Woohoo! Nash drops bomb on Winston. TV3 newsreader: "The New Zealand First leader exploded." Too bad they didn't have pictures of that!
The story had a secret recording from several years ago, and featured comment from Russel Norman. The guts is who's to blame for the long delay on cameras in fishing boats and the donations from Talleys to NZF also featured. There was a blame zig-zag between Labour & NZF, but by the end it wasn't clear who won…
After all the hyped up TV3 trailers, the "secret recording" was about as exciting as a wet Wednesday in Westport.
Nash has form for fruity language, so I was expecting at least "F**k Winston and the rest of them". We got nothing more than a mild-mannered explanation of how a coalition agreement works. Boring!
Did you know that PT went to Winston's 2017 speech at our local RSA…mhmm.
There is no way PT or young andrew would want camera's on their vessels or fisheries loopholes closed.
I'd like to see a red and green government with the addition of Tracey Martin, that would be awesome.
Nash is archetypical as Minister for Fisheries, it's not a role for the meek, that's for certain. He would however, be more effective in helping to bring about much needed change if he didn't have so many other portfolio's.
the leadership told MPs Labour is on about 55 percent and National 34 percent. That's less than the 35 percent the party was polling under former leader Simon Bridges the week before Muller rolled him. It follows former deputy leader Paula Bennett's resignation revenge dance with comedian Tom Sainsbury on Monday. Bennett told Sainsbury about her resignation before even telling her boss Muller.
Ardern continues to show incredible leadership throughout this crisis. With phenomenal results. Making her own decision about David Clark is leadership. Not giving in to the whining media calling for blood. As Ardern said early on after the border breach was discovered "Clark is not part of the problem, he is part of the solution". She also said when questioned about Clark early this week, that she knows what's really happening and based her call re Clark on that.
If you think Ardern is showing a lack of leadership, think again
Yep. This is the tactic. Bully her into an action she will later regret. That is how the Right operates. Basic principles and political honesty is not part of their play book. They genuinely believe anything goes if it brings them closer to power.
It's the primary difference between National/Act and Labour/Greens.
Oh, wow! Angriest song he's done in years, excellent stuff.
My Bob Mould gig story is seeing him at the Phoenician, a large barn at the top of Broadway, Sydney, early nineties. Just him and a guitar. He wandered on stage with a hoody up, covering his face. No applause because everyone thought he was just a roadie setting up. Also memorable because a bunch of 'straight edge' proto emos chose to sit down en masse in the mosh area in front of the stage. Got trampled, of course.
btw I cover a lot of Husker Du songs at open mics and gigs around my 'hood. Somebody's got to keep these songs alive, may as well be me.
Ah, the favourite child question! To be fair, Grant Hart's stuff goes down best as his were written in a more traditional rock structure, but as a guitarist I love playing Bob's song's more.
You'll be pleased to know 2541 gets a regular airing, as does The Main. Mind you, I often go with Never Talking to You Again as the opening song in a set. Good warm up for the fingers and always surprises the hell out of the audience!
It's a shame the Labour Party leader, Greens' governing partner and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern damned the plan with the faint, back-handed praise that it relied on 'heroic' revenue assumptions.
It's a shame National's finance spokesperson Paul Goldsmith didn't read the not-so-fine print in the policy and had to correct himself for condemning the plan for supposedly slapping taxes on anyone with a $1m house.
But there was no shame for the Greens in being the first party to offer a big, detailed and transformative policy in response to the economic tornado that is Covid-19. This is what political parties should be doing, 80 or so days out from a general election in the context of a major economic downturn.
Pity that the 2nd aspect of their announcement on how to fund the policy was lazy and lacked factual support. James Shaw at least should have been well versed on his numbers. Pity he talks around such things in generalisations. So his tax could tax in 12billion per annum and that is only counting the assets that are disclosed in the Household Wealth or IRD, there are many that are excluded from this. So what will he do with the added tax take that he conveniently passes over ? "By 2024 the party expected the new tax changes would net $10.34b a year, mostly from the wealth tax." Someone is being economic with the truth either that or they haven't done their homework.
He states that valuing peoples assets are easy yet only a few months ago the tax working group commented on the difficulty.
Best if you ask Weka or someone else re details of the policy – I don't go there. I'm the kind of person who prefers to wait for implementation & results before forming an opinion about how well it was designed. And note that I was quoting their co-editor, so it wasn't me who referred to it…
I prefer to see well thought out policy even if it doesn’t go and achieve all that was intended. Unfortunately many if not all political groups are lazy ( to be kind) and just want to capture the headlines of the moment. This is a case in point , no reason as to $100 &$150k or the $1m and $2m levels. I had some idea that James Shaw has some depth of financial understanding – but the interview dispels that. He didn’t know the details or could not support his numbers. Just as well he wasn’t challenged by the interviewer. Doesn’t give confidence.
Is there any party that has an idea of a coherent vision and strategy, we are being led by clowns on all sides.
"All of the above leads to uncomfortable issues for New Zealand to face. With a population that continues to increase rapidly, it becomes puzzling as to where and how New Zealand is going to find the export markets that underpin current per capita living standards in New Zealand."
"The blunt reality is that if market forces are allowed to play out unhindered, then the likelihood is that New Zealand’s trade dependence on China is going to further increase. The reason for this is the same natural alignment that has led in recent years to China becoming the most important trading partner for New Zealand.
Coming to terms with that hard reality requires a conversation that goes well beyond issues of trade. That discussion has to include issues such as immigration policy. It also has to include a discussion as to where New Zealand sits within global geopolitics. And it is no good simply stating the things that New Zealand should not do. It has to be specific about what New Zealand should do."
Something to think on pat. Not good to have all our eggs in one basket.
We used to have a trade department that helped look for overseas business. That should help more, setting up some small bilateral deals outside of the cccppttt trade thing we signed up to. But most of all slow down on imports, bring in customs on everything. I'd hate it on the occasional thing I buy, but encouraging more NZ buying NZ. We need to stop living in airy fairy land. We used to think we were going to work towards being a small copy of the USA, a modern democracy knowing how to do business. But that was a 20thC thing. Now it is a new ball game and it isn't gridiron.
Absolutely. If we can shake off the cult of conspicuous consumption, the planned obsolescence of the neoliberal free market and return back to the days of my grandmother where everything had a second use and clothes lasted for decades, then we would be able to cut back on imports while our exports (food in a world growing heavy with people) continue to bring in the revenue.
It might mean tough times for The Warehouse and other Chinese cheap junk markets, but so what!
We simply cannot keep using once and discarding the precious world resources like we have been doing since the days of Rogernomics.
Yes much has needs to change. Yes much has been waiting for change for a good while now. The Covid situation seems almost “God Blessed” to arrive at this moment when change has been long long overdue. The restraints it puts on us helps us see the change needed. We must trim back excessive unnecessary travel, importation and consumption. We must return to waste not want not. We must close the doors on immigration to just those skills we absolutely do not have ( maybe a lot of needed skills are coming home anyway at the moment).The faster the population grows the less produce we will have to export. Overstocking destroys the environment and finally the people. I am looking for the politics that will immediately address the futures needs for a sustainable, stable and comfortable New Zealand.
Don't pick on The Warehouse – I think it is still NZ owned. Try KMart- Australian and open from 8am to 12pm a lot of the 7 days a week it is open like the great big mouth at the gate of Luna Park! And KMart is doing very well. At least we have kept some of that competitive market money in NZ. What we need of course is more going down the road to the shoemaker, and the dressmaker and tailor. I
t will cost us more initially, but I'm thinking if we had a system of paying out people in part local dollars that could only be accepted at local shops, and have it integrated into the tax dept with just playing 15% GST on the available dollars, then we could gradually refloat the economy into shallower waters. And bring in some of the discarded workers, give them opportunities to help themselves, and support them with working space, small loans to get started. We have to prepare for the tech-cut of jobs with planners telling us how lucky we are that we no longer have to do anything boring but forgetting to say that we will find doing nothing boring, and get verbally thrashed for it by the wolfare system that leaves teeth marks where it hurts.
Stop being such a worry pants. NZ products are in high demand.
And with the the rest of the world in lock down they are not exporting because they are not producing. Have a look at the shelves in KMart or similar for instance. Empty. But our world is not falling apart because we can't buy a new cake mixer or expresso machine. Car imports are way down. Japan is keeping their old cars – can't afford to buy new ones.
The result is that NZ had a record Trade Surplus for the first quarter 2020 and we will have another trade surplus this 2nd quarter just finishing.
In case you didnt realise i wasnt the author of the article (or the many others over the years)….we can stop concerning ourselves with our exports when we either become self sufficient in the demanded necessities or learn to live (or not) without them
Nope. Out forever problem is believing that trade will make us wealthy. It won't do that, its not even supposed to. Trade is supposed to balance in a free-market.
