Having slogged through all Open Mike after reading Werewolf this morning, I am a little surprised that nobody seems to have taken cognisance of a good article by Gordon Campbell.
The first 1News Kantar Public poll for 2022 showed party support for Labour down one to 40%, National up four to 32%, ACT down three to 11%, while the Green Party was steady on 9%.
That's 49% Lab and Greens and 43% Nat and ACT. So, the so-called left block 6% ahead of the right block with the Maori Party in between. I would hazard a guess the MP would go with Lab and Greens at crunch time.
My take: the lying, political disinformation, dirty stories about Jacinda and Clarke and the politicising of the pandemic by both Nat and ACT have not had the impact they may have hoped for.
It's up to Ardern and Co. to fight fire with fire over the next 18 months. If they don't then they will lose in 2023.
A lot will hinge on the budget. I see it same as you but Labour are vulnerable now, and ought to shift out of pandemic focus into a strategy for retaining public support by demonstrating achievements on other policy fronts.
Cost of living and inequality differential being what the budget will have to address. If they don't design a remedial strategy & lock it in during the next month or two winter will probably bring parity between Labour & National.
Housing, housing, housing. Get business and "investment" out of the rental market. Stop talking about "getting on the property ladder" and "mum and dad investors". Build state houses for renters. Affordable rents. Put CGT on all but the family home and bach. Tax empty houses. Get the financiers and property investors out of the "housing market" Stop dubious immigrants from buying properties unless they are here and living in them. Housing, housing, housing. Is this really a Labour government?
Ardern ruled out a CGT under her leadership in April 2019.
“I genuinely believe there are inequities in our tax system that a capital gains tax in some form could have helped to resolve. That’s an argument Labour has made as a party since 2011.
However after almost a decade campaigning on it, and after forming a government that represented the majority of New Zealanders, we have been unable to build a mandate for a capital gains tax. While I have believed in a CGT, it’s clear many New Zealanders do not. That is why I am also ruling out a capital gains tax under my leadership in the future.”
@ Rosie Lee (3.1.1.2) … Agree. However the present time might not be appropriate to introduce these policies. Maybe further down the track, definitely.
If my memory serves me right, I think it was Winston Peters/NZ First who put the kybosh on a capital gains tax.
This is actually a bug. Hasn't happened to me recently but it used to a lot.
For some reason the curser will reset to the Name (Required) field as user starts typing in the comment field.
User sees no words in the comment field so re-clicks there and starts typing anew. User doesn't check Name (Required) box for the extra words added to the Name field by the bug reset.
User pushes Submit which results in corrupted Name field.
Moderator cleans up, adding extra work for moderator (and weirdly, guilt for User).
Amazing insight that the poll result is a factual statement re National but the rest of the poll is a 'sample error' re Labour. A really good analysis – not. You dont know what your talking about.
Again … margin closing … (not much more than half of intitial Ardern-Collins gap … & Ardern now down to the kind of Preferred PM rating that Key experienced just before he resigned.
Interesting the next smallest gap, 27 points in October 2020, was immediately before Labour wiped the floor with National in forming the first one party majority since MMP began.
Ardern is probably quite tired right now but when back up to full speed she will be unstoppable again.
John Keys had come out of ponytailgate the year before he quit, Dirty Politics too in that term, and there was the embarrassing failed flag referendum earlier in 2016. He clearly wasn't interested in New Zealand by the time he slunk off. Most decent Kiwis knew it.
Now all he does is tell Luxon what to say, and moan about MIQ.
By definition, things not changing is not news, so the Greens never get a banner headline for having a consistent support base. But it is a significant underlying story: the old "will they fall under 5%?" (elections past) is not an issue, and Labour aren't gaining from them at all.
Another story that won't be a story, though it should be … nothing at all for the protesting fringe. Not the New Cons, not the Tamakis, not even NZ First. They are noise without votes.
Political poll: Jacinda Ardern's numbers slump, Christopher Luxon up 13 points.
This is the Headline on RNZR News. Slump! Really. This is the type of inflated headline mainstream media use. No wonder people call the news media BS News, it certainly shows their bias.
It was a given Luxon was going to soar into the stratosphere.(sarc.) All new leaders of the two main parties get a big bump at the start. One would think the pollie journos would know that but, with a few exceptions, the appalling ignorance of political history has hit an all time low.
Well now we know why they were promoting Nicola. He has not made any difficult decision and Harete Hipango will haunt him. Jacinda has had to make many hard decisions.
Today a voter was asked who “Probably National cause I am, but I like what Jacinda has done”
I thought that woman was great! (TV1 news, vox pop). As was the editor who picked that clip.
So much "news" about so-called public opinion is driven by a tiny minority frothing on social media or brandishing their astroturf signs. But we aren't in Trumpland, most people aren't like that at all, and that voter just summed it up: likes Jacinda, votes National, that's it. Lovely.
I've been asked by a client, who hasn't organised their RAT testing regime yet, to produce a negative PCR test by Feb 03 before getting access to their premises in order to work.
My understanding is if you present at a testing centre you need to be either symptomatic or have been at a place of interest, or been a close contact. I am none of those things and I'm not going to lie to health authorities in order to save my client’s ass/wallet.
I've asked the question of the client if I can pass the costs of the test on to them and am awaiting an answer. Govt website says:
You may need to pay for a test if it is to enter another country or for surveillance testing by the business sector, which is outside the mandatory requirements.
I have several similar clients and they have RAT testing underway already. In some cases workers are RAT tested randomly, and sometimes the whole crew is tested.
Today, I was at one location and at about 12pm everyone was getting their daily results by txt.
Those tests are at no cost for all workers.
It's just that this particular client hasn't been able to set up that regime and is asking contractors to negative PCR test in its place.
My point is that I'm not going to lie to the testing centre about why I am there (in order to get a free test) and am waiting on a answer from that client about whether I can charge back the cost, about $150.
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Barbara GradyIllustration by Samantha Harrington. Photo credits: Justin Lane-Pool/Getty Images, Win McNamee/Getty Images, European Space Agency. In an empty wind-swept field in Richmond, California, next to the county landfill, a company called RavenSr has plotted out land and won ...
