Day of the Jackoff

Written By: - Date published: 4:04 pm, September 15th, 2010 - 87 comments
Categories: accountability, act, crime, making shit up, national/act government - Tags:

So ACT’s nutcase extraordinaire, the man whose only talent is to make John Boscawen look stable, has done it yet again.

Forever getting attention for all the wrong reasons, David Garrett has now admitted he’s been found guilty of a particularly distasteful dishonesty offence – stealing the identity of a dead infant for the purpose of fraudulently procuring a passport under a false identity.

So how many strikes does that make for Garrett? Dishonesty offence, assault conviction, calls to sterilise the poor, racist outbursts, homophobic outbursts, sexist outbursts, sexual harassment, lying about the lives to be saved by the 3 Strikes Law… the list goes on.

Ideological preferences aside, is this really the sort of person we want in Parliament? Will Hide or Key act like leaders and dismiss Garrett? Or will it be, like Andy Haden, another case of missing the opportunity to do the right thing and only firing Garrett when he inevitably screws up again and again and again, until belatedly doing the right thing is the only option left?

87 comments on “Day of the Jackoff ”

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  1. the pink postman 1
    14 September 2010 at 3:10 pm

    What a two faced lot of creeps these ACT people are . Hide with his double standards regarding perks .Garret with his rambling comments about crime and Douglas who was elected in the 1980s on false pretences .Lets hope this latest revelation will be the last nail in the coffin.

    • paula 1.1
      16 September 2010 at 12:26 pm

      [deleted]

      [lprent: As much as I personally dislike the SST, that comment dropped well over the edge. It was straight unsubstantiated defamation. ]

  2. ABC 2
    15 September 2010 at 1:34 pm

    Strikes are only for violent crimes as far as I know. But creating a false identity in the 1980s, that was discovered 2005, but was “just a prank of a young man”; how does that happen unless you were making a gain from that identity all that time? I can’t imagine a court being interested in a 20 year old identity issue if it was dormant. Someone must have known all along, or dug it up, tried to take him down in 2005 and is now back for more by passing it to Guyon Espiner. And some pretty amateur media handling by Garret during the footage. This issue is more damaging than the possibly false tongan assault conviction. Either way, ACT are taking a thrashing of late.

    • mcflock 2.1
      15 September 2010 at 5:28 pm

      nope – they put new systems in place and picked up the backlog of old cases. I remember a couple in the court news at the time, just folk who had done it then got sprung later on.

  3. Treetop 3
    15 September 2010 at 2:36 pm

    Garrett needs to use parliamentary privilege to have his police file on identity theft tabled in the house, incase he is not coming clean about the truth. Hide will probably object to this in record time. Hide what goes around comes around.

    • ABC 3.1
      15 September 2010 at 3:08 pm

      Just heard Garret give an explanation. He used a theory from the book Day of the Jackal and used the name of a dead baby to get a false passport.

      Hey, ACT, among your higly intelligent members have you any PR consultants? A member of parliament talking about stealing the identity of a dead baby is the fast track to obscurity! Good grief. It might be the truth but Garret’s deadpan voice “…I stole the identity of a baby who is now dead…” is a PR nightmare. I bet he’ll be gone soon.

      • Treetop 3.1.1
        15 September 2010 at 3:59 pm

        Did the PM know about Garrett stealing the identity of a deceased baby when Garrett was appointed to cabinet?

        Would Garret have been elected by the list Act Party voters had stealing identity been revealed?

        What does the police file say?

        Why was Garrett not charged?

        It does not wear with me to ignore such behaviour by an elected member of parliament even though they have not been charged. Garrett was an adult when he deliberately stole a dead baby’s identity.

        • Bright Red 3.1.1.1
          15 September 2010 at 5:02 pm

          Garrett’s not a minister, that’s Boscawen.

          Garrett was charged and found guilty but disharged without conviction.

          • Treetop 3.1.1.1.1
            15 September 2010 at 5:18 pm

            I thought that Garrett is a minister outside of cabinet. I realised my error. Correct me if I am wrong.

            • Bright Red 3.1.1.1.1.1
              15 September 2010 at 5:34 pm

              Nah, it’s Boscawen. Garrett is unusual as a first-term backbencher in getting his 3-strikes law through but that was because the government picked it up.