Getting wealthy through trade is Mercantilism.
Of course, capitalism has never been about everyone getting wealthy – just the few at the top.
If we want the nation to get wealthy then we need to boost productivity and minimise the imports and exports.
"Nope. Out forever problem is believing that trade will make us wealthy. It won't do that, its not even supposed to."
who said anything about trade making us wealthy?
"Trade is supposed to balance in a free-market."
not sure where you get that idea
"If we want the nation to get wealthy then we need to boost productivity and minimise the imports and exports."
now THAT is mercantilism…..but again why are you obsessing about wealth when it hasnt been mentioned.
we need to export to earn the currency to provide those things that we cannot provide for ourselves that society expects/requires….”getting wealthy” has sweet FA to do with it
Politicians, economists – you name it, they've said it.
not sure where you get that idea
Studying economics. Hell, the whole point of having a floating exchange rate is to balance trade.
now THAT is mercantilism
No it's not. Mecantilism is minimising imports while maximising exports.
but again why are you obsessing about wealth when it hasnt been mentioned.
Because you quoted it?
New Zealand is going to find the export markets that underpin current per capita living standards in New Zealand."
we need to export to earn the currency to provide those things that we cannot provide for ourselves that society expects/requires….”getting wealthy” has sweet FA to do with it
In other words, maintaining our present wealth.
And there is nothing that we can't provide for ourselves. The fact that you think that there is is proof that you've swallowed the Kool-aid about the necessity for trade.
No…in the words used….providing those things expected/required…if i meant to say 'maintaining our present wealth' I would have written such.
"Studying economics. Hell, the whole point of having a floating exchange rate is to balance trade."
And if you have studied economics you would know there is no relationship between a floating exchange rate and balanced trade…..like most economic theory the practice does not match the theory.
"No it's not. Mecantilism is minimising imports while maximising exports."
Afraid not, that may be the hoped for outcome but it is the method that makes it mercantilism.
And if you have studied economics you would know there is no relationship between a floating exchange rate and balanced trade…..like most economic theory the practice does not match the theory.
True but that's probably because the exchange rate is left to speculation rather than being trade weighted.
We need to build sustainable infrastructure and our well being resilience and cultural integrity. All activities should be put through those sieves first. Needs versus wants. IMO
Growing majority of Kiwis support legalising cannabis, new poll finds. Licensed medicinal cannabis company Helius Therapeutics commissioned the independent Horizon Research survey of nearly 1600 Kiwis. It found 56 per cent of respondents plan to vote for legalising cannabis for personal use on September 19.
Respondents to the latest survey came from Horizon's nationwide research panels and represent the adult population of the 2018 Census with results weighted by factors including age, gender, income and party voted for at the last election. The maximum margin of error is 2.9 per cent. The online survey was conducted between June 10 to 14 and questioned 1593 adults.
Those polled were asked if they are planning on voting for cannabis to be legalised or to remain illegal at this year’s referendum:
Legalise: 40% (up 1 from February's poll)
Remain illegal: 49% (down 2)
Will not vote: 1%
Don't know/refused: 11% (down 2)
Between June 20 to 24, 2020, 1007 eligible voters were polled by landline (404) and mobile phone (603). The maximum sampling error is approximately ±3.1%-points at the 95% confidence level. The data has been weighted to align with Stats NZ population counts for age, gender, region, ethnic identification and mobile or landline access.
Now given that there's about a week between the two samples, could be that 8% of the public had a sudden change of mind and reversed their stance.
A more intriguing possibility is that there are two (or more) publics in Aotearoa, as defined by stats polling methodology. I'll leave that to the stats experts to figure out. But a bit of a Schrodinger's cat situation, eh? Which one is real, or are they both simultaneously??
Well said, Lloyd Burr. Everyone should read that, and not just Garner.
Armchair assumptions by the simple-minded have been a constant annoyance throughout this pandemic. Monitoring everyone is easy (no), testing everyone is easy (no), quarantine is easy (no), decisions about what is open/closed are easy (no) … in fact there are no practicalities to think about at all, we just reckon something and it magically happens.
And when Dr Bloomfield explains any of this for the 100th time, he must remain calm and patient. Maybe he really is a saint.
I've been watching the US Late Shows and Cooper Anderson and Casie DC CNN etc & the despair of the reporting is getting more and more noticeable, they are desperate for some leadership!
Also to see the Florida and Texas Governor backtracking and pleading for people to wear masks is quite something.
& now the military & intelligence services are starting to get angry, a perfect storm.
Ardern on Monday sternly warned New Zealanders against recreational travel abroad, despite the European Union’s announcement that the country was on its new list of accepted travellers. She said those leaving New Zealand for non-essential reasons could be forced to pay for their mandatory two-week quarantine upon returning – to the tune of thousands of dollars.
Sounds reasonable to me. Unless there is a crucial reason for leaving NZ, it should be paid for by the individual. What counts as crucial might need some discussion. Not sure the govt can legally charge people trying to get back in since covid, but those leaving deliberately for a holiday or to travel, yeah, nah.
It's canny politics, and we can see the message control in real time (except the fools who think she's a lightweight, only does the hugs blah blah).
Ardern discussed the issue at yesterday's post-Cab, knowing it would be picked up. It has become the main "border story" in the past 24 hours. It deflects nicely from the trickier issues – PM doesn't want to be blaming the returners but this is a much softer target. Cue the vox pops on tonight's news, all on side.
I'd guess potential holiday makers leaving and returning would be a small percentage of the total, but never mind, it plays very well (privileged, unpatriotic, entitled but taxpayer-funded etc). Media manipulation, job done.
Can't refuse entry to citizens or residents and they are starting to expand other groups e.g. partners and children of citizens and residents, a slightly wider definition of essential work.
MONDAY JULY 6Washington (History, Sky 073, 7.30pm). The brilliant Doris Kearns Goodwin is the executive producer of this six-part series about America's first president. It combines interviews with live action and is narrated by Jeff Daniels. It's engaging, said Salon.TUESDAY JULY 7The ABC Murders (Prime, 8.30pm). Sarah Phelps has done incredible things with ...
I think we can all agree that the mainstream media in New Zealand has a very different set of rules for the right wing compared to the left. While Labour and Green Party politicians don’t seem to be able to fart without it becoming a sackable offence, National and Act ...
A chronological listing of news articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, June 28 through Sat, July 4, 2020Editor's Choice'2040': A funny, entertaining, upbeat climate documentaryA timely Australian documentary takes a 'solutions' approach, with the filmmaker inspired by visions of ...
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Dave HeatleyZero community transmission. Just a handful of active cases, all in quarantine. New Zealand is in an attractive situation, at least compared to much of the world. The situation could be robust and enduring – or it might be fragile, just one border incursion away from a “second ...
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Nik GreenMuch of the public debate about the response to the COVID-19 pandemic has focused on the extent to which government regulations have restricted personal and business activity.Oxford University Blavatnik School of Government Here in New Zealand, the question of when to change Alert Levels dominated the ...
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This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections House Democrats have released a comprehensive report showing how – if they control the White House and both the Senate and the House of Representatives – they might move forward on climate change. Their “Climate Crisis Action Plan,” released June 30 by the ...
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Last night, One News ran a follow-up story to its Colmar Brunton poll results on the cannabis referendum, headed here as Government accuses big American anti-cannabis group of interfering in NZ politics.In truth it wasn't just the government: Justice minister Andrew Little, National's Shane Reti and the Greens' Chloe Swarbrick ...
When the government refused to put cameras on fishing boats to ensure fishers obeyed the law, Fisheries Minister Stuart Nash claimed that coalition partner NZ First (which has received large donations from the fishing industry) was not responsible for the decision. He has repeated that claim repeatedly since then. But ...
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This is a re-post from Weather Underground by Bob HensonAbove: This rainbow appears unusually low in the sky because it has formed early in the afternoon, rather than toward sunset. For a rainbow to form, water droplets must be present in the air in front of an observer ...
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Daphna Whitmore The Philippines is enduring one of the longest lockdowns in the world. For President Duterte the lockdown provides an opportunity to garner more powers and to push through a brazen assault on human rights. A new law called the Anti-Terror Bill has been passed under urgency and it ...
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Prof Nick Wilson, Dr Amanda Kvalsvig, Prof Michael BakerCompared with other OECD countries NZ is a stand-out success story by ending community transmission of COVID-19. While there have been some well-publicised recent deficiencies (eg, quarantine organisation), there has still been no evidence of community transmission for many weeks. Nevertheless, ...
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There really is not much about Paula Bennett concerning her career trajectory, the policies she promoted, and most importantly, the socio-economic effect this had upon New Zealand (and particularly the most vulnerable in this, our oft-cited “egalitarian” society of this country) that can be said now that hasn’t already been ...
