim it was if the sequence of events was.
1. Winston rings Deputy Commissioner Haumaha’s OFFICE, or better still his home, and asks that he please call Winston.
2. Haumaha rings back and Winston assures him that everything is going to be OK.
Winston will claim “I never rang Haumaha, I rang his Office”, or “I rang his family”, or even something as simple as “He rang me”. Whichever is appropriate.
Incidentally what on earth do you mean by “Has Chris Bishop gone rogue?”
If Bishop turns out to have fired a dud I think that will only serve to crystallise in the public’s mind the stupid game of ’gotcha’ politics that National has been pursuing.
I was highly amused the time he held up that ‘NO’ sign: the interviewer happened by chance to have reversed the expected outcome by the way he phrased the question, and by holding that sign up, Winston was in fact damning himself. Not that he noticed..
If the allegation is correct, the impropriety of such a phone call is destructive enough that any deception contained within his reported denial would be almost secondary, and Peters would be irreparably damaged.
On the other hand, if the allegation is not correct, then I’d suggest Chris Bishop has just destroyed his own political career.
Chris Bishop has put a stake in the ground against one of Parliaments greatest survivors. It’s high stakes stuff. For what it’s worth, my money’s on Peters. He’s just far too wily to commit such a stupid mistake.
I’m thinking they’re clutching at any straw in an effort to combat the star treatment Jacinda Ardern is receiving in NY. It doesn’t have to be true… just so long as it feeds into the strategic meme of incompetence and supposed lack of transparency they are endeavouring to foster.
In other words… “Dirty Politics” which is about all they seem to be good at these days.
Even Peter Dunne is having second thoughts about them:
“clutching at straws” like the wee weasel blog trolls that are trying to promote the notion that Jacinda Ardern is somehow not the real leader or PM and that it is really Winston. Its misogyny for all to see.
Nothing will happen because it’s a beltway issue and the number of people who care is limited to a small section of politically activated and bitter National voters.
Have a look at Q2 today. He might only be described as Acting PM but he answers As the PM not FOR the PM. That is why the question asks about “he”.
“Hon SIMON BRIDGES (Leader of the Opposition) to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by all his Government’s statements and actions relating to Derek Handley and the Government Chief Technology Officer role?”
Yeah I know it’s Ardern, but let’s be honest it’s in name only
Com’n fella we all know Peters is calling the shots.
This is the downside of MMP in NZ, you need 50% to rule, both of our two main parties are around 40%, Peters is in the box seat and he milks it for all it’s worth.
Labour was far more desperate than National so they sold their soul to Peters.
Peters is the unofficial PM, Ardern is just there for the smile and wave stuff.
It’s govern, not rule. Rule is for kings and queens in the middle ages which is where I suspect a lot of National voters draw their social values from.
Also, Labour and NZF are simply closer on policy than the Nats who are an outlier. Peter’s only crime was to cruelly string the hapless Bingles along before dumping him.
As I understand it National made the mistake of approaching the Coalition negotiations mistakenly thinking THEY were in the box seat on election night and, consequently, didn’t really put enough effort into it.
Labour was desperate if they’d lost Ardern she would have retired and their only ace would have disappeared.
2017, was do or die for Labour, shame they didn’t know Peters had no intention of ever going with National so he could milk Labours desperation for all it was worth.
And here we are today with Ardern being a figurehead PM and the real power behind the thrones Peters calling the shots.
That’s a ridiculous version of events. Labour couldn’t have hoped for much more on the night.
And National weren’t going to ‘give Peters what he wanted’, not because they were principled but because they were too far apart on policy. Winston Peters asked, “had enough?” in his campaign, and said he wanted to put a human face on capitalism in his coalition speech.
The issue was and is that National weren’t, are not, and never will be able to ‘put a human face on capitalism’ because they are uncaring people who work solely for the selfish among us.
BM rewriting history. The gnats tried and failed to take out Peters and he showed them who was boss. Little gnats crawling around begging for a deal – LOL such fun it was and still is to watch the gnat losers wank on – keep it up BM only 4-5 more terms to go.
BM National did the dirty on Peters by releasing his pension info.
National have a long history of shitting on Winston and are crying over not getting his support.
National still have no support party and continuing to piss Peters off is a dumb strategy.
It will put Ardern in a very tight spot, her duty PM misleading Parliament.
If she sacks him Winston will bring down the current Government, if she does nothing but a telling off it reinforces Ardern as a weak PM and a one-term wonder.
So better hope Bishop was full of BS (depending on your political leanings of course!!).
I didn’t think very much of the last Speaker as it happens.
On the other hand the one two before him was the worst that I can remember and I had some time to observe them all the way back to Algie in 1961.
Margaret Wilson was by far the worst.
Her successor, Lockwood Smith, was easily the best. Carter wasn’t great and I don’t think really wanted the job but I think he will be remembered more kindly than Mallard.
Trevor started off OK but he has reverted to his tribal Labour roots.
Bishop hasn’t managed to quote the phone call verbatim. In fact he is very vague about it so unless the call can be proved and the actual words recovered there’s not a case to answer.
It’s a bit like snapchat as I understand it how the content disappears after one viewing…perhaps that’s why it was Bishop’s app of choice when communicating with kids?
BM – you have expertise in weasel words, and I am sure that you will read into it what you want. Be prepared for disappointment: the country is not with you.
Why do you keep putting question marks after everything? You seem to do it whether there is any question or not? Is it because you don’t actually want to give your view? I also notice you put a space between the last letter and the question mark? Why do you do that? You may not want to answer? Or you may want to? Answer that is?
Interesting perspective on Kavanaugh and his alleged (mandatory weasel word) habit of assaulting women: it wasn’t so much trying to get his rocks off or an exercise of power, but more about being a try-hard to win approval from his arsehole group of male buddies.
We are getting there, aren’t we? We’re making the transition towards an all-electric future. We can now leave fossil fuels in the ground and thwart climate breakdown. Or so you might imagine, if you follow the technology news.
So how come oil production, for the first time in history, is about to hit 100m barrels a day? How come the oil industry expects demand to climb until the 2030s? How is it that in Germany, whose energy transition (Energiewende) was supposed to be a model for the world, protesters are being beaten up by police as they try to defend the 12,000-year-old Hambacher forest from an opencast mine extracting lignite – the dirtiest form of coal? Why have investments in Canadian tar sands – the dirtiest source of oil – doubled in a year?
