Helen Clark on Iraq

Written By: - Date published: 11:37 am, July 7th, 2016 - 41 comments
Categories: iraq, john key, labour, national, same old national, uk politics, war - Tags: , ,

Helen Clark Labour

The Chilcot report has rightfully castigated Tony Blair for his role in the Iraqi war. He ought to hand in his labour party membership.  Prosecution for war crimes should not be ruled out.  Going to war on a pretext and ignoring the warnings of impending doom is not something that a responsible leader does.

The weapons of mass destruction excuse was a well polished lie designed to justify a military incursion that was otherwise against International Law.  The Chilcot report contains a whole load of told you so delivered 13 years after the event.

Hopefully the insurgency being railed from within the Parliamentary Labour Party against Jeremy Corbyn will now be quelled. His principled position opposing the war against the leadership of his party has now been shown to be correct.

By contrast Tony Blair will go down in history as the person promising to follow George Bush, whatever.  The person who wrecked a country with dubious legal authority.  The person who went a head with an invasion even though the predictions of increased terrorism and the birth of ISIS was predicted.

This made me reflect on the actions of Helen Clark and the fifth Labour Government.

When the invasion was announced she said this in Parliament (h/t Tautoko Mangō Mata):

The Government deeply regrets the breakdown of the diplomatic process over the Iraq crisis. The New Zealand Government, like most Governments, has been a strong supporter of that process running its course. Like most countries, our strong preference was for the disarmament of Iraq to occur peacefully, through a strong and intrusive weapons inspection process …

Our Government is determined that this difference of opinion, substantial as it is, will not damage longstanding friendships that we value. We fully understand the frustration, the impatience, and the outrage felt by the United States, Britain, and Australia at Iraq’s slowness to comply and its resistance to complying with UN resolutions. But notwithstanding that, our Government does not believe that the diplomatic process, backed by inspections and leading to disarmament, has run its course.

New Zealand’s position on this crisis has at all times been based on our strong support for multilateralism and the rule of law, and for upholding the authority of the Security Council. It is a principled position, it has integrity, and we believe it is well understood by our friends. It is a matter of profound regret to us that some of our closest friends have chosen to stand outside the Security Council at this point, for a new and dangerous precedent is being set. It may be possible to justify one’s friends taking such action, but where then is our moral authority when other nations use the precedent that is now being set? These are troubled times for the United Nations. It has worked hard, as has the Security Council, to address the issue. In the end, consensus could not be reached. For the majority of nations on the council, the threshold for the use of force had not been reached. Our Government supports and endorses that judgment.

Given that this went against the views of the political leadership of the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia it was a brave position for Labour to take.

Labour subsequently sent engineers to Iraq to take part in the rebuild.  Two rotations of 61 engineers were sent to Basra to perform engineering and humanitarian tasks.

There was a suggestion that this decision was made to placate the Americans and for trade reasons but this claim was angrily denied.  Helen Clark said this:

I am absolutely incensed at the suggestion that some Defence Ministry personnel seem to have made to various diplomats that there was any connection between my support for sending engineers to do humanitarian work in Iraq with the interests of Fonterra, I mean this is simply preposterous.”

Of course you should compare this to National’s response at the time.  Rob has already posted the video containing John Key’s earlier get some guts comments.

For those who say that New Zealand Labour is no different to National the simple response is remember National.

41 comments on “Helen Clark on Iraq ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Greg 1
    7 July 2016 at 12:08 pm

    Its with some irony that Keys deployment of troops to Camp Taji is with some irony since it has never been successfully defended.
    Yet Keys fiction creator writers claim is somehow safe behind the lines,
    invoking some sense of security when reality its in the front lines.

    Lets hope it doesnt turn out to be a defeat.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Dien_Bien_Phu

    Iraq’s current military action is clearly against a rear guard.

    Concerning Helen Clark’s deployment of 60ish Engineers to Iraq
    I would be happy to see whatever they built, there must be some pictures.

  2. dukeofurl 2
    7 July 2016 at 12:31 pm

    “Prosecution for war crimes should not be ruled out”

    Yes it should
    – even the ICC Prosecutors have ruled it out, for the simple reason they have no jurisdiction for crimes of aggression and Blair did not directly participate in war crimes in Iraq itself.
    “Since then, the crime of aggression has been defined in the ICC’s governing statute. However, this provision has not yet been brought into effect and will not be applied retrospectively. So there is no prospect of anyone facing charges of aggression arising from the Iraq war.” Guardian

    • Bill 2.1
      7 July 2016 at 12:54 pm

      Yup. Gets off the hook. Unless some retrospective law in brought into being. Salmond is making noises along those lines ,so the bastard can be had up in the Scottish court system.

