Duncan Garner and the great Christmas beatup

Written By: - Date published: 12:56 pm, November 30th, 2015 - 114 comments
Categories: journalism, the praiseworthy and the pitiful - Tags: , ,

Duncan Garner does good work sometimes, but is also capable of complete bollocks:

Duncan Garner: Let’s squash the PC race relations office and move on

I’d almost forgotten about the ludicrous decision to appoint a squash player as the country’s race relations commissioner – till Susan Devoy dropped another clanger.

And what a howler it was, throwing her (insignificant) weight behind Auckland Regional Migrants Services’ plan to ditch the word Christmas and refer instead to “happy holidays” and “season’s greetings”.

Apparently Devoy, the service’s patron, wants to save the majority of Kiwis (who are not Christian) from feeling excluded at this time of year. Good grief.
…
It’s time to ditch her role and the entire office she heads. …

Toby Manhire at The Spinoff does an excellent job at dissecting this nonsense:

On all that Susan-Devoy-Wants-to-Ban-Christmas Bullshit

Beat-ups about do-gooders wanting to “ban Christmas” have become a mainstay of the leadup to the festive season the world over. This year in New Zealand, the target is Susan Devoy, the Race Relations Commissioner, who caused outrage – outrage, I tell you! – by failing to condemn the Auckland Regional Migrant Services’ long-standing preference for the words “happy holidays” and “season’s greetings” over “Christmas”.
…
Duncan Garner was incandescent at this “trumped-up office pandering to political correctness”, this “crusade against Christmas“.
…
Garner was one of a number of fuming chimneys outraged – outraged, I tell you! – in print, on radio and online.
…
And yet what did Devoy actually, you know, say? She said nothing in the original report to discourage the use of “Christmas” and confirmed it was not banned at the Commission. She is quoted as saying: “New Zealanders don’t like being told what to do and we are mature enough to decide how to celebrate our special days in our own ways.” Which hardly seems all that controversial a thing to say in a secular country.
…
As if it wasn’t clear enough, Devoy explained in a piece published in the Herald two days before Garner’s column, “I have no plans to ban Christmas, not that I could, and it is not part of my job to tell anyone how to celebrate Christmas. I’ve never said we or anyone else should ban Christmas and I never would. What I did say is it’s up to everyday New Zealanders to decide how to observe Christmas. Kiwis hate being told what to do. I wouldn’t welcome anyone telling me what to do on December 25.” She concluded by saying – gasp! – “Merry Christmas and let there be peace on earth.”

I’m pretty sure Garner was just trolling for clicks, and knew exactly what he was doing, because there’s a certain amount of self-awareness in this tweet:

To which Scott Milne has the perfect reply:

114 comments on “Duncan Garner and the great Christmas beatup ”

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  1. Tracey 1
    30 November 2015 at 1:17 pm

    I was aghast when Devoy was appointed. Mostly because I had heard and seen her speak on a number of occasions at which she would behave inappropriately or criticize something for being too “PC”. However she is an example of what happens when people become educated on a topic they had lots of opinions about, but little actual knowledge. Well done her for moving from the place she was to the place she is today.

    Duncan’s turn. If he has the courage.

    • Daniel Cale 1.1
      30 November 2015 at 2:39 pm

      I would add, Tracey, that ‘becoming educated’ is simply a left win term for ‘agreeing with the group think’. Devoy hasn’t become educated, she’s become indoctrinated.

      • tracey 1.1.1
        30 November 2015 at 2:56 pm

        🙄

        Of course you would cos otherwise your comfy little place in the world would shift. As I wrote it I wondered how long before someone said brainwashed. And there you were. But tell me, which bit did she get “wrong”?

        • Daniel Cale 1.1.1.1
          1 December 2015 at 3:00 am

          Pretending that we should take into account the sensitivities of migrants. Pretending that we should apologise or be less than proud of our own culture and history.

          We should do neither. When I travel overseas I respect, in fact I celebrate, the foibles of the ‘local’ culture. That’s what makes them ‘comfy’ in their culture. We should be preserving what makes for ours.

          • Murray Simmonds 1.1.1.1.1
            1 December 2015 at 6:57 am

            Daniell Cale: ” . . . the foibles of the ‘local’ culture”.

            Just take a look in the mirror, Daniel to see the foibles of the local culture in action. You don’t need to travel overseas to see it. What a totally ignorant ethnocentric, self-satisfied statement! You wouldn’t be a national party voter by any chance would you?

            • Daniel Cale 1.1.1.1.1.1
              1 December 2015 at 4:24 pm

              ‘Foibles’ are eccentricities. We all have them. Most countries are doing a good job at preserving them. Regrettably the west seems to be pandering to those whose cultures are so repressive they leave to join ours. Spot the irony?

          • DoublePlusGood 1.1.1.1.2
            1 December 2015 at 7:48 am

            The part of our culture and history that is vacuous appeals to our culture and history thinly disguising prejudice and bigotry is a part I can do without.

            • Daniel Cale 1.1.1.1.2.1
              1 December 2015 at 4:23 pm

              Vacuous? Christmas? It’s a fun celebration, part of our culture for centuries.

              • DoublePlusGood …
                2 December 2015 at 10:55 am

                The appeals to tradition (including the tradition of Christmas) being a mask for prejudice and bigotry is what I described as vacuous, not Christmas.
                Which you would have worked out if you had actually read the sentence carefully.

                • Daniel Cale …
                  2 December 2015 at 1:04 pm

                  That’s NOT what you wrote at all. Your comment was in the context of a discussion about Christmas. The celebration of Christmas is neither prejudiced or bigoted, any more so that celebrating eid, hannukah, diwali, guy fawkes etc etc. Perhaps you are another looking for offence, prejudice and bigotry in every comment you disagree with.

                  • DoublePlusGood …
                    2 December 2015 at 2:11 pm

                    Seriously just read my damn comment carefully before coming to some incorrect conclusion about what I wrote.

  2. Muttonbird 2
    30 November 2015 at 1:18 pm

    Duncan Garner does good work sometimes

    – ANTHONY R0BINS

    Really?

    Garner is increasingly a tabloid scribbler and thinker as far as I’m concerned. He’s just what Manhire says, a manufacturer of outrage.

  3. Tc 3
    30 November 2015 at 1:19 pm

    Garner shows yet again hes a shit stirring shock jock with ratings to boost.