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A guest repost by Climate Science Legal Defense Fund (CSLDF) staff attorney Augusta Wilson. Fundraising is not the objective of this article but readers may wish to know that CSLDF is currently conducting a summer fundraiser to support defense of research scientists and research integrity from anti-science interference by politicians and industrial interests. The COVID-19 pandemic ...
Helloy… My name is Todd Muller and I am the leader of the National Party of New Zealand. Many people come up to me on the street and ask me who I am. I’m often walking through Tauranga, or in a mall in suburban Auckland, or maybe even a farmers’ ...
The US state of Mississippi has finally voted to remove the Confederate emblem from its state flag. Good. Its appalling that it was put there in the first place, but even more appalling that it took so long to remove it. Its basicly as if a German Länder still had ...
No one could have predicted when David Seymour’s End of Life Choice Bill was passed by Parliament last November that the referendum required to bring the legislation into force would be held against the backdrop of a deadly global pandemic. Since then, the mounting tally of casualties around the world ...
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Back at the beginning of April, when we had much else on our minds, I wrote this post urging some caution in interpreting the results of the latest Horizon poll, conducted in February, on voting intentions in this year's cannabis referendum, which was paid for by Helius Therapeutics.I wrote that ...
Over the weekend the Greens made their first election policy announcement, and promised transformational change: a more progressive tax system, with new rates applying to incomes of $100,000 and $150,000; a new wealth tax on net wealth over $1 million; and a guaranteed minimum income to eliminate poverty. Its bold, ...
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SUNDAY JUNE 28Beat the Chasers (TVNZ 1, 8.30pm). Judging by the tweets, which is probably a bad idea, over lockdown, all of New Zealand found itself in front of The Chase every night at 5pm. It is a brilliant fomat: hardly anyone wins any money ...
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This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Like an earthquake rumbling down the San Andreas Fault, Jeff Gibbs’ and Michael Moore’s controversial film “Planet of the Humans” tore a rift through the environmental movement, a rift its leaders would not yearn for in an election year. After activists have spent ...
There have been a number of articles written about the voting in the final statges of the Electoral (Registration of Sentenced Prisoners) Amendment Bill, during which National MPs voted alongside the Green Party to force a change that would prevent the removal of sentenced prisoners from the Electoral Roll. You can ...
Last night should have been a cause for muted celebration in Parliament. The Electoral (Registration of Sentenced Prisoners) Bill’s final passage through the House partially erases a stain on New Zealand’s democratic system. It’s a drum I’ve been beatingfor thepast decade, but denying all sentenced prisoners the right to vote is a ...
Jordan WilliamsIt’s pretty obvious to all and sundry that the Taxpayers Union, run by Jordan Williams, isn’t really a union at all. Instead it’s a small lobby group for privileged white folk, namely the old fools behind the scenes of the corrupt and largely defunct Act Party.With an incorrectly attributed ...
Last year, I highlighted a secrecy problem with the government's Infrastructure Funding and Financing Bill. The Bill would establish a new class of public entity, "special purpose vehicles", to hide debt from local government balance sheets fund infrastructure such as roads and sewers in "high-growth" councils. The SPVs would collect ...
Both the leader of the opposition Todd Muller and University of Auckland Professor Des Gorman have gone on the record as saying they suspect Covid-19 is spreading in the community in New Zealand once again. Let me explain why I don’t agree with them. As best I can tell there ...
By Geoffrey Miller A former MP and Associate Minister of Defence says that New Zealand’s Covid-19 border and quarantine issues illustrate why a new dedicated national security agency is needed. Heather Roy, a former deputy leader of the Act Party who held the associate defence portfolio from 2008-10, told the ...
Annual fishing report It's been about a year since we swapped out the Research News deckhand. It seems longer— particularly the past 4 months— and not because of this particular work. Over the course of the year somewhere in the neighborhood of 17,500 articles have been caught in our net, ...
New Zealanders deserve healthy rivers and lakes that are safe to swim in - but they have been getting worse for decades. That's why, with our latest announcement, we're investing in projects that will help clean up our rivers and lakes and restore them to health, within a generation. ...
This week we moved into the second half of 2020 - and our Government delivered another week of big changes and major progress for New Zealanders. Read below for a wrap of the key things moments from the week - from extending paid parental leave, to making major investments in ...
The Green Party has opposed the COVID-19 Recovery Fast-track Consenting Bill which shortcuts normal consenting processes under the Resource Management Act (RMA), reduces public participation and narrows environmental considerations. ...
Hon Shane Jones, Minister of Regional Economic Development A regional freight hub for the lower North Island will be built just northeast of Palmerston North, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones has announced. The Government is investing $40 million through the Provincial Growth Fund to designate and buy land and design ...
Green Party Co-leader Marama Davidson is calling for the introduction of a Guaranteed Minimum Income to lift hundreds of thousands of people out of poverty and prevent more families entering into further debt with the Ministry of Social Development. ...
There has been renewed focus on New Zealand First acting as a handbrake on the Government after our decision to not support Auckland light rail. We are a handbrake for bad ideas, that istrue, but our track record since 2017 has seen New Zealand First constructively also serve as an ...
Mark Patterson MP, New Zealand First List MP New Zealand First’s Fair Residency for Superannuation Bill passed its First Reading in Parliament today. The Bill makes a significant change to NZ Super by raising the minimum residency requirement from 10 to 20 years, after age 20. “Currently, a migrant of ...
Darroch Ball MP, Spokesperson for Law and Order A New Zealand First member’s bill in the name of Darroch Ball introducing a six-month minimum prison sentence for assaults on first responders has passed its second reading in Parliament. The new offence of "injuring a first responder or corrections officer with ...
Fletcher Tabuteau MP, Deputy Leader of New Zealand First New Zealand First welcomes the launch of the new Criminal Cases Review Commission, gifted with the name from Waikato-Tainui - Te Kāhui Tātari Ture, announced in Hamilton today by Justice Minister Andrew Little. “New Zealand First has long believed in and ...
The Green Party is celebrating over $800m in new funding for green projects, which will get people into jobs while solving New Zealand’s long-term challenges. ...
Mark Patterson MP, Spokesperson for Primary Industries New Zealand First is appalled that Meridian seems to have been unnecessarily spilling water from its dams to drive up its profits."While New Zealanders have been coming together in some of our darkest hours, we don’t expect power gentailers to waste water and ...
We wrapped up the first half of 2020 with a busy month, taking additional steps to support New Zealanders as we continue with our economic recovery. We rolled out targeted packages to support key industries like tourism and construction, helped create jobs in the environmental and agriculture sectors, and set ...
Hon Shane Jones, Minister for Infrastructure Infrastructure Minister Shane Jones has welcomed the appointment of Maurice Davis and his deep infrastructure and construction experience to the board of the Infrastructure Commission. Mr Davis (Ngāti Maniapoto), is the seventh and final appointment to the board led by former Reserve Bank Governor ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Leader of New Zealand First New Zealand’s click bait journalism is taking a turn for the worse, with yet another example of sensationalist, wilful-misrepresentation of the facts. “New Zealand First has worked constructively with its Coalition partner on hundreds of pieces of legislation and policy, and ...
The Green Party is today unveiling its Poverty Action Plan, which includes a Guaranteed Minimum Income to ensure people have enough to live with dignity. ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister Fletcher Tabuteau MP, Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development The Rotorua Museum redevelopment and Whakarewarewa and Tokorangi Forest projects will be accelerated thanks to a $2.09 million Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) boost, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters and Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher ...
This week, we rolled out the next steps of our recovery plan, with new infrastructure investment, extra support for tourism operators, and a new programme to get Kiwis into agriculture careers. The global economic consequences of COVID-19 will continue to be a challenge, but we have a detailed plan to ...
Jenny Marcroft MP, Spokesperson for Health New Zealand First welcomes the passage of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission Bill through its final reading in Parliament today fulfilling a coalition agreement commitment. “This is an important step in saving the lives of New Zealanders and delivers a key coalition commitment ...
Whakatāne has been given a $2.5 million boost to speed up previously funded projects and create more than 450 jobs in the next decade. Of those, the equivalent of 160 full-time jobs could be delivered in the next six weeks. Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters is in town to make ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister Fletcher Tabuteau MP, Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development The Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) is investing $2.5 million to accelerate three infrastructure projects in Whakatāne, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters and Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau announced today. “This package is about ...
Infrastructure Minister Shane Jones is throwing his weight behind a bid by the Auckland Council to fast-track the more than doubling of the city's water allowance from the Waikato River. And he's coming out strongly against anyone who plans on getting in the way of this campaign. "It is my ...
The Green Party is thrilled to see changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that mean consents for large projects can be declined if they will have significant climate change implications that are inconsistent with the Zero Carbon Act and Aotearoa New Zealand’s Paris Agreement obligations. ...
