Diplomacy with China hasn’t failed – it hasn’t been tried

Written By: - Date published: 8:45 pm, June 5th, 2023 - 34 comments
Categories: China, defence, Diplomacy, Hong Kong, Iran, Peace, Peace, Propaganda, uncategorized, war, Xi Jinping - Tags:

Gerald Hensley was David Lange’s chief of staff when New Zealand’s nuclear free policy was adopted. He opposed what happened then and opposes it still. He now argues we should prepare for war with China.

Writing in the Post’s full-page opinion piece titled: ‘How will a self-absorbed NZ face A RISING CHINA?’ Hensley states:

In the 1980s a long period of peace led to some resentment at what was seen as a dependence on our traditional friends. We abandoned our security arrangement with the United States and declared that henceforth we would pursue an independent foreign policy.

This is a misrepresentation of the facts. Hensley manages to fill a full page article urging New Zealand to prepare for war with China now, without once mentioning our determination then to become and remain proudly nuclear free. New Zealand did not abandon the ANZUS security alliance – it was forced out by the United States, as we did not allow access of nuclear-armed or propelled ship to our harbours.

Hensley’s basic thesis is that Xi Jinping wants to rule the world. He talks of China’s aggressive nationalism, speaking of:

”China’s aim to become paramount power in the Asia Pacific and perhaps beyond is repeatedly proclaimed by its leader and by its actions over a decade. As the differences deepen we have to keep in mind the risk that the urge to rest our hopes on diplomacy will confuse and distract us from the core of the difficulty.”

The reveal words there are “paramount” and “perhaps beyond.” China has never aimed to become a power beyond its borders, but because of its history does take its internal security very seriously. This is shown in it’s determination to counter terrorism in Xinjiang and violent protest in Hong Kong.

Hensley is like many outside commentators on China, mind-readers who presume to tell us how their leader thinks. In my opinion it is much more useful to pay attention to what China’s leader actually does. Peace and stability are important values for China, as is evidenced by Xi Jinping’s recent bringing together of Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shi’ite Iran into a durable peace agreement. This is an extraordinary, stunning  diplomatic achievement which will have important repercussions, shaping the development of that violence-ridden region for a long time to come.

Regarding Hong Kong some fact checking is in order. Hensley states that China ‘tore up the treaty guaranteeing Hong Kong’s freedoms” What China did in fact was to enact the clause 23 of the treaty guaranteeing peace and stability that the interim Government had failed to introduce. The uprising stopped and peace returned to Hong Kong.

Hensley’s solution is to abandon diplomacy and go for militarisation, on the Alice in Wonderland theory that more military expenditure will bring about peace. It never has before and it is unlikely to do so in the future. He says:

(Xi Jinping’s) policy is not to make or keep foreign friends, it is to place China at the top of the foreign policy ladder. Trying to do so imposes costs and he is willing to accept them up to a point. The point at which the costs may become too high is not when China is cold-shouldered abroad or when it is not invited to conferences but when an alliance begins to emerge that is capable of checking his dominant ambition, taking Taiwan.

He continues:

So to borrow a phrase from Lenin, what is to be done? The threat of war would galvanise the diplomats – that is what they are for – but a diplomatic solution does not seem possible unless China is willing to abandon its aim to annex Taiwan.

This is nothing short of lunacy. To treat the trivial first, it is not China that is being cold-shouldered at conferences. Chinese General Li’s speech at the Shangri-La conference this weekend was greeted with applause from around the room at its conclusion. The shift to a multi-polar world is proceeding apace at conference after conference where China is welcomed.

But calling on China to abandon its claim to Taiwan is something else  altogether. Another remarkable elision from Hensley’s article is any mention of the one-China policy, that New Zealand along with nearly every other country around the world adheres to. Hensley is arguing that we should be ready to join a Civil War inside China!

Hensley compares China to Germany and Japan as nationalist powers that were expansionist, but the comparison is absurd. A better parallel for us would be to compare the 1840 treaty of Waitangi with the 1842 treaty of Nanjing, both transacted with Great Britain. In the 1842 treaty, Britain forced China to accept opium instead of silver to pay for coveted Chinese silks and ceramics, and also forced China to secede Hong Kong to Britain as a colony.

We can therefore possibly understand how this history has played out in China’s consciousness today. The Treaty of Waitangi was not forced upon the indigenous people of New Zealand, but it was followed with a Civil War fought over ownership of land. Just as as the history of grievance has remained over time in New Zealand’s consciousness following the Treaty of Waitangi, we may begin to understand how the Treaty of Nanjing is perceived inside China. That is why saying that New Zealand should join an alliance to force China to exclude Taiwan as part of its internal political structure is offensive in the extreme to all Chinese. Taiwan is already part of China – there is no question of annexation.

Hensley makes much of the failure of diplomacy in relation to China’s role in the Pacific hence his preference for reversion to force. He does acknowledge that the consequences of such of use of force with China would be horrendous but he has no faith in diplomacy. He does however pay it lip-service:

Of course we must “keep the channels open” and keep talking with China. Of course we must lose no opportunity to try to understand its outlook and show our goodwill and desire to meet it’s reasonable needs, but talking rarely eases nationalist resentments.

As the differences deepen we have to keep in mind the risk that the urge to rest our hopes on diplomacy will confuse and distract us from the core of the difficulty.

The core of the difficulty of course is that it is the United States not China that is the expansionist aggressor. That subject is for another time.

But the starting point with anyone for our diplomacy has to be putting ourselves in the other persons shoes and attempting to understand their point of view. And my opinion our diplomats do not make much effort to understand China’s point of view.

Hensley’s article could be dismissed as that of an old Cold War warrior crying in the beer for the days of the United States alliance under ANZUS. However I hear from multiple credible sources that revisionist laments are also found in some of our current professional diplomats.

We urgently need a wide-ranging debate about our .relations with China and our supposedly independent foreign policy. In my opinion, we also need to listen carefully to what Chinese voices actually. Wemay find much to our advantage. My Fabian Society interview with Chinese ambassador Wang Xiaolong on China’s values was one attempt to hear their point of view in their own words.

Now is not the time to be picking sides, we should be looking for every avenue that promotes peace and dialogue. There is too much at stake to get it wrong.

34 comments on “Diplomacy with China hasn’t failed – it hasn’t been tried ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Ad 1
    5 June 2023 at 9:07 pm

    Utopia says it pretty well here.

  2. Stuart Munro 2
    5 June 2023 at 9:43 pm

    I'm going to side with Clausewitz on this one – that military force forms a continuum with diplomatic efforts.

    China has been part of a diplomatic discourse about Taiwan for quite some time. Under Xi – the improperly appointed President for life – the discourse has taken a more aggressive turn. But that's in abeyance for the moment.

    The world is waiting on the outcome of Putin's Ukrainian adventure. It is not clear that China is deterred by the spectacle of Nato armaments, but the sanctions levelled against Russia have no doubt given Xi pause. Absent a military masterstroke, Russia is poised to collapse, at least in terms of its campaign in Ukraine. Historically, Moscow governments do not long survive military defeats.

    This being so, Xi will likely prove more temperate in his diplomacy than he might have been had Nato aid proven as ineffectual as Russian regular forces.

    In the meantime, I would like to see NZ governments putting more effort into understanding the drivers of wealth or inequality among our own people. The immediate threats NZ faces from China are more how their low wage and low trust society impacts on a high cost of living Westminster descended state, than proximate landing forces either here or in Taiwan.

  3. barry 3
    5 June 2023 at 10:03 pm

    Xi has been incredibly bad for China, and life in China is a lot less free than it was 10 years ago but…

    China's ambitions do not extend beyond territory that it has claimed in the past. It is looking for influence outside the region for access to raw materials, and trade. It is much less pernicious than several other powers.

