Epsom & marginal deals

Written By: - Date published: 7:25 am, July 22nd, 2011 - 65 comments
Categories: election 2011, electoral systems, vote smart - Tags: ,

What to make of Epsom? I haven’t so far had a strong opinion on the topic, but I’m starting to come down on the side of “if you can’t beat them, join them”.

I’m sure we all know the background. The Nats are standing the oddest of patsies in Epsom, and “campaigning” for the party vote only. In other words they’re gifting the seat to ACT (Nats in drag) in the hope of getting a coalition party (with all its funding and resources). It’s likely that more deals will follow:

Act look for deal to leave marginal seats alone

National and Act are working on a deal under which Act would not stand candidates in marginal seats, including New Plymouth and Waimakariri, to increase National’s chances of winning them.

The deal would be in return for National again gifting the Epsom electorate to Act by having its new candidate Paul Goldsmith campaign only on the party vote.

It would give National a greater chance of wrestling Canterbury’s Waimakariri electorate from Labour’s Clayton Cosgrove and holding on to New Plymouth against a strong challenge from Labour’s Andrew Little.

Labour has called this a stitch up and a sign of ACT’s desperation, which of course it is.  Some commentators call it duplicitous, absurd, a “naked and shameless power grab” and a “grubby transaction”.  Others have the opposite view, that “It’s a perfectly sensible arrangement if you want to eliminate certain MPs, and I’m surprised Labour and the Greens don’t pursue such arrangements (e.g. in Ohariu)”.  In my view the theory can be argued either way, but the practice has already been decided. Nat / ACT are going to use this as a tactic, so Lab / Green would be handing them a significant electoral advantage if they didn’t explore their own possibilities.

As a complicating factor, however, John Pagani raises an issue I haven’t seen mentioned elsewhere:

Since National and Act are colluding over Epsom they begin to get into some tricky territory – especially if the deal takes the form of ‘endorse Act in Epsom and Act endorse National on the party vote.’  Collusion is not illegal, but it comes at a price.

Parties are limited to spending just over $1m plus $25,000 per constituency candidate Candidates in an electorate are limited to (another) $25,000.  If Act and National collude, they are at risk of breaching the spending cap because huckstering on behalf of someone else still counts towards the limit.

Well worth keeping an eye on.  In the mean time, well done David Parker for putting himself forward to represent Labour in Epsom.  Epsom voters will dutifully elect the turnip in the borrowed blue ribbon, but they’ll know in their hearts that there was a much better man in the race.

65 comments on “Epsom & marginal deals ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. tc 1
    22 July 2011 at 7:48 am

    The turnip who calls labour losers and reckons he wouldn’t recognize Parker if he came across him. So out of touch and asking for a loser (supercity mayoralty) like himself to be elected……like Douglas already on a parliamentary pension, what a bunch of troughers.

  2. Lazy Susan 2
    22 July 2011 at 7:59 am

    The sycophantic Banks who portrayed himself as mild mannered, centrist & inclusive in the mayoralty campaign until the mask dropped in the last couple of weeks when he knew he was up against the wall.

    As an Act candidate no need to wear the mask – just be venal, greedy and angry and he’ll just fit in fine.

    Wonder if Ralston will be doing his PR again?

  3. Carol 3
    22 July 2011 at 8:05 am

    I’m not in agreement with the idea of Labour-Greens doing the same sort of stitch-up. They’re better to highlight Nact’s collusion & lack of coherent policies. Putting up Parker for Epsom is a great idea. He can participate in the public debates in Epsom and highlight NAct’s failings, inconsistencies and incoherence around policy. It helps to build Labour’s narrative across all electorates.

    I don’t think it’s a good idea for Labour to participate in the propaganda wars in the same way the right does. That’s ;etting the Right set the agenda. The Left needs to shift the narrative to highlight their strong points. The Right wIng is all spin to cover umpopular policies. The Left should use the most effective ways to foreground their narratives, which are likely to get wider acceptance in the long run.

    • Lazy Susan 3.1
      22 July 2011 at 8:26 am

      I agree Carol. NActs game plays in Epsom and the marginals could well be counter-productive.

      Labour and the Greens should concentrate on policy and occupy the moral high ground. There’s a large number of “soft centre” National and undecided voters who don’t like Act. The more obvious it becomes that National and Act are very closely linked the more likely that National will lose this “soft centre”. I’m not even sure that the voters of Epsom will perform as instructed this time given the circus that Act has become.

      • Pete George 3.1.1
        22 July 2011 at 8:37 am

        “NActs game plays in Epsom and the marginals could well be counter-productive. ”

        It could well be counter-productive, that’s the risk they take, but surely it’s their choice to do that as long as they play within the rules.

        “I’m not even sure that the voters of Epsom will perform as instructed”

        They’re not instructed to do anything, different politicians and parties will try and talk voters into giving them their votes but it’s totally free choice for the voters.

        • felix 3.1.1.1
          22 July 2011 at 9:46 am

          “They’re not instructed to do anything, different politicians and parties will try and talk voters into giving them their votes but it’s totally free choice for the voters.”

          Whether or not you follow instructions is your own free choice, and has no bearing on whether or not instructions have been given.

          • Lazy Susan 3.1.1.1.1
            22 July 2011 at 9:52 am

            Thanks Felix – I couldn’t be bothered pointing out to the squirrel that both his comments agreed with what I had said.

            • Secret Squirrel 3.1.1.1.1.1
              22 July 2011 at 9:59 am

              Wrong, I disagreed that voters are “instructed” because it’s nonsense.

              Any politician knows that they can’t instruct anyone how to vote.

              • framu …
                22 July 2011 at 11:04 am

                so by running a weak candidate in Epsom, Nat arent telling Epsom voters to vote Act in order to get 2 for the price of one?

                a nod and a wink is still an instruction – just not a blatant order

              • felix …
                22 July 2011 at 11:37 am

                Of course they can Pete, it’s up to the voters to decide whether or not they follow the instructions. I can instruct you to put a bucket on your head if I like, but unless you think it’s a good idea you probably won’t follow my instruction.