The answer is, growth. There may be more electric vehicles on the world’s roads, but there are also more internal combustion engines. There be more bicycles, but there are also more planes. It doesn’t matter how many good things we do: preventing climate breakdown means ceasing to do bad things. Given that economic growth, in nations that are already rich enough to meet the needs of all, requires an increase in pointless consumption, it is hard to see how it can ever be decoupled from the assault on the living planet.”
Even in China , those brand new coal plants there were supposed to be cancelled by the central government, well the regional governments who build them have different ideas
“259 Gigawatts (GW) of new capacity are under development in China, comparable to the entire U.S. coal fleet (266 GW). This represents a 25% increase in China’s coal power fleet. https://endcoal.org/2018/09/tsunami-warning/
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Image credit:Diamond Harbour School Blogs I notice a few regulars no longer allow public access to the site counters. This may happen accidentally when the blog format is altered. If your blog is unexpectedly missing or ...
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Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters believes the country is rediscovering its resilience and self-reliance through its response to the COVID-19 pandemic.He says he is heartened that the mass majority of New Zealanders are following lockdown rules and that the government looking at the future, including paying to keep much ...
New Zealand can emulate the success of the US after the Great Depression by exploiting our own resources to turn the economy around quickly, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters says. Mr. Peters told Magic Talk that New Zealand has an opportunity to come out of the COVID-19 pandemic a "superior, ...
All 45 New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) personnel are either on their way back to New Zealand, or already in the country, according to Defence Minister Ron Mark."Twenty-eight personnel arrived back in New Zealand last week and are in isolation at the Royal New Zealand Air Force base in ...
The COVID-19 situation in New Zealand is moving fast - and to avoid what we've seen overseas - the Government's response must be to move fast too. We're committed to keeping New Zealanders safe and well-informed every step of the way. ...
We know people are feeling anxious about COVID-19. While the situation is serious, New Zealand has a world-class health system and we’re well-prepared to keep New Zealanders safe. ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters is encouraging New Zealanders overseas to stay where they are amid the COVID-19 pandemic. "We are reaching a point where the best option for most New Zealanders offshore is to shelter in place, by preparing to safely stay where they are.” "This includes following the instructions ...
Rt. Hon. Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs Foreign Minister Winston Peters is encouraging the tens of thousands of New Zealanders travelling overseas to consider sheltering in place, in light of COVID-19. “Since 18 March, we have been warning New Zealanders offshore that the window for flying ...
Ground-breaking law has passed that will decriminalise abortion and ensure women and pregnant people seeking abortions have compassionate healthcare. ...
The Green Party says that the measures announced by the Government today will help families and businesses to prioritise our collective health and wellbeing in the response to COVID-19. ...
As New Zealanders brace for a global downturn due to Covid-19, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters says his Coalition Government’s rescue package "more significant" than any other he's seen around the world. The Coalition is to reveal a multi-billion-dollar stimulus plan on Tuesday afternoon designed to cushion the economic blow ...
The Government will be introducing legislation to make changes to the Companies Act to help companies facing insolvency due to COVID-19 to remain viable and keep New Zealanders in jobs. The temporary changes include: Giving directors of companies facing significant liquidity problems because of COVID-19 a ‘safe harbour’ from insolvency ...
The Government’s plan to cushion the blow of COVID-19 by supporting incomes, jobs and businesses, and position the economy to recover has been backed by another international report. International credit rating agency Moody’s today reaffirmed its highest Aaa credit rating on New Zealand, saying the economy is expected to remain ...
National sports organisations have been given certainty of funding to ensure they can remain viable through the COVID-19 pandemic, Sport and Recreation Minister Grant Robertson announced today. “The global spread of COVID-19 has had a significant impact on sport and recreation in New Zealand, including the cancellation or postponement of ...
Changes have been made to allow butchers to process pork, only for supply to supermarkets or other processors or retailers that are open, Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor has announced. “We carefully weighed the risk of allowing butchers to open their shops for retail customers, but the risk of spreading COVID-19 ...
Essential workers who take leave from work to comply with public health guidance are being supported with a leave scheme to ensure they will continue to receive income, say the Minister of Workplace Relations and Safety Iain Lees-Galloway and Minister for Social Development, Carmel Sepuloni. A number of essential businesses ...
A Government WhatsApp channel has been launched to help make information more easily accessible and shareable in the fight against COVID-19. Govt.NZ, which is free to use on any mobile device, will carry information and news for the public, businesses, healthcare providers, not for profits and local government. It can ...
The Government has announced a plan to enable the safe, orderly exit of tens of thousands of stranded foreign nationals from New Zealand during the current COVID-19 Alert Level 4 restrictions, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters has said. “When we moved into lockdown a week ago, the ...
Health Minister Dr David Clark says the Government is delivering on its commitment to support general practice doctors and nurses, and pharmacies on the front-line of our fight against COVID-19. "For us to overcome COVID-19, we need community health services such as general practice and community pharmacy to step up ...
Justice Susan Thomas has been appointed Chief High Court Judge, Attorney-General David Parker announced today. She replaces Justice Geoffrey Venning who has resigned from the position. David Parker paid tribute to Justice Venning, who he said had stewarded the High Court very capably over the last five years. “On behalf ...
Businesses can start applying to their banks for loans under the Business Finance Guarantee Scheme set up to support the New Zealand economy during the COVID-19 pandemic. “We’re moving quickly to protect New Zealand businesses, jobs and the economy during this unprecedented global economic shock,” Finance Minister Grant Robertson said. ...
Work is underway looking at measures to speed up consents for development and infrastructure projects during the recovery from COVID 19, to provide jobs and stimulate our economy. Environment Minister David Parker said the COVID-19 pandemic is a serious global crisis that will have a wide ranging and lasting impact ...
Advance payments will be made to transport construction industry contractors to retain the workforce and ensure it is ready to quickly gear up to build projects which will be vital to New Zealand’s COVID-19 economic recovery, Transport Minister Phil Twyford announced today. He said keeping the workforce required to build ...
The Government has tasked a group of industry leaders to seek out infrastructure projects that are ready to start as soon as the construction industry returns to normal to reduce the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Economic Development Minister Phil Twyford and Infrastructure Minister Shane Jones say. The Infrastructure ...
Work to scale up the health system in preparation for COVID-19 was today outlined by Health Minister David Clark, as he reported back to the new Epidemic Response Committee. “We are well placed to contain the spread of COVID-19. We have taken early and decisive action at our borders, and ...
The Government is refining its COVID-19 essential business guidance to include the distribution of news publications for communities which are hard to reach. The Minister of Broadcasting, Communications and Digital Media, Kris Faafoi, said the move was in recognition of the importance for New Zealanders who might be harder to ...