    Confrontations with US and other militaries in the region can be put into context by asking what would happen if Chinese warships and planes were conducting "freedom of navigation" exercises in the Gulf of Mexico.

    As the saying goes: "If China didn't want war they wouldn't have put their country so close to the ring of American bases".

    Hensley wants us to suck up to the Americans for safety. However we need to maintain an independent foreign policy. Joining the Americans in trying to contain China is like joining the bully gang to pick on the awkward, annoying kid in the schoolyard.

    • The Chairman 3.1
      6 June 2023 at 7:00 pm

      China's ambitions do not extend beyond territory that it has claimed in the past.

      Yet

      The People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) surpassed the US Navy in fleet size sometime around 2020 and now has around 340 warships, according to the Pentagon's 2022 China Military Power Report, released in November.

      https://tinyurl.com/5h3x8kxm

      And its navy is expected to grow to 400 ships in the next year or so.

      • SPC 3.1.1
        6 June 2023 at 7:15 pm

        Both NATO/EU and now our region are facing pressures for greater defence spending (purchases off the USA) to resolve failed American policy.

        In a CC GW world

        post Iraq, Libya Syria Islamic State consequence of the failed war against terrorism (Afghanistan today), GFC and now pandemic debt,

        it speaks to a planet with risibly poor governance since the chads of Florida and the SCOTUS decision not to have a recount.

        PS The USA debt ceiling deal limits capability in domestic, defence, GW and foreign aid spending for years.

        • The Chairman 3.1.1.1
          6 June 2023 at 7:39 pm

          A number of nations are building up in preparation for potential war with China.

          If the US fail to, it could very well be at their peril.

          It seems to me China are getting ready to make a move sooner rather than later.

          They're not building up all that military power for nothing.

          • SPC 3.1.1.1.1
            6 June 2023 at 7:50 pm

            No they are not, they are demonstrating a capacity to build capability that the USA cannot match, to force a change in American policy on Taiwan – and the USA is seeking security partners (Trump policy to offload cost).

            The question is whether policy is to fight for Taiwan's independence from China (an act of aggression on "our" part) or to prevent their hegemony over ASEAN and our region – defend a rules based international order.

            We cannot achieve the first without risk of war.

            • The Chairman 3.1.1.1.1.1
              6 June 2023 at 8:08 pm

              Taiwan will fight for its own independence from China.

              If the US fail to join them, they risk even more potential aggressiveness from China. So to do we.

              No they are not, they are demonstrating a capacity to build capability that the USA cannot match, to force a change in American policy on Taiwan.

              I don't believe it will end with the taking of Taiwan. And nor, does it seem, do a number of other countries.

              China is starting to show a more aggressive stance.

              China is going to become a big problem IMO.

              • SPC …
                6 June 2023 at 10:02 pm

                But it also true that the willingness to signal a collective defence of Taiwan is of a design to use that (fight on that island) to contain a feared rise of China to hegemony.

                That makes war more likely and motivates China to develop the capability to prevail despite such regional opposition – as the only way to restore Taiwan into China.

                And so also increases the risk of China having the feared military dominance afterwards.

                Cold War defence spending costs 1945-1990 in a benevolent economic environment (for the West) are not the same as in the 21st C (GFC/pandemic debt and GW impost).

  4. SPC 4
    5 June 2023 at 10:30 pm

    It's been over 30 years and GH has yet to appreciate the connection between a nuclear free South Pacific and a nuclear free Europe – and the end of the Cold War (including the dismantling of the Warsaw Pact and subsequent inclusion within the EU and also unfortunately NATO).

    So I guess he failed to appreciate the wisdom of George Kennan on how to prevent Russia returning to an anti-NATO animus. And he probably supported the self defeat strategy in the war against terrorism by invading Iraq (and then turning Libya and Syria into failed states – ah the Arab spring, where for art thou). Leading to the human rights betrayal of the women of Afghanistan.

    Fortunately our governments have been somewhat blameless in this post Cold War snatching of defeat from the jaws of victory for civilisation in our time (was the PNAC the worst group of government advisors ever assembled by any imperial power not later conquered and occupied)?

    Since then those of their ilk on Capitol Hill have managed to assert some right for Hong Kong to be a democracy (something not in the 1997 agreement), which unsurprisingly resulted in activation of the above mentioned clause 23. And subsequent bellicosity over the future of Taiwan.

    Our position should be a simple one, support for the inclusion of Taiwan within China from 2049 and for the two parties to organise/negotiate (a transition) a way for the self-government on the island to continue on this basis (as per Hong Kong till 2047) after 2049.

    That said, we have an obligation to work with ASEAN and Pacific nations to ensure the rule of international law – such as respecting decisions made on matters of territorial sovereignty. That should be our firm multi-lateral posture – it is not one based on any direct confrontation of China, but one firm on historic principle and current world polity (by all but aggressor nations).

    And it is long past time when the Korean matter was resolved by the USA and China working together – US forces leave, and Beijing guarantees South Korean security (with forces at the Yalu River).

    • Belladonna 4.1
      6 June 2023 at 2:08 pm

      Our position should be a simple one, support for the inclusion of Taiwan within China from 2049 and for the two parties to organise/negotiate (a transition) a way for the self-government on the island to continue on this basis (as per Hong Kong till 2047) after 2049.

      So we should ignore, completely, the right of the people of Taiwan for self-determination (newsflash, they do not want to be folded into China)?

      Do you also hold that opinion over the independence of Kosovo, or Ukraine?

      Or does it simply mean that might is right in your opinion. Small powers should hold no rights if the bully boy neighbour wants to exert their authority to take their land.

      • SPC 4.1.1
        6 June 2023 at 4:29 pm

        Tell it to the states of the south in the USA back in 1860's.

        And read up a little about the history of the world around you.

        If you have no respect for international law – and in international law Taiwan is part of China, then might is right.

        It was the US fleet that enabled the partition of China in 1949 and portrayed Taipei as the capital of China and installed them in the UNSC.

        I suppose you regret our lack of participation in the illegal invasion of Iraq.

        It's in your might is right world view that China turns atolls into islands and "steals" territory and resources off ASEAN nations.

        And it's in your world where no nation has come to the support of Ukraine (for fear of the might is right Russia) – so it fights on alone. In that it is like Israel in 1948 when attacked by 5 Arab armies and the UK (on the UNSC) just moved its forces out of the way.

        We either stand for international law, or we do not.

        It's when we do not, that might becomes right.

        So you are, in fact, totally wrong on all points.

        • Belladonna 4.1.1.1
          6 June 2023 at 10:04 pm

          So, in your opinion, the fact that the Taiwanese do not want to be part of China is utterly immaterial.

          You haven't exactly come out and said where you stand on Ukraine or Kosovo. Do they have the right to exist as independent territories? And if they do, why does Taiwan not have the same right?

          And, having raised Israel – do you believe that it has the right to exist as a state? After all, it was only created due to international post-war diplomacy, with a heavy admixture of post-Holocaust war guilt.

          International 'law' is a rapidly moving feast – changing with the strength of the various international powers.

          It's cute that you think you are absolutely right on all points. But makes it effectively impossible to debate with you.

          • SPC 4.1.1.1.1
            6 June 2023 at 10:15 pm

            Have you heard of the collective security of (recognised) nation states?

            Ukraine is one. Israel is one. Taiwan is not.

            After all, it was only created due to international post-war diplomacy, with a heavy admixture of post-Holocaust war guilt.

            No. The League of Nations mandate transferred to the UN. Have you heard of Basel, the Balfour Declaration?

