Colmar Brunton poll looks like a Colmar Brunton. Always seems to be about 3% leaned towards the Nats. Hard to make much of it, but bless Jessica Mutch Mackay, she's trying to spin it like we finally have a poll we can rely on.
I'm beginning to think, based on the poll results post debate, and the stuff I read Collins saying, that a substantial percentage of NZers actually like violence, and seeing people hurting other people.
You'll have about an hour of hope on election night.
7 pm: Greens 5%. 10 pm: Greens 6-7%.
Two weeks later, the result: Greens 8-9%.
It's always fun to watch National supporters fail to understand how counting votes actually works. Key won a single party majority 3 times, as long as you went to bed early.
Nothing special, just evidence-based analysis of Labour's cautious positioning, and the clear incentive for Labour left voters to back the coalition partner, both tactically (i.e. above threshold) and philosophically (more progressive government).
The previous CB poll had polling on the referendums, and I expect this one might too. TV networks always pad out several days' worth of coverage from the polls, to get their money's worth.
Agree with that. Also, remember the only important poll is your vote. Forget what the media is wanting you to hear or think.
Also, I say to anybody thinking of voting for the right aren't we lucky to have had an incompetent administration of the coalition of losers who didn't know what they were doing that stopped you from getting the virus and kept you safe so you can now vote for some other party which is more concerned about greed than peoples welfare.
As someone said many times "You don't know how lucky you are" or if National supported by that gun lobbying prat Rimmer get in "were"
Yip the coalition has been so useless I am going on holiday next week visiting friends and family across the north island and having meals in cafes while having adventures.
News must be new, so shifts of one percentage point are presented as up/down movement, supposedly more "interesting" than a reporter explaining the margin of error.
The real take from tonight's poll is confirmation and consolidation from other polling: no, the Greens haven't been hurt (and don't wait for the commentators to re-assess their doom-laden predictions), but NZF are gone and ACT's gain is real.
I see National has scored 3 percentage points since last week's poll. I reckon its due to Collins performance at the first leader's debate.
As someone pointed out to me last week… what's the matter with Jacinda? She can sock it to them in the debating chamber and gets kudos for it so why can't she do it in a TV debate.
My comment from before stands. Seriously, it seems like Judith Collins would gain 10% for National if she assaulted Jacinda Adern live on telly during the debate.
Well then why does she 'sock it to them' in the House? I could have put it this way… she needs to counter Judith's bullying behaviour and untruths by calling her out on it.
Why do people assume that socking it to bullies is somehow wrong? That is why they get away with so much because people let them.
She doesn't need to get dragged into a mudfight, but she does need to engage with Collins better. Just rebut with calm, direct questions, instead of letting Collins rewrite history:
"So what does that mean, Judith? You supported zero carbon act / gun control / the lockdown (etc) Do you regret that?".
Don't rely on the moderator to do that job for her, which was the problem in the TVNZ debate. Collins' whoppers went unchallenged. A post-debate fact-check is useless, it needs to be in real time.
"That's as true as your five dollar cheese, Judith …".
She doesn't need to get dragged into a mudfight, but she does need to engage with Collins better. Just rebut with calm, direct questions, instead of letting Collins rewrite history.
Which is pretty much what I was trying to say. 🙂
Have been watching the youth debate courtesy of TVNZ online. What a treat.
They reminded me of the public meetings and debates of yesteryear – lively, lots of fun, a bit raucous at times but the two ingredients which were missing… nastiness and bully boy/girl behaviour.
Bravo to all who took part. A great debate ably managed by Jack Tane.
Labour + Greens is the same in this poll as the last CB, they just traded a percentage point with each other. That’s good right? Isn’t it what most commenters in here wanted?
Nats + ACT look to have clawed a bit back from the minors.
I'd be happier with a higher GP vote obviously but a L/G coalition withhout NZF is a really good result for the left. Would be great for the Mp to get a seat or two as well, they've ruled out supporting Nat.
What Mutch Mckay and others aren't factoring in is Overseas votes. Always favour the left, bound to overwhelming favour Jacinda Ardern especially as we are not charging in the main for quarantine.
I will check out how many votes this usually off. This latest poll may serve a purpose of getting Labour voters out to vote.
Another factor as community transmission fades away, this will help Labour too
For all the hype about what a political wunderkind Swarbrick is, the miserable polling results on such a no-brainer as the cannabis referendum is quite an abject failure. (h/t James at 3.3 for link)
Prob'ly much the same forces that legalisation advocates have had to overcome in all the other places in the world where legalisation actually passed. Often resoundingly.
Because for too many people, they go with their feels and reckons and "other ways of knowing", rather than facts and evidence, when making their decisions.
Winston says a lot of things. Many of them so weaseled it’s an art form.
his party say exactly what winny tells them to. So it’s not surprising they are all saying the same thing.
I guess we will wait for the SFO – but it sounds like it’s close (or they know it’s going to be after the election so they can lie their pants off before hand)
Those parroting oil industry propaganda dismissing hydrogen are being premature. Still the most promising sustainable technology for long haul ships. Nothing else comes close. Except for fusion, which looks a lot less likely than solving the issues with hydrogen. I've been following the research closely, being "in the business".
When shipowners, not noted for wasting money, commute serious money to something they expect a return
Thats fine as long as you accept that it is totally unsustainable especially in a world where energy is in short supply….as will the world be when it no longer uses fossil fuels (for whatever reason)
0.25 seems a wee bit harsh. I've seen some figures as good as 0.5, including compressing the hydrogen. Admittedly from hydrogen optimists.
The piece below from InsideEVs gives a good illustration of the losses, even if their general tone is inline with their other articles of being a bit over-pessimistic on hydrogen. Nevertheless, their figure for EROI goes as high as 0.35.
Weeell, if the choice is doing without shipping (and aviation), and massively overbuilding renewable electricity to be able to make hydrogen for those applications even at an EROI of 0.25, I'm picking the hydrogen route will happen.
But I'm also picking that if the world ever comes to its senses and puts a high enough price on fossil fuels that reflects the damage they do, then shipping will go to small nukes, and long haul aviation will go to liquid biofuels.
The rooskies did a working prototype more than three decades ago with the Tu-155. Just a minor downside was the tank, that only fed one of the three engines for a short flight, took up a hefty fraction of the passenger area in the fuselage.
I'd also like to hear good atmospheric physicists comment on the effects of leaking significant quantities of hydrogen into the stratosphere just below the ozone layer.