  4. mickysavage 4
    15 September 2010 at 2:38 pm

    So he is a fraudster as well as a thug?

  5. pollywog 5
    15 September 2010 at 4:18 pm

    Don’t even give this chump another strike. Bum rush his fool ass clean out of parliament i say…

    …the sooner, the better

    • Tigger 5.1
      15 September 2010 at 7:18 pm

      He’s already had that third strike anyway, laying down with the rotting corpse of the Act party surely constitutes necrophilia.

  6. billy fish 6
    15 September 2010 at 4:19 pm

    Quite simply with the Roy debacle Hide can’t afford another change of personnel and corresponding ructions.
    He stays and makes more foo foos

    John Key must be having a few face plants on this one

  7. Bright Red 7
    15 September 2010 at 4:26 pm

    I wonder how the Police tracked him down. Yeah, the Israeli spy scandal started them looking at passports, but working out that Garrett had been the one who got the passport, even with the clue of his photo, shouldn’t have been easy if he was otherwise unknown to the police… more to this methinks.

    • mcflock 7.1
      15 September 2010 at 4:56 pm

      that is, of course, ruling out that he put himself down as a witness on the passport application (ISTR 2 other people have to sign off on the application form). 🙂

      Alternatively they might have simply found the postal address it was sent to in their records and crossreferenced that with driver’s licenses, property ownership records, or other passports. He had to get it into his hands somehow.

      The interesting one was the Israelis – my recollection from the case was that the identities they stole were of living people, but institutionalised/invalids. My gentle guessing at the time is that the power that let them cf. passports with births/deaths also let them maybe look at invalids benefits.

      • Lindsey 7.1.1
        15 September 2010 at 5:40 pm

        Easy to trace – the witness has to have valid NZ passport. And they check that. So- either he used his own passport and signed as his own witness (another false statement) or his witness was prosecuted along with him and gave him up.

  8. mickysavage 8
    15 September 2010 at 4:27 pm

    Oh the irony!!

    The man who rails against weak judges and hits over the hand with a wet bus ticket received exactly this treatment himself.

    The man who wants zero tolerance for crime was shown a great deal of tolerance by our and the Tongan judiciary.

    That gurgling sound you can hear is Act’s chances at the next election going down the drain.

    But why was he selected as an MP when Hide knew about these problems before selection was complete?

    And I wonder what Cameron will say?

    • J Mex 8.1
      15 September 2010 at 6:53 pm

      Don’t know what happened there…

      To repost

      Oh the irony!!

      The man who rails against weak judges and hits over the hand with a wet bus ticket received exactly this treatment himself.

      Garret needs to resign. What a muppet.

      P.S. Anyone who has bothered to look into the Tongan thing, should realise that there was probably very little that Garret did wrong. This one is a complete absence of judgement.

    • Anne 8.2
      15 September 2010 at 9:21 pm

      “But why was he selected as an MP when Hide knew about these problems before selection was complete?”

      Remember reading somewhere that SS Trust was receiving large amounts of money from an American source. Maybe some of it ended up in Act’s campaign coffer. Payback? Act MP Garrett.

      Garth MCVicar was funny on Checkpoint tonight. Talk about a slippery eel… ducking and diving for cover. Must have had some C/T training too.

  9. Tammy Gordon 9
    15 September 2010 at 4:37 pm

    Damn my liberal heart! I swear to god I’m starting to feel sorry for Rodney.

    • the sprout 9.1
      15 September 2010 at 4:38 pm

      resist the urge, they would never return the favour

      • J Mex 9.1.1
        15 September 2010 at 6:42 pm

        The man who rails against weak judges and hits over the hand with a wet bus ticket received exactly this treatment himself.

        Bang on. What a drop kick.

        Rodney, do the right thing and get rid of this muppet.

  10. tc 10
    15 September 2010 at 4:42 pm

    Art imitates life…..from Blackadder 3 “….to be an MP you’ll need at least fraud and sexual deviancy…’

    Act appears to have set the bar somewhat higher….lets not forget garretts sexual harrassment issues and remember he’s a lawyer who doesn’t appear to grasp the law !

