Effective political communication

Written By: - Date published: 9:13 pm, May 26th, 2015 - 61 comments
Categories: blogs, brand key, broadcasting, election 2017, internet, journalism, Media, The Standard, tv, twitter - Tags:

Richard Harman concluded his presentation to the recent Fabian “Destination Next Progressive Majority” event by quoting the noted political scientist Bob Chapman’s remark that he had “reluctantly come to the conclusion that it was far more important for a political party to have a communication strategy than an economic policy.” I’m inclined to agree.

You can read Harman’s paper here or listen to the podcast here. Harman is an independent and experienced political journalist who has recently set up a political website called Politik.

Other points he made were:

Governments usually change when either one or both of two conditions were met — The first when there is economic insecurity generally signalled by falling growth and growing unemployment and the second when there is insecurity about a party’s leadership generally indicated by a change of Leader. To a greater or lesser extent both of those conditions clearly existed in 1975, 1984, 1990 and 1999. That leaves us with two changes of Government which were more complex 1972 — and 2008.
The 1972 election did include a change of leader — Jack Marshall for
Keith Holyoake — and the economy was beset by inflation the overriding theme of that campaign was something else; it was about an electorate convinced that a Government had run out of answers and was tired and that electorate aspired to more. It was pretty similar in 2008 — the Clark Government looked weary; there were few new faces at the top and there had been internal discipline issues.
Looking at 2017 he observed:
First, though clearly the economy is coming off the boil, growth is still expected at 3% this year. Secondly, such is the discipline with the National caucus that any instability there is highly unlikely. So the next question is whether the Government will look tired, and possibly more remote from ordinary Kiwis in 2017. That is possible and that’s maybe the first lesson that can be learned from the Northland by-election; that some of the Team Key gloss is starting to wear off among the public, if not the caucus..
There is a discontent, albeit unfocussed and ill-defined in parts of provincial New Zealand which resembles the forces which drove the rise of Social Credit in the 60s and 70s…When people feel left out and ignored by metropolitan politicians they seek their own  answers.
But we shouldn’t expect that to work automatically in the Opposition’s favour.
People need to feel a connection to politicians which transcends policy or debate and comes down to emotion and gut feeling. People clearly want their politicians to be “one of them”. John Key understands this and he has a shopping list of voters’ needs — a job, a house, a safe community, accessible healthcare and a good education. His insistence that his Cabinet and Caucus stick to those priorities is at the heart of his success with voters.
Then he got on to political communication…
We are undergoing the most substantial change in the media industry that we have seen for at least 200 — more probably 400 — years. The change is overwhelming, comprehensive and advancing at a break neck speed. Simply the change has at its heart the empowerment by technology of the individual to select what media they want to consume and when they want to consume it. At an industry level the change has been to lower the barriers to entry and this provokes the fragmentation of the industry.
What this means for political journalism and therefore political communication is that
the old structures and certainties are gone. What it means for consumers is that they now have a multitude of choices — and they are exercising them, dividing themselves up into smaller and smaller media niche markets.
Even the Standard got a mention…
The Press Gallery still exists but having returned to the Gallery after an absence of
nearly 20 years it is clearly a different place — getting to grips with 24 hour media
and constantly searching for the next tweet rather than the real story.
Group think prevails.
Few journalists there have time to do much more than process press releases or tweet the latest sound bite. In the meantime it is the tweeters and bloggers who are having their time in the sun. They cannot be ignored. Not because of their aggregate audiences but because they are setting the agenda. Unpalatable as many people find Whaleoil – or David Farrar – or, dare I say it, much of what is on The Standard — the under resourced so-called mainstream media is following them and looking for leads.
For the next campaign…
the party that wins through this clutter is likely to be one that has such a single overpowering message that it overpowers everything else. Trying to fight the next election with policy detail will doom a party to getting lost in the new media maze. That doesn’t mean that a party should not have a manifesto and above all very clearly stand for something. It must. And nothing disrupts any communication more than if the audience believe you haven’t got anything to say.
But the time to talk policy is well before the next election, probably even before election year. You have to build trust and as Rachel Hunter famously said it won’t happen  overnight.
I know Labour loves long tortuous policy debates — but if you want to be taken seriously you can’t keep putting out press releases about the Auckland housing crisis unless you offer an alternative solution.
The challenge is that in presenting your core beliefs and values to voters you do so in such a way that voters believe that you fundamentally share their beliefs, values and aspirations. You have got to be seen to be not just on their side but be “one of them” as well.
He had some good ideas about how to do this – precise and frequent polling, simple and consistent messaging, a thorough understanding of political symbolism and metaphor, identifying with the Kiwi battler by understanding what interests them. He suggests watching the ads in the TV news to understand their audience and their language – “the voters Michael Cullen talks about who voted for Clark and now vote Key.”
You need to get to know them–to take them and their passions and quirks seriously, and you need above all to walk with them in your communications.
Finally and interestingly – door-knocking to listen and learn. Plenty of food for thought there – one can only say its certainly needed.

