Guyon vs English

Written By: - Date published: 4:02 pm, May 23rd, 2010 - 52 comments
Categories: bill english, budget 2010 - Tags:

The frustration was palpable today as Guyon Espiner struggled in vain to get a single straight answer from Bill English, who was only prepared to twist, evade, and repeat lines:

GUYON Do you accept that for very high income earners, people on the sort of salary like your own of $276,000 a year, do you accept that giving those people taxcuts of $239 a week, you gave those people money they simply did not need?

ENGLISH Well look people on those incomes will be paying more GST, there’s various loopholes that have been shut down and the higher income groups tend to carry the burden of the extension of property taxes. But look we can’t run the whole economy on a very small number of earners on quite high incomes. The big shift here is giving us the result that about three quarters of New Zealand earners now have a marginal tax rate of 17½%, so if they work another hour of overtime, they put another dollar into KiwiSaver, that’s now taxed at 17½%. So we’re aiming at incentives right across the economy. We believe we have achieved a good balance of fairness between people lower and higher on the income scale, but in the long run it’s about lifting the economic growth so they can all get ahead, not just about the one off cash on the day.

So, English thinks it’s ‘fair’ to take tax off himself and put it on ordinary Kiwi families.

GUYON But you could have addressed that issue though, you could have lifted thresholds to where that top rate cuts in, left the top rate there and actually moved the threshold out further, and that way you wouldn’t have given those hundreds of dollars a week to people who already have very high incomes.

ENGLISH Well that would depend on how they structured their affairs. I mean one of the problems of the last ten years has been a top tax rate out of line with trust and company rates, that’s allowed for a lot of restructuring. Inland Revenue tell us that among their wealthiest taxpayers only half of them actually pay the current top tax rate, which remember cuts in at $70,000. So there’s people with millions of dollars of assets who aren’t even paying 38 cents on income over $70,000. So look there may have been some kind of symbolism in it but we don’t believe…

Um, the rates aren’t aligned now, Bill. In fact, when the company rate drops to 28%, the gap will be as wide as ever. And if half of the richest Kiwis no paying the top rate is the problem how is making none of them pay it the solution?

GUYON So what have you done to actually clamp down on someone like that. I know that the investment property has been looked at, but that affects a lot of ordinary Kiwis as well. What about someone like Sam Morgan, what is there to stop someone like that no paying much tax at all?

ENGLISH Well I have no idea about Mr Morgan’s circumstances and I’m not an expert on tax structure, but what I can tell you is that as a result of the changes we’ve made, for instance, there is not much point in channelling all your income through trusts to avoid the top personal tax rate, because now those rates are the same. And people like Mr Morgan will now be able to focus on how they’re using that investment to grow the economy and create new jobs, and not so much energy on structuring their affairs so they don’t pay the top tax rate.

A finance minister, who has just made the biggest tax reforms in 25 years says he doesn’t understand tax structures.

GUYON Sure you’ve aligned the top rate and the trust rate, but that’s in some ways rewarding tax avoidance with a tax cut, or as someone put it this week, it’s a bit like tackling doping at the Olympics by ensuring everyone takes drugs.

ENGLISH Well it isn’t, because it’s part of a package that is about improving the incentives right across the board. I mean let’s look at what’s happened for someone who’s earning around say $48,000 just under the average wage. Their marginal tax rate has now halved. So whatever’s happened with Mr Morgan, tens of thousands of New Zealanders are now in a position where two or three years ago they were paying 33 cents in the dollar, now they’re paying 17½ cents in the dollar, and we happen to think that the incentives for those Kiwis, which is the vast majority, are more important in the economy than a handful of people at the top end.

More dishonesty. A person on $48,000 was never paying the 33%, it only applies to earning above $48,000. And the majority of taxpayers have incomes below $30,000.

GUYON What impact Mr English does this budget have on the gap between rich and poor, does it increase it, does it decrease it, or does it stay about the same?

ENGLISH Oh it’s about the same, given the shortcomings of the various measures…

GUYON So it’s important to you, but you haven’t done anything about it, with respect. That’s what you’ve told me, you’ve told me that it’s important to you, but you haven’t done anything about addressing that in this budget.

ENGLISH No, what we’ve done is we’ve achieved a shift in our tax system without making that problem significantly worse in a static sense.