    He’s almost overqualified for ACT….sideshow doesn’t give a toss, you have to care to be concerned.

  11. pollywog 11
    15 September 2010 at 4:42 pm

    The court accepted that the consequences of a conviction for this offence would have consequences out of all proportion to the offending

    Uhh dude…YOU KNOWINGLY AND INTENTIONALLY ASSUMED THE IDENTITY OF A DEAD CHILD !!!

    Thats what i find really offensive.

    If you were prepared to do the crime you should be prepared to do the time…whatever that is

    The consequences being proportionate to the crime is what makes 3 strikes suck if you’re convicted on a lesser charge for your 3rd strike.

    and what exactly makes your punishment disproportionate ? The fact you never used the passport ? but dude…

    YOU KNOWINGLY AND INTENTIONALLY ASSUMED THE IDENTITY OF A DEAD CHILD !!!

    sweet…so i’ll rob a bank and never use the money. Maybe donate it to charity and when i get busted eventually i’ll try to use your justification too eh ?

    How far do you reckon that’ll wash with the judge. Me being poor and brown and all ?

    i just cant get over that…

    YOU KNOWINGLY AND INTENTIONALLY ASSUMED THE IDENTITY OF A DEAD CHILD !!!

    • toad 11.1
      15 September 2010 at 4:52 pm

      It is not a “fact” that he never used the passport. That is his assertion. By the time the case came to Court, the passport had expired and had been destroyed. So there is no evidence that he used the passport, which is different from evidence that it had never been used.

      Some OIAs to Internal Affairs, Immigration, and Customs to attempt to identify the name the passport was in and see if it had been used might be worth an effort, although it is still doubtful there will be good records that far back.

      • mcflock 11.1.1
        15 September 2010 at 4:59 pm

        that’s just what the family of the dead kid needs – if they give it to somebody responsible, they’ll also give it to the MSM. Just when ChCh is losing its amazing impact, too.

      • pollywog 11.1.2
        15 September 2010 at 5:21 pm

        It is not a “fact” that he never used the passport.

        Oops..My bad

        …and doesn’t that make things worse if it’s found out he used it.

        most obvious use i can think of would be benefit fraud. I’d check bank accounts and social welfare for dole payments in the 80’s under the dead childs name.

        • toad 11.1.2.1
          15 September 2010 at 8:30 pm

          Now, that is an interesting option. Work and Income copy passports if they are used as ID for for benefit applications. That’s worth a look via the OIA too, assuming we can get the name of the deceased person whose identity Garrett stole from DIA, because Work and Income should have a record of any benefit claimed under that name.

      • ghostwhowalksnz 11.1.3
        15 September 2010 at 6:14 pm

        Garrett says HE never used the passport, leaves a wide open gap to be used by someone else. Especially with an old photo who knows

        • felix 11.1.3.1
          15 September 2010 at 6:46 pm

          Actually we have no way of knowing if it was ever used by Garrett either – only his say-so.

          Presumably it would be simple enough to find out if it had ever been used for travel purposes, but even if not, there’s no way to be sure it wasn’t used as ID to falsely obtain credit or commit any other crimes.

        • Vicky32 11.1.3.2
          16 September 2010 at 7:27 pm

          And, I’ve learned from 3 News tonight, a photo in a rather lame disguise – dyed hair and glasses!
          Deb

    • Bored 11.2
      15 September 2010 at 4:53 pm

      SENTENCING JUDGE TO POLLY….Polly, it was your gang patch….being brown has got nothing to do with the huge sentence I am now going to give you.

      SENTENCING JUDGE TO GARRETT…You come from a nice supportive family and wear a beautiful suit, now if your not careful next time I will have to imprison you with societies dregs and a whole pile of Maori gang members…fined 50 cents and may God have mercy…..

  12. MikeE 12
    15 September 2010 at 4:49 pm

    Twitter… need more #GarrettBookInspirations

  13. mcflock 13
    15 September 2010 at 5:01 pm

    did I mention I spluttered my coffee when I read the post title? Damned fine title.

  14. lprent 14
    15 September 2010 at 5:02 pm

    Congrats to the sprout for the really great title.