Although NZ readers may not be that interested in the subject and in lieu of US Fathers Day missives (not celebrated in NZ), I thought I would lay out some brief thoughts on a political subject being debated in the … Continue reading → ...
TL;DR:Chris Bishop talks up the use of value capture, congestion charging, PPPs, water meters, tolling and rebating GST on building materials to councils to ramp up infrastructure investment in the absence of the Government simply borrowing more to provide the capital.Meanwhile, Christopher Luxon wants to double the number of ...
When I was invited to come aboard and help with Greater Auckland a few months ago (thanks to Patrick!), it was suggested it might be a good idea to write some sort of autobiographical post by way of an introduction. This post isn’t quite that – although I’m sure I’lll ...
On the turning awayFrom the pale and downtroddenAnd the words they say which we won't understandDon't accept that, what's happeningIs just a case of other's sufferingOr you'll find that you're joining inThe turning awayToday’s guest kōrero is from Author Catherine Lea. So without further ado, over to Catherine…I’m so honoured ...
Hi,Tickled was one of the craziest things that ever happened to me (and I feel like a lot of crazy things have happened to me).So ahead of the Webworm popup and Tickled screening in New Zealand on July 13, I thought I’d write about how we made that film and ...
Hi,I’m doing a Webworm merch popup followed by a Tickled screening in Auckland, New Zealand on July 13th — and I’d love you to come. I got the urge to do this while writing this Webworm piece breaking down how we made Tickled, and talking to all the people who ...
One simple statistic said it all: China Premier Li Qiang asked Fonterra CEO Miles Hurrell what percentage of the company’s overall sales were made in China. “Thirty per cent,” said Hurrell. In other words, New Zealand’s largest company is more or less dependent on the Chinese market. But Hurrell is ...
One occasionally runs into the question of what J.R.R. Tolkien would have thought of George R.R. Martin. For years, I had a go-to online answer: we could use a stand-in. Tolkien’s thoughts on E.R. Eddison – that he appreciated the invented world, but thought the invented names were silly, and ...
A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, June 9, 2024 thru Sat, June 15, 2024. Story of the week A glance at this week's inventory of what experts tell us is extreme weather mayhem juiced by ...
After a busy week it’s a good day to relax. Clear blues skies here in Tamaki Makaurau, very peaceful but for my dogs sleeping heavily. In the absence of a full newsletter I thought I’d send out a brief update and share a couple of posts that popped up in ...
Now in the land of Angus beef and the mighty ABsWhere the steaks were juicy and the rivers did run foulIt would often be said,This meal is terrible,andNo, for real this is legit the worst thing I've ever eatenBut this was an thing said only to others at the table,not ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park in collaboration with members from the Skeptical Science team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is ocean acidification from human ...
She's not a girl who misses muchDo do do do do do, oh yeahShe's well-acquainted with the touch of the velvet handLike a lizard on a window paneI wouldn’t associate ACT with warmth, other than a certain fabled, notoriously hot, destination where surely they’re heading and many would like them ...
Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past somewhat interrupted week. Still on the move!Share Read more ...
What does Budget 2024 tell us about the current government? Muddle on?Coalition governments are not new. About 50 percent of the time since the first MMP election, there has been a minority government, usually with allied parties holding ministerial portfolios outside cabinets. For 10 percent of the time there was ...
Somewhat surprisingly for what is regarded as a network of professionals, climate science misinformation is getting shared on LinkedIn, joining other channels where this is happening. Several of our recent posts published on LinkedIn have attracted the ire of various commenters who apparently are in denial about human-caused climate change. Based ...
1. On what subject is Paul Henry even remotely worth giving the time of day?a. The state of our nationb. The state of the ACT partyc. How to freak out potential buyers of your gin palace by baking the remains of your deceased parent into its fittings2. Now that New ...
Last time National was in power, they looted the state, privatising public assets and signing hugely wasteful public-private partnership (PPP) contracts which saw foreign consortiums provide substandard infrastructure while gouging us for profits. You only have to look at the ongoing fiasco of Transmission Gully to see how it was ...
The Democratic Façade Of Local Government: Our district and city councillors are democratically elected to govern their communities on one very strict condition – that they never, ever, under any circumstances, attempt to do so.A DISINTEGRATION OF LOYALTIES on the Wellington City Council has left Mayor Tory Whanau without a ...
I can feel the lowlights coming over meI can feel the lowlights, from the state I’m inI can see the light now even thought it’s dimA little glow on the horizonAnother week of lowlights from our government, with the odd bright spot and a glow on the horizon. The light ...
Another week, another roundup of things that caught our eye on our favourite topics of transport, housing and how to make cities a little bit greater. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday, Connor wrote about Kāinga Ora’s role as an urban development agency Tuesday’s guest post by ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers features co-hosts and talking with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent about the National-ACT-NZ First Government’s moves this week to take farming out of the ETS and encourage more mining and oil and ...
In 2019, Shane Jones addressed the “50 Shades of Green” protest at Parliament: Now he is part of a government giving those farmers a pass on becoming part of the ETS, as well as threatening to lock in offshore oil exploration and mining for decades. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the ...
Hi,Today’s newsletter is all about how easy it is to get sucked into “rage bait” online, and how easy it is to get played.But first I wanted to share something that elicited the exact opposite of rage in me — something that made me feel incredibly proud, whilst also making ...
Seymour said lower speed limits “drained the joy from life as people were forced to follow rules they knew made no sense.” File Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Friday, June 14 were:The National/ACT/NZ First ...
It sounded like the best word to describe yesterday’s talks between Chinese Premier Li Qiang and his heavyweight delegation of Ministers and officials and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and New Zealand Ministers and officials was “frank.” But it was the kind of frankness that friends can indulge in. It ...
Open access notables Wildfire smoke impacts lake ecosystems, Farruggia et al., Global Change Biology:We introduce the concept of the lake smoke-day, or the number of days any given lake is exposed to smoke in any given fire season, and quantify the total lake smoke-day exposure in North America from 2019 ...