Well at least they went one better than the poms, as the poms give up designing a Hydrogen powered plane (like it did with its 1960's version of its Joint Strike Fighter as it became a dog of an Aircraft on paper) as a became a monster of an aircraft as the old adage of aircraft design of power vs weight vs drag = more power vs more weight = more drag and on it went upwards.
Tony Butlers Book, British Secret Projects Hypersonics, Ramjets & Missiles.
Chatper 11, Fuel and Materials for Hypersonic Flight
It may take slightly more than that. London has run hydrogen buses for over a decade – but, although a handful of new doubledeckers are in prospect, there has been no move to swap any significant fraction of the fleet to hydrogen, even as scheduled replacements. They are a vanity project at this time.
Then in the US they're looking at their massive fleets of school bus to go battery electric and then be vehicle to grid when needed. It's actually a reasonably good fit for smoothing the output from massive PV installations.
can you explain what Labour and Ngai Tahu said today then?
Is Ardern talking about manufacturing hydrogen in Bluff, to use for the long haul road fleet in NZ? Which means freighting hydrogen from Bluff all over NZ?
And O'Regan is talking about using Manapouri to manufacture hydrogen and sell it overseas? Or is there something else about export I am missing?
I think the only concrete thing to come out of today's event was that the current government wants there to be a controlled transition from an aluminium smelter in Southland to something else over 3-5 years.
The hydrogen proposal may be a viable alternative. It may also be a dead cat. I'm inclined to go with the dead cat.
Don't worry about the ouvea waste either as we can; dig a hole, burn it or hope there is another flood. But the solution is "MOVE" it to other sites. That is a long term solution ?? As there was no comment regarding this I wonder if our government has been outmanoeuvre AGAIN.
"New Zealand Aluminium Smelters and Rio Tinto have regularly reaffirmed their March 2018 commitment to the $4 million plan alongside local authorities and the government to move the waste from Mataura and other sites around Southland over six years."
yes, but she was talking about Ngai Tahu's idea about Tiwai and I thought an engineering bod here might get past their antipathy for the idea and explain what she meant.
Sounds like Ngai Tahu are simply floating an idea, whether it has any Gov support isnt stated…what Ardern described is what is covered in the links posted re Taranaki
What I do know about is research into hydrogen as a cargo ship fuel.
If the storage issues can be sorted, which seem much more technically feasible, and closer to solutions than the long awaited nuclear fusion, hydrogen has the energy density to replace hydrocarbons for shipping.
It can also be extracted from water using sustainable electricity.
As has been noted, currently the return is not as good as using the electricity directly, but there are several promising technologies to improve that.
Anyone who thinks shipping is going to go away, is not aware of how much of their food and necessities is transported around NZ alone.
That is the problem, Labour trades on the Cult of Personality. Should Labour win this election that will mean that since the transition of NZ in 1984. Labour will have been in power longer than National. I wonder who then takes responsibility for where NZ will be in 2-3 years time.
No matter how well or what good intentions JA has, she is only the leader of Labour and is still bound by the party.
I went through a phase when I found Tolstoy quite readable. But oddly, really not memorable. I really can't recall anything about his works, and don't feel any desire to reread them to refresh my memory. Unlike some other authors I keep getting drawn back to, because there's fresh nuance and subtleties I find every time I go back.
Bwaghorn – it takes some doing but is a treasure once you've learned the language. Give it time. One evening, as you drop off to sleep, you'll feel your brain aligning itself to Joyce's style. New day, you're off!
Yep. One of the greatest things ever written. First time through don't try too hard to understand it. Treat it like poetry. Then find a decent companion or exegesis and read it a second time.
In 1963, my English Teacher chose not Ulysses to inflict upon us, but 'Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man'. I read it OK, maybe not understanding it as well as if I had been older, but it was OK, and may be an easier Intro to James Joyce..
Judith is only 2% away from her personal aspirational target of 35%. I know she can do it! In any case, just like Merv, she will cling on to Leadership like shit sticks to a blanket; it is the National way and pretty legal too.
I’d be quite happy if the Māori Party picked up a seat from Labour and maybe an extra list MP too. But the polling out tonight in the Māori seats doesn’t look very promising for that.
So Labour + Greens looks the most likely government combo at this stage. Though I see that the Nact and ACT fanbois are juggling all sorts of crazy scenarios on the old Twitter.
Just watched the online Young voters debate with Jack Tame. One rep from each Party. Plus a few from Party groups around the Hall.
Pretty good. Questions specific with some follow up. 3 were sitting MPs. It was much more watchable that the Leaders Debate with John.
Taking part in the debate were:
Kiri Allan – Labour
Simeon Brown – National
Chlöe Swarbrick – Greens
Robert Griffith – NZ First
Brooke van Veldon – Act
The more I see of Collins, the less impressed I am. I had thought that she was sharp, good at cutting through others' arguments and someone for getting real points across clearly. However, as leader, she seems to be spouting nonsensical buzz-words, and often tailing off at the end of sentences, having lost track of exactly where she was going. After the debate, she was constantly trying to remember figures and tripping over her own tongue, and when she was asked about whether she hadn't neglected her own policy somewhat, she reeled off a few policies, before saying, 'It's only an hour and a half, if only it was two-and-a-half, I could have got… done any more [nervous smile and '…yeah…', like she's trying to make small-talk when visiting her mother-in-law for the first time, and pretending she doesn't hate the slightly stale date scones that were clearly cut on a board normally used for garlic].'
Then, today at the Grey Power meeting, there was, 'I don't think for a moment that these [Labour politicians] know how many cents there are in a dollar, except they do know that your dollar should be their dollar.' That's a non-sequitur of John-Key-ish proportions; just stringing together lazy, right-wing clichés with no thought for whether they even fit together to form a statement. It reminds me a lot of Melissa Lee, too, who, when put on the spot campaigning for a seat, ended up spouting a whole lot of stuff that either didn't make any sense, or seemed to mean something that she really should not have said.
Witness, too, the line at the same meeting, 'I know you might love Miss Ardern, but actually, I'm all over her.' So she loves her even more than they do? Riiiight…. Okay, we all know what she meant, but even then: is she trying to say that there was a time when she thought was wildly enthused by Ardern, or something? All in all, if you imagine a lot of what Collins says being said by the rhetorically hapless George W Bush, it really doesn't seem too far out of place.
