It Begins

Written By: - Date published: 6:02 am, January 20th, 2017 - 63 comments
Categories: us politics - Tags: , ,

63 comments on “It Begins ”

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    • Andre 1.1
      20 January 2017 at 7:28 am

      Yeah, part of my motivation for going on and on ad nauseum about what’s happening in the US is that hopefully people will see the dangers in local parallels.

    • reason 1.2
      20 January 2017 at 10:13 am

      Today as Trump becomes the new war president……… Obama leaves him the keys to a blood drenched extrajudicial execution machine … to ‘fight terror’ … the likes of which the world has never seen before.

      Trump and his white house will get to feed it their kill lists ….. Obama apparently made his list on Tuesday mornings

      Utilizing everything from Death Squads, Mercenearies, 5 eyes, Drones, Missiles and bombs … It is Unparalleled in its capacity to kill all over the world….

      This expensive killing machine comes with special white house immunity … protecting the executive from war crimes prosecutions… or compensation claims

      This immunity, first exercised in the genocide on their native Americans ….and kept in place until the present War on Terror …. has the strength of Captain Americas shield ….. as Nobel Peace murderer Henry Kissinger will attest…..

      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

      Fact is stranger than Fake ……… A firearms owner by having to clearly identify his target before shooting at it with even a tiny .22 bullett …. Is held to higher standards and accountability,….. than a u.s president firing hugely explosive missiles.

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpzk7OdbjBw ‘Unmanned: America’s Drone Wars is a feature-length documentary film’

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4N6q9JfrWLg ‘Drone War Exposed: Jeremy Scahill on U.S. Kill Program’s Secrets’ ..a 15 minute vid

      Obama and the Clintons should go live in Libya ……….. They made it in their image.

  2. Andre 2
    20 January 2017 at 7:26 am

    Is Trump legitimate?

    Sure, by the laws of the US, he won the Electoral College vote and that vote was certified in Congress, so he is legally legitimate as the president-elect.

    However, is he politically legitimate? He lost the popular vote by a truly impressive margin. The Electoral College failed to do the duty they were set up to do – prevent the ascension of someone unfit for the presidency. He has apparently been the beneficiary of electoral meddling by a hostile foreign power. He has been the beneficiary of the head of a major government department breaking protocol and possible some laws by effectively smearing his opponent. He has been the beneficiary of laws designed to suppress voting by groups of people generally favourable to his opponent.

    Will he be a legally legitimate president? When he takes his oath to “…and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.” he will already be in violation of one the first parts of the Constitution, the emoluments clause.

    • Pat 2.1
      20 January 2017 at 7:35 am

      apologies…i deleted before I saw you had replied

    • Bill 2.2
      20 January 2017 at 9:26 am

      The system’s rigged and no-one told Clinton ‘the rules’, meaning that she pursued the wrong tactics.
      The Intelligence Agencies took sides.
      Russia made Clinton supporters vote for Trump.
      Obama was in behind too by doing nothing about voter suppression during his terms.

      Or.

      Too many people in too many states neither liked nor trusted Clinton.

      • swordfish 2.2.1
        20 January 2017 at 10:20 am

        “Too many people in too many states neither liked nor trusted Clinton”

        Under the current wave of McCarthyite hysteria carefully fostered by the decidedly Right-of-Centre DNC Clintonistas, the broader Washington Consensus US Establishment and their highly compromised MSM associates, this is fast becoming The Truth that Dare Not Speak it’s Name.

        And you know, Bill, you’re risking yet another orgy of aggressive grandstanding from The Standard’s very own answer to Don Quixote (PM) and his colourful off-sider Sancho Panza (Andre). This heroic pair of Cold War Warriors, fearlessly started enforcing McCarthyite conformity here (in between tilting at windmills) the moment they were sure the bulk of the US establishment had their backs.

        • Morrissey 2.2.1.1
          20 January 2017 at 10:23 am

          Actually, Psycho Milt seems to be a bit more compos mentis than his offsider, who just has, well, nothing. It looks like a Whaleoil-Jordan Williams kind of relationship.

        • Psycho Milt 2.2.1.2
          20 January 2017 at 11:21 am

          Charming. I have the same ability to enforce “McCarthyite conformity” here as you do, ie none. And I don’t recall posting any disagreement with the claim that Clinton lost because too many people neither liked nor trusted her. I think many of those people were foolish, in that their decision not to vote (or worse, to vote for the Tangerine Nazi Rapeclown instead) will come back to bite them over the next four years, but that’s a different thing entirely. I also think the US government obviously can’t just accept the Russian government attempting to influence US elections via cyber warfare, but that’s not the same thing as claiming the cyberwarfare did influence the elections and Clinton was robbed.

