Get out now

Written By: - Date published: 2:21 pm, January 6th, 2020 - 76 comments
Categories: defence, Iran, iraq, law, military, uk politics, us politics, war, winston peters - Tags:

General Soleimani was visiting Iraq at the request of the Iraqi Prime Minister to discuss mediation between the US and Iran. Following his assassination by the US the Iraqi Parliament has voted to ask all foreign troops to leave the country. New Zealand’s remaining troops should bring forward their scheduled departure and leave immediately.

This is the least that New Zealand can do to distance us from the appalling cretinism shown by the US and its NATO allies. This is not because they are threatened but because the actions of the US violate all the norms of common justice and international law and are to be condemned.

Foreign Minister Winston Peters is relatively restrained, having been reported as expressing “strong concern.” He is right about that.

At least he has not joined the NATO countries in demonising General Soleimani, who was probably more responsible for the defeat of ISIS on the ground than any of the coalition forces who bombed Mosul and Raqqa to rubble at the cost of thousands of civilian casualties. Even worse Boris Johnson on return from holiday in the Caribbean stating that “we will not mourn this man.”

Talk about pouring petrol on the fire. Blogger/analyst The Saker has it that the US is now at war with Iran and Iraq, de facto and de jure. He has a useful summary of the facts to date as well as his analysis.

This isn’t going to end quietly. How badly we have yet to see, but as the US military dive for cover and the tweets from Mar-a-Lago get more feverish it is certainly right to be very worried.

76 comments on “Get out now ”

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  1. Anne 1
    6 January 2020 at 2:46 pm

    Excerpt form Kiwipolitco:

    That brings up the calculus, such as it is, behind Trump’s order to kill. Perhaps he thinks that this will stave off the impeachment hearings while Congress argues about whether he should invoke the Wars Powers Act (WPA). …. There is bound to be some dickering over the legal status of the drone strike but ultimately what is done is done and no post-facto amount of arguing will change the facts on the ground. Be that as it may, the impeachment process might be delayed but will proceed.

    So, the narcissistic orange scumbag thinks he can avoid the impeachment process by starting another Middle East war? Why am I not the least bit surprised?

    I wonder how that will go down when the mounds of body bags – be they soldiers or innocent American citizens – start to grow in size?

    • mauī 1.1
      6 January 2020 at 8:18 pm

      He can't be impeached through the senate, so he has nothing to avoid.

      • Incognito 1.1.1
        6 January 2020 at 8:25 pm

        Yes, he can. Whether he will is a different matter. He’s stacking the deck so that he has maximum leverage and advantage to win. He’s not a fatalist and will try turning every situation into an opportunity that pays off for him.

      • Anne 1.1.2
        6 January 2020 at 8:42 pm

        I didn't say he would be impeached. But he can't avoid the process leading up to a vote in the Senate. The process itself is damaging to him.

        There is always a lag time of 2 to 3 months before voters start to respond, but the chances are his support base will start dwindling away the longer the process exists.

        Imo, that is why he's sabre-rattling against Iran in particular. He's hoping to halt the slide in his popularity by appealing to the nationalist streak present in so many Americans.

  2. RedLogix 2
    6 January 2020 at 2:52 pm

    I rarely comment on the Middle East, largely because I really have nothing to add that cannot be found by reading reputable people like Robert Fisk. And also because I have a personal perspective on the whole tragic mess that is at a complete, and largely irrelevant, tangent to the political realities this site is intended to discuss.

    Having said that, yes, this is was a terrible miscalculation. Something incomprehensible like this was bound to happen sooner or later, regardless of the personalities involved. Well sooner has arrived.

    The big risk here is that Russia (which has had a deep historic relationship with Iran) for ideological and strategic reasons, and China which has a deep dependence on Middle Eastern oil flow, will back Iran as a proxy. Preparations are being made as I type this.

    I don't imagine there will be anywhere safe in the world, but certainly our troops should not be in the hot mess of it now.