Hon Ron Mark, Minister of Defence The Royal New Zealand Navy’s new ship, Aotearoa, set sail for New Zealand on 10 June from the Republic of Korea, and is due to arrive in Auckland tomorrow, announced Minister of Defence Ron Mark. “Aotearoa is the Royal New Zealand Navy’s new fleet ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Racing Racing Minister Winston Peters has today welcomed the Racing Industry Bill passing its third reading, creating the legislative framework for revitalising the racing industry while limiting the need for future government intervention. “For too long our domestic racing industry has ...
The Green Party has today put forward an amendment to the Electoral (Registration of Sentenced Prisoners) Amendment Bill to ensure all people in prisons can vote in general elections. ...
The Green Party welcomes the decision to not proceed with Public Public Investment (PPI) delivery of Auckland’s light rail project and to instead run the process through the public service. ...
Hon Ron Mark, New Zealand First List MP based in the Wairarapa New Zealand First List MP Hon Ron Mark welcomes the announcement of Provincial Growth Funding investment of $1.4 million to help secure the Wairarapa’s water supply. The funding boost will allow the Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC), and ...
New Zealand First list MP Mark Patterson has been selected to represent the party in the newly formed Taieri electorate at the upcoming election. Mr Patterson, his wife Jude and two daughters farm sheep and beef at Lawrence and Waitahuna. He previously stood in the Clutha-Southland electorate however boundary changes ...
Hon Shane Jones, Associate Minister for State Owned Enterprises A new ‘super depot’ to be built for NZ Post in Wellington will create around 350 jobs during construction, Associate Minister for State Owned Enterprises Shane Jones says. Shane Jones today attended a ground-breaking and blessing ceremony for the parcel-processing depot ...
Our strong economic management prior to COVID-19 - with surpluses, low debt and near-record-low unemployment - put us in a good position to weather the impact of the virus and start to rebuild our economy much earlier than many other countries.Now we're putting our plan to recover and rebuild ...
Darroch Ball MP, New Zealand First Spokesperson for Law and Order Recently released Police fleeing driver statistics have shown yet another increase in incidents with another record-high in the latest quarter. “This new quarterly record-high is the latest in a string of record-high numbers since 2014. The data shows incidents ...
New Zealand First MP Fletcher Tabuteau is pleased to be confirmed today as the party’s candidate for the Rotorua electorate. Speaking at the Rotorua AGM for New Zealand First, Mr Tabuteau said this is an election that is incredibly important for the people of Rotorua. “The founding principles of New ...
The Human Rights Commission’s PRISM report on the issues impacting people based on their sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and sex characteristics (SOGIESC) provides an excellent programme of work for future governments to follow, say the Greens. ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters said the trans-Tasman bubble had not been jeopardised after aborder botch-upresulted in New Zealand having two active cases of COVID-19. On Friday, Mr Peters told RNZ's Morning Report he had heard from Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison that borders for trans-Tasman travel would open by ...
Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters said today he was pleased the army was now running the quarantine and isolation process - up until now it has been the Ministry of Health. Peters told Newstalk ZB's Mike Hosking that the army knew how to introduce and follow protocols and instil discipline. ...
Hon Ron Mark, New Zealand First List MP based in the Wairarapa New Zealand First MP and Minister for Defence and Veteran’s Affairs Ron Mark has confirmed his bid for the Wairarapa seat.“The Coalition Government has done a lot of good work throughout the Wairarapa, but many constituents have told ...
New Zealand First is pleased to release the names of its next tranche of candidates for the 2020 election. We’re proud to announce these hardworking New Zealanders that have put their hand up to fight for a commonsense and resilient future.Jamie Arbuckle – Kaikoura Mark Arneil – Christchurch Central Jackie ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs Hon Ron Mark, Minister of Defence A massive joint effort between New Zealand Government agencies, employers, and the Vanuatu Government is underway to repatriate over 1000 Vanuatu nationals stranded in New Zealand, Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Ron ...
Small businesses are getting greater certainty about access to finance with an extension to the interest-free cashflow loan scheme to the end of the year. The Small Business Cashflow Loan Scheme has already been extended once, to 24 July. Revenue and Small Business Minister Stuart Nash says it will be ...
A package of 23 projects across the country will clean up waterways and deliver over 2000 jobs Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Environment Minister David Parker announced today. The $162 million dollar package will see 22 water clean-up projects put forward by local councils receiving $62 million and the Kaipara ...
Tena koutou katoa Nga tangata whenua o tenei rohe o Pōneke, tena koutou Nau mai, haere mai ki te hui a tau mo te roopu reipa Ko tatou! Ko to tatou mana! Ko to tatou kaupapa kei te kokiri whakamua Tena koutou, tena koutou, tena tatou katoa Welcome. I ...
A new programme, which sets a firm course for the Building and Construction sector to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, has been announced by the Minister for Building and Construction Jenny Salesa. “A significant amount of New Zealand’s carbon emissions come from the building and construction sector. If we’re serious ...
The Provincial Growth Fund is investing more than $7.5 million in Northland ventures to combat the economic impact of the COVID-19 virus, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters and Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones have announced. The Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) investment is going to the Northern Adventure Experience and ...
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Education Minister Chris Hipkins today announced significant funding for Auckland’s Northcote College as part of the first wave of a new nationwide school redevelopment programme to upgrade schools over the next 10 years. The $48.5 million project brings the total investment in Northcote College to ...
The Government has opened an urgent response fund to support schools and early learning services to get children and young people back on track after the Covid-19 lockdown. “While we are seeing improvements in attendance under Alert Level 1 Ministry of Education data shows that attendance rates in our schools ...
The law to boost the economic recovery from the impact of COVID-19 by speeding up resource consenting on selected projects has passed its second and third readings in the House today. “Accelerating nationwide projects and activities by government, iwi and the private sector will help deliver faster economic recovery and ...
Five port-related projects in Whanganui will receive a $26.75 million Provincial Growth Fund investment to support local economic recovery and create new opportunities for growth, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This is a significant investment that will support the redevelopment of the Whanganui Port, a project governed ...
Whanganui’s Sarjeant Gallery will receive an investment of up to $12 million administered by the Provincial Growth Fund to support its redevelopment, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones announced today. The project is included in a $3 billion infrastructure pipeline announced by Finance Minister Grant Robertson and Shane Jones yesterday. ...
The Provincial Growth Fund is investing nearly $2.5 million into three Te Ara Mahi programmes to support Manawatū-Whanganui jobseekers and employees to quickly train and upskill, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones announced today. “Up to 154 local people will be supported into employment within the first year by these ...
This morning I have formally tendered my resignation as Minister of Health, which was accepted by the Prime Minister. Serving as Minister of Health has been an absolute privilege – particularly through these extraordinary last few months. It’s no secret that Health is a challenging portfolio. I have given ...
Scholarships for 57 early-career agricultural emissions scientists from 20 developing countries is another example of New Zealand’s international leadership in primary sector sustainability, says Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor. Mr O’Connor, announcing the scholarships today, says hundreds of applications were received for this fourth round of the CLIFF-GRADS programme (Climate, Food ...
A project to help rejuvenate the Horowhenua town of Foxton will receive a Provincial Growth Fund investment of $3.86 million, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This funding for the Foxton Regeneration project will be used to make the well-known holiday town even more attractive for visitors and ...
Moa bones and other sub-fossil remains of extinct species are set to have improved protection with proposals to prevent the trade in extinct species announced the Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage today. “We have lost too many of our native species, but these lost species, such as moa, remain an ...
The Government’s free and healthy school lunches programme moves south for the first time creating jobs for around 30 people in Otago and Southland. “Eighteen schools with 3000 students are joining the programme – 11 have already begun serving lunches, and seven are preparing to start during Term 3. This is ...
Thousands of Kiwi jobs and investment in New Zealand productions will be protected through a screen sector support package announced today by Associate Minister for Arts Culture and Heritage Carmel Sepuloni, Minister for Economic Development Phil Twyford and Minister for Broadcasting Kris Faafoi. The package also includes investment in broadcasting ...
The Government has established a new $10 million fund for the domestic events sector to help save jobs and protect incomes as it recovers from the impacts of COVID-19, Minister of Economic Development Phil Twyford announced today. This funding from Budget 2020 follows talks with the event sector designed to ...
The Government has taken another step in its commitment to making sure New Zealanders get a fairer deal at the petrol pump with the introduction of legislation to improve competition in the retail fuel market, says Energy and Resources Minister Megan Woods. “The fuel market study that this Government ordered ...
New Zealand has joined a global initiative that aims to enable all countries to access a safe and effective Covid-19 vaccine, Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters announced today. The COVAX Facility was recently launched by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. The Alliance includes the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the World Bank ...
From today new legislation takes effect to both restore the right to legal representation at the start of a Care of Children (CoCA) dispute in the Family Court, and allow parties to those proceedings to access legal aid where eligible. During a visit to the Family Court in Auckland today, ...