            International 'law' is a rapidly moving feast – changing with the strength of the various international powers.

            So you totally reject our historic bi-partisan foreign policy/diplomatic position and regard, might as the right.

            It's cute that you think you are absolutely right on all points. But makes it effectively impossible to debate with you.

            Do some reading before discussing/debating these topics. Way out of your depth on this.

            • Belladonna 4.1.1.1.1.1
              6 June 2023 at 10:32 pm

              Kosovo?

              I have indeed heard of the Balfour Declaration – a unilateral declaration by Great Britain – without consultation with any other state – let alone an International agreement.

              I don't think this is supporting your argument for the 'rule of International law'

              Do you mean the Basel program? A zionist manifesto – written without a shred of consultation or international agreement.

              Yes, the League of Nations established the state of Israel in Palestine – on the land of a defeated participant in WW1 – and without any consideration of the wishes or rights of the people actually living there at the time.[And, effectively set up the conditions which have resulted in the running-sore of conflict there, ever since]

              That's a beaut of a 'might is right' argument.

              And, what would be the reason that Taiwan is not recognized as a state? Could it be the threat of China which prevents it? After all, it's been in existence as a de facto state for more than 70 years. Isn't it about time that China (and the rest of the world) recognized reality?

              You're the one supporting 'might is right' – at least when it comes to China.

              • SPC …
                6 June 2023 at 11:27 pm

                You schooling continues

                1. Before 1949 territory was/could be won in war. Not afterward.
                2. The UK did deals with allies over post war arrangements – in those days those were the rules. The Balfour Declaration was made at that time, because of advocacy to them. Promises were also made to Arabs/Arab Palestinians.
                3. The League of Nations established a Palestine mandate, run by the BE.
                4. The United Nations replaced that organisation and determined on a partition of Palestine so there could be a Jewish majority and Arab majority areas – that had self-detemination self government nation states.
                5. Only one of the two took up that right. It was attacked by 5 Arab armies – attacks on nation states were supposed to trigger collective security actions by the UN, or other members nation states. Yet Israel like Ukraine had to fight on their own.
                6. As a result of the failure of the Arabs right by might strategy Israel's borders were larger afterwards (see that international rule – 1949 – after which even nations which won wars could no longer acquire territory off others).
                7. This is why no one recognises Russia's annexation of Crimea. Might is not right.

                And, what would be the reason that Taiwan is not recognized as a state? Could it be the threat of China which prevents it?

                1. Even the USA, which in 1949 placed its fleet between Taiwan and China after the Nationalists fled there, and the Nationalists themselves claimed Taiwan was part of China.
                2. Taiwan was not recognised as an independent nation state in 1949 – in fact it was run by the Nationalist government in exile until the 1990's with no elections (a dictatorship by military occupation).
                3. Taiwan re-invented itself as a self governing area in the 1990's, but still did not claim independence from China.
                4. Taiwan still does not claim to be outside China.
                5. The USA regards Taiwan as part of China, but opposes an invasion of it by China to assert governance over it.

                it's been in existence as a de facto state for more than 70 years.

                Why did East Germany and West Germany become one state?

                Taiwan has been (democratically) self governing for about 30 years.

                Hong Kong was run by the British since 1840 and by a Treaty 1897-1997. Currently with a transition agreement 1897-2047.

                Isn't it about time that China (and the rest of the world) recognized reality?

                The UN regards Taiwan as part of China, and so does every nation of NATO and AUKUS. Taiwan cannot in international law ask for help to defend it as a nation state from an aggressor. Because it is not recognised as one.

                • Belladonna …
                  7 June 2023 at 10:38 am

                  Ah, yes the Society for the Promotion of China continues their propaganda.

                  • SPC …
                    7 June 2023 at 11:02 am

                    When someone wants the last word and have no argument to make… they reveal themselves … their petty tribalism and the arguments of their ilk.

                    The same portrayal used by the Bush regime when illegally acting in Iraq – that those not on their side were on the side of terrorists (those who use violence to get their way).

                    It's obvious you lack respect for international law and a rules based order, despite it being the basis of our foreign and diplomatic policy.

                    Apparently these are values held by some, only when convenient and tossed aside when that is no longer the case.

                    A simple question have you voted Labour since 1990?

                    I ask because a former servility to empire, or of more recent times to the American security regime is associated with a party that saw the working class and its interests as inimical to their own.

                    • Belladonna …
                      7 June 2023 at 1:04 pm

                      It's obvious to me, that it is only in relation to China that you have your rather … limited … opinions about international law.

                      And, it's *never* OK to ask how someone votes.

                      You might want to have a think about why that might be.

                      Your comment about "servility to empire" is highly ironic in relation to your obvious partisanship for a regime which is repressive internally and territorially aggressive externally.

  5. Bruce 5
    6 June 2023 at 9:05 am

    I see there are more terrorists in Yunnan now.

    https://youtu.be/tR9IqiqidmQ

    No doubt soon to be pacified by the benevolent Xi.

  6. Gosman 6
    6 June 2023 at 9:53 am

    "China has never aimed to become a power beyond its borders"

    I believe the Tibetans and Vietnamese would beg to differ.

    • In Vino 6.1
      6 June 2023 at 9:16 pm

      Gosman, who are you to speak for the Tibetans? In 1943, for the US Ministry of War, Frank Capra directed an Oscar-winning Documentary series of films called: "Why We Fight" Largely anti-Japanese propaganda, but in the 5th film "War in China" it is clearly shown (DVD reading 1.7.80) that Tibet is the 5th province of China. Clearly recognised as such by the USA.

      But in 1949 the vast majority of Chinese peasants reviled the USA-favoured option of Chiang Kai Shek, and he had to run away to Taiwan.

      At this point George Orwell's 1984 Big Brother stuff came into play. I remember the stories in the newspapers at the time: because China had had the cheek to turn communist, China was no longer our noble ally!

      A few years later China reoccupied its province, but over here China was now suddenly portrayed as the evil invader of (even more suddenly) the innocent, always-independent nation of Tibet!

      Gosman, how stupid do you think we all are?

      I remember reading on the inside of the newspaper (outside pages still had Classified ads back then) about atrocities inflicted by cruel Chinese troops. Apparentlty they put parents into ditches an made their children urinate upon them.

      I became a cynic, and I am still especially cynical about your spinnings, Gosman.

    • roblogic 6.2
      6 June 2023 at 11:38 pm

      As would several other nations around the South China Sea, the Pacific, and the Belt and Road debt trap.

  7. Ed 7
    6 June 2023 at 10:07 am

    Mike, you are a rare voice of reason on this matter and on the Ukraine.

    Once upon a time, the left fought on the side of anti-imperialism and for peace, but since the time of Tony Blair, the liberal elite has become the prowar party.

  8. Ad 8
    6 June 2023 at 10:25 am

    Pretty hard to argue with China's concern about all those US military bases in the western Pacific, as well as Australia and Japan and Korea.

    For moment of imaginative bliss, we could be done a favour if the US took its military and just packed up.

    In that moment of imaginative bliss, would China simply fill the void of power?

    • aj 8.1
      6 June 2023 at 7:02 pm

      History tells us that such voids are always filled. Voids are created by wars. It's a no-win situation.

  9. Sanctuary 9
    6 June 2023 at 1:41 pm

    Mike Smith dismisses this Gerald Hensley article as written by "…mind-readers who presume to tell us how their (China's) leader thinks…" Before favouring us with his own clairvoyant moment, reassuring us that "…China has never aimed to become a power beyond its borders…" One would be rather more certain of Mike Smith's foreign policy clairvoyance if it were not for events to consistently reveal themselves in ways wholly unexpected by his prognistications.

