I’d phone a friend but they’re all Young Nats too

Written By: - Date published: 12:30 pm, July 23rd, 2010 - 123 comments
Categories: activism, Media, Politics, tv - Tags: , , ,

Halfcaste interviews a selection of Young Nats at their recent conference.

Interviewer: “What’s your favourite tribe?”

Young Nat: “To be honest I don’t have a favourite Maori tribe”

Interviewer: “Top three?”

Young Nat: “Ahh… I don’t think I know…”

Interviewer: “Don’t know any Maori tribes?”

Young Nat: “Noooo… No, hang on, Maori tribes… no sorry…”

The clip below’s just a teaser, you can watch the whole thing here including cameos from Nikki “Equality of opportunity, not equality of outcome” Kaye and Simon “A hand up rather than a hand out” Bridges.

123 comments on “I’d phone a friend but they’re all Young Nats too ”

  1. This is really good satire. Labour youth must be involved in this.

    It is satire isn’t it? You mean …

  2. Jim Nald 2

    Those two would make fantastic National cabinet ministers for a fresh, ambitious New Zealand future.

  3. Lew 3

    Outstanding. Made my day.

    L

  4. Maggie 4

    Don’t dis the Young Nats, their parties are legendary!

    • blueboy 4.1

      I beleive their parties are legendary, at least they pay for their own booze unlike young Labour who tend to steal their booze.

      • loota 4.1.1

        Nah blueboy, I don’t think Young Nats have to pay for their own booze. that’s disengenuous, just grab the glenfiddich from the folks’ liquor cabinet. And aren’t these the kinds of parents who are quite happy to supply their teenage kids with shedloads of alcopops for their after ball bashes?

      • Ari 4.1.2

        Bah, the Young Nats have effectively stolen theirs through class warfare anyway :p

  5. vto 5

    ha ha, just like the msm, pick out the best/worst and abandon all sense of balance.

    but seriously those two came across as lacking some basic basics.

    • Fisiani 5.1

      But what a stupid question. What is your favourite tribe? How about asking what is your favourite town council ? What is your favourite company? What a total non story.

      • BLiP 5.1.1

        Yours would have been a better response than what those spotty brats came up with. Its actually a great story in that it exposes the youth within National Ltdâ„¢ as the pig ignorant white trash rejects that they are. Even if you can’t perceive that, it was still full of lols which, in my book, makes it a very worthy story.

  6. just saying 6

    Cheers for that.

    Just can’t have too many laughs out-loud in a day!

    I recommend watching the whole thing to anyone with ten minutes to spare, though it is kind of disturbing……

  7. felix 7

    Watching these Mouseketeers contrasted with the child-stars Nikki and Simon and further comparing them to the full grown Nats there’s a disturbing realisation that these people never grow up, never change, and never learn anything. Except their lines. They do get slightly better at the lines. But not that much better.

    • Tigger 7.1

      Was Simon Bridges actually speaking English? I could not understand a word he said. And who on earth told Kaye to emphasise that she doesn’t stand for equality of outcome? She makes a huge point of saying she believes in equal opportunity but NOT equal outcome. It’s the dumbest right wing spin I’ve heard in ages.

      • Richard 7.1.1

        I imagine it is because equality of outcome is communism, or something.

        • Rosy 7.1.1.1

          That would be funny if it wasn’t so horrifying. Should have asked them what their ideas for equal opportunity were given people start from different places …

  8. BLiP 8

    And these people want a say in the running of Aotearoa? And that woman is from South Side?? I despair.

  9. george 9

    Felix, that’s because they don’t need to grow up. They’re cossetted by privilege and never have to face the realities that force most people to grow. The irony is they then tell people who have a lot of real world experience like nurses, teachers and union members that they don’t understand the “real world”.

  10. djp 10

    answer: “Visigoths!”

    If it is ok to have a favourite tribe is it ok to have a favourite race?

    • george 10.1

      Are you asking that because you prefer whites to non-whites and would like to be able to say so?

      • djp 10.1.1

        No georgie I am just wondering if there is a double standard there.

        I could have just as easily said Olkhunut.

        Am I the only one who thinks it is weird to expect all NZ’ers to have a favourite Maori tribe? None of the Maoris I have known (not huge numbers but still) have ever mentioned any of the particulars so I am unaware of what differences there are between Maori tribes… this makes it hard to pick a favourite.

        • Richard 10.1.1.1

          As Lew says, the point is that it isn’t a sensible question.

          The question is a joke. The young Nats are the punchline.

          But this goes totally over the heads of the young Nats.

          • felix 10.1.1.1.1

            … and others apparently.

            Next djp will be saying it’s not fair ‘cos they didn’t go and ask any young maori what their favourite celtic clan is.

            • djp 10.1.1.1.1.1

              I dont care about fairness.. the interviewer can ask whatever he likes.

              It doesnt seem obvious that it is a joke question either (esp considering the channel). Plenty of people get asked these kind of questions and the answers have a real effect.

        • BLiP 10.1.1.2

          Am I the only one who thinks it is weird to expect all NZ’ers to have a favourite Maori tribe? None of the Maoris I have known (not huge numbers but still) have ever mentioned any of the particulars so I am unaware of what differences there are between Maori tribes this makes it hard to pick a favourite.

          This comment is wrong on so many levels. At least we have a clear illustration of the level of deliberate ignorance out there. Trouble is, how can anyone make these people *want* to know.

          • djp 10.1.1.2.1

            good on you then.. if it is wrong on so many levels you should be able to come up with some substance rather then just trash talking

            • Harry 10.1.1.2.1.1

              Now you want substance? You right-whingers abandoned the substance high-ground years ago. And now you only clamour for it when you’re beat. Suck it up loser.