    Update: someone broke the numbering with a comment deletion. Good been looking for a place to look at this

  15. Bright Red 15
    15 September 2010 at 5:08 pm

    A lawyer usually can’t be admitted to the bar have a conviction against their name. Might explain why he was discharged without conviction, presuming Garrett was either already a lawyer or at law school at the time.

    when was he meant to be an oil rig worker again? I’m guessing he was actually a lawyer for an oil company.

    • joe bloggs 15.1
      15 September 2010 at 5:40 pm

      presuming Garrett was either already a lawyer or at law school at the time.

      Presumption incorrect.

      He got this passport in 1984 but didn\’t enroll in the University of Canterbury until 1986. As I said eariler not a student prank but a pre-student prank

      • felix 15.1.1
        15 September 2010 at 6:09 pm

        And as I said the only source for it being any sort of prank is Garrett himself.

        And seeing as how he’s the kind of guy who steals the identity of a dead baby, I’d say you’re a fucking idiot if you believe anything he says.

        How old was he when he did this disgusting deed btw? You’re trying to paint it as an adolescent jape but he must’ve been an adult in the 1980s, surely.

      • Marty G 15.1.2
        15 September 2010 at 11:26 pm

        Actually, joe bloggs, Bright Red has a point. You see, Garrett was a lawyer when he was tried. Oh DtB has made that point.

    • Draco T Bastard 15.2
      15 September 2010 at 6:58 pm

      And he wasn’t in court over it until 2005. Being convicted of this would have disbarred him.

  16. SHG 16
    15 September 2010 at 5:15 pm

    Will Hide or Key act like leaders and dismiss Garrett?

    Hint: only one of those people is the leader of ACT.

  17. Tammy Gordon 17
    15 September 2010 at 5:22 pm

    Serves Act right for getting into bed with the devil aka The Sensible Sentencing Trust. Peter Dunne did better when he got into bed with god via the Future NZ party. Although all those bright and shiny MPs didn’t last very long bless ’em, and you never really got to know a single one of their names but at least they didn’t die a loud and humiliating death from from hypocrisitis.

  18. Policy Parrot 18
    15 September 2010 at 5:23 pm

    So that’s Strike 2 I assume?

  19. mickysavage 19
    15 September 2010 at 5:39 pm

    Did I hear Radio New Zealand right and did Garth McVicar of Sensible Sentencing Trust know about this previously?

  20. felix 20
    15 September 2010 at 5:48 pm

    Hey Rodney,

    is this another example of how the ACT caucus is representative of normal kiwis who don’t necessarily have spotless pasts?

    Or is it just what it looks like – a violent criminal, habitual drunk, sexual pest and unashamed bigot stealing a dead baby’s identity?

    • rosy 20.1
      15 September 2010 at 6:23 pm

      Oh I hope they don’t sack him! That would give NACT a teensy bit of credibility. The next person on the list has gotta be an improvement

      😉 Just joking

    • Billy Fish 20.2
      16 September 2010 at 1:15 pm

      Just while we are kicking him while he’s down,,,,, and he SOOOO deserves it,,,,, the man Garrett has a reputation in the legal world of being a sleaze bag.

  21. aj 21
    15 September 2010 at 6:02 pm

    Scum. I know a lot of people who did stupid things 30 years ago but none of them – NONE – stops so long as this scum did.

  22. Vicky32 22
    15 September 2010 at 6:05 pm

    I am just hearing TV3’s take on this… Garrett is shown as saying (with a scary flat affect) that he “was curious to see if such a thing could be done”. He’s old enough to have known at the time, that the Mr Asia drug syndicate used to do the same thing, news I remember hearing a lot longer ago than 26 years!
    Then JonKey says in effect ‘nothing to do with me’… Ma daiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!
    Deb

    • J Mex 22.1
      15 September 2010 at 6:58 pm

      It’s the child porn defense – ‘I was just curious.’

      I don’t care.

      It’s seriously wrong.

  23. felix 23
    15 September 2010 at 6:13 pm

    Bye Garrett. Crook.

    Bye Rodney. Dupe and hypocrite.

    Bye ACT. Bunch of lying, corrupt, selfish, immoral, racist, solipsistic fuckwits.