    And, we are smoothly reassured, "What China did in fact was to enact the clause 23 of the treaty guaranteeing peace and stability that the interim Government had failed to introduce. The uprising stopped and peace returned to Hong Kong…" Ah yes, the violence of those pesky democracy protesters was halted in Hong Kong by the application of brutal repression, revealing a previously unsuspected predilection for utilitarianism in Mr Smith – a predilection which he fails to extend to United States policy in the region.

    Mr. Smith falls prey to a common failing that the campist left in New Zealand is rather prone to doing – to puff Chinese authoritarianism and state capitalism. This just doesn't do. The Beijing regime is a ghastly survelliance police state. It persecutes the Uyghurs and it has watched the ecocide of China's environment. The excitement that China produces in the campist left has to do with the idea that, by rupturing the Washington-led order, it creates possible alternatives. There's a hope that despite it's wickedness there is something to learn from its current dynamism. And perhaps even that, as brutal as it is, it is more rational and forward-thinking than Washington's imperialism. To me, Mr. Smith discerns in China a romantic (and presumably Maoist) third worldism, with a kind of joint dictatorship of the proleteriat of the oppressed peoples that over-throws the existing world order and one, we can shrewdly surmise, where he imagines he and his Maori sovereignty chums just happen to end up on top as the regional attack dogs for the new Napoleon in the farm house.

    And you see, this is the rub. You don't have to agree with the shrill cold war rhetoric of Gerald Hensley to realise it isn't good enough to just imagine the smashing by force of the US led world order. We have to also postulate what might replace it. If you consider that replacing the benign imperialism (for us) of the United States would be the dystopian repression and authoritarianism of Xi in cahoots with the neo-fascist irridentism of Putin, then suddenly all those US bases around China look at lot more reassuring…

    • SPC 9.1
      6 June 2023 at 4:43 pm

      with a kind of joint dictatorship of the proleteriat of the oppressed peoples that over-throws the existing world order and one, we can shrewdly surmise, where he imagines he and his Maori sovereignty chums just happen to end up on top as the regional attack dogs for the new Napoleon in the farm house.

      You were not involved with the police raids in the Urewera's were you?

      The idea that overthrow/end of a monarchy is the end of an ancien regime we should regret, could end up sounding up like the white race nation dream of William Massey and so easily be portrayed as an imperial colonial order security alliance for the over-rule of indigenous peoples. Even the Papacy has apologised for what happened in Latin America.

      Presumably otherwise you would expect Maori to provide a battalion for the liberation of their “motherland” in Taiwan to prove they are not rebellious against the current Crown regime.

      A simple question, if there is a choice for Taiwan between co-existence autonomy within China or invasion – should they chose to be like Ukraine or not?

      And why is the USA committing to fight to defend Taiwan from China and not Ukraine from Russia?

  10. Corey 10
    6 June 2023 at 3:41 pm

    All NZ does is diplomacy with China.

    We have bent over backwards to accommodate China, to the point we look like Keanu Reeves in the Matrix.

    We regularly sell our dignity and our history of being a nation that stands up to superpowers, for milk powder access

    We are afraid to criticize China least our economy be obliterated by a petulant China, Xi has been horrific for China's foreign relations.

    We do diplomacy with China everyday.

    I've noticed a tactic of pro China advocates in NZ to say they want NZ to have an "independent foreign policy" but what they really mean is they want NZ to further align itself with China because when we do anything that can be seen as the slightest whisper of criticism of china they rip their hair out.

    If NZ is to develop an independent foreign policy, it will still side more often than not with Australia, USA , Canada, UK and the EU because we have vastly more in common with those nations which are democracies, with free speech, workers rights, freedom of religion, right to assemble and common rule of law

    where as China, above all else is a one party authoritarian state with no protections on speech, workers rights, assembly, freedom of religion etc.

    We should absolutely develop a more independent foreign policy, which requires us to massively move beyond being a dairy farm for China, we cannot be an independent nation while being so reliant on one nation that could obliterate our economy.

    We should be friendly with everyone, willing to criticize everyone and willing to work with everyone

    But we should also be an outspoken advocate internationally for democracy, workers rights, human rights, freedom of speech, freedom of religion and right of assembly, it's who we are, it's what we believe in , pretending otherwise would not make us independent it would make us a dependent.

  11. Gray Southon 11
    6 June 2023 at 4:49 pm

    To make any sense of this very challenging situation we need to recognise that there are many more countries around than the US and China, and many of them have the same challenge that we have, of balancing off the competing powers, and together we could make quite a influential impact.

    Also, we need to appreciate that war is no longer like a schoolyard bashup – with current technologies, becoming evermore powerful, the survival of civilisation is at stake. Many nations have the sense to realise that war is not in their interests, so developing ways of resolving conflict with war is paramount. Why were so many countries interested in the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons?

    Further, we need to realise that peace can be engineered in the most difficult circumstance. Consider Western Europe after WWII, where a long history of brutal warfare was turned around in a few years to form a reign of peace and cooperation which still largely holds. Strangely, this apparent miracle has received very little analytical attention, either by the international relations or the peace communities.

    So we must move beyond the incredibly dangerous and fatalistic assumption about the inevitability of war to develop other ways of resolving our conflicts.

  12. The Chairman 12
    6 June 2023 at 7:21 pm

    It seems to me that war is coming.

    Therefore, we must start preparing the nation (oil supplies, medicines, etc) so it will enable us to see it through.

    • SPC 12.1
      6 June 2023 at 7:43 pm

      It comes under a wider need for resilience (coastal shipping, sorting out the Cook Strait movement of goods and talks with ASEAN about distribution hubs/networks to the Tasman-Pacific).

      • The Chairman 12.1.1
        6 June 2023 at 7:54 pm

        If war breaks out with China, covid supply chain issues will pale in comparison.

        Yes, building resilience is imperative.

  13. Baw 13
    9 June 2023 at 9:18 pm

    Nat voter. (who is pro nuke ships)

    Agree Agree Agree.

    I listened to Kissinger recently who called for quiet back channel work with China to sort out their issues with the USA, along with some meetings between the two Presidents. Love him or hate him – his idea has merit.

    But of course there are those who will simply discount what you have written because it conflicts with their world view. Commie China bad – Democratic USA good.

    The big thing is that we must remember the lessons of 1950, when the USA got to close for comfort to China – and so they entered the Korean war and forced the USA back to the start line. China has some red lines, we must make sure they are not crossed.

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • Ministers are not above the law after all
    Back in April, the High Court surprised everyone by ruling that Ministers are above the law, at least as far as the Waitangi Tribunal is concerned. The reason for this ruling was "comity" - the idea that the different branches of government shouldn't interfere with each other's functions. Which makes ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 hours ago

  • NZTA takes the wheel after govt gives it the road map for regional roads (and puts a speed governor ...
    Buzz from the Beehive  Tolling was mentioned when Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced the government was re-introducing the Roads of National Significance (RoNS) programme, with 15 “crucial” projects to support economic growth and regional development across New Zealand. All RoNS would be four-laned, grade-separated highways, and all funding, financing, and ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 hours ago

  • Change in Catalonia?
    or the past 14 years, ever since the Spanish government cheated on an autonomy deal, Catalonia has reliably given pro-independence parties a majority of seats in their regional parliament. But now that seems to be over. Catalans went to the polls yesterday, and stripped the Catalan parties of their majority. ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 hours ago

  • Having an enrolment date is not depriving anyone of a vote
    David Farrar writes –  Radio NZ report: Labour Party leader Chris Hipkins said the Electoral Commission should make sure the system ran smoothly and “taking away the right of thousands of people to vote” was not the answer. “Thousands of people enroled and voted on the day. If ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    8 hours ago