              • djp

                I am not a right winger and your argument amounts to “neener neener”

                Unfortunately there are no winners in this level of discourse

            • BLiP 10.1.1.2.1.2

              The plural for Maori is Maori. How can you say you “know” a Maori if you don’t know their iwi affiliation? If none of the Maori you say you know haven’t told you their affiliation means you can’t answer the question then that indicates you have never bothered to find out for yourself. Etc etc etc . . .

              • djp

                My best friend for a couple of years was my half cast neighbour named Winara, his tribe never came up as a part of conversation. Either he wasnt a real Maori or you are full of it when you say you cant know a Maori if you dont know their tribe.

                I did learn a new way to pronounce Taupo though

                • Harry

                  Some of my best friends are maoris.

                • BLiP

                  That it didn’t come up in conversation or that you weren’t interested enough to ask fits nicely with your use of the term “half caste”. I note you didn’t respond the fact that you need a Maori to tell you which tribe is best because you can’t be arsed checking it out for yourself. Tell me, what’s the first five lines of the national anthem in Maori?

                  • djp

                    well I guess a white dude chilling out with a brown dude just isnt good enough for you is it?

                    You are right though, I cant be bothered learning about Maori tribes and similar topics because smug assholes like you turn me off the subject altogether.

                    • Harry

                      Some of my best friends are maaaoris. We chill out together all the time. Man.

                    • BLiP

                      You’d better hurry up and join the YoungNats, then.

                    • djp

                      piss off Harry… you never once asked me my tribe, Im just starting to think you dont care enough

                    • felix

                      Maaaaris are alright as long as they keep all that maaaaari stuff to themselves.

                    • djp

                      Seriously.. you guys all seem like weirdo PC freaks to me.

                      If not looking at the world through brown colored glasses makes me a racist prick then so be it.

                    • Harry

                      Oh noez djp has been turned off! It’s not all about you little fella. Despite what your mum told you.

                    • BLiP

                      heh! classic!!

                      Funny how “PC” has gone from being a bit of an in-joke amongst lefties to a pejorative term bandied about by RWNJ trolls. Even more amusing is the fact that the trolls can’t explain what “politically correct” actually means when they use it except to describe it as some kind of mind-control mechanism the supah-sekrit Socialist planetary overlords have stuffed down their throats via the panty waisted liberal media so that they can’t use the word n1gger any more.

                      djp – why don’t you and your imaginary maaaari friend go to your room. Its past your bedtime.

                    • Ari

                      PC is still an in-joke among lefties, the righties just don’t realise it yet. 🙂

    • Lew 10.2

      If the hapless young Tory had responded with something like “that’s a weird question, tribes aren’t something you just pick as favourites” it would have been to her considerable credit. But that would have required her to have actually thought about the topic.

      L

      • djp 10.2.1

        Fair enough.. they did seem like muppets

      • Rex Widerstrom 10.2.2

        Fair point I guess, but as I was reading down the transcript my first thought was “Isn’t that some obscure question about hiphop music? Are they trying to show the young Nats are un-hip?”.

        I’ve faced all sorts of live interviews on all sorts of topics in my time and that question would have thrown me completely because it is so weird and there’s no right answer. And human nature is such that no one wants to say “I have NFI what you’re talking about” only to realise they’ve misheard or misunderstood and then come off loking like a prat.

        Even asking “Please explain?” didn’t exactly do wonders for the politician who resorted to it 😉

  11. outofbed 12

    An observation

    Young Greens? Not a black brown or yellow face amongst them, all Vote Green
    Young Nats? Not a black brown or yellow face amongst them, most Vote Act
    Young Labour? A few brown black or yellow faces, most Vote Green

  12. loota 13

    These Young Nats are going to become fast friends with Maori Tv, I can see it now. Don’t they even bother to read the news about Key and Tuhoe?

    Bizarrely uninformed and unaware for aspiring young politicians.

    captcha: CLEARLY

  13. tc 14

    Just like the senior nat’s….don’t let knowledge/rational thought/evidence and logic get in the way of your ideology….blinkers on and off we go into the wild blue yonder.

    Reminds me of that young ones episode where Emma Thomson/Stephen Fry and Ben Elton played the footlights college toffs on University Challenge……just with a kiwi 21st century twist.

  14. Mostyn 15

    Shouldn’t make fun of the kids I suppose, but that was very, very funny.

  15. Jim Nald 16

    Ok, I watched that longer version and was blinking so much in disbelief that my contact lenses nearly both fell out. Is the clip for real??

    Comments after watching it … what to say?

    An embarrassment of riches

  16. Brett 17

    What is this Maori nation the interviewer speaks of ?
    Also favourite Maori tribe ?
    WTF.

    • Lew 17.1

      No comment thread about ethnic politics is complete without Brett turning up and utterly misunderstanding everything about it.

      L

      • Brett 17.1.1

        Just watched the whole vid
        Jeez what a wanker that guy from Maori TV is, what an ego.

        • Richard 17.1.1.1

          Yay!

          That’s nearly(!) as funny as the original.

          Well done Brett.

        • loota 17.1.1.2

          Mate, I guess its tough not to feel superior when you’re shooting fish in a barrel.

    • Bill 17.2

      That really does take the biscuit Bret.

      At least the kids on the vid have a bit of an excuse insofar as they were in front of a TV camera being interviewed and had to offer instant responses in an unfamiliar situation.

      You, though, have no excuses. Maybe you really do need to sue your parents?