Susie Ferguson didn't do a bad job on Morning Report the other day of pulling her up on her bumbling replies about their fiscal errors, but honestly, presenters should be halting her constantly, and asking her, 'Wtf… you just said what?… and what was it even supposed to mean?' and people should be putting together montages of her gaffes accompanied by a laughing track.
Fully agree, Hanswurst – her language ability is limited, and she will need compliant, helpful Media to help her again if she is to repeat her questionable "success" of that first TV debate.
Mind you, I thought both John Key and Bill English mangled the English language, and found it hard to believe that Bill English was really a graduate in English! Todd Muller had big problems with language too.
Better if I don’t say what I thought of Simon Bridges as an alleged graduate of Harvard in Law, etc… “The medicine is worse than the cure.” Lord save us!
I fully agree, especially on Key, but the thing is that Key was mangling the language in his fabled capacity as a freewheeling, self-taught financial wizard, while English built his political persona around the image of 'barbecue Bill', the amateur pugilist and Dipton farmer. Part of the problem for Bridges and Collins is that they have built their political images as clever lawyers, Collins as a hard-nosed battler for conservative principles, Bridges (rightly or wrongly) as a precocious hot-shot prosecutor. It's much harder for them to defuse a situation by grinning and saying, 'Aw shucks!'
It reminds me a lot of Melissa Lee, too, who, when put on the spot campaigning for a seat, ended up spouting a whole lot of stuff that either didn't make any sense, or seemed to mean something that she really should not have said.
Like her commentary during the Mt Albert byelection campaign of some years back when she made her claim about criminals from South Auckland stopping off in Mt Albert on their way to West Auckland. No-one knew what that had to do with the price of fish but the local wits and cartoonists did try to unravel her thoughts on the matter… much to everyone's enjoyment.
Not sure Collins could ever beat that pearler but you never know.
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 ...
TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Tuesday, March 19:Kāinga Ora’s dry rot The Spinoff DailyBill McKibben on ‘Climate Superfunds’ making Big Oil pay for climate damage The Crucial YearsPreston Mui on returning to 1980s-style productivity growth NoahpinionAndy Boenau on NIMBYs needing unusual bedfellows Urbanism SpeakeasyNed Resnikoff's case ...
Negative yesterday, negative today. Negative all year, according to one departing reader telling me I’ve grown strident and predictable. Fair enough. If it’s any help, every time I go to write about a certain topic that begins with C and ends with arrrrs, I do brace myself and ask: Again? Are ...
Bryce Edwards writes – It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support ...
Inspirational: The Family of Man is a glorious hymn to human equality, but, more than that, it is a clarion call to human freedom. Because equality, unleavened by liberty, is a broken piano, an unstrung harp; upon which the songs of fraternity will never be played.“Somebody must have been telling lies about ...
Tax Lawyer Barbara Edmonds vs Emperor Justinian I- Nolo Contendere: False historical explanations of pivotal events are very far from being inconsequential.WHEN BARBARA EDMONDS made reference to the Roman Empire, my ears pricked up. It is, lamentably, very rare to hear a politician admit to any kind of familiarity ...
It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support for the various parties in ...
Buzz from the Beehive Housing Minister Chris Bishop delivered news – packed with the ingredients to enflame political passions – worthy of supplanting Winston Peters in headline writers’ priorities. He popped up at the post-Cabinet press conference to promise a crackdown on unruly and antisocial state housing tenants. His ...
Ele Ludemann writes – The Reserve Bank is advertising for a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion advisor. The Bank has one mandate – to keep inflation between one and three percent. It has failed in that and is only slowly getting inflation back down to the upper limit. Will it ...
Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency Waka KotahiThe fact that a ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Gavin Jacobson talks to Thomas Piketty 10 years on from Capital in the 21st CenturyThe SalvoLocal scoop: Green MP’s business being investigated over migrant exploitation claims StuffSteve KilgallonLocal deep-dive: The commercial contractors making money from School ...
It’s a home - but Kāinga Ora tenants accused of “abusing the privilege” may lose it. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government announced a crackdown on Kāinga Ora tenants who were unruly and/or behind on their rent, with Housing Minister Chris Bishop saying a place in a state ...
This is a guest post by Connor Sharp of Surface Light Rail Light rail in Auckland: A way forward sooner than you think With the coup de grâce of Auckland Light Rail (ALR) earlier this year, and the shift of the government’s priorities to roads, roads, and more roads, it ...
Note: As a paid-up Webworm member, I’ve recorded this Webworm as a mini-podcast for you as well. Some of you said you liked this option - so I aim to provide it when I get a chance to record! Read more ...
TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
David Farrar writes – We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how labour went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promiseThe result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
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Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
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For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
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Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
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Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it: We want our country to be a ...
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Ele Ludemann writes – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
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It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
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For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
Questions need to be asked on both sides of the worldPeter Williams writes – The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read:Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop:The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
TL;DR:Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
Bob Edlin writes – The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
The New Zealand public voted for a change in direction at the 2023 general election and that is exactly what this coalition government has been delivering in its first 100 days. There was an immediate focus on the economy, easing the cost of living, cracking down on law and order ...
The Government has left the health system as an afterthought, announcing half-baked targets at the last minute of their 100-day plan, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
Kiwis are still waiting for their promised cost of living support after 100 days of a National Government that is taking us backwards, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
100 days of National taking NZ backwardsThe National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
The Government must commit to funding free and healthy school lunches, as thousands of people sign the petition to keep them, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti says. ...
If the Government was serious about moving families into public housing, they would build more houses so there is actually somewhere for people to go. ...
The free and healthy school lunches programme feeds our kids, helps them to learn, and saves families money – but it is at risk under this Government, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
The Government’s proposed changes to Firearms Prohibition Orders (FPO) add almost nothing new and are merely an attempt to distract from its plans to loosen gun laws, police spokesperson Ginny Andersen and justice spokesperson Dr Duncan Webb said. ...
The great Victorian era English politician Lord Macauley stood in the British House of Parliament and said, "The gallery in which the reporters sit has become a fourth estate of the realm".He understood and outlined even way back then, the significant role and influence media have in a democracy. ...
"The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April. ...
Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand. Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships. “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland Acknowledgements and opening Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says. “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024 Acknowledgements and opening Morena, Nga Mihi Nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country. “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week. “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee. “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today. “The Amendment Paper represents ...
Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level. “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024. “Lower fruit and vege ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction. Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness. It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology. It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government has agreed to restore deductibility for mortgage interest on residential investment properties. “Help is on the way for landlords and renters alike. The Government’s restoration of interest deductibility will ease pressure on rents and simplify the tax code,” says ...
Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop will travel to Switzerland today to attend an Executive Committee meeting and Symposium of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mr Bishop will then travel on to London where he will attend a series of meetings in his capacity as Infrastructure Minister. “New Zealanders believe ...
Pacific Media Watch Earthwise hosts Lois and Martin Griffiths. Earthwise presenters Lois and Martin Griffiths on Plains FM 96.9 community radio talk to Dr David Robie, a New Zealand author, independent journalist and media educator with a passion for the Asia-Pacific region. David talks about the struggle to raise awareness ...
Pacific Media Watch Ismail al-Ghoul, an Al Jazeera Arabic correspondent who was held for 12 hours at Gaza’s al-Shifa hospital, says Israeli forces rounded up Palestinian journalists at the facility and made them kneel on the ground for hours, while naked and blindfolded. “The occupation forces handcuffed and blindfolded us ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tony Wood, Program Director, Energy, Grattan Institute chinasong, Shutterstock Electricity customers in four Australian states can breathe a sigh of relief. After two years in a row of 20% price increases, power prices have finally stabilised. In many places they’re ...
Chumbawamba have reportedly issued the deputy PM a cease-and-desist notice after he used their song 'Tubthumping' before his state of the nation speech. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Deborah Lupton, SHARP Professor, Vitalities Lab, Centre for Social Research in Health and Social Policy Centre, and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society, UNSW Sydney kitzcorner/Shutterstock The assertion from Queensland’s chief health officer John Gerrard that ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Shutterstock Why are musicians so keen to get played on the radio? It can’t be because of the money. In Australia they are paid at rates so low they ...
"Farmers make a point not to tell our urban cousins how to live, yet Chlöe from central Auckland is hell-bent on having her say about farmers," says ACT Rural Communities spokesman Mark Cameron. “On her first day in the House as Green ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards – Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Curran, Associate Professor of Ecology, Lincoln University, New Zealand Getty Images/Gerald Corsi In the latest move to reform environmental laws in New Zealand, the coalition government has introduced a bill to fast-track consenting processes for projects deemed to ...
Uber has argued it does not have as much control over drivers as the unions suggest, and wants a judgment ruling that drivers are employees and not contractors set aside and sent back to the Employment Court. The 2022 ruling followed a three-week hearing in which four drivers sought to ...
What can and can’t be purchased by disabled people or their carers has been slashed in an effort by the Ministry of Disabled People Whaikaha to save money. The purchasing guidelines, a set of rules that sets out what can be purchased using the various streams of Government disability funding, ...
The Treasury has published today a new Analytical Note by Tod Wright and Hien Nguyen, Fiscal incidence in New Zealand: The effects of taxes and benefits on household incomes in tax year 2018/19 . Analyses of the distributional impact of taxation and government ...
The Treasury has published today a new Analytical Note by Cory Davis, Boston Hart and Benjamin Stubbing, Household cost-of-living impacts from the Emissions Trading Scheme and using transfers to mitigate regressive outcomes . This Analytical Note ...
A coalition of public transport and climate organisations, united as ‘Transport for All’, is actively opposing the government’s transport proposals. The draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) includes plans for higher fares for public transport, ...
Greater Wellington is inviting feedback on proposed changes to its Revenue and Financing Policy. The Revenue and Financing Policy covers the Council’s various sources of funding, and how the cost of services is shared across the region. This includes ...
Labour has conceded it could have done more to deal with disruptive state housing tenants while in government but says the current coalition is going too far. ...
The band has asked their record label to issue a cease and desist to stop the NZ First leader using their 1997 hit to support his ‘misguided political views’. “I get knocked down, but I get up again,” blared through the speakers on Sunday as Winston Peters took the stage ...
By Lydia Lewis, RNZ Pacific journalist Food rationing is underway in remote areas in Papua New Guinea’s Highlands following torrential rain and flash flooding. More than 20 people have been reported dead in Chimbu Province. In nearby Enga Province, the centre of last month’s massacre, a 15-year-old boy has been ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Hughes, Lecturer, Research School of Management, Australian National University After months of debate and intrigue, the AFL’s 19th and newest team, the Tasmania Devils, finally launched its jumper, logo and colours in Devonport this week. The Devils will wear green, ...
Brannavan Gnanalingam reviews the debut novel by Saraid de Silva.One of the most baffling things for children who move to a new country is what their parents’ (or grandparents’) lives were like prior to moving – for kids in particular, they’re too busy trying to fit in in their ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Gaunson, Associate Professor in Cinema Studies, RMIT University Narelle Portanier/Binge “If you don’t know who your mob are, you don’t know who you are,” Detective Andrea “Andie” Whitford (played by Leah Purcell) is told early into the new crime ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elise Klein, Associate professor, Australian National University It’s commonly accepted that women do the vast majority of caregiving in Australian society. But less appreciated is that Indigenous women do larger amounts of unpaid care than any other group. Working with the Aboriginal ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne Joe Biden and Donald Trump have both secured their parties’ nominations for the November 5 United States general election by winning a ...
Comment: There has been a striking contrast in trans-Tasman interest about Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi’s visit to New Zealand and Australia. While the Australian press has been full of articles about the visit – including his curious decision to meet with former prime minister and China booster Paul Keating ...
After years of pressuring banks and other institutions to stop investing in fossil fuels, climate campaigners are making some progress. So how does divestment work?For years, climate activists have been pushing banks and other big institutions to divest from fossil fuels. New research from climate advocacy group 350 Aotearoa ...
For Boba, Ethan and Ashley, K-pop is a place to belong, a way to express themselves, and a bridge to connect with others. The three young Polynesians are part of a K-pop fan community in Tāmaki Makaurau. It’s one of many that have sprung up worldwide as K-pop has gone ...
For Boba, Ethan and Ashley, K-pop is a place to belong, a way to express themselves, and a bridge to connect with others. This one-off documentary presents three intimate portraits of young Polynesians who are pulled into a Korean cultural phenomenon. K-POLYS is directed by Litia Tuiburelevu, Produced by Hex ...
There’s ample evidence demonstrating free school lunch programmes provide wide benefits across schools, households and communities according to public health researchers. ACT Minister David Seymour wants to reduce the spending on Aotearoa New Zealand’s ...