  3. Fireblade 3
    6 January 2020 at 2:52 pm

    Newshub 2:05 pm today:

    "A military source told Newshub a C-130 Hercules is being prepared to fly to Taji to evacuate all NZDF and other agency personnel in the region. NZDF has been contacted but is yet to confirm it is evacuating personnel".

    https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/world/2020/01/new-zealand-defence-force-to-evacuate-personnel-from-camp-taji-in-iraq-as-regional-tensions-flare-source.html

  4. Exkiwiforces 4
    6 January 2020 at 2:52 pm

    Yes Mike, its time to pop smoke and get the hell out of the sandpit before it turns to glass or whatever they start chucking about on the two range within the sandpit.

    • Sabine 4.1
      6 January 2020 at 3:47 pm

      if the sandpit turns to glass then we are all fucked.

      just sayin

      • Exkiwiforces 4.1.1
        6 January 2020 at 3:52 pm

        Sorry, it was the first thing that came to mind, with few countries in that region that have a few cans of instant sunshine to chuck away with all that willy waving going on atm.

        • Sabine 4.1.1.1
          6 January 2020 at 4:24 pm

          they are quite cabable of it. That is what really matters. They would, they can, and chances are they will.

          They being the monied, highly educated, dressed in expensive finery that has not yet met a war that does not fill their coffers.

          WE are just canon fodder, it matters not how we die. And the day we fully realise that, we might actually do something about it.

    • mauī 4.2
      6 January 2020 at 7:37 pm

      Thank you for your service.

  5. Brutus Iscariot 5
    6 January 2020 at 2:58 pm

    New Zealand needs to disassociate itself with the US's vile policy.

    I see Trump's latest threats are to bomb Iranian cultural sites. This is explicitly stated under the Geneva Convention as a war crime.

  6. adam 6
    6 January 2020 at 3:05 pm

    Ever get the feeling Saudi Arabia really does not care how many Yanks get killed to push it's agenda.

    The guy who did more to rid the world of ISIS, got killed.

    Begs the question, who has the guts now, who has the guts?

    • RedLogix 6.1
      6 January 2020 at 3:18 pm

      An insightful point. Saudi will be up to it's neck in this somehow, somewhere. Trump is really just a bit player in a deep tragedy a thousand years old.

      • Incognito 6.1.1
        6 January 2020 at 3:22 pm

        And there we have it. Trump is a player and loves (!) the game because he believes he will come out on top and be the winner because he has always seen himself as one, the only one, number one.

        • RedLogix 6.1.1.1
          6 January 2020 at 3:27 pm

          That expresses the nature of the man very well. It made him a good real-estate mogul, and a great reality TV star, but ultimately it will prove his undoing as a President. So far he's won an uncanny series of gambles, many of which his opponents confidently declared beforehand as 'impossible'.

          But this one … well it's too soon to tell exactly how it will turn out … but this time I think he's been both played by dark actors, and overplayed his hand.

          • Incognito 6.1.1.1.1
            6 January 2020 at 3:39 pm

            The age-old fire in that part of the world will continue to ravage and it’ll remain a ‘hot spot’ for quite some time.

            I’m not sure yet that Trump has overplayed his hand. I don’t think he cares about anybody else except himself and he will try to squeeze some kind of ‘profit’ from this move/deal. My fear is that he’ll succeed too because he’s unpredictable, holds quite a few of the cards and tries to stack the deck. Just to be clear, many others stand to ‘profit’ too; the stakes are high but others carry the risks, as is always the case.

        • joe90 6.1.1.2
          6 January 2020 at 3:37 pm

          And the world's his fucking sandpit.

          https://twitter.com/janearraf/status/1213823941321592834

          • Incognito 6.1.1.2.1
            6 January 2020 at 3:41 pm

            He’d never play in the sandpit by himself. Too boring, no challenge, no win.

            • joe90 6.1.1.2.1.1
              6 January 2020 at 4:00 pm

              If, as reported, assassinating Soleimani was presented as an improbable option and despite the conversation with the Iraqi PM he green lighted it, it looks to me like tRump lived up to his rep as toddler in chief and spiked the ball.