          Also: if you think a billionaire property developer who lives in a Manhattan skyscraper, flies round the world in a private jet with his trophy wife, is famous for stiffing his workers and creditors, and just won the presidency as the Republican candidate isn’t the “US establishment,” you need to go away and think about this a bit more.

      • Jerko 2.2.2
        20 January 2017 at 2:03 pm

        It’s a fucking nightmare over here let me tell you. We are not watching any inauguration. Apparently the Trump regime requested a military parade akin to Russia, China and North Korea. The reason for not having it was reported as,
        ” I can absolutely see that structural support being a reason [not to use tanks],” a Department of Defense official said. “D.C. is built on a swamp to begin with.”

        And since “DC is built on a swamp.” His selection of staff should fit right in.

    • Kevin 2.3
      20 January 2017 at 3:13 pm

      “Sure, by the laws of the US, he won the Electoral College vote and that vote was certified in Congress, so he is legally legitimate as the president-elect.

      However, is he politically legitimate? He lost the popular vote by a truly impressive margin. ”

      —

      Pointless and irrelevant.

      He was elected under the current rules so making up non-existent rules to counter that election result is, to me, bizarre.

      • lprent 2.3.1
        20 January 2017 at 3:20 pm

        It appears to have been the rules that Trump himself was making up. He has been claiming before and after the election that he won the “popular vote”.

        To me, losing the popular vote by a large margin whilst ‘winning’ the election is usually simply a sign of a gerrymander of electorates and a greatly flawed democratic system. It means in this case that Trump is unlikely to win a lot of respect, and that is before you consider that he is gormless idiotic fuckwit.

        • Bill 2.3.1.1
          20 January 2017 at 3:34 pm

          So this was Trump’s analogy. But it was accurate.

          In golf there are two games – stroke play and match play. In match play, you can have played far more strokes than your opponent, but win the match because it’s all down to how many individual holes are won – not the accumulated number of strokes. And obviously both games come with different strategies/possibilities.

          And the United States of America choose their President in line with match play, not stroke play. Everyone knows that. And everyone strategises accordingly. There is absolutely no need to get the best score (popular vote), the idea is to win the greatest number of holes (states).

          So Clinton wasn’t trusted or liked, lost too many states, and the Tumshie Trump Train’s on its way…

          edit – I do like that poem 🙂

    • HDCAFriendlyTroll 2.4
      20 January 2017 at 5:39 pm

      Mmmm mmmm. Tears of impotent liberal rage. Delicious.

  3. Pat 3
    20 January 2017 at 7:32 am

    …the end?

  4. AsleepWhileWalking 4
    20 January 2017 at 7:43 am

    I thought the title in todays Herald “Affluent man who talks Effluent” was more appropriate for Robert Jones than Trump, but I think it encapsulates the MSM line on his presidency, so no surprises there.

    The fact is that Trump will have difficulty delivering his election promises. If he should manage to get congress on board (and quickly…that debt bomb isn’t going away) it will be nothing short of miraculous and imho he would be the political equivalent of Jesus.

    Prediction: Nasty first 100 days in office. That being said I really hope it all works out.

    • Macro 4.1
      20 January 2017 at 8:03 am

      So you are looking forward to a large tax cut, pressure to reduce wages below the now minimum, and the trashing of affordable health care. Are you also anticipating grow antagonism from China and a possible war between China and Taiwan?

  5. r0b 5
    20 January 2017 at 8:02 am

    If you have the time, check out the view from the other side of the political fence:

    https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jan/19/filter-bubble-conservative-articles-trump-inauguration

  6. Sanctuary 6
    20 January 2017 at 8:04 am

    Trump is an idiot – a thin skinned blowhard married to a bubblehead. I read he he only listens to his daughter Ivanka and her hubby for advice, so they’ll be the real power brokers behind the throne. But Trump will either end up a puppet of his extremist right wing congress or he’ll be deposed by that same congress, with the active connivance of the liberal ruling class. If he stacks the supreme court or dismantles democracy with Jim Crow or presides over a new golden age of corruption all he’ll be doing is accelerating the already existing GOP Confederate agenda, not creating it.