  17. The point is Brett that if you live in Aotearoa and expect to be a leader and cannot name even one Maori tribe then you have a serious hole in your knowledge that should be justification for preventing you from ever holding office …

  18. Brett 19

    Yes I agree you should be able to name at least one Maori tribe, but what’s your favourite tribe,honestly how do you answer that?.
    I like Tuhoe because they always have heaps of piss owww ?

    • Richard 19.1

      Brett, how would you answer the question:

      “What is your favorite magazine to read?”

    • fraser 19.2

      brett “but what’s your favourite tribe,honestly how do you answer that?.”

      how about something like – “well i wouldnt want to pick a favourite but [insert tribe] has done some good things”

      that would suffice surely?
      (of course, thats in hind site – and im sure anyone of us could easily look like a bit of a twit when put on the spot)

    • felix 19.3

      Thing is, Brett, a question in an interview (as opposed to a quiz) is really just an invitation to speak briefly on a subject.

      If you have nothing – nothing at all – to say on that huge, huge subject (or just something stupid like your comment above) then that in itself speaks volumes about you.

      Gee I wish Brett Dale were here – at least he’d be amusing for while. This other Brett is just sad.

    • what’s your favourite tribe,honestly how do you answer that?.

      The thing is the future of the National Party obviously could not name any tribe. They should have come out with anything like Nga Puhi, Ngati Porou, Tainui, Ngai Tahu or any other tribe.

      It was a great question. It was far worse not to answer than to answer.

      • comedy 19.4.1

        How about if they’d said Ngati benephiti, Ngati tai troughy, and Parekura’s tribe Ngati phery phati

        • Harry 19.4.1.1

          haha – you’re a racist! Got a few self-respect problems you’re compensating for there racist?

          • comedy 19.4.1.1.1

            Yes like this guy.

            • Harry 19.4.1.1.1.1

              No. More like a sad racist you. Be proud and own it. Or alternatively keep digging. It’s the funniest thing I’ve seen from you so far, “comedy”.

        • BLiP 19.4.1.2

          Playing the race card again, Comedy? I would have expected higher standards from you given your wee tanty the other day.

          • comedy 19.4.1.2.1

            I hear you lurve the cock

            • Harry 19.4.1.2.1.1

              I’ve hear you haven’t even got a cock to speak of. Seems about right.

            • BLiP 19.4.1.2.1.2

              Which particular cock are you referring to – John Key?

              • comedy

                He’ll do, or anyone on the other side of the house, or Felix or Harry who appears to have joined the happy group of tame trolls.

            • Ari 19.4.1.2.1.3

              You know, some of us who comment here actually are queer, (or even straight women :P) Comedy. 😛

              • comedy

                And most like yourslf and Uroskin are intelligent

                • Ari

                  What does that have to do with the inappropriateness of implying that being GLBTQI is somehow insulting?

                  If you respect queers, (in specific or in general) you shouldn’t do it. >:(

                  • comedy

                    What is insulting about lurving the cock ?

                    Don’t plenty of people lurve the cock ?

                    I don’t disrespect or respect queers – most of the time I wouldn’t have a clue who was or wasn’t queer.

  19. Luke 20

    Woo, bunch of lefties bagging on national supporters.
    You’re not adding anything to NZ politics by sitting on your computer dissing these guys. Everybody knows Maori tribe names but in an interview situation I’m sure it’s hard to think.

    If it were Young Labour in this interview, everyone here would be saying ‘oh hey don’t be mean to them, it was a bad question’ or ‘they were under pressure’ or something. So don’t go acting all sanctimonious.

    • Lew 20.1

      Woulda shoulda coulda. Leave it out, chap, they were asked a sharp question and choked.

      L

      • IrishBill 20.1.1

        Everybody knows Maori tribe names but in an interview situation I’m sure it’s hard to think.

        That sounds a bit nanny state liberal to me. Whatever happened to standing on your own merits and taking personal responsibility?

    • felix 20.2

      Luke,

      When you’re the butt of a joke that you don’t get, it doesn’t help to cry foul.

  20. Cnr Joe 21

    Toi Iti is it?
    He’s great, Tamas son I suppose?

  21. DS 22

    How hard is it to say: I’ve really admired how Ngai Tahu/Tainui/Ngati Porou have done great work in [x].

    Eg – being a South Islander I (hope) I would have said ‘I’m impressed by the work Ngai Tahu have put into furthering tertiary education by their intelligent use of redevelopment of land etc’

    Failing that: All of them.

  22. RedFred 23

    funny

  23. BLiP 24

    Sorry – but I just can’t over this video. I called a couple of my nephews aged 12 and 13 on the pakeha branch of te whanau and asked them the same question. The older one said: “they’re all good, why’s that?” Good Answer. The younger one, although he got it completely wrong, said “Parihaka because of what happened”.

    Remind me to buy my sister a bunch of flowers – I might even shout her National Ltdâ„¢ voting husband a beer next time I see him.

    • Anne 24.1

      Watched video 3 times now. They fascinate me. So thick! I’m picking they went to private schools where they learnt bugger-all about Maori. Standard of education below par… yet the private schools are exempt from National Standards!

      As for the loony mantra “I believe in equality of opportunity but not equality of outcome”. What’s it supposed to mean? That everyone should have the opportunity to learn to read and write, but only the privileged few (such as themselves) should be able to go on to have successful, fulfilling and lucrative (emphasis on lucrative) careers? It beggars belief.

      • BLiP 24.1.1

        Those vapid cretins seem to live in an alternate universe where everyone is like them, or wants to be, and all they have to do is recite their rote-learned lines without the application of thought. In fact, the application of thought would be detrimental to any acceptance they might receive from their peer group.