Home-based early childhood education (ECE) subsidised by the government will transition to a fully qualified workforce by 2025 to ensure better and more consistent quality, Education Minister Chris Hipkins announced today. “Quality early learning helps provide children with a strong foundation for their future,” Chris Hipkins said. From 1 January ...
The new Criminal Cases Review Commission | Te Kāhui Tātari Ture (CCRC) has started work and can now independently investigate claimed miscarriages of justice. “Even though we have appeal rights and safeguards against unsafe convictions, from time to time our justice system does get things wrong. The design of the ...
E ngā mana, e ngā reo, e ngā karangatanga maha, tēnā koutou Ki a koutou Te Āti Awa, Taranaki Whānui, Ngāti Toa Rangatira, ngā mana whenua o te rohe nei, tēnā koutou Ko Te Whare Wānanga o Aotearoa ki ngā take o te Ao (NZIIA), Ko te Rōpū Tohu Tono ...
The Government’s increase to paid parental leave kicks in today with another 4 weeks taking New Zealand up to a full 6 months (26 weeks, up from 22 weeks) leave for new parents, and the maximum weekly payment will increase by $20pw, Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Iain Lees-Galloway says. ...
A new package of infrastructure investments will help kick-start the post-COVID rebuild by creating more than 20,000 jobs and unlocking more than $5 billion of projects up and down New Zealand. Finance Minister Grant Robertson and Infrastructure Minister Shane Jones today outlined how the $3 billion infrastructure fund in the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters today expressed the New Zealand Government’s deep disappointment at the passage by China’s National People’s Congress Standing Committee of a national security law for Hong Kong. “New Zealand has consistently emphasised its serious concern about the imposition of this legislation on Hong Kong without inclusive ...
More jobs and more family time with newborns are the centrepiece of a suite of Government initiatives coming into effect today. July 1 is a milestone day for the Government as a host of key policies take effect, demonstrating the critical areas where progress has been made. “The Coalition Government ...
Environment Minister David Parker has today “called in” Auckland’s application to the Waikato Regional Council to take an extra 200 million litres of water a day from the lower reaches of the Waikato River for Auckland drinking water and other municipal uses. The call-in means the application has been referred ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters and Trade and Export Growth Minister David Parker announced today that New Zealand’s hosting of APEC in 2021 will go ahead using virtual digital platforms. Mr Peters said the global disruption caused by COVID-19, including resultant border restrictions, had been the major factor in the ...
The start of construction on a new link road between Matakana Road and State Highway 1 will create jobs and support the significant population growth expected in the Warkworth area, Transport Minister Phil Twyford and Mayor Phil Goff announced today. Transport Minister Phil Twyford said construction of the Matakana Link ...
The Government is prioritising its latest investment in PPE for frontline health workers, including staff at managed isolation and quarantine facilities, Health Minister David Clark says. “With no community transmission of COVID-19 our response now has a firm focus on keeping our border safe and secure. “We must ensure that ...
The Parihaka Papakāinga Trust in Taranaki will receive up to $14 million for a new visitor centre and other improvements at the historic settlement that will boost the local economy and provide much-needed jobs, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones and Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Andrew Little have ...
Protections for workers who are employees of one employer but working under the direction of another business or organisation have come into force, closing a gap in legislation that made the personal grievance process inaccessible for some workers, says Workplace Relations Minister Iain Lees-Galloway. “This Government is working hard to ...
A range of improvements are already underway to address issues identified in the rapid review of the Managed Isolation and Quarantine system released today, Housing Minister Megan Woods said. The review was commissioned just over a week ago to identify and understand current and emerging risks to ensure the end-to-end ...
The important brown kiwi habitat around Whakatāne will receive added protection through an Iwi-led predator free project announced by Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage and Under Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau. “The Government is investing nearly $5 million into Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Awa’s environmental projects with $2.5 ...
An extra 4,000 tonnes of offcuts and scraps of untreated wood per year will soon be able to be recycled into useful products such as horticultural and garden mulch, playground safety surfacing and animal bedding as a result of a $660,000 investment from the Waste Minimisation Fund, Associate Environment Minister ...
The Governor-General has referred Scott Watson’s convictions for murder back to the Court of Appeal, Justice Minister Andrew Little announced today. Mr Watson was convicted in 1999 of the murders of Ben Smart and Olivia Hope. His appeal to the Court of Appeal in 2000 was unsuccessful, as was his ...
A new five-year funding agreement for the Reserve Bank will mean it can boost its work to protect New Zealanders’ finances, Finance Minister Grant Robertson says. “New Zealand has a strong and stable financial system. Financial stability is an area that we are not prepared to cut corners for, particularly ...
A law change has been introduced to make it easier for forgotten funds in institutional accounts to be returned more easily to their rightful owners. Revenue Minister Stuart Nash has introduced an amendment to the Unclaimed Money Act 1971. It will update the rules controlling forgotten sums of money held ...
Pacific Media Centre Newsdesk Days after President Rodrigo Duterte signed the Philippines Anti-Terrorism Law, Vice-President Leni Robredo has pushed for safeguards so that the controversial measure would not be abused, reports Rappler. In her weekly radio show with co-host Ely Saludar, Robredo noted that she does not oppose the law ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Developments in Melbourne on Saturday are more important, and certainly of more interest to the public, than what has happened in Eden-Monaro. Anthony Albanese is set to struggle over the line in the Labor seat, ...
The campaign to stop the Department of Conservation exterminating tahr in national parks is gathering increasing public support, with nearly 40,000 people signing the petition calling for a halt to DOC’s plans. The Change.org petition was started ...
DATE: Sunday, 5th July 2020 TIME: 15:00 LOCATION: Taylor Preston's, Centennial Highway, Wellington On Sunday, Wellington Animal Save will be bearing witness to animals on their way to slaughter, outside Taylor Preston's slaughterhouse. ...
Local Government’s Regional Sector are welcoming an announcement today of over $162 million in central government funding for 22 regional and unitary council Jobs for Nature projects, saying the strong support is an endorsement of the return on ...
Political editor Justin Giovannatti reports from Te Papa, where the prime minister today addressed Labour’s 2020 Congress.Jacinda Ardern looked to slap a Labour sticker on the team of five million with the launch today of the party’s Covid-19 recovery plan, at an event which serves as the unofficial kickoff to ...
Kelvin Davis stole the show at Labour’s 2019 conference with a hilarious speech about the formation of the coalition government. The party’s oft-underestimated deputy leader was again in the spotlight this year, but with a more solemn yet at times impassioned address outlining the country’s Covid-19 sacrifices. Here is the text: Anne Guenole. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Philip Russo, Associate Professor, Director Cabrini Monash University Department of Nursing Research, Monash University The Victorian government’s decision to “close and contain” nine public housing towers in Flemington and North Melbourne represents a significant escalation in the fight against COVID-19. Under the ...
By Grace Auka-Salmang in Port Moresby Key findings from the 2016 to 2018 Papua New Guinea Demographic and Health Survey reveals that 56 percent of women aged 15 to 49 in PNG have experienced physical violence around the age of 15. And 28 percent have experienced sexual violence. Also 18 ...
The New Zealand Herald recently published a column which criticises its own record on race. Teuila Fuatai explains why she felt she had to call out the paper that commissioned her. In the column, freelance journalist Teuila Fuatai detailed her concerns about the Herald’s record on race and her efforts to ...
Dunedin writer Victor Billot farewells retiring National MP Paula Bennett.Working Class Hero I came up the hard way in Taupo, you see, surviving off Weetbix (just occasionally.) I waited tables then knocked off a degree, perhaps with the help of a state subsidy. Then a man with a ...
Three of the country's biggest seafood companies have broken ranks with the rest of the sector and declared their support for cameras on fishing boats. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Melbourne This article was updated July 5. With 77% of enrolled voters counted at Saturday’s Eden-Monaro byelection, Labor’s Kristy McBain currently leads the Liberals’ Fiona Kotvojs by a 50.8-49.2 projected ...
The family of pioneering New Zealand suffragist Kate Sheppard kept an important secret – one that possibly explains a lot about her life, her beliefs and her motivation.Kate Sheppard’s secret involved her father, Andrew Wilson Malcolm, and what happened to him after she was born. An extensive and painstaking quest ...
Covid-19 or not, renewable energy is the future. That’s why one grassroots business is taking a leap of faith and trusting that the current downturn will eventually yield to an ecotourism boom.To launch an ecotourism business in rural Otago right now, you’d need to be either a visionary or just ...
Sam Brooks reviews Auckland writer Lil O’Brien’s memoir Not That I’d Kiss A Girl, and finds it a valuable yet unclear story of the author’s struggle with her own acceptance.As queer people, we can be unnecessarily harsh on media that is about us, and by us. I think of the ...
For all The Spinoff’s latest coverage of Covid-19 see here. Read Siouxsie Wiles’s work here. New Zealand is currently in alert level one – read about what that means here. For official government advice, see here.The Spinoff’s coverage of the Covid-19 outbreak is made possible thanks to donations from Spinoff Members. To support this ...