              • Incognito …
                6 January 2020 at 4:41 pm

                Sure. If we keep framing it as if he’s (like) a toddler we’re likely to underestimate what he’s capable of and underestimate him. At our peril. It appears even his (military) advisors underestimate him and I think this is a crucial theme/pattern in the Trump phenomenon. I’m starting to think that the best way to neutralise him is to take the wind out of his sails … Unfortunately, there are very few cool heads around who are in a position to achieve this and there are other hot heads around who have an vested interest in stoking the fire.

                • McFlock …
                  6 January 2020 at 4:46 pm

                  If the improbable option story is true, it seems they overestimated him.

                  • Macro …
                    6 January 2020 at 5:21 pm

                    Frankly I believe that can be the only conclusion one can draw. By all accounts WH briefings over the past 3 years are somewhat simple affairs. This was a very stupid set of options placed on the table by some obviously naive staffers. Winter holiday season? The B team?

                  • Macro …
                    6 January 2020 at 5:35 pm

                    Then again TRump has been highly irritable over the past few weeks following the House voting to impeach. This has been weighing heavily on his mind and the simple fact is the more evidence comes to light the more the fact points to the withholding of approved funding to Ukraine goes square back to the Oval Office – recently un-redacted emails show the order coming from Trump.

                    https://www.justsecurity.org/67863/exclusive-unredacted-ukraine-documents-reveal-extent-of-pentagons-legal-concerns/

                    With all that hanging over him this could well be a Trumpian venture in diversionary foreign policy. It is not the first time he has used it and it wont be the last. But this has the most potential to come horribly unstuck.

                    • Incognito …
                      6 January 2020 at 6:11 pm

                      But this has the most potential to come horribly unstuck.

                      Either way, there will be enormous costs in/of lost lives, none of which will be Trump’s or his accomplices’. Supposedly, to save (more or other?) lives and prevent war.

                    • Macro …
                      6 January 2020 at 6:28 pm

                      My dad was in the First World War. The similarities of the advent of that nightmare, and what is now evolving are almost too awful to contemplate.

                    • McFlock …
                      6 January 2020 at 6:47 pm

                      I was thinking "China and Russia are unlikely to get dragged in, surely", and then remembered the Balkans were much less strategically important in 1914 than the Middle East is today. Shitballs.

                  • Incognito …
                    6 January 2020 at 6:25 pm

                    Possibly, yes, and two miscalculations don’t produce the right answer. Has anybody at the top spoken out yet against and/or resigned? Thought not. The Imperial Court is full of cronies and toadies with one Jester on the throne with one hand on Twitter, the other on the button …

                    • McFlock …
                      6 January 2020 at 6:44 pm

                      That's the even bigger worry.

                      There was a story about one of his early secdef or similar guys in the pentagon getting orders from the orange one over the phone, saying "yessir" and all that. Hangs up, says to everyone in the office, "yeah, we're not going to do any of that", because it was stupid and even nonsensical instruction.

                      Now, with yes men, they might even be volunteering the extreme options because that's what he wants. They don't care, it's good for arms sales (and they have priority for the shelters if they misjudge).

                      Interesting times, as the curse goes.

                    • Sacha …
                      6 January 2020 at 10:09 pm

                      Iran expert Reza Marashi reminds us of the various internal interests behind this decision. Click the tweet below to see rest of thread.

                      https://twitter.com/rezamarashi/status/1214031169173348352

                    • Incognito []
                      6 January 2020 at 10:32 pm

                      Ta

                      Long thread but I got the gist of it after a few hundred 😉

                  • Macro …
                    7 January 2020 at 11:52 am

                    Just in and further background to this situation:

                    Two weeks before the assassination 5 top Pentagon officials resigned in 7 days.