 

61 comments on “Effective political communication ”

  1. Bill 1

    That disconnect, as written,between ‘us’ (the Labour Party) and ‘them’ (the voters) is all he needed to say. To suggest that Labour then find ways to pretend to one of ‘them’ is just another symptom of the problem rather than a solution.

    Labour is out of touch precisely because it isn’t one of us and has (as far as I’m aware) none of us within its parliamentary ranks. I believe they’re in a reverse situation of the truism that runs “You can take the boy from the slums, but you can’t take the slum from the boy”.

    And just as the boy from the slums can mimic all the right behaviours and make all the right noises and yet still fail to convince those he’s attempting to fit in with, so it is for Labour and its MPs with regards being ‘just like us’. We ain’t consumers to be sold to and we don’t generally appreciate ‘try-hards’.

    I don’t think there is any kind of solution within the parameters of how politics is happening in NZ at the moment. All we’re going to wind up with is a NZ version of the US’s donkey and the elephant.

    • miravox 1.1

      “Labour is out of touch precisely because it isn’t one of us and has (as far as I’m aware) none of us within its parliamentary ranks.”

      ^^^This. Maybe there are some, but certainly not enough… or not enough who remember they are us.

      I very much appreciate this post and your previous one Mike Smith. I’ve been thinking for awhile that it’s not the policy. Policy has an important place in modifying people’s opinions (as National’s polling is obviously picking up), especially when the media grabs hold of it. However, as both posts stress – this is not what makes a connection with the voters who are ‘us’.

      • Colonial Rawshark 1.1.1

        ^^^This. Maybe there are some, but certainly not enough… or not enough who remember they are us.

        Is there anyone in the Labour caucus who is a qualified tradesperson? Sparky, builder, plumber? Or in the mines? Or in the forests? Or run a farm? Or anyone who has spent more than a year or two or a student summer holiday as a labourer?

        • mark Unsworth 1.1.1.1

          No is the simple answer CR .Most had tradespeople as parents and some passed through farms,forests and freezing works while studying but thats it .Government workers,media ,trade unions and parliament make up the vast majority of their backgrounds.To be fair however there are hardly any of the older traditional craft workers in parliament anymore .We have 2 engineers and a carpenter and a few farmers and thats it .

    • Molly 1.2

      All this recommendation shows is that there is no faith in informed voters making credible, considered choices.

      Voters in this are still considered a consumer of political parties, and those parties are approached as a brand. From a platform that often discusses the manipulation of people into consumers – it is both interesting and frustrating that the conversation rarely moves from this approach.

      As Bill and others (including myself) have mentioned, the Scottish voting public created their own rejuvenation of locally informed politically aware voters. Non-partisan, finding agreement/disagreement within their own communities.

      What exactly is the service that is provided from any of the parties on the left?

      For me, I don’t want a repeat of National’s slick “poll and policy” game. That is what will be provided by a Crosby/Textor approach.

      The bank account of deposits of pre Rogernomics is almost completely been withdrawn. This move would completely wipe it out.

    • Scintilla 1.3

      Labour could take some tips from This guy

  2. peterlepaysan 2

    simple solution. hire crosby textor.