        The mantra is the epitome of the blame culture thinking whereby: you deserve what you get because you had same the opportunity. It is also a classic example of the primary failure in economics: namely, in establishing any model the primary assumption is that “all things being equal”. Thus, its possible to postulate that if everyone goes to school, everyone has the same chance of success provided they make the same effort. Trouble is, how does that account for the fact that some of the kids arrive at school barefoot and hungry, or others have dyslexia, some have computers and some don’t, and so on. To see re-framed economic babble spouted in relation to the social areas of politics by youth is a frightening glimpse into the future of Aotearoa.

  24. RedFred 25

    Although someone just got banned for posting another sketch by Halfcaste over at Red Alert.

  25. Descendant Of Smith 26

    Sorry but it’s hard not to feel embarrassed when young people who aspire to be leaders can’t even play a simple word association game and name at least their local tribe, let alone any of the well known tribes in NZ.

    Sure some of that simply reflects urbanisation – city folks huh but for goodness sake what country do they think they are living in?

    These kids are going to have to face a NZ with all the baby boomers dead and 50% of the workforce non-white.

    They ain’t got a hope in hell.

    • loota 26.1

      That’s why they’re all going over to Oz to do university or careers.

    • Gosman 26.2

      Because the names of tribes come up a lot in the average workplace.

      LOL!

      • Harry 26.2.1

        And so do classical economic theories. Lol!

        • felix 26.2.1.1

          I like the way you roll, Harry.

          • Harry 26.2.1.1.1

            yeah but they be hatin. (theirselfs mainly).

          • Descendant Of Smith 26.2.1.1.2

            “Because the names of tribes come up a lot in the average workplace.”

            I’ve worked in a few workplaces from working in the bush, to abattoirs, to retail, to the disability sector, community organisations and banking.

            The only normal workplace that had no discussion about Maori and Iwi and what was happening on a particular marae was in the banking industry – which was predominantly white and in terms of management almost exclusively male – I remember when the ANZ bank appointed the first female accountant in Australasia.

            I guess your definition of a normal workplace and mine are poles apart. As I noted earlier I suspect urbanisation plays a significant part but for us country boys it was just part of everyday life born out of a commonality of living in the same community.

            • Ari 26.2.1.1.2.1

              Even being an urbanite is no excuse. I live in an almost entirely white suburban “paradise”, but I could name three or four tribes off the top of my head.

              It’s a matter of putting in some effort to your social education. Out in the country you have to do that, but privileged people in the cities seem to think it’s optional to be aware of the wider community.

  26. Kevin Welsh 27

    Now I know what Tim Nice But Dim, did when he left school.

  27. ak 28

    “No hang on…. Maori tribes….”

    Watch it a dozen times and weep for the future.

    As the grotesque, Mauler Benefit/Thatcherite “confident woman” tory appropriation of progressive feminist gain attaches the equally-obscene GrinnyKey “love me for my ignorance” appropriation of respect for the simpleton – and crystallises, fatally, into classic pathos.

    Morbid fascination, with a word for the wise:

    Ae, Tariana, this is how they’re raised.
    Deliberately.
    And determinedly.
    Hone’s right.
    Be advised.

    Ano. Play it again – and again and again, Haami.

  28. Lew 29

    Sure lends a bit of context to the finding of UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights James Anaya — that the status of te reo Māori is somewhat hollow, since it’s an official language which isn’t actually taught.

    L

  29. vto 30

    This is a classic re-run of Dr Suess’s “Butter Battle Book”.

    • comedy 30.1

      You’ll like this then.

    • felix 30.2

      The Butter Battle was about two parallel societies, each equally ignorant of the other.

      This really isn’t like that at all, v.

    • vto 30.3

      Yes I do like that mr comedy.

      Felix, perhaps its not in the wider context but it certainly is when it comes to young pollies buttering up each others buttering bits.

      btw, anyone ever try buttering their toast butter-side down? Clearly one society is all upside-down about things…..

      • felix 30.3.1

        Ok then. This is just like Mullholand Drive, maybe not in any specific way but there’s people and a party and dialogue.

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    Declining trust in New Zealand politicians should be a warning to them to lift their game. Results from the New Zealand Election Study for the 2023 election show that the level of trust in politicians has once again declined. Perhaps it is not surprising that the results, shared as part ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    2 days ago
  • Police say they won’t respond to bomb threats anymore as ‘it’s never anything’

    Police Commissioner Andrew Coster says that New Zealand’s police force will no longer respond to bomb threats, in an attempt to cut costs and redirect police resources to less boring activities. Coster said that threat response and bomb disposal was a “fairly obvious” area for downsizing, as bomb threats are ...
    The CivilianBy Ben Uffindell
    2 days ago
  • A dysfunctional watchdog

    The reality of any right depends on how well it is enforced. But as The Post points out this morning, our right to official information isn't being enforced very well at all: More than a quarter of complaints about access to official information languish for more than a year, ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago
  • Climate Change: The threat of a good example

    Since taking office, the climate-denier National government has gutted agricultural emissions pricing, ended the clean car discount, repealed water quality standards which would have reduced agricultural emissions, gutted the clean car standard, killed the GIDI scheme, and reversed efforts to reduce pollution subsidies in the ETS - basically every significant ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago
  • Vegas Baby

    Good morning, lovely people. Don’t worry. This isn’t really a newsletter, just a quick note. I’m sitting in our lounge, looking out over a gloomy sky. Although being Rotorua, the view is periodically interrupted by steam bursting from pipes and dispersing—like an Eastern European industrial hellscape during the Cold War.Drinking ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Why Entrust Needs New Leadership