  24. ABC 24
    15 September 2010 at 6:29 pm

    “Espiner clarified for Garrett, a former barrister, that ONE News understood Garrett has been discharged without conviction on a charge of creating a false identity.”

    In that case, did Guyon knowingly break name suppression for the 2005 case? Political curries: you just have to be in the same room to get the shits.

  25. Rex Widerstrom 25
    15 September 2010 at 6:37 pm

    Now I see why Garrett refuses to believe in the possibility of redemption for any criminal. Redemption relies upon accepting not just the facts of your action but its wrongness, and the wrongness of your intent.

    It requires empathy (something lacking in psychopaths and sociopaths) to understand the hurt your actions have caused (in this case to the memory of a dead child and the feelings of all his relatives).

    It means you end up punishing yourself far harder than any justice system could do.

    But a prequisite to all of this is shame. And clearly, Garrett has none.

    • Macro 25.1
      15 September 2010 at 7:49 pm

      Well said Rex.
      This is the nub of the issue. Garrett (and SST) cannot understand the concept of the redemptive process. Their whole focus is on punishment.
      Will garret punish himself one wonders?

    • toad 25.2
      15 September 2010 at 9:01 pm

      “Sociopath” explains it completely, doesn’t it Rex.. I think you are onto something there. Wonder if Lhaws will pop up in Garrett’s defence?

  26. rosy 26
    15 September 2010 at 6:48 pm

    BTW does anyone know how old was he when he did this 26 years ago? I can’t see anything about his age on his FB page or the ACT website – he looks way too old for it being an excusable young man’s prank

  27. Johnno 27
    15 September 2010 at 7:03 pm

    That’s shocking behaviour by Garrett. This is definitely someone who should not be in Parliament. A lot of politicians are self serving arseholes but it’s the dishonest ones I can’t stand. Ethics are obviously optional down there.

  28. prism 28
    15 September 2010 at 7:48 pm

    Garrett did say he did the dead baby identity passport thing as an exercise to see how easily it could be done. Years ago the anti homosexual and everything campaigner Patricia ? did a similar thing in ordering mens mags that were banned in NZ from Oz. and copped flak for it even though she had been a nun.

    antispam – decent

    • Macro 28.1
      15 September 2010 at 7:59 pm

      Bartlett

    • Vicky32 28.2
      15 September 2010 at 8:16 pm

      Although he must have known that it could be, and was done, as the Mr Asia syndicate fuss was oin the media in about 82… and that was one of the things that came out, that they did it… So unless he was asleep from 1978 to 1986, mind you that’s always possible (or was that when he was being an oil rig worker?)
      Deb

  29. Gotham 29
    15 September 2010 at 8:05 pm

    I just can’t get over how far over the line he went doing this in the first place. To say that this was an error of judgement is so understating it, it is completely farcial. Because he read it in a BOOK???? I am in my late 20s, and the type of person Garrett would hate. I would never think it was acceptable to STEAL THE IDENTITY OF A DEAD BABY for a bit of fun.

    I remember a story coming into the news ages ago about the impact of someone stealing the identity of dead child on the family of the dead child. It sounded awful. I googled (not really thinking I would find it), but found this instead. Here are some interesting clips:

    “The Department of Internal Affairs says criminals attempting passport fraud are most likely to be caught and punished, no matter how long ago the crime occurred….Department of Internal Affairs Passports Manager, David Philp, says passport fraud is a crime with serious consequences, as well as being emotionally disturbing and offensive to innocent people. Often, as in this case, the criminal has used the name of a dead baby to obtain a false passport. This is very distressing for the bereaved family.”

    (and also) Statement from a victim of another false passport application:

    “The pain we have suffered was strange after all these years. I felt an intrusion into our private lives as well as old wounds reopened. It was extremely upsetting to learn that our baby brother’s identity was callously stolen.”

    (http://www.dia.govt.nz/press.nsf/d77da9b523f12931cc256ac5000d19b6/435c699f4eaf47edcc2571af001a34e0!OpenDocument)

    Oh – but it’s all good. Garrett got the idea from reading A BOOK!!!