                    Those who have resigned include the director of Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the acting undersecretary for personnel and readiness, the principal deputy undersecretary for intelligence, the assistant secretary for Asian and Pacific security affairs, and Eric Chewning, chief of staff to Defense Secretary Mark Esper.

                    It appears these resignations are associated with the Chump's delay on Ukraine spending, but with such an unprecedented turnover of personnel in the tRump administration it shows that the US govt is floundering with a massive lack of institutional intelligence.

                    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Trump_administration_dismissals_and_resignations

                  • Macro …
                    6 January 2020 at 5:42 pm

                    Yeah he is – and that is the weird thing about the US and its form of govt. Set up initially to remove the power of Monarchy the President now seems to have far more power than the British Monarch. The Queen cannot declare war without the say so of Parliament. There are many other facets of Govt that Trump has control over which the Queen has little say in.

                  • Incognito …
                    6 January 2020 at 6:35 pm

                    Start a Civil War to avoid WWIII? Maybe the Democrats could drop the impeachment process to save American and other lives and calm things (…) down. In other words, take the poisonous dart or thorn out of his side.

                    • Muttonbird …
                      6 January 2020 at 6:43 pm

                      Are you not then giving in to narcissistic, authoritarian, man-baby governance?

                    • Incognito []
                      6 January 2020 at 9:05 pm

                      Yes and no. Apparently, even if Pelosi does not submit the impeachment papers to the Senate they can change the rules and go ahead with the trial anyway.

                      https://www.axios.com/graham-trump-impeachment-senate-pelosi-articles-f2f12cd4-4a94-48fd-ab76-a75b7527bda5.html

                      However, if the Democrats back off, and I have no idea whether actually can, it might take some wind out of his [Trump’s] sails and put the whole impeachment thingy squarely at the feet of the Republicans who have a majority in the Senate.

                      If they play it well, the Democrats could focus on other issues during the campaign whilst claiming that they defused or at least tried to defuse the situation.

                      The American public may not be in the mood for a lengthy boringly complex impeachment process.

                      https://www.axios.com/pelosi-impeachment-articles-senate-trial-decision-66b102f3-b79a-4c7c-9446-386e5ae9a03b.html

                      At the same time, they could try to slow him [Trump] down without confronting him head-on and in a way that just makes him more ‘jittery’, or should I say ‘Twittery’?

                      https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/pelosi-says-house-to-vote-this-week-on-war-powers-resolution-to-limit-trumps-action-on-iran/2020/01/06/4d1a4a22-3038-11ea-a053-dc6d944ba776_story.html

                    • Peter …
                      6 January 2020 at 6:45 pm

                      And pullout of the election too?

                    • Incognito []
                      6 January 2020 at 8:35 pm

                      No

                    • McFlock …
                      6 January 2020 at 9:21 pm

                      Except that if the orange one is a kindergarten-level bully, bullies view backdowns as weakness. So a dem backdown will only encourage him.

                      However, if he's actually a genius playing 4d chess and really committed to the bit of the Nixonian madman doctrine, he will avoid serious harm, because he's only playing a madman he isn't actually prepared to endanger the world. And the impeachment just gives the Kanye-level (he's a genius, you know) performance artist more material to commit to the bit, so the dems backing down is again a negative.

                      But I think the first scenario is far more likely, anyway.

                    • Incognito []
                      6 January 2020 at 9:38 pm

                      Again, yes and no.

                      I do think he’s quite prepared to endanger the (rest of the) world. Possibly, he’s a genius the way he always has everybody on the back foot and second-guessing. He acts on (his) instinct. Well, he’s POTUS now and might even get a second term. Genius or not? You decide.

                      I think that a ‘back-down’ by the Dems will only have the desired effect if indeed Trump views it as a weakness. Trump will go after them like a hyena smelling wounded and weakened prey. Change the fight (back) to the election campaign and divert attention away from war, mission accomplished and hopefully a war averted.

                      Anyway, I think the Dems have very little power with regard to the impeachment process; it is out of their hands now, largely.