      Don’t know if his suggestion has legs, but I like the thought.

      • dukeofurl 2.1.1
        7 July 2016 at 2:37 pm

        Bought up in the Scottish law system?
        Anything like that would be reserved to Westminster anyway. As you have said its really only something people like the sound of.

        • Bill 2.1.1.1
          7 July 2016 at 5:58 pm

          Scottish criminal law isn’t reserved ffs. It’s completely separate.

          Blair sent Scottish troops to Iraq, therefore (presumably) can be held accountable under Scottish law.

          The only questions would be whether such a law would be passed and then whether it would be applied retrospectively.

          • Colonial Viper 2.1.1.1.1
            7 July 2016 at 6:01 pm

            Just get Scotland to formally and independently recognise the Geneva Convention as the first step.

            • Bill 2.1.1.1.1.1
              7 July 2016 at 7:34 pm

              ??? I dare say the Geneva Convention is recognised in Scottish Law already. I mean that in terms of that convention taking legal precedence in regards to any pre-existing law on the statute books.

              But whatever…

              • Colonial Viper …
                7 July 2016 at 7:51 pm

                If it is recognised in Scottish law already, all good, move to issue an arrest warrant for Blair on that basis.

    • Draco T Bastard 2.2
      7 July 2016 at 2:56 pm

      even the ICC Prosecutors have ruled it out, for the simple reason they have no jurisdiction for crimes of aggression and Blair did not directly participate in war crimes in Iraq itself.

      Interesting considering that War Crimes were pretty much set down either after the First World War and/or the Second and that the UK has signed up to the ICC.

      Jurisdiction and admissibility

      The primary crimes are listed in article 5 of the Statute and defined in later articles: genocide (defined in article 6), crimes against humanity (defined in article 7), war crimes (defined in article 8), and crimes of aggression (defined in article 8 bis) (which is not yet within the jurisdiction of the Court; see below)

      Which would indicate that the ICC does have jurisdiction. Invasion is a War Crime.

      • McFlock 2.2.1
        7 July 2016 at 4:46 pm

        Invasion is a War Crime.

        Not according to your link, it’s not: it’s a crime of aggression, and not currently under ICC jurisdiction.

        • Sanctuary 2.2.1.1
          7 July 2016 at 5:46 pm

          It is a war crime. It is clear from Chilcot that Tony Blair committed a crime against international law under principle VI (a)(i) and (ii) of the Nuremburg principles:

          “…The crimes hereinafter set out are punishable as crimes under international law:
          (a) Crimes against peace:
          (i) Planning, preparation, initiation or waging of a war of aggression or a war in violation of international treaties, agreements or assurances;
          (ii) Participation in a common plan or conspiracy for the accomplishment of any of the acts mentioned under (i). …”

          And he is clearly liable for prosecution under principles I, II & III.

          Principle I
          “Any person who commits an act which constitutes a crime under international law is responsible therefore and liable to punishment.”

          Principle II
          “The fact that internal law does not impose a penalty for an act which constitutes a crime under international law does not relieve the person who committed the act from responsibility under international law.”

          Principle III
          “The fact that a person who committed an act which constitutes a crime under international law acted as Head of State or responsible government official does not relieve him from responsibility under international law.”

          The British and US governments may not arrest him, but if I were him I would be very careful where I travelled in the future, since a lot of countries will.

          • McFlock 2.2.1.1.1
            7 July 2016 at 5:57 pm

            Spanish judges seem to be good for that 🙂

            But the point is whether the ICC has jurisdiction over Blair’s going to war. According to DTB’s link, the ICC has a set criteria and definition of “war crime” that it has jurisdiction over. This is not the same as the Nuremberg principles, even if the term “war crime” is also used.

        • Draco T Bastard 2.2.1.2
          7 July 2016 at 6:28 pm

          What I found interesting in the statement is that the ICC seems to have changed the definition from the previously accepted definition which stated, quite baldly, that prosecuting an aggressive war against another nation was itself a war crime because it contained all other war crimes.

          War Crimes: International Criminal Court 2002

          Unlawful wanton destruction
          Using poison weapons

          Both of those would apply. Wanton destruction because there was no reason for the war in the first place and using poison weapons because depleted uranium happens to be poisonous.

          So, as far as I’m concerned, what Blair/Bush did was most definitely a war crime and they and their hangers on need to be prosecuted for it.

          • McFlock 2.2.1.2.1
            8 July 2016 at 1:07 pm

            Well the wriggle room is in the word “wanton” and in the fact that DU’s poisonous characteristic is not its functional purpose. Lead is also poisonous, but that’s not why it’s in bullets. Destruction isn’t wanton if it’s targeted.