    A proper journo with objective integrity would not perform a lazy dogwhistle like this but here we are with talkback trash being passed off as news.

  4. Tracey 4
    30 November 2015 at 1:22 pm

    r0b – she wrote a reply to Duncan in yesterday’s SST. Am trying to find the link.

    here it is

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/opinion/74532649/duncan-garner-were-mad-for-peace-not-pc-gone-mad

    “Duncan – and others whose opinions are amplified across our television, radio and newspapers – must do better in showing responsible leadership in the national debate about race relations. They are opinion leaders and their opinions are powerful: dismissing anything they don’t like as PC gone mad is dumbing down a very important conversation New Zealanders need to have.”

    Hear Hear!

    • Muttonbird 4.2
      30 November 2015 at 1:33 pm

      The key point she made is Garner = dumbing down, which is indicative of the way journalism is headed in this country. It’s a shame because the opposite should be true.

      • Tracey 4.2.1
        30 November 2015 at 1:43 pm

        ALL people who brandish “PC…” as a substitute for an argument are dumbing down the discussion, and it has been goingon for years. Garner is a follower it his regard not a trend setter but in his position, as Devoy points out, it is a misuse of the power he has been given.

        • Sacha 4.2.1.1
          30 November 2015 at 2:42 pm

          ‘Down with respect for other people’ #grrr

          • tracey 4.2.1.1.1
            30 November 2015 at 2:44 pm

            I agree. When people do the PC thing to me, I ask them to repharse and instead of PC use – respect for others _…

            • Anno1701 4.2.1.1.1.1
              1 December 2015 at 2:29 pm

              “Political correctness” doesn’t exist. The only place you will ever hear the term used is in the right wing media. It’s never the basis for decision making, it never appears in law. Nothing.

              “Political correctness” is a right-wing buzzword for social skills they would like to be able to get by without having, And of course some people just get sad because society will disapprove when they say shitty things in public

  5. Daniel Cale 5
    30 November 2015 at 2:36 pm

    Christmas is a part of the history and culture of NZ. If migrants are offended by it (which, btw I doubt very much), then they need to get a life. Devoy is a huge disappointment, having become a slave to the notion that everyones culture has value except ours. Well done Duncan.

    • tracey 5.1
      30 November 2015 at 2:47 pm

      ““New Zealanders don’t like being told what to do and we are mature enough to decide how to celebrate our special days in our own ways.”

      ““I have no plans to ban Christmas, not that I could, and it is not part of my job to tell anyone how to celebrate Christmas. I’ve never said we or anyone else should ban Christmas and I never would. What I did say is it’s up to everyday New Zealanders to decide how to observe Christmas. Kiwis hate being told what to do. I wouldn’t welcome anyone telling me what to do on December 25.” She concluded by saying – gasp! – “Merry Christmas and let there be peace on earth.”

      Reading is a skill Daniel. If you have a reading difficulty I am sorry and apologise but it seems to me that the part of the reading skill-set that you lack, is reading beyond the bit that you mirrors your small minded world view back to you and reading to the end. Oh and clicking the links and reading them. So less a problem with making out words and phrases but actually bothering to read them at all..

      • Ross 5.1.1
        30 November 2015 at 2:57 pm

        She said the Trust’s language was about inclusion, not exclusion. So I presume she suggested to them that they include the word Christmas! 🙂

        Alas, that isn’t what her press release says.

      • Daniel Cale 5.1.2
        1 December 2015 at 3:04 am

        You underestimate me. I read her statement very carefully, and it is spoken with a forked tongue. In her capacity as Patron of Auckland Migrant Services she is proposing ceasing to use the term “Christmas’. This isn’t not using the term, it is ceasing to use the term. This is a betrayal of our culture, of our history. That’s why there has been an outcry, not because of Duncan Garner.

        • tracey 5.1.2.1
          1 December 2015 at 5:51 am

          WASPMs forever aye Daniel, you must hate the PM wanting to change the flag and throw aay all that WASPM hisotry of yours?

          • Daniel Cale 5.1.2.1.1
            1 December 2015 at 4:30 pm

            “WASP’s”??? Are you seriously trying to make this a racial issue now? This is about NZ’s history and culture. What’s wrong with preserving Christmas? The Chinese came and accepted it. The Phillipino’s. The Vietnamese. The Cambodians. For goodness sake the event celebrates the birth of a middle eastern man in the west bank who grew up in what is now called the ‘Arab capital of Israel’!

            • Draco T Bastard 5.1.2.1.1.1
              1 December 2015 at 8:00 pm

              This is about NZ’s history and culture.

              Culture lives, breaths and changes as it does so. To try to keep it the same is to kill it.

              What’s wrong with preserving Christmas?

              Because it’s all a load of BS.

              • Daniel Cale …
                2 December 2015 at 1:07 pm

                “Culture lives, breaths and changes as it does so. To try to keep it the same is to kill it.”

                Nonsense. Culture (and you will note I also mentioned history) can change, but it can also be preserved.

                “Because it’s all a load of BS.”

                To you, perhaps. So don’t celebrate it. Turn yourself into scrooge for a day, but leave the rest of us alone.

                • Draco T Bastard …
                  2 December 2015 at 1:23 pm

                  Culture (and you will note I also mentioned history) can change, but it can also be preserved.

                  No, it really can’t. You may want to believe otherwise but that’s all it is – your belief and not associated in any way with reality.

                  So don’t celebrate it. Turn yourself into scrooge for a day, but leave the rest of us alone.

                  I don’t do Xmas but I do go out and see family and you really should note that those who do celebrate Xmas in NZ now make up less than 50% of the population so you’re massively exaggerating when you say “the rest of us”.

    • Muttonbird 5.2
      30 November 2015 at 3:02 pm

      Daniel Cale is the dumbed down bit of New Zealand which Garner appeals to.

      • Grindlebottom 5.2.1
        30 November 2015 at 3:14 pm

        Not on this point he’s not. It’s a valid viewpoint that ARMS shouldn’t be discouraging references to Christmas and Easter.

        • One Anonymous Bloke 5.2.1.1
          30 November 2015 at 3:25 pm

          Possibly, and that isn’t poor Daniel’s position: he’s whinging about something Susan Devoy didn’t say.

          • tracey 5.2.1.1.1
            30 November 2015 at 4:19 pm

            This ^^^^^

          • Daniel Cale 5.2.1.1.2
            1 December 2015 at 3:04 am

            No, I’m not. I’m supporting what Duncan Garner wrote.

