Dutton engages in weaponised brutality

Written By: - Date published: 9:52 am, August 1st, 2019 - 63 comments
Categories: Andrew Little, australian politics, human rights, immigration - Tags:

Australia’s policy of kicking out kiwis who have lived three for decades and set up businesses and families there has been a cause for difficulties in the Anzac relationship for quite a while.

Already there have been about 1,700 kiwis who have been excluded from Australia and their families and jobs and communities and forced to return to New Zealand.

I described the policy in an earlier post in this way:

The Australians are upset with Andrew Little and are throwing Donald Trump type tantrums to show their displeasure.

What has he done to attract their displeasure?  He accused the Australian Government of having a deportation policy with what appears to have a venal, political strain.

The policy relates to a 2014 law change which increased the Minister of Immigration’s powers to cancel the visas of Kiwis, including those who have lived in Australia for extended periods of time who who are deemed are not of “good character”.

The change of policy has meant that many kiwis have been thrown into custody, separated from family and removed to a country they may not have any links with.

The cases are numerous but include a 17 year old held in an adult detention centre for non violent offending against International Treaties protecting young people, as well as the case of Ko Hapua and Lee Tepuia, both who were deported because they belonged to motorcycle gangs that were not actually illegal.

Tepuia’s case in particular is jaw dropping.  He had lived in Australia since 2005 and his youngest daughter was an Australian.  His forcible removal from his wife and four children has had a devastating effect on him.

And he kept winning in Court yet despite this Dutton kept cancelling his visa and not telling him why.

Clearly the policy is a cause of intense frustration and it is affecting Transtasman relationships.  So what does the Liberal Government do?  Take steps so that tens of thousands and not thousands of Kiwis may be affected.

From Radio New Zealand:

Justice Minister Andrew Little says New Zealand is stuck with Australia’s contentious deportation laws – but the government will continue to raise its objections anyway. Mr Little tackled the thorny subject again during a meeting with the Australian Home Affairs Minister, Peter Dutton, in London overnight. Australia already cancels visas for New Zealand citizens who fail a good character test – even if they’ve lived most of their lives in Australia. They now want the power to cancel the visa of anyone who commits an offence that attracts a two-year jail sentence, even if that sentence is not imposed. Andrew Little says he has raised his concerns about the policies with Mr Dutton again, and with no sign of movement, tension remains high between the two countries.

Doubling down on an already inhumane policy that is already causing intense disruption to your closest neighbour suggests an extreme amount of hubris.  Shame on Dutton and shame on Australia.   

63 comments on “Dutton engages in weaponised brutality ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. dv 1
    1 August 2019 at 10:32 am

    Wasn't that how the brits settled Australia?

    • soddenleaf 1.1
      2 August 2019 at 10:08 am

      I think you are all missing the point. This is about debating the issue properly less you fall into the same trap you espouse you hate. Trump emotionalism. Titfortat.

      The issue is pretty clear. Australia is treating kiwis the same as it treats other migrants. That's the issue, since the first European colonists criminals, and others, have freely jumped over the ditch and back. It's the radicalists that have pushed media mogals need to sell copy and bungup the democratic processes with distractions. This is the character of our times. Conservative oxymoronic radicalism.

      The solution is the law. Does a historical right to free movement between our two countries, now under attack despite the costs to both our economies as communities, families, individuals are burdened with readjustment, a civic tax, is a worthy policy of a supposed party of the economy. When individuals on mass in oz realize they cannot expect economic security when a relative is thrown out, when their businesses are hurt by lost workers, when the real costs and risks on average kiwis are brought home to hurting the Australian economy.

      It's precisely, surely, because we are unwilling to debate the reality of rising risks to the rule of law, to economic benefits of free movement of services, of the attack on families that the Australia governing parties, thanks to the lack of media freedom in Aussie. partly due to their electoral system, that blasts you with millions of options and outcomes. but hey stupid economics is the sole preserve of the Tory.

  2. phantom snowflake 2
    1 August 2019 at 10:46 am

    Peter Dutton is one of a very few political figures who I find genuinely frightening; a classic slack-jawed dead-eyed psychopath.

    • Macro 2.1
      1 August 2019 at 10:57 am

      +1

      Even though Dutton is a really nasty piece of work, we should bestow permanent NZ Citizenship on him immediately.devil

      • greywarshark 2.1.1
        1 August 2019 at 11:45 am

        Oh what a piece of work is man etc. What a good idea Macro, Barnaby Fudge loved it like a cup of cold sick and I think it would be so appropriate to honour Peter Dutton in such a way. It would be a sort of reverse riposte, very cunning.

        (Mod: I forgot ‘w.ke’ is out, will redo while I can edit.)

    • ianmac 2.2
      1 August 2019 at 12:20 pm

      Dutton does not act alone. He can only do that which the Party instructs or approves.

      • tc 2.2.1
        1 August 2019 at 12:33 pm

        Totally, Ruperts very happy with the election result also. His outlets were a huge factor and now he wants those pesky cross media ownership laws tinkered as payback.