    • Puckish Rogue 2.1

      Not that simple, the Labour party would first have to listen and then implement the advice

    • T Chris 2.2

      Losing the it is all down to them attitude would help

      • One Anonymous Bloke 2.2.1

        Nah, people also point to the National Party’s deliberate strategy of lowering the tone so as to increase the non-vote.

        Sorry, you can’t put the cat back in Simon Lusk’s fat mouth.

        • Colonial Rawshark 2.2.1.1

          Nah, people also point to the National Party’s deliberate strategy of lowering the tone so as to increase the non-vote.

          Turn out was up last year on 2011. Did Labour come out better?

    • Saarbo 2.3

      No, Hire Richard Harman, this all makes sense to me, certainly the best analysis Ive seen.

  3. rhinocrates 3

    It was said – I forget who by – at the time of Labour’s collapse in the wake of Rogernomics, “the phone’s off the hook”. It’s an apt parallel, I think. They can say they have all the best policies and that everyone will get a pony and the sun will shine every day and John Key’s the Anti-Hendrix, but nobody’s going to pick up the phone. I suppose nowadays the analogy might be with spam.

    The fact is that nobody’s going to bother going to look at a website to wade through policy unless something makes them want to.

  4. rhinocrates 4

    I’ve mentioned it before, but IIRC, Labour policies were received very well by the public in isolation. The Labour brand was not. It was not merely that people had negative opinions about them, it was that they were not taken seriously and the policies were not firmly linked with that brand.

    Re Crosby-Textor, there’s this:

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/general-election-2015/11608589/Lynton-Crosby-the-so-called-experts-have-lost-touch-with-ordinary-people.html

    And this via the Dimpost:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_YareK6WKk

    Also this, a TED talk on campaigning in the digital age, FYI:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTgOUL0iYW8

  5. Michael 5

    I agree 100%. There isn’t a policy issue, it’s a communication and branding issue. National probably has less popular policy than Labour in isolation, but the Brand Key and brand of National in general is very strong and appealing.

  6. b waghorn 6

    I get at least 1 email a week from labour for a petition (not sure how as I’m not a member) but they could be doing a survey/poll feely cheaply that way .

    • ianmac 6.1

      Yes.
      “What are you afraid of that this Government will do/has done?
      What do you like least about National?”
      The catch is that such questions need to be directed to the middle floating voter. No point asking died in the wool types.

      • b waghorn 6.1.1

        I don’t know about having negative questions I was more thinking finding out peoples views on hot topics and also what they think could improve this country. Maybe do some polling around what people want around government transparency and electoral fund raising.

  7. ianmac 7

    The Lynton Crosby talk I thought was good sound advice. But it seemed to me to be for a public face. What he does not really tell is the fierce negative publicity spewed out during the elections. This is the task of Farrar who focus groups/polls to find what people fear most and then the machine pokes and prods the wound to spread the fear. And it works. Can the Left do it too? Ethical?

    • Colonial Rawshark 7.1

      The right wing own the communications infrastructure so they can use those tactics very effectively. They can get their message and framing out there, 100% reliably, 100% as they want it presented, not twisted or distorted or made fun of. The Left cannot.

      • rhinocrates 7.1.1

        CT has a vast database and integrates it well. They take a very professional and pragmatic approach.

        I particularly … ah, not “admire” but appreciate the virtuosity of National’s revelation of welfare changes in the latest budget.

        I was reminded of Helen Clark’s maxim of under-promise and over-deliver. Of course Labour can’t deliver in government right now, but it can prime anticipation instead of dithering and then it can market its ideas like products people will buy, not like suicide notes.

        Of course National’s changes were a fraud – not due to take effect for a year, giving with one hand and taking with the other, but the point is National at once appeared to be helping the poor, caught Labour off-guard and highlighted the fact that Labour had nothing to offer beneficiaries except slanderous stories about bludgers painting their roofs. It was very clever political theatre. Illusion, but effective politics.

        As part of a communications strategy, Labour could learn a lot from that. It had sleight of hand, co-ordination and speed.