                      Of course, the whole thing could blow up depending on what Iran (and Iraq) does now.

                    • McFlock …
                      6 January 2020 at 10:46 pm

                      Regardless of impeachment, I think he and his team believe a serious war is to their personal political and financial advantage.

                      Similarly, I'm not sure the Pencians have completed their foreign policy plans regarding biblical prophecy.

                      Additionally, a backdown might put his focus back on domestic politics, or it could just teach him that the way to get what he wants domestically is to further fuck up geopolitical flashpoints. What next – an attempted capitation strike against North Korea because the dems again refuse to cancel obamacare?

                      Backing down from bullies in the hope they become more reasonable and fair is always a bold move, and rarely has positive outcomes from what I've seen.

                    • Incognito []
                      6 January 2020 at 11:19 pm

                      Agree with most of that. But Bullying 101 does not apply to Trump and there’s no chapter on/for Trump in the standard textbook AFAIK.

                      I can see two main choices that are polar opposites:

                      1. Double-down and go for broke
                      2. Back off and gently change the game in your favour

                      Personally, I don’t think the Dems will have the guts to do anything too risky and unexpected but if they want to attract Trump’s attention and divert it away from other things, they’d better come up with something good. And by that I mean something that looks more attractive to Trump in terms of political and financial advantage.

                      Trump is not yet feasting on the carcass, he’s still hunting. Give him a bigger more juicy prey to run after whilst making the current one look like a leftover turkey from Thanksgiving. There’s a good chance he’ll bite because he doesn’t necessarily go for the weakest but for the bigly juicy one.

                      He goes for ‘feels’ as much as the people who vote for him. Use it against him in a smart way.

                      It might actually focus the Dems into an effective campaign.

                    • McFlock …
                      7 January 2020 at 2:03 am

                      I mean, it's an option.

                      I just think if they give him an inch, he'll take a mile but only declare it as a millimetre on his tax return.

                      As for the dem campaign, that depends far more on who gets the nom: I reckon a few like Biden will run a bog-standard, servicable campaign that will get their arse handed to them, but a ticket with Sanders and/or Warren even as vp will have a bit of a spark to it.

                      It's the one thing that's out of the orange one's tiny paws: if he gets someone who tries to debate his nonsence, he'll win. If he gets someone who can handle a three y.o.'s tantrum, he's in trouble.

        • Blazer 6.1.1.3
          6 January 2020 at 9:20 pm

          Trump represents the reality of western materialism…the ultimate embodiement of…'always be sincere,even if you don't really …mean it'!

  7. joe90 7
    6 January 2020 at 4:07 pm

    Independent Kurdistan American-occupied vassal state.

    FIFY, Marco

    /

    https://twitter.com/marcorubio/status/1213839915190013959

    • Poission 7.1
      6 January 2020 at 4:12 pm

      The Lebanese want Iran to f/off out of there too.

      https://twitter.com/nntaleb/status/1213953074894495745

    • Sabine 7.2
      6 January 2020 at 4:25 pm

      someone should tell this idiot the story about the kurds and its 'allies' the US ….and how that went all down the drain when the shitter in the shitty house ok'd the invasion by Turkey into Syria.

      but then the dumbfuck is an American and i guess he has shits for brain.

      • Macro 7.2.1
        6 January 2020 at 5:46 pm

        Marco Antonio Rubio is an American politician serving as the senior United States senator from Florida. A Republican, he previously served as speaker of the Florida House of Representatives.

        So yeah! Sh*t for Brains.

        • Sabine 7.2.1.1
          6 January 2020 at 6:46 pm

          looking at the current state of affairs in the US i think shits for brain is accurate.

          it just means that lots of other shit for brains elevated this particular shit for brain to a place he should never have been elevated.

          i mean you have a fucking orange turd trying to burn down the world for shits n giggles a second ball of vanilla ice cream and a new tower with shine golden letters on top of it all.

          Makes perfect sense to me. Shits for brains run the world and we wonder why stuff does not work out for us.