      • SHG 2.2.2
        1 August 2019 at 2:39 pm

        Dutton does not act alone. He can only do that which the Party instructs or approves.

        aka "that which the voters support"

  3. Tiger Mountain 3
    1 August 2019 at 10:50 am

    This is a problem alright, and it will likely extend into other areas of the two country’s relations–even “tit for tat” isn’t practicable–not that revenge is a good strategy in any event–far more NZers are resident in Australia than Australians resident here.

    • New view 3.1
      1 August 2019 at 12:18 pm

      Why isn’t tit for tat practicable. I’ve never understood that. Are we so scared we will loose a few Aussie tourists or business opportunities. I’ve always thought we were gutless not treating them the same. The government over there have read the Trump handbook and like it. It doesn’t make them very likeable.

      • ianmac 3.1.1
        1 August 2019 at 12:22 pm

        A good idea New Idea. And if all those other countries who have been getting their people returned did the same, what a fuss would be caused. Its not just NZers.

      • JanM 3.1.2
        1 August 2019 at 12:27 pm

        Do we really want to behave badly because they do ?

      • Psycho Milt 3.1.3
        1 August 2019 at 12:48 pm

        It's practicable, just not acceptable. The fact that Australia's immigration policy is run by a "slack-jawed, dead-eyed psychopath" (see comment 2 above) isn't a good reason for NZ's to be run the same way.

        • New view 3.1.3.1
          1 August 2019 at 1:33 pm

          Not acceptable to you. Is that because you’re a nice guy and want to do the right thing. Set an example to the world. Very noble sentiments but not much use to those affected buy such draconian policies. We are treated like shit by the Aussies, look at the way their referees treat the warriors. Look what arseholes their cricketers have been at times. But we’ll just sit back and take it because we’re morally taking the high ground. We’re never going to change their policies by “bringing up the subject” when the politicians meet. A bit of tit for tat would at least get the media interested.

          • Wensleydale 3.1.3.1.1
            1 August 2019 at 2:00 pm

            It'd be an excuse to portray Jacinda as a hypocrite for preaching the politics of kindness, taking the high road, being the better person, etc. and then responding in kind. National would have a field day and what would it really accomplish? I'm reasonably sure Dutton's not likely to change his mind. He seems to derive some perverse pleasure from being an arsehole.

            • New view 3.1.3.1.1.1
              1 August 2019 at 2:41 pm

              I’m not sure National would be any different mostly because they would scared we might loose some business.

              • David Mac …
                1 August 2019 at 2:48 pm

                Nations attempting to right a wrong with a like wrong back the other way has a chronic failure rate.

                It is the simple, knee jerk anticipated reaction destined to end in tears for all.

                I think we'd be better off studying the great diplomatic wins over the centuries. To react in kind solves nothing, it doubles the woes.

          • Psycho Milt 3.1.3.1.2
            1 August 2019 at 2:14 pm

            Not acceptable to you.

            Not acceptable to anyone who understands the concept of fairness, or even just understands that cruelty by others isn't an excuse for cruelty by us. I'd hope that that's the great majority of people, but right-wingers often do seem to have a highly-compromised set of ethical standards.

            • New view 3.1.3.1.2.1
              1 August 2019 at 2:57 pm

              PM I think you may find some left wing supporters would happily duck the Aussie punch and return it with a left jab. You seem to be promoting the old lefties are nice and righties are immoral idea. Don’t mind me I’m a righty who happens to be fairly abrasive. I’m sure there are some nice ones, just as there will be rat bag lefties around as well. You stick to being fair. I’m sure it will show in your comments so I’ll remind you if you slip up. 🤭

              • David Mac …
                1 August 2019 at 5:48 pm

                I don't think it's a left/right thing New view. It's a reflection of how we go about living with others.

                Those that don't respond by lashing out in response to a lash out might also have their hearts set on revenge. A revenge that has the perpetrator deciding to alter their form all by themselves.

                That's the only kind of win that counts. Forcing someone to behave in a particular way is always a hollow short lived victory.

                • New view …
                  1 August 2019 at 7:23 pm

                  Fair enough David but to my mind retaliation isn’t lashing out. We’ve suffered this bullshit for years. Aussies happily come here and enjoy our social benefits and in return we have to become an Australian citizen to get the same. NZERS living in Aus get treated like shit in the same way. There’s nothing knee jerk about my thought process. They’ve treated us like crap for years.

          • doc 3.1.3.1.3
            1 August 2019 at 2:38 pm

            100% new view

      • Gabby 3.1.4
        2 August 2019 at 12:47 am

        Cos they've got begger tats noovoo. We could have special property ownership laws for our special neighbours though.

    • Sanctuary 3.2
      1 August 2019 at 1:15 pm

      Do you really think we wouldn't have had a revolution (in the hang the bosses from lamp posts, shoot the priests and turn the churches into palaces of culture kind) if the victims of our low wage, de-unionised economic experiment of the last thirty years had been forced to stay in NZ, rather than exported en-mass to Australia? The free flow of trans Tasman labour is NZ's safety valve for incompetent economic management because it allows us to export our unemployed during a recession, instead of them staying here and imposing crippling unemployment benefit costs and agitating against our boss class. The idea we might lose this safety valve scares the boss class and our political elites shitless.

      • JanM 3.2.1
        1 August 2019 at 1:41 pm

        Interesting perspective! Trouble is we also export all our expensively trained professionals as well – not that Australia wants to send them back, of course!