Oh dear, ‘not made it significantly worse’, that’s the limits of National’s ambition for creating a more equal society.

GUYON Okay what about one of the other areas that, for people with small children, could erode some of these gains. You’re taking 400 million dollars out of the early childhood education sector, could you not in 70 billion dollars worth of government spending, find a better area than small children to actually take money from?

ENGLISH No we’re not taking 400 million dollars out of the early childhood education sector. What we’re dealing with there is a sector where for roughly the same number of children, expenditure has gone up 300% in five years from 400 million to 1.2 billion. When we came into this budget, it was going to go up another 200 million dollars of roughly the same number of children and same number of centres. So what we’ve done is, the increase is still 107 million, so it’s going from 1.2 billion to 1.3 billion, we’re not taking money out.

GUYON Okay so parents Mr English will not have to pay more? Because the fear is, and I want to get a straight answer on this, the fear that we’ve heard in the days after the Budget is that parents might have to pay between $20 and $30 a week more. Are you telling this morning that parents won’t have to pay any more money as a result of the changes you’ve made to this sector?

ENGLISH There’ll be some changes in the subsidy regime and it depends on how early childhood centres whether they pass it on.

GUYON Yeah but you must have done the research Minister and figured out whether you thought that they would need to pass it on. What is your estimate of the increased costs if any, for the average parent under the scenario? You must have looked at that before you took this money out.

ENGLISH Well I wouldn’t put an estimate on it, what you can say is that the early childhood centres have got three times as much government money now as five years ago, it’s my personal view they’re unlikely to have to pass it on.

So, English has gutted early childhood education and not done any research on the effects but confidently predicts everything will be OK.

GUYON Can I look at the economic impact of this budget now. Treasury estimates, the Budget document itself, says that economic growth will have an additional nearly 1% over seven years as a result of this tax package. I mean that’s hardly transformational growth is it?

ENGLISH Well it’s a pretty conservative estimate, the IMF have put out some recent work that shows that you might get about 1% lift in the level of GDP over four or five years, so a bit sooner. I think what’s important here is that there aren’t too many there aren’t any other mechanisms actually, certainly no policies that have been put in front of me as a finance spokesman for a long time, that would lift growth by that much. That is actually quite a big impact, that’s tens of thousands of extra jobs.

This is pixie at the bottom of the garden stuff. Treasury says the tax changes may produce an undetectable amount of extra growth (maybe enough to eventually reverse the added concentration of wealth in the wealthy that the Budget has created) English blithely assumes it will be better.

GUYON Okay well let’s talk about the future in the last few minutes that we’ve got in this interview, because I know you’ve ruled out asset sales in this term. You said that in the election campaign, you’ve said you won’t break your word on that, but what you did do on Friday was float the idea of partial floats for state companies such as KiwiBank. That’s a message that you’ve been saying for a number of years now, so presumably you favour the policy of floating some partial stakes in our state owned companies?

ENGLISH Well look it’s an option that may or may not work, actually the government hasn’t done any work on that.

It won’t work because it never has worked.

GUYON Do you favour it though Mr English, do you favour it? Because you’ve said it a number of times. Have you changed your mind, or do you still believe that we should give New Zealand investors some stake in those state companies by floating them on th4e sharemarket?

ENGLISH Well look as I said the government hasn’t done any work on that. What we’ve been focusing on is managing the 200 billion dollars of assets that the government owns, and as I pointed out in the Budget, they’re going to grow by 35 billion over the next four years, the government is investing about six billion a years, our focus has been on doing a better job of managing that 200 billion of assets.

GUYON Yes but you floated that idea on Friday. I mean you’re an intelligent and considered man, you wouldn’t have done that for no reason. You floated that idea, do you believe in it? That’s what I’m asking, a straight simple question. Do you believe in it?

ENGLISH Well it’s not a matter of whether you believe in it, that was a bit of speculation, the government hasn’t done the work.

We’ve been here with National before. Throw out an idea, deny all, try to soften up the public with increased mentions of the idea, set up a hand-picked taskforce to investigate and supply the answers they want.

GUYON Well it was your own speculation though Minister, it was your own speculation. You said if I went out into the market, I’d have a lot of people who are keen on this idea, you said KiwiBank needs capitalisation, needs money, a good place to find that is from Kiwi mums and dads. I’m asking this morning whether you agree with yourself.