Don’t put it all at risk. That’s likely to be the take-home message for New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon in his meetings with Li Qiang, the Chinese Premier. Li’s visit to Wellington this week is the highest-ranking visit by a Chinese official since 2017. The trip down under – ...
I know the feelingIt is the real thingThe essence of the soulThe perfect momentThat golden momentI know you feel it tooI know the feelingIt is the real thingYou can't refuse the embraceNo?Sometimes we face the things we most dislike. A phobia or fear that must be confronted so it doesn’t ...
Struth, what a week. Having made sure the rural sector won’t have to pay any time soon for its pollution, PM Christopher Luxon yesterday chose Fieldays 2024 to launch a parliamentary inquiry into rural banking services, to see how the banks have been treating farmers faced with high interest rates. ...
In April, 17,656 people left Aotearoa-NZ to live overseas, averaging 588 a day, with just over half of those likely to have gone to Australia. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Thursday, June 13 ...
Auckland’s draft Regional Land Transport Plan (RLTP) 2024 is open for feedback – and you only have until Monday 17 June to submit. Do it! Join the thousands of Aucklanders who are speaking up for wise strategic investment that will dig us out of traffic and give us easy and ...
Chinese Premier Li Qiang arrives in Wellington today for a three-day visit to the country. The visit will take place amid uncertainty about the future of the New Zealand-China relationship. Li hosted a formal welcome and then lunch for then-Prime Minister Chris Hipkins in Beijing a year ago. The pair ...
We are still in France, getting from A to B.Possibly for only another week, though; Switzerland and Germany are looming now. On we pedal, towards Budapest, at about 20 km per hour.What are are mostly doing is inhaling a country, loving its ways and its food. Rolling, talking, quietly thinking. ...
The big problem with the last Labour government was that they were chickenshits who did nothing with the absolute majority we had given them. They governed as if they were scared of their own shadows, afraid of making decisions lest it upset someone - usually someone who would never have ...
This morning I did something I seldom do, I looked at the Twitter newsfeed. Normally I take the approach of something that I’m not sure is an American urban legend, or genuinely something kids do over there. The infamous bag of dog poo on the front porch, set it on ...
We have some news on the upcoming War of the Rohirrim anime. It will apparently be two and a half hours in length, with Peter Jackson as Executive Producer, and Helm’s daughter Hera will be the main character. Also, pictures: The bloke in the middle picture is Freca’s ...
The cows will keep burping and farting and climate change will keep accelerating - but farmers can stop worrying about being included in the ETS. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Wednesday, June 12 were:The ...
This is a guest post by our friend Darren Davis. It originally appeared on his excellent blog, Adventures in Transitland, which features “musings about public transport and other cool stuff in Aotearoa/ New Zealand and around the globe.” With Te Huia now having funding secure through to 2026, now is ...
In some ways, there may be less than meets the eye to the Government announcement yesterday that the He Waka Eke Noa proposal for farmers to pay for greenhouse gas emissions has been scrapped. The spectre of farmers still having to pay at some point in the future remains. That, ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Since entering office, National has unravelled practically every climate policy, leaving us with no effective way of reducing emissions or meeting our emissions budgets beyond magical thinking around the ETS. And today they've announced another step: removing agriculture entirely. At present, following the complete failure of he waka eka noa, ...
The blue billionaireDistraction no interactionOr movement outside these glazed over eyesThe new great divideFew fight the tide to be glorifiedBut will he be satisfied?Can we accept this without zoom?The elephant in the roomNot much happens in politics on a Monday. Bugger all in fact. Although yesterday Christopher Luxon found he ...
What if New Zealand threw a fossil fuel party, and nobody came? On the weekend, Resources Minister Shane Jones sent out the invitations and strung up the balloons, but will anyone really want to invest big time in resuming oil and gas exploration in our corner of the planet? Yes, ...
This is a guest post by Meredith Dale, senior urban designer and strategist at The Urban Advisory.There’s a saying that goes something like: ‘what you measure is what you value’. An RNZ article last week claimed that Auckland was ‘hurting’ because of a more affordable supply of homes, particularly townhouses ...
A Prime Minister directs his public service to inquire into the actions of the opposition political party which is his harshest critic. Something from Orban's Hungary, or Putin's Russia? No, its happening right here in Aotearoa: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced the Public Service Commission will launch an ...
This is a repost from a Yale Climate Connections article by SueEllen Campbell published on June 3, 2024. The articles listed can help you tell fact from fiction when it comes to solar and wind energy. Some statements you hear about solar and wind energy are just plain false. ...
Politics were going on all around us yesterday, and we barely noticed, rolling along canal paths, eating baguettes. It wasn’t until my mate got to the headlines last night that we learned there had been a dismayingly strong far right result in the EU elections and Macron had called a ...
Respect Existence, Or Expect Resistance? There may well have been 50,000 pairs of feet “Marching For Nature” down Auckland’s Queen Street on Saturday afternoon, but the figure that impresses the Coalition Government is the 1,450,000 pairs of Auckland feet that were somewhere else.IN THE ERA OF DRONES and Artificial Intelligence, ...
Selwyn Manning and I discuss varieties of post colonial blowback and the implications its has for the rise of the Global South. Counties discussed include Palestine/Israel, France/New Caledonia, England/India, apartheid/post-apartheid South Africa and post-colonial New Zealand. It is a bit … Continue reading → ...
Hi,Today the New Zealand press is breathlessly reporting that the owners of toy company Zuru are officially New Zealand’s wealthiest people: Mat and Nick Mowbray worth an estimated $20 billion between them.While the New Zealand press loses its shit celebrating this Kiwi success story, this is a Webworm reminder that ...
TL;DR: The six things to note in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty in the past day to 8:36 pm on Monday, June 10 were:20,000 protested against the Fast-track approval bill on Saturday in Auckland, but PM Christopher Luxon says ‘sorry, but not sorry’ about the need for ...
Given the headlines around the recent findings of the ‘independent’ review of Kāinga Ora by Bill English, you might assume this post will be about social housing, Kāinga Ora’s most prominent role. While that is indeed something that requires defending, I want to talk about the other core purpose of ...