  4. vto 4
    1 August 2019 at 12:36 pm

    This is so not surprising

    It is as Australian as it comes

    They are not particularly pleasant people.

    You could obtain licences to hunt and kill aboriginal people up until the 1930's

    We have little to nothing in common with them and should begin distancing ourselves from this horrible nation

    • Mark 4.1
      1 August 2019 at 5:37 pm

      Oh FFS, how can you draw any parallels between what happened to the aborigines and the deportation of thugs, rapists, and murderers.

      That sort of false equivalence is downright insulting to people who truly suffered from colonisation

      • greywarshark 4.1.1
        1 August 2019 at 6:10 pm

        Oh FFS how can you believe the propaganda that all the people are criminals of the worst kind….Mark. Is that par for you, can't stir the fairness synapse – broken?

      • McFlock 4.1.2
        1 August 2019 at 6:14 pm

        thugs, rapists, and murderers

        You forgot to add "some of them are good people". Otherwise it was a very good impersonation.

  5. Sanctuary 5
    1 August 2019 at 12:42 pm

    Perhaps we ought to tell the airlines we won't accept these people, and any attempt to land them on our shores will incur an enormous fine.

    Then they'll have little choice but refuse to allow them board, much to the apoplexy of the Australians.

    Of course the airlines will be the meat in the sandwich, but hey – who cares.

  6. jeremyB 6
    1 August 2019 at 1:05 pm

    Hit them where it hurts. Nationalise their Banks.

  7. David Mac 7
    1 August 2019 at 2:16 pm

    Australians are like us. We're quick to associate Outlaw motorcycle gangs and powder narcotics. I'd like to know how many of the deportees are affiliated with bike gangs. It appears to be the common denominator. I think Dutton has been charged with window dressing the 'War on Meth' shop-front. Just like here, few families have not had an unfortunate experience with meth, ice, speed etc. Deporting outlaw Kiwi bikers and anyone that shares a beer with them is a soft target vote winner.

  8. SHG 8
    1 August 2019 at 2:26 pm

    Heckuva job Jacinda, going over there and insulting them in front of cameras really worked.

    • David Mac 8.1
      1 August 2019 at 3:01 pm

      The world like Jacinda because she wears her heart on her sleeve. If she expressed anything but discomfort with the current status quo she would be lying.

      Yep, it's a vote winner. Not because our Prime Minister shares how she really feels but because the media and their consumers love a bashed face on the front page and a "Another scumbag never to set foot in Aussie ever again." headline.

      • SHG 8.1.1
        1 August 2019 at 5:14 pm

        That her performance was great for her own polling back in NZ will be reassuring for the Kiwis impacted by Australia's immigration policies. Not only the "bad character" Kiwis getting deported to a country they don't know but also those perfectly law-abiding Kiwis working in Australia who are denied government support.

        • Psycho Milt 8.1.1.1
          1 August 2019 at 5:57 pm

          National's peddling a bizarre fantasy in which Gauleiter Dutton would be kinder to NZ-born Australians if only Jacinda Ardern were better at sucking up to him. Anyone who's heard Dutton talking about the people he's "othered" knows how ridiculously unreal that idea is. It would be comical if it weren't fucking up people's lives.

      • James 8.1.2
        1 August 2019 at 11:03 pm

        a vote winner huh? She still can’t lead her party to lead National in the polling and we have bridges ffs.

        • Psycho Milt 8.1.2.1
          2 August 2019 at 6:36 am

          Well, not in Colmar Brunton's polling, at least. She's got her party leading National comfortably in the Reid Research and UMR polls.

    • Gabby 8.2
      1 August 2019 at 5:54 pm

      You think it made a difference shggy?

  9. SHG 9
    1 August 2019 at 2:38 pm

    Doubling down on an already inhumane policy that is already causing intense disruption to your closest neighbour suggests an extreme amount of hubris.

    And every time the policy gets stricter, support for it goes up.

  10. Mark 10
    1 August 2019 at 5:36 pm

    'Inhumane' my ass.

    New Zealanders are generally for deporting foreigners who commit crimes here.

    Bloody hypocritical for criticizing Australia for what they are doing —they have every right to kick out people who are criminals or on the path to criminality.

    • Gabby 10.1
      1 August 2019 at 5:52 pm

      Retrospective legislation markymarky, very difficult to comply with laws that don't yet exist.

      • SHG 10.1.1
        1 August 2019 at 6:02 pm

        Of course it is. Keep your nose clean and don't act like you have rights you don't have. If you're not a citizen, don't act like you can't get deported.

        • greywarshark 10.1.1.1
          1 August 2019 at 6:12 pm

          Wipe your nose SHG you are getting snotty.

          • SHG 10.1.1.1.1
            1 August 2019 at 8:08 pm

            IMHO the deportation of criminals is a big red herring. The real unfairness lies in the way that Kiwis on SCVs can't get federal social security, emergency disaster relief, student loans, etc etc etc. I really don't care that people failing the character test are getting deported. I wish NZ would do the same. It's the government support bit that stings.

    • Pat 10.2
      1 August 2019 at 9:22 pm

      So you see Dutton as a precog?