ENGLISH Look the government simply hasn’t done the work, certainly hasn’t done the work on that proposition. I get asked all the time by people when or if they’re going to have good opportunities to invest somewhere, anywhere, because finance companies have been in trouble, they’re not sure about the sharemarket, they see the housing market now going sideways, it doesn’t look quite the sure bet that it used to. And actually the more important issue there is getting financial market regulations sorted out, so that as the economy recovers people have the confidence to get back into investment, so we don’t have all this cash sitting in the bank when it could be creating jobs.

I can’t believe that the Minister of Finance thinks savings just ‘sit in the bank’. Doesn’t he understand that the banks lend it out to businesses and home buyers? It appears not, which is pretty concerning to put it mildly.

52 comments on “Guyon vs English ”

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  1. greenfly 1
    23 May 2010 at 4:23 pm

    Guyon’s attempts to get Bill-ya-later English to talk straight were worth watching if just to cheer Guyon on and to watch English squirm. Top marks Guyon. Bill, you are a dishonest man.

    • Fisiani 1.1
      23 May 2010 at 6:23 pm

      Look at the frustration and disappointment etched all over Guyon’s face and the quiet smile of satisfaction on Bill’s face at the end of the interview that was more about Guyon than the best budget in living memory that gave tax cuts to ALL taxpayers. The winner on points is clearly in the BLUE corner.

      • IrishBill 1.1.1
        23 May 2010 at 6:36 pm

        Bill? Is that you?

      • uke 1.1.2
        24 May 2010 at 9:34 am

        Guyon is slowing waking up to the fact he has been duped. That maybe Blinglish and “Smile and Wave” are not quite the good guys, the “straight talkers” of their propaganda… and that maybe he played a part in getting them elected.

  2. Clipbox 2
    23 May 2010 at 5:11 pm

    Usually Guyon is a lot softer than this, it’s a nice change. Hope this comes across more in his reporting as well.

  3. felix 3
    23 May 2010 at 5:31 pm

    Of course he doesn’t think savings just sit in the bank – he just thinks you think that.

    p.s. video here: http://tvnz.co.nz/q-and-a-news/q-guyon-espiner-interviews-bill-english-3564398/video

  4. MikeG 4
    23 May 2010 at 5:32 pm

    Please remind me again, what was in the secret tapes from the Nat conference? No wonder they were so annoyed when they surfaced, they were the most honest thing said at that conference.

  5. kriswgtn 5
    23 May 2010 at 5:57 pm

    Just hope that Guyon has the balls to do exactly the same to Key

    He is like Keys little dog most of the time’
    But yes today a journo had the balls to actually ask some tough questions and go hard

    Could be hope then

  6. Fabregas4 6
    23 May 2010 at 6:15 pm

    Attack, Labour! Attack!

  7. Draco T Bastard 7
    23 May 2010 at 7:04 pm

    More solid proof that National has absolutely NFI how the economy works.

    • seth 7.1
      23 May 2010 at 10:22 pm

      So, the fact that we are coming roaring out of the recession, unemployment has dropped and deficit predictions have been slashed can be attributed to what then? If not National, what has caused it?

      Certainly not the Labour party – their plan was to spend our way out of the recession, and look where that has gotten other economies?

      • r0b 7.1.1
        23 May 2010 at 10:30 pm

        “Better But Fragile – The outlook for the financial system has improved over recent months, reflecting a recovery in the New Zealand economy driven by stronger trading partner activity and a sharp lift in the terms of trade, Reserve Bank Governor Alan Bollard said when releasing the Bank’s May 2010 Financial Stability Report. RBNZ”

        So – yes – brilliant work by National.

      • RedLogix 7.1.2
        23 May 2010 at 10:41 pm

        Given that National has done absolutely nothing to stimulate the economy how could your ‘roaring out of recession’ be attributed to anything they have done? How do you know that the economy might not have done much better under Labour’s policies?

        The only possible effect you can claim is that National has kept public debt to a slightly lower level than Labour might have. But with public debt still much less than 25% of GDP it’s not the item of concern Indeed over the last 18 months or so, the difference between National’s do nothing policy and a more stimulatory Labour one would have added only a few percentage points at most to Public Debt to GDP . This difference is trivial compared to the 110% of GDP worth of private debt this country owes.