            • One Anonymous Bloke 5.2.1.1.2.1
              1 December 2015 at 6:08 am

              By whinging about something Susan Devoy didn’t say. Whinging and whinging and whinging.

              • Daniel Cale …
                1 December 2015 at 6:59 pm

                No, I’m responding to precisely what Devoy DID say, and has affirmed in her statement released since the comments.

                • One Anonymous Bloke …
                  2 December 2015 at 6:38 am

                  a slave to the notion that everyones culture has value except ours

                  1. Your “culture”: racist wingnut prejudice, has no value. In fact it has negative value.

                  2. European culture respects and defends human rights. You have no claim over it.

                  3. Devoy didn’t say that, I did.

                  • Daniel Cale …
                    2 December 2015 at 1:10 pm

                    1. You have no idea what my culture is.
                    2. Yes, and in that it is actually fairly unique. Try going to an Islamic theocracy and feigning offence at Ramadan.

                    • Muttonbird …
                      2 December 2015 at 1:13 pm

                      1. You have no idea what my culture is.

                      -Daniel CaleNeither do you but the looks of it. NZ is all White Christmas to you.

        • Pascals bookie 5.2.1.2
          30 November 2015 at 8:11 pm

          How are they “discouraging references to Christmas and Easter”?

          they are just choosing not to reference them for their own do, and Garner, Yardley , DPF and various other assorted bods have gotten all Fox News ‘War on Christmea’ about it.

          But what are they actually arguing? That people ‘have’ to say ‘Christmas’? Even if they don’t want to becausd eotherwise they might offend talkback people or whoever?

          What the hell sort of PC gone mad is that?

          • tracey 5.2.1.2.1
            1 December 2015 at 5:52 am

            The kind the Right Support.

            • Draco T Bastard 5.2.1.2.1.1
              1 December 2015 at 7:56 pm

              +1

              The right-wing are all into telling everyone else how to live their lives.

          • Daniel Cale 5.2.1.2.2
            1 December 2015 at 7:00 pm

            “How are they “discouraging references to Christmas and Easter”?”

            By removing those references from the event. Isn’t that obvious?

            • Pascals bookie 5.2.1.2.2.1
              1 December 2015 at 7:44 pm

              So if I don’t do something, am I discouraging you from doing it?

              I mean, would a ‘fesitivus dinner’ discourage a ‘christmas dinner’, or are they just different people doing what they want?

              You seem to be saying that everyone must name events at this time of year as Christmas events, even if they’d rather not, lest they discourage other people from having named Christmas events. Even though no one is saying you can’t have a named Christmas event if that’s what you want to do.

              Is that really what you are saying? Because if so, then it’s you who is telling people what they can and can’t do. That’s obvious isn’t it?

              • Daniel Cale …
                2 December 2015 at 1:11 pm

                “So if I don’t do something, am I discouraging you from doing it?”

                If you did do it, then told people to stop doing it, then yes.

    • One Anonymous Bloke 5.3
      30 November 2015 at 3:23 pm

      No, Daniel, in fact, the bogeyman that so terrifies you doesn’t actually exist.

      As Tracey says, if you possessed reading skills you’d know that. Do you get paid to make right wingers look illiterate?

      • McFlock 5.3.1
        30 November 2015 at 4:31 pm

        butbutbut CHRISTMAS IS UNDER ATTTAAACCKK!!!!!!!!!!

      • Daniel Cale 5.3.2
        1 December 2015 at 3:06 am

        There is no bogeyman. Just a race relations conciliator who has decided to remove reference to a part of our history and culture. Like someone proposing we stop referencing ANZAC day because it might offend the Turks. Or VE day for the sake of the Germans.

        • tracey 5.3.2.1
          1 December 2015 at 5:53 am

          And you have not understood Ms Devoy’s own words, choosing Mr Garner’s spin on them, which was my point above. Someoen seeking to remove Christmas from the vocab wouldn’t sign off wishing people a Merry Christmas. .

          To aid you further

          http://thestandard.org.nz/duncan-garner-and-the-great-christmas-beatup/#comment-1102870

          • Daniel Cale 5.3.2.1.1
            1 December 2015 at 7:03 pm

            “Someoen seeking to remove Christmas from the vocab wouldn’t sign off wishing people a Merry Christmas. .”

            Don’t be absurd. Devoy is stung by the reaction and is back-peddling. Besides, I never claimed Devoy is seeking to “remove Christmas form the vocab”. She’s just removing it from this particularly celebration to pander to some invented offence that may be taken by immigrants who I’d bet probably wouldn’t take any offence.

            • tracey 5.3.2.1.1.1
              2 December 2015 at 6:57 am

              Given your disdain expressed for immigrants earlier, what makes you think you are in any position to “bet” what they would or what not take offence to? Look at how offended and affronted you are at having your christian festival threatened (even when it is not)?

              • Daniel Cale …
                2 December 2015 at 1:14 pm

                I have not expressed any disdain for immigrants, in fact I value them greatly. What I despise is this white liberal guilt people like Devoy have been sucked in to. Te migrants I know have come to NZ for a better life, INCLUDING our history and culture and the freedoms we have to exercise our beliefs and celebrate our traditions. Do you not see we rob them of that experience each time we pander to weak minded people like Devoy.

            • One Anonymous Bloke 5.3.2.1.1.2
              2 December 2015 at 7:21 am

              She’s just removing it from this particularly celebration.

              Stop lying: you don’t get to celebrate liar culture Daniel.

              The lunch you refer to has always been called a festive lunch.

              Arms works hard to include peoples from all faiths to work together in peace and diversity,

              Arms uses language that will encompass and include everyone; it is not designed to exclude anyone.

              New Zealanders don’t like being told what to do and we are mature enough to decide how to celebrate our special days in our own ways.

              What part of the word “always” are you illiterate about, Daniel?

              • tracey …
                2 December 2015 at 7:25 am

                Well Duncan triggered his zenophobia, and no matte rhow much he has proven to be wrong, he just can’t bring himself to back down in the face of being made to look foolish by Garner.

                25 Dec 2015 is the day of the Celebration of Christmas. The whole month of December is not a Christian Christma sFestival. It has become a focus as retailers realised they could make bucks. I note you are not outraged at your religious day being hijacked for money making purposes (money changers tables and all that Daniel).