“How does it feel to beOne of the beautiful peopleNow that you know who you areWhat do you want to beAnd have you traveled very far?Far as the eye can see”Yesterday the ACT party faithful were regaled with craven boasts, sneers, and demands for even more at their annual rally.That ...
A defiant Resources Minister Shane Jones has responded to Saturday’s environmental protests by ending Labour’s offshore oil exploration ban and calling for long-term contracts with any successful explorers. The purpose would be to prevent a future Labour Government from reversing any licence the explorers might hold. Jones sees a precedent ...
A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, June 2, 2024 thru Sat, June 8, 2024. Story of the week Our Story of the Week is Yale Climate Connection's Resources for debunking common solar and wind myths, by ...
This is where we ate our lunch last Wednesday. Never mind your châteaux and castles and whatnot, we like to enjoy a baguette in the shadow of a nuclear power plant; a station that puts out more than twice as much as Manapouri using nothing more than tiny atoms to bring ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by John Mason in collaboration with members from the Gigafact team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is the ocean acidifying? Acidification of oceans ...
The largest protest I ever went on was in the mid 90s. There were 10,000 people there that day, and I’ve never forgotten it. An enormous mass of people, chanting together. Stretching block after block, bringing traffic to a halt.But I can’t say that’s the biggest protest I’ve ever been ...
Hi there,I wanted to put all of Josh Drummond’s Webworm pieces all in one place. I love that he writes for Webworm — and all of these are a good read!David.Why Are So Many “Christians” Hellbent on Being Horrible?Why do so many objectively hideous people declare themselves “Christian”?Meeting the Master ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: On reflection, the six things to note in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty this week were:The Government-driven freeze in building new classrooms, local roads and water networks in order to save cash for tax cuts is frustrating communities facing massive population ...
Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past somewhat interrupted week. Still on the move!Share Read more ...
Hi,One of the things I like the most about Webworm is to be able to break down the media and journalism a little, and go behind the scenes.This is one of those times.Yesterday an email arrived in my inbox from journalist Jonathan Milne, who is managing editor atNewsroom.I don’t ...
Wrote something over at 1/200 on a familiar theme of mine: The way we frame the economy as a separate, sacred force which must be sacrificed to, the way we talk about criminals as invaders who must be repelled, the constant othering of people on the benefit, people not in ...
A nice bit of news today: my 4600-word historical fantasy-horror piece, A Voyage Among the Vandals, has been accepted by Phobica Books (https://www.phobicabooks.co.uk/books) for their upcoming Pirate Horror anthology, Shivering Timbers. This one is set in the Mediterranean, during the mid-fifth century AD. Notable for having one of history’s designated ...
There was no less razzamatazz about the 2024 Budget than about earlier ones. Once again the underlying economic analysis got lost. It deserves more attention.Just to remind you, the Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU), is the Treasury’s independent assessment and so can be analysed by other competent economists (although ...
There are two failings that consistently characterise a National government. One is a lack of imagination, the other is their willingness to look after their mates, no matter what harm it might do to everyone else.This is how we come to have thousands of enormous trucks carving up our roads. ...
The Kotahitanga Parliament 1897: A Māori Parliament – at least in the guise of a large and representative body dedicated to describing the shape of New Zealand’s future from a Māori perspective – would be a very good idea.THE DEMAND for a “Māori Parliament” needs to be carefully unpicked. Some Pakeha, ...
Dumbtown, is how my friend Gerard refers to people like ZB listeners - he’s not wrong.Normally on a Friday I start by looking at Mike Hosking’s moronic reckons of the week which he vomits down the throats of his audience like helpless baby birds in a nest, grateful for the ...
Should sick leave be part and parcel of the working conditions from Day One on the job, just like every other health and safety provision? Or should access to sick leave be something that only gradually accumulates, depending on how long a worker has been on the payroll? If enacted ...
Today marks the beginning of Schools Pride Week in New Zealand, an important calendar event largely run by rainbow rangitahi to advocate for safer, more inclusive school environments. ...
The Government’s announcement of a roadshow consultation on work health and safety is a smokescreen for its plan to throw out regulations which keep workers safe. ...
The Government has reportedly scrapped a policy that would have gone far to fix gender and ethnic pay gaps and instead is implementing a watered-down voluntary system. ...
The Government knew its changes to the school lunch programme would risk achievement, attendance, nutrition and wellbeing of New Zealand children, as well as having wider impacts on reducing child poverty, and made the changes anyway, new documents show. ...
Two months have passed since the National Government said it was a question of ”when, not if” New Zealand would recognise Palestine, in response to Labour’s call. ...
Today the coalition government has announced that a select committee inquiry into banking competition will be led by the Finance and Expenditure Select Committee.New Zealand First campaigned to take on foreign owned banks, and we committed to that in our coalition agreement by ensuring the inquiry has a broad ...
The National Government is doing everything it can to delay taking action on climate as it announces that years of work on agricultural emissions will start from scratch. ...
Tens of thousands of people showed up to have their voices heard and march against National’s unpopular Fast Track Approvals Bill in Auckland over the weekend. ...
The Government deciding to lift the oil and gas ban in the middle of a climate crisis is a severe step backwards that will have serious consequences for our future. ...
This week the Justice Select Committee has heard numerous submissions on the removal of Māori Wards. “I am feeling invigorated by the powerful oral submissions that I have heard throughout the week.” Said Local Government spokesperson, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “People from all facets of life: whānau Māori, whānau Pākehā, rangatahi, kaumātua, ...
Today’s March for Nature sends a clear message that our country is deeply against the Fast Track Approvals Bill proceeding because the cost to the environment would be unacceptable. ...
The recent attacks on Te Pāti Māori and its MP’s are part of a continuing narrative of attack on all matters Māori. If we could respond to baseless inuendo we would. If there is any evidence then show us so we have a reason to engage in a conversation. The ...
The Government’s move to pour billions into potholes whilst remaining inactive on climate change does nothing to solve our transport system's core problems. ...
“The Government needs to provide leadership for New Zealand’s mental health sector, which appears to have lost out in the Budget despite the promises Minister for Mental Health Matt Doocey made on the campaign trail,” said Labour mental health spokesperson Ingrid Leary. ...