                In Epsom John Key might endorse the ACT candidate, for example, by saying things like ‘I’m looking forward to working with him in Parliament’.

                He might also say things like, for example, ‘the people of Epsom have shown that they know how to vote strategically for a centre-right government’.

                In the right context, these are absolutely instructions. They’re instructions to the National party faithful of Epsom – from their Leader – to give their vote to the ACT candidate.

                And for the last couple of elections, the voters of Epsom have followed the instructions very well.

                You know all of this, as does almost everyone else with a passing interest in politics. You’re essentially just wasting peoples’ time demanding proof that the sky is blue.

                Unless of course you’re genuinely confused about the definition of the word “instruction”. I can see how it could be confusing for a natural authoritarian.

  4. Tiger Mountain 4
    22 July 2011 at 8:19 am

    The nationwide party vote will determine proportionality in parliament at the end of the day. MMP should be retained but the threshold really needs adjusting to help end these “grubby transactions”. But it is tempting to “join ’em” in certain electorates. There will proabably be a few more nudge, nudge efforts like in Ohariu where the Greens appear to be seeking the party vote primarily, theoretically assisting Labour’s Charles Chauvel, without being as blatant as National/Act in Epsom.

    In a better world one would like to think the tories of Epsom might realise half the country sees them as prize pricks and they would change their ways-obviously unlikely.

  5. mikesh 5
    22 July 2011 at 8:36 am

    Gareth Hughes has little chance of winning Ohariu for the Greens anyway, whereas in Epsom the National candidate, in the absence of a deal, would normally be expected to win.

    • Carol 5.1
      22 July 2011 at 8:43 am

      I thought the Greens always aimed to get the party vote and didn’t seriously go after electorate votes anywhere. They stand people in electorates to campaign for the party vote.

      • Pete George 5.1.1
        22 July 2011 at 8:53 am

        It’s just playing to their srengths and there most likely chance of getting the most seats. Every party has their own ways of trying to get the best advantage possible of the system.

        The ordering of places on the list is another tactic, nothing wrong with doing it, it’s another risk in the hope of gaining something extra.

        • Carol 5.1.1.1
          22 July 2011 at 9:03 am

          Except the Greens and most other parties don’t collude with another party in order to maximise their vote & especially not to exploit the coat-tail effect the way NAct do in Epsom. The Green’s targetting of the party vote is totally their own strategy.

          And with NAct we now have one party masquerading as 2. They’ve gone way beyond anything that many of us see as acceptable in a democracy.

          • Pete George 5.1.1.1.1
            22 July 2011 at 9:09 am

            “Except the Greens and most other parties don’t collude with another party in order to maximise their vote”

            How are you sure?

            “And with NAct we now have one party masquerading as 2. ”

            That’s an unsubstantiated claim.

            “They’ve gone way beyond anything that many of us see as acceptable in a democracy.”

            Surely parties have the freedom to choose how they do things (within the rules), and voters have the freedom to judge them on what they do and vote accordingly.

            • McFlock 5.1.1.1.1.1
              22 July 2011 at 2:14 pm

              “Surely parties have the freedom to choose how they do things (within the rules), and voters have the freedom to judge them on what they do and vote accordingly.”

              Well, that’s an idiotic statement, isn’t it: if what they want to do is against the rules, then they’re not free to do it.

              However, there is also the issue of whether they are behaving like sociopathic little power-whores seeking out every loophole they can to pervert the democratic process, as opposed to running a political campaign with good faith and democratic principles in mind.

              It’s a bit like insider trading laws or electoral financing – someone is found doing an act that is so contrary to good faith and basic democratic principles that the act is outlawed or at least heavily regulated, even if it hadn’t needed to be regulated before. NACT are beginning to sail a bit close to the fucktard line, IMO.

            • Puddleglum 5.1.1.1.1.2
              22 July 2011 at 5:02 pm

              Pete George says “How are you sure?” to which the obvious retort is “how are you unsure?”, especially given the implied principle in your next comment – “That’s an unsubstantiated claim.”

              So, you’re opposed to unsubstantiated claims but quite open to unsubstantiated doubting (i.e., negative claims)?
               
              Also if you want some substantiation of the claim that National and ACT are “one party masquerading as 2”, try John Banks’ own comments. You would have to be extraordinarily charitable to see those comments as anything other than that Banks sees National and ACT as one.

      • Chris 5.1.2
        22 July 2011 at 8:57 am

        Yeah thats how I’ve always seen it as well

  6. Wyndham 6
    22 July 2011 at 8:49 am

    @ Tiger
    “The nationwide party vote will determine proportionality in parliament at the end of the day.”
    Exactly – – another example of the Nacts rorting (legal) will be in English’s electorate down south where Act’s Nicholson, late of Federated Farmers, has openly acknowledged that he is seeking the Act party vote whilst the electorate vote goes to English.
    I’m afraid I can see the supposedly ‘finished’ Act Party returned to parliament with possibly even more seats. All as a result of this grubby dealing with the Nats. But then that’s politics and we should expect little else.

    • Chris 6.1
      22 July 2011 at 9:00 am

      Thats really not bad at all. See above, that is all the Greens ever do. Likewise it is doubtful that the Labour candidate in Bill English’s electrate is serious, any advertsing there will be aimed at getting some party vote. Every party does it and I don’t think it can even be considered gaming the system.

  7. higherstandard 7
    22 July 2011 at 9:15 am

    What to make of Epsom? I haven’t so far had a strong opinion on the topic, but I’m starting to come down on the side of “if you can’t beat them, join them”.

    Eh what, you’re resigning your labour party membership and joining the Nats ! Quelle horreur !

  8. Secret Squirrel 8
    22 July 2011 at 9:18 am

    All parties have their own ways of gaming, some could be seen as less democratic than others but in the end we all get to judge and vote.