    • Wensleydale 10.3
      2 August 2019 at 1:45 pm

      "On the path to criminality." What, so if you have the potential to commit criminal acts sometime in the near or distant future, you should be chucked on a plane and told to sod off back to New Zealand? Seems totally fair. I hope Dutton's ESP is up to the task.

  11. Mark 11
    1 August 2019 at 5:40 pm

    Dutton needs to be commended for putting the interests of the Australian people first.

    Any country in the entire world has the right to kick out foreign criminals and people of bad character.

    I totally support the same for New Zealand to do the same thing. You are not a New Zealander and you commit an offence here —then fuck off

    Likewise I support the right of the Hong Kong government to hand over corrupt officials and criminals who committed crimes in China back to China, death penalty or no death penalty.

  12. Craig H 12
    1 August 2019 at 6:16 pm

    I don't care if this became law for all future convictions because at least people know what to expect for future actions and can generally avoid it, but making it retrospective is reprehensible.

    • Graeme 12.1
      1 August 2019 at 9:41 pm

      You've got me wondering if Dutton's not using this little bit of "kiwi bashing", which is raw red meat to the dinkum aussie, to get a precedent for other retrospective law changes affecting other immigrant groups, or the wider Australian population.

      • Wensleydale 12.1.1
        2 August 2019 at 1:59 pm

        Or he's just a xenophobic hobgoblin drunk on power. He routinely overrules tribunal decisions regarding visa cancellations, he's alienated doctors after overseeing massive cuts to the health system, South Africa hates him after he suggested white farmers should be allowed to enter Australia on humanitarian grounds, the courts have repeatedly told him to pull his head in, he boycotted Kevin Rudd's apology to indigenous Australians, he finds the notion of Pacific nations being swamped by climate change 'amusing', and he reacts to journalistic criticism about as well as someone with a peanut allergy reacts to a peanut brownie — going so far as to call one journalist "a mad fucking witch". He's an appalling human being and utterly unfit for office. If Andrew Little wants to give Dutton a verbal kicking every so often, more power to him.

        • Mark 12.1.1.1
          2 August 2019 at 4:29 pm

          <i>He's an appalling human being and utterly unfit for office.</i>

          Typical liberal speak, dehumanizing those who disagree with them, always from the position of virtue signalling and smug moral superiority.

          The counterfactual is lives could well have been lost in Australia, had Mr Dutton not put in place his garbage removal policies.

          • Wensleydale 12.1.1.1.1
            2 August 2019 at 10:17 pm

            Heh. Dehumanizing those who disagree with me? I did refer to Dutton as a human being, and I'm not the one referring to people as 'garbage'. I simply listed a catalogue of Dutton's 'greatest hits', but don't let his track record of being a shitty person discourage you from singing his praises. Don't you have an Alt-Right rally to attend or something?

      • Craig H 12.1.2
        3 August 2019 at 2:45 pm

        Wouldn't surprise me. Unlike here, where we treat residents (i.e. people who who hold resident or permanent resident visas) as quasi-citizens, the Aussie legal framework is less favourable to residents, and more prone to retrospective changes. In theory this encourages people to take up citizenship, but in practice, can cause some awkward outcomes.

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • Chris Bishop: Smokin’
    Yes. Correct. It was an election result. And now we are the elected government. ...
    My ThinksBy boonman
    12 hours ago

  • 2023 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #48
    A chronological listing of news and opinion articles posted on the Skeptical Science  Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Nov 26, 2023 thru Dec 2, 2023. Story of the Week CO2 readings from Mauna Loa show failure to combat climate change Daily atmospheric carbon dioxide data from Hawaiian volcano more ...
    Skeptical Science
    12 hours ago

  • Affirmative Action.
    Affirmative Action was a key theme at this election, although I don’t recall anyone using those particular words during the campaign.They’re positive words, and the way the topic was talked about was anything but. It certainly wasn’t a campaign of saying that Affirmative Action was a good thing, but that, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    18 hours ago

  • 100 days of something
    It was at the end of the Foxton straights, at the end of 1978, at 100km/h, that someone tried to grab me from behind on my Yamaha.They seemed to be yanking my backpack. My first thought was outrage. My second was: but how? Where have they come from? And my ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    19 hours ago

  • Look who’s stepped up to champion Winston
    There’s no news to be gleaned from the government’s official website today  – it contains nothing more than the message about the site being under maintenance. The time this maintenance job is taking and the costs being incurred have us musing on the government’s commitment to an assault on inflation. ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago

  • What's The Story?
    Don’t you sometimes wish they’d just tell the truth? No matter how abhorrent or ugly, just straight up tell us the truth?C’mon guys, what you’re doing is bad enough anyway, pretending you’re not is only adding insult to injury.Instead of all this bollocks about the Smokefree changes being to do ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago

  • The longest of weeks
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.Friday Under New Management Week in review, quiz style1. Which of these best describes Aotearoa?a. Progressive nation, proud of its egalitarian spirit and belief in a fair go b. Best little country on the planet c. ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago

  • Suggested sessions of EGU24 to submit abstracts to
    Like earlier this year, members from our team will be involved with next year's General Assembly of the European Geosciences Union (EGU). The conference will take place on premise in Vienna as well as online from April 14 to 19, 2024. The session catalog has been available since November 1 ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago

  • Under New Management
    1. Which of these best describes Aotearoa?a. Progressive nation, proud of its egalitarian spirit and belief in a fair go b. Best little country on the planet c. Under New Management 2. Which of these best describes the 100 days of action announced this week by the new government?a. Petulantb. Simplistic and wrongheaded c. ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago

  • While we wait patiently, our new Minister of Education is up and going with a 100-day action plan
    Sorry to say, the government’s official website is still out of action. When Point of Order paid its daily visit, the message was the same as it has been for the past week: Site under maintenance Beehive.govt.nz is currently under maintenance. We will be back shortly. Thank you for your ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago

  • DAVID FARRAR: Hysterical bullshit
    Radio NZ reports: Te Pāti Māori’s co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer has accused the new government of “deliberate .. systemic genocide” over its policies to roll back the smokefree policy and the Māori Health Authority. The left love hysterical language. If you oppose racial quotas in laws, you are a racist. And now if you sack ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • ELE LUDEMANN: It wasn’t just $55 million
    Ele Ludemann writes –  Winston Peters reckons media outlets were bribed by the $55 million Public Interest Journalism Fund. He is not the first to make such an accusation. Last year, the Platform outlined conditions media signed up to in return for funds from the PJIF: . . . ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • Weekly Roundup 1-December-2023
    Wow, it’s December already, and it’s a Friday. So here are few things that caught our attention recently. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt covered the new government’s coalition agreements and what they mean for transport. On Tuesday Matt looked at AT’s plans for fare increases ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    3 days ago

  • Shane MacGowan Is Gone.
    Late 1996, The Dogs Bollix, Tamaki Makaurau.I’m at the front of the bar yelling my order to the bartender, jostling with other thirsty punters on a Friday night, keen to piss their wages up against a wall letting loose. The black stuff, long luscious pints of creamy goodness. Back down ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • The Hoon around the week to Dec 1
    Nicola Willis, Chris Bishop and other National, ACT and NZ First MPs applaud the signing of the coalition agreements, which included the reversal of anti-smoking measures while accelerating tax cuts for landlords. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • 2023 More Reading: November (+ Writing Update)
    Completed reads for November: A Modern Utopia, by H.G. Wells The Vampire (poem), by Heinrich August Ossenfelder The Corpus Hermeticum The Corpus Hermeticum is Mead’s translation. Now, this is indeed a very quiet month for reading. But there is a reason for that… You see, ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    3 days ago

  • Forward to 2017
    The coalition party agreements are mainly about returning to 2017 when National lost power. They show commonalities but also some serious divergencies.The two coalition agreements – one National and ACT, the other National and New Zealand First – are more than policy documents. They also describe the processes of the ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    3 days ago

  • Questions a nine year old might ask the new Prime Minister
    First QuestionYou’re going to crack down on people ram-raiding dairies, because you say hard-working dairy owners shouldn’t have to worry about getting ram-raided.But once the chemist shops have pseudoephedrine in them again, they're going to get ram-raided all the time. Do chemists not work as hard as dairy owners?Second QuestionYou ...
    More than a fieldingBy David Slack
    3 days ago

  • Questions a nine year old might ask the new Prime Minister
    First QuestionYou’re going to crack down on people ram-raiding dairies, because you say hard-working dairy owners shouldn’t have to worry about getting ram-raided.But once the chemist shops have pseudoephedrine in them again, they're going to get ram-raided all the time. Do chemists not work as hard as dairy owners?Second QuestionYou ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago

  • Finally
    Henry Kissinger is finally dead. Good fucking riddance. While Americans loved him, he was a war criminal, responsible for most of the atrocities of the final quarter of the twentieth century. Cambodia. Bangladesh. Chile. East Timor. All Kissinger. Because of these crimes, Americans revere him as a "statesman" (which says ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago

  • Government in a hurry – Luxon lists 49 priorities in 100-day plan while Peters pledges to strength...
    Buzz from the Beehive Yes, ministers in the new government are delivering speeches and releasing press statements. But the message on the government’s official website was the same as it has been for the past several days, when Point of Order went looking for news from the Beehive that had ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • DAVID FARRAR: Luxon is absolutely right
    David Farrar writes  –  1 News reports: Christopher Luxon says he was told by some Kiwis on the campaign trail they “didn’t know” the difference between Waka Kotahi, Te Pūkenga and Te Whatu Ora. Speaking to Breakfast, the incoming prime minister said having English first on government agencies will “make sure” ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Top 10 at 10 am for Thursday, Nov 30
    There are fears that mooted changes to building consent liability could end up driving the building industry into an uninsured hole. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere as of 10 am on Thursday, November 30, including:The new Government’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on how climate change threatens cricket‘s future
    Well that didn’t last long, did it? Mere days after taking on what he called the “awesome responsibility” of being Prime Minister, M Christopher Luxon has started blaming everyone else, and complaining that he has inherited “economic vandalism on an unprecedented scale” – which is how most of us are ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    4 days ago

  • We need to talk about Tory.
    The first I knew of the news about Tory Whanau was when a tweet came up in my feed.The sort of tweet that makes you question humanity, or at least why you bother with Twitter. Which is increasingly a cesspit of vile inhabitants who lurk spreading negativity, hate, and every ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • Dangling Transport Solutions
    Cable Cars, Gondolas, Ropeways and Aerial Trams are all names for essentially the same technology and the world’s biggest maker of them are here to sell them as an public transport solution. Stuff reports: Austrian cable car company Doppelmayr has launched its case for adding aerial cable cars to New ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    4 days ago