  30. travellerev 30
    15 September 2010 at 8:25 pm

    Didn’t Tim Selwyn get a jail sentence for doing the same in part?

  31. nzfp 31
    15 September 2010 at 8:44 pm

    So does that mean that David Garret is working for Israel? I guess we can assume that passport wasn’t used in Dubai or maybe it was?!? It may be worth checking if that passport ever went to Dubai?

  32. Rharn 32
    15 September 2010 at 9:11 pm

    The moral high ground is indeed a slippery slope. If ya gona go there ya better not have any baggage to drag ya down. Bit late for Hide and his slippery mate.

  33. Lez Howard 33
    16 September 2010 at 6:43 am

    Is the NACT cloning Laurel and Hardy,s

  34. Bright Red 34
    16 September 2010 at 9:52 am

    Armstrong basically stole your line, sprout:

    “Yesterday was not so much the Day of the Jackal – the Frederick Forsyth thriller from which Act MP David Garrett took the idea of stealing the identity of a long dead baby to procure a fraudulent passport for himself.

    Yesterday was the Day of the Jackass”

  35. mickysavage 35
    16 September 2010 at 6:33 pm

    This just got worse for Garrett. According to TVone he told the North Shore Court in 2005 that he had no convictions, either in New Zealand or Tonga.

    He had the assault conviction in 2002 and obviously knew about it.

    Liar liar …

  36. Observer 36
    16 September 2010 at 11:04 pm

    I heard a radio commentator say that Rodney has to keep Garrett because the next two on the ACT list are on Heather Roys side of the party.If Garrett goes a leadership challenge will see Rodney lose.

    • Vicky32 36.1
      17 September 2010 at 6:21 pm

      Latest news apparently is that Garrett has quit and taken 2 weeks off to ‘reflect’… sounds familiar! 😀
      Deb

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    Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on UnsplashWe’re back again after our mid-winter break. We’re still with the ‘new’ day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when we have our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Will the real PM Luxon please stand up?

    Notes: This is a free article. Abuse in Care themes are mentioned. Video is at the bottom.BackgroundYesterday’s report into Abuse in Care revealed that at least 1 in 3 of all who went through state and faith based care were abused - often horrifically. At least, because not all survivors ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    2 days ago
  • Will debt reduction trump abuse in care redress?

    Luxon speaks in Parliament yesterday about the Abuse in Care report. Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:PM Christopher Luxon said yesterday in tabling the Abuse in Care report in Parliament he wanted to ‘do the ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Olywhites and Time Bandits

    About a decade ago I worked with a bloke called Steve. He was the grizzled veteran coder, a few years older than me, who knew where the bodies were buried - code wise. Despite his best efforts to be approachable and friendly he could be kind of gruff, through to ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Why were the 1930s so hot in North America?

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters and Bob Henson Those who’ve trawled social media during heat waves have likely encountered a tidbit frequently used to brush aside human-caused climate change: Many U.S. states and cities had their single hottest temperature on record during the 1930s, setting incredible heat marks ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago
  • Throwback Thursday – Thinking about Expressways

    Some of the recent announcements from the government have reminded us of posts we’ve written in the past. Here’s one from early 2020. There were plenty of reactions to the government’s infrastructure announcement a few weeks ago which saw them fund a bunch of big roading projects. One of ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    2 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Thursday, July 25

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Thursday, July 25 are:News: Why Electric Kiwi is closing to new customers - and why it matters RNZ’s Susan EdmundsScoop: Government drops ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • The Possum: Demon or Friend?

    Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago
  • Not a story

    Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Thursday, July 25

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Thursday, July 25, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day were:The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry published its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • A tougher line on “proactive release”?

    The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • 'Let's build a motorway costing $100 million per km, before emissions costs'

    TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Lester's Prescription – Positive Bleeding.

    I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Casey Costello gaslights Labour in the House

    Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone icon on the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    3 days ago
  • Why is the Texas grid in such bad shape?