The Government is ensuring supermarkets can open on Easter Sunday so we can buy groceries, but stay closed on Good Friday allowing workers to take a break. This provides a balanced approach and ensures we avoid large queues that two days closure may cause. “Supermarkets will be able to open ...
Following the successful conclusion of the Building Partner Capacity (BPC) mission at Taji, New Zealand defence personnel are returning to New Zealand from Iraq, in accordance with the Cabinet decision made in June 2019, Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Ron Mark announced today. “New Zealand is very ...
The State of National Emergency to help stop the spread of COVID-19 has been extended for a further seven days, Minister of Civil Defence Peeni Henare said. The initial declaration on March 25 lasted seven days and can be extended as many times as necessary. “Since we went into isolation ...
New Zealand’s ability to go hard and go early in the fight against COVID-19 has been underpinned by strong Government finances and the growing economy heading into this global pandemic, Finance Minister Grant Robertson says. The Treasury today released the Crown financial statements for the eight months to the end ...
Health Minister Dr David Clark says 36 new intensive care beds at Christchurch Hospital’s new Hagley building are being fast tracked so they are available for treatment of COVID-19 patients. The Ministry of Health is working with contractor CPB and Canterbury DHB to enable access to the hospital’s ICU, ...
The Government has fast-tracked up to $1 million to help Air New Zealand move urgent freight to and from New Zealand, with the first flight to Shanghai leaving tonight, Transport Minister Phil Twyford announced today. Phil Twyford says it’s crucial that trade in vital goods such as medical supplies and ...
New Zealand will temporarily remove tariffs on all medical and hygiene imports needed for the COVID-19 response. Trade and Export Growth Minister David Parker and Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Kris Faafoi said today that the New Zealand Customs Service will apply tariff concessions to all diagnostic reagents and testing ...
Minister of Finance Grant Robertson has clarified that the changes to the wage subsidy scheme announced yesterday mean that employers should be passing on the full subsidy to workers, except in the case where the person’s normal income is less than the level of the subsidy. “We still want employers ...
Medical face masks from the national reserve supply are now being distributed to District Health Boards, while at the same time local production is being ramped up. Yesterday more than 640,000 masks were sent to DHBS – that is an immediate two week supply, with more to follow in coming ...
The Government has made modifications to the wage subsidy scheme to ensure people don’t lose their jobs during the national lockdown. These changes will soften the impact of COVID-19 on workers, families and businesses, and position them to exit the lockdown and look to recovery, Finance Minister Grant Robertson says. ...
Farmers whose herds were culled in response to the outbreak of Mycoplasma bovis will be able to minimise the tax treatment of their income in some circumstances. Revenue Minister Stuart Nash says Cabinet has agreed to change the law. It means farmers may be eligible to spread their income over ...
A $27 million dollar package, effective immediately, is being provided to social sector services and community groups to ensure they can continue to provide essential support to communities as we stay at home as a nation to stop the spread of COVID-19, Minister for Social Development Carmel Sepuloni announced. “At ...
“The guilty plea today will provide some relief to the many people whose lives were shattered by what happened on March 15,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said. “These guilty pleas and conviction bring accountability for what happened and also save the families who lost loved ones, those who were injured, ...
The Prime Minister is holding daily press conferences to update New Zealanders on the Government's response to COVID-19. Links to videos and transcripts of these updates below. These transcripts also include All of Government press conferences led by Director Ministry of Health's Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield. 25 March: Live update from the Prime ...
Frontline Police numbers have broken through the 10,000 mark for the first time in history as officers step forward to keep the community safe during the COVID19 lockdown. “Two Police graduations in Auckland and Wellington in the past week have been conducted in unprecedented circumstances,” Police Minister Stuart Nash said. ...
Urgent legislation has been passed to support the package of economic and social measures needed to recover from the impact of the coronavirus outbreak. “The COVID-19 Response (Taxation and Social Assistance Urgent Measures) Bill will cushion New Zealanders from the worst economic impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak,” said Revenue Minister ...
From tomorrow, Government support for farmers and growers affected by drought will be expanded and extended across the country, with access to Rural Assistance Payments (RAPS) available throughout the North Island, parts of the South Island and the Chatham Islands, Social Development Minister Carmel Sepuloni announced. “These challenging conditions have ...
Parliament has passed amendments to legislation that give the Secretary of Education stronger powers to act in the fight to limit the spread of COVID-19, Education Minister Chris Hipkins said today. “They are part of a suite of changes passed under the COVID-19 Response (Urgent Management Measures) Legislation Bill,” Chris ...
Canada, Australia, Chile, Brunei and Myanmar have joined forces with New Zealand and Singapore by committing to keep supply chains open and remove any existing trade restrictive measures on essential goods, especially medical supplies, in the face of the Covid-19 crisis. Trade and Export Growth Minister David Parker today welcomed ...
Immediate freeze on rent increases Tenancies will not be terminated during the lock-down period, unless the parties agree, or in limited circumstances Tenants who had previously given notice can stay in their if they need to stay in the tenancy during the lock-down period Tenants will still be able to ...
As New Zealand unites to lock-down in the fight against COVID-19, the Finance Minister is urging all businesses and workers to stay connected over the next four weeks. “We understand the extreme pressure many businesses are under right now. I know most business owners think of their workers as family ...
A State of National Emergency has been declared across the country as the Government pulls out all the stops to curtail the spread of COVID-19. “Today we put in place our country’s second ever State of National Emergency as we fight a global pandemic, save New Zealanders’ lives and prevent ...
Mr Speaker I wish to make a Ministerial Statement under Standing Order 347 in relation to the recent declaration of a State of National Emergency. Having considered the advice of the Director Civil Defence Emergency Management, the Minister of Civil Defence declared a State of National Emergency for the whole of ...
People needing to travel on domestic flights, trains and Cook Strait ferries to get home before the country moves into level 4 lock-down tomorrow night will be able to continue using the passenger services until midnight on Friday, Transport Minister Phil Twyford said today. Domestic passenger services, particularly ferries, have ...
The Government, retail banks and the Reserve Bank are today announcing a major financial support package for home owners and businesses affected by the economic impacts of COVID-19. The package will include a six month principal and interest payment holiday for mortgage holders and SME customers whose incomes have been ...