        Watching squat, lazy Robertson blithering in the chamber about “The Pony Tail Puller of Parnell” was in contrast facepalm material. It wasn’t anywhere near as catchy as he thought it was (alliteration, not sarcasm is the lowest form of wit and the title is far too long to stick as a nickname) – and it was irrelevant. Sexual harassment is a serious issue and this reduced it to a trivial taunt.

        The debacle over gender reassignment, compounded by Little’s bizarre quip in the house further highlights Labour’s tin ear. So reporters went to Nash and Mumblefuck for stupid remarks. That’s because they are dependable for one thing: saying stupid things for the sake of their egos (when they can be understood, that is). Message to Labour MPs: not everyone can be a comedian, it takes talent and hard work like any other job. Don’t insult real comedians by being a bad one and best of all, keep your mouth shut if you don’t know. Reporters have very refined idiot-detectors.

        While it’s a bit old now, I could not believe that Hipkins could be so stupid a couple of years ago to say in front of a camera that Labour’s real enemies were within. That was unbelievably idiotic and this buffoon is being groomed for cabinet?! “Hi!”, he might have said, “we’re a hopeless mess wrapped up in our own problems and we don’t care about you!”

        More recently, as spokescreature on education, he had an intern (it wasn’t written by him because it wasn’t in crayon) put out a press release that said children were at an “impressionist phase.” That’s jolly good, I thought, I like Renoir – now are they going to move on to Cubism or Dada?

        It’s a small mistake, but someone whose job is to project a confident grasp of education, its symptomatically sloppy and shows indiscipline and laziness.

        What they need is self-awareness (knowing when you look like a fool), a clear ranking in their minds of country first, party second, ego distant third (well, I can dream). Consistent focus on policy (and if policy is unclear, STFU!) and to stop thinking like jobsworths eg: “Huh, I have a press release, it’s on the website, why don’t you read it?”, to which the obvious answer is, “Why should I?”

        Back to CT and their resources. OK, they’re big, rich and expensive and Labour can’t afford them, but surely there must be some hungry, dynamic young graduates in media and communications out there? They’ll need someone to polish their presentations and language for new media, they’ll need someone who understands networking and marketing (not Curran!). I spent years in the comms field and I know that there’s a Hell of a lot of young, talented people out there looking for work, ready to work for peanuts and eager to make names for themselves. Labour should make it clear that it’s looking for them.

        • RedLogix 7.1.1.1

          Straight onto my “Comment of the Year” short-list !!

        • Colonial Rawshark 7.1.1.2

          The point made by some else was that Labour can engage these strategic specialists – but will they listen to them. Probably not.

        • Karen 7.1.1.3

          +1
          Excellent post, particularly your last 2 paragraphs.

  8. Peter 8

    ….. all to true ……. most voters want to believe in the person in charge, which alleviates them from having to consider what are complex issues. If they feel that Mr Key is the best choice he will keep winning.

  9. Scottie 9

    Molly voters do make clear considered choices and they voted National. If the Labour Party don’t offer what voters want then get used to being in opposition because at the moment they are just relying on the government to cock up rather than providing credible solutions. Get policy out there and don’t wait till Election year. Don’t rely on scandal to win an election because it won’t. All the focus on dirty politics cost labour the chance to get its policies out there. Mikes post is spot on.

  10. Coffee Connoisseur 10

    Coupled with a vision future that people can believe in and buy into (not in the monetary sense.
    At the moment I reckon that most people see Labour as National lite but with higher taxes. For most who are struggling this isn’t a proposition they feel they can afford.

    I keep saying this and I will say it again. Right now you have working and middle class (who really are working class now) voting National and essentially voting for Right wing ideaology that redistributes wealth away from them to the shareholder class.
    Labour need to start putting the message of wealth redistribution and what that means as a comparison between themselves and National.

    They need to communicate it as Left vs Right wealth redistribution and explain the difference. Most people don’t get this.