    This is a re-post from the Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler Headline from 2021 The Texas grid, run by ERCOT, has had a rough few years. In 2021, winter storm Uri blacked out much of the state for several days. About a week ago, Hurricane Beryl knocked out ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on a textbook case of spending waste by the Luxon government

    Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    3 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Wednesday, July 24

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • LXR Takaanini

    As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    3 days ago
  • Four kilograms of pain

    Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Wednesday, July 24

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive: Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Luxon gets caught out

    NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago
  • A worrying sign

    Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Are we fine with 47.9% home-ownership by 2048?

    Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloitte report for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Let's Win This

    You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • Waimahara: The Singing Spirit of Water

    There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
    Greater AucklandBy Connor Sharp
    4 days ago
  • A major milestone: Global climate pollution may have just peaked

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’s Oliver LewisScoop: Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announced the Board of Te Whatu Ora- Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • HealthNZ and Luxon at cross purposes over budget blowout

    Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • 2500-3000 more healthcare staff expected to be fired, as Shane Reti blames Labour for a budget defic...

    Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    4 days ago
  • Might Kamala Harris be about to get a 'stardust' moment like Jacinda Ardern?

    As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
    PunditBy Tim Watkin
    5 days ago
  • Solutions Interview: Steven Hail on MMT & ecological economics

    TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
    The KakaBy Steven Hail
    5 days ago
  • Reported back

    The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Vandrad the Viking, Christopher Coombes, and Literary Archaeology

    Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell On The Biden Withdrawal

    History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    5 days ago
  • Joe Biden's withdrawal puts the spotlight back on Kamala and the USA's complicated relatio...

    This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    5 days ago
  • Why we have to challenge our national fiscal assumptions

    A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Existential Crisis and Damaged Brains

    What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • A speed limit is not a target, and yet…

    This is a guest post from longtime supporter Mr Plod, whose previous contributions include a proposal that Hamilton become New Zealand’s capital city, and that we should switch which side of the road we drive on. A recent Newsroom article, “Back to school for the Govt’s new speed limit policy“, ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #29

    A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago
  • I'd like to share what I did this weekend

    This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • For the children – Why mere sentiment can be a misleading force in our lives, and lead to unex...

    National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Order image, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • A friend in uncertain times

    Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • The Chaotic World of Male Diet Influencers

    Hi,We’ll get to the horrific world of male diet influencers (AKA Beefy Boys) shortly, but first you will be glad to know that since I sent out the Webworm explaining why the assassination attempt on Donald Trump was not a false flag operation, I’ve heard from a load of people ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • It's Starting To Look A Lot Like… Y2K

    Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Bernard’s Saturday Soliloquy for the week to July 20

    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Pharmac Director, Climate Change Commissioner, Health NZ Directors – The latest to quit this m...

    Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 week ago
  • Flooding Housing Policy

    The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 week ago
  • A Voyage Among the Vandals: Accepted (Again!)

    As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā's Chorus for Friday, July 19

    An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Roundup 19-July-2024

    Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Climate Wrap: A market-led plan for failure

    TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Tobacco First

    Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Trump’s Adopted Son.

    Waiting In The Wings: For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSA announced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago

  • Joint statement from the Prime Ministers of Canada, Australia and New Zealand

    Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue.  We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago
  • AG reminds institutions of legal obligations

    Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago
  • More young people learning about digital safety

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views.  “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago
  • Speech to the Conference for General Practice 2024

    Tēnā tātou katoa,  Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    24 hours ago
  • Employers and payroll providers ready for tax changes

    New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts.  “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Experimental vineyard futureproofs wine industry

    An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Funding confirmed for regions affected by North Island Weather Events

    The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Indonesian Foreign Minister to visit

    Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.   “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Strengthening partnership with Ngāti Maniapoto

    He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Transport Minister thanks outgoing CAA Chair

    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Test for Customary Marine Title being restored

    The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says.  “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Opposition united in bad faith over ECE sector review

    Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet.  “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Kiwis having their say on first regulatory review

    After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks.  “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government upgrading Lower North Island commuter rail

    The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government moves to ensure flood protection for Wairoa

    Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • PM speech to Parliament – Royal Commission of Inquiry’s Report into Abuse in Care

    Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care.  At the heart of this report are the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government acknowledges torture at Lake Alice

    For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government acknowledges courageous abuse survivors

    The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Half a million people use tax calculator

    With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis.  “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Paid Parental Leave improvements pass first reading

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