              • Daniel Cale …
                2 December 2015 at 1:16 pm

                Thanks OAB. You’re quote precisely supports my point. Unless you are harbouring under the illusion that wishing someone happy Christmas is somehow “designed to exclude” someone. LOL.

                • One Anonymous Bloke …
                  2 December 2015 at 2:19 pm

                  No, you witless illiterate fuck-knuckle: it is perfectly clear whose policy this is and it isn’t Devoy’s, as you claimed, you lying racist sack of shit.

        • One Anonymous Bloke 5.3.2.2
          1 December 2015 at 6:05 am

          Answer the question: do you take money to make wingnuts look illiterate?

    • North 5.4
      30 November 2015 at 7:01 pm

      You’re really determined to proceed like fool in the face of the very best of evidence aren’t you Daniel Cale ? Devoy’s own, exact, words. But NO ! Devoy said something completely different. YES ! She did ! She Did !

      Now that is weird.

      • tracey 5.4.1
        1 December 2015 at 5:55 am

        And Duncan Garner said she said something completely different, and I support him and even when I see that she didnt say what Duncans said she said, cos I told Tracey I read it very carefully, I still support Duncan cos he was attacking something I don’t like and so on and so forth and heretowtih what Duncan said.

      • Daniel Cale 5.4.2
        1 December 2015 at 7:07 pm

        Because you seem to just be repeating comments made elsewhere, I will say this one more time. Devoy has recomended and defended the removal of references to Christmas from an event run by an organisation of whom she is the patron. This has been done on the basis that those references may make migrants feel uncomfortable. My objection is simple. If we are to remove references that make migrants uncomfortable, then we risk fundamentally changing the society migrants so desperately want to join. When will you realise the irony of that?

        • lprent 5.4.2.1
          1 December 2015 at 9:55 pm

          Oh FFS. Most of the population are quite secular, including me.

          Christmas sucks these days. All it means is that we wind up getting hot and bothered doing some shopping and then have some time with some bits of our extended families. Oh and work shuts down for enough days to have some time off without using too much holiday days. It is more of drag than a tradition. The sooner it gets knocked on the head the better.

          I have no idea what “tradition” is involved in that. Basically you read like a religious nutter trying to impose some ideas on me. Are you a Morman missionary?

        • tracey 5.4.2.2
          2 December 2015 at 7:03 am

          “The Auckland Regional Migrants Services Trust prefers non-religious, secular language when inviting communities to attend some of their events because they don’t want non-Christians to think they aren’t included in the invitation. Their choice of language is about inclusion not exclusion.” Susan Devoy

          “My objection is simple. If we are to remove references that make migrants uncomfortable, then we risk fundamentally changing the society migrants so desperately want to join. When will you realise the irony of that?” Daniel Cale

          IT IS A MIGRANT SERVICE! Their role is to assist MIGRANTS. Ergo they need to make sure that they encourage people to attend their events to assure their assimilation into society in such a way as to make people like you feel comfortable having migrants amidst your WASPM sensibilities. It is Duncan Garner and YOU who has extrapolated that very specific statement to mean Christmas must begone from every part of NZ.

          some invented offence that may be taken by immigrants who I’d bet probably wouldn’t take any offence. Daniel Cale

          Yeah a woman involved in providing services to migrants knows less about what might discouraged migrants from attending an event than, say, a guy who has no understanding of migrant needs and apears to think that if they come here they must just instantly adopt everything he holds dear or fuck off.

          • Daniel Cale 5.4.2.2.1
            2 December 2015 at 1:21 pm

            “IT IS A MIGRANT SERVICE! Their role is to assist MIGRANTS. ”

            Precisely! Which is why we should not be changing the language of an event we have celebrated for centuries. It isn’t the migrants asking for this, it is pasty white liberals.

            “and apears to think that if they come here they must just instantly adopt everything he holds dear or fuck off.”

            When did I say that? I’m not asking migrants to adapt, just to respect our traditions, in the same way I respect other cultures traditions.

    • Paul Campbell 5.5
      1 December 2015 at 8:10 am

      With christians now a minority within NZ, requiring everyone to celebrate christian holidays seems such a quaint old fashioned idea.

      In our house we celebrate xmas, the capitalist holiday of buying stuff for other people, we’ve tied a $20 to the top of the tree since the kids were little

      • Grindlebottom 5.5.1
        1 December 2015 at 4:40 pm

        we’ve tied a $20 to the top of the tree since the kids were little

        Safety hazard?

  6. Ross 6
    30 November 2015 at 2:48 pm

    What Devoy did say was “The Auckland Regional Migrants Services Trust prefers non-religious, secular language when inviting communities to attend some of their events because they don’t want non-Christians to think they aren’t included in the invitation. Their choice of language is about inclusion not exclusion.”

    http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1511/S00386/an-open-letter-to-new-zealanders-christmas-is-still-on.htm

    So will the Auckland Regional Migrants Services Trust be talking about Christmas or not? There’s nothing in the above, or in the link, to say that the Trust are embracing Christmas, which indicates the word might be off limits.

    What Devoy could have said to the Trust is that use of the word Christmas need not be avoided.

    • Hanswurst 6.1
      30 November 2015 at 7:41 pm

      Christmas is part of the holiday season, therefore “happy holidays” and “season’s greetings” include good wishes for anybody celebrating Christmas. Therefore you are wrong.

  7. Grindlebottom 7
    30 November 2015 at 3:03 pm

    I was curious whether the Auckland Regional Migrant Service avoided the use of other religions’ Anniversary or Feast Day names as well. Google brought up this item from Dr Mary Dawson, CEO of the ARMS Trust:

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11550676

    For any cultural or religious celebration, whether Christmas, Diwali, Eid or Matariki, our multicultural staff use appropriate greetings and celebrate, for example, by bringing Diwali sweets to share, or handing out chocolate eggs at Easter.

    They kind of imply that they have an all-embracing policy, though why refer to “Diwali sweets”, but then “chocolate eggs” when the normal term is Easter eggs? I have a sneaking suspicion “Christmas” and “Easter” are more determinedly discouraged at ARMS than references to “Diwali”, “Eid”, “Matariki” etc.

