From a sinking ship

Written By: - Date published: 12:43 pm, June 12th, 2013 - 61 comments
Categories: united future - Tags:

While Peter Dunne is on leave for a week, things are not going well

UnitedFuture has applied to be re-registered as a political party claiming it now has more than enough members. However, it has hit a stumbling block after not providing the information in the required format. … The party had attempted to supply electronic records but the commission required signed paper copies of a member’s application.

UnitedFuture will meet with the commission today to discuss the requirement saying it would be too difficult for any new party.

Oh please. Mana managed it.

Dunne’s staff, meanwhile, have begun picking up jobs elsewhere within the Beehive.

His long-time press secretary, Mark Stewart, has been given a job in the Prime Minister’s Office.

Elsewhere Todd McClay, who has taken over Dunne’s portfolios of revenue and associate health, has taken on Dunne’s former chief of staff Rob Eaddy and senior private secretary Anne Small.

Guess they can read the writing on the wall.

61 comments on “From a sinking ship ”

  1. Rich 1

    Dunne should realise that a ‘like’ on Facebook doesn’t equate to financial membership.

    The Electoral Act requires that party members make a conscious commitment to join a party based on applying and paying a fee. That needs to be evidenced to the electoral commission, and they take the reasonable view that absent any simple means of electronically verifying identity, they want to see a piece of paper with a signature on it.

    (They don’t go further and require party members visit a JP or post office with ID, as one has to do for a bank account. But they have to take reasonable steps to require identification, otherwise a party could just provide a randomly selected list of names).

    • weka 1.1

      “they take the reasonable view that absent any simple means of electronically verifying identity, they want to see a piece of paper with a signature on it.”

      What does that mean? And thinking about it, if someone was intent on fraud, why would a signature on a piece of paper be more valid than an email address?

      btw, here is the UF’s sign up form. Looks reasonably comprehensive to me.

      http://www.unitedfuture.co.nz/united_future_membership.htm

      • McFlock 1.1.1

        Signatures are still easier to match to an individual than electronical sorcery.

        • weka 1.1.1.1

          How? How would the Electoral Commission know what my signature looked like?

          • McFlock 1.1.1.1.1

            They wouldn’t. But if someone sent you a membership card or the EC decided to check with a random sample of supposed members and you said “did NOT!” they could go back to the form and match it with the example on the back of your credit card or similar.

            • weka 1.1.1.1.1.1

              I still don’t see how that is more valid than email. It’s pretty easy to validate that I am sending something from my email address.

              Also, matching signatures from credit cards across the country is not easy.

              • McFlock

                Drivers’ licence signature is digitised.

                And there’s many a slip from “email”, through “spoofed email address”, and “actual email address”, “actual address belongs to that person”, “that person’s computer accessed that email address”, to “that person sent that email from that computer using that address”.

                Whereas if the sig on the form is block-caps “WEKA” and the sig on your licence is a wiggly “W” and a particular scrawl pattern afterwards, non-specialised staff have enough to raise a flag.

                • weka

                  Not everyone has a drivers licence McFlock. And are you suggesting that NZTA and EC are data matching? Or should be? I’m not really following you there. Yes email can be faked, but so can signatures.

                  • McFlock

                    No, I’m suggesting that if there is a complaint made of electoral fraud in the style of pauline hanson and referred to the police (blast from the past, that :)) then it is more straightforward to investigate than electronic-only records.

                    I mean, you can look at email headers all you want, but they are insanely easy to fake, and you’d need warranted access to the ISP server logs to verify, and even then that only identifies the computer and not the user at the keyboard

                    [edit] – forgery is much more difficult, and carries a higher penalty.

                    • Rich

                      You wouldn’t even need to fake an email header. Just sign up on gmail or whatever with a random electors name and then fill the form out. Supply a prezzy card number and pay your five bucks. Do that 500 times, and for $2,500 you’ve just fraudulently created a political party.

                      A piece of paper with a signature on it is at least marginally more effort (or work factor, as they say in the trade) to generate.

                    • McFlock

                      $2500 that you just paid to yourself, at that.

                    • Rich

                      Also, an original handwritten signature can be verified by a forensic document examiner with fairly high certainty (~ 97%).

                      That not only allows a fake signature to be detected, it allows a persons claim that they didn’t sign a document to be challenged (non-repudiation).

                      A web form gives you none of this.

                    • Draco T Bastard

                      A web form gives you none of this.