        It was only the fact that Dr Cullen got public debt down so low BEFORE we hit the GFC that the markets have been content to tolerate our excessive private debt.

        Besides much of what is being touted as recovery is an anemic, fragile rebound off a very low base.

      • lprent 7.1.3
        24 May 2010 at 5:49 am

        The slight recovery at present looks as fragile as hell. The recession looks like it is still running to me. The tax and other changes by the NACTs appear to be impeding recovery more than it is helping – indeed it is hard to even see what the NACTs have done towards decreasing unemployment. Compare our ‘recovery’ with the aussies for instance.

        In fact I suspect that if I had a look at the export stats, that almost all of the recovery is due to exports to Aussie where they have been running an active government campaign to ameliorate the effects of the recession.

        The treasury forecasts were conservative to the point of worst case, just as they have been for the last decade. That was why Cullen kept getting bigger surpluses than expected. So now you have the NACTs and their idiot supporters who criticized this tendency for so long crowing as if they had something to do with it – how unexpected (and pathetic).

        Frankly you look like a bit of an economic moron..

  8. marsman 8
    23 May 2010 at 8:01 pm

    Bill English is totally inept in his portfolio,again. He is mismanaging the economy,again. He’s a robot with a Crosby-Textor sound-bites tape up his arse.

  9. Fabregas4 9
    23 May 2010 at 8:24 pm

    “I am asking if you agree with yourself” – Hahahahahahahahahaha. And he couldn’t even say yes.

  10. greenfly 10
    23 May 2010 at 8:58 pm

    I think Guyon pulled his punches. It was all too easy. Bungler Bill hadn’t expected anything other than fawning adoration such as he’d been treated with since the reading of the Budget.
    Isn’t Fisiani hilarious!!!
    Hey Fizzy! Down here in the South, they call Bill ‘the slack-jawed local’.

  11. Lanthanide 11
    23 May 2010 at 9:31 pm

    “A finance minister, who has just made the biggest tax reforms in 25 years says he doesn’t understand tax structures.”

    More specious editorials from Marty. He didn’t say he “doesn’t understand tax structures”, he said he’s not an expert. That doesn’t mean, next to the lay person, that you wouldn’t call him an expert. Just next to a real tax expert (you know, someone who’s spent 25 years in the area) he wouldn’t call himself an expert.

    “More dishonesty. A person on $48,000 was never paying the 33%, it only applies to earning above $48,000. And the majority of taxpayers have incomes below $30,000.”

    No, he is exactly correct. In 2007, the 33% rate was paid for all income in the $38,000 to $60,000 bracket.

    captcha: strict

    • Marty G 11.1
      23 May 2010 at 10:43 pm

      anyone reforming tax structures ought to be an expert in those structures..

      maybe I should have written ‘prior to these tax cuts’ but ‘never’ is obviously just a figure of speech, 30 years ago someone on 48.000 was paying 66%

      • Lanthanide 11.1.1
        23 May 2010 at 11:46 pm

        Ok, so maybe you think he should be an expert, but that’s not what you wrote. You should be more careful with what you say, as it’s the sort of thing that RWNJs like to pounce on and make a big distraction over so they don’t have to address your real points.

        Also you like to skewer the mainstream journalists a lot, and while of course your work is generally of much higher quality than their’s, you should still be careful in your work, especially if you want to engage those who have doubts about National and are looking for another perspective on things.

  12. Michael Over Here 12
    23 May 2010 at 10:16 pm

    I personally thought this was an insightful Q+A in that there are pretty clear parallels between the plague of leaky homes caused by National 20 years ago and the consequences we’ll feel as a nation because of National’s cuts to Early Childhood Education.

    By gutting Early Childhood Education National is creating the circumstances that will be felt and paid for in the future. It doesn’t seem like much to reduce ECE funding now because the effects aren’t immediately seen but the results of having fewer registered teachers in centres will be felt when kids are less prepared for school and the success rates drop. They’ve essentially lowered the standards on our children’s future just like they lowered the standards for the strength of our homes a generation ago. It’s a line of attack that I’d encourage Labour to take up.