During the challenges associated with lockdown, the Māori Party are congratulating Ngāti Ruanui and South Taranaki on the decision of the Court of Appeal, announced today, to stop Trans-Tasman Resources plans for risky seabed mining off the South ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sunanda Creagh, Head of Digital Storytelling What does the COVID-19 pandemic sound like? For this episode, Dallas Rogers – a senior lecturer in the School of Architecture, Design and Planning at the University of Sydney – asked academic colleagues from all over ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sven Gallasch, Lecturer in Law, Swinburne University of Technology “People of the same trade seldom meet together, even for merriment and diversion,” wrote Adam Smith in The Wealth of Nations (published in 1776), “but the conversation ends in a conspiracy against the ...
Environment Minister David Parker has directed officials to find ways to fast-track consents for infrastructure and development projects. He says his goal is to help create a pipeline of projects so that some can start immediately once Covid-19 restrictions are lifted “so people can get back into work as fast ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin Spain and Switzerland top cases, countries converging. Chart by Keith Rankin.Spain and Switzerland top cases, countries converging. Chart by Keith Rankin.Of the larger European countries, Italy is now in third place for known cases per person in the population. Spain has overtaken Switzerland for ...
Contact tracing is a crucial part of the Covid-19 puzzle and technology might prove essential to scaling up New Zealand's tracing capacity, Marc Daalder reports With the lockdown reducing physical contact between members of the public and testing ramping up, the only missing piece of the Covid-19 puzzle is contact tracing. ...
Insolvency laws will be temporarily changed to allow troubled companies to trade while technically insolvent Finance Minister Grant Robertson has announced changes to the Companies Act to allow companies to put their debts into "hibernation". Robertson said companies facing liquidity problems would have "safe harbour" from their normal insolvency duties ...
Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Ruanui and Te Kaahui o Rauru are celebrating the decision of the Court of Appeal, announced today, to stop Trans-Tasman Resources plans for risky seabed mining off the South Taranaki Bight. The Court of Appeal found that there ...
Bernard Hickey talks to Kiwibank Chief Economist Jarrod Kerr about a massive spike in US jobless claims, and they talk about an inspiring Kiwi app to fight Covid-19 globally. Guest, Pie Funds chief executive Mike Taylor also joins them to talk about the massive market swings and hopes for recovery. Bernard zooms out ...
Political commentators from the left and right sides of the political divide are questioning the powers being exercised by police during the nation-wide “lockdown”. The Asian Invasion 2019 blog draws attention to the warning sounded by former UK Supreme Court Justice Jonathan Sumption when he challenged Covid-19 actions by British ...
Pacific Media Watch The International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP) has strongly condemned the shoot-to-kill order by President Rodrigo Duterte this week as a ‘dangerous’ opening to target and kill anyone in a public space. “We are raising the alarm in the international community on President ...
The Reserve Bank looks set to start buying council bonds as well as Government bonds to unfreeze financial markets and allow councils to defer rates and jointly invest in infrastructure with the central Government, Dileepa Fonseka reports In what would be another unprecedented move to calm financial markets and help ...
Four PhD students engaged a clinical psychologist to help them navigate an uncertain time in their studies. They share their findings here.As four PhD students from Massey University’s Joint Centre for Disaster Research we, like many others, can’t stop reading and talking about the unfolding events that have gripped our ...
The SpinoffBy Ashleigh Rushton, Lisa McLaren, Marion Tan & Sara Harrison
Covid-19 testing of the wider population is on the cards as World Health Organisation research shows people are most contagious within their first few days of being infected Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield says Covid-19 carriers are highly infectious when they show few signs of carrying the virus. People were ...
Z Energy is the latest company to cut its dividend payout and start talking to its banks about strengthening its finances. Chief executive Mike Bennetts said the company, the largest fuel retailer in the country, had been battered by a range of issues over the past 18 months, and was ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Melissa Kang, Associate professor, University of Technology Sydney Young people in Australia are among the fastest-growing group to contract COVID19. According to the Department of Health, there are now more cases in Australia among people aged 20 – 29 years than any ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cassandra Pattinson, Research Fellow, The University of Queensland Getting a good night’s sleep can be difficult at the best of times. But it can be even harder when you’re anxious or have something on your mind – a global pandemic, for example. ...
Journalist and Great Barrier Island resident Lindsay Wright reflects on outer gulf pandemic preparedness. Hardy locals can tough it out but Auckland bach owners and boaties should keep their distance. Aotea Great Barrier, the easternmost island in the Hauraki Gulf, are undergoing a Covid-19-inspired population flood. Great Barrier has scenery that makes ...
The Pharmaceutical Society of New Zealand is delighted that the government has moved quickly to provide an initial financial support package for pharmacy. The $15 million package was paid this week to pharmacy contract holders. Pharmaceutical Society president ...
How is Covid-19 spreading within the country? Newsroom is collating information as it's available to paint a picture of what's happening.The following charts are based on numbers shared at the daily press conference and are "as of 9am" of the day. There were 71 new cases of Covid-19 in ...
A new poem by Wellington poet and bookseller Ash Davida Jane. washed up! it gets tiring pushing the fire alarm every nightbut things keep catching on fireor sometimes ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Charles Foster, Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Sydney Our earliest vertebrate (animals with backbones) ancestors laid eggs, but over millions of years of evolution, some species began to give birth to live young. There is a traditional dichotomy in vertebrate reproduction: species ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Charles Foster, Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Sydney Our earliest vertebrate (animals with backbones) ancestors laid eggs, but over millions of years of evolution, some species began to give birth to live young. There is a traditional dichotomy in vertebrate reproduction: species ...
Welcome to the second edition of our lockdown Top 10s. A reminder that this chart has nothing to do with sales or launches or the publishing cycle; these are just books the Unity team love – and this week it’s westerns, full of big skies and long rides and showdowns.AUCKLANDAll ...
Wellington Mayor Andy Foster’s plan to cover revenue shortfalls through borrowing without cutting low priority spending is immoral, says the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union . “Businesses and households across the country are meeting financial challenges ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kevin John Brophy, Emeritus Professor of Creative writing, University of Melbourne “Katrina, I had in mind a prayer, but only this came,” Bruce Dawe wrote to his infant daughter, new-born, in intensive care, her life in the balance, declaring as poets must ...
The shock closure of Bauer NZ – and with it all of the country’s current affairs magazines – is a stark reminder of the fragile state of local media, writes Mel Bunce, the author of a book on the subject.It is a dark week for journalism in New Zealand, with ...
Join Leonie Hayden as she works through the first four weeks of Scotty Morrison’s Māori Made Easy.Rāmere/FridayWe made it to the end of week one e te whānau. It wasn’t that hard! In fact it was… Māori made easy.To end our week of pronunciation practice we’re going to revisit everything we ...