                      Wrong.

                    • Rich

                      That “sign with a mouse” thing isn’t more than theatre, really. The signature gets done with a mouse and will only be tangentially similar to one with a pen.

                      Also, one could take a signature image, put it through raster->vector software (https://code.google.com/p/rastertovector/) and have an instant fake.

              • Colonial Viper

                it’s quite fair for the Electoral Commission to want extra verification for UF as the reliability of their previously submitted documents was in question.

                • weka

                  Was it? I assume it was, but we don’t know much detail yet.

                  • Tigger

                    It was. Stop being dense.

                    • weka

                      I’ve only read the article linked in this post. It’s not that clear exactly what the problem was (unreliable documentation, or a higher degree of proof being needed). If you have read something else, why not say so and link to it?

              • paul andersen

                its pretty easy for anyone to use your( or anybody else’s) e-mail address.

    • Jim Nald 1.2

      Maybe the Speaker’s magic spoon-bending, rule-bending abilities can be extended so that his bad and wrong ruling can be prolonged some more?

    • James 1.3

      “otherwise a party could just provide a randomly selected list of names”

      Sounds not unlike the “save our Assets” petition.

      • Colonial Viper 1.3.1

        more like the names enrolled to buy Mighty River Power (3/4 of whom mysteriously disappeared, and they were the smart ones because the ones who were left lost their savings)

        • James 1.3.1.1

          No – they enrolled for a prospectus. Not necessarily to buy. And you blimmin well know that.

          Good try tho’

          • McFlock 1.3.1.1.1

            lol

            how the spin changes. Key was arguing it was support for asset sales.

          • Colonial Viper 1.3.1.1.2

            No – they enrolled for a prospectus. Not necessarily to buy. And you blimmin well know that.

            So according to you 3/4 of the investors examined the prospectus and decided it was a bad deal?

            And from the shares performance results to date, they were spot on.

            • Te Reo Putake 1.3.1.1.2.1

              C’mon CV, it’s winter time. 300 thousand kiwis apparently needed something to light their fires with.

              • Ed

                That nice Mr Key said that the more people that asked for a prospectus the higher the price would be. Any patriotic New Zealander that listened to and trusted Mr Key would of course asked for a prospectus, regardless of whether they intended to purchase, or even had enough money. We can only be surprised (and perhaps informed by) the large number of people who evidently didn’t listen to or didn’t trust JohnKey – or perhaps just didn’t care or didn’t want anything to do with the ShonKey sale.

                It is a bit like the smacking referendum – almost anyone could have justified voting either way. . .

  2. Jim Nald 2

    Wow. That job in the PM’s office came up quick?

    I can understand the two other jobs and the need which would be involved with the portfolios.

    • tracey 2.1

      I believe the PM;’s office has had good job growth during the GFC. Probably indicates that Dunne’s press secretary was always working for the Johnster 😉

  3. weka 3

    We don’t really know what that means though. The Green Party has been using online registration for years, and afaik if you set up an AP your membership just rolls over. No paper copy with a signature. I think you can join over the phone too.

    So is the Electoral Commission requiring something specific from UF, because they need to be especially confident that UF does in fact have over 500 members? Or are other parties also not complying with regulation? Or is it that registering/reregistering requires signed paper copies and after that membership can be electronic?

    • One Anonymous Knucklehead 3.1

      The Act requires …evidence, in a form approved by the Electoral Commission, that the party has at least 500 current financial members who are eligible to enrol as electors…

      My bold.

      Obviously Dunne’s facebook page didn’t qualify, but perhaps the information required by the Greens’ online membership application form does.

      • weka 3.1.1

        Cheers.

        Their respective online forms don’t look too dissimilar, except the the GP requires people to read a membership agreement and the Green Charter. Oh, and UF say you can belong to other parties.

        Is the FB comment a dig, or you are saying they really did use FB to get members?

        • One Anonymous Knucklehead 3.1.1.1

          It was a dig, and yes, I see what you mean about the online membership forms – given the similarity between them, I’d like to know what the sticking point is, assuming Dunne hasn’t been stupid enough to advance false names.

    • Malcolm 3.2

      You can also join Labour on the website, fill in the online form and it even accepts CC payment. Perhaps in addition to this Labour/Green has 500 members who filled in a paper form.

      • aerobubble 3.2.1

        Green, Labour, National are huge parties with historical large memberships.