    If it is put to them regularly and backed up with how National has done this since they have been in power this time around.
    Things such as
    Corporate Welfare- (Sky City, Hollywood, Rio Tinto, Paying to set up a Saudi Billionaires farm in the middle of the desert.
    Watering down of Labour Laws – zero hour contracts.
    Housing Policy that favours wealthy overseas investors at the expense of both current and future generations of Kiwis.

  11. Mike Smith 11

    I don’t think it’s a case of imitating C/T – more of understanding what they do, good and bad, then working out one’s own strategy. I’m much clearer about their communication strategy than I am about ours. That’s why I think Harman’s observations are helpful..

  12. The lost sheep 12

    “Simply the change has at its heart the empowerment by technology of the individual to select what media they want to consume and when they want to consume it…..
    What it means for consumers is that they now have a multitude of choices — and they are exercising them, dividing themselves up into smaller and smaller media niche markets.”

    Exactly.
    Can we now once and for all bury the various bullshit theories that the MSM is restricting peoples access to information and that explains why people aren’t voting for The left?

    • One Anonymous Bloke 12.1

      Yeah, all that stuff demonstrating clear bias in media reports is just boring old research backed by facts after all, and relative audience size is such a dull topic.

      • The lost sheep 12.1.1

        Please note the post states…
        “We are undergoing the most substantial change in the media industry that we have seen for at least 200 — more probably 400 — years. The change is overwhelming, comprehensive and advancing at a break neck speed.”

        Can you then cite me any research that indicates MSM bias was a significant factor in voting patterns for the 2014 election?

        • One Anonymous Bloke 12.1.1.1

          How interesting that you think peer-reviewed work gets published so quickly.

          Speaking of quick publications what about that Donghua Liu, eh.

          • The lost sheep 12.1.1.1.1

            Are you aware of any such research work in progress OAB?

            Or any other credible (factual non partisan) allegations of a significant MSM bias in 2014 NZ voting patterns?

            Are you aware of any credible research that showed media bias was a significant factor in the result of the 2011 result?

            And you will be aware of this benchmark Stanford University study?
            http://pcl.stanford.edu/research/2009/iyengar-redmedia-bluemedia.pdf

            In short, the fact is that in the technological age every type of political bias that exists has a media outlet, and voters can and do access any of it they wish.

            There is no credible evidence that media bias has determined or even significantly influenced the outcome of any NZ election.

            • The lost sheep 12.1.1.1.1.1

              There is no credible evidence then.

              Now that red herring has been cleared up we can divert all the time that used to be wasted on it into discussing the real reasons the Left is failing to attract voter support.

              It’s a slow process, but we will eventually get our heads out of those clouds of dogma and bigotry and back down to the cold hard dirt of reality.

              • One Anonymous Bloke

                😆

                Get some patience, and you won’t look like such an ass.

                Yes, I’m aware of evidence of media bias in 2011. Victoria University Press published Prof. Claire Robinson’s study in 2013.

                I suggest you direct your “facts” about the effect of media bias in elections at the National Party, so they can stop spending so much time with Cameron Slater and Simon Lusk.

                Meanwhile, pull your head in.

                • The lost sheep

                  You will be aware of the extremely limited scope of that article, and the conclusions it draws OAB.

                  It presents no factual evidence at all of a linkage between the limited data on visual images Dr Robinson considered and the outcome of the election.
                  Dr Robinson does not make the claim this was the finding for this research or any other research.
                  She did note that many studies had confirmed that written coverage tended to show no consistent bias, and her findings do mirror the general trends of variation in bias as noted in the Stanford University study…
                  Dr Robinson said both leaders received much more positive and neutral coverage than negative coverage from all four papers, but the Herald and Herald on Sunday were generally more positive in their treatment of Mr Key, while the Dominion Post and Sunday Star-Times were kinder to Mr Goff.

                  There was a similar article written on the 2008 election…
                  http://liberation.typepad.com/liberation/2010/03/key-to-victory-media-coverage-of-the-2008-nz-election.html
                  Once again, this makes no claim of electorally significant bias.

                  That you are reduced to quoting such an insubstantial piece of evidence for the claim media bias has had any effect on our elections is the proof there no such evidence.