    I can’t help wondering whose idea it was at ARMS to drop references to Christmas and Easter. I’d bet the refugees themselves didn’t have a problem with it; they have to eventually settle into a community where even secular atheists like myself normally use these terms and follow the customary practices of holidays, gift-giving and Christian good wishes such as Merry or Happy Christmas. I have no problem with Ramadan/Eid or Diwali, or Matariki: why should ARMS assume observers of these religious festivals might have a problem with Xmas?

    Garner’s mucked up though. He’d have been best to let this one go and not blow it up.

    • Ross 7.1
      30 November 2015 at 3:12 pm

      Our multicultural staff use “appropriate” greetings? That implies that Merry Christmas might not be appropriate for some. How does ARMS know if saying Merry Christmas to a migrant is appropriate ?

      • Daniel Cale 7.1.1
        1 December 2015 at 3:09 am

        It shouldn’t matter. We should not be determining what parts of our history and culture we maintain because of the sensibilities of immigrants. No other culture does.

        • tracey 7.1.1.1
          1 December 2015 at 5:56 am

          Thank God the Maori didn’t think that way aye Daniel, to your ancestors and mine, who were (cough) immigrants.

          • Daniel Cale 7.1.1.1.1
            1 December 2015 at 7:09 pm

            They DID think that way Tracey. They killed and ate our ancestors. But they were also very smart, and adopted some of the new customs, while preserving their own. Bizzarely you have made my point.

        • Rawsharkosaurus 7.1.1.2
          1 December 2015 at 7:30 am

          It is ironic that you are expressing that sentiment in an immigrant language, English, and not an indigenous language of this country.

    • North 7.2
      30 November 2015 at 7:57 pm

      Persuasive argument there GBottom. Enjoyed the last bit. “Garner’s mucked up though……..”. Certainly deserves to.

      Daniel Cale and mate Garner are the only buggers screaming about this thing.

      This is not a drama. Specially not I’m sure to the people it touchs. That’s why he’s gonna look a dick. S’pose it could be whipped up into one though. Drama I mean.

      No……that’d require the attendance of a man who would do that. Drama I mean. The Good Garner wouldn’t do that. Drama I mean.

  8. Ross 8
    30 November 2015 at 3:05 pm

    This is the same Susan Devoy that said Labour were racist to use Chinese sounding names to assess house buying behaviour in Auckland, and she also complained about some cartoons a year ago. She said they offended her (though she admitted they weren’t racist). I don’t care whether she is offended or not. Taking offence isn’t in her job description.

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/70854977/labour-says-devoy-out-of-line-for-calling-it-racist-over-chinese-buyers

  9. Muttonbird 9
    30 November 2015 at 3:47 pm

    Look at all the right wingers desperately trying to take offence at something which isn’t there, gleefully taking the rancid bait which Garner dropped.

  10. Morrissey 10
    30 November 2015 at 4:11 pm

    A decade or so ago that dunderhead Bill O’Reilly was saying the same things as that dunderhead Duncan Garner. David Letterman took the opportunity to tell O’Reilly that he thought most of what he (O’Reilly) says is “crap”….

    http://mediamatters.org/research/2006/01/04/in-letterman-appearance-oreilly-repeated-false/134554

  11. millsy 11
    30 November 2015 at 6:13 pm

    Christmas has so much parts of it burrowed from all sorts of faiths and religions anyway. It is completely bastardised.

    I am not offended when someone says “Happy Holidays” or ‘Merry Christmas’. Some of just like like to have fun and enjoy the season.

  12. Daniel Cale 12
    1 December 2015 at 3:13 am

    There is an element of this debate that is being overlooked, and that is why we even need a Race Relations Conciliator. Or a Human Rights Commission. Or a Ministry of Womens Affairs. Or…well you get the idea. These are all just organisations of privilege. And as I pay for a portion of all of the above, and yet am not represented by a single one, I say destroy them all and save some money. I know, get rid of the lot and donate the savings to the Sallies.

    • tracey 12.1
      1 December 2015 at 5:58 am

      It’s because of people like you Daniel that we need them. You couldn’t have displayed the need for them more.

      I note you chose a Christian organisation to give all our money to.

      • Daniel Cale 12.1.1
        1 December 2015 at 7:14 pm

        I’m not the one to have invoked a racial connection, you are. But I’d be happy for the funds to go to another charity if you don’t think the sallies are worthy. Except Greenpeace, Amnesty Intl and a few other fellow travellers.

    • One Anonymous Bloke 12.2
      1 December 2015 at 7:08 am

      Destroy you first. Capice?

    • DoublePlusGood 12.3
      1 December 2015 at 8:49 am

      You mean the hateful, homophobic Salvation Army? No thanks. It is because of the behaviour of groups like them and other bigots that we need these government organisations and quangos.

  13. Vaughan Little 13
    1 December 2015 at 8:02 am

    I don’t get liberal sensitivities in a major way.

    it’s so easy to piss people off and I never see it coming. people throw the term “white male” around like it’s a term of abuse that’s gonna put,me back in my place. I copped some pretty nasty comments on facebook once; was a key decider for me to stop posting comments there. stuff about “go back to the 50s and beat up your wife” from memory. also dissing of Christians, all of which I see permutations of above.

    anyone know any good guides to understanding liberal dudgeon? I’ve done some poking around and the guy it all seems to go back to, far as I can tell, is Foucault. not that he was very angry, but he tended to see everything as a power struggle. ergo, “white” dudes can only oppress. I hear the name of Stuart Hall too but haven’t looked into him.

    • One Anonymous Bloke 13.1
      1 December 2015 at 8:33 am

      The only people I see getting pissed off here are wingnut trolls, bleating about something that doesn’t exist. The relentless whining about “political correctness” (shorthand for “I am too lazy and stupid to address the issue”) renders any “liberal” complaint inaudible.

      Why are wingnut trolls so thin-skinned that any criticism of their behaviour is met with such a querulous chorous?

    • tracey 13.2
      1 December 2015 at 8:58 am

      I typed a response and deleted it.

      Second try

      Some people who you didnt know, and didnt ever have to meet wrote some nasty stuff on a Facebook page about you. Sorry to hear it. No one likes to be bilittled or abused for being how they were born.

      Now, imagine how what you felt feels when it is in your company, your workplace, your social life and prevents you directly or insidioulsy from achieving the things you want in life. When it is done to your face or prevents you getting a job or a promition or a flat for your family…

      • Daniel Cale 13.2.1
        1 December 2015 at 7:23 pm

        Happens to almost everyone, Tracey. Most of us build a bridge…

        • DoublePlusGood 13.2.1.1
          2 December 2015 at 11:47 am

          Many of us don’t get to build a bridge. And when we try bridge-building, people like you pull the bridge down.