Today’s announcement that would see some workers’ entitlement to sick leave reduce flies in the face of yet another promise National made during the election campaign. ...
Cutting a third of the staff at Ministry for the Environment will undermine years of work to clean up our fresh water and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and leave us unprepared for a changing climate. ...
The National Government has shown all their talk about meeting climate targets is just hot air as they cut more than $3 billion in climate-related work, said Labour climate spokesperson Megan Woods. ...
The Green Party’s Te Mātāwaka (Māori and Pasifika) caucus has labelled this year’s Budget as unambitious for Māori and unapologetic in its disregard for Te Tiriti. ...
The Government’s bloody-minded commitment to delivering trickle-down tax cuts at all costs comes at the expense of investment in people and planet. ...
This year’s Budget reflects the heartlessness of the Coalition Government when it comes to Pasifika, according to the Green Party’s Te Mātāwaka (Māori and Pasifika) caucus. ...
The budget today is a sad state of affairs and the country can now see the result of Finance Minister Nicola Willis’ wrong choices and the Government’s broken promises. ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis has repeatedly said she will not be borrowing for tax cuts and denied fiscal irresponsibility. Today, the budget has revealed Nicola Willis has borrowed $12 billion – and her tax cuts cost $10 billion. ...
The Government has today announced that it is making it easier for people to build granny flats, Acting Prime Minister Winston Peters and RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop say. “Making it easier to build granny flats will make it more affordable for families to live the way that suits them ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Auckland King’s Counsel Gregory Peter Blanchard as a High Court Judge. Justice Blanchard attended the University of Auckland from 1991 to 1995, graduating with an LLB (Honours) and Bachelor of Arts (English). He was a solicitor with the firm that is now Dentons ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says new data released today shows encouraging growth in the health workforce, with a continued increase in the numbers of doctors, nurses and midwives joining Health New Zealand. “Frontline healthcare workers are the beating heart of the healthcare system. Increasing and retaining our health workforce ...
Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee has today announced a comprehensive programme to reform New Zealand's outdated and complicated firearms laws. “The Arms Act has been in place for over 40 years. It has been amended several times – in a piecemeal, and sometimes rushed way. This has resulted in outdated ...
The coalition Government is delivering record levels of targeted investment in specialist schools so children with additional needs can thrive. As part of Budget 24, $89 million has been ringfenced to redevelop specialist facilities and increase satellite classrooms for students with high needs. This includes: $63 million in depreciation funding ...
A substantial consultation on work health and safety will begin today with a roadshow across the regions over the coming months, says Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden. This the first step to deliver on the commitment to reforming health and safety law and regulations, set out in ...
Forestry Minister Todd McClay, today announced the start of the Government’s plan to restore certainty and confidence in the forestry and wood processing sector. “This government will drive investment to unlock the industry’s economic potential for growth,” Mr McClay says. “Forestry’s success is critical to rebuilding New Zealand’s economy, boosting ...
Annual service charges in the forestry Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) will be cancelled for 2023/24, Forestry Minister Todd McClay says. “The sector has told me the costs imposed on forestry owners by the previous government were excessive and unreasonable and I agree,” Mr McClay says. “They have said that there ...
Introduction Thank you for having me here today and welcome to Wellington, the home of the Hurricanes, the next Super Rugby champions. Infrastructure – the challenge This government has inherited a series of big challenges in infrastructure. I don’t need to tell an audience as smart as this one that ...
Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay and Food Safety Minister Andrew Hoggard welcomed outcomes to boost agricultural and food trade between New Zealand and China. A number of documents were signed today at Government House that will improve the business environment between New Zealand and China, and help reduce barriers, including on infant formula ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay, and China’s Commerce Minister Wang Wentao, today announced the official launch of Negotiations on Services Trade between the two countries. “The Government is focused on opening doors for services exporters to grow the New Zealand’s economy,” Mr McClay says. As part of the 2022 New Zealand-China Free Trade Agreement Upgrade ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon met with Chinese Premier Li Qiang at Government House in Wellington today. “I was pleased to welcome Premier Li to Wellington for his first official visit, which marks 10 years since New Zealand and China established a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership,” Mr Luxon says. “The Premier and ...
The coalition Government is taking action to reduce the gender pay gap in New Zealand through the development of a voluntary calculation tool. “Gender pay gaps have impacted women for decades, which is why we need to continue to drive change in New Zealand,” Acting Minister for Women Louise Upston ...
The coalition Government is boosting funding for Rural Support Trusts to provide more help to farmers and growers under pressure, Rural Communities Minister Mark Patterson announced today. “A strong and thriving agricultural sector is crucial to the New Zealand economy and one of the ways to support it is to ...
Spending on contractors and consultants continues to fall and the size of the Public Service workforce has started to decrease after years of growth, according to the latest data released today by the Public Service Commission. Workforce data for the quarter from 31 December 23 to 31 March 24 shows ...
Thank you to the Law Association for inviting me to speak this morning. As a former president under its previous name — the Auckland District Law Society — I take particular satisfaction in seeing this organisation, and its members, in such good heart. As Attorney-General, I am grateful for these ...
New Zealand is committed to working closely with Timor-Leste to support its prosperity and resilience, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “This year is the 25th anniversary of New Zealand sending peacekeepers to Timor-Leste, who contributed to the country’s stabilisation and ultimately its independence,” Mr Peters says. “A quarter ...
Promoting robust competition in the banking sector is vital to rebuilding the economy, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. “New Zealanders deserve a banking sector that is as competitive as possible. Banking services play an important role in our communities and in the economy. Kiwis rely on access to lending when ...
Regulation Minister David Seymour, Environment Minister Penny Simmonds, and Food Safety Minister Andrew Hoggard have today announced a regulatory sector review on the approval process for new agricultural and horticultural products. “Red tape stops farmers and growers from getting access to products that have been approved by other OECD countries. ...
The Coalition Government will reverse Labour’s blanket speed limit reductions by 1 July 2025 through a new Land Transport Rule released for public consultation today, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. The draft speed limit rule will deliver on the National-ACT coalition commitment to reverse the previous government’s blanket speed limit ...