        Dunne is one MP who went to the election promising not to sell assets and his paltry party membership numbers likely failed to renew their membership.

        Now of course Key wants to keep the mandate to sell assets.

        But Dunne is done, and it would be inconsistent for him to keep his party status even if he was able to get the necessary 500 members when so many of those members would be new and so not supportive when he won office.

        This is even before prospective members decide whether they support Dunne due to the leaking etc.

        Its just plainly perverse the election list loophole that hands so much power to one single MP, who can leverage it to get ministries and sit on the intelligence committee. People only vote for these seats, Banks, Dunne, because of the huge payoff should they reap list MPs.

        Whereas Winston Peters got many more votes and no representatives.

  4. tracey 4

    C’mon folks, the required form approved by the Electoral Commission probably just need a quick googling or a trip down the office at the beehive to someone who has one. It really isn’t that hard to get the correct form.

    Everyone cool that we are now officially paying Dunne to do nothing?

    • Jim Nald 4.1

      hair’s the quick googling 🙂

      “For each member a personally signed and dated declaration (usually the membership form) which contains:
      – the member’s name and residential street address
      – confirmation by the person that they are eligible to enrol as an elector
      – the amount of the membership fee that has been paid to the party
      – authorisation for the party to record them as a financial member of the party
      – authorisation for the party to release their membership details to the Electoral Commission for the purpose of the application to register the party under the Electoral Act.”

      http://www.elections.org.nz/registering-political-party/500-eligible-members

      So what has been missing from the stuff submitted from the Unidentified Future organisation (UFO)?

      • weka 4.1.1

        Looks like it’s the reregistering that requires signed paper forms (as opposed to maintaining membership after that over time).

  5. Winston Smith 5

    Well it finally happened but Labours finally managed to extract Utu on Peter Dunne for leaving the Labour party

    🙂

    • weka 5.1

      Funny, I thought this was a demise of Dunne’s own creation with a bit of help from his friends in the National Party.

    • Colonial Viper 5.2

      Well it finally happened but Labours finally managed to extract Utu on Peter Dunne for leaving the Labour party

      Who in Labour cared enough about Hair Do to bother, seriously.

      • Winston Smith 5.2.1

        I’d bet theres one or two oldies out therein the labour thinking hes got his just desserts…

        • McFlock 5.2.1.1

          so Labours finally managed to extract Utu on Peter Dunne has quickly slid into one or two oldies out therein the labour thinking hes got his just desserts. Mucj lolz.

          Thousands of people in Labour. Statistically you’re probably correct on the latter statement.

          But “just desserts” does not equal “utu”, Labour had nothing to do with Dunne’s inability to keep 500 documented supporters, and I suspect the majority of labour members (like most nzers) don’t give a shit about dunne one way or ‘tother, let alone it being a collective desire of “Labour”.

        • bad12 5.2.1.2

          Not a Labour member but the ‘Hairdo’ got what He deserved, believers in nothing and everything we as a country can do with less of in the parliament…

        • Linz 5.2.1.3

          No entrées or mains then?

  6. bad12 6

    The rats bolting off of the ship certainly describes Dunne’s office departing en masse for the National Party,

    30 pieces of silver by any chance, one of the scenario’s running through my mind vis a vis the leaks from the Kitteridge report is that perhaps Dunne wasn’t the initial leak,

    Could Captain Panic Pants have played man in the middle here knowing the ‘Hairdo’ was all a’throb over the Dom-Post reporter Vance,

    Obviously Vance who has now conveniently been shuffled off out of the country would have also been playing the story every which way, (that’s what the rats nest downtown does all the time),

    In such a situation dropping the relevant piece of juicy red meat Winston’s way would have been a breeze…

    • Colonial Viper 6.1

      The rats bolting off of the ship certainly describes Dunne’s office departing en masse for the National Party,

      It says far more than that about the relationship between Dunne and the PM.

      • JK 6.1.1

        CV and Bad 12 – maybe “the rats bolting off the ship” were part of whatever “deal” Dunne made with Key ie you keep my vote if you look after my people sort-of thing ? ?

  7. dan1 7

    It is interesting that electronic lists are not sufficient for party lists when the National Party has used $2 raffle ticket butts as proof of membership for years!
    You bought a raffle ticket: you were a member of the National Party!!!!

  8. Rodel 8

    Funny all this kerfuffle over Dunne, Peters,Key, Mallard, Carter’s blunders and the media junkies and the political addicts who discuss everything so fervently, as if anyone else really gives a toss.