  • November AMA
    Hi,It’s been awhile since I’ve done an Ask-Me-Anything on here, so today’s the day. Ask anything you like in the comments section, and I’ll be checking in today and tomorrow to answer.Leave a commentNext week I’ll be giving away a bunch of these Mister Organ blu-rays for readers in New ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    4 days ago

  • National’s early moves adding to cost of living pressure
    The cost of living grind continues, and the economic and inflation honeymoon is over before it began. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: PM Christopher Luxon unveiled his 100 day plan yesterday with an avowed focus of reducing cost-of-living pressures, but his Government’s initial moves and promises are actually elevating ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • Backwards to the future
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has confirmed that it will be back to the future on planning legislation. This will be just one of a number of moves which will see the new government go backwards as it repeals and cost-cuts its way into power. They will completely repeal one ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago

  • New initiatives in science and technology could point the way ahead for Luxon government
    As the new government settles into the Beehive, expectations are high that it can sort out some  of  the  economic issues  confronting  New Zealand. It may take time for some new  ministers to get to grips with the range of their portfolio work and responsibilities before they can launch the  changes that  ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    4 days ago

  • Treaty pledge to secure funding is contentious – but is Peters being pursued by a lynch mob after ...
    TV3 political editor Jenna Lynch was among the corps of political reporters who bridled, when Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters told them what he thinks of them (which is not much). She was unabashed about letting her audience know she had bridled. More usefully, she drew attention to something which ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago

  • How long does this last?
    I have a clear memory of every election since 1969 in this plucky little nation of ours. I swear I cannot recall a single one where the question being asked repeatedly in the first week of the new government was: how long do you reckon they’ll last? And that includes all ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • National’s giveaway politics
    We already know that national plans to boost smoking rates to collect more tobacco tax so they can give huge tax-cuts to mega-landlords. But this morning that policy got even more obscene - because it turns out that the tax cut is retrospective: Residential landlords will be able to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago

  • CHRIS TROTTER: Who’s driving the right-wing bus?
    Who’s At The Wheel? The electorate’s message, as aggregated in the polling booths on 14 October, turned out to be a conservative political agenda stronger than anything New Zealand has seen in five decades. In 1975, Bill Rowling was run over by just one bus, with Rob Muldoon at the wheel. In 2023, ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • GRAHAM ADAMS:  Media knives flashing for Luxon’s government
    The fear and loathing among legacy journalists is astonishing Graham Adams writes – No one is going to die wondering how some of the nation’s most influential journalists personally view the new National-led government. It has become abundantly clear within a few days of the coalition agreements ...
    Point of OrderBy gadams1000
    4 days ago

  • Top 10 news links for Wednesday, Nov 29
    TL;DR: Here’s my pick of top 10 news links elsewhere for Wednesday November 29, including:The early return of interest deductibility for landlords could see rebates paid on previous taxes and the cost increase to $3 billion from National’s initial estimate of $2.1 billion, CTU Economist Craig Renney estimated here last ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago

  • Smokefree Fallout and a High Profile Resignation.
    The day after being sworn in the new cabinet met yesterday, to enjoy their honeymoon phase. You remember, that period after a new government takes power where the country, and the media, are optimistic about them, because they haven’t had a chance to stuff anything about yet.Sadly the nuptials complete ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • As Cabinet revs up, building plans go on hold
    Wellington Council hoardings proclaim its preparations for population growth, but around the country councils are putting things on hold in the absence of clear funding pathways for infrastructure, and despite exploding migrant numbers. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Cabinet meets in earnest today to consider the new Government’s 100-day ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago

  • National takes over infrastructure
    Though New Zealand First may have had ambitions to run the infrastructure portfolios, National would seem to have ended up firmly in control of them.  POLITIK has obtained a private memo to members of Infrastructure NZ yesterday, which shows that the peak organisation for infrastructure sees  National MPs Chris ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago

  • At a glance – Evidence for global warming
    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
    5 days ago

  • Who’s Driving The Right-Wing Bus?
    Who’s At The Wheel? The electorate’s message, as aggregated in the polling booths on 14 October, turned out to be a conservative political agenda stronger than anything New Zealand has seen in five decades. In 1975, Bill Rowling was run over by just one bus, with Rob Muldoon at the wheel. In ...
    Bowalley Road
    5 days ago

  • Sanity break
    Cheers to reader Deane for this quote from Breakfast TV today:Chloe Swarbrick to Brook van Velden re the coalition agreement: “... an unhinged grab-bag of hot takes from your drunk uncle at Christmas”Cheers also to actual Prime Minister of a country Christopher Luxon for dorking up his swearing-in vows.But that's enough ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago

  • Sanity break
    Cheers to reader Deane for this quote from Breakfast TV today:Chloe Swarbrick to Brook van Velden re the coalition agreement: “... an unhinged grab-bag of hot takes from your drunk uncle at Christmas”Cheers also to actual Prime Minister of a country Christopher Luxon for dorking up his swearing-in vows.But that's enough ...
    More than a fieldingBy David Slack
    5 days ago