    I am part of a new team running in the Entrust election in October. Entrust is a community electricity trust representing a significant part of Auckland, set up to serve the community. It is governed by five trustees are elected every three years in an election the trust itself oversees. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    3 days ago
  • London Bridge is falling down

    In the UK, London is the latest of council groups to signal potential bankruptcy.That’s after Birmingham, Britain’s second largest city, went bankrupt in June, resulting in reduced sanitation services, libraries cut, and dimmed streetlights.Some in the city described things as “Dickens” like.Please, Sir, Can I have some more?For families with ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    3 days ago
  • Govt may kick elderly out of hospitals

    The Government is considering how to shunt elderly people out of hospitals, and also how to cut their access to other support. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāKia ora. Long stories short, here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Monday, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Getting the nephs off the couch

    The so-called “Prince of the Provinces”, Shane Jones, went home last Friday. Perhaps not quite literally home, more like 20 kilometres down the road from his house on the outskirts of Kerikeri. With its airport, its rapidly growing (mostly retired) population, and a commercial centre with all the big retail ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago
  • De moralibus orcorum: Sargon of Akkad, Rings of Power, Evil, and George R.R. Martin

    I have noted before that The Rings of Power has attracted its unfortunate share of culture war obsessives. Essentially, for a certain type of individual, railing on about the Wokery of Modern Media is a means of making themselves a online livelihood. Clicks and views and advertising revenue, and all ...
    3 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #37

    A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, September 8, 2024 thru Sat, September 14, 2024. Story of the week From time to time we like to make our Story of the Week all about us— and ...
    3 days ago
  • Salvation For Us All

    Yesterday, I ruminated about the effects of being a political follower.And, within politics, David Seymour was smart enough on Friday to divert attention from “race blind” policies [what about gender blind I thought - thinking of maternity wards] and cutting school lunches by throwing meat to the media. Teachers were ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    4 days ago
  • A warm embrace

    Far, far away from here lives our King. Some of his subjects can be quite the forelock tuggers, but plenty of us are not like that, and why don't I wheel out my favourite old story once more about Kiwi soldiers in the North African desert?Field Marshal Montgomery takes offence ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago
  • Literal clowns are running the place, we must put a timeout on this stupidity… right Aotearoa?

    These people are inept on every level. They’re inept to the detriment of our internal politics, cohesion and increasingly our international reputation. And they are reveling in the fact they are getting away with it. We cannot even have “respectful debate” with a government that clearly rejects the very ...
    exhALANtBy exhalantblog
    4 days ago
  • Fact brief – Does manmade CO2 have any detectable fingerprint?

    Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park from the Gigafact team in collaboration with John Mason. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Does manmade CO2 have any ...
    4 days ago
  • Judge Not.

    Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. Matthew 7:1-2FOUR HUNDRED AND FORTY men and women professing the Christian faith would appear to have imperilled their immortal souls. ...
    4 days ago
  • Managed Democracy: Letting The People Decide, But Only When They Can Be Relied Upon To Give the Righ...

    Uh-uh! Not So Fast, Citizens! The power to initiate systemic change remains where it has always been in New Zealand’s representative democracy – in Parliament. To order a binding referendum, the House of Representatives must first to be persuaded that, on the question proposed, sharing its decision-making power with the people ...
    4 days ago
  • Looking For Labour’s Vital Signs.

    Flatlining: With no evidence of a genuine policy disruptor at work in Labour’s ranks, New Zealand’s wealthiest citizens can sleep easy.PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN has walked a picket-line. Presidential candidate Kamala Harris has threatened “price-gauging” grocery retailers with price control. The Democratic Party’s 2024 platform situates it well to the left of Sir ...
    5 days ago
  • Forty Years Of Remembering To Forget.

    The Beginning of the End: Rogernomics became the short-hand descriptor for all the radical changes that swept away New Zealand’s social-democratic economy and society between 1984 and 1990. In the bitterest of ironies, those changes were introduced by the very same party which had entrenched New Zealand social-democracy 50 years earlier. ...
    5 days ago
  • Kōrero Mai – Speak to Me.

    Good morning all you lovely people. 🙂I woke up this morning, and it felt a bit like the last day of school. You might recall from earlier in the week that I’m heading home to Rotorua to see an old friend who doesn’t have much time. A sad journey, but ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Winning ways

    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on anything you may have missed. Street architecture adjustment, KolkataShare Read more ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago
  • 48 seconds on a plan that would reverberate for a million years

    Despite fears that Trump presidency would be disastrous for progress on climate change, the topic barely rated a mention in the Presidential debate. Photo: Getty ImagesLong stories short, here’s the top six news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above between Bernard Hickey ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Using blunt instruments and magical thinking to ignore evidence of harm

    The abrupt cancellations and suspensions of Government spending also caused private sector hiring, spending, and investment to freeze up for the first six months of the year. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāThis week we learned:The new National/ACT/NZ First Coalition Government ignored advice from Treasury that it didn’t have to ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Is This A Dagger Which I See Before Me: A Review and Analysis of The Rings of Power Episode 5 (Seaso...