    This post suggests Labour can be less democratic:

    Head Office wanted a local trade union hack to succeed Mike since the sisterhood were anxious to expunge all memory of Mike and his loyalists as quickly as possible. Union heavies duly showed up to cast the union block vote for the floor vote. We had to ring around to make sure that every Mike friendly local party member was there to counteract the unions on the floor vote.

    So even with Clayton having the support of the 3 LEC delegates and winning the floor vote, the Labour head office delegates kept hammering the 3 LEC delegates for a solid 4-5 hours in an attempt to wear them down to have them cave to head office’s demands.

    I have no idea if anything like this still happens (Mana?) but it’s up to Labour to do as it sees fit and get judged by the results of their selections – too much head office interference risks alienating electorates and reducing effort and votes in electorates.

  9. Lanthanide 9
    22 July 2011 at 9:19 am

    On Morning Report this morning, Katrina Shanks was on saying that Dunne had approached her to do a deal in Ohariu, and she refused. They played the sound-bite.

    Let’s see if captain panic-pants or other parachutes in and she changes her tune in the future.

    • felix 9.1
      22 July 2011 at 12:06 pm

      Also in that clip, good to hear Gareth is campaigning for the party vote only and trying to avoid splitting the left vote.

      Just the other day I grumbled that he was going to chase candidate votes and mess it all up; consider those words eaten.

      http://podcast.radionz.co.nz/mnr/mnr-20110722-0725-united_future_seeking_help_from_national_in_ohariu-048.mp3

      • Secret Squirrel 9.1.1
        22 July 2011 at 12:19 pm

        Oh no, one leftie party trying to help another!

        Good on him. Makes sense and is his choice. But he’d better not actually instruct anyone, that seems to be frowned on

        • felix 9.1.1.1
          22 July 2011 at 12:27 pm

          Where and by who? (The frowning on, I mean. I certainly haven’t frowned on the practice)

          ps I’m not sure if you’re aware that you’re using two handles in this thread. Might want to check your details.

          • Secret George 9.1.1.1.1
            22 July 2011 at 1:35 pm

            Handles don’t matter. There could be ten felixes posting here for all I know. And they might all post under different names as well.

            It’s the coherence of the comments that counts.

            [lprent: That is why there are those gravators against the name. Those are tied to the e-mail address used which is not published. And finally if I see someone trying to do an identity hijack or even use the same name they will get a hard ban in the former and a warning for the latter.

            Basically your argument is bullshit in the terms of the operations of this site.

            But I am starting to get tired of these frequent changes since we have to release new handles from the moderation. If you don’t settle on one shortly I’ll rename every comment handle you have ever done to something that I feel is more appropriate. But you’re unlikely to like it…]

            • felix 9.1.1.1.1.1
              22 July 2011 at 2:12 pm

              Handles only matter to me in the sense that what someone says today can be held up against what they said yesterday, which I suppose is precisely why trolls like to change them. But anyway, I just thought you might have used your other name accidentally and not noticed.

            • Pete George 9.1.1.1.1.2
              22 July 2011 at 2:26 pm

              Fair enough, it was sort of accidental but was getting a bit silly, I’ll go back to and stick to my real name.

              [lprent: Thanks. Each new handle has to have a message released manually because it is the most effective way of looking for fire and forget trolls. If they write a silly troll style message on the first one, then we just spam it. We don’t mind people having a couple of personalities (and not many do that) provided they don’t try for chorus effects – ie arguing with themselves. But shifting handles a lot gets a bit tiresome for the moderators. ]

  10. weka 10
    22 July 2011 at 11:14 am

    I don’t understand why this is seen as a grubby transaction (apart from the people involved or course) or duplicitous. Didn’t the left do this early on in MMP? I’m thinking there was some concession for Fitzimmons’ Coromandel seat.
     
    It makes more sense to work with potential coalition partners in this way, and gives a clear signal to strategic voters about who is likely to do deal with whom after the election (compared to say, the real duplicitous bastard Peters).
     
    What’s the down side?
     
    In terms of NACT, it seems useful to the left – the more swing voters who see Act as the only way National can govern the better.

    • Carol 10.1
      22 July 2011 at 11:18 am

      The Greens have always been their own party. Some Nats took over Act, compromising the original Act political policies, in order to manipulate Epsom to keep National in power. This is not just deals and compromises between parties, it’s NAct showing they have no ethics beyond a desire to keep power in their own interests.

      • weka 10.1.1
        22 July 2011 at 11:24 am

        Ok, so you don’t have a general problem with a party choosing not to stand someone in an electorate in order to give an advantage to a potential coalition partner?

      • Secret Squirrel 10.1.2
        22 July 2011 at 11:29 am

        What specifically have they done that is unethical?

        All parties have a desire for power, it’s hardly unique.
        They will say odd things to try and get power, like:

        Labour will re-engineer the tax system to bring New Zealand in line with the rest of the developed world, so those who can afford the least aren’t supporting those who could contribute more.

        That is nonsense.

        Those who can afford the least generally aren’t supporting anyone, they are being supported by those who do contribute, and Labour want them to contribute more. It’s those of us in the middle who get clobbered the most.

        • weka 10.1.2.1
          22 July 2011 at 11:44 am

          What tax rate are you on SS? Who do you think doesn’t pay tax?

          • Secret Squirrel 10.1.2.1.1
            22 July 2011 at 12:16 pm

            I’m on M tax code, 20% of my wages go on PAYE and EP. Plus I pay GST (probably about 10% of my pay) and all the other taxes on fuel, alcohol etc. The only tax I get back is a rebate on donations paid to charities.

            Quite a few people pay quite low if not no nett tax – anyone solely living on a benefit are nett recipients, and lowe earners gett WFF will be close to no nett tax too.

            Benefits and credits are reasonable, but it’s wrong, and perhaps dishonest, to claim that the people receiving them are supporting higher earners.