    Also, English repeatedly said how the cost of Early Childhood had increased 5 times in the past 10 years. That’s because there was woefully little money going in to ECE so multiplying a small amount can still equal a small amount. We’ve done a wonderful thing by professionalizing the the Early Childhood industry that in the long run would lower crime and have better students when they enter school but National is happy to create a leaky system that leaves our children out in the cold.

  13. tc 13
    23 May 2010 at 10:39 pm

    English doesn’t give an F and Espiner’s a lightweight…….a decent political journo would’ve cut blinglish to shreds but we don’t possess them anymore. Holmes is so far past his use by date yet this is the best TVNZ can do……this is one SOE I’d bee happy to see sold off.

  14. RobertM 14
    23 May 2010 at 10:47 pm

    Look the competent professional sector in NZ, the good doctors, dentists, specialists, architects, accountants, enginneers, IT experts, tradesman electricians, plumbers are getting nothing like enough. The tax cut should have reduced the high level to 28%. Salaries for the professional sector need to be far higher. The taxes go to support a bloated health and social work sector that often does more harm than good and just intereferes and destroys the life of the poor. The work of Bagshaws and Bradfords needed to be erased and that of the Mintos and Brights stopped. To appeal llike to the good competent beautiful people who want to party and are into life and not social control of their neighbour we have to kick the doors open and the controlss down. The whole Goff, clark, Cullen programme was a criminal desire to maintain an doutdated and undesirable social cohesion. Family support and working for the families just encourge uninteligent working class people and proles to work, marry, have families and breed. Causing shocking missery bitterness and resentment all round. They should have spent there life partying and having multiple partners. And the pits of all, Margaret Wilson who said we will never reach the stage like America where people go out alone to drink and seek partners. I’d like to tell Margaret what she could do with that artificial leg.

    • Jim Nald 14.1
      24 May 2010 at 12:16 am

      There should be some used, cast-off artificials that can be generously stuffed into your many orifices.
      At least, even though rejects, they would in their retirement now serve a more useful function than education has served you.

      captcha: walk (!)

    • Lazy Susan 14.2
      24 May 2010 at 7:51 am

      RobertM – more satire on The Standard but please learn to use the spellcheck

    • the pinkpostman 14.3
      24 May 2010 at 3:58 pm

      You sound like a Right-Wing fanatic, Like the rest of your ilk you seem to think working class people are stupid . May I remind of a quote by the late but great Nye Bevan ,he said that “if all the working class left the country the rich would starve , But if all the rich left life would still go regardlesl”
      Personally have read your insulting comments I wonder who you are . The disgusting personal insult to Margaret Wilson puts you among the contemptibly.The couragious Margaret Wilson overcame unbeliviable pain but still became a Lawyer of distinction plus the Speaker of the House . An example to all. Your insulting remarks tell just what a creep you are

  15. RedLogix 15
    23 May 2010 at 11:00 pm

    Robert.

    It’s late on a Sunday night, maybe you’re a little drunk and in my experience that doesn’t mix well with blogging at all.

    Look the competent professional sector in NZ, the good doctors, dentists, specialists, architects, accountants, enginners, IT experts, tradesman electricians, plumbers are getting nothing like enough.

    Occur to you that perhaps they aren’t being paid enough?

    The tax cut should have reduced the high level to 28%.

    NZ already has the second lowest total income taxes in the OECD. Since this graph was produced we have apparently slipped below even Sth Korea. Contrary to the lies you have been fed by the right-wing propaganda machine, NZ is in fact a very low tax country.

    All other civilised nations have higher income taxes than us.

    The rest of the comment fades off into incoherent dreck that I’m afraid you might be embarrassed by in the morning. If you are lucky one of the moderators might take pity on you.

    • Lanthanide 15.1
      23 May 2010 at 11:48 pm

      That’s funny, I read about as far as you did, and then lost interest in what he was blabbing about.

      Hint to Robert: use paragraphs.

    • Draco T Bastard 15.2
      24 May 2010 at 12:07 am

      All other civilised nations have higher income taxes than us.

      And most of them are doing than us. Wonder what the correlation is….

  16. schrodigerscat 16
    23 May 2010 at 11:06 pm

    Double dip-shit English, As a top tax bracket sort of person, I am keeping my passports current and thinking fuckit! I can happily live in Europe. But I am not sure my son is going to want to live here.