    Another week of The Rings of Power, season two, and another confirmation that things are definitely coming together for the show. The fifth Episode of season one represented the nadir of the series. Now? Amid the firmer footing of 2024, Episode Five represents further a further step towards excellent Tolkien ...
    5 days ago
  • In Open Seas; A Book

    The background to In Open Seas: How the New Zealand Labour Government Went Wrong:2017-2023Not in Narrow Seas: The Economic History of Aotearoa New Zealand, published in 2020, proved more successful than either I or the publisher (VUP, now Te Herenga Waka University Press) expected. I had expected that it would ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    5 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to Sept 13

    The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts and talking about the week’s news with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on the latest climate science on rising temperatures and the climate implications of the US Presidential elections; and special guests Janet ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Do or do not. There is no try

    1. Upon receiving evidence that school lunches were doing a marvellous job of improving outcomes for students, David Seymour did what?a. Declared we need much more of this sort of good news and poured extra resources and funding into them b. Emailed Atlas network to ask what to do next c. Cut ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago
  • Dangerous ground

    The Waitangi Tribunal has reported back on National's proposed changes to gut the Marine and Coastal Area Act and steal the foreshore and seabed for its greedy fishing-industry donors, and declared it to be another huge violation of ti Tiriti: The Waitangi Tribunal has found government changes to the ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Climate Change: National wants to cheat on Paris

    In 2016, the then-National government signed the Paris Agreement, committing Aotearoa to a 30 (later 50) percent reduction in emissions by 2030. When questioned about how they intended to meet that target with their complete absence of effective climate policy, they made a lot of noise about how it was ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Treasury warned Govt lower debt limits meant less ‘productivity-enhancing investment’

    Treasury’s advice to Cabinet was that the new Government could actually prudently carry net core Crown debt of up to 50% of GDP. But Luxon and Willis instead chose to portray the Government’s finances as in such a mess they had no choice but to carve 6.5% to 7.5% off ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • Is the Media Complicit?

    This is a long read. Open to all.SYNOPSIS: Traditional media is at a cross roads. There is a need for those in the media landscape, as it stands, to earn enough to stay afloat, but also come across as balanced and neutral to keep its audiences.In America, NYT’s liberal leaning ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • Black Friday

    It's Black Friday, the end of the weekYou take my hand and hold it gently up against your cheekIt's all in my head, it's all in my mindI see the darkness where you see the lightSong by Tom OdellFriday the 13th, don’t be afraid.No, really, don’t. Everything has felt a ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 13-September-2024

    Ooh, Friday the thirteenth. Spooky! Is that why certain zombie ideas have been stalking the landscape this week, like the Mayor’s brainwave for a motorway bridge from Kauri Point to Point Chev? Read on and find out. This roundup, like all our coverage, is brought to you by the Greater ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    6 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #37 2024

    Open access notables Early knowledge but delays in climate actions: An ecocide case against both transnational oil corporations and national governments, Hauser et al., Environmental Science & Policy: Cast within the wide context of investigating the collusion at play between powerful political-economic actors and decision-makers as monopolists and debates about ‘the modern ...
    6 days ago
  • What it is

    I liked what Kieran McAnulty had to say about the Treaty Principles bill this morning so much I've written it down and copied it out for you. He was saying that rather than let this piece of ordure spend six months in Select Committee, the Prime Minister could stop making such ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • A government-funded hate campaign

    Cabinet discussed National's constitutionally and historically illiterate "Treaty Principles Bill" this week, and decided to push on with it. The bill will apparently receive a full six month select committee process - unlike practically every other policy this government has pushed, and despite the fact that if the government is ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • How Substack works to take (some) craziness out of America’s elections

    I spoke with Substack co-founder yesterday, just before the Trump-Harris debate, about how Substack is doing its thing during the US elections. He talks in particular about how Substack’s focus on paid subscriptions rather than ads has made political debate on the platform calmer, simpler, deeper and more satisfying ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    7 days ago
  • Kamala Harris Did Something Unthinkable

    Hi,Yesterday me and a bunch of friends gathered in front of the TV, ate tortillas, drank wine, and watched the debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.Some of you may have joined in on the live Webworm chat where we shared thoughts, jokes and memes — and a basic glee ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    7 days ago
  • Kamala Harris Did Something Unthinkable

    Hi,Yesterday me and a bunch of friends gathered in front of the TV, ate tortillas, drank wine, and watched the debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.Some of you may have joined in on the live Webworm chat where we shared thoughts, jokes and memes — and a basic glee ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    7 days ago
  • Kamala Harris Did Something Unthinkable

    Hi,Yesterday me and a bunch of friends gathered in front of the TV, ate tortillas, drank wine, and watched the debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.Some of you may have joined in on the live Webworm chat where we shared thoughts, jokes and memes — and a basic glee ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    7 days ago
  • David Seymour is such a loser

    For paid subscribersNot content with siphoning off $230,000,000 of taxpayers money for his hobby projects - and telling everyone his passion is education and early childcare - an intersection painfully coincidental to the interests of wealthy private families like Sean Plunkett’s1 backers, the Wright Family, Seymour is back in the ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    7 days ago
  • Cross-party consensus: there’s no pipeline without good faith

    There’s been a lot of talk recently about a cross-party agreement to develop a pipeline for infrastructure, including transport. Last month, outgoing CRL boss Sean Sweeney talked about the importance of securing an enduring infrastructure programme. He outlined the high costs of the relentless political flip-flopping of priorities, which drives ...
    Greater AucklandBy Connor Sharp
    7 days ago
  • Voters love this climate policy they’ve never heard of

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Karin Kirk The Inflation Reduction Act is the Biden administration’s signature climate law and the largest U.S. government investment in reducing climate pollution to date. Among climate advocates, the policy is well-known and celebrated, but beyond that, only a minority of Americans ...
    7 days ago
  • ACC wants to administer inflation at more than double the RBNZ’s target rate