    • In Vino 8.1
      6 January 2020 at 7:07 pm

      Oh dear…

      Well, at least this time we don't have lots of Right-Wing morons screaming about Chamberlain! Munich! Appeasement is terrible !!!

      Because Trump is behaving like Hitler, and we seem to have run out of people like Chamberlain.Or just people with brains..

      Righties, please remember what Hitler brought upon his own people.

      • Sabine 8.1.1
        6 January 2020 at 7:11 pm

        they wont believe the stories i have to tell them. Left and rigth is quite good at yelling Goodwin when they don't want to listen.

        Cause i begged people before the election to consider just what they were supporting. And all i got was Killary, her fucking emails and he is the saviour of the economically anxious white male working class. And you know what, just about right now the white male working class should be fucking anxious. Cause i smell a draft coming.

        • In Vino 8.1.1.1
          6 January 2020 at 7:41 pm

          Yes, Sabine.. I gather you experienced some of what Hitler brought upon his own people, and I agree that there are now too few who have any grasp of real horrors.

          It amuses me that 'Goodwin' is yelled any time Hitler's Nazism is raised, but the same yellers are silent when the boring old Munich/Appeasement/Chamberlain canard is resurrected, always in favour of some stupid venture like Viet Nam, Iraq, Afghanistan, etc

  9. Muttonbird 9
    6 January 2020 at 7:20 pm

    Surely it's time to send the USA a message that we will no longer participate in their phony wars.

    At least the cogs are beginning to turn.

    Imagine being “invited” to train troops and liberate a country, only to be uninvited 5 years later because you were doing such a piss-poor job.

  10. esoteric pineapples 10
    6 January 2020 at 7:46 pm

    Yep, it's a state of war now. George Galloway says Iran won't hit back via its proxies because it is proud and instead will do the job itself. Trump saying any attack from Iran will be met with far greater force leaves Iran in the position of either bowing as a vassal state or hitting back, which means the United States will hit back even harder and it will be all on

    • Anne 10.1
      6 January 2020 at 7:53 pm

      Well, I suppose it is incumbent on us to open our doors to some of the sane Americans – and there is a few of them. They won't want much to go to Aussie atm.

      I'd be happy about that. Is everybody else? 😐

      • In Vino 10.1.1
        6 January 2020 at 7:57 pm

        I have huge sympathy for sane Americans.. Another underprivileged minority?

      • Blazer 10.1.2
        7 January 2020 at 8:25 am

        The doors have been wide open for some time…especially to rich merkins…the perfect ..bolthole.

  11. RedLogix 11
    7 January 2020 at 9:10 am

    For those of us interested in the why's of the Trump Presidency (as distinct from their daily dopamine hit) here's an excellent Atlantic article that does a deep dive into his personality. It's a longish read but accurate and for a piece written before he was elected … exceedingly prescient:

    Nearly two centuries ago, President Andrew Jackson displayed many of the same psychological characteristics we see in Donald Trump—the extroversion and social dominance, the volatile temper, the shades of narcissism, the populist authoritarian appeal. Jackson was, and remains, a controversial figure in American history. Nonetheless, it appears that Thomas Jefferson had it wrong when he characterized Jackson as completely unfit to be president, a dangerous man who choked on his own rage. In fact, Jackson’s considerable success in dramatically expanding the power of the presidency lay partly in his ability to regulate his anger and use it strategically to promote his agenda.

    …

    Who, really, is Donald Trump? What’s behind the actor’s mask? I can discern little more than narcissistic motivations and a complementary personal narrative about winning at any cost. It is as if Trump has invested so much of himself in developing and refining his socially dominant role that he has nothing left over to create a meaningful story for his life, or for the nation. It is always Donald Trump playing Donald Trump, fighting to win, but never knowing why.

    https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2016/06/the-mind-of-donald-trump/480771/

    In essence, the big gamble in the expectation of the big win is the very nature of people like Trump. He’s the very opposite of cerebral, he’s deeply instinctive and impulsive … and it has to be said he’s been uncannily good at it. No he’s not playing a genius level game of 4D chess, but he is playing with a powerful toolkit most liberals are very unfamiliar and uncomfortable with.