In the wake of lockdown, Volunteering New Zealand is calling on people to reshape the way they think about volunteering. To unite with whānau, friends and workmates to make a group commitment to a community or cause that matters to them. Covid-19 ...
Mahesh Bindra has been a loyal member of NZ First for almost 15 years. But as an Indian-New Zealander, what does he make of members of his party attacking his community? Multicultural Times editor Gaurav Sharma reports.Winston Peters, deputy prime minister and leader of New Zealand First, likes to say ...
As Auckland suffers its worst drought in 27 years, many of the city’s self-service car washes are doing a roaring trade. Michael Andrew finds out how these businesses are getting around the strict water restrictions.Car washing may seem like a wasteful luxury in the middle of a drought, but take ...
Call it last, call it the foundation: Georgie Dansey is 84th on the Labour Party list for the 2020 election. Here she explains how she got there.What does it take to come last on the Labour list? It’s a bit of a story, so if you’re feeling tl;dr then just ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Melbourne At Saturday’s Eden-Monaro byelection, Labor’s Kristy McBain currently leads the Liberals’ Fiona Kotvojs by a 50.7-49.3 projected margin in The Poll Bludger’s Eden-Monaro election page. This page has all the ...
The controversial MP says his former party put a target on the minister’s back, but Melissa Lee insists there was no concerted campaign.The MP who exited the National Party in a tailspin attack on former leader Simon Bridges has publicly apologised to Clare Curran for his role in the treatment ...
By Jane Patterson, political editor of RNZ News The State Services Minister says the government will do everything it can to track down who is responsible for a massive privacy breach relating to New Zealand’s active covid cases, and is not ruling out pursuing criminal charges. An investigation has been ...
The National editorial Hundreds walked the Sir John Guise drive on Thursday calling for justice for the brutal death of 19-year-old mother-of-two – Jenelyn Kennedy last week. Jenelyn’s battered lifeless body was taken into the Port Moresby General Hospital last Tuesday by four men (one believed to be the father ...
*Watch the full video in the player below*In the first 48 hours of life, blood from newborn New Zealand babies is taken and tested. Most parents will never hear back. For others, it’s life-changing, and life-saving. Frank Film investigates. Performed 48 hours after birth, it’s a medical procedure ...
Latest from the Beehive Shane Jones, the Minister of Munificence, in a joint statement with fellow Northlander and Deputy PM Winston Peters, wrapped up a week of handout investment announcements with news of more millions for the people of his patch in the Far North. This time it was a ...
By Rebecca Kuku in Port Moresby A passionate plea by men, women and children has echoed around the Papua New Guinean capital of Port Moresby – that it is time to turn the corner on addressing gender-based violence in the country. Gatherings, a peaceful march and a vigil were staged ...
Former Race Relations Commissioner Gregory Fortuin has called out National MP Hamish Walker for his racist comments towards people of colour. This follows Walker's press release objecting to people from Pakistan, India and Korea potentially being quarantined ...
Khruangbin have established their live reputation with spacious instrumentals, but the band’s third album, Mordechai, features prominent vocals and disco-funk jams. Andrew Drever interviews the Texas-based trio upon its release.While the Covid-19 pandemic continues to rage in the US, the situation has actually been a blessing in disguise for Khruangbin ...
The State Services Minister says the government will do everything it can to track down who is responsible for a massive privacy breach relating to New Zealand's active Covid cases, and is not ruling out pursuing criminal charges. ...
For all The Spinoff’s latest coverage of Covid-19 see here. Read Siouxsie Wiles’s work here. New Zealand is currently in alert level one – read about what that means here. For official government advice, see here.The Spinoff’s coverage of the Covid-19 outbreak is made possible thanks to donations from Spinoff Members. To support this ...
With the collapse of Bauer NZ resulting in Australian magazines flooding our shelves, Wendyl Nissen looks back at her battle to get homegrown content given the star billing it deserved.Thanks to some hard-fought battles 30 years ago, New Zealand women have been enjoying their own version of Woman’s Day and ...
Extending the franchise to prisoners is the latest in a series of contentious electoral reforms enacted by this government, but history suggests the ‘convention’ for consensual election reform is more imagined than real.The Electoral (Registration of Sentenced Prisoners) Amendment Act, passed last week and corrected this week, extends the franchise ...
Since publication of Newsroom’s extensive investigation into serious issues at Oranga Tamariki, our inbox has been flooded with stories from more current and former employees. In less than 48 hours after Newsroom’s in-depth inquiry into the children's ministry was published we received a high volume of correspondence from current and former ...
“She’d come into town on the bus. The photographer, so her mother had told her, was famous”: a short story by Wellington writer Elspeth Sandys. It was to be a present for her father who was dying. A photograph of her in her first ball gown. When she reached for ...
Controversy over Wellington's Shelly Bay has ensnared iwi, the council and politicians for years. Investigative journalist Nicky Hager uses official documents to lay out the roles of money, power and wheels-within-wheels on this most contentious of developments. Any time I am asked whether we have corruption in New Zealand, I ...
Those who can’t afford to travel will “attend” the terror sentencing via video link, the Immigration Minister says. David Williams reports The Immigration Minister is demanding officials give urgent help to overseas victims of the Christchurch terror attack and their families. Yesterday, High Court Justice Cameron Mander announced the terrorist, ...
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On 03 July Children’s Commissioner was given additional responsibility by the Minister of Justice which extended its role as the independent monitor of the conditions and treatment of children and young people in secure detention centres. The Children’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick, ARC Future Fellow, UNSW The term “heatwave” is no stranger to Australians. Defined as when conditions are excessively hot for at least three days in a row, these extreme temperature events have always punctuated our climate. With many of us ...
Pacific Media Watch A senior Indonesian government official and a New Zealand journalism professor have clashed over differing perspectives on access for journalists and media to the West Papua region. Speaking on a webinar organised by the Jubi newspaper in Jayapura, Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ director of the European affairs ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jane Williams, Researcher at the Centre for Values, Ethics and the Law in Medicine (VELiM), University of Sydney Last week, outgoing chief medical officer Brendan Murphy announced all returned travellers would be tested for COVID-19 before and after quarantine. Some were surprised ...
A new package to help foreign nationals stuck in New Zealand due to Covid-19 is inadequate and needs to be supplemented with the emergency benefit, say Community Law Centres O Aotearoa (CLCA) and the Human Rights Commission (HRC). The assistance ...
With Shortland Street’s 7,000th episode screening tonight, Tara Ward salutes the soap for keeping calm and carrying on through level three lockdown. It’s been one heck of a week on Shortland Street. Leanne lost her winning $8 million Lotto ticket, Louis slipped over in a pile of vomit, and Desi tried ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brendan Clift, Teaching Fellow and PhD candidate, University of Melbourne In recent days, the prime ministers of the UK and Australia each declared they are working toward providing safe haven visas for Hong Kong residents. In the US, lawmakers passed a bill ...
How two multi-millionaires, two pandemic futurists, Air NZ’s former boss, a dairy executive on a break, a retired anaesthetist (and a few others) nearly saved NZ. ...
A commitment from Labour to protect productive farmland from blanket afforestation if re-elected is a step in the right direction, Federated Farmers Meat & Wool Chairperson William Beetham says. "We’re really pleased there is now ...
Tomorrow, 4 July, will see protests in at least nine centres around New Zealand against Israeli plans to steal more Palestinian land (Details are at the end of this media release) “Virtually the entire international community is standing together ...
Pacific Media Watch Australia’s ABC has revealed the Australian Federal Police (AFP) recommendation regarding the Afghan Files investigative journalism report is for the Commonwealth DPP to consider charging journalist Dan Oakes for his role in the leak. The revelation has prompted a renewed call by the Alliance for Journalists’ Freedom ...
While we’re growing in confidence that we are in the enviable position of basically eliminating Covid-19, our trading nation at the bottom of the world is also in the unenviable position of locking off our economy to the world. “No is not an answer ...
Netflix’s new adaptations of The Baby-Sitters Club makes long-time fan Tara Ward fall in love with the series all over again. When I was 12 years old, my class had to write a letter to a famous person. Some of my classmates wrote to an All Black, Tom Cruise or ...
The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union is questioning the scale and value of the Government’s $230m screen industry recovery package. Union spokesperson Jordan Williams says: “The official justification for this ‘recovery package’ is the impact of COVID-19 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Kemish, Former Ambassador and Adjunct Professor, School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, The University of Queensland Chinese activity in Papua New Guinea was not the only factor behind Australia’s Pacific “Step-Up”. As a former high commissioner to PNG, I know it ...
Pacific Media Centre Newsdesk A Papuan church leader and advocate for social justice has penned an open letter to the Indonesian government calling for justice and an end to racism to enable a genuine self-determination process for the Melanesian region. “The problem of Papua has become increasingly complex and severe ...