  • Perhaps house prices don’t always go up
    Don Brash writes –  There was a rather revealing headline in the Herald on Sunday today (12 May). It read “One in 8 Auckland homes on market were bought during boom, may now sell for loss”. The first line of text noted that “New data shows one in ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    8 hours ago

  • Can’t read, can’t write, can’t comprehend – and won’t think…?
    Mike Grimshaw writes –  At a time when universities are understandably nervous regarding the establishment of the University Advisory Group (UAG) and the Science System Advisory Group (SSAG) it may seem strange – or even fool-hardy – to state that there are long-standing issues in the tertiary sector ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    8 hours ago

  • Time for some perspective
    Lindsay Mitchell writes –  A lack of perspective can make something quite large or important seem small or irrelevant. Against a backdrop of high-profile, negative statistics it is easy to overlook the positive. For instance, the fact that 64 percent of Maori are employed is rarely reported. For ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    8 hours ago

  • Will NZ Herald’s ‘poor journalism’ cost lives?
    Earlier this year, the Herald ran a series of articles amounting to a sustained campaign against raised pedestrian crossings, by reporter Bernard Orsman. A key part of that campaign concerned the raised crossings being installed as part of the Pt Chevalier to Westmere project, with at least 10 articles over ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    12 hours ago

  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to May 19 and beyond
    TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to May 19 include:PM Christopher Luxon is expected to hold his weekly post-cabinet news conference at 4:00pm on Monday.Parliament is not sitting this week. It resumes next week for a two-week sitting session up to and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    14 hours ago

  • Webworm Popup Photos!
    Hi,Thanks to all the beautiful Worms who came to the LA Webworm popup on Saturday.It was a way to celebrate the online store we launched last week — and it was super special.As I talk about a lot, I really value our community here — and it was a BLAST ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    14 hours ago

  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #19
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, May 5, 2024 thru Sat, May 11, 2024. (Unfortunate) Story of the week "Grief that stops at despair is an ending that I and many others, most notably ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 day ago

  • The Gods Must Be Woke.
    Last night the largest solar storm in decades resulted in Aurorae being seen across Aotearoa, causing many to ask why?Why was the sky pink? What was all this stuff about the power grid? Have we, as so many have wondered since the election, reached the end of days?I had a ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago

  • More road
    We have been on the road in England, squeezing down narrow lanes, flying up the M6, loving hedgerows and villages and cathedrals, liking the 21st century less.There have been moments when it’s felt like a movie trope. The pub in Exford, lovely seventeenth century bar, almost more dogs than people, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago

  • Seeing the Aurora Australis
    There’s a solar-storm on at the moment, and since the South Island is having a day and night with clear skies, that means Aurorae. I have just got back from a midnight visit to Tunnel Beach – southwards-looking over the Sea, and without the light pollution. Quite a few others ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    2 days ago

  • Welcome to the current welfare mess
    Michael Bassett writes – I’m not sure that it’s much comfort to anyone to know that the post-Covid surge in violent crimes, gang activity, ram raids, random shootings, thuggery and stabbings is occurring in other countries as well as New Zealand. These days, wagging school, out-of-control welfare and ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • A shovel-ready autopsy
    Oliver Hartwich writes –  Cast your mind back to mid-December. A new Prime Minister had just been sworn in, the new Government started its 100-day programme, and Christmas was only days away.Amid all the haste, a report landed that would have deserved our attention.I am talking about the ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Why we almost blacked out and how to fix it
    TL;DR: An unseasonally early icy blast at the same time as some long-overdue maintenance almost caused Aotearoa-NZ’s electricity system to black out this week. That’s because a quadropoly of gentailers1 have prioritised paying dividends from their rising profits and adding debt over investing in 1.5 GigaWatts of new wind farms ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • What Is Instagram Trying To Sell Us?
    Hi,Before we crack into today’s Webworm, I wanted to acknowledge the fact that Israel is pushing into Rafah. Over 100,000 Palestinians are now attempting to flee the one place that was deemed “safe”.Trouble is, the place they’re fleeing to is already destroyed. Total annihilation is the end goal here.“Israel is ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    3 days ago

  • Precious Little Excitement: Warner Brothers, Peter Jackson, and Gollum
    Back in February 2023, I made the cardinal mistake of getting my hopes up. Warner Brothers declared that fresh Middle-earth movies were in the works: https://phuulishfellow.wordpress.com/2023/02/24/it-never-rains-but-it-pours-warner-brothers-and-impending-tolkien-adaptations/ My assumption, based on which rights were available, and what had already been done, was that this was a stab at either the Angmar ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    3 days ago

  • Do We Need a Population Census?
    ‘It has been said that figures rule the world. Maybe. I am quite sure that it is figures which show us whether it is being ruled well or badly.’ GoetheI was struck at a recent conference on equity for the elderly, how many presenters implicitly relied upon Statistics New Zealand. ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    3 days ago

  • No, the govt will not be cutting back on every budget – and the Defence vote is among those to be ...
    Buzz from the Beehive Reporting on defence spending late last year, RNZ said the coalition government will have to make some tough calls this term to help the force address staff shortages and ageing infrastructure. “These are huge, huge amounts of government spending. It’s a significant proportion of the government’s ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • The Treasury and productivity
    Late last week The Treasury released a new 40 page report on “The productivity slowdown: implications for the Treasury’s forecasts and projections” (productivity forecasts and projections that is, rather than any possible fiscal implications – the latter will, I guess, be articulated in the Budget documents). In short, if (as it has) ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • The Controller and Auditor-General’s role
    Peter Dunne writes –  I am always wary when I hear that the Controller and Auditor-General has commented on or made recommendations to the government about an issue of public policy that does not relate strictly to public expenditure. According to the legislation, the role of the Controller ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • More harm than good
    How Labour’s and National’s failure to move beyond neoliberalism has brought NZ to the brink of economic and cultural chaos   Chris Trotter writes –  TO START LOSING, so soon after you won, requires a special kind of political incompetence. At the heart of this Coalition ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Real reason Waitangi Tribunal could not summons Chhour
    And why did the Crown not challenge the Tribunal’s jurisdiction?   Gary Judd writes –  Retired District Court Judge, David Harvey, has posted on his A Halflings View Substack an excellent summary of Justice Isacs’ judgment declining to uphold the witness summons issued by the Waitangi Tribunal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Losing confidence in the integrity of NZ elections
    Bryce Edwards writes – Do you believe New Zealand runs its general elections fairly and competently? As a voter, can you be confident that the votes on your ballot will be counted towards the final result?As a political scientist, I’ve been asked these questions many times and ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Macklemore's Pro-Palestinian Protest.
    Macklemore isn’t someone I’d usually think about. Sure I liked his big hit from a few years back, everybody did it was catchy and cool with some memorable lines. But if I was going to think of artists who might speak out on political matters or world events, he wouldn’t ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on miserly school lunches, and the banning of TikTok’s Gaza coverage
    Another week goes by in the Luxon government’s efforts to roll back the past 70 years of social progress. The school lunches programme is to be downgraded by $107 million, and women need bother their heads no longer about pay equity, let alone expect ACC to provide adequate sexual violence ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    3 days ago

  • Weekly Roundup 10-May-2024
    Brrr, the first cold snap of the year. Hope you’re rugged up nice and warm. Here are some stories that caught our eye this week… This Week on Greater Auckland On Monday, we had a post from a new contributor, Connor Sharp, who dug into the public feedback ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    4 days ago