Minister Paul Goldsmith is making major leadership changes within both his Arts and Media portfolios. “I am delighted to announce Carmel Walsh will be officially stepping into the role of Chair of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, having been acting Chair since April,” Arts Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Carmel is ...
Food and fibre export revenue is tipped to reach $54.6 billion this year and hit a record $66.6b in 2028 as the Government focuses on getting better access to markets and cutting red tape, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones say. “This achievement is testament ...
A new export exemption proposal for food businesses demonstrates the coalition Government’s commitment to reducing regulatory barriers for industry and increasing the value of New Zealand exports, which gets safe New Zealand food to more markets, says Food Safety Minister Andrew Hoggard. “The coalition Government has listened to the concerns ...
New Zealand and Philippines are continuing to elevate our relationship, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The leaders of New Zealand and Philippines agreed in April 2024 to lift our relationship to a Comprehensive Partnership by 2026,” Mr Peters says. “Our visit to Manila this week has been an excellent ...
Workplace Relations and Safety Minister, Brooke van Velden says paid parental leave increase from 1 July will put more money in the pockets of Kiwi parents and give them extra support as they take precious time off to bond with their newborns. The increase takes effect from 1 July 2024 ...
The number of New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) personnel deployed to the Republic of Korea is increasing, Defence Minister Judith Collins and Foreign Minister Winston Peters announced today. NZDF will deploy up to 41 additional personnel to the Republic of Korea, increasing the size of its contribution to the United ...
New Zealand will be represented at the Summit on Peace in Ukraine by Minister Mark Mitchell in Switzerland later this week. “New Zealand strongly supports Ukraine’s efforts to build a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace,” Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “Minister Mitchell is a senior Cabinet Minister and ...
Farmers’ hard work is paying off in the fight against Mycoplasma bovis (M. bovis) with the move to a national pest management plan marking strong progress in the eradication effort, says Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard. “The plan, approved by the Coalition Government, was proposed by the programme partners DairyNZ, Beef ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Housing Minister Chris Bishop formally opened a new Build to Rent development in Mt Wellington this morning. “The Prime Minister and I were honoured to cut the ribbon of Resido, New Zealand’s largest Build to Rent development to date. “Build to Rent housing, like the ...
The Government will deliver on its election commitment to take agriculture out of the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme (NZ ETS) and will establish a new Pastoral Sector Group to constructively tackle biogenic methane, Coalition Government Agriculture and Climate Change Ministers say. Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says New Zealand farmers ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon will travel to Japan from 16-20 June, his first visit as Prime Minister. “Japan is incredibly important to New Zealand's prosperity. It is the world’s fourth largest economy, and our fourth largest export destination. “As you know, growing the economy is my number one priority. A strong economy means ...
Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Andrew Bayly, travels to Singapore today to attend scam and fraud prevention meetings. “Scams are a growing international problem, and we are not immune in New Zealand. Organised criminal networks operate across borders, and we need to work with our Asia-Pacific partners to tackle ...
People who were displaced by severe weather events in 2022 and 2023 will be supported by the extension of Temporary Accommodation Assistance through to 30 June 2025. Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says the coalition Government is continuing to help to those who were forced out of their ...
Removing the ban on petroleum exploration beyond onshore Taranaki is part of a suite of proposed amendments to the Crown Minerals Act to deal with the energy security challenges posed by rapidly declining natural gas reserves, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “Natural gas is critical to keeping our lights on ...
New Zealand and Malaysia intend to intensify their long-standing, deep connections, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “Malaysia is one of New Zealand’s oldest friends in South-East Asia – and both countries intend to get more out of the relationship," Mr Peters says. "Our connections already run deep and ...
The end of Contracted Emergency Housing (CEH) motels in Rotorua is nearing another milestone as the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announces it will not renew consents for six of the original 13 motels, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. The government is committed to stop using CEH ...
The Government is providing a narrow exemption from the discontinuation of the First Home Grant for first home buyers who may face unfair situations as a result, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The First Home Grant scheme was closed with immediate effect on 22 May 2024, with savings being reprioritised ...
Work to increase flood resilience in Hawke’s Bay can start sooner, thanks to a new fast consenting process, Minister for Emergency Management and Recovery Mark Mitchell and Environment Minister Penny Simmonds say. “Faster consenting means work to build stop banks, spillways and other infrastructure can get underway sooner, increasing flood ...
Tangata tū tangata ora, tangata noho tangata mate. Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka today announced acting Deputy Chief Judge Craig Coxhead as the new Deputy Chief Judge, and Nathan Milner as Judge of the Māori Land Court. "I want to congratulate Judge Coxhead and Mr Milner on their appointments ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts, today signed three Indo Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) agreements that will boost investment, grow New Zealand’s digital and green economies and increase trade between New Zealand and the 14 IPEF partners. IPEF’s partners represent 40 per cent of global GDP ...
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By Patrick Decloitre, RNZ Pacific correspondent French Pacific desk The national congress of New Caledonia’s pro-independence platform, the FLNKS, was postponed at the weekend due to major differences between its hard-line component and its more moderate parties. The FLNKS is the Kanak Socialist National Liberation Front. It consists of several ...
The Air New Zealand boss has stepped in to save the prime minister’s business trip to Japan, proving that he should probably already be on the government payroll. Who better to have onboard your grounded Defence Force plane than the boss of the national airline?Air New Zealand CEO Greg ...
For the second year in a row, and despite being a major political debate, Wellington City Council Chief Executive Barbara McKerrow has denied elected councillors access to ratepayer-funded legal advice surrounding the sale of the airport shares. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vincent Ho, Associate Professor and clinical academic gastroenterologist, Western Sydney University H_Ko/Shutterstock No, you’re not imagining it. People really are more likely to poo in the morning, shortly after breakfast. Researchers have actually studied this. But why mornings? What if you ...