                  It’s just a bullshit covered straw that you and many others here cling to, rather than face up to the fact that Left Wing parties are genuinely losing the support of well informed citizen voters.

                  • One Anonymous Bloke

                    There were two parts to your original assertion. I have addressed the first one – that there is no evidence of media bias.

                    Your second self-defined hurdle is an interesting one. Perhaps you can suggest a way that the effect of media bias on election results can be measured, before demanding others provide proof.

                    As I said, if you’re correct, the National Party will be relieved you have solved the problem, and they no longer need to spend so much time and energy concocting the news.

                    If they’re picking up your calls, that is 😆

    • Brillo 12.2

      “Can we now once and for all bury the various bullshit theories that the MSM is restricting peoples access to information and that explains why people aren’t voting for The left”

      Not in my neighbourhood you can’t.

      During last year’s election campaign both local giveaway newspapers declined to publish any letters or press releases from the Labour candidate, while running photos and non-stories glorifying the waste of space that is the sitting Nat MP.

      Couldn’t have been more explicit.

      • The lost sheep 12.2.1

        What are your local papers?, and what is your evidence that they declined to publish any material from the Labour candidate?

        Can you show a linkage between the alleged bias and voting patterns?

        • One Anonymous Bloke 12.2.1.1

          Let’s turn this string of conceited and frankly querulous assertions around shall we.

          If someone had evidence that media bias affects election results, what would that evidence look like?

          How about “December hits coin”? Might it look a teensy bit like that?

          • The lost sheep 12.2.1.1.1

            I can ‘imagine’ what the evidence would look like OAB.

            Call me anal, but I would actually like to ‘see’ that an ‘imaginary’ ‘evidence’ has some counterpart in ‘reality’ before I accept it as a ‘fact’.

            • One Anonymous Bloke 12.2.1.1.1.1

              I don’t care what you can imagine. I asked you a direct question: what would the evidence look like: you say there’s none. What would falsify your hypothesis?

              The energy exerted to lessen the amount of time between an OIA release and a John Armstrong column?

              • The lost sheep

                Fallacy 101 OAB.
                You are making an ‘argument from ignorance’.

                There is nothing even remotely like credible evidence media bias has ever had any effect on a NZ election.
                If such a phenomenon existed, there would be such proof.

                Discerning readers can draw their own conclusion, and the rest of you can keep your heads in the sand.

                And as the last time someone tried to have the last word in a discussion with you it just about drove us all madder – I’ll leave it here.

                • One Anonymous Bloke

                  I’m not obliged to provide evidence that media bias affects election results, because, dipshit, I haven’t made any such argument.

                  It is you, claiming conclusively that they do not, who needs to provide the proof of your assertions. Logic 101, evidence of absence and all that.

                  I am merely pointing out that if you are correct, the National Party can save a lot of money on Cameron Slater, and further, that it seems from their behaviour as though they do not agree with your interesting hypothesis.

                  Edit: spurred on by your commitment to truthiness, I’ve been idly glancing at political communications strategy research. It seems there is a whole field of study of the phenomenon you say doesn’t exist. Perhaps they can save money too.

                • From wikipedia:

                  A Massey University study released in November 2012 suggested newspaper coverage was favourable towards National and John Key. In the month leading up to the election, the big four newspapers in New Zealand – The New Zealand Herald, The Herald on Sunday, The Dominion Post and The Sunday Star-Times – printed 72 percent more photos of Key than his opponent, Phil Goff, and devoted twice as many column inches of text coverage.[53]

                  [53]: http://www.3news.co.nz/politics/election-coverage-biased-towards-key-national–study-2012112708

                  • One Anonymous Bloke

                    The guts of TLS’s gut feeling is that it had no effect on the election result. He reckons it very very hard indeed, so go easy on him ok? 😈

                • One Anonymous Bloke

                  Now, since you asked so politely, here’s what I think: I think that perhaps you could isolate media bias from all the other factors that affect the vote, with a large enough sample size and control group. All you need now is an entire population of a country willing to be experimented on.