          • Daniel Cale 13.2.1.1.1
            2 December 2015 at 1:22 pm

            There is never any reason not to build a bridge, other than self indulgence.

            • DoublePlusGood 13.2.1.1.1.1
              2 December 2015 at 2:12 pm

              So racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia and other prejudice doesn’t exist then?

            • One Anonymous Bloke 13.2.1.1.1.2
              2 December 2015 at 6:07 pm

              It’s a one-way bridge. Or I am reminded of Kosovo, where residents of a town “kept to their side” of the bridge. And shot anyone who made it to the middle.

              Slow clap. Imagine it. Danny decides he likes people who are like Danny. He rejects the other. He contracts a sexually transmitted disease: limited exposure to outgroups. Slow clap.

    • Daniel Cale 13.3
      1 December 2015 at 7:22 pm

      You’re right, of course. But chin up. Being a white, heterosexual male is fantastic! We might not have the new privilege that comes from being brown, gay and female, but let’s celebrate diversity! Unless of course that diversity includes white, hetero males.

      • Muttonbird 13.3.1
        1 December 2015 at 7:27 pm

        Your comment makes you seem rather insecure and intolerant which ironically is the sort of behaviour you pretend to argue against.

      • DoublePlusGood 13.3.2
        2 December 2015 at 12:14 pm

        Please feel free to tell us all the ways someone who is brown, gay and female is privileged in our society…

        • Daniel Cale 13.3.2.1
          2 December 2015 at 1:32 pm

          You need to be told? At the risk of being told off for some kind of ‘ism’ or ‘phobia’, I’ll name just one: The Independent Maori Statutory Board. Unelected. Unaccountable. Unnecessary. Great work, but only if you’re Maori.

          • DoublePlusGood 13.3.2.1.1
            2 December 2015 at 2:24 pm

            You mean the board appointed to represent the interests of Māori, who are structurally discriminated against, yet have traditional claims under the Treaty of Waitangi to significant parts of Auckland?
            Seems to me like that’s the sort of group that absolutely needs representation, for both legal and social development reasons. I do think that it could be elected with votes from people registered with an iwi or urban Māori authority who live in the region. The board would then be at least democratically accountable.
            If I were you I would be much more concerned about the unelected, unaccountable Council Controlled Organisations that run the finances of Auckland, like ATEED, than a Māori advisory board.

          • One Anonymous Bloke 13.3.2.1.2
            2 December 2015 at 5:58 pm

            Daniel, I doubt you are arguing in good faith, and if you are, you’ll have no choice but to note the outcomes for various groups within New Zealand.

            If despite the odds you are arguing in good faith, your recognition (which is obvious to all but you) that you feel superior and privileged is what marks you as a blithering idiot.

            If you aren’t providing evidence in support of Hodson & Busseri’s dubious conclusions, you’re defending bias with mendacity. Slow clap.

  14. Vaughan Little 14
    2 December 2015 at 4:39 am

    these dismal little chats we have…

    the secular state can never guarantee freedom of religion. what it does is pushes the agenda of freedom from religion. Of Course a senior government spokeswoman supports “neutral” language. this is just another step in the attempted long eradication of Christianity from the public life of the nation. some commenters above have taken a far more admirable position than devoy’s essentially dishonest one: get rid of Christmas altogether as a public holiday. fits with my mood, perhaps a bit stingy, that if liberals hate us so much, why the hell should they be able to enjoy our holidays and customs? why should our churches be open for their weddings? why should their bloodthirsty nations be strengthened by institutions of public education and public healthcare that were the product of the church’s response to Christ’s message anyway.

    and if we took it all back underground again, would that have any effect on the future of liberalism, that late cheap toxic rip off of the Christian message?

    neutral language – go the whole way and remove the word democracy from public discourse since so many migrants come from countries (and got pretty rich in them) where democracy was anathema. ban anything about Islam on tv since lots so contentious a topic these days. quietly drop the word “india” from the newspapers as a sign of support for neutrality over jammu and kashmir. remove the British flag because of the maoris, remove the maoris because of the racists.

    what case can be made for neutrality that is not hateful?

    • One Anonymous Bloke 14.1
      2 December 2015 at 7:39 am

      The “Christian” message is itself “ripped off”. Pretending ownership of it doesn’t seem very Christian to me. Bearing false witness much?

  15. vaughan little 15
    2 December 2015 at 11:45 am

    “The “Christian” message is itself “ripped off”. Pretending ownership of it doesn’t seem very Christian to me. Bearing false witness much?”

    it aint a rip off if you acknowledge your sources and show your working.

    it’s inane comments like yours which confirm my belief that christians need to start responding in an organized, thoughtful way with the kulturkampf against us, rather than just grimacingly going along with it.

    -suppression of the use of christian words in the public domain
    -suppression of biblical knowledge the schools, even though the bible is history’s most important book
    -miseducation around christianity – that it’s somehow more violent that liberalism (!!) or anti science (!!!)

    today i’m going to teach a bunch of poor kids for way lower pay than i could get if my goal was to maxamise my earning potential. then on friday i’m off to make sure some other kids wash whose parents are too poor to raise them. of course it’s not just me, there are other christians going with me. christianity IS good news for the poor. THAT’S what you want to suppress.

    • One Anonymous Bloke 15.1
      2 December 2015 at 5:43 pm

      Are you talking about Lord Krisna’s virgin birth or Lao Tzu’s humanist values? By the way, the “ripped off” accusation is yours: I don’t see it that way. Witch-doctors co-opt humanist values to render their mumbo-pocus more palatable.

      Please note that I’m not denying that mumbo-pocus can be a force for good: it’s just when its exponents start claiming the moral high ground that I feel obliged to cut your ankles off.