In just a single generation, Wellington went from a native bird wasteland to a city where kiwi wander nonchalantly into people’s backyards. The Māori names of Wellington’s landscape reflect a place of bird abundance. Mt Kaukau was Tarikākā, the place of kākā. Karori is a transliteration of Kaharore, the place ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Caroline Fisher, Associate Professor of Communication, University of Canberra Shutterstock There has been a lot of hype about the emergence of generative AI products such as ChatGPT. Organisations, including news outlets, are rapidly adopting artificial intelligence technologies to boost productivity and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne A national Resolve poll for Nine newspapers, conducted June 11–15 from a sample of 1,607, gave the Coalition 36% of the primary ...
Politicians and parties were challenged to give disabled New Zealanders winnable positions on party lists, and seats at the cabinet table in the opening address of the New Zealand Disability Support Network national conference this morning. ...
Finn Barry was relieved when he learned his stolen car had been found abandoned on an Auckland side street. He had no way of knowing his troubles were only beginning. That day last November started like any other. My regular commute involves hopping into Nancy, my 2004 Nissan Tiida, and ...
The governance battle between NZ Rugby and the provincial unions is more than just grassroots ‘democracy’ vs a new corporate model for an organisation worth billions. Who are the key players? NZ Rugby oversees the silver fern logo, teams’ names and international competition entries. 26 Provincial ...
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The exemption of agricultural emissions from the Emissions Trading Scheme has been called an ‘abrogation of New Zealand’s international responsibilities’. But what have we signed up to – and are we anywhere near meeting these goals? On Tuesday, the government fulfilled an election promise, confirming that agriculture will remain exempt ...
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Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A,DIV,A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Monday 17 June appeared first on Newsroom. ...
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Having slogged through all Open Mike after reading Werewolf this morning, I am a little surprised that nobody seems to have taken cognisance of a good article by Gordon Campbell.
http://werewolf.co.nz/2022/01/gordon-campbell-on-rapid-antigen-testing/
It appears that despite Hosking's pathetic rant in Herald this morning, Oz has turned out yet another disaster.
Nothing significant is going to change in this country until we get rid of the neoliberal laws that were passed in the 1980s and 1990s.
That's 49% Lab and Greens and 43% Nat and ACT. So, the so-called left block 6% ahead of the right block with the Maori Party in between. I would hazard a guess the MP would go with Lab and Greens at crunch time.
My take: the lying, political disinformation, dirty stories about Jacinda and Clarke and the politicising of the pandemic by both Nat and ACT have not had the impact they may have hoped for.
It's up to Ardern and Co. to fight fire with fire over the next 18 months. If they don't then they will lose in 2023.
A lot will hinge on the budget. I see it same as you but Labour are vulnerable now, and ought to shift out of pandemic focus into a strategy for retaining public support by demonstrating achievements on other policy fronts.
Cost of living and inequality differential being what the budget will have to address. If they don't design a remedial strategy & lock it in during the next month or two winter will probably bring parity between Labour & National.
Housing, housing, housing. Get business and "investment" out of the rental market. Stop talking about "getting on the property ladder" and "mum and dad investors". Build state houses for renters. Affordable rents. Put CGT on all but the family home and bach. Tax empty houses. Get the financiers and property investors out of the "housing market" Stop dubious immigrants from buying properties unless they are here and living in them. Housing, housing, housing. Is this really a Labour government?
Ardern ruled out a CGT under her leadership in April 2019.
“I genuinely believe there are inequities in our tax system that a capital gains tax in some form could have helped to resolve. That’s an argument Labour has made as a party since 2011.
However after almost a decade campaigning on it, and after forming a government that represented the majority of New Zealanders, we have been unable to build a mandate for a capital gains tax. While I have believed in a CGT, it’s clear many New Zealanders do not. That is why I am also ruling out a capital gains tax under my leadership in the future.”
https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/government-will-not-implement-capital-gains-tax
Would be a very risky move for to talk about implementing one now unless signalling she’s leaving politics.
She could use the old…'when the situation changes…we have to change too'.
Key =I will not increase GST…. rationale as b4!
Both Key & English said they wouldn’t increase GST. Key – on the campaign trail in 2008, in answer to a question at a press conference, & English in December 2008.
https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/3313887/Public-split-over-Keys-GST-plan
They were bloody lucky to get away with it & get voted back in.
Ardern could certainly try repeating this trick but it’s risky.
Well they also handed out a salve….a tax cut!
@ Rosie Lee (3.1.1.2) … Agree. However the present time might not be appropriate to introduce these policies. Maybe further down the track, definitely.
If my memory serves me right, I think it was Winston Peters/NZ First who put the kybosh on a capital gains tax.
"Cost of living and inequality differential being what the budget will have to address"
Labour has a solid track record of ignoring both of these and instead backs free market capitalism 100%
The only thing I am sure of, is that National and ACT would be worse in both cases.
'The only thing I am sure of, is that National and ACT would be worse in both cases.'
Yes =the frustrating..reality…lesser of two evils..option.
Basically Luxon is where Collins was on,
Nate got some back from act.
Rest is in sample error.
And just to confirm that …
One News poll:
Sept – National + ACT 40. (Collins)
Nov – National + ACT 42. (Collins)
Jan – National + ACT 43. (Luxon)
That's not a honeymoon, it's a one night stand and then lasting regrets.
lovely turn of phrase, there
Seats
Labour: 51
National: 41
ACT Party: 14
Green Party: 12
Māori Party: 2
Labour + Greens – 63
National + Act – 55
Greens are in a stronger position to demand more.
The Greens have lost their mojo. They are just as neolib as all the others. Shaw still recovering from his junket?
Wondering whether or not we'll get to see a moping, third floor walk of shame.
Cute
[removed “Cute” from user name field – Incognito]
Moderation note for you.
opps sorry
No worries, the note was just to alert you to the fact 🙂
This is actually a bug. Hasn't happened to me recently but it used to a lot.
For some reason the curser will reset to the Name (Required) field as user starts typing in the comment field.
User sees no words in the comment field so re-clicks there and starts typing anew. User doesn't check Name (Required) box for the extra words added to the Name field by the bug reset.
User pushes Submit which results in corrupted Name field.
Moderator cleans up, adding extra work for moderator (and weirdly, guilt for User).