            • weka 10.1.2.1.1.1
              22 July 2011 at 1:11 pm

              I guess it depends on how you view the world.
               
              By net recipient do you mean that the other taxes that beneficiaries pay (GST, alcohol, fuel) don’t count because beneficiaries didn’t ‘earn’ their income in the first place?
               
              What’s EP?

              • Pete George …
                22 July 2011 at 1:24 pm

                EP=ACC earner premium. That costs me over $1000 a year.

                The other taxes do count. There are a lot of lower earners who get more WFF credits than they pay in tax, so the other taxes they pay bring them up to zero or maybe a bit over. Heavy drinkers and smokers will pay a lot more tax – if tobacco tax is 50% (?) a packet a day smoker will pay $2500-ish a year in tax.

                And beneficiaries obviously are nett recipients.

                • felix …
                  22 July 2011 at 1:31 pm

                  What about a landlord who’s income is from rents paid by beneficiaries? Are they also a “nett recipient”?

                  What about a supermarket in a low socio-economic area with mainly “nett recipient” beneficiary customers?

                  And the people who work in that supermarket, whose wages come from the money the store gets from the beneficiaries who shop there? They must be “nett recipients” too, surely.

                  God the world is a complicated place.

                • weka …
                  22 July 2011 at 1:48 pm

                  Is SS and George the same person?
                   
                  I don’t know what  you mean by beneficiaries being net recipients. Please explain.

                  • Pete George …
                    22 July 2011 at 3:52 pm

                    Beneficiaries pay some tax – PAYE, GST and excise tax, but because their income is a benefit they get more from the government than they pay.

                    Some income earners could also be nett recipients if they receive more in WFF and anything else they may qualify for than they pay in tax.

                    I haven’t seen an anaysis of nett tax that includes all taxes, there are so many taxes and so many variables in incomes and expenditure patterns it would be very difficult to get meaningful statistics, but a few case studies would give a n idea.

                    • felix …
                      22 July 2011 at 5:50 pm

                      And my examples above, the landlord and the supermarket and the supermarket employees.

                      Nett recipients?

                    • Jasper …
                      22 July 2011 at 6:23 pm

                      You do realise that PAYE includes ACC right Pete? And noone pays more in tax than they earn, thats just stupid commentating from you.
                      Im not opposed to a solo mum on the DPB with two kids having her income topped up to 26k thru WFF which means she pays very little tax. Its higly unlikely someone in NZ receiving WFF pays negative tax.
                      Id rather remove GST totally, regressive tax it is, and recover that lost income thru having higher PAYE tax rates with a focus on effective rates.
                      If you earn 150k, you only pay an effective rate of 26% currently. If this was 30%, no foul. Cap effective rates at something like 39% up to 500k, but above that effective rates could be as high as 60%. Quelle horror, especially if you’re George Frazis having to make do with just $2million nett p.a.
                      Theres a definite attraction in having food prices drop 15% overnight, while PAYE only goes up by around 2-3% per person.
                      Axe the GiST, then we’re moving towards a more equitable society.

                  • Colonial Viper …
                    22 July 2011 at 3:54 pm

                    YES. Same.

        • Colonial Viper 10.1.2.2
          22 July 2011 at 3:56 pm

          It’s those of us in the middle who get clobbered the most.

          Don;t be an asshat

          The median New Zealander earns $28,000 pa

          And the reason they are being clobbered is because the vast majority of the nations wealth and income lie strictly in the hands of 10%-20% of the population

  11. alex 11
    22 July 2011 at 11:57 am

    The Greens are the last truly independent force in New Zealand politics. They don’t owe Labour their existence like ACT owes National. Therefore, any deal would be counter productive for both Greens and Labour. The National/ ACT deal makes National look bad with centrist voters, and might allow Parker to slip through the middle. Unfortunately, the center is not really Green territory yet either, so a deal with Labour might have the same effect.

  12. gobsmacked 12
    22 July 2011 at 12:38 pm

    I don’t want Key to get a second term, but if he does …

    Nightmare for the left: National keep the “swing centre”, and get enough votes to govern alone.

    Nightmare for the right: ACT’s addiction to self-destruction moves centre stage – from a minor party embarrassment to a government meltdown.

    Embracing the insanity of ACT in Epsom might be a short-term numbers win for Key, but it’s a long-term disaster for National. They will successfully alienate all the people Key has worked hard to attract … swing voters, Maori, women, minorities, anybody under 75 …

    Let them write their own suicide note. I’ll lend them a pen.

  13. Shazzadude 13
    22 July 2011 at 12:38 pm

    If the people of Epsom use their vote intelligently, good on them. I just wish the left did the same-had Rimutaka smartened up, Helen Clark might still have been PM.

  14. battleheed 14
    22 July 2011 at 2:10 pm

    Pagani is wrong on spending cap. Yes any money spent supporting another party’s candidate goes under both parties spends, but he’s stupid to think that would happen. If there were a deal in Epsom then Key would shake hands with Banks in a public place with lots of media and sit down and have a coffee, and all the signs would be epsom party vote national. No money spent and everybody knows that national only wants the party vote.

  15. felix 15
    22 July 2011 at 2:49 pm

    Oh dear, poor Katrina Shanks.

    Only this morning she was adamant she would fight hard for the seat and wouldn’t back down to let Dunne in.

    And then: http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1107/S00376/dunne-labour-greens-hypocrisy-behind-their-ohariu-deal.htm

    Guess she should’ve checked with her handlers first, eh?

    Surprised to hear her on the radio at all actually. I thought she was still muzzled after the last time she opened her mouth and all the stupid got out.

  16. chris73 16
    22 July 2011 at 6:26 pm

    How is this any different to the deals done with Jumbo Anderton and Winnie P?

  17. Roger 17
    22 July 2011 at 6:53 pm

    It is pretty clever from the right to do this so openly since the MMP referrendum is also happening, by following suit on the left there could be a serious risk that the general public will get tired of it and vote to remove MMP.