India faces more challenges battling Covid-19 than any other country in the world. With 1.3 billion inhabitants, hundreds of different languages spoken, and an estimated 80% of the workforce daily wage earners currently without jobs, it could be a recipe for disaster.I’ve been living in India for more than three ...
By Sri Krishnamurthi of Pacific Media Watch The Vanuatu government is using the Covid-19 to impose draconian measures and authoritarian rule by end of last month. Wholesale censorship of all Covid-19 related content has been instituted. Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO) took the extraordinary step to ...
People with lower credit scores increased their borrowing upon news of the lockdown, while those with higher scores dropped away. March data from the credit-reporting agency Centrix, which runs credit checks on behalf of banks, finance companies, online lenders, and buy now pay later schemes, showed credit inquiries dropped sharply ...
Small business owners say commercial rent relief is desperately needed if they are to survive past the Covid-19 disruptions. While the wage subsidy helped with staff costs, there is currently no government assistance for commercial rent - which typically accounts for 40 percent of a firm's fixed costs. Landlords and ...
SkyCity is making 200 staff redundant as part of cost cutting because of the Covid-19 virus. The casino operator said it had no choice but to cut the size of the workforce given that once business resumes it will be at much reduced level. Chief executive Graeme Stephens said it's ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Glikson, Earth and paleo-climate scientist, Australian National University At several points in the history of our planet, increasing amounts of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere have caused extreme global warming, prompting the majority of species on Earth to die out. In ...
Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage.New Zealand Parliament Buildings, Wellington, New Zealand. Today’s contentMedia Henry Cooke (Stuff): There’s no easy way for Government to save media drowning. But a fast fix is ...
Just after midday a cyclist was killed on a straight road on a clear day, after being hit by a van in North Canterbury. Lucinda Rees from NZ School Speeds is asking for the mandatory cyclist/vulnerable road user passing gap, which is in consultation, ...
By Indra Singh in Suva Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama says that if Fijians continue to disregard the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic directives from authorities, a nationwide 24-hour curfew could be imposed. His comments come as Fiji yesterday recorded its two latest coronavirus cases, taking the total to seven. Bainimarama said ...
In our new series The Lockdown Letters, some of New Zealand’s best writers tell us what they’ve been up to in the days of Covid-19 alert level four. Today, Ōtaki author Renée.Yes, a few cyclists out and about. I remember my first bike bought from Farmers around 1942, five shillings a ...
Internal memos from NZ’s biggest magazine company, which announced its sudden closure yesterday, state they were lobbying to change a ban on publication. But the minister responsible, Kris Faafoi, has doubled down on rejecting that position, calling those internal communications ‘contradictory’ to what they said to him directly.Magazine publishing giant ...
Up to 100,000 foreigners could be seeking to leave the country in coming weeks, now the Government has relaxed domestic travel restrictions for them. ...
The loss of a loved one can be difficult in the best of times. But it’s even more painful when the planes are grounded.Late on Saturday night, three days into New Zealand’s level four lockdown, Harish got a call from his sister in India telling him that his father had ...
Health Minister David Clark has flouted the Government's advice to exercise locally after confirming he drove to a park to go mountain biking on Thursday. ...
Covid-19 cases top 1m; Trump brags he's #1 on Facebook and says he knows about the virus because a 'friend' got it; UK testing scandal grows; Cats more vulnerable to virus than dogsTicking up to a million cases: A gruesome landmark was passed today when we go over one million ...
“So do not fear, I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” Isaiah 41:10 COVID-19 - Lock down: one week on Welcome to the latest Policy Watch ...
Workers at the Port of Lyttelton are resisting the introduction of casual cargo handlers due to concerns about COVID19. RMTU South Island Organizer John Kerr says there is concern about a Lyttelton Port Company (LPC) proposal to "bring in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paul Strangio, Associate Professor of Politics, Monash University One of Australia’s preeminent historians, Stuart Macintyre, once observed of John Curtin, the Labor Party leader revered for navigating this nation through the dangers of the second world war, that he would have ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Geoff Hanmer, Adjunct Professor of Architecture, University of Adelaide New research the New England Journal of Medicine suggests that SARS CoV 2, which causes the disease known as COVID-19 coronavirus, is more stable on plastic and stainless steel than on cardboard or ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard Holden, Professor of Economics, UNSW The Australian government’s JobKeeper wage subsidy, estimated to cost A$130 billion, is a crucial measure to help keep the economy from completely cratering. But, even if COVID-19 is sufficiently under control for the economy to return ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gordon Menzies, Associate Professor of Economics, University of Technology Sydney During this pandemic, our twin health and economic crises require two different types of concern, and they operate differently. For the health crisis, a high level of concern is necessary. Saving lives ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Harriette Richards, University of Melbourne Times of instability and crisis produce increased nostalgia for the past. We long for a time that no longer exists, or never existed. Like melancholy, nostalgia is a sentiment of loss – one that’s particularly familiar to ...
RBNZ bans bank dividends; Who is next after Bauer's shock closure? Vital plan blocked; Commission wins in real estate price fixing case; Softbank walks out WeWorkNo you won’t: The Reserve Bank took the unprecedented step of prohibiting the banks from paying dividends during the coronavirus crisis or redeeming any ...
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Media reels after horror week, Wellington Council facing massive budget crunch, and highest single day of new Covid-19 cases.It had always been clear that this was going to be a difficult time for the media, with the Covid-19 downturn hitting ...
Former National Finance Ministers Steven Joyce and Bill English question the severity of the Covid-19 lockdown and ask whether the Government has an exit strategy. Andrew Patterson reports. Steven Joyce and Bill English have seen their fair share of financial crises and natural disasters as the last National Government's finance ...
There is no sign the government will tighten quarantine controls for those arriving at the border, in response to calls from the Opposition to quarantine and test everyone. ...
Two new cases of Covid-19 have been identified in Fiji, prompting a lockdown of its capital. Teuila Fuatai reports. Fijian health authorities are scrambling to identify close contacts of its latest two Covid-19 cases. The couple, from Nabua, Suva, appear unrelated to the country’s previous five. Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama ...
Christchurch is a city of contrasts, as some stretch their legs with smiles and others with suspicion. David Williams reports It was no surprise it happened in Christchurch’s student quarter. The smiles of those standing at their gates in Ilam Road broadened as a baby kayak strapped to a skateboard ...