Latest from the Beehive – Nine press releases (when we checked this morning) had flowed from the Beehive since we last reported. Eight of them brayed about the money Ministers have been spending and (as they prefer to put it) investing. The sole exception came from Environment Minister David ...
CEAC pre-election review of National Party ‘climate change policy’, is lacking in substance without any clear policy, that will leave voters with no idea of what National Party plans for saving our climate, and glancing at their ‘Transport plans’, ...
Film crews can get exemptions to enter New Zealand, so why not the families and supporters of terror victims, David Williams asks. OPINION: If the public needs a sign last year’s terrorist attack has slipped off the Government’s radar, this is it. A sentencing date has been set for the ...
A new poem by Michaela Keeble.Only the ocean only the oceanturns me overlike this only the oceanturns meon like this only the oceangives warning: what will changeand when so it doesn’t comeacrosslike violence white capsdrift inon the rising tide i feel likeopening my legs i don’t wantto do anything elsetoday i don’t wantto goto work i want to lie downwith ...
As the Covid-19 pandemic rages round the world, New Zealanders are re-discovering food production is the fundamental engine of the economy. And farming is not a sunset industry. Instead of being rubbished by lobby groups for so-called “dirty dairying”, the country’s core export industry has the chance to transform itself ...
Daily review 30/06/2020 
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As the Covid-19 pandemic rages round the world, New Zealanders are re-discovering food production is the fundamental engine of the economy. And farming is not a sunset industry. Instead of being rubbished by lobby groups for so-called “dirty dairying”, the country’s core export industry has the chance to transform itself ...3 days ago
Watergate newsboy burns the bully pulpit effigy of a POTUS.
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/06/29/politics/trump-phone-calls-national-security-concerns/index.html
Dang!!!! That was well worth the read. Thanks SPC. God help them.
Woohoo! Nash drops bomb on Winston. TV3 newsreader: "The New Zealand First leader exploded." Too bad they didn't have pictures of that!
The story had a secret recording from several years ago, and featured comment from Russel Norman. The guts is who's to blame for the long delay on cameras in fishing boats and the donations from Talleys to NZF also featured. There was a blame zig-zag between Labour & NZF, but by the end it wasn't clear who won…
After all the hyped up TV3 trailers, the "secret recording" was about as exciting as a wet Wednesday in Westport.
Nash has form for fruity language, so I was expecting at least "F**k Winston and the rest of them". We got nothing more than a mild-mannered explanation of how a coalition agreement works. Boring!
Good job.
Did you know that PT went to Winston's 2017 speech at our local RSA…mhmm.
There is no way PT or young andrew would want camera's on their vessels or fisheries loopholes closed.
I'd like to see a red and green government with the addition of Tracey Martin, that would be awesome.
Nash is archetypical as Minister for Fisheries, it's not a role for the meek, that's for certain. He would however, be more effective in helping to bring about much needed change if he didn't have so many other portfolio's.
Tova spills Nats internal polling result: https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2020/06/national-party-s-internal-polling-revealed-as-caucus-springs-another-leak.html
Labour could have been on 60+% if it wasn’t for David Clark and Ardern’s lack of leadership
Or 60+% if not for Tova 😈
Incognito I am pretty happy with 55%.
Ardern continues to show incredible leadership throughout this crisis. With phenomenal results. Making her own decision about David Clark is leadership. Not giving in to the whining media calling for blood. As Ardern said early on after the border breach was discovered "Clark is not part of the problem, he is part of the solution". She also said when questioned about Clark early this week, that she knows what's really happening and based her call re Clark on that.
If you think Ardern is showing a lack of leadership, think again
IKR? To moan that Labour are only polling at 55% …
Yep. This is the tactic. Bully her into an action she will later regret. That is how the Right operates. Basic principles and political honesty is not part of their play book. They genuinely believe anything goes if it brings them closer to power.
It's the primary difference between National/Act and Labour/Greens.
I was teasing Dennis Frank, see this thread in OM.
Funny bit, was that some still want the police to have a raptor group (this after the …) to show they're a bunch of toughs.
Simon Bridges lives on.
I see the government has taken up one suggestion from the opposition, 100% depreciation of business asset purchases in the first year.
This of course does help small and medium businesses in the short term but it is open to abuse long term which is why it's not law already.
Not surprised Todd Muller isn't promoting this win – it's not his idea.
Wow, this infighting in National is showing no signs of abating just 2 months out from the election.
They are just as unstable and unelectable as they were before. Many careers are about to end…
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2020/06/national-party-s-internal-polling-revealed-as-caucus-springs-another-leak.html
Bob Mould has a new song.
American crisis.
Warning; contains some enthusiastic rock n roll.
youtu.be/zD7TxGTPsV4
Makes me think of Beaster era Sugar.
Thanks for the heads up. A big Bob Mould fan. Zen Arcade is one of my top 10 albums ever.
Candy Apple Grey and Warehouse Songs and Stories for me. I also really enjoyed Workbook for a differently paced listen.
Has he gone electric again? I thought he'd given it up. Beaster's 20 minutes of shock and awe.
It's great to see a 60 yr old still able to tear the roof off.
I was in the Uk in the early '90s and saw Sugar live a couple of times, JC Auto is incredible.
Oh, wow! Angriest song he's done in years, excellent stuff.
My Bob Mould gig story is seeing him at the Phoenician, a large barn at the top of Broadway, Sydney, early nineties. Just him and a guitar. He wandered on stage with a hoody up, covering his face. No applause because everyone thought he was just a roadie setting up. Also memorable because a bunch of 'straight edge' proto emos chose to sit down en masse in the mosh area in front of the stage. Got trampled, of course.
btw I cover a lot of Husker Du songs at open mics and gigs around my 'hood. Somebody's got to keep these songs alive, may as well be me.
I know I shouldn't ask, do you enjoy performing one of the songwriters in Husker Du over the other?
2541 will be at my funeral.
Ah, the favourite child question! To be fair, Grant Hart's stuff goes down best as his were written in a more traditional rock structure, but as a guitarist I love playing Bob's song's more.
You'll be pleased to know 2541 gets a regular airing, as does The Main. Mind you, I often go with Never Talking to You Again as the opening song in a set. Good warm up for the fingers and always surprises the hell out of the audience!
Chur.
Recycling the old Alliance combo meme, Tim Murphy (co-editor of Newsroom) anticipates "a red-green coalition": https://www.newsroom.co.nz/politics/1287008/the-greens-cunning-plan
Where is this detail you refer to ?? Because there isn't any on The Greens site.
https://www.greens.org.nz/support_our_poverty_action_plan
Pity that the 2nd aspect of their announcement on how to fund the policy was lazy and lacked factual support. James Shaw at least should have been well versed on his numbers. Pity he talks around such things in generalisations. So his tax could tax in 12billion per annum and that is only counting the assets that are disclosed in the Household Wealth or IRD, there are many that are excluded from this. So what will he do with the added tax take that he conveniently passes over ? "By 2024 the party expected the new tax changes would net $10.34b a year, mostly from the wealth tax." Someone is being economic with the truth either that or they haven't done their homework.
He states that valuing peoples assets are easy yet only a few months ago the tax working group commented on the difficulty.
Best if you ask Weka or someone else re details of the policy – I don't go there. I'm the kind of person who prefers to wait for implementation & results before forming an opinion about how well it was designed. And note that I was quoting their co-editor, so it wasn't me who referred to it…
I prefer to see well thought out policy even if it doesn’t go and achieve all that was intended. Unfortunately many if not all political groups are lazy ( to be kind) and just want to capture the headlines of the moment. This is a case in point , no reason as to $100 &$150k or the $1m and $2m levels. I had some idea that James Shaw has some depth of financial understanding – but the interview dispels that. He didn’t know the details or could not support his numbers. Just as well he wasn’t challenged by the interviewer. Doesn’t give confidence.
Is there any party that has an idea of a coherent vision and strategy, we are being led by clowns on all sides.
"All of the above leads to uncomfortable issues for New Zealand to face. With a population that continues to increase rapidly, it becomes puzzling as to where and how New Zealand is going to find the export markets that underpin current per capita living standards in New Zealand."
https://www.interest.co.nz/rural-news/105757/neither-europe-nor-usa-are-going-do-us-any-trading-favours-says-keith-woodford
"The blunt reality is that if market forces are allowed to play out unhindered, then the likelihood is that New Zealand’s trade dependence on China is going to further increase. The reason for this is the same natural alignment that has led in recent years to China becoming the most important trading partner for New Zealand.
Coming to terms with that hard reality requires a conversation that goes well beyond issues of trade. That discussion has to include issues such as immigration policy. It also has to include a discussion as to where New Zealand sits within global geopolitics. And it is no good simply stating the things that New Zealand should not do. It has to be specific about what New Zealand should do."