    Especially for the million or so who don’t vote, it all means nothing to them. The protagonists seem to think they are sooooo important and the nation is really interested and that their petty little Wellington squabbles matter deeply to us. They are just cosmetic little mini sagas designed by quasi journos and is about selling newspapers and TV items and has very little to do with us and our lives.

    There are a few politicians on both (all) sides who are detached and aloof from this nonsense. All power to them.
    For the rest, I say put them all into a box with Schroeder’s cat and forget them.

  9. Hami Shearlie 9

    Apparently David Lange once said that Peter Dunne was so boring that if his life flashed before him, he wouldn’t be in it!! I’m still coming to grips with Peter Dunne actually believing that a young woman like Andrea Vance would be interested in HIM, of all people?? No charisma, and elderly-ish with a penchant for wearing bow-ties! Oh Lordy!!! Maybe he’s well-heeled but still, – REALLY?? Mrs Dunne must be mentally dividing up the house, moolah and gold-plated pension as we speak!!

    • Rhinocrates 9.1

      There’s no evidence that she was interested in him, just rumours that he was interested in her. It takes two to tango, but only one to do the twist.

      Never underestimate the power of self-delusion.

      Edit: yes, I see that you didn’t suggest otherwise.

  10. vto 10

    Peter Dunne looks very unhappy. In a deeper sense. It is always a bad situation for someone to go through something like this where their entire career or life is dumped in the ditch, no friends, cast adrift, reputation sullied. Especially when it is due to circumstances not entirely within one’s own control. It is devastating. It is a form of mourning, as someone expressed it to me once (and having been through it I agree). It is a life now lost. The entire world shifts on its axis.

    So I feel for Peter Dunne. It happens to many people in life, especially those who stick their heads above the parapet. So, Peter, keep your chin up, walk tall and know that time passes and heals. It is tough fulla but just keep on truckin’….

    • Rodel 10.1

      Yea. I’m thinking the same actually.His constituents seem to like him and apart from being a chameleon opportunist.. who in politics isnt? , perhaps he’s being honourable in some way.

      • Nordy 10.1.1

        It is hardly honourable to refuse to cooperate with an inquiry tasked with finding out who leaked sensitive material.

        Stop making excuses for someone is supposedly a ‘servant of the people’ but whose sense of entitlement seemingly knows no bounds.

        As an experienced Cabinet Minister he knows very well the boundaries of behaviour and propriety. If he can’t operate within those boundaries he has no business being in parliament, let alone Cabinet.

        He has tried to deflect attention from the obvious by claiming there are privacy issues involved. What a load of nonense. All actions and activities of Cabinet Ministers undertaken in relation to their membership of Cabinet of are public interest and they are accountable to the public/taxpayer for those activities. A politician who argues otherwise is simply being self-serving, and deserves our contempt.

    • Colonial Viper 10.2

      Peter Dunne looks very unhappy. In a deeper sense. It is always a bad situation for someone to go through something like this where their entire career or life is dumped in the ditch, no friends, cast adrift, reputation sullied.

      Most political lives end in failure and ignominy. Those are the rules of the game.

  11. georgecom 11

    I’m just a wee bit confused. The UF membership form mentions $5 to join. Is that $5 we have to join or do they give us $5 for joining. The latter seems more sensical. Giving them $5 seems like wasted money whereas if they pay people to join, 500 people wanting some easy money are more likely to sign up.

  12. tracey 12

    Peter has had years to do the right thing… and its always been the right thing for him.

  13. Populuxe1 13

    It has come to my attention that Andrea Vance is friendly with Jordan Williams, to the point of helping him make some contacts in London. Jordan Williams is, of course, Simon Lusk’s minion. Make of that what you will…..