For all The Spinoff’s latest coverage of Covid-19 see here. Read Siouxsie Wiles’s work here. New Zealand is currently in alert level four. The country is shut down, apart from essential services. For updated official government advice, see here.The Spinoff’s coverage of the Covid-19 outbreak is funded by The Spinoff Members. To support this work, join The ...
Suzanne McFadden speaks to two Kiwi 'bubbles' who have unanticipated - but serendipitous - housemates. Sue Bremner has found a silver lining to the brooding cloud of lockdown – it’s meant getting to know the sister who never knew she existed for almost 65 years. Englishwoman Bremner has found herself holed ...
As the walls go up around the world, global trade is feeling the effects. But beyond the short-term pain, what systemic change might we see? Sam Sachdeva reports. International trade was already facing headwinds before the spread of coronavirus - but the pandemic has knocked it well and truly off-course. ...
The decisions by German media giant Bauer to shut its New Zealand magazine operation and NZME’s axing of Radio Sport have been precipitated by the coronavirus. But, as Mark Jennings and Tim Murphy write, the closures are also due to the deeper problems of the local media industry. The sudden announcement ...
How long does it take to recover, how do you know you’ve recovered and can you catch Covid-19 twice? If you’ve had Covid-19 when are you officially recovered? Turns out there’s no test in New Zealand. It's judged by time of onset and last symptoms. How do I tick the ...
The first thing to note about the partying Queenstown backpackers is these acts of youthful rebellion are not an isolated phenomenon. As I write this on April 1, The Guardian is reporting on a group of people in their 20s who took the opportunity to celebrate Spring Break in the ...
Every Friday of lockdown, LockerRoom will share posts from Kiwi sportswomen who've caught our eye with novel ways of keeping on top of their game at home. This week we have Black Ferns making their own training equipment, a Kiwi professional cyclist virtually racing against riders around the world, and ANZ Premiership netballers calling their ...
Steve Braunias pays tribute to the Listener, closed yesterday in the wake of Covid-19's devastation of the economy. This piece to mark the end of the Listener is exactly how I started writing for the Listener: late at night, with instant coffee, in a state of shock. The shock then ...
The shockingly fast collapse of Bauer presents the government with a momentous choice, says Duncan Greive. Will it save the media industry, or concentrate on its own?This moment was always coming. The long, steady flow of advertising revenue to the tech giants has left the private sector media gaunt, much ...
A new app unveiled by the Government to dispense information about Covid-19 can be scaled up to help with pandemic tracking and diagnosing the illness, Marc Daalder reportsA Government WhatsApp channel revealed today will help carry information pertinent to the Covid-19 pandemic to the nation's smartphones - but that's ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra As the COVID-19 transforms our individual lives, we are learning a few new things about ourselves as a society. We’ve known Australians suspect authority and, like other Western countries, have come to trust government less ...
About those handles and rails and communal areas …The Spinoff’s coverage of the Covid-19 crisis is only possible because of the support of members. If you can, please consider joining Spinoff Members here.As Aotearoa enters week two of lockdown, it’s clear we’re all still working out what our “bubbles” look ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kylie Quinn, Vice-Chancellor’s Research Fellow, School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is changing how we live. With a rapid increase in cases, we are now isolating in our homes to “flatten the curve”. However, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra In this special hour long podcast presented by Mark Evans, professor of governance and director of Democracy 2025, the panel discusses Australian democracy with Emeritus Professor Ian Chubb and Michelle Grattan. The panel dissects the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The government will provide free child care in a move aimed at ensuring parents, especially in essential services, are able to keep working. More than 945,000 families with 1.3 million children will benefit. The new ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jen Jackson, Education Policy Lead, Mitchell Institute, Victoria University Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced free childcare for more than one million families, with a funding boost that aims to keep more than 13,000 childcare services across Australia open. In doing so, ...
Daily Review 26/09/2018 
In order to meet our 2050 carbon target and do our bit to avoid making the Earth uninhabitable, New Zealand needs to decarbonise our economy, replacing fossil fuels with electricity in the energy, industrial and transport sectors. The good news is that it will mean cheaper power for all of ...4 hours ago
For those folk who find my other Lock-Down Diary versions too “negative” or otherwise unpalatable… Here’s a photo of a pretty flower, . . Better? Tomorrow’s Sanitised Version: a cute animal video. . . . =fs= ...5 hours ago
As Aotearoa enters week two of lockdown, it’s clear we’re all still working out what our “bubbles” look like and how to stay in them to stop the spread of Covid-19. New to the government’s Covid-19 website is some good guidance for people living in apartment blocks. Recent decades have ...8 hours ago
Yesterday was the day the consequences of the lockdown suddenly got very real for many. Firms have been closing and laying people off since the outset of the quarantine but this has mostly been happening out of the public eye. The mass closure of a number of iconic New Zealand ...9 hours ago
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Grant Robinson made a good speech in the house today. His point that the National opposition are now more interested in texts, emails, diary’s and goats above now mentioning the economy in any detail shows they just revel in “bad news”. The economy of course under this new govt is doing wonderfully well by most reports.
The gotcha point scoring idiocy was then immediately backed up by Simon Bridges who stood up yelling and literally barking about how the govt is in “chaos”. It’s plain to see that the National opposition is rudderless, either that or it is being manipulated by an invisible puppeteer who’s identity remains open to conjecture.
+1. The invisible puppeteer is not invisible though. In plain sight are all the self absorbed NZ elite who simple cannot stomach a fair society.
Crosby Textor tactics, death by a thousand cuts. Mind you it’s just dogs barking at the moment but the plan would be to keep it up and cause maximum distraction. Especially from how good the economy is going. But then its hard to imagine this opposition lot knowing what a plan was. They will just mindlessly carry on barking, must be time to really howl at Winston by now and keep up the ‘War on Winston’ at all cost.
It’s quite pathetic really. Where is the policy beyond joining Trump’s war on drugs and kicking people out of state housing?
They seem micro-focussed on emails, texts, phone calls, and meetings rather than offering New Zealand what they would do differently.
I expect that’s either because they don’t know what to do beyond barking at cars, or they continue along the same path to inequality, housing, infrastructure, and immigration problem, and a destruction of the environment for the profit of a few.
National have never been a party of ideas, apart from cycle trails and new flags they have always promoted themselves as the party of sound economic management. It must be stinging them that notion has been well and truly debunked.
The cycle trails were a reasonably good idea but lets face it, anyone could think of that. Also, this was promoted by Key in his first days as PM and he failed to do anything at all after that except lie, pull women’s pony tails and do radio gags.