  18. jaymam 18
    23 July 2011 at 10:57 pm

    Epsom 2008 results:
    HIDE, Rodney ACT 21,102
    WORTH, Richard NAT 8,220
    SUTTON, Kate LAB 5,112
    LOCKE, Keith GP 2,787

    Kate has worked hard for Epsom and never got near to Worth’s vote. David Parker will do no better.
    Therefore in 2011 Epsom will be won by Banks or Goldsmith.
    There is no other possibility.

    So who of Banks or Goldsmith would Labour and the Greens prefer? Obviously Goldsmith.
    So Labour and the Greens should ask their Epsom voters to vote for Goldsmith. Do it. Beat the Nats and ACT at their own game.
    Voting any other way is foolish in the extreme.
    If you lot had done this in 2005 we would have got rid of ACT then.

    I want to see Labour and Green billboards with Vote Goldsmith on them please. The $25,000 is wasted in Epsom anyway.

    • Colonial Viper 18.1
      23 July 2011 at 11:05 pm

      When its the World Cup, learning to dive like Ronaldo is not a bad thing 😛

  19. jaymam 19
    24 July 2011 at 8:00 pm

    I suppose I should point out what should be obvious.
    Hide got a high vote in 2008. He is not standing again because Brash doesn’t want him to. National supporters should be pissed off at the machinations of ACT. Therefore Banks may not get such a high vote as Hide did. Banks is not the leader of a party. He has also swapped parties. Voters do not like that. So Banks will not get 21,000 votes.

    Worth got over 8000 votes despite being useless. Goldsmith has no baggage and should get far more votes than that. So if a fair few National supporters vote for Goldsmith, plus ALL of Labour and Green supporters vote for Goldsmith, then Goldsmith could win Epsom. That will be the demise of ACT if they don’t get 5%, which they won’t on current polling. Therefore all of ACT’s party votes will be wasted, and the other parties, e.g. Labour, Greens and National will get extra seats.

    So, vote for Goldsmith and get another Labour and maybe a Green seat. If you are in Epsom and don’t understand all of this, just quietly ask your Labour/Green expert and they will tell you to vote for Goldsmith. OK? I’ll point out again that Labour cannot win Epsom, so don’t waste your candidate vote. Obviously your party vote will be for the party you do support.

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    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    17 hours ago

  • How Should We Organise a Modern Economy?
    Alan Bollard, formerly Treasury Secretary, Reserve Bank Governor and Chairman of APEC, has written an insightful book exploring command vs demand approaches to the economy. The Cold War included a conflict about ideas; many were economic. Alan Bollard’s latest book Economists in the Cold War focuses on the contribution of ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 day ago

  • Willis fails a taxing app-titude test but govt supporters will cheer moves on Te Pukenga and the Hum...
    Buzz from the Beehive The Minister of Defence has returned from Noumea to announce New Zealand will host next year’s South Pacific Defence Ministers’ Meeting and (wearing another ministerial hat) to condemn malicious cyber activity conducted by the Russian Government. A bigger cheer from people who voted for the Luxon ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago

  • ELIZABETH RATA: In defence of the liberal university and against indigenisation
    The suppression of individual thought in our universities spills over into society, threatening free speech everywhere. Elizabeth Rata writes –  Indigenising New Zealand’s universities is well underway, presumably with the agreement of University Councils and despite the absence of public discussion. Indigenising, under the broader umbrella of decolonisation, ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago

  • Gordon Campbell on the skewed media coverage of Gaza
    Now that he’s back as Foreign Minister, maybe Winston Peters should start reading the MFAT website. If he did, Peters would find MFAT celebrating the 25th anniversary of how New Zealand alerted the rest of the world to the genocide developing in Rwanda. Quote: New Zealand played an important role ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    2 days ago

  • “Your Circus, Your Clowns.”
    It must have been a hard first couple of weeks for National voters, since the coalition was announced. Seeing their party make so many concessions to New Zealand First and ACT that there seems little remains of their own policies, other than the dwindling dream of tax cuts and the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago

  • Weekly Roundup 8-December-2023
    It’s Friday again and Christmas is fast approaching. Here’s some of the stories that caught our attention. This week in Greater Auckland On Tuesday Matt covered some of the recent talk around the costs, benefits and challenges with the City Rail Link. On Thursday Matt looked at how ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    2 days ago

  • End-of-week escapism
    Amsterdam to Hong Kong William McCartney16,000 kilometres41 days18 trains13 countries11 currencies6 long-distance taxis4 taxi apps4 buses3 sim cards2 ferries1 tram0 medical events (surprisingly)Episode 4Whether the Sofia-Istanbul Express really qualifies to be called an express is debatable, but it’s another one of those likeably old and slow trains tha… ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago

  • The Hoon around the week to Dec 8
    Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro arrives for the State Opening of Parliament (Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)TL;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:New Finance Minister Nicola Willis set herself a ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • New Zealand’s Witchcraft Laws: 1840/1858-1961/1962
    Sometimes one gets morbidly curious about the oddities of one’s own legal system. Sometimes one writes entire essays on New Zealand’s experience with Blasphemous Libel: https://phuulishfellow.wordpress.com/2017/05/09/blasphemous-libel-new-zealand-politics/ And sometimes one follows up the exact historical status of witchcraft law in New Zealand. As one does, of course. ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    2 days ago

  • No surprises
    Don’t expect any fiscal shocks or surprises when the books are opened on December 20 with the unveiling of the Half Yearly Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU). That was the message yesterday from Westpac in an economic commentary. But the bank’s analysis did not include any changes to capital ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago

  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #49 2023
    113 articles in 48 journals by 674 contributing authors Physical science of climate change, effects Diversity of Lagged Relationships in Global Means of Surface Temperatures and Radiative Budgets for CMIP6 piControl Simulations, Tsuchida et al., Journal of Climate 10.1175/jcli-d-23-0045.1 Do abrupt cryosphere events in High Mountain Asia indicate earlier tipping ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago

  • Phone calls at Kia Kaha primary
    It is quiet reading time in Room 13! It is so quiet you can hear the Tui outside. It is so quiet you can hear the Fulton Hogan crew.It is so quiet you can hear old Mr Grant and old Mr Bradbury standing by the roadworks and counting the conesand going on ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago

  • A question of confidence is raised by the Minister of Police, but he had to be questioned by RNZ to ...
    It looks like the new ministerial press secretaries have quickly learned the art of camouflaging exactly what their ministers are saying – or, at least, of keeping the hard news  out of the headlines and/or the opening sentences of the statements they post on the home page of the governments ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago

  • Xmas  good  cheer  for the dairy industry  as Fonterra lifts its forecast
    The big dairy co-op Fonterra  had  some Christmas  cheer to offer  its farmers this week, increasing its forecast farmgate milk price and earnings guidance for  the year after what it calls a strong start to the year. The forecast  midpoint for the 2023/24 season is up 25cs to $7.50 per ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • MICHAEL BASSETT: Modern Maori myths
    Michael Bassett writes – Many of the comments about the Coalition’s determination to wind back the dramatic Maorification of New Zealand of the last three years would have you believe the new government is engaged in a full-scale attack on Maori. In reality, all that is happening ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • Dreams of eternal sunshine at a spotless COP28
    Mary Robinson asked Al Jaber a series of very simple, direct and highly pertinent questions and he responded with a high-octane public meltdown. Photos: Getty Images / montage: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR The hygiene effects of direct sunshine are making some inroads, perhaps for the very first time, on the normalised ‘deficit ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • LINDSAY MITCHELL: Oh, the irony
    Lindsay Mitchell writes – Appointed by new Labour PM Jacinda Ardern in 2018, Cindy Kiro headed the Welfare Expert Advisory Group (WEAG) tasked with reviewing and recommending reforms to the welfare system. Kiro had been Children’s Commissioner during Helen Clark’s Labour government but returned to academia subsequently. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Transport Agencies don’t want Harbour Tunnels
    It seems even our transport agencies don’t want Labour’s harbour crossing plans. In August the previous government and Waka Kotahi announced their absurd preferred option the new harbour crossing that at the time was estimated to cost $35-45 billion. It included both road tunnels and a wiggly light rail tunnel ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    3 days ago

  • Webworm Presents: Jurassic Park on 35mm
    Hi,Paying Webworm members such as yourself keep this thing running, so as 2023 draws to close, I wanted to do two things to say a giant, loud “THANKS”. Firstly — I’m giving away 10 Mister Organ blu-rays in New Zealand, and another 10 in America. More details down below.Secondly — ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    3 days ago

  • The Prime Minister's Dream.
    Yesterday saw the State Opening of Parliament, the Speech from the Throne, and then Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s dream for Aotearoa in his first address. But first the pomp and ceremony, the arrival of the Governor General.Dame Cindy Kiro arrived on the forecourt outside of parliament to a Māori welcome. ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • National’s new MP; the proud part-Maori boy raised in a state house
    Probably not since 1975 have we seen a government take office up against such a wall of protest and complaint. That was highlighted yesterday, the day that the new Parliament was sworn in, with news that King Tuheitia has called a national hui for late January to develop a ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago

  • Climate Adam: Battlefield Earth – How War Fuels Climate Catastrophe
    This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). War, conflict and climate change are tearing apart lives across the world. But these aren't separate harms - they're intricately connected. ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago

  • They do not speak for us, and they do not speak for the future
    These dire woeful and intolerant people have been so determinedly going about their small and petulant business, it’s hard to keep up. At the end of the new government’s first woeful week, Audrey Young took the time to count off its various acts of denigration of Te Ao Māori:Review the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago

  • Another attack on te reo
    The new white supremacist government made attacking te reo a key part of its platform, promising to rename government agencies and force them to "communicate primarily in English" (which they already do). But today they've gone further, by trying to cut the pay of public servants who speak te reo: ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago

  • For the record, the Beehive buzz can now be regarded as “official”
    Buzz from the Beehive The biggest buzz we bring you from the Beehive today is that the government’s official website is up and going after being out of action for more than a week. The latest press statement came  from  Education Minister  Eric Stanford, who seized on the 2022 PISA ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • Climate Change: Failed again
    There was another ETS auction this morning. and like all the other ones this year, it failed to clear - meaning that 23 million tons of carbon (15 million ordinary units plus 8 million in the cost containment reserve) went up in smoke. Or rather, they didn't. Being unsold at ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell On The Government’s Assault On Maori
    This isn’t news, but the National-led coalition is mounting a sustained assault on Treaty rights and obligations. Even so, Christopher Luxon has described yesterday’s nationwide protests by Maori as “pretty unfair.” Poor thing. In the NZ Herald, Audrey Young has compiled a useful list of the many, many ways that ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    3 days ago

  • Rising costs hit farmers hard, but  there’s more  positive news  for  them this  week 
    New Zealand’s dairy industry, the mainstay of the country’s export trade, has  been under  pressure  from rising  costs. Down on the  farm, this  has  been  hitting  hard. But there  was more positive news this week,  first   from the latest Fonterra GDT auction where  prices  rose,  and  then from  a  report ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    3 days ago