            I agree, in my opinion also they went to war in Iraq with such obsession and fabrication that it was criminal. However, our opinions aren’t what dictate the jurisdiction of the ICC: it’s the opinions of its component states that count.

  3. dukeofurl 3
    7 July 2016 at 12:37 pm

    “Labour subsequently sent engineers to Iraq to take part in the rebuild. Two rotations of 61 engineers were sent to Basra to perform engineering and humanitarian tasks.”

    See UN Security Council resolution 1483 allowing for humanitarian assistance and reconstruction.
    http://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/Documents/1483.pdf

  4. Steve Withers 4
    7 July 2016 at 12:38 pm

    Canada and France and Germany (and most other developed nations) also stood aside and advised the invasion was ill-judged. Italy…..well…they got Berlusconi-ed into it. Nothing better than a populist conservative for best ensuring innocent people suffer and die.

    John Howard in Australia whored the lives of Aussie soldiers for a free trade deal his mates could make money from. That is about as low as one can go. National would have gone there, had they been in power. Memories of that time are why I can never vote for them. They would literally sell your life to make some money….

    • Draco T Bastard 4.1
      7 July 2016 at 2:59 pm

      National would have gone there, had they been in power. Memories of that time are why I can never vote for them. They would literally sell your life to make some money….

      QFT

      They’re quite free with other peoples lives so that they and their rich mates can make higher profits.

      • mosa 4.1.1
        7 July 2016 at 11:12 pm

        They would literally sell your life to make some money…
        Well said Draco.
        I am convinced that had Brash won in 2005 he would have kept his word to the american senators that 1 we would send troops to Iraq and 2 that the nuclear free legislation would be gone by lunchtime at the earliest opportunity.
        Helen was wise too stay out of what has been an utter disaster and the flimsy excuse too invade and occupy a country for its oil reserves and create a war with islam on the back of the WTC attack that the americans let happen and assisted in the towers destruction and the murder of 3000 of its innocent civilians who were killed at their place of work and the rescue staff trying too save them.
        And Bush had the nerve to call Iran and others the axis of evil !!!!

        • tc 4.1.1.1
          8 July 2016 at 6:53 am

          What do you expect from a nation that allegedly knew Japan was going to attack pearl harbour, as they’d broken their code, but did nothing to prepare the base for it.

          Out of all courses of action they chose to dispatch the aircraft carriers and other essential items of the fleet to sea as there’s nothing like some dead citizens to motivate a nation.

          WW2 showed Uncle Sam a few tricks he’s been using ever since.

          • Colonial Viper 4.1.1.1.1
            8 July 2016 at 6:27 pm

            The US GOV was deliberately crippling Japan with energy and resource sanctions for months before that. And they knew that might be enough to give the pro-war lobby in Japan the upper hand.

  5. Save NZ 5
    7 July 2016 at 12:59 pm

    At least Helen Clark had some principles and was honest.

    We call all look back with fondness, for the days when Granny Herald was full of vitriol against energy saving lightbulbs and paintings for charity. Now under the ‘brighter future’ we have unemployed farm workers being crushed to death and premature babies living in tents, billions in dollars in debt and selling our soul for magic beans and membership to a dubious club on the wrong side of history.

    Good luck to Helen in her UN bid.

    • Chooky 5.1
      7 July 2016 at 5:26 pm

      “At least Helen Clark had some principles and was honest”….yes but I wonder if the present Labour Party under Andrew Little would have taken such a principled stand?…somehow I doubt it…

      • Incognito 5.1.1
        7 July 2016 at 8:02 pm

        We’ll never know the answer to your question but we do know that AL and NZLP want to bring home the New Zealand troops from Iraq.

      • Rodel 5.1.2
        7 July 2016 at 8:25 pm

        Listening to Andrew Little today I believe he would have taken the same decisions that Helen took. He and she have more integrity, honesty and intellect than the entire disorganized body of reprobates who are currently running our country.

      • mosa 5.1.3
        8 July 2016 at 9:23 pm

        Chooky i would rather give Little the benefit of the doubt than let this current mongrel spend the next 18 months and possibly longer bullshitting and doing backroom deals to keep things from New Zealanders and not acting in the countries interest.
        Little is staying leader and that wont change now so if we all want to get this rabble out , we have to get Little in !!

  6. Ahu Te Ua 6
    7 July 2016 at 4:29 pm

    Helen who ?

  7. Chooky 7
    7 July 2016 at 5:23 pm

    It was Helen Clark’s finest moment…when she stood up to the warmongering bully boys….for this she deserves to be the next head of the United nations imo

    • leftie 7.1
      7 July 2016 at 10:11 pm

      +1Chooky

    • ahu 7.2
      8 July 2016 at 6:17 pm

      Pity her positive start was savaged by Racist shallow electioneering, namely Fore Shore and Sea Bed Act. That vile play drove a wedge between Maori and rest that set a dangerous anti Maori sentiment. Suck it up Lofty, one persons wit is another’s shit.