Even on the cycle trails they back peddled.
The Natzis need to destroy Winston and NZF at all costs otherwise they are toast 2020 ?
“the self absorbed NZ elite who simply cannot stomach a fair society”
Even worse than that I reckon Muttonb – they cannot stand the mere idea of it. Because let’s face reality, a fair society is pretty damn unlikely to actually happen in more than a token way.
Maybe it’s because of all that tremendously ‘hard work’ our elites are putting in to get that capital gain on their investment properties? It can be exhausting.
Slimey is acting the Goat ?
Shouldn’t that be Tahr atm?
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/business/367336/business-confidence-rebounds-in-latest-survey
Hence the tahr tweet perhaps?
Amazing what happens when people actually breathe and realise the sky isn’t going to fall on their heads.
And when they realise what a great PM we have and that they could actually both do very well under her vision and contribute to a better New Zealand at the same time.
And that is the other major chagrin for the National opposition, they have no answer to Jacinda Ardern and what a great leader and PM she is and how she stands tall on the international stage. While she is away promoting NZ they are left to bark at their nemesis. They don’t know what to do except sulk and throw hissy fits. You would think they would have got through most of the stages of grief by now.
Chicken little ?
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12132249
Has Chris Bishop gone rogue?
Karma that Winstons on the the receiving end of something like this for a change but Bishop never struck me as the type to make allegations like this unless he knew something
Chris Bishop knows a thing or two about snapchat.
I see your snapchat and raise you a Youth Labour sex camp scandal
Bishop is an mp. Not the same as a young labour member.
The offender wasn’t a Labour member, but he was invited to the party by a Labour member.
What are you implying Mutton Bird?
Who do you reckon is Basher Bishop’s source chrissy?
Bishop is going for broke after Peters said he would reveal the leakers name…. Now would Bishop have more than a passing interest in who that name might be
Time will tell.
I just don’t think it will. We’d know by now if we were ever going to. Bridges will have been smoothing over the situation with the leaker, offering all sorts of concessions (or blackmailing) in return for future loyalty, and we the public having been whipped into a frenzy will end up none the wiser having paid out the thick end of $500K after all the limos, and the time spent in parliament, and the enquiries.
Maybe – I think it will come out because bridges has staked so much on it. He may go the, “we know and we are dealing with it in house’ way but imo too many have gone on their hind legs about this including smiley collins – she will want someone to thrash bridges with as she lines up for eventual leadership of that shit of fools – Gnashinal
Seems the name is already known. once the report is done pressure will come on bridges to ‘rule out mp X’
Yep and if people want to find out they will. The police leak. The politicians leak. Others leak. This will come out imo
From your link in the Herald we have
“I have not called nor had any reason to call Mr Haumaha since the controversy.”
When Winston says things like that one should be suspicious.
After all the statement would be technically true, or at least Winston would claim it was if the sequence of events was.
1. Winston rings Deputy Commissioner Haumaha’s OFFICE, or better still his home, and asks that he please call Winston.
2. Haumaha rings back and Winston assures him that everything is going to be OK.
Winston will claim “I never rang Haumaha, I rang his Office”, or “I rang his family”, or even something as simple as “He rang me”. Whichever is appropriate.
Incidentally what on earth do you mean by “Has Chris Bishop gone rogue?”
If Bishop turns out to have fired a dud I think that will only serve to crystallise in the public’s mind the stupid game of ’gotcha’ politics that National has been pursuing.
And if he is right, and has the evidence to prove it?
Like Farrar I would like to know whether he held up his “NO” sign.
I was highly amused the time he held up that ‘NO’ sign: the interviewer happened by chance to have reversed the expected outcome by the way he phrased the question, and by holding that sign up, Winston was in fact damning himself. Not that he noticed..
If he is right and has evidence to prove his allegations, then presumably Mr Bishop will present that outside the protection of the House.
Why should he?
That is what Parliamentary Privilege is for.
It’s not as simple as that alwyn.
If the allegation is correct, the impropriety of such a phone call is destructive enough that any deception contained within his reported denial would be almost secondary, and Peters would be irreparably damaged.
On the other hand, if the allegation is not correct, then I’d suggest Chris Bishop has just destroyed his own political career.
Chris Bishop has put a stake in the ground against one of Parliaments greatest survivors. It’s high stakes stuff. For what it’s worth, my money’s on Peters. He’s just far too wily to commit such a stupid mistake.
I’m thinking they’re clutching at any straw in an effort to combat the star treatment Jacinda Ardern is receiving in NY. It doesn’t have to be true… just so long as it feeds into the strategic meme of incompetence and supposed lack of transparency they are endeavouring to foster.
In other words… “Dirty Politics” which is about all they seem to be good at these days.
Even Peter Dunne is having second thoughts about them:
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2018/09/former-minister-stunned-by-national-backing-trump-s-war-on-drugs.html
How do you reckon Arderns UN position pitch has gone?
Ticked all the boxes? a cert for some Child poverty position?
You reckon she should hold out for an airline directorship BMmer?
maybe in ten or twelve years…
“clutching at straws” like the wee weasel blog trolls that are trying to promote the notion that Jacinda Ardern is somehow not the real leader or PM and that it is really Winston. Its misogyny for all to see.
Has he alleged anything outside the house yet?
Chris @73 desperate tomes call for desperate measures……although by saying that I am not saying bishop is wrong. I don’t know
So what happens if Bishop is correct?
Not much
“So what happens if Bishop is correct?”
Winston would be toast and have misled parliament…again (Glenn donation).
Bishop has gotten Winston to bite and go on record.
Nothing will happen because it’s a beltway issue and the number of people who care is limited to a small section of politically activated and bitter National voters.
In what way would Peters be toast?
Unfortunately, he’s in charge, I can’t really see him sacking himself.
Ardern is in charge.
Lol yeah, Arderns in charge.
You’re a funny man Mutton Bird.
Who is the Prime Minister?
Actually, if you check, it is currently Winston.
Have a look at Q2 today. He might only be described as Acting PM but he answers As the PM not FOR the PM. That is why the question asks about “he”.
“Hon SIMON BRIDGES (Leader of the Opposition) to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by all his Government’s statements and actions relating to Derek Handley and the Government Chief Technology Officer role?”
You could say Simon Bridges is the acting leader of the opposition given he’s on single figures support.
Who to replace him with though?
In that case Bridges has made his usual hash of asking the question.
Yeah I know it’s Ardern, but let’s be honest it’s in name only
Com’n fella we all know Peters is calling the shots.