    ACC levies are set to rise at more than double the inflation rate targeted by the RBNZ. Photo: Lynn GrievesonKia ora. Long stories short, here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Thursday, September 12:The state-owned monopoly for accident insurance wants ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    7 days ago
  • Harris vs Trump

    We’ve been selected to rock your asses 'til midnightThis is my term, I've shaved off my perm, but it's alrightI solemnly swear to uphold the ConstitutionGot a rock 'n' roll problem? Well we got a solutionLet us be who we am, and let us kick out the jams, yeahKick out ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    7 days ago
  • Treaty Bill “a political stunt”

    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon appears to have given ACT Leader David Seymour more than he has been admitting in the proposals to go forward with a Treaty Principles Bill.All along, Luxon has maintained that the Government is proceeding with the Bill to honour the coalition agreement.But that is quite specific.It ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    7 days ago
  • An average 219 NZers migrated each day in July

    Kia ora. Long stories short, here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Wednesday, September 11:Annual migration of New Zealanders rose to a record-high 80,963 in the year to the end of July, which is more than double its pre-Covid levels.Two ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • What you’re wanting to win more than anything is The Narrative

    Hubris is sitting down on election day 2016 to watch that pig Trump get his ass handed to him, and watching the New York Times needle hover for a while over Hillary and then move across to Trump where it remains all night to your gathering horror and dismay. You're ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago
  • National’s automated lie machine

    The government has a problem: lots of people want information from it all the time. Information about benefits, about superannuation, ACC coverage and healthcare, taxes, jury service, immigration - and that's just the routine stuff. Responding to all of those queries takes a lot of time and costs a lot ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago
  • Christopher Luxon: A Man of “Faith” and “Compassion” Speaks on the Treaty Pr...

    Synopsis: Today - we explore two different realities. One where National lost. And another - which is the one we are living with here. Note: the footnote on increased fees/taxes may be of interest to some readers.Article open.Subscribe nowIt’s an alternate timeline.Yesterday as news broke that the central North Island ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 week ago
  • Member’s Day

    Today is a Member's Day. First up is the third reading of Dan Bidois' Fair Trading (Gift Card Expiry) Amendment Bill, which will be followed by the committee stage of Deborah Russell's Family Proceedings (Dissolution for Family Violence) Amendment Bill. This will be followed by the second readings of Katie ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago
  • Northern Expressway Boondoggle

    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has been soaring high with his hubris of getting on and building motorways but some uncomfortable realities are starting to creep in. Back in July he announced that the government was pushing on with a Northland Expressway using an “accelerated delivery strategy” The Coalition Government is ...
    1 week ago
  • Never Enough

    However much I'm falling downNever enoughHowever much I'm falling outNever, never enough!Whatever smile I smile the mostNever enoughHowever I smile I smile the mostSongwriters: Robert James Smith / Simon Gallup / Boris Williams / Porl ThompsonToday in Nick’s Kōrero:A death in the Emergency Department at Rotorua Hospital.A sad homecoming and ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Question Two of The Kākā Project of 2026 for 2050 (TKP 26/50)

    Kia ora.Last month I proposed restarting The Kākā Project work done before the 2023 election as The Kākā Project of 2026 for 2050 (TKP 26/50), aiming to be up and running before the 2025 Local Government elections, and then in a finalised form by the 2026 General Elections.A couple of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Why is God Obsessed with Spanking?

    Hi,If you’ve read Webworm for a while, you’ll be aware that I’ve spent a lot of time writing about horrific, corrupt megachurches and the shitty men who lead them.And in all of this writing, I think some people have this idea that I hate Christians or Christianity. As I explain ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    1 week ago
  • Inside the public service

    In 2023, there were 63,117 full-time public servants earning, on average, $97,200 a year each. All up, that is a cost to the Government of $6.1 billion a year. It’s little wonder, then, that the public service has become a political whipping boy castigated by the Prime Minister and members ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 week ago
  • New Models Show Stronger Atlantic Hurricanes, and More of Them

    This is a re-post from This is Not Cool Here’s an example of some of the best kind of climate reporting, especially in that it relates to impacts that will directly affect the audience. WFLA in Tampa conducted a study in collaboration with the Department of Energy, analyzing trends in ...
    1 week ago
  • Where ever do they find these people?

    A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma, is how Winston Churchill described the Soviet Union in 1939.  How might the great man have described the 2024 government of New Zealand, do we think? I can't imagine he would have thought them all that mysterious or enigmatic. I think ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago

  • Foreign Minister to travel to New York, French Polynesia

    Foreign Minister Winston Peters is travelling to New York next week to attend the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, followed by a visit to French Polynesia. “In the context of the myriad regional and global crises, our engagements in New York will demonstrate New Zealand’s strong support for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    10 hours ago
  • Thanking social workers on their national day

    “Today, on Aotearoa New Zealand Social Workers’ Day, I would like to recognise the tremendous effort social workers make not just today, but every day,” Children’s Minister and Minister for the Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence Karen Chhour says. “I thank all those working on the front line for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago
  • Minister of State for Trade heads to Laos for ASEAN meetings

    Minister of State for Trade Nicola Grigg will travel to Laos this week to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Economic Ministers’ Meetings in Vientiane.   “The Government is committed to strengthening our relationship with ASEAN,” Ms Grigg says. “With next year marking 50 years since New Zealand became ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago
  • Members appointed to retail crime MAG

    The Government has appointed four members to the Ministerial Advisory Group for victims of retail crime, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith and Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee say. “I am delighted to appoint Michael Hill’s national retail manager Michael Bell to the group, as well as Waikato community advocate and business ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    15 hours ago
  • Speech to the New Zealand Nurses Organisation AGM and Conference 2024