  • The Hoon around the week to May 10
    Almost all of the Wellington City Council’s recommended zoning changes to allow many more apartments and townhouses in its inner-suburbs have been approved.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for subscribers features co-hosts and , along with regular guest on geopolitics, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #19 2024
    Open access notables A Global Increase in Nearshore Tropical Cyclone Intensification, Balaguru et al., Earth's Future: Tropical Cyclones (TCs) inflict substantial coastal damages, making it pertinent to understand changing storm characteristics in the important nearshore region. Past work examined several aspects of TCs relevant for impacts in coastal regions. However, ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Losing confidence in the integrity of NZ elections
    Do you believe New Zealand runs its general elections fairly and competently? As a voter, can you be confident that the votes on your ballot will be counted towards the final result? As a political scientist, I’ve been asked these questions many times and always answered “yes”, with very few ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago

  • The Song of Saqua: Volume VIII
    Thus far May has followed on from a quiet April in the blogging department, but in fairness, it has been another case of doing what I am supposed to be doing, namely writing original fiction. Plus reading. So don’t worry – I have been productive. But in order to reassure ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    4 days ago

  • Pretending to talk other people’s languages
    Fakes can come in many forms.A Rolex, for instance.A tan can be fake. Read more ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • What’s new? A social agency with an emphasis on “investment” instead of “wellbeing” – b...
    Buzz from the Beehive A new government agency will open for business on July 1 – the Social Investment Agency. As a new standalone central agency effective from 1 July, it will lead the development of social investment across Government, helping ministers understand who they need to invest in, what ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago

  • Following the political money
    Bryce Edwards writes –    “Follow the money” is the classic directive to journalists trying to understand where power and influence lie in society. In terms of uncovering who influences various New Zealand political parties and governments, it therefore pays to look at who is funding them. The ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Hipkins would rather no one remember that he was Minister of Education
    Alwyn Poole writes –  After being elected to Parliament in 2008 the maiden speech of Hipkins was substantially around education policy. He was Labour’s spokesperson for education 2011 – 2017. He was Minister for Education from 2017 until February 2023. This is approximately 88% of the time Labour ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Fashionable follies
    Eric Crampton writes –  A fashion industry group is lobbying for protections. They make the usual arguments and a newer one. None of it makes sense. An industry group says it pumped $7.8 billion into the economy last year – that’s 1.9 percent of New Zealand’s GDP. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Justice for Bainimarama!
    In December 2006, Fiji's military leader Voreqe Bainimarama overthrew the elected government in a coup. He ruled Fiji for the next 16 years, first as dictator, then as "elected" Prime Minister. But now, he's finally been sent to jail where he belongs. Sadly, this isn't for his real crime of ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago

  • March for Nature in June
    Don't like National's corrupt Muldoonist "fast-track" law? Aotearoa's environmental NGO's - Greenpeace, Forest & Bird, WWF, Coromandel Watchdog, Coal Action Network Aotearoa, Kiwis Against Seabed Mining, and others - have announced a joint march against it in Auckland in June: When: 13:00, 8 June, 2024 Where: Aotea Square, Auckland You ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago

  • Bernard’ s Dawn Chorus & Pick ‘n’ Mix for Thursday May 9
    Seymour describes sushi as too woke for school meals. There are no fish sushi meals recommended by the School Lunches programme. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesTL;DR: The Government will swap out hot meals for packaged sandwiches to save $107 million on school lunches for poor kids. MSD has pulled ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • The non-woke $3 Lunch.
    I don't mind stealin' bread from the mouths of decadenceBut I can't feed on the powerless when my cup's already overfilled, yeahBut it's on the table, the fire's cookin'And they're farmin' babies, while slaves are workin'The blood is on the table and the mouths are chokin'But I'm goin' hungry, yeahSome ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • Labour’s chickens come home to roost
    The Ardern Government’s chickens came home to roost yesterday with the news that the country is short of natural gas. In 2018, Labour banned offshore petroleum exploration, and industry executives say that the attendant loss of confidence by the industry impacted overall investment in onshore gas fields. Energy Resources Minister ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago

  • Calvin Reviews Lord of The Rings
    Hi,If you’ve been digging through the newly launched Webworm store (orders are being dispatched worldwide as I type!) you’ll have noticed the best model we had was Calvin.This is Calvin.Calvin.Calvin is 7, and is the son of my producer over on Flightless Bird, Rob — aka “Wobby Wob”. Rob also ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    5 days ago

  • Climate Adam: How to visualise Climate Change (ft. Katharine Hayhoe)
    This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). Climate change is everywhere. And when something's everywhere it can feel like it's nowhere. So how do we get our heads ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago

  • The wrong direction
    Some good news on climate change today: the energy transition away from fossil fuels is picking up speed, and renewables now make up 30% of global electricity supply. Meanwhile, in Aotearoa, we're moving in the opposite direction, with Genesis Energy announcing that it will resume importing Indonesian coal. Their official ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago

  • National hates democracy
    Its a law like gravity: whenever a right-wing government is elected, they start attacking democracy. And now, after talking to their Republican and Tory and Fidesz chums at the International Democracy Union forum in Wellington, National is doing it here, announcing plans to remove election-day enrolment. Or, to put it ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago

  • No Tikanga Please, We're Lawyers.
    Yesterday Winston Peters focussed his attention on the important matter at hand. Tweeting. Like the former, and quite possibly next, orange POTUS, from whom he takes much of his political strategy, Winston is an avid X’er.His message didn’t resemble an historic address this time. In fact it was more reminiscent ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • Member’s Day
    Today is a Member's Day, and it seems we've entered the slowdown as things emerge from select committee. First up is the committee stage of Greg O'Connor's Child Protection (Child Sex Offender Government Agency Registration) (Overseas Travel Reporting) Amendment Bill, which will be followed by the second readings of Stuart ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago

  • Hurrah for coal – Shane Jones welcomes Genesis Energy’s import plans as natural gas production s...
    Buzz from the Beehive A significant decline in natural gas production has given Resources Minister Shane Jones an opportunity to reiterate his enthusiasm for the mining and burning of coal. For good measure, he has praised an announcement from Genesis Energy that it will resume importing coal. He and Energy ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Following the political money
    “Follow the money” is the classic directive to journalists trying to understand where power and influence lie in society. In terms of uncovering who influences various New Zealand political parties and governments, it therefore pays to look at who is funding them. The political parties are legally obliged to make ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    5 days ago

  • A Left-Right ranking of universities in NZ: a practical guide for students and parents
    Rob MacCullough writes – Here is my subjective ranking on a “most-left” to “most-right” scale of most of our major NZ Universities, with some anecdotal (and at times amusing) evidence to back up the claim. Extreme Left   Auckland University of Technology Evidence The ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  •  Inflation and GST thresholds
    Eric Crampton writes –  I hadn’t thought about this one until a helpful email showed up in my inbox.It’s pretty obvious that income tax thresholds should automatically index with inflation – whether to anchor the thresholds in percentiles of the income distribution, or to anchor against a real ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Green Party grapples with persistent scandals
    Jacqui Van Der Kaay writes –  Parliament’s speaker had no option but to refer Green MP Julie Anne Genter to the Privileges Committee for her behaviour in the House last Wednesday evening. The incident, in which she crossed the floor to wave a book and yell at National ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • A law school to be avoided – Auckland University of Technology
    Gary Judd writes – The Dean of the law school at the Auckland University of Technology is someone called Khylee Quince. I have been sent her social media posting in which she has, over the LawNews headline “Senior King’s Counsel files complaint about compulsory tikanga Maori studies for ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • 17 people in Malaita stand in way of China’s takeover of the Solomons
    Cleo Paskal writes – WASHINGTON, D.C.: ‘Many of us have received phone calls from [the opposing camp] telling them if they join the camp they will be given projects for their wards and $300,000 [around US$35,000] each’, says former Malaita Premier Daniel Suidani. The elections in Solomon Islands aren’t ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on the Hamas Ceasefire Offer, and Mark Mitchell’s Incompetence
    With hindsight, it was inevitable that (a) Hamas would agree to the ceasefire deal brokered by Egypt and Qatar and that ( b) Israel would then immediately launch attacks on Rafah, regardless. We might have hoped the concessions made by Hamas would cause Israel to desist from slaughtering thousands more ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    6 days ago