By Wata Shaw in Suva Fiji is facing an exodus of Fijians as many are leaving for overseas seeking employment and education and others are migrating, says Opposition MP Viliame Naupoto. Speaking in Parliament, he said: “His Excellency’s speech (Ratu Wiliame Katonivere) comes after a little over one year of ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming comments from Christopher Luxon this morning recommitting to ‘no new taxes’ as part of Budget 2024. “Mr Luxon’s refusal at the Post-Cabinet press conference yesterday to repeat the ‘no new taxes’ promise ...
SAFE is urgently calling on the Environment Committee to reject the Government’s Fast-Track Approvals Bill, and is urging New Zealanders to rally behind the call. The proposed Bill, currently under consideration with the Environment select committee, ...
Teammates who spend all their time picking fights with spectators are only helpful for the other team, writes Madeleine Chapman. Anyone who has ever played a team sport competitively, particularly as a child and particularly, for some reason, basketball, will know that there’s a lot of politics involved. While there ...
The long-running Wellington music festival is too focused on the Jim Beam-ness and not enough on the Homegrown-ness.There is something about Homegrown that’s difficult to place. A barely perceptible-ness. Like feeling a ghost is watching you from the corner of the room but when you look, there’s nothing there. ...
The latest Ipsos New Zealand Issues Monitor reveals that fewer New Zealanders believe crime / law and order is one of the top issues facing our country. In 2018, Ipsos New Zealand started tracking the key issues facing New Zealand. In this wave ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Griffiths, Deputy Program Director, Budgets and Government, Grattan Institute Australia’s political donations rules are woefully inadequate, but donations reform is finally on the agenda. The federal government has signalled its interest in reform and will soon begin briefing MPs on its ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Patrick Taylor, Chief Environmental Scientist, EPA Victoria; Honorary Professor, School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University Naiyana Somchitkaeo/Shutterstock A recent study published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine has linked microplastics with risk to human health. The study ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Albert Van Dijk, Professor, Water and Landscape Dynamics, Fenner School of Environment & Society, Australian National University Global climate records were shattered in 2023, from air and sea temperatures to sea-level rise and sea-ice extent. Scores of countries recorded their hottest year ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a teacher explains why he and his partner are in frugal mode – and how they’re making it work. Gender: Male Age: 35Ethnicity: Pākehā Role: I am an intermediate school teacher and my partner is ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Bendall, Senior Lecturer, Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences, Australian Catholic University Binge Mary & George, the new British television drama series, depicts the real-life story of Mary Villiers and her son George, and their social climbing at the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jason Nassios, Associate Professor, Centre of Policy Studies, Victoria University This article is part of The Conversation’s series examining the housing crisis. Read the other articles in the series here. Australian state and federal governments spend money in many ways to ...
The finance minister is denying that there’s a $5.6b shortfall in paying for the government’s campaign promises, including tax cuts. At his post-cabinet press conference yesterday, the PM refused to rule out new taxes to pay for the cuts, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s ...
Kāinga Ora tenants abused by their neighbours are doubting the government's crackdown on disruptive tenants will make a difference on their behaviour. ...
Kāinga Ora is New Zealand’s biggest residential landlord, housing more than 180,000 vulnerable people in more than 67,000 properties. Yesterday the government announced a crackdown on its tenants who fall behind on rent. One longtime Kāinga Ora tenant shares her experience.For 18 years I lived in a 1960s standalone ...
Why does this myth persist, and what’s the real reason our skin is suffering?It’s one of the biggest international grievances New Zealanders hold, up there with the sinking of the Rainbow Warrior and 1981’s underarm incident. We’re quick to tell international travellers that the world’s pollution led to the ...
When the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act was introduced in 2009 it was firmly targeted at gangs and drugs. The legislation means police no longer need a conviction to seize assets that criminals can’t prove were paid for legitimately, as long as their alleged offences are punishable by more than a ...
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First past the post is the winner in a horse-race, right? Politics in New Zealand is a horse-race, right??
The kings horse always wins.
If it was our minister of racing would be polling a lot higher than 1%.
Colmar Brunton poll looks like a Colmar Brunton. Always seems to be about 3% leaned towards the Nats. Hard to make much of it, but bless Jessica Mutch Mackay, she's trying to spin it like we finally have a poll we can rely on.
Labour should coalesce with ACT – Rimmer has worked hard, earned the respect – Jacinda! Choose Seymour!
I'd rather not see that to be honest. ACT has a policy of doing away with the place I work, so I'm not keen on that.
It’s the trends that count. Not ideal direction for labour.
I'm beginning to think, based on the poll results post debate, and the stuff I read Collins saying, that a substantial percentage of NZers actually like violence, and seeing people hurting other people.
On election day it's the number (of votes) that counts – that number is looking less than "ideal" for National
National’s time will come again, but it won’t be this time – they need to get past their obsession with shitty low blows first.
Indeed not looking awesome for National at the moment. But if the greens fall below 5% then labour no mates isn’t looking quite as comfortable.
Expect Green party support will keep them in parliament – Labour look dependable regardless.
You'll have about an hour of hope on election night.
7 pm: Greens 5%. 10 pm: Greens 6-7%.
Two weeks later, the result: Greens 8-9%.
It's always fun to watch National supporters fail to understand how counting votes actually works. Key won a single party majority 3 times, as long as you went to bed early.
It takes a special kinda person to believe the greens are going to land at 8-9%.
I’m not surprised you’re one of them.
Nothing special, just evidence-based analysis of Labour's cautious positioning, and the clear incentive for Labour left voters to back the coalition partner, both tactically (i.e. above threshold) and philosophically (more progressive government).
Wow you just convinced me that I need to part vote green .
Keep up the good work
The trend is that Labour + Greens have not moved. There aint no trend.
I'm still amazed that around 35% Nat & Act voters – are not voting as if their life depends on it. Because them opener borders would not be good.
I am curious though, we we are not getting any polling on the referenda? Is that not allowed?
Spliffer? It's curious, isn't it! Will those who vote "left", because the right is so crap, protest-vote against cannabis reform, for "balance"?
That's what I reckon's happening.
The previous CB poll had polling on the referendums, and I expect this one might too. TV networks always pad out several days' worth of coverage from the polls, to get their money's worth.
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/1-news-colmar-brunton-poll-support-cannabis-legalisation-dropping-end-life-choice-remains-steady-v1
there you go.
looking good for a no on cannabis.
I don't think our side is going to win.
And ACT and National govt might just come through.