This is the downside of MMP in NZ, you need 50% to rule, both of our two main parties are around 40%, Peters is in the box seat and he milks it for all it’s worth.
Labour was far more desperate than National so they sold their soul to Peters.
Peters is the unofficial PM, Ardern is just there for the smile and wave stuff.
It’s govern, not rule. Rule is for kings and queens in the middle ages which is where I suspect a lot of National voters draw their social values from.
Also, Labour and NZF are simply closer on policy than the Nats who are an outlier. Peter’s only crime was to cruelly string the hapless Bingles along before dumping him.
As I understand it National made the mistake of approaching the Coalition negotiations mistakenly thinking THEY were in the box seat on election night and, consequently, didn’t really put enough effort into it.
They weren’t going to give what Peters wanted.
Labour was desperate if they’d lost Ardern she would have retired and their only ace would have disappeared.
2017, was do or die for Labour, shame they didn’t know Peters had no intention of ever going with National so he could milk Labours desperation for all it was worth.
And here we are today with Ardern being a figurehead PM and the real power behind the thrones Peters calling the shots.
Hardly surprising, he’s a very happy man
^^^
That’s a ridiculous version of events. Labour couldn’t have hoped for much more on the night.
And National weren’t going to ‘give Peters what he wanted’, not because they were principled but because they were too far apart on policy. Winston Peters asked, “had enough?” in his campaign, and said he wanted to put a human face on capitalism in his coalition speech.
The issue was and is that National weren’t, are not, and never will be able to ‘put a human face on capitalism’ because they are uncaring people who work solely for the selfish among us.
BM rewriting history. The gnats tried and failed to take out Peters and he showed them who was boss. Little gnats crawling around begging for a deal – LOL such fun it was and still is to watch the gnat losers wank on – keep it up BM only 4-5 more terms to go.
Silly, aren’t you BM? Some people were also silly enough to think that about Elizabeth 1st for a while back in the day..
BM …..a party political broadcast from the national party via Crosby text or….
Hollow spin memes all you got. Read Gordon Campbell’s latest. I lol post it tomorrow
BM National did the dirty on Peters by releasing his pension info.
National have a long history of shitting on Winston and are crying over not getting his support.
National still have no support party and continuing to piss Peters off is a dumb strategy.
It will put Ardern in a very tight spot, her duty PM misleading Parliament.
If she sacks him Winston will bring down the current Government, if she does nothing but a telling off it reinforces Ardern as a weak PM and a one-term wonder.
So better hope Bishop was full of BS (depending on your political leanings of course!!).
Misleading Parliament is dealt with by the Privileges Commitee not party leaders?
And the supposedly impartial Speaker has to refer the matter to the Committee.
Trevor “impartial”? You have got to be joking.
And I supposed you thought the previous National appointed Speaker was a paragon of virtue in the impartiality stakes?
I didn’t think very much of the last Speaker as it happens.
On the other hand the one two before him was the worst that I can remember and I had some time to observe them all the way back to Algie in 1961.
Margaret Wilson was by far the worst.
Her successor, Lockwood Smith, was easily the best. Carter wasn’t great and I don’t think really wanted the job but I think he will be remembered more kindly than Mallard.
Trevor started off OK but he has reverted to his tribal Labour roots.
Bishop hasn’t managed to quote the phone call verbatim. In fact he is very vague about it so unless the call can be proved and the actual words recovered there’s not a case to answer.
It’s a bit like snapchat as I understand it how the content disappears after one viewing…perhaps that’s why it was Bishop’s app of choice when communicating with kids?
It will put Ardern in a very tight spot, her duty PM misleading Parliament
I’m sure the 900 odd people she got working for her will script the necessary weasel words speech that will exonerate Peters.
BM – you have expertise in weasel words, and I am sure that you will read into it what you want. Be prepared for disappointment: the country is not with you.
Bishop will be toast after this schimoozle he should stick to Snapchat or go back to school ?
Winston will have his bases covered, Natzis are making mountains out of molehills ?
Jacaranda getting rave reviews in the Big Apple ?
Why do you keep putting question marks after everything? You seem to do it whether there is any question or not? Is it because you don’t actually want to give your view? I also notice you put a space between the last letter and the question mark? Why do you do that? You may not want to answer? Or you may want to? Answer that is?
Maybe confused ?
I dunno what your problem is.
I’d suggest if correct, blip start increasing his list of Labour fuckups
Thanks for the caption ms. Appropriate.
Spare a thought everyone for the anguish and feelings of shame he puts his victims through.
What caption? Why that rapist is on here I’ll never know – fuck that guy. Put a picture of all his victims up.
Interesting perspective on Kavanaugh and his alleged (mandatory weasel word) habit of assaulting women: it wasn’t so much trying to get his rocks off or an exercise of power, but more about being a try-hard to win approval from his arsehole group of male buddies.
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/09/brett-kavanaugh-allegations-yearbook-male-bonding.html?via=homepage_taps_top
Socialism or barbarism.
Capitalism and extinction.
“While economic growth continues we’ll never kick our fossil fuels habit
We are getting there, aren’t we? We’re making the transition towards an all-electric future. We can now leave fossil fuels in the ground and thwart climate breakdown. Or so you might imagine, if you follow the technology news.
So how come oil production, for the first time in history, is about to hit 100m barrels a day? How come the oil industry expects demand to climb until the 2030s? How is it that in Germany, whose energy transition (Energiewende) was supposed to be a model for the world, protesters are being beaten up by police as they try to defend the 12,000-year-old Hambacher forest from an opencast mine extracting lignite – the dirtiest form of coal? Why have investments in Canadian tar sands – the dirtiest source of oil – doubled in a year?
The answer is, growth. There may be more electric vehicles on the world’s roads, but there are also more internal combustion engines. There be more bicycles, but there are also more planes. It doesn’t matter how many good things we do: preventing climate breakdown means ceasing to do bad things. Given that economic growth, in nations that are already rich enough to meet the needs of all, requires an increase in pointless consumption, it is hard to see how it can ever be decoupled from the assault on the living planet.”
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/sep/26/economic-growth-fossil-fuels-habit-oil-industry
Even in China , those brand new coal plants there were supposed to be cancelled by the central government, well the regional governments who build them have different ideas
“259 Gigawatts (GW) of new capacity are under development in China, comparable to the entire U.S. coal fleet (266 GW). This represents a 25% increase in China’s coal power fleet.
https://endcoal.org/2018/09/tsunami-warning/