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    Chris Trotter writes –  The absence of anything resembling a fightback from the public servants currently losing their jobs is interesting. State-sector workers’ collective fatalism in the face of Coalition cutbacks indicates a surprisingly broad acceptance of impermanence in the workplace. Fifty years ago, lay-offs in the thousands ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    24 hours ago
  • What happens after the war – Mariupol
    Mariupol, on the Azov Sea coast, was one of the first cities to suffer almost complete destruction after the start of the Ukraine War started in late February 2022. We remember the scenes of absolute destruction of the houses and city structures. The deaths of innocent civilians – many of ...
    1 day ago
  • Babies and benefits – no good news
    Lindsay Mitchell writes – Ten years ago, I wrote the following in a Listener column: Every year around one in five new-born babies will be reliant on their caregivers benefit by Christmas. This pattern has persisted from at least 1993. For Maori the number jumps to over one in three.  ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • Should the RBNZ be looking through climate inflation?
    Climate change is expected to generate more and more extreme events, delivering a sort of structural shock to inflation that central banks will have to react to as if they were short-term cyclical issues. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Bernard's pick 'n' mix of the news links
    The top six news links I’ve seen elsewhere in the last 24 hours, as of 9:16 am on Thursday, April 18 are:Housing: Tauranga residents living in boats, vans RNZ Checkpoint Louise TernouthHousing: Waikato councillor says wastewater plant issues could hold up Sleepyhead building a massive company town Waikato Times Stephen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on the public sector carnage, and misogyny as terrorism
    It’s a simple deal. We pay taxes in order to finance the social services we want and need. The carnage now occurring across the public sector though, is breaking that contract. Over 3,000 jobs have been lost so far. Many are in crucial areas like Education where the impact of ...
    1 day ago
  • Meeting the Master Baiters
    Hi,A friend had their 40th over the weekend and decided to theme it after Curb Your Enthusiasm fashion icon Susie Greene. Captured in my tiny kitchen before I left the house, I ending up evoking a mix of old lesbian and Hillary Clinton — both unintentional.Me vs Hillary ClintonIf you’re ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    1 day ago
  • How extreme was the Earth's temperature in 2023
    This is a re-post from Andrew Dessler at the Climate Brink blog In 2023, the Earth reached temperature levels unprecedented in modern times. Given that, it’s reasonable to ask: What’s going on? There’s been lots of discussions by scientists about whether this is just the normal progression of global warming or if something ...
    1 day ago
  • Backbone, revisited
    The schools are on holiday and the sun is shining in the seaside village and all day long I have been seeing bunches of bikes; Mums, Dads, teens and toddlers chattering, laughing, happy, having a bloody great time together. Cheers, AT, for the bits of lane you’ve added lately around the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Ministers are not above the law
    Today in our National-led authoritarian nightmare: Shane Jones thinks Ministers should be above the law: New Zealand First MP Shane Jones is accusing the Waitangi Tribunal of over-stepping its mandate by subpoenaing a minister for its urgent hearing on the Oranga Tamariki claim. The tribunal is looking into the ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago
  • What’s the outfit you can hear going down the gurgler? Probably it’s David Parker’s Oceans Sec...
    Buzz from the Beehive Point  of Order first heard of the Oceans Secretariat in June 2021, when David Parker (remember him?) announced a multi-agency approach to protecting New Zealand’s marine ecosystems and fisheries. Parker (holding the Environment, and Oceans and Fisheries portfolios) broke the news at the annual Forest & ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago
  • Will politicians let democracy die in the darkness?
    Bryce Edwards writes  – Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • Matt Doocey doubles down on trans “healthcare”
    Citizen Science writes –  Last week saw two significant developments in the debate over the treatment of trans-identifying children and young people – the release in Britain of the final report of Dr Hilary Cass’s review into gender healthcare, and here in New Zealand, the news that the ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • A TikTok Prime Minister.
    One night while sleeping in my bed I had a beautiful dreamThat all the people of the world got together on the same wavelengthAnd began helping one anotherNow in this dream, universal love was the theme of the dayPeace and understanding and it happened this wayAfter such an eventful day ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Texas Lessons
    This is a guest post by Oscar Simms who is a housing activist, volunteer for the Coalition for More Homes, and was the Labour Party candidate for Auckland Central at the last election. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    2 days ago
  • Bernard's pick 'n' mix of the news links at 6:06 am
    The top six news links I’ve seen elsewhere in the last 24 hours as of 6:06 am on Wednesday, April 17 are:Must read: Secrecy shrouds which projects might be fast-tracked RNZ Farah HancockScoop: Revealed: Luxon has seven staffers working on social media content - partly paid for by taxpayer Newshub ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Fighting poverty on the holiday highway
    Turning what Labour called the “holiday highway” into a four-lane expressway from Auckland to Whangarei could bring at least an economic benefit of nearly two billion a year for Northland each year. And it could help bring an end to poverty in one of New Zealand’s most deprived regions. The ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • Bernard's six-stack of substacks at 6:26 pm
    Tonight’s six-stack includes: launching his substack with a bunch of his previous documentaries, including this 1992 interview with Dame Whina Cooper. and here crew give climate activists plenty to do, including this call to submit against the Fast Track Approvals bill. writes brilliantly here on his substack ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • At a glance – Is the science settled?
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    3 days ago
  • Apposite Quotations.
    How Long Is Long Enough? Gaza under Israeli bombardment, July 2014. This posting is exclusive to Bowalley Road. ...
    3 days ago
  • What’s a life worth now?
    You're in the mall when you hear it: some kind of popping sound in the distance, kids with fireworks, maybe. But then a moment of eerie stillness is followed by more of the fireworks sound and there’s also screaming and shrieking and now here come people running for their lives.Does ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Howling at the Moon