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    Mariupol, on the Azov Sea coast, was one of the first cities to suffer almost complete destruction after the start of the Ukraine War started in late February 2022. We remember the scenes of absolute destruction of the houses and city structures. The deaths of innocent civilians – many of ...
    Open ParachuteBy Ken
    2 days ago

  • Babies and benefits – no good news
    Lindsay Mitchell writes – Ten years ago, I wrote the following in a Listener column: Every year around one in five new-born babies will be reliant on their caregivers benefit by Christmas. This pattern has persisted from at least 1993. For Maori the number jumps to over one in three.  ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Should the RBNZ be looking through climate inflation?
    Climate change is expected to generate more and more extreme events, delivering a sort of structural shock to inflation that central banks will have to react to as if they were short-term cyclical issues. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Bernard's pick 'n' mix of the news links
    The top six news links I’ve seen elsewhere in the last 24 hours, as of 9:16 am on Thursday, April 18 are:Housing: Tauranga residents living in boats, vans RNZ Checkpoint Louise TernouthHousing: Waikato councillor says wastewater plant issues could hold up Sleepyhead building a massive company town Waikato Times Stephen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on the public sector carnage, and misogyny as terrorism
    It’s a simple deal. We pay taxes in order to finance the social services we want and need. The carnage now occurring across the public sector though, is breaking that contract. Over 3,000 jobs have been lost so far. Many are in crucial areas like Education where the impact of ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    2 days ago

  • Meeting the Master Baiters
    Hi,A friend had their 40th over the weekend and decided to theme it after Curb Your Enthusiasm fashion icon Susie Greene. Captured in my tiny kitchen before I left the house, I ending up evoking a mix of old lesbian and Hillary Clinton — both unintentional.Me vs Hillary ClintonIf you’re ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago

  • How extreme was the Earth's temperature in 2023
    This is a re-post from Andrew Dessler at the Climate Brink blog In 2023, the Earth reached temperature levels unprecedented in modern times. Given that, it’s reasonable to ask: What’s going on? There’s been lots of discussions by scientists about whether this is just the normal progression of global warming or if something ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago

  • Backbone, revisited
    The schools are on holiday and the sun is shining in the seaside village and all day long I have been seeing bunches of bikes; Mums, Dads, teens and toddlers chattering, laughing, happy, having a bloody great time together. Cheers, AT, for the bits of lane you’ve added lately around the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago

  • Ministers are not above the law
    Today in our National-led authoritarian nightmare: Shane Jones thinks Ministers should be above the law: New Zealand First MP Shane Jones is accusing the Waitangi Tribunal of over-stepping its mandate by subpoenaing a minister for its urgent hearing on the Oranga Tamariki claim. The tribunal is looking into the ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago

  • What’s the outfit you can hear going down the gurgler? Probably it’s David Parker’s Oceans Sec...
    Buzz from the Beehive Point  of Order first heard of the Oceans Secretariat in June 2021, when David Parker (remember him?) announced a multi-agency approach to protecting New Zealand’s marine ecosystems and fisheries. Parker (holding the Environment, and Oceans and Fisheries portfolios) broke the news at the annual Forest & ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • Will politicians let democracy die in the darkness?
    Bryce Edwards writes  – Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Matt Doocey doubles down on trans “healthcare”
    Citizen Science writes –  Last week saw two significant developments in the debate over the treatment of trans-identifying children and young people – the release in Britain of the final report of Dr Hilary Cass’s review into gender healthcare, and here in New Zealand, the news that the ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • A TikTok Prime Minister.
    One night while sleeping in my bed I had a beautiful dreamThat all the people of the world got together on the same wavelengthAnd began helping one anotherNow in this dream, universal love was the theme of the dayPeace and understanding and it happened this wayAfter such an eventful day ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • Texas Lessons
    This is a guest post by Oscar Simms who is a housing activist, volunteer for the Coalition for More Homes, and was the Labour Party candidate for Auckland Central at the last election. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    3 days ago

  • Bernard's pick 'n' mix of the news links at 6:06 am
    The top six news links I’ve seen elsewhere in the last 24 hours as of 6:06 am on Wednesday, April 17 are:Must read: Secrecy shrouds which projects might be fast-tracked RNZ Farah HancockScoop: Revealed: Luxon has seven staffers working on social media content - partly paid for by taxpayer Newshub ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Fighting poverty on the holiday highway
    Turning what Labour called the “holiday highway” into a four-lane expressway from Auckland to Whangarei could bring at least an economic benefit of nearly two billion a year for Northland each year. And it could help bring an end to poverty in one of New Zealand’s most deprived regions. The ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago

  • Bernard's six-stack of substacks at 6:26 pm
    Tonight’s six-stack includes: launching his substack with a bunch of his previous documentaries, including this 1992 interview with Dame Whina Cooper. and here crew give climate activists plenty to do, including this call to submit against the Fast Track Approvals bill. writes brilliantly here on his substack ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • At a glance – Is the science settled?
    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
    4 days ago

  • Apposite Quotations.
    How Long Is Long Enough? Gaza under Israeli bombardment, July 2014. This posting is exclusive to Bowalley Road. ...
    Bowalley Road
    4 days ago

  • What’s a life worth now?
    You're in the mall when you hear it: some kind of popping sound in the distance, kids with fireworks, maybe. But then a moment of eerie stillness is followed by more of the fireworks sound and there’s also screaming and shrieking and now here come people running for their lives.Does ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • Howling at the Moon
    Karl du Fresne writes –  There’s a crisis in the news media and the media are blaming it on everyone except themselves. Culpability is being deflected elsewhere – mainly to the hapless Minister of Communications, Melissa Lee, and the big social media platforms that are accused of hoovering ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Newshub is Dead.
    I don’t normally send out two newsletters in a day but I figured I’d say something about… the news. If two newsletters is a bit much then maybe just skip one, I don’t want to overload people. Alternatively if you’d be interested in sometimes receiving multiple, smaller updates from me, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • Seymour is chuffed about cutting early-learning red tape – but we hear, too, that Jones has loose...
    Buzz from the Beehive David Seymour and Winston Peters today signalled that at least two ministers of the Crown might be in Wellington today. Seymour (as Associate Minister of Education) announced the removal of more red tape, this time to make it easier for new early learning services to be ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Will politicians let democracy die in the darkness?
    Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. Our political system is suffering from the ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago

  • Was Hawkesby entirely wrong?
    David Farrar  writes –  The Broadcasting Standards Authority ruled: Comments by radio host Kate Hawkesby suggesting Māori and Pacific patients were being prioritised for surgery due to their ethnicity were misleading and discriminatory, the Broadcasting Standards Authority has found. It is a fact such patients are prioritised. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • PRC shadow looms as the Solomons head for election
    PRC and its proxies in Solomons have been preparing for these elections for a long time. A lot of money, effort and intelligence have gone into ensuring an outcome that won’t compromise Beijing’s plans. Cleo Paskall writes – On April 17th the Solomon Islands, a country of ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Climate Change: Criminal ecocide
    We are in the middle of a climate crisis. Last year was (again) the hottest year on record. NOAA has just announced another global coral bleaching event. Floods are threatening UK food security. So naturally, Shane Jones wants to make it easier to mine coal: Resources Minister Shane Jones ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago

  • Is saving one minute of a politician's time worth nearly $1 billion?
    Is speeding up the trip to and from Wellington airport by 12 minutes worth spending up more than $10 billion? Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me in the last day to 8:26 am today are:The Lead: Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • Long Tunnel or Long Con?
    Yesterday it was revealed that Transport Minister had asked Waka Kotahi to look at the options for a long tunnel through Wellington. State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    4 days ago

  • Smoke And Mirrors.
    You're a fraud, and you know itBut it's too good to throw it all awayAnyone would do the sameYou've got 'em goingAnd you're careful not to show itSometimes you even fool yourself a bitIt's like magicBut it's always been a smoke and mirrors gameAnyone would do the sameForty six billion ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • $41m to support clean energy in South East Asia
    New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    15 hours ago

  • Minister releases Fast-track stakeholder list
    The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    17 hours ago

  • Judicial appointments announced
    Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    17 hours ago

  • Education Minister heads to major teaching summit in Singapore
    Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa.  The summit is co-hosted ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    18 hours ago

  • Value of stopbank project proven during cyclone
    A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    18 hours ago

  • Anzac commemorations, Türkiye relationship focus of visit
    Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul.    “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago

  • Minister to Europe for OECD meeting, Anzac Day
    Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago

  • Comprehensive Partnership the goal for NZ and the Philippines
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr.  The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Government commits $20m to Westport flood protection
    The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Taupō takes pole position
    The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Cost of living support for low-income homeowners
    Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners.  “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Government backing mussel spat project
    The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Government focused on getting people into work
    Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Clean energy key driver to reducing emissions
    The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Earthquake-prone buildings review brought forward
    The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Thailand and NZ to agree to Strategic Partnership
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Government consults on extending coastal permits for ports
    RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Inflation coming down, but more work to do
    Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • School attendance restored as a priority in health advice
    Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Unnecessary bureaucracy cut in oceans sector
    Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Patterson promoting NZ’s wool sector at International Congress
    Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector.    "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Removing red tape to help early learners thrive
    The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • RMA changes to cut coal mining consent red tape
    Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • McClay reaffirms strong NZ-China trade relationship
    Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Prime Minister Luxon acknowledges legacy of Singapore Prime Minister Lee
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singapore’s outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.   Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpart’s almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • PMs Luxon and Lee deepen Singapore-NZ ties
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.  During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Antarctica New Zealand Board appointments
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has made further appointments to the Board of Antarctica New Zealand as part of a continued effort to ensure the Scott Base Redevelopment project is delivered in a cost-effective and efficient manner.  The Minister has appointed Neville Harris as a new member of the Board. Mr ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Finance Minister travels to Washington DC
    Finance Minister Nicola Willis will travel to the United States on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Five Finance Ministers group, with counterparts from Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.  “I am looking forward to meeting with our Five Finance partners on how we can work ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Pet bonds a win/win for renters and landlords
    The coalition Government has today announced purrfect and pawsitive changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to give tenants with pets greater choice when looking for a rental property, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Pets are important members of many Kiwi families. It’s estimated that around 64 per cent of New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Long Tunnel for SH1 Wellington being considered
    State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the Government has also asked NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to consider and provide advice on a Long Tunnel option, Transport Minister Simeon Brown ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • New Zealand condemns Iranian strikes
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have condemned Iran’s shocking and illegal strikes against Israel.    “These attacks are a major challenge to peace and stability in a region already under enormous pressure," Mr Luxon says.    "We are deeply concerned that miscalculation on any side could ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Huge interest in Government’s infrastructure plans
    Hundreds of people in little over a week have turned out in Northland to hear Regional Development Minister Shane Jones speak about plans for boosting the regional economy through infrastructure. About 200 people from the infrastructure and associated sectors attended an event headlined by Mr Jones in Whangarei today. Last ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Health Minister thanks outgoing Health New Zealand Chair
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has today thanked outgoing Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora Chair Dame Karen Poutasi for her service on the Board.   “Dame Karen tendered her resignation as Chair and as a member of the Board today,” says Dr Reti.  “I have asked her to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Roads of National Significance planning underway
    The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has signalled their proposed delivery approach for the Government’s 15 Roads of National Significance (RoNS), with the release of the State Highway Investment Proposal (SHIP) today, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.  “Boosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Government’s plan to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Navigating an unstable global environment
    New Zealand is renewing its connections with a world facing urgent challenges by pursuing an active, energetic foreign policy, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.   “Our country faces the most unstable global environment in decades,” Mr Peters says at the conclusion of two weeks of engagements in Egypt, Europe and the United States.    “We cannot afford to sit back in splendid ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • NZ welcomes Australian Governor-General
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced the Australian Governor-General, His Excellency General The Honourable David Hurley and his wife Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley, will make a State visit to New Zealand from Tuesday 16 April to Thursday 18 April. The visit reciprocates the State visit of former Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Pseudoephedrine back on shelves for Winter
    Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced that Medsafe has approved 11 cold and flu medicines containing pseudoephedrine. Pharmaceutical suppliers have indicated they may be able to supply the first products in June. “This is much earlier than the original expectation of medicines being available by 2025. The Government recognised ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • NZ and the US: an ever closer partnership
    New Zealand and the United States have recommitted to their strategic partnership in Washington DC today, pledging to work ever more closely together in support of shared values and interests, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.    “The strategic environment that New Zealand and the United States face is considerably more ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Joint US and NZ declaration
    April 11, 2024 Joint Declaration by United States Secretary of State the Honorable Antony J. Blinken and New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs the Right Honourable Winston Peters We met today in Washington, D.C. to recommit to the historic partnership between our two countries and the principles that underpin it—rule ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • NZ and US to undertake further practical Pacific cooperation
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced further New Zealand cooperation with the United States in the Pacific Islands region through $16.4 million in funding for initiatives in digital connectivity and oceans and fisheries research.   “New Zealand can achieve more in the Pacific if we work together more urgently and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

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