  • National’s murderous smoking policy
    One of the big underlying problems in our political system is the prevalence of short-term thinking, most usually seen in the periodic massive infrastructure failures at a local government level caused by them skimping on maintenance to Keep Rates Low. But the new government has given us a new example, ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago

  • NZ has a chance to rise again as our new government gets spending under control
    New Zealand has  a chance  to  rise  again. Under the  previous  government, the  number of New Zealanders below the poverty line was increasing  year by year. The Luxon-led government  must reverse that trend – and set about stabilising  the  pillars  of the economy. After the  mismanagement  of the outgoing government created   huge ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    5 days ago

  • KARL DU FRESNE: Media and the new government
    Two articles by Karl du Fresne bring media coverage of the new government into considerations.  He writes –    Tuesday, November 28, 2023 The left-wing media needed a line of attack, and they found one The left-wing media pack wasted no time identifying the new government’s weakest point. Seething over ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • PHILIP CRUMP:  Team of rivals – a CEO approach to government leadership
    The work begins Philip Crump wrote this article ahead of the new government being sworn in yesterday – Later today the new National-led coalition government will be sworn in, and the hard work begins. At the core of government will be three men – each a leader ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Black Friday
    As everyone who watches television or is on the mailing list for any of our major stores will confirm, “Black Friday” has become the longest running commercial extravaganza and celebration in our history. Although its origins are obscure (presumably dreamt up by American salesmen a few years ago), it has ...
    Bryan GouldBy Bryan Gould
    6 days ago

  • In Defense of the Media.
    Yesterday the Ministers in the next government were sworn in by our Governor General. A day of tradition and ceremony, of decorum and respect. Usually.But yesterday Winston Peters, the incoming Deputy Prime Minister, and Foreign Minister, of our nation used it, as he did with the signing of the coalition ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago

  • Top 10 news links at 10 am for Tuesday, Nov 28
    Nicola Willis’ first move was ‘spilling the tea’ on what she called the ‘sobering’ state of the nation’s books, but she had better be able to back that up in the HYEFU. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Here’s my pick of top 10 news links elsewhere at 10 am ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

  • PT use up but fare increases coming
    Yesterday Auckland Transport were celebrating, as the most recent Sunday was the busiest Sunday they’ve ever had. That’s a great outcome and I’m sure the ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    6 days ago

  • The very opposite of social investment
    Nicola Willis (in blue) at the signing of the coalition agreement, before being sworn in as both Finance Minister and Social Investment Minister. National’s plan to unwind anti-smoking measures will benefit her in the first role, but how does it stack up from a social investment viewpoint? Photo: Lynn Grieveson ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

  • Giving Tuesday
    For the first time "in history" we decided to jump on the "Giving Tuesday" bandwagon in order to make you aware of the options you have to contribute to our work! Projects supported by Skeptical Science Inc. Skeptical Science Skeptical Science is an all-volunteer organization but ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago

  • Let's open the books with Nicotine Willis
    Let’s say it’s 1984,and there's a dreary little nation at the bottom of the Pacific whose name rhymes with New Zealand,and they've just had an election.Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, will you look at the state of these books we’ve opened,cries the incoming government, will you look at all this mountain ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago

  • Climate Change: Stopping oil
    National is promising to bring back offshore oil and gas drilling. Naturally, the Greens have organised a petition campaign to try and stop them. You should sign it - every little bit helps, and as the struggle over mining conservation land showed, even National can be deterred if enough people ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago

  • Don’t accept Human Rights Commission reading of data on Treaty partnership – read the survey fin...
    Wellington is braced for a “massive impact’ from the new government’s cutting public service jobs, The Post somewhat grimly reported today. Expectations of an economic and social jolt are based on the National-Act coalition agreement to cut public service numbers in each government agency in a cost-trimming exercise  “informed by” head ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • The stupidest of stupid reasons
    One of the threats in the National - ACT - NZ First coalition agreements was to extend the term of Parliament to four years, reducing our opportunities to throw a bad government out. The justification? Apparently, the government thinks "elections are expensive". This is the stupidest of stupid reasons for ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago

  • A website bereft of buzz
    Buzz from the Beehive The new government was being  sworn in, at time of writing , and when Point of Order checked the Beehive website for the latest ministerial statements and re-visit some of the old ones we drew a blank. We found ….  Nowt. Nothing. Zilch. Not a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    7 days ago

  • MICHAEL BASSETT: A new Ministry – at last
    Michael Bassett writes – Like most people, I was getting heartily sick of all the time being wasted over the coalition negotiations. During the first three weeks Winston grinned like a Cheshire cat, certain he’d be needed; Chris Luxon wasted time in lifting the phone to Winston ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    7 days ago

  • Luxon's Breakfast.
    The Prime Minister elect had his silver fern badge on. He wore it to remind viewers he was supporting New Zealand, that was his team. Despite the fact it made him look like a concierge, or a welcomer in a Koru lounge. Anna Burns-Francis, the Breakfast presenter, asked if he ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    7 days ago