    It’s enabled Trump to win … the most important thing to him … many times in his life. But every now and then he loses … biggly. Only this time there may be 10’s of millions of lives at stake, and contrary to what many people here imagine, I don’t think Trump has a track record of wanting that level of disaster.

    • Anne 11.1
      7 January 2020 at 10:26 am

      Only this time there may be 10’s of millions of lives at stake, and contrary to what many people here imagine, I don’t think Trump has a track record of wanting that level of disaster.

      Couldn't agree more but not for altruistic reasons. Millions of lives lost isn't likely to mean anything too much to him (narcissists of his magnitude don't do empathy) but he knows his credibility with even his most ardent supporters would evaporate overnight and he would be gone by morning – so to speak.

      • RedLogix 11.1.1
        7 January 2020 at 10:46 am

        Look at Trump's record, frequently he provokes in order to break up a deadlock, then negotiates with what falls out from the resulting disorder. The Middle East is the ultimate locked up narrative, players with ancient agendas locked into an eternal game. As numerous US Presidents have discovered to their chagrin, it's such a complex knot of conflicting demands there is no sane, rational path through it.

        Trump's approach is 'fuck it' and he gives the entire bumfuzzle a calibrated poke to see what happens. Whether he has made a tremendous miscalculation remains to be seen. My gut feeling is that of all the gambles Trump has taken so far, this one is by far the dodgiest.

  12. Blazer 12
    7 January 2020 at 10:03 am

    'treat those two imposters, triumph and disaster….exactly the same'-R.Kipling.

  13. Exkiwiforces 13
    7 January 2020 at 11:51 pm

    This been catching up on latest Willy waving or how big is my dick contest in the Sandpit and I think it’s safe to assume that Aunty Helen is glad she is not Sec Gen for the UN atm?

    Well 3 days of mourning in Iran finishers tomorrow and they have a new bloke to replace old mate, who was kill and the sending in troops into the Sandpit, then some muppet within the Pentagon sending out a letter to Iraq stating the US and it’s Allies will be withdrawing from Iraq and the local Shia pollies voting for the US & Allies to boot out were the other pollies within the Iraq parliament boycotted the vote.

    So a state of confusion all around, which is the usual way to kick off a war and considering the amount of Willy waving or how big is dick and muppet will hit that button for shits and giggles by mistake.

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    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Urgent changes to system through first RMA Amendment Bill
    The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Overseas decommissioning models considered
    Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
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    3 days ago

  • Release of North Island Severe Weather Event Inquiry
    Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Justice Minister to attend Human Rights Council
    Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order.  “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
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    4 days ago

  • Patterson reopens world’s largest wool scouring facility
    Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
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    4 days ago

  • Speech to the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective Summit, 18 April 2024
    Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing  At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin    Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho    Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today.    I am delighted ...
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    4 days ago

  • Government to introduce revised Three Strikes law
    The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
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    4 days ago

  • New diplomatic appointments
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions.   “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says.    “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
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    4 days ago

  • Humanitarian support for Ethiopia and Somalia
    New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today.   “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
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    4 days ago

  • Arts Minister congratulates Mataaho Collective
    Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale.  “It is good ...
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    5 days ago

  • Supporting better financial outcomes for Kiwis
    The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Trade relationship with China remains strong
    “China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says.   Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • PM’s South East Asia mission does the business
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

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

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

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

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

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

  • Anzac commemorations, Türkiye relationship focus of visit
    Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul.    “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
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    7 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 ...
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    7 days 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 ...
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    1 week 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 ...
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    1 week 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 ...
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    1 week 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
    1 week 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
    1 week 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 week 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 ...
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    1 week 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 week 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
    1 week 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
    1 week 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
    1 week 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
    1 week 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
    1 week 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
    1 week 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
    1 week ago

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