  • Bernard’ s Dawn Chorus & Pick ‘n’ Mix for Wednesday May 8
    Placards and mourners outside the Kilbirnie Mosque following the Christchurch terror attack: MSD has terminated the Kaiwhakaoranga service, which has been used by 415 families since the attacks. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The Government’s pledge to only cut ‘back office’ staff rather than ‘frontline’ services is on increasingly shaky ground, with ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

  • A few PT announcements
    There’s been a few smaller public transport announcements over the last week or so that I thought I’d cover in a single post. Fareshare I’ve long called for Auckland Transport to offer a way to enable employer-subsidised public transport options. The need for this took on even more importance ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    6 days ago

  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Green Party grapples with persistent scandals
    Parliament’s speaker had no option but to refer Green MP Julie Anne Genter to the Privileges Committee for her behaviour in the House last Wednesday evening. The incident, in which she crossed the floor to wave a book and yell at National Minister Matt Doocey, reflects poorly on Genter and ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    6 days ago

  • At a glance – Tree ring proxies and the divergence problem
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago

  • Nothing to sneer at
    Who likes being sneered at? Nobody. Worse yet, when the sneerer has their facts all wrong, and might well be an idiot.The sneer in question is The adults are in charge now, and it is a sneer offered in retort to criticism of this new Government, no matter how well ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago

  • Still on their bullshit
    When in government, Labour pushed to extend the Parliamentary term to four years, to reduce accountability and our ability to vote out a bad government. And now, they're trying to do it through the member's ballot, with a Four-Year Parliamentary Term Legislation Bill. The bill at least requires a referendum ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago

  • Drawn
    A ballot for a single Member's Bill was held today, and the following bill was drawn: Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill (Hūhana Lyndon) The bill would prevent the government from stealing Māori land in breach of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago

  • A nod and a wink that will unnecessarily cost Aucklanders tens of millions per year
    Simeon Brown, alongside Wayne Brown, is favouring a political figleaf now in exchange for loading up tens of millions in extra interest costs on Auckland ratepayers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Ratings agency Standard & Poor’s is pushing back hard at suggestions from Local Government Minister Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

  • Correcting the Corrections announcement – a fiscal farce that should bother the OECD
     Buzz from the Beehive One headline-grabber from the Beehive yesterday was the OECD’s advice that the government must bring the Budget deficit under control or face higher interest rates. Another was the announcement of a $1.9 billion “investment” in Corrections over the next four years. In the best interests of ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  •  Like it or not, the Kiwis are either going into ‘Pillar 2’ – or they are going to China
    Chris Trotter writes –  Had Zheng He’s fleet sailed east, not west, in the early Fifteenth Century, how different our world would be. There is little reason to suppose that the sea-going junks of the Ming Dynasty, among the largest and most sophisticated sailing vessels ever constructed, would have failed ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • A balanced and an unbalanced article
    David Farrar writes – Two articles give a useful contrast in balance. Both seek to be neutral explainer articles. This one in the Herald on Social Investment covers the pros and cons nicely. It links to critical pieces and talks about aspects that failed and aspects that are more ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Deeply unserious country
    Every bit of this seems insane. And people wonder why productivity is falling through the floor. Energy News reports that the Environment Court finally threw out Allan Crafar’s appeal against a solar farm. From the story: Consent was granted in 2022. Crafar appealed November 2022. On what grounds? That ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Senior King’s Counsel files complaint about compulsory tikanga Māori studies for law students
    The tikanga regulations will compel law students to be taught that a system which does not conform with the rule of law is nevertheless law which should be observed and applied…  Gary Judd KC writes –  I have made a complaint to Parliament’s Regulation ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • https://www.greaterauckland.org.nz/?p=77196
    The future of Te Huia, the train between Hamilton and Auckland, has been getting a lot of attention recently as current funding for it is only in place till the end of June. The government initially agreed to a five year trial, through to April 2026, but that was subject ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    7 days ago

  • Bernard’s pick 'n' mix for Tuesday, May 7
    TL;DR: Hamas has just agreed to Israel’s ceasefire plan. Nelson hospital’s rebuild has been cut back to save money. The OECD suggests New Zealand break up network monopolies, including in electricity. PM Christopher Luxon’s news conference on a prison expansion announcement last night was his messiest yet.Here’s my top six ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    7 days ago

  • HM Prison Aotearoa.
    A homicide in Ponsonby, a manhunt with a killer on the run. The nation’s leader stands before a press conference reassuring a frightened nation that he’ll sort it out, he’ll keep them safe, he’ll build some new prison spaces.Sorry what? There’s a scary dude on the run with a gun ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    7 days ago

  • Get Your Webworm Merch!
    Hi,I know it’s been awhile since there’s been any Webworm merch — and today that all changes!Over the last four months, I’ve been working with New Zealand artist Jess Johnson to create a series of t-shirts, caps and stickers that are infused with Webworm DNA — and as of right ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    7 days ago

  • Top OECD economist puts Willis between a rock and a hard place
    The OECD’s chief economist yesterday laid it on the line for the new Government: bring the deficit under control or face higher Reserve Bank interest rates for longer. And to bring the deficit under control, she meant not borrowing for tax cuts. But there was more. Without policy changes—introducing a ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    7 days ago

  • The Pacific family of nations – the changing security outlook
    Foreign Minister, Defence Minister, other Members of Parliament Acting Chief of Defence Force, Secretary of Defence Distinguished Guests  Defence and Diplomatic Colleagues  Ladies and Gentlemen,  Good afternoon, tēna koutou, apinun tru    It’s a pleasure to be back in Port Moresby today, and to speak here at the Kumul Leadership ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 hours ago

  • NZ and Papua New Guinea to work more closely together
    Health, infrastructure, renewable energy, and stability are among the themes of the current visit to Papua New Guinea by a New Zealand political delegation, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.   “Papua New Guinea carries serious weight in the Pacific, and New Zealand deeply values our relationship with it,” Mr Peters ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 hours ago

  • Driving ahead with Roads of Regional Significance
    The coalition Government is launching Roads of Regional Significance to sit alongside Roads of National Significance as part of its plan to deliver priority roading projects across the country, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.  “The Roads of National Significance (RoNS) built by the previous National Government are some of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    10 hours ago