    Karl du Fresne writes –  There’s a crisis in the news media and the media are blaming it on everyone except themselves. Culpability is being deflected elsewhere – mainly to the hapless Minister of Communications, Melissa Lee, and the big social media platforms that are accused of hoovering ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Newshub is Dead.
    I don’t normally send out two newsletters in a day but I figured I’d say something about… the news. If two newsletters is a bit much then maybe just skip one, I don’t want to overload people. Alternatively if you’d be interested in sometimes receiving multiple, smaller updates from me, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Seymour is chuffed about cutting early-learning red tape – but we hear, too, that Jones has loose...
    Buzz from the Beehive David Seymour and Winston Peters today signalled that at least two ministers of the Crown might be in Wellington today. Seymour (as Associate Minister of Education) announced the removal of more red tape, this time to make it easier for new early learning services to be ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Will politicians let democracy die in the darkness?
    Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. Our political system is suffering from the ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Was Hawkesby entirely wrong?
    David Farrar  writes –  The Broadcasting Standards Authority ruled: Comments by radio host Kate Hawkesby suggesting Māori and Pacific patients were being prioritised for surgery due to their ethnicity were misleading and discriminatory, the Broadcasting Standards Authority has found. It is a fact such patients are prioritised. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • PRC shadow looms as the Solomons head for election
    PRC and its proxies in Solomons have been preparing for these elections for a long time. A lot of money, effort and intelligence have gone into ensuring an outcome that won’t compromise Beijing’s plans. Cleo Paskall writes – On April 17th the Solomon Islands, a country of ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Climate Change: Criminal ecocide
    We are in the middle of a climate crisis. Last year was (again) the hottest year on record. NOAA has just announced another global coral bleaching event. Floods are threatening UK food security. So naturally, Shane Jones wants to make it easier to mine coal: Resources Minister Shane Jones ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • Is saving one minute of a politician's time worth nearly $1 billion?
    Is speeding up the trip to and from Wellington airport by 12 minutes worth spending up more than $10 billion? Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me in the last day to 8:26 am today are:The Lead: Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Long Tunnel or Long Con?
    Yesterday it was revealed that Transport Minister had asked Waka Kotahi to look at the options for a long tunnel through Wellington. State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the ...
    3 days ago
  • Smoke And Mirrors.
    You're a fraud, and you know itBut it's too good to throw it all awayAnyone would do the sameYou've got 'em goingAnd you're careful not to show itSometimes you even fool yourself a bitIt's like magicBut it's always been a smoke and mirrors gameAnyone would do the sameForty six billion ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • What is Mexico doing about climate change?
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections The June general election in Mexico could mark a turning point in ensuring that the country’s climate policies better reflect the desire of its citizens to address the climate crisis, with both leading presidential candidates expressing support for renewable energy. Mexico is the ...
    3 days ago
  • State of humanity, 2024
    2024, it feels, keeps presenting us with ever more challenges, ever more dismay.Do you give up yet? It seems to ask.No? How about this? Or this?How about this?When I say 2024 I really mean the state of humanity in 2024.Saturday night, we watched Civil War because that is one terrifying cliff we've ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago
  • Govt’s Wellington tunnel vision aims to ease the way to the airport (but zealous promoters of cycl...
    Buzz from the Beehive A pet project and governmental tunnel vision jump out from the latest batch of ministerial announcements. The government is keen to assure us of its concern for the wellbeing of our pets. It will be introducing pet bonds in a change to the Residential Tenancies Act ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • The case for cultural connectedness
    A recent report generated from a Growing Up in New Zealand (GUiNZ) survey of 1,224 rangatahi Māori aged 11-12 found: Cultural connectedness was associated with fewer depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms and better quality of life. That sounds cut and dry. But further into the report the following appears: Cultural connectedness is ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Useful context on public sector job cuts
    David Farrar writes –    The Herald reports: From the gory details of job-cuts news, you’d think the public service was being eviscerated.   While the media’s view of the cuts is incomplete, it’s also true that departments have been leaking the particulars faster than a Wellington ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell On When Racism Comes Disguised As Anti-racism
    Remember the good old days, back when New Zealand had a PM who could think and speak calmly and intelligently in whole sentences without blustering? Even while Iran’s drones and missiles were still being launched, Helen Clark was live on TVNZ expertly summing up the latest crisis in the Middle ...
    4 days ago
  • Govt ignored economic analysis of smokefree reversal
    Costello did not pass on analysis of the benefits of the smokefree reforms to Cabinet, emphasising instead the extra tax revenues of repealing them. Photo: Hagen Hopkins, Getty Images TL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me at 7:26 am today are:The Lead: Casey Costello never passed on ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • True Blue.
    True loveYou're the one I'm dreaming ofYour heart fits me like a gloveAnd I'm gonna be true blueBaby, I love youI’ve written about the job cuts in our news media last week. The impact on individuals, and the loss to Aotearoa of voices covering our news from different angles.That by ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • Who is running New Zealand’s foreign policy?
    While commentators, including former Prime Minister Helen Clark, are noting a subtle shift in New Zealand’s foreign policy, which now places more emphasis on the United States, many have missed a key element of the shift. What National said before the election is not what the government is doing now. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #15
    A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 7, 2024 thru Sat, April 13, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week is about adults in the room setting terms and conditions of ...
    5 days ago
  • Feline Friends and Fragile Fauna The Complexities of Cats in New Zealand’s Conservation Efforts