  • LINDSAY MITCHELL:  Oranga Tamariki faces major upheaval under coalition agreement
     Lindsay Mitchell writes – A hugely significant gain for ACT is somewhat camouflaged by legislative jargon. Under the heading ‘Oranga Tamariki’ ACT’s coalition agreement contains the following item:   Remove Section 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 According to Oranga Tamariki:     “Section ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    7 days ago

  • BRIAN EASTON:  Peters as Minister
    A previous column looked at Winston Peters biographically. This one takes a closer look at his record as a minister, especially his policy record. Brian Easton writes – 1990-1991: Minister of Māori Affairs. Few remember Ka Awatea as a major document on the future of Māori policy; there is ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    7 days ago

  • Cathrine Dyer's guide to watching COP 28 from the bottom of a warming planet
    Is COP28 largely smoke and mirrors and a plan so cunning, you could pin a tail on it and call it a weasel? Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: COP28 kicks off on November 30 and up for negotiation are issues like the role of fossil fuels in the energy transition, contributions to ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    7 days ago

  • Top 10 news links at 10 am for Monday, Nov 27
    PM Elect Christopher Luxon was challenged this morning on whether he would sack Adrian Orr and Andrew Coster.TL;DR: Here’s my pick of top 10 news links elsewhere at 10 am on Monday November 27, including:Signs councils are putting planning and capital spending on hold, given a lack of clear guidance ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    7 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on the new government’s policies of yesteryear
    This column expands on a Werewolf column published by Scoop on Friday Routinely, Winston Peters is described as the kingmaker who gets to decide when the centre right or the centre-left has a turn at running this country. He also plays a less heralded but equally important role as the ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    7 days ago

  • The New Government’s Agreements
    Last Friday, almost six weeks after election day, National finally came to an agreement with ACT and NZ First to form a government. They also released the agreements between each party and looking through them, here are the things I thought were the most interesting (and often concerning) from the. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    7 days ago

  • How many smokers will die to fund the tax cuts?
    Maori and Pasifika smoking rates are already over twice the ‘all adult’ rate. Now the revenue that generates will be used to fund National’s tax cuts. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The devil is always in the detail and it emerged over the weekend from the guts of the policy agreements National ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    7 days ago

  • How the culture will change in the Beehive
    Perhaps the biggest change that will come to the Beehive as the new government settles in will be a fundamental culture change. The era of endless consultation will be over. This looks like a government that knows what it wants to do, and that means it knows what outcomes ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    7 days ago

  • No More Winnie Blues.
    So what do you think of the coalition’s decision to cancel Smokefree measures intended to stop young people, including an over representation of Māori, from taking up smoking? Enabling them to use the tax revenue to give other people a tax cut?David Cormack summed it up well:It seems not only ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago

  • 2023 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #47
    A chronological listing of news and opinion articles posted on the Skeptical Science  Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Nov 19, 2023 thru Sat, Nov 25, 2023.  Story of the Week World stands on frontline of disaster at Cop28, says UN climate chief  Exclusive: Simon Stiell says leaders must ‘stop ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

  • Some of it is mad, some of it is bad and some of it is clearly the work of people who are dangerous ...
    On announcement morning my mate texted:Typical of this cut-price, fake-deal government to announce itself on Black Friday.What a deal. We lose Kim Hill, we gain an empty, jargonising prime minister, a belligerent conspiracist, and a heartless Ayn Rand fanboy. One door closes, another gets slammed repeatedly in your face.It seems pretty ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago

  • “Revolution” is the threat as the Māori Party smarts at coalition government’s Treaty directi...
    Buzz from the Beehive Having found no fresh announcements on the government’s official website, Point of Order turned today to Scoop’s Latest Parliament Headlines  for its buzz. This provided us with evidence that the Māori Party has been soured by the the coalition agreement announced yesterday by the new PM. “Soured” ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 week ago

  • The Good, the Bad, and the even Worse.
    Yesterday the trio that will lead our country unveiled their vision for New Zealand.Seymour looking surprisingly statesmanlike, refusing to rise to barbs about his previous comments on Winston Peters. Almost as if they had just been slapstick for the crowd.Winston was mostly focussed on settling scores with the media, making ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago

  • When it Comes to Palestine – Free Speech is Under Threat
    Hi,Thanks for getting amongst Mister Organ on digital — thanks to you, we hit the #1 doc spot on iTunes this week. This response goes a long way to helping us break even.I feel good about that. Other things — not so much.New Zealand finally has a new government, and ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    1 week ago

  • Thank you Captain Luxon. Was that a landing, or were we shot down?
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.Also in More Than A FeildingFriday The unboxing And so this is Friday and what have we gone and done to ourselves?In the same way that a Christmas present can look lovely under the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago

  • New Zealand welcomes European Parliament vote on the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement
    A significant milestone in ratifying the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) was reached last night, with 524 of the 705 member European Parliament voting in favour to approve the agreement. “I’m delighted to hear of the successful vote to approve the NZ-EU FTA in the European Parliament overnight. This is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Further humanitarian support for Gaza, the West Bank and Israel
    The Government is contributing a further $5 million to support the response to urgent humanitarian needs in Gaza, the West Bank and Israel, bringing New Zealand’s total contribution to the humanitarian response so far to $10 million. “New Zealand is deeply saddened by the loss of civilian life and the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2023-12-03T11:52:05+00:00