                  Making impossible demands for proof of something you categorically deny is a bit desperate, isn’t it?

  13. rhinocrates 13

    From Mystery Men:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5I94bT23cQ&spfreload=10

    Unleashing Tornado in a Can in parliament would be good too.

  14. Tracey 14

    Politicians, imo, are communicator’s and advocates. They have staff, they can read papers (altho not the PM), and need the ability to read, digest and understand. On that basis they communicate and advocate.

    However, the people wanting to be co-male leader for the Greens were ridiculed for not knowing the exact current rate of inflation (notwithstanding none of them necessarily were putting themselves forward as Economic spokesperson)… this ridicule is not heaped upon other political party reps when they don;t know something.

  15. SHG 15

    For Labour to engage in effective political communication it first needs to know what effective political communication is. And it doesn’t.

  16. Stuart Munro 16

    If the Labour party were in sync with the people the slave ships would’ve been stopped when Helen was in power. But they’re going to sail on for ever if our scumbag MPs have their way – and Labour know they betrayed the country on this as badly as the Key junta.

    Slave ships fail our international responsibilities. They show that the NZ rule of law is optional for companies. They destroy the jobs, conditions and standards of NZ workers. And they dumb down the NZ industry by preventing it from developing and accumulating the local skill base it needs to adapt to a changing world.

    This is the kind of communication Labour conducts. Glad handing MPs cannot make up the ground they lose by gross stupidities like this.

    The Gnats have probably accumulated an even larger group of very annoyed people.

    Tell us how you’re going to make it right.

    • One Anonymous Bloke 16.1

      I’d be very very interested to discover whether acts that might normally be considered piracy might be legal under a “claim of right” defence.

      • Stuart Munro 16.1.1

        Something a bit like that has often happened to Russian vessels – but they are in oversupply worldwide and wharfage charges rapidly exceeds the sale value of the boats. This was how Labour came unstuck with Karelrybflot in the Lyttleton stoush a while back – they never got paid the fines. It’s happened to India so many times they break up any Russian boat that tries it on.

        • One Anonymous Bloke 16.1.1.1

          I’m pretty sure the Navy would be completely in the clear in boarding any boat suspected of using slave labour. What they lack are the orders they need to do so.

          However, the companies that hire the slavers have offices and chief executive officers and human resources managers and finance officers and they’re involved in the slave trade.

          So perhaps piracy is the wrong thing to aim at.

          • Stuart Munro 16.1.1.1.1

            I wouldn’t repose too much trust in our navy’s ability to board vessels. They don’t get enough practice.