    Cats, with their independent spirit and beguiling purrs, have captured the hearts of humans for millennia. In New Zealand, felines are no exception, boasting the highest national cat ownership rate globally [definition cat nz cat foundation]. An estimated 1.134 million pet cats grace Kiwi households, compared to 683,000 dogs ...

    5 days ago
  • Or is that just they want us to think?
    Nice guy, that Peter Williams. Amiable, a calm air of no-nonsense capability, a winning smile. Everything you look for in a TV presenter and newsreader.I used to see him sometimes when I went to TVNZ to be a talking head or a panellist and we would yarn. Nice guy, that ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago
  • Fact Brief – Did global warming stop in 1998?
    Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park in collaboration with members from our Skeptical Science team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Did global warming stop in ...
    6 days ago
  • Arguing over a moot point.
    I have been following recent debates in the corporate and social media about whether it is a good idea for NZ to join what is known as “AUKUS Pillar Two.” AUKUS is the Australian-UK-US nuclear submarine building agreement in which … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    6 days ago
  • No Longer Trusted: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    Turning Point: What has turned me away from the mainstream news media is the very strong message that its been sending out for the last few years.” “And what message might that be?” “That the people who own it, the people who run it, and the people who provide its content, really don’t ...
    6 days ago
  • Mortgage rates at 10% anyone?
    No – nothing about that in PM Luxon’s nine-point plan to improve the lives of New Zealanders. But beyond our shores Jamie Dimon, the long-serving head of global bank J.P. Morgan Chase, reckons that the chances of a goldilocks soft landing for the economy are “a lot lower” than the ...
    Point of OrderBy xtrdnry
    6 days ago
  • Sad tales from the left
    Michael Bassett writes –  Have you noticed the odd way in which the media are handling the government’s crackdown on surplus employees in the Public Service? Very few reporters mention the crazy way in which State Service numbers rocketed ahead by more than 16,000 during Labour’s six years, ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • In Whose Best Interests?
    On The Spot: The question Q+A host, Jack Tame, put to the Workplace & Safety Minister, Act’s Brooke van Velden, was disarmingly simple: “Are income tax cuts right now in the best interests of lowering inflation?”JACK TAME has tested another MP on his Sunday morning current affairs show, Q+A. Minister for Workplace ...
    6 days ago
  • Don’t Question, Don’t Complain.
    It has to start somewhereIt has to start sometimeWhat better place than here?What better time than now?So it turns out that I owe you all an apology.It seems that all of the terrible things this government is doing, impacting the lives of many, aren’t necessarily ‘bad’ per se. Those things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago

  • Minister to Europe for OECD meeting, Anzac Day
    Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    60 mins ago
  • Comprehensive Partnership the goal for NZ and the Philippines
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr.  The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    12 hours ago
  • Government commits $20m to Westport flood protection
    The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    18 hours ago
  • Taupō takes pole position
    The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago
  • Cost of living support for low-income homeowners
    Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners.  “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago
  • Government backing mussel spat project
    The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago
  • Government focused on getting people into work
    Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Clean energy key driver to reducing emissions
    The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Earthquake-prone buildings review brought forward
    The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Thailand and NZ to agree to Strategic Partnership
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government consults on extending coastal permits for ports
    RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Inflation coming down, but more work to do
    Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • School attendance restored as a priority in health advice
    Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Unnecessary bureaucracy cut in oceans sector
    Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Patterson promoting NZ’s wool sector at International Congress
    Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector.    "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Removing red tape to help early learners thrive
    The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • RMA changes to cut coal mining consent red tape
    Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • McClay reaffirms strong NZ-China trade relationship
    Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Prime Minister Luxon acknowledges legacy of Singapore Prime Minister Lee
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singapore’s outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.   Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpart’s almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • PMs Luxon and Lee deepen Singapore-NZ ties
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.  During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Antarctica New Zealand Board appointments
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has made further appointments to the Board of Antarctica New Zealand as part of a continued effort to ensure the Scott Base Redevelopment project is delivered in a cost-effective and efficient manner.  The Minister has appointed Neville Harris as a new member of the Board. Mr ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Finance Minister travels to Washington DC
    Finance Minister Nicola Willis will travel to the United States on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Five Finance Ministers group, with counterparts from Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.  “I am looking forward to meeting with our Five Finance partners on how we can work ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Pet bonds a win/win for renters and landlords
    The coalition Government has today announced purrfect and pawsitive changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to give tenants with pets greater choice when looking for a rental property, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Pets are important members of many Kiwi families. It’s estimated that around 64 per cent of New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Long Tunnel for SH1 Wellington being considered
    State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the Government has also asked NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to consider and provide advice on a Long Tunnel option, Transport Minister Simeon Brown ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • New Zealand condemns Iranian strikes
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have condemned Iran’s shocking and illegal strikes against Israel.    “These attacks are a major challenge to peace and stability in a region already under enormous pressure," Mr Luxon says.    "We are deeply concerned that miscalculation on any side could ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Huge interest in Government’s infrastructure plans
    Hundreds of people in little over a week have turned out in Northland to hear Regional Development Minister Shane Jones speak about plans for boosting the regional economy through infrastructure. About 200 people from the infrastructure and associated sectors attended an event headlined by Mr Jones in Whangarei today. Last ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Health Minister thanks outgoing Health New Zealand Chair
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has today thanked outgoing Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora Chair Dame Karen Poutasi for her service on the Board.   “Dame Karen tendered her resignation as Chair and as a member of the Board today,” says Dr Reti.  “I have asked her to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Roads of National Significance planning underway
    The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has signalled their proposed delivery approach for the Government’s 15 Roads of National Significance (RoNS), with the release of the State Highway Investment Proposal (SHIP) today, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.  “Boosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Government’s plan to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Navigating an unstable global environment
    New Zealand is renewing its connections with a world facing urgent challenges by pursuing an active, energetic foreign policy, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.   “Our country faces the most unstable global environment in decades,” Mr Peters says at the conclusion of two weeks of engagements in Egypt, Europe and the United States.    “We cannot afford to sit back in splendid ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • NZ welcomes Australian Governor-General
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced the Australian Governor-General, His Excellency General The Honourable David Hurley and his wife Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley, will make a State visit to New Zealand from Tuesday 16 April to Thursday 18 April. The visit reciprocates the State visit of former Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Pseudoephedrine back on shelves for Winter
    Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced that Medsafe has approved 11 cold and flu medicines containing pseudoephedrine. Pharmaceutical suppliers have indicated they may be able to supply the first products in June. “This is much earlier than the original expectation of medicines being available by 2025. The Government recognised ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • NZ and the US: an ever closer partnership
    New Zealand and the United States have recommitted to their strategic partnership in Washington DC today, pledging to work ever more closely together in support of shared values and interests, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.    “The strategic environment that New Zealand and the United States face is considerably more ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Joint US and NZ declaration
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