  • ROB MacCULLOCH:  Newshub and NZ Herald report misleading garbage about ACT’s van Veldon not follo...
    Rob MacCulloch writes –  In their rush to discredit the new government (which our MainStream Media regard as illegitimate and having no right to enact the democratic will of voters) the NZ Herald and Newshub are arguing ACT’s Deputy Leader Brooke van Veldon is not following Treasury advice ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Top 10 for Wednesday, December 6
    Even many young people who smoke support smokefree policies, fitting in with previous research showing the large majority of people who smoke regret starting and most want to quit. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere on the morning of Wednesday, December ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • Eleven years of work.
    Well it didn’t take six months, but the leaks have begun. Yes the good ship Coalition has inadvertently released a confidential cabinet paper into the public domain, discussing their axing of Fair Pay Agreements (FPAs).Oops.Just when you were admiring how smoothly things were going for the new government, they’ve had ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • Why we're missing out on sharply lower inflation
    A wave of new and higher fees, rates and charges will ripple out over the economy in the next 18 months as mayors, councillors, heads of department and price-setters for utilities such as gas, electricity, water and parking ramp up charges. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Just when most ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • How Did We Get Here?
    Hi,Kiwis — keep the evening of December 22nd free. I have a meetup planned, and will send out an invite over the next day or so. This sounds sort of crazy to write, but today will be Tony Stamp’s final Totally Normal column of 2023. Somehow we’ve made it to ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    4 days ago

  • At a glance – Has the greenhouse effect been falsified?
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago

  • New Zealaders  have  high expectations of  new  government:  now let’s see if it can deliver?
    The electorate has high expectations of the  new  government.  The question is: can  it  deliver?    Some  might  say  the  signs are not  promising. Protestors   are  already marching in the streets. The  new  Prime Minister has had  little experience of managing  very diverse politicians  in coalition. The economy he  ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    4 days ago

  • You won't believe some of the numbers you have to pull when you're a Finance Minister
    Nicola of Marsden:Yo, normies! We will fix your cost of living worries by giving you a tax cut of 150 dollars. 150! Cash money! Vote National.Various people who can read and count:Actually that's 150 over a fortnight. Not a week, which is how you usually express these things.And actually, it looks ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • Pushback
    When this government came to power, it did so on an explicitly white supremacist platform. Undermining the Waitangi Tribunal, removing Māori representation in local government, over-riding the courts which had tried to make their foreshore and seabed legislation work, eradicating te reo from public life, and ultimately trying to repudiate ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago

  • Defence ministerial meeting meant Collins missed the Maori Party’s mischief-making capers in Parli...
    Buzz from the Beehive Maybe this is not the best time for our Minister of Defence to have gone overseas. Not when the Maori Party is inviting (or should that be inciting?) its followers to join a revolution in a post which promoted its protest plans with a picture of ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago

  • Threats of war have been followed by an invitation to join the revolution – now let’s see how th...
     A Maori Party post on Instagram invited party followers to ….  Tangata Whenua, Tangata Tiriti, Join the REVOLUTION! & make a stand!  Nationwide Action Day, All details in tiles swipe to see locations.  • This is our 1st hit out and tomorrow Tuesday the 5th is the opening ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Top 10 for Tuesday, December 4
    The RBNZ governor is citing high net migration and profit-led inflation as factors in the bank’s hawkish stance. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere on the morning of Tuesday, December 5, including:Reserve Bank Governor Adrian Orr says high net migration and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago

  • Nicola Willis' 'show me the money' moment
    Willis has accused labour of “economic vandalism’, while Robertson described her comments as a “desperate diversion from somebody who can't make their tax package add up”. There will now be an intense focus on December 20 to see whether her hyperbole is backed up by true surprises. Photo montage: Lynn ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago

  • CRL costs money but also provides huge benefits
    The City Rail Link has been in the headlines a bit recently so I thought I’d look at some of them. First up, yesterday the NZ Herald ran this piece about the ongoing costs of the CRL. Auckland ratepayers will be saddled with an estimated bill of $220 million each ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    5 days ago

  • And I don't want the world to see us.
    Is this the most shambolic government in the history of New Zealand? Given that parliament hasn’t even opened they’ve managed quite a list of achievements to date.The Smokefree debacle trading lives for tax cuts, the Trumpian claims of bribery in the Media, an International award for indifference, and today the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • Cooking the books
    Finance Minister Nicola Willis late yesterday stopped only slightly short of accusing her predecessor Grant Robertson of cooking the books. She complained that the Half Yearly Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU), due to be made public on December 20, would show “fiscal cliffs” that would amount to “billions of ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago

  • Most people don’t realize how much progress we’ve made on climate change
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections The year was 2015. ‘Uptown Funk’ with Bruno Mars was at the top of the music charts. Jurassic World was the most popular new movie in theaters. And decades of futility in international climate negotiations was about to come to an end in ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago

  • Of Parliamentary Oaths and Clive Boonham
    As a heads-up, I am not one of those people who stay awake at night thinking about weird Culture War nonsense. At least so far as the current Maori/Constitutional arrangements go. In fact, I actually consider it the least important issue facing the day to day lives of New ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    5 days ago

  • Bearing True Allegiance?
    Strong Words: “We do not consent, we do not surrender, we do not cede, we do not submit; we, the indigenous, are rising. We do not buy into the colonial fictions this House is built upon. Te Pāti Māori pledges allegiance to our mokopuna, our whenua, and Te Tiriti o ...
    Bowalley Road
    5 days ago

  • You cannot be serious
    Some days it feels like the only thing to say is: Seriously? No, really. Seriously?OneSomeone has used their health department access to share data about vaccinations and patients, and inform the world that New Zealanders have been dying in their hundreds of thousands from the evil vaccine. This of course is pure ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago

  • A promise kept: govt pulls the plug on Lake Onslow scheme – but this saving of $16bn is denounced...
    Buzz from the Beehive After $21.8 million was spent on investigations, the plug has been pulled on the Lake Onslow pumped-hydro electricity scheme, The scheme –  that technically could have solved New Zealand’s looming energy shortage, according to its champions – was a key part of the defeated Labour government’s ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago

  • CHRIS TROTTER: The Maori Party and Oath of Allegiance
    If those elected to the Māori Seats refuse to take them, then what possible reason could the country have for retaining them?   Chris Trotter writes – Christmas is fast approaching, which, as it does every year, means gearing up for an abstruse general knowledge question. “Who was ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago

  • BRIAN EASTON:  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. Brian Easton writes – The two coalition agreements – one National and ACT, the other National and New Zealand First – are more than policy documents. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Climate Change: Fossils
    When the new government promised to allow new offshore oil and gas exploration, they were warned that there would be international criticism and reputational damage. Naturally, they arrogantly denied any possibility that that would happen. And then they finally turned up at COP, to criticism from Palau, and a "fossil ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago

  • GEOFFREY MILLER:  NZ’s foreign policy resets on AUKUS, Gaza and Ukraine
    Geoffrey Miller writes – New Zealand’s international relations are under new management. And Winston Peters, the new foreign minister, is already setting a change agenda. As expected, this includes a more pro-US positioning when it comes to the Pacific – where Peters will be picking up where he ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on the government’s smokefree laws debacle
    The most charitable explanation for National’s behaviour over the smokefree legislation is that they have dutifully fulfilled the wishes of the Big Tobacco lobby and then cast around – incompetently, as it turns out – for excuses that might sell this health policy U-turn to the public. The less charitable ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    6 days ago

  • Top 10 links at 10 am for Monday, December 4
    As Deb Te Kawa writes in an op-ed, the new Government seems to have immediately bought itself fights with just about everyone. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere as of 10 am on Monday December 4, including:Palau’s President ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

  • Be Honest.
    Let’s begin today by thinking about job interviews.During my career in Software Development I must have interviewed hundreds of people, hired at least a hundred, but few stick in the memory.I remember one guy who was so laid back he was practically horizontal, leaning back in his chair until his ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago

  • Geoffrey Miller: New Zealand’s foreign policy resets on AUKUS, Gaza and Ukraine
    New Zealand’s international relations are under new management. And Winston Peters, the new foreign minister, is already setting a change agenda. As expected, this includes a more pro-US positioning when it comes to the Pacific – where Peters will be picking up where he left off. Peters sought to align ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    6 days ago

  • Auckland rail tunnel the world’s most expensive
    Auckland’s city rail link is the most expensive rail project in the world per km, and the CRL boss has described the cost of infrastructure construction in Aotearoa as a crisis. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The 3.5 km City Rail Link (CRL) tunnel under Auckland’s CBD has cost ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

  • First big test coming
    The first big test of the new Government’s approach to Treaty matters is likely to be seen in the return of the Resource Management Act. RMA Minister Chris Bishop has confirmed that he intends to introduce legislation to repeal Labour’s recently passed Natural and Built Environments Act and its ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    6 days ago

  • The Song of Saqua: Volume III
    Time to revisit something I haven’t covered in a while: the D&D campaign, with Saqua the aquatic half-vampire. Last seen in July: https://phuulishfellow.wordpress.com/2023/07/27/the-song-of-saqua-volume-ii/ The delay is understandable, once one realises that the interim saw our DM come down with a life-threatening medical situation. They have since survived to make ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    6 days ago

  • Chris Bishop: Smokin’
    Yes. Correct. It was an election result. And now we are the elected government. ...
    My ThinksBy boonman
    6 days 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
    7 days 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
    7 days 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
    7 days 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 week 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
    1 week 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
    1 week 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
    1 week 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
    1 week 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
    1 week ago

  • Ministers visit Hawke’s Bay to grasp recovery needs
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon joined Cyclone Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell and Transport and Local Government Minister Simeon Brown, to meet leaders of cyclone and flood-affected regions in the Hawke’s Bay. The visit reinforced the coalition Government’s commitment to support the region and better understand its ongoing requirements, Mr Mitchell says.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • New Zealand condemns malicious cyber activity
    New Zealand has joined the UK and other partners in condemning malicious cyber activity conducted by the Russian Government, Minister Responsible for the Government Communications Security Bureau Judith Collins says. The statement follows the UK’s attribution today of malicious cyber activity impacting its domestic democratic institutions and processes, as well ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Disestablishment of Te Pūkenga begins
    The Government has begun the process of disestablishing Te Pūkenga as part of its 100-day plan, Minister for Tertiary Education and Skills Penny Simmonds says.  “I have started putting that plan into action and have met with the chair and chief Executive of Te Pūkenga to advise them of my ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Climate Change Minister to attend COP28 in Dubai
    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will be leaving for Dubai today to attend COP28, the 28th annual UN climate summit, this week. Simon Watts says he will push for accelerated action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement, deliver New Zealand’s national statement and connect with partner countries, private sector leaders ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • New Zealand to host 2024 Pacific defence meeting
    Defence Minister Judith Collins yesterday announced New Zealand will host next year’s South Pacific Defence Ministers’ Meeting (SPDMM). “Having just returned from this year’s meeting in Nouméa, I witnessed first-hand the value of meeting with my Pacific counterparts to discuss regional security and defence matters. I welcome the opportunity to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Study shows need to remove distractions in class
    The Government is committed to lifting school achievement in the basics and that starts with removing distractions so young people can focus on their learning, Education Minister Erica Stanford says.   The 2022 PISA results released this week found that Kiwi kids ranked 5th in the world for being distracted ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Minister sets expectations of Commissioner
    Today I met with Police Commissioner Andrew Coster to set out my expectations, which he has agreed to, says Police Minister Mark Mitchell. Under section 16(1) of the Policing Act 2008, the Minister can expect the Police Commissioner to deliver on the Government’s direction and priorities, as now outlined in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • New Zealand needs a strong and stable ETS
    New Zealand needs a strong and stable Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) that is well placed for the future, after emission units failed to sell for the fourth and final auction of the year, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says.  At today’s auction, 15 million New Zealand units (NZUs) – each ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • PISA results show urgent need to teach the basics
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  • Collins leaves for Pacific defence meeting
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  • Working for Families gets cost of living boost
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  • Post-Cabinet press conference
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