They won't come through – as long as voters … vote. Which doesn't mean a "like" on social media.
With an average turnout, Ardern will win a second term comfortably, with the Greens.
But a low turnout is a real risk, and Collins' only hope. Let's do all we can to encourage people to get out, as soon as advance voting starts.
Millsy, last election I said "Don't despair", I say it again
Vote early. Shut out the noise, as you have done your best.
Agree with that. Also, remember the only important poll is your vote. Forget what the media is wanting you to hear or think.
Also, I say to anybody thinking of voting for the right aren't we lucky to have had an incompetent administration of the coalition of losers who didn't know what they were doing that stopped you from getting the virus and kept you safe so you can now vote for some other party which is more concerned about greed than peoples welfare.
As someone said many times "You don't know how lucky you are" or if National supported by that gun lobbying prat Rimmer get in "were"
Yip the coalition has been so useless I am going on holiday next week visiting friends and family across the north island and having meals in cafes while having adventures.
News must be new, so shifts of one percentage point are presented as up/down movement, supposedly more "interesting" than a reporter explaining the margin of error.
The real take from tonight's poll is confirmation and consolidation from other polling: no, the Greens haven't been hurt (and don't wait for the commentators to re-assess their doom-laden predictions), but NZF are gone and ACT's gain is real.
I see National has scored 3 percentage points since last week's poll. I reckon its due to Collins performance at the first leader's debate.
As someone pointed out to me last week… what's the matter with Jacinda? She can sock it to them in the debating chamber and gets kudos for it so why can't she do it in a TV debate.
I concur. Pull your socks up Jacinda.
My comment from before stands. Seriously, it seems like Judith Collins would gain 10% for National if she assaulted Jacinda Adern live on telly during the debate.
Why does Jacinda have to sock it to anybody?
Well then why does she 'sock it to them' in the House? I could have put it this way… she needs to counter Judith's bullying behaviour and untruths by calling her out on it.
Why do people assume that socking it to bullies is somehow wrong? That is why they get away with so much because people let them.
She doesn't need to get dragged into a mudfight, but she does need to engage with Collins better. Just rebut with calm, direct questions, instead of letting Collins rewrite history:
"So what does that mean, Judith? You supported zero carbon act / gun control / the lockdown (etc) Do you regret that?".
Don't rely on the moderator to do that job for her, which was the problem in the TVNZ debate. Collins' whoppers went unchallenged. A post-debate fact-check is useless, it needs to be in real time.
"That's as true as your five dollar cheese, Judith …".
Which is pretty much what I was trying to say. 🙂
Have been watching the youth debate courtesy of TVNZ online. What a treat.
They reminded me of the public meetings and debates of yesteryear – lively, lots of fun, a bit raucous at times but the two ingredients which were missing… nastiness and bully boy/girl behaviour.
Bravo to all who took part. A great debate ably managed by Jack Tane.
Labour + Greens is the same in this poll as the last CB, they just traded a percentage point with each other. That’s good right? Isn’t it what most commenters in here wanted?
Nats + ACT look to have clawed a bit back from the minors.
So no change really.
I'd be happier with a higher GP vote obviously but a L/G coalition withhout NZF is a really good result for the left. Would be great for the Mp to get a seat or two as well, they've ruled out supporting Nat.
What Mutch Mckay and others aren't factoring in is Overseas votes. Always favour the left, bound to overwhelming favour Jacinda Ardern especially as we are not charging in the main for quarantine.
I will check out how many votes this usually off. This latest poll may serve a purpose of getting Labour voters out to vote.
Another factor as community transmission fades away, this will help Labour too
For all the hype about what a political wunderkind Swarbrick is, the miserable polling results on such a no-brainer as the cannabis referendum is quite an abject failure. (h/t James at 3.3 for link)
snort, is that the Ad school of politics? What forces do you think have been brought to bear on the vote?
Prob'ly much the same forces that legalisation advocates have had to overcome in all the other places in the world where legalisation actually passed. Often resoundingly.
except the places where they haven't been overcome.
Lots of people don't want to legalise cannabis. Might help to understand why.
Because for too many people, they go with their feels and reckons and "other ways of knowing", rather than facts and evidence, when making their decisions.
yep. For others, they don't have the time or inclination to educate themselves.
Hooten saying on Twitter that the SFO investigation into NZ First is set to be released. They reckon it clears them all.
Winston says a lot of things. Many of them so weaseled it’s an art form.
his party say exactly what winny tells them to. So it’s not surprising they are all saying the same thing.
I guess we will wait for the SFO – but it sounds like it’s close (or they know it’s going to be after the election so they can lie their pants off before hand)
For the ignorant pontificating about hydrogen being a waste of time.
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/09/airbus-unveils-concepts-for-hydrogen-powered-plane
the time for gloating is when theres a working prototype and proven safety…you may be a little premature
Those parroting oil industry propaganda dismissing hydrogen are being premature. Still the most promising sustainable technology for long haul ships. Nothing else comes close. Except for fusion, which looks a lot less likely than solving the issues with hydrogen. I've been following the research closely, being "in the business".
When shipowners, not noted for wasting money, commute serious money to something they expect a return
EROI of 0.25
Depends on the source.
You can name a source with a better EROI?….preferably at least 10 fold more efficient
Like rail. The return has to factor in the costs of not having it. Such as climate collapse from continued fossil fuel use.
Thats fine as long as you accept that it is totally unsustainable especially in a world where energy is in short supply….as will the world be when it no longer uses fossil fuels (for whatever reason)
0.25 seems a wee bit harsh. I've seen some figures as good as 0.5, including compressing the hydrogen. Admittedly from hydrogen optimists.
The piece below from InsideEVs gives a good illustration of the losses, even if their general tone is inline with their other articles of being a bit over-pessimistic on hydrogen. Nevertheless, their figure for EROI goes as high as 0.35.
https://insideevs.com/news/406676/battery-electric-hydrogen-fuel-cell-efficiency-comparison/
0.5 still dont cut it does it.
Weeell, if the choice is doing without shipping (and aviation), and massively overbuilding renewable electricity to be able to make hydrogen for those applications even at an EROI of 0.25, I'm picking the hydrogen route will happen.
But I'm also picking that if the world ever comes to its senses and puts a high enough price on fossil fuels that reflects the damage they do, then shipping will go to small nukes, and long haul aviation will go to liquid biofuels.
And if both or either of those things happen they will be tightly restricted, chronically expensive and sparingly used.