  17. tc 17
    24 May 2010 at 8:07 am

    Schrodigerscat sums it up, we’re going to see the same impact the last 2 nat govt’s had in so far as those not getting a fair deal will pull up stumps and depart.
    Todays generation are much better informed as they don’t trust the msm (who can blame them) and now that the nat’s sheep suit is gone to reveal the wolf beneath this is a classic ‘screw the lower/middle….reward the already well off’ nat gov’t which will yield the same outcomes muldoon’s and shipley/bolgers did……….can’t say I’m surprised as that’s all they know….there never was a plan B.

  18. aj 18
    24 May 2010 at 8:43 am

    “A finance minister, who has just made the biggest tax reforms in 25 years says he doesn’t understand tax structures”

    But he does understand the structures surrounding Minister’s housing allowances. We should give the Rorter-in-Chief credit for that, surely.

    • toad 18.1
      24 May 2010 at 10:42 am

      No, aj, he didn’t understand the structures surrounding Minister’s housing allowances either. According to the Auditor General, English sought advice on that (which proved to be wrong) and then claimed an allowance he was not entitled to receive.

  19. big bruv 19
    24 May 2010 at 10:54 am

    Toad

    Fancy a Green bringing up the subject of Housing allowances, have you forgotten the way two of your unelected MP’s ripped off the tax payer?

  20. Bored 20
    24 May 2010 at 11:01 am

    Has Guyon gone soft? Has he had a Damascene moment and sworn off his fawning adoration of all things National? Is this an insurance job, having a “balanced reporting moment” for the sake of future employment prospects? Did Guyon discover honesty? I smell a rat. There is something rotten in the state of Denmark……..

  21. Carol 21
    24 May 2010 at 11:14 am

    How much is Guyon’s apparent change of heart due to the producer of the show?

  22. Carol 22
    24 May 2010 at 11:34 am

    Qu & A producer is Tim Watkin who, IMO, tends to lean a little to the left:

    http://www.pundit.co.nz/users/tim-watkin

    http://tvnz.co.nz/q-and-a-news/heatley-question-3383236

    • Bored 22.1
      24 May 2010 at 11:48 am

      Shades of pink maybe, poor Guyon, losing the power of manoevre…such a shame.

      • Carol 22.1.1
        24 May 2010 at 12:02 pm

        I don’t perceive Watkin to be highly radical, but I would imagine he subscribes to the public service ethos of asking some hard & critical questions of people being interviewed.

  23. Colvin 23
    24 May 2010 at 11:57 am

    I am amazed that we are paying this guy 250k or whatever and he’s restructured the nations tax system and he now says he’s not an expert in it.

    • Bored 23.1
      24 May 2010 at 12:05 pm

      Me too, I would accept the $250K plus and do a much better job. Expertise is over rated, it tends to be self serving. Common sense and gut reaction, now thats what is needed. Double Dipton has neither.

  24. Anne 24
    24 May 2010 at 11:57 am

    “Qu & A producer is Tim Watkin who, IMO, tends to lean a little to the left:”

    That’s my understanding too. In the recent past there has been a notable contrast between the treatment of both Phil Goff and John Key on that programme. One is fawned over, while the other is rarely allowed to finish his sentences. Indeed, I would go further than that and say he is often not allowed to start them! No prizes for guessing which is which.

    I contemplated laying a complaint but maybe – just maybe – there has been enough of them to warrant a dressing down of both Holmes and Espinor by the producer?

    • the pinkpostman 24.1
      24 May 2010 at 3:40 pm

      Well my opinion is that that the programme is a vehicle for Tory propaganda for the political Right. As Holmes he’s a joke . His gibering at the start of the programme is like a Punch and Judy , As a LP activist I have to watch it ,but its becoming more painful each week. Where have al the Brian Edwards and Katherine Argyles gone?

  25. the pinkpostman 25
    24 May 2010 at 3:28 pm

    I wonder how many ,who were watching this progamme noticed the sheer hate in English’s face . I think that the way his face changed when asked a tough question said it all.His face said it all ie ” I will do it my way regardless”
    He’s a dangerous man and one determined to crunch the working class.
    I wonder how he will deal with the unions ? I hate to think.

  26. Bunji 26
    24 May 2010 at 6:13 pm

    “I’m not an expert on tax structure” – I can’t believe he actually said that! How do you feel you can pick up your large salary and set the nation’s tax structure and say that?