    It’s my pleasure to be here to join the opening of the NZNO AGM and Conference for 2024.  First, I’d like to thank NZNO Kaiwhakahaere Kerri Nuku, NZNO President, Anne Daniels, and Chief Execuitve Paul Gaulter for inviting me to speak today.  Thank you also to all the NZNO members ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    16 hours ago
  • Improvements for New Zealand authors

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says changes to the Public Lending Right [PLR] scheme will help benefit both the National Library and authors who have books available in New Zealand libraries. “I am amending the regulations so that eligible authors will no longer have to reapply every year ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Minister commends Police for gang operation

    Police Minister Mark Mitchell congratulates Police for the outstanding result of their most recent operation, targeting the Comancheros. “That Police have been able to round up the majority of the Comancheros leadership, and many of their patched members and prospects, shows not only the capability of Police, but also shows ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • New appointments to the EPA board

    Environment Minister Penny Simmonds has announced a major refresh of the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) board with four new appointments and one reappointment.   The new board members are Barry O’Neil, Jennifer Scoular, Alison Stewart and Nancy Tuaine, who have been appointed for a three-year term ending in August 2027.  “I would ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Enabling rural recovery works in Hawke’s Bay

    Cabinet has approved an Order in Council to enable severe weather recovery works to continue in the Hawke’s Bay, Environment Minister Penny Simmonds and Minister for Emergency Management and Recovery Mark Mitchell say. “Cyclone Gabrielle and the other severe weather events in early 2023 caused significant loss and damage to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • FamilyBoost childcare payment registrations open

    From today, low-to-middle-income families with young children can register for the new FamilyBoost payment, to help them meet early childhood education (ECE) costs. The scheme was introduced as part of the Government’s tax relief plan to help Kiwis who are doing it tough. “FamilyBoost is one of the ways we ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Prioritising victims with tougher sentences

    The Government has today agreed to introduce sentencing reforms to Parliament this week that will ensure criminals face real consequences for crime and victims are prioritised, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says. "In recent years, there has been a concerning trend where the courts have imposed fewer and shorter prison sentences ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Targets data confirms rise in violent crime

    The first quarterly report on progress against the nine public service targets show promising results in some areas and the scale of the challenge in others, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says. “Our Government reinstated targets to focus our public sector on driving better results for New Zealanders in health, education, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Asia Foundation Board appointments announced

    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced the appointments of Hone McGregor, Professor David Capie, and John Boswell to the Board of the Asia New Zealand Foundation.  Bede Corry, Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Trade, has also been appointed as an ex-officio member. The new trustees join Dame Fran Wilde (Chair), ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Endeavour Fund projects for economic growth

    New Zealand’s largest contestable science fund is investing in 72 new projects to address challenges, develop new technology and support communities, Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins says. “This Endeavour Fund round being funded is focused on economic growth and commercial outputs,” Ms Collins says. “It involves funding of more ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Social Services Providers Whakamanawa National Conference 16 September 2024

    Thank you for the introduction and the invitation to speak to you here today. I am honoured to be here in my capacity as Minister for the Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence, and Minister for Children. Thank you for creating a space where we can all listen and learn, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Parihaka infrastructure upgrades funded

    The Government will provide a $5.8 million grant to improve water infrastructure at Parihaka in Taranaki, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones and Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka say. “This grant from the Regional Infrastructure Fund will have a multitude of benefits for this hugely significant cultural site, including keeping local ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Serious assaults down 22% in Auckland CBD

    Cross-government action to tackle crime and antisocial behaviour in Auckland is getting traction, says Police Minister Mark Mitchell. “Our central cities should be great places to live and work, but in recent years they have become hot spots for crime and anti-social behaviour. In Auckland, businesses and residents suffered as ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Increased certainty for contractors coming

    Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says upcoming changes to the Employment Relations Act will provide greater certainty for contractors and businesses. “These changes to legislation are necessary to ensure businesses and workers have more clarity from the start of their contracting arrangement. It is an ACT-National coalition ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Draft critical minerals list released for consultation

    A draft list of minerals deemed essential to New Zealand’s economy and strengthening its mineral resilience has been released for consultation, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The draft Critical Minerals List identifies 35 minerals essential to economic functions, are in demand internationally, and face high risk of supply disruption domestically ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government eliminates $190 million in trade barriers to boost the economy

    The Government has successfully removed trade barriers affecting nearly $190 million worth of exports to help grow the economy, Minister for Trade and Agriculture Todd McClay today announced.  “In the past year, we have resolved 14 Non Tariff Barriers (NTBs), returning significant value to kiwi exporters. These efforts directly boost our ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Reo Māori the ‘beating heart’ of Aotearoa New Zealand

    From private business to the Paris Olympics, reo Māori is growing with the success of New Zealanders, says Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka. “I’m joining New Zealanders across the country in celebrating this year’s Te Wiki o te Reo Māori – Māori Language Week, which has a big range ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Need and value at forefront of public service delivery

    New Cabinet policy directives will ensure public agencies prioritise public services on the basis of need and award Government contracts on the basis of public value, Minister for the Public Service Nicola Willis says. “Cabinet Office has today issued a circular to central government organisations setting out the Government’s expectations ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Minister to attend Police Ministers Council Meeting

    Police Minister Mark Mitchell will join with Australian Police Ministers and Commissioners at the Police Ministers Council meeting (PMC) today in Melbourne. “The council is an opportunity to come together to discuss a range of issues, gain valuable insights on areas of common interest, and different approaches towards law enforcement ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
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  • New Bill to crack down on youth vaping

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