The rooskies did a working prototype more than three decades ago with the Tu-155. Just a minor downside was the tank, that only fed one of the three engines for a short flight, took up a hefty fraction of the passenger area in the fuselage.
https://www.researchgate.net/figure/TU-155-Liquid-Hydrogen-Aircraft-Design-Tupolev-2009_fig12_235113427
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tupolev_Tu-155
The "proven safety" aspect is a bit lacking, tho.
I'd also like to hear good atmospheric physicists comment on the effects of leaking significant quantities of hydrogen into the stratosphere just below the ozone layer.
And Archie Blue built a mini that ran on onboard electrolysis in the 1970s…..where are all these hydrogen powered vehicles now?
In the Museum of Wonderful Inventions that would Save the World that the Oil Industry Bought and Suppressed to Protect their Profits.
They didnt…he died poor
They obviously paid what it was worth.
they paid nothing…and didnt need to for the same reason noted above…the EROI is unworkable.
… what it was worth.
and the museum is empty
Well at least they went one better than the poms, as the poms give up designing a Hydrogen powered plane (like it did with its 1960's version of its Joint Strike Fighter as it became a dog of an Aircraft on paper) as a became a monster of an aircraft as the old adage of aircraft design of power vs weight vs drag = more power vs more weight = more drag and on it went upwards.
Tony Butlers Book, British Secret Projects Hypersonics, Ramjets & Missiles.
Chatper 11, Fuel and Materials for Hypersonic Flight
It may take slightly more than that. London has run hydrogen buses for over a decade – but, although a handful of new doubledeckers are in prospect, there has been no move to swap any significant fraction of the fleet to hydrogen, even as scheduled replacements. They are a vanity project at this time.
Not what you would deem a roaring success.
Against nearly half a million battery electric buses? Yeah, nah.
https://www.pri.org/stories/2019-10-08/china-dominates-electric-bus-market-us-getting-board
Then in the US they're looking at their massive fleets of school bus to go battery electric and then be vehicle to grid when needed. It's actually a reasonably good fit for smoothing the output from massive PV installations.
https://www.axios.com/electric-school-buses-vehicle-to-grid-power-19f7b6b1-662b-4501-a96e-dcf3fd57a886.html
can you explain what Labour and Ngai Tahu said today then?
Is Ardern talking about manufacturing hydrogen in Bluff, to use for the long haul road fleet in NZ? Which means freighting hydrogen from Bluff all over NZ?
And O'Regan is talking about using Manapouri to manufacture hydrogen and sell it overseas? Or is there something else about export I am missing?
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/122908649/election-2020-ngi-tahu-pushes-for-green-hydrogen-transition-at-tiwai-point
Would be good to understand this in the NZ context.
I think the only concrete thing to come out of today's event was that the current government wants there to be a controlled transition from an aluminium smelter in Southland to something else over 3-5 years.
The hydrogen proposal may be a viable alternative. It may also be a dead cat. I'm inclined to go with the dead cat.
ok, shall I take it that no-one knows what Ardern or O'Regan mean at all?
https://www.interest.co.nz/business/107254/labour-aims-three-five-year-extension-life-southland-smelter-including-supporting
that doesn't explain it.
It gives all the explanation provided to date
Don't worry about the ouvea waste either as we can; dig a hole, burn it or hope there is another flood. But the solution is "MOVE" it to other sites. That is a long term solution ?? As there was no comment regarding this I wonder if our government has been outmanoeuvre AGAIN.
"New Zealand Aluminium Smelters and Rio Tinto have regularly reaffirmed their March 2018 commitment to the $4 million plan alongside local authorities and the government to move the waste from Mataura and other sites around Southland over six years."
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12363030
Nothing would surprise
It doesn't talk about Ngai Tahu at all, and it doesn't cover Ardern's statement this afternoon.
Ardern made a subsequent statement re Tiwai?…you have a link?
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/122908649/election-2020-ngi-tahu-pushes-for-green-hydrogen-transition-at-tiwai-point
I've been asking what this means,
"We are creating a freight link for refuelling freight in New Zealand"
I assume she means that hydrogen would be manufactured at Tiwai and then shipped to fueling stations across NZ.
As i understand it. that is the Taranaki hydrogen plant.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/113153482/joint-venture-green-hydrogen-project-tipped-as-beginning-of-hydrogen-industry-in-taranaki
https://www.hiringa.co.nz/
Export would appear to be this
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5c350d6bcc8fedc9b21ec4c5/t/5de5b6665be571035175c34b/1575335526810/New+Zealand+Hydrogen+Association+-+Media+Release+-+LOI+-+28+November+2019+FINAL.pdf
yes, but she was talking about Ngai Tahu's idea about Tiwai and I thought an engineering bod here might get past their antipathy for the idea and explain what she meant.
Sounds like Ngai Tahu are simply floating an idea, whether it has any Gov support isnt stated…what Ardern described is what is covered in the links posted re Taranaki
I don't think one of the worlds largest shipping companies, who are noted for being tight arses, would invest tens of millions, in a "dead cat".
Don't know anything about the Tiwai proposal.
What I do know about is research into hydrogen as a cargo ship fuel.
If the storage issues can be sorted, which seem much more technically feasible, and closer to solutions than the long awaited nuclear fusion, hydrogen has the energy density to replace hydrocarbons for shipping.
It can also be extracted from water using sustainable electricity.
As has been noted, currently the return is not as good as using the electricity directly, but there are several promising technologies to improve that.
Anyone who thinks shipping is going to go away, is not aware of how much of their food and necessities is transported around NZ alone.
Hands up (even tiny ones) if you spend 100X more a year on your hair than you pay in tax.
https://twitter.com/AOC/status/1310388421286920193
72% of Kiwis approve of Jacinda Ardern (tonight's poll).
Keep up the snide, the snark, the personal insults, Judith. You're reading the room so well.
That is the problem, Labour trades on the Cult of Personality. Should Labour win this election that will mean that since the transition of NZ in 1984. Labour will have been in power longer than National. I wonder who then takes responsibility for where NZ will be in 2-3 years time.
No matter how well or what good intentions JA has, she is only the leader of Labour and is still bound by the party.
Yep…when Ardern is 60 in 2040 she may retire gracefully….then National may have a chance of the Treasury Benches.
Non political question?
I just started James joyce's Ulysses.
Should I bother carrying on ?
does he learn to write a sentence that makes sense at some point . ?
Or am I missing something?