Yes, it’s a known bug and the note was to alert the user and the fixer 🙂
Amazing insight that the poll result is a factual statement re National but the rest of the poll is a 'sample error' re Labour. A really good analysis – not. You dont know what your talking about.
It is reasonable to conclude it is highly probable that support has gone from ACT to National. Not from Labour to National (net, of course).
That's what margin of error means, essentially.
Disappointing not to see Leighton Baker in the preferred PM standings.
Or indeed, Leigh Hart.
.
Slow attrition / closing the gap since last Election:
……………. Labour …. National …………. Lab+Green vs Nat+ACT
2020
Feb …………. 41% ………….46% ……………………46% …………… 48% …. (Right +2)
May ………… 59% ………….29% ……………………64% …………… 31% …. (Left +33)
June ………… 50% ………….38% ……………………56% ……………. 41% …. (Left +15)
July ………….. 53% ………….32% ……………………58% …………… 37% …. (Left +21)
Mid Sep ……..48% ………….31% …………………..54% …………… 38% …. (Left +16)
Late Sep ……. 47% ………….33% ………………….54% …………… 41% …. (Left +13)
Early Oct …… 47% ………….32% …………………..53% …………… 40% …. (Left +13)
Mid Oct …….. 46% ………….31%……………………54% …………… 39% …. (Left +15)
Dec …………… 53% ………….25%…………………….61% …………… 33% …. (Left +28)
2021
March ………… 49% ………….27%……………………58% …………… 35% …. (Left +23)
May ……………. 46% ………….29%……………………54% …………… 38% …. (Left +16)
Sep …………….. 43% ………….26%……………………51% …………… 40% …. (Left +11)
Nov …………….. 41% ………….28%……………………50% …………… 42% …. (Left +8)
2022
Jan ……………… 40% ………….32%……………………49% …………… 43% …. (Left +6)
.
Again … margin closing … (not much more than half of intitial Ardern-Collins gap … & Ardern now down to the kind of Preferred PM rating that Key experienced just before he resigned.
……. Ardern …. Bridges …. Muller … Collins … Luxon … Gap
2020
Feb …. .. 42% ……….11% …………………………………………………. +31
May … .. 63% ………… 5% ………………………………………………… +58
June … .. 54% …………………… .. 13%…………………………………. +41
July ……. 54% ………………..……………………..20% ………………….. +34
Mid Sep..54% ……………..…………….….……18% ……………………. +36
Late Sep. 54% ………………………………..…..23% ……………………. +31
Early Oct 50% …………………….…………..…..23% ……………………. +27
Mid Oct .. 55% …………………………………… 20% ……………………. +35
Dec ….… .. 58%……………………………………..12% ……………………. +46
2021
March … 43% ……………………………………….8% ……………………. +35
May …….48% ……………………………………….9% ……………………. +39
Sep …….. 44% ………………………………………5% ……………………. +39
Nov …….. 39% ………………………………………5% ……………………. +34
2022
Jan ……… 35% …………………………………………………. 17% …….. +18
Interesting the next smallest gap, 27 points in October 2020, was immediately before Labour wiped the floor with National in forming the first one party majority since MMP began.
Ardern is probably quite tired right now but when back up to full speed she will be unstoppable again.
John Keys had come out of ponytailgate the year before he quit, Dirty Politics too in that term, and there was the embarrassing failed flag referendum earlier in 2016. He clearly wasn't interested in New Zealand by the time he slunk off. Most decent Kiwis knew it.
Now all he does is tell Luxon what to say, and moan about MIQ.
Shock poll news: nothing happens in poll shock.
(see yesterday's prediction)
By definition, things not changing is not news, so the Greens never get a banner headline for having a consistent support base. But it is a significant underlying story: the old "will they fall under 5%?" (elections past) is not an issue, and Labour aren't gaining from them at all.
Another story that won't be a story, though it should be … nothing at all for the protesting fringe. Not the New Cons, not the Tamakis, not even NZ First. They are noise without votes.
Political poll: Jacinda Ardern's numbers slump, Christopher Luxon up 13 points.
This is the Headline on RNZR News. Slump! Really. This is the type of inflated headline mainstream media use. No wonder people call the news media BS News, it certainly shows their bias.
It was a given Luxon was going to soar into the stratosphere.(sarc.) All new leaders of the two main parties get a big bump at the start. One would think the pollie journos would know that but, with a few exceptions, the appalling ignorance of political history has hit an all time low.
Well now we know why they were promoting Nicola. He has not made any difficult decision and Harete Hipango will haunt him. Jacinda has had to make many hard decisions.
Today a voter was asked who “Probably National cause I am, but I like what Jacinda has done”
I thought that woman was great! (TV1 news, vox pop). As was the editor who picked that clip.
So much "news" about so-called public opinion is driven by a tiny minority frothing on social media or brandishing their astroturf signs. But we aren't in Trumpland, most people aren't like that at all, and that voter just summed it up: likes Jacinda, votes National, that's it. Lovely.
Anyone know the deal with costs for PCR tests?
I've been asked by a client, who hasn't organised their RAT testing regime yet, to produce a negative PCR test by Feb 03 before getting access to their premises in order to work.
My understanding is if you present at a testing centre you need to be either symptomatic or have been at a place of interest, or been a close contact. I am none of those things and I'm not going to lie to health authorities in order to save my client’s ass/wallet.
I've asked the question of the client if I can pass the costs of the test on to them and am awaiting an answer. Govt website says:
And what about the RATs? Do ordinary punters have to pay for those too? At what price?
I have several similar clients and they have RAT testing underway already. In some cases workers are RAT tested randomly, and sometimes the whole crew is tested.
Today, I was at one location and at about 12pm everyone was getting their daily results by txt.
Those tests are at no cost for all workers.
It's just that this particular client hasn't been able to set up that regime and is asking contractors to negative PCR test in its place.
My point is that I'm not going to lie to the testing centre about why I am there (in order to get a free test) and am waiting on a answer from that client about whether I can charge back the cost, about $150.
During a housing crisis this toe sucker with the silver spoon in his gob reckons Kāinga Ora is an example of wasteful spending.
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https://twitter.com/nzherald/status/1486547490610597889
Get ahead of what, other people?