    Mind you Guyon was lucky to get an interview – it seems to be a regular refrain on RadioNZ of “we asked the minister to comment, but he/she refused the request.” Personally I like a bit of accountability from my democratically elected representatives – continually refusing to front up is not acceptable. It’s also unusual for a first term government – do they not feel able to justify their actions?

  27. RobertM 27
    24 May 2010 at 8:03 pm

    To red, pink and lazy susan I was no more intoxicated than when I conducted the media programme for F-16s and rail privatisation in the l990s. NZ may have comparatively low tax rates but the pay rates and sophisticated lifestyle options in NZ and Auckland are limited. Auckland definitely isn’t a 24 hour 7 day society. Margaret Wilson and Helen Clarks decision to surrender to the collectivism of ordinary NZ men, rural men and the police is what holds NZ back. We will never be a free happy society for intelligent and beautiful people unless we accept individualism and allow people to go out alone, drink and seek company. I mean to offend margaret wilson she is a tough embittered class warrior and in some ways I am on the other side.

    • Pascal's bookie 27.1
      25 May 2010 at 6:53 am

      Margaret Wilson and Helen Clarks decision to surrender to the collectivism of ordinary NZ men, rural men and the police is what holds NZ back.

      What does this mean? I can’t make any sense of it.

  28. Rharn 28
    24 May 2010 at 10:40 pm

    If Espiner is the best that TV has it’s no wonder that politicians like English get away with the sort of ‘tripe’ that masqerades as answers. All he had to do was ask English where is the evidence that tax cuts for the rich creates growth for the economy. Pretty simple really.

  29. Frank Macskasy 29
    24 May 2010 at 10:49 pm

    The interview was a politician’s dream; English spoke heaps – and said nothing. It was the most skillful evasion of answering a question since Kim Hill asked Winston Peters what he had for breakfast (a double scotch and two ciggies).

    I wonder what National supporters think of one of their ministers who can’t give a straight answer to a straight question…

  30. Frank Macskasy 30
    24 May 2010 at 10:50 pm

    By the way, Marty G; thanks for the transcript of the interview. It’ll be quite useful…

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    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    2 hours ago

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • BRIAN EASTON:  Forward to 2017
    The coalition party agreements are mainly about returning to 2017 when National lost power. They show commonalities but also some serious divergencies. Brian Easton writes – The two coalition agreements – one National and ACT, the other National and New Zealand First – are more than policy documents. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #48 2023
    Open access notables From this week's government/NGO section, longitudinal data is gold and Leisorowitz, Maibachi et al. continue to mine ore from the US public with Climate Change in the American Mind: Politics & Policy, Fall 2023: Drawing on a representative sample of the U.S. adult population, the authors describe how registered ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • At a glance – Evidence for global warming
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

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

  • PISA results show urgent need to teach the basics
    With 2022 PISA results showing a decline in achievement, Education Minister Erica Stanford is confident that the Coalition Government’s 100-day plan for education will improve outcomes for Kiwi kids.  The 2022 PISA results show a significant decline in the performance of 15-year-old students in maths compared to 2018 and confirms ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    16 hours ago

  • Collins leaves for Pacific defence meeting
    Defence Minister Judith Collins today departed for New Caledonia to attend the 8th annual South Pacific Defence Ministers’ meeting (SPDMM). “This meeting is an excellent opportunity to meet face-to-face with my Pacific counterparts to discuss regional security matters and to demonstrate our ongoing commitment to the Pacific,” Judith Collins says. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Working for Families gets cost of living boost
    Putting more money in the pockets of hard-working families is a priority of this Coalition Government, starting with an increase to Working for Families, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says. “We are starting our 100-day plan with a laser focus on bringing down the cost of living, because that is what ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme scrapped
    The Government has axed the $16 billion Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme championed by the previous government, Energy Minister Simeon Brown says. “This hugely wasteful project was pouring money down the drain at a time when we need to be reining in spending and focussing on rebuilding the economy and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • NZ welcomes further pause in fighting in Gaza
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  • Condolences on passing of Henry Kissinger
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  • Backing our kids to learn the basics
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  • US Business Summit Speech – Regional stability through trade
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  • Further humanitarian support for Gaza, the West Bank and Israel
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