How far in have you got?
I made it 3 sentences before deciding I would take the zero for that part of my seventh form English assessment.
About 10 pages and have not the foggiest in what's going on.
Jaeezzuss! 10 Pages!
I am not worthy to roll in your spittle.
1 once read anna karenina start to finish .that's a feat I I'm still very proud of.
I went through a phase when I found Tolstoy quite readable. But oddly, really not memorable. I really can't recall anything about his works, and don't feel any desire to reread them to refresh my memory. Unlike some other authors I keep getting drawn back to, because there's fresh nuance and subtleties I find every time I go back.
Quality outcome – 7 more pages than me.
I couldn't figure out why I wanted to live in some guy's head when he went to the bog – I think that was what was going on anyway.
Tolstoy IMHO is a lot more readable but I was very upset by he ending of war & peace when i was younger.
Your teacher was a sadist.
Bwaghorn – it takes some doing but is a treasure once you've learned the language. Give it time. One evening, as you drop off to sleep, you'll feel your brain aligning itself to Joyce's style. New day, you're off!
Aagh I see I bit like watching the romeo and juliet movie
Ok when I'm not so busy and tired of an evening I will attempt again.
Yep. One of the greatest things ever written. First time through don't try too hard to understand it. Treat it like poetry. Then find a decent companion or exegesis and read it a second time.
In 1963, my English Teacher chose not Ulysses to inflict upon us, but 'Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man'. I read it OK, maybe not understanding it as well as if I had been older, but it was OK, and may be an easier Intro to James Joyce..
Judith is only 2% away from her personal aspirational target of 35%. I know she can do it! In any case, just like Merv, she will cling on to Leadership like shit sticks to a blanket; it is the National way and pretty legal too.
@weka 7.1
I’d be quite happy if the Māori Party picked up a seat from Labour and maybe an extra list MP too. But the polling out tonight in the Māori seats doesn’t look very promising for that.
So Labour + Greens looks the most likely government combo at this stage. Though I see that the Nact and ACT fanbois are juggling all sorts of crazy scenarios on the old Twitter.
Just watched the online Young voters debate with Jack Tame. One rep from each Party. Plus a few from Party groups around the Hall.
Pretty good. Questions specific with some follow up. 3 were sitting MPs. It was much more watchable that the Leaders Debate with John.
Taking part in the debate were:
Kiri Allan – Labour
Simeon Brown – National
Chlöe Swarbrick – Greens
Robert Griffith – NZ First
Brooke van Veldon – Act
@bwaghorn 14.
Just give it away. Everybody else does.
I didn't. Once you've finished, there's the art of Pablo Picasso, start to finish.
Merv's still hanging around?
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/427117/nats-official-who-allegedly-goes-by-merv-still-in-leadership
tried researching how many overseas votes there were last election 2017. But to date unable to find it.
Anybody know what percentage voted from overseas? Swordfish?
65,000 overseas votes.
It's on the election website.
.
anker
61,524
= 2.34% of all votes (incl informal & disallowed).
= 2.37% of valid votes only.
Which is equivalent to 2.84 MPs in Parliament and heaps more than ACT’s share of the total vote.
The more I see of Collins, the less impressed I am. I had thought that she was sharp, good at cutting through others' arguments and someone for getting real points across clearly. However, as leader, she seems to be spouting nonsensical buzz-words, and often tailing off at the end of sentences, having lost track of exactly where she was going. After the debate, she was constantly trying to remember figures and tripping over her own tongue, and when she was asked about whether she hadn't neglected her own policy somewhat, she reeled off a few policies, before saying, 'It's only an hour and a half, if only it was two-and-a-half, I could have got… done any more [nervous smile and '…yeah…', like she's trying to make small-talk when visiting her mother-in-law for the first time, and pretending she doesn't hate the slightly stale date scones that were clearly cut on a board normally used for garlic].'
Then, today at the Grey Power meeting, there was, 'I don't think for a moment that these [Labour politicians] know how many cents there are in a dollar, except they do know that your dollar should be their dollar.' That's a non-sequitur of John-Key-ish proportions; just stringing together lazy, right-wing clichés with no thought for whether they even fit together to form a statement. It reminds me a lot of Melissa Lee, too, who, when put on the spot campaigning for a seat, ended up spouting a whole lot of stuff that either didn't make any sense, or seemed to mean something that she really should not have said.
Witness, too, the line at the same meeting, 'I know you might love Miss Ardern, but actually, I'm all over her.' So she loves her even more than they do? Riiiight…. Okay, we all know what she meant, but even then: is she trying to say that there was a time when she thought was wildly enthused by Ardern, or something? All in all, if you imagine a lot of what Collins says being said by the rhetorically hapless George W Bush, it really doesn't seem too far out of place.
Susie Ferguson didn't do a bad job on Morning Report the other day of pulling her up on her bumbling replies about their fiscal errors, but honestly, presenters should be halting her constantly, and asking her, 'Wtf… you just said what?… and what was it even supposed to mean?' and people should be putting together montages of her gaffes accompanied by a laughing track.
Fully agree, Hanswurst – her language ability is limited, and she will need compliant, helpful Media to help her again if she is to repeat her questionable "success" of that first TV debate.
Mind you, I thought both John Key and Bill English mangled the English language, and found it hard to believe that Bill English was really a graduate in English! Todd Muller had big problems with language too.
Better if I don’t say what I thought of Simon Bridges as an alleged graduate of Harvard in Law, etc… “The medicine is worse than the cure.” Lord save us!
I fully agree, especially on Key, but the thing is that Key was mangling the language in his fabled capacity as a freewheeling, self-taught financial wizard, while English built his political persona around the image of 'barbecue Bill', the amateur pugilist and Dipton farmer. Part of the problem for Bridges and Collins is that they have built their political images as clever lawyers, Collins as a hard-nosed battler for conservative principles, Bridges (rightly or wrongly) as a precocious hot-shot prosecutor. It's much harder for them to defuse a situation by grinning and saying, 'Aw shucks!'
Like her commentary during the Mt Albert byelection campaign of some years back when she made her claim about criminals from South Auckland stopping off in Mt Albert on their way to West Auckland. No-one knew what that had to do with the price of fish but the local wits and cartoonists did try to unravel her thoughts on the matter… much to everyone's enjoyment.
Not sure Collins could ever beat that pearler but you never know.
A useful rapid testing option, if we take the trouble to develop it. Sniffer dogs can detect Covid apparently.