NZs forever problem….exports.
Something to think on pat. Not good to have all our eggs in one basket.
We used to have a trade department that helped look for overseas business. That should help more, setting up some small bilateral deals outside of the cccppttt trade thing we signed up to. But most of all slow down on imports, bring in customs on everything. I'd hate it on the occasional thing I buy, but encouraging more NZ buying NZ. We need to stop living in airy fairy land. We used to think we were going to work towards being a small copy of the USA, a modern democracy knowing how to do business. But that was a 20thC thing. Now it is a new ball game and it isn't gridiron.
Absolutely. If we can shake off the cult of conspicuous consumption, the planned obsolescence of the neoliberal free market and return back to the days of my grandmother where everything had a second use and clothes lasted for decades, then we would be able to cut back on imports while our exports (food in a world growing heavy with people) continue to bring in the revenue.
It might mean tough times for The Warehouse and other Chinese cheap junk markets, but so what!
We simply cannot keep using once and discarding the precious world resources like we have been doing since the days of Rogernomics.
much needs to change
Yes much has needs to change. Yes much has been waiting for change for a good while now. The Covid situation seems almost “God Blessed” to arrive at this moment when change has been long long overdue. The restraints it puts on us helps us see the change needed. We must trim back excessive unnecessary travel, importation and consumption. We must return to waste not want not. We must close the doors on immigration to just those skills we absolutely do not have ( maybe a lot of needed skills are coming home anyway at the moment).The faster the population grows the less produce we will have to export. Overstocking destroys the environment and finally the people. I am looking for the politics that will immediately address the futures needs for a sustainable, stable and comfortable New Zealand.
Don't pick on The Warehouse – I think it is still NZ owned. Try KMart- Australian and open from 8am to 12pm a lot of the 7 days a week it is open like the great big mouth at the gate of Luna Park! And KMart is doing very well. At least we have kept some of that competitive market money in NZ. What we need of course is more going down the road to the shoemaker, and the dressmaker and tailor. I
t will cost us more initially, but I'm thinking if we had a system of paying out people in part local dollars that could only be accepted at local shops, and have it integrated into the tax dept with just playing 15% GST on the available dollars, then we could gradually refloat the economy into shallower waters. And bring in some of the discarded workers, give them opportunities to help themselves, and support them with working space, small loans to get started. We have to prepare for the tech-cut of jobs with planners telling us how lucky we are that we no longer have to do anything boring but forgetting to say that we will find doing nothing boring, and get verbally thrashed for it by the wolfare system that leaves teeth marks where it hurts.
Less about where the peddler comes from, it is what they are peddling is the issue.
Hopefully our borders will stay closed long enough that we get to have a fuller conversation about this.
Stop being such a worry pants. NZ products are in high demand.
And with the the rest of the world in lock down they are not exporting because they are not producing. Have a look at the shelves in KMart or similar for instance. Empty. But our world is not falling apart because we can't buy a new cake mixer or expresso machine. Car imports are way down. Japan is keeping their old cars – can't afford to buy new ones.
The result is that NZ had a record Trade Surplus for the first quarter 2020 and we will have another trade surplus this 2nd quarter just finishing.
https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU2005/S00568/record-monthly-surplus-as-imports-dive.htm
2 quarters do not a future make.
In case you didnt realise i wasnt the author of the article (or the many others over the years)….we can stop concerning ourselves with our exports when we either become self sufficient in the demanded necessities or learn to live (or not) without them
Nope. Out forever problem is believing that trade will make us wealthy. It won't do that, its not even supposed to. Trade is supposed to balance in a free-market.
Getting wealthy through trade is Mercantilism.
Of course, capitalism has never been about everyone getting wealthy – just the few at the top.
If we want the nation to get wealthy then we need to boost productivity and minimise the imports and exports.
"Nope. Out forever problem is believing that trade will make us wealthy. It won't do that, its not even supposed to."
who said anything about trade making us wealthy?
"Trade is supposed to balance in a free-market."
not sure where you get that idea
"If we want the nation to get wealthy then we need to boost productivity and minimise the imports and exports."
now THAT is mercantilism…..but again why are you obsessing about wealth when it hasnt been mentioned.
we need to export to earn the currency to provide those things that we cannot provide for ourselves that society expects/requires….”getting wealthy” has sweet FA to do with it
Politicians, economists – you name it, they've said it.
Studying economics. Hell, the whole point of having a floating exchange rate is to balance trade.
No it's not. Mecantilism is minimising imports while maximising exports.
Because you quoted it?
In other words, maintaining our present wealth.
And there is nothing that we can't provide for ourselves. The fact that you think that there is is proof that you've swallowed the Kool-aid about the necessity for trade.
"In other words, maintaining our present wealth'
No…in the words used….providing those things expected/required…if i meant to say 'maintaining our present wealth' I would have written such.
"Studying economics. Hell, the whole point of having a floating exchange rate is to balance trade."
And if you have studied economics you would know there is no relationship between a floating exchange rate and balanced trade…..like most economic theory the practice does not match the theory.
"No it's not. Mecantilism is minimising imports while maximising exports."
Afraid not, that may be the hoped for outcome but it is the method that makes it mercantilism.
True but that's probably because the exchange rate is left to speculation rather than being trade weighted.
And you'd wrong again.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercantilism
I said to minimize both. Its what we need to do to remove our reliance upon trade while still having what we want/expect.
and how do you propose to minimise both….I expect the method engaged would amount to mercantilism…but youre welcome to explain otherwise.
and then theres the not insignificant matter of providing all those expectations/needs
We need to build sustainable infrastructure and our well being resilience and cultural integrity. All activities should be put through those sieves first. Needs versus wants. IMO
How social realities get constructed, lesson 1: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=12343541
How social realities get constructed, lesson 2: https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/majority-kiwis-still-against-legalising-cannabis-according-latest-1-news-colmar-brunton-poll
Now given that there's about a week between the two samples, could be that 8% of the public had a sudden change of mind and reversed their stance.
A more intriguing possibility is that there are two (or more) publics in Aotearoa, as defined by stats polling methodology. I'll leave that to the stats experts to figure out. But a bit of a Schrodinger's cat situation, eh? Which one is real, or are they both simultaneously??
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/travel/2020/06/lloyd-burr-hey-duncan-garner-your-covid-19-border-idea-is-bonkers.amp.html?__twitter_impression=true yep, Duncan is a dunce, and frightening those NZrs overseas, luckily he's about at faraway from the levers of power as anyone could be.
Well said, Lloyd Burr. Everyone should read that, and not just Garner.
Armchair assumptions by the simple-minded have been a constant annoyance throughout this pandemic. Monitoring everyone is easy (no), testing everyone is easy (no), quarantine is easy (no), decisions about what is open/closed are easy (no) … in fact there are no practicalities to think about at all, we just reckon something and it magically happens.
And when Dr Bloomfield explains any of this for the 100th time, he must remain calm and patient. Maybe he really is a saint.
This sums it up:
The sad tale of a stateside success unravelling – LA faces the prospect of its hospitals being overun.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/29/us/california-coronavirus-reopening.html
I've been watching the US Late Shows and Cooper Anderson and Casie DC CNN etc & the despair of the reporting is getting more and more noticeable, they are desperate for some leadership!
Also to see the Florida and Texas Governor backtracking and pleading for people to wear masks is quite something.
& now the military & intelligence services are starting to get angry, a perfect storm.
Sounds reasonable to me. Unless there is a crucial reason for leaving NZ, it should be paid for by the individual. What counts as crucial might need some discussion. Not sure the govt can legally charge people trying to get back in since covid, but those leaving deliberately for a holiday or to travel, yeah, nah.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/30/jacinda-ardern-decries-dangerous-calls-to-reopen-new-zealand-borders-coronavirus?
It's canny politics, and we can see the message control in real time (except the fools who think she's a lightweight, only does the hugs blah blah).
Ardern discussed the issue at yesterday's post-Cab, knowing it would be picked up. It has become the main "border story" in the past 24 hours. It deflects nicely from the trickier issues – PM doesn't want to be blaming the returners but this is a much softer target. Cue the vox pops on tonight's news, all on side.
I'd guess potential holiday makers leaving and returning would be a small percentage of the total, but never mind, it plays very well (privileged, unpatriotic, entitled but taxpayer-funded etc). Media manipulation, job done.
I haven't been following. Is there a reason they can't slow down arrivals so that quarantine services can cope (and upscale)?
Can't refuse entry to citizens or residents and they are starting to expand other groups e.g. partners and children of citizens and residents, a slightly wider definition of essential work.
'Murica….
😂
Unravelled, more like it.
Iceland is opening its borders tomorrow.
https://www.covid.is/categories/tourists-travelling-to-iceland
One to watch: https://www.icelandreview.com/ask-ir/whats-the-status-of-covid-19-in-iceland/