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    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 hours ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' at 10:10am on Tuesday, March 19
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Gavin Jacobson talks to Thomas Piketty 10 years on from Capital in the 21st Century The SalvoLocal scoop: Green MP’s business being investigated over migrant exploitation claims Stuff Steve KilgallonLocal deep-dive: The commercial contractors making money from School ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 hours ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things on Tuesday, March 19
    It’s a home - but Kāinga Ora tenants accused of “abusing the privilege” may lose it. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government announced a crackdown on Kāinga Ora tenants who were unruly and/or behind on their rent, with Housing Minister Chris Bishop saying a place in a state ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 hours ago
  • New Life for Light Rail
    This is a guest post by Connor Sharp of Surface Light Rail  Light rail in Auckland: A way forward sooner than you think With the coup de grâce of Auckland Light Rail (ALR) earlier this year, and the shift of the government’s priorities to roads, roads, and more roads, it ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    7 hours ago
  • Why Are Bosses Nearly All Buffoons?
    Note: As a paid-up Webworm member, I’ve recorded this Webworm as a mini-podcast for you as well. Some of you said you liked this option - so I aim to provide it when I get a chance to record! Read more ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    9 hours ago
  • Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6.06 pm on March 18
    TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    21 hours ago
  • Peters holds his ground on co-governance, but Willis wriggles on those tax cuts and SNA suspension l...
    Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago
  • Labour’s final report card
    David Farrar writes –  We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how  went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promise The result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • “Drunk Uncle at a Wedding”
    I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on Dune 2, and images of Islam
    Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
    1 day ago
  • New Rail Operations Centre Promises Better Train Services
    Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
    1 day ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things at 6.36am on Monday, March 18
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    1 day ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to March 25 and beyond
    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 day ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    1 day ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    1 day ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    4 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    5 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    5 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    5 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • There’s a name for this
    Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • Echoes of 1968 in 2024?  Pocock on the repetitive problems of the New Left
    Mike Grimshaw writes – Recent events in American universities point to an underlying crisis of coherent thinking, an issue that increasingly affects the progressive left across the Western world. This of course is nothing new as anyone who can either remember or has read of the late ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Two bar blues
    The thing about life’s little victories is that they can be followed by a defeat.Reader Darryl told me on Monday night:Test again Dave. My “head cold” last week became COVID within 24 hours, and is still with me. I hear the new variants take a bit longer to show up ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 13
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Angus Deaton on rethinking his economics IMFLocal scoop: The people behind Tamarind, the firm that left a $500m cleanup bill for taxpayers at Taranaki’s Tui oil well, are back operating in Taranaki under a different company name. Jonathan ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • AT Need To Lift Their Game
    Normally when we talk about accessing public transport it’s about improving how easy it is to get to, such as how easy is it to cross roads in a station/stop’s walking catchment, is it possible to cycle to safely, do bus connections work, or even if are there new routes/connections ...
    6 days ago
  • Christopher's Whopper.
    Politicians are not renowned for telling the truth. Some tell us things that are verifiably not true. They offer statements that omit critical pieces of information. Gloss over risks, preferring to offer the best case scenario.Some not truths are quite small, others amusing in their transparency. There are those repeated ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago
  • Funding hole for tax cuts growing by the day
    The pressure is mounting on the Government as it finalises its Budget Policy Statement, but yet more predicted revenue ‘goes missing’. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Climate Commission has delivered another funding blow to the National-ACT-NZ First coalition Government’s tax-cutting plans, potentially carving $1.4 billion off the ‘climate ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • Luxon’s brave climate change promise
    The Government now faces the prospect of having to watch another tax raise the price of petrol when, only six days ago, it abolished the Auckland Regional Fuel tax. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon argued that the regional fuel tax imposed costs on lower-income people with less fuel-efficient vehicles  and that ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    6 days ago

  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    23 hours ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
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    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
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    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
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    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
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    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
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    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
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    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
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    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
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    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
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    5 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
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    5 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
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    5 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
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    5 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
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    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
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    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
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    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
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    6 days ago
  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
    Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024.  “Lower fruit and vege ...
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    6 days ago
  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
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    6 days ago
  • Speech to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government backs rural led catchment projects
    The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
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    6 days ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction.   Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
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    7 days ago
  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
    Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
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    1 week ago
  • Government lowering building costs
    The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
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    1 week ago
  • Trustee tax change welcomed
    Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
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    1 week ago
  • Minister’s Ramadan message
    Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness.  It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
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    1 week ago
  • Minister appoints new NZTA Chair
    Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Speech to Life Sciences Summit
    Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology.  It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
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    1 week ago
  • Progress continues apace on water storage
    Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
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    1 week ago
  • Government agrees to restore interest deductions
    Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government has agreed to restore deductibility for mortgage interest on residential investment properties. “Help is on the way for landlords and renters alike. The Government’s restoration of interest deductibility will ease pressure on rents and simplify the tax code,” says ...
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    1 week ago
  • Minister to attend World Anti-Doping Agency Symposium
    Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop will travel to Switzerland today to attend an Executive Committee meeting and Symposium of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mr Bishop will then travel on to London where he will attend a series of meetings in his capacity as Infrastructure Minister. “New Zealanders believe ...
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    1 week ago
  • Pacific Language Weeks celebrate regional unity
    This year’s Pacific Language Weeks celebrate regional unity and the contribution of Pacific communities to New Zealand culture, says Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti.  Dr Reti announced dates for the 2024 Pacific Language Weeks during a visit to the Pasifika festival in Auckland today and says there’s so ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

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