  • New Zealand congratulates new Solomon Islands government
    A high-level New Zealand political delegation in Honiara today congratulated the new Government of Solomon Islands, led by Jeremiah Manele, on taking office.    “We are privileged to meet the new Prime Minister and members of his Cabinet during his government’s first ten days in office,” Deputy Prime Minister and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • New Zealand supports UN Palestine resolution
    New Zealand voted in favour of a resolution broadening Palestine’s participation at the United Nations General Assembly overnight, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.    “The resolution enhances the rights of Palestine to participate in the work of the UN General Assembly while stopping short of admitting Palestine as a full ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Speech to the 2024 Infrastructure Symposium
    Introduction Good morning. It’s a great privilege to be here at the 2024 Infrastructure Symposium. I was extremely happy when the Prime Minister asked me to be his Minister for Infrastructure. It is one of the great barriers holding the New Zealand economy back from achieving its potential. Building high ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • $571 million for Defence pay and projects
    Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced the upcoming Budget will include new funding of $571 million for Defence Force pay and projects. “Our servicemen and women do New Zealand proud throughout the world and this funding will help ensure we retain their services and expertise as we navigate an increasingly ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Climate change – mitigating the risks and costs
    New Zealand’s ability to cope with climate change will be strengthened as part of the Government’s focus to build resilience as we rebuild the economy, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “An enduring and long-term approach is needed to provide New Zealanders and the economy with certainty as the climate ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Getting new job seekers on the pathway to work
    Jobseeker beneficiaries who have work obligations must now meet with MSD within two weeks of their benefit starting to determine their next step towards finding a job, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “A key part of the coalition Government’s plan to have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Accelerating Social Investment
    A new standalone Social Investment Agency will power-up the social investment approach, driving positive change for our most vulnerable New Zealanders, Social Investment Minister Nicola Willis says.  “Despite the Government currently investing more than $70 billion every year into social services, we are not seeing the outcomes we want for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Getting Back on Track
    Check against delivery Good morning. It is a pleasure to be with you to outline the Coalition Government’s approach to our first Budget. Thank you Mark Skelly, President of the Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce, together with  your Board and team, for hosting me.   I’d like to acknowledge His Worship ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • NZ – European Union ties more critical than ever
    Your Excellency Ambassador Meredith,   Members of the Diplomatic Corps and Ambassadors from European Union Member States,   Ministerial colleagues, Members of Parliament, and other distinguished guests, Thank you everyone for joining us.   Ladies and gentlemen -    In diplomacy, we often speak of ‘close’ and ‘long-standing’ relations.   ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Therapeutic Products Act to be repealed
    The Therapeutic Products Act (TPA) will be repealed this year so that a better regime can be put in place to provide New Zealanders safe and timely access to medicines, medical devices and health products, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello announced today. “The medicines and products we are talking about ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Decisions on Wellington City Council’s District Plan
    The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop, today released his decision on twenty recommendations referred to him by the Wellington City Council relating to its Intensification Planning Instrument, after the Council rejected those recommendations of the Independent Hearings Panel and made alternative recommendations. “Wellington notified its District Plan on ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Rape Awareness Week: Government committed to action on sexual violence
    Rape Awareness Week (6-10 May) is an important opportunity to acknowledge the continued effort required by government and communities to ensure that all New Zealanders can live free from violence, say Ministers Karen Chhour and Louise Upston.  “With 1 in 3 women and 1 in 8 men experiencing sexual violence ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Smarter lunch programme feeds more, costs less
    Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government will be delivering a more efficient Healthy School Lunches Programme, saving taxpayers approximately $107 million a year compared to how Labour funded it, by embracing innovation and commercial expertise. “We are delivering on our commitment to treat taxpayers’ money ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Report provides insights into marine recovery
    New research on the impacts of extreme weather on coastal marine habitats in Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay will help fishery managers plan for and respond to any future events, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. A report released today on research by Niwa on behalf of Fisheries New Zealand ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • NZ to send political delegation to the Pacific
    Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters will lead a broad political delegation on a five-stop Pacific tour next week to strengthen New Zealand’s engagement with the region.   The delegation will visit Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and Tuvalu.    “New Zealand has deep and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Low gas production threatens energy security
    There has been a material decline in gas production according to figures released today by the Gas Industry Co.  Figures released by the Gas Industry Company show that there was a 12.5 per cent reduction in gas production during 2023, and a 27.8 per cent reduction in gas production in the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Defence industry talent, commitment recognised
    Defence Minister Judith Collins tonight announced the recipients of the Minister of Defence Awards of Excellence for Industry, saying they all contribute to New Zealanders’ security and wellbeing. “Congratulations to this year’s recipients, whose innovative products and services play a critical role in the delivery of New Zealand’s defence capabilities, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Speech to the Minister of Defence Awards of Excellence for Industry
    Welcome to you all - it is a pleasure to be here this evening.I would like to start by thanking Greg Lowe, Chair of the New Zealand Defence Industry Advisory Council, for co-hosting this reception with me. This evening is about recognising businesses from across New Zealand and overseas who in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Speech to the Sixth Annual New Zealand Government Data Summit
    It is a pleasure to be speaking to you as the Minister for Digitising Government.  I would like to thank Akolade for the invitation to address this Summit, and to acknowledge the great effort you are making to grow New Zealand’s digital future. Today, we stand at the cusp of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Ceasefire agreement needed now: Peters
    New Zealand is urging both Israel and Hamas to agree to an immediate ceasefire to avoid the further humanitarian catastrophe that military action in Rafah would unleash, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.   “The immense suffering in Gaza cannot be allowed to worsen further. Both sides have a responsibility to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Daily school attendance data now available
    A new online data dashboard released today as part of the Government’s school attendance action plan makes more timely daily attendance data available to the public and parents, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour.  The interactive dashboard will be updated once a week to show a national average of how ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Ambassador to United States appointed
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced Rosemary Banks will be New Zealand’s next Ambassador to the United States of America.    “Our relationship with the United States is crucial for New Zealand in strategic, security and economic terms,” Mr Peters says.    “New Zealand and the United States have a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • New permit proposed for recreational gold mining
    The Government is considering creating a new tier of minerals permitting that will make it easier for hobby miners to prospect for gold. “New Zealand was built on gold, it’s in our DNA. Our gold deposits, particularly in regions such as Otago and the West Coast have always attracted fortune-hunters. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • NZ and the UAE launch FTA negotiations
    Minister for Trade Todd McClay today announced that New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will commence negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA). Minister McClay met with his counterpart UAE Trade Minister Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi in Dubai, where they announced the launch of negotiations on a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • New Zealand Sign Language Week an opportunity for anyone to sign
    New Zealand Sign Language Week is an excellent opportunity for all Kiwis to give the language a go, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. This week (May 6 to 12) is New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) Week. The theme is “an Aotearoa where anyone can sign anywhere” and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Next stop NASA for New Zealand students
    Six tertiary students have been selected to work on NASA projects in the US through a New Zealand Space Scholarship, Space Minister Judith Collins announced today. “This is a fantastic opportunity for these talented students. They will undertake internships at NASA’s Ames Research Center or its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • $1.9 billion investment to keep NZ safe from crime
    New Zealanders will be safer because of a $1.9 billion investment in more frontline Corrections officers, more support for offenders to turn away from crime, and more prison capacity, Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell says. “Our Government said we would crack down on crime. We promised to restore law and order, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • OECD reinforces need to control spending
    The OECD’s latest report on New Zealand reinforces the importance of bringing Government spending under control, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The OECD conducts country surveys every two years to review its members’ economic policies. The 2024 New Zealand survey was presented in Wellington today by OECD Chief Economist Clare Lombardelli.   ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Agreement delivers Local Water Done Well for Auckland
    The Government has delivered on its election promise to provide a financially sustainable model for Auckland under its Local Water Done Well plan. The plan, which has been unanimously endorsed by Auckland Council’s Governing Body, will see Aucklanders avoid the previously projected 25.8 per cent water rates increases while retaining ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Gaza and the Pacific on the agenda with Germany
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and enhanced cooperation in the Pacific with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her first official visit to New Zealand today.    "New Zealand and Germany enjoy shared interests and values, including the rule of law, democracy, respect for the international system ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Decision allows for housing growth in Western Bay of Plenty
    The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Speech to New Zealand China Council
    Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today.    Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Modern insurance law will protect Kiwi households
    The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Government recommits to equal pay
    The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says.  “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Transforming how our children learn to read
    Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says.  “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • NZ not backing down in Canada dairy dispute
    Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Stronger oversight for our most vulnerable children
    The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2024-05-13T08:19:04+00:00