    • mosa 7.3
      8 July 2016 at 9:29 pm

      Thats Better Chooky Helen stood up to our own bully boys and stared then down !!

  8. Sabine 8
    7 July 2016 at 9:05 pm

    it was a good time to be a kiwi, being on the right side of history and knowing it. And yes this lady has ovaries made of brass. I miss her deeply. Her and Jeanette Fitzsimmons.

    • leftie 8.1
      7 July 2016 at 10:11 pm

      +1 Sabine

    • mosa 8.2
      8 July 2016 at 10:14 pm

      Helen was an intelligent socialist and her enemies tried every trick in the book to undermine her and the Labour government when it became clear that they could be in office and command the centre and keep winning elections.
      She got treated pretty badly at one tv debate with Brash in 2005 when as she came in the National party people abused her “You ugly lesbian bitch was yelled out amongst other nasty comments according to Brian Edwards who was present for the debate.
      She was above all that and she went on and she wiped the floor with Brash despite the appalling abuse and convinced kiwis that she deserved a third term.
      I look forward to her memoirs which will be one hell of a read but i will have to wait as she will be busy as the next Secretary General of the UN.
      A great brave kiwi icon, Good luck Helen.

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    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
    3 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
    3 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
    3 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
    3 days ago

  • Chris Bishop: Smokin’
    Yes. Correct. It was an election result. And now we are the elected government. ...
    My ThinksBy boonman
    4 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
    4 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
    4 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
    4 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
    5 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
    5 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
    5 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
    6 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
    6 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
    6 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
    6 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
    6 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
    6 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
    6 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
    6 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
    7 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
    7 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
    7 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
    7 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
    7 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
    7 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
    7 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
    7 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
    7 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
    7 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
    7 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
    1 week 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
    1 week 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
    1 week 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
    1 week 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
    1 week 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
    1 week 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

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

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

  • NZ welcomes further pause in fighting in Gaza
    New Zealand welcomes the further one-day extension of the pause in fighting, which will allow the delivery of more urgently-needed humanitarian aid into Gaza and the release of more hostages, Foreign Minister Winston Peters said. “The human cost of the conflict is horrific, and New Zealand wants to see the violence ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Condolences on passing of Henry Kissinger
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters today expressed on behalf of the New Zealand Government his condolences to the family of former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who has passed away at the age of 100 at his home in Connecticut. “While opinions on his legacy are varied, Secretary Kissinger was ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Backing our kids to learn the basics
    Every child deserves a world-leading education, and the Coalition Government is making that a priority as part of its 100-day plan. Education Minister Erica Stanford says that will start with banning cellphone use at school and ensuring all primary students spend one hour on reading, writing, and maths each day. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • US Business Summit Speech – Regional stability through trade
    I would like to begin by echoing the Prime Minister’s thanks to the organisers of this Summit, Fran O’Sullivan and the Auckland Business Chamber.  I want to also acknowledge the many leading exporters, sector representatives, diplomats, and other leaders we have joining us in the room. In particular, I would like ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Keynote Address to the United States Business Summit, Auckland
    Good morning. Thank you, Rosemary, for your warm introduction, and to Fran and Simon for this opportunity to make some brief comments about New Zealand’s relationship with the United States.  This is also a chance to acknowledge my colleague, Minister for Trade Todd McClay, Ambassador Tom Udall, Secretary of Foreign ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • India New Zealand Business Council Speech, India as a Strategic Priority
    Good morning, tēnā koutou and namaskar. Many thanks, Michael, for your warm welcome. I would like to acknowledge the work of the India New Zealand Business Council in facilitating today’s event and for the Council’s broader work in supporting a coordinated approach for lifting New Zealand-India relations. I want to also ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Coalition Government unveils 100-day plan
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has laid out the Coalition Government’s plan for its first 100 days from today. “The last few years have been incredibly tough for so many New Zealanders. People have put their trust in National, ACT and NZ First to steer them towards a better, more prosperous ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • New Zealand welcomes European Parliament vote on the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement
    A significant milestone in ratifying the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) was reached last night, with 524 of the 705 member European Parliament voting in favour to approve the agreement. “I’m delighted to hear of the successful vote to approve the NZ-EU FTA in the European Parliament overnight. This is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Further humanitarian support for Gaza, the West Bank and Israel
    The Government is contributing a further $5 million to support the response to urgent humanitarian needs in Gaza, the West Bank and Israel, bringing New Zealand’s total contribution to the humanitarian response so far to $10 million. “New Zealand is deeply saddened by the loss of civilian life and the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 weeks ago

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