  7. Nick 7
    20 January 2017 at 8:38 am

    Trump is ditching TPP so …..1 tick for Trump….I am sure he will earn many crosses

    • Paul 7.1
      20 January 2017 at 10:25 am

      Yes, this is good news.

      US President-elect Donald Trump set to kill TPP in hours

      Donald Trump is set to kill the Trans-Pacific Partnership between the US, New Zealand and Australia and nine other Pacific countries within hours of being sworn in as the 45th president of the US.

      Trump’s press secretary Sean Spicer said on Thursday the president-elect would stick to his planned list of executive orders aimed at striking down some of the cornerstones of President Barack Obama’s eight years in the White House, including the proposed TPP.

      In November Trump released a video of his policy plans for the first 100 days and the “potential disaster for our country” TPP was top of his list.

      “Part of what he announced in the executive order list around the Thanksgiving time included the actions on both TPP and NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement),” Spicer told reporters.

      “They will be done by executive order so I think you will see those happen very shortly.”

      In Trump’s video message in November he vowed to “issue our notification of intent to withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership”.

      Spicer’s TPP executive order confirmation is a blow to the New Zealand government and other nations hoping to keep the TPP alive.

  8. Psycho Milt 8
    20 January 2017 at 8:46 am

    I see only two positive aspects to this:

    1. The American right, in a closely-fought contest, chose to represent it an obnoxious, narcissistic blowhard, who appears to have no empathy, no capacity for reflection and no motivation beyond personal profit or self-aggrandisement. It’s the very apotheosis of representative democracy, and hopefully the left will remind them of it for decades to come.

    2. Within a fairly short time, a great many current non-voters in the USA will have been given cause to realise that actually yes it does matter who’s running the government, so yes there is some point in voting. Assuming they’re still able to vote once Tangerine Nazi Rapeclown and his pals have finished doctoring voter registration law to their advantage, they might trouble themselves to select a least-worst candidate to vote for next time.

  9. James 9
    20 January 2017 at 8:59 am

    Or. The guy could actually do a good job. Only time will tell.

    Amazes me that some people think that trump is a fool but Corbyn would make a good leader for the Uk.

    • Morrissey 9.1
      20 January 2017 at 9:22 am

      Why would Corbyn not be a good leader?

      • james 9.1.1
        20 January 2017 at 1:44 pm

        ha ha hah ahahaha hahaha hha hahahaha haha ahaha hahahaha hahaha Jesus – that is the funniest thing I have read in ages.

        • Morrissey 9.1.1.1
          20 January 2017 at 1:48 pm

          You have no coherent answer to make. You’ve had nearly four hours.

          Wouldn’t you be better off doing something more in line with your talent, like phoning up Kerre ohoWmad McIvor and sharing your views with her?

          Would you like her phone number?

          • james 9.1.1.1.1
            20 January 2017 at 3:29 pm

            I was indeed doing something more in line with my talents – earning a living.

            I still think your comment hilarious – even by your standards.

    • Draco T Bastard 9.2
      20 January 2017 at 11:40 am

      His history tells us that he’s going to do a poor job.

      It amazes me that you RWNJs always go on about skills and meritocracy and then always come out in defence of rich people who have neither skills nor merit.

      • McFlock 9.2.1
        20 January 2017 at 1:10 pm

        Perfectly logical, if you hold the religious belief that being rich requires skill and only happens to those who merit it more than others.

        Of course, if luck is a significant factor in being rich, and if people sometimes get rich doing bad things and their “skill” merely revolves around not getting caught, the yanks have elected a moronic fucktard with poor impulse control to be in charge of their nuclear arsenal…

      • james 9.2.2
        20 January 2017 at 1:45 pm

        History is but an indicator.

        He could actually do a good job. Here is hoping for all of us !!!

        • Draco T Bastard 9.2.2.1
          20 January 2017 at 1:55 pm

          True, he could but it’s highly unlikely. At his age I’m not expecting him to change his spots.

          The simple fact is that his entire life is a great example of the Dunning-Kruger effect. He thinks he’s great but he’s really to stupid to even realise that he’s an ignorant schmuck.

  10. Morrissey 10
    20 January 2017 at 9:15 am

    Trump is a walking, talking outrage, and his cabinet of grotesques is the most terrifying assemblage of reprobates in U.S. political history. However, none of the four ex-presidents on the face of Mt Rushmore has any right to assume a stance of moral superiority.

    Exhibit 1: ABRAHAM LINCOLN
    He’s the one on the right, holding his hands over his eyes to express his pain at the thought of Trump….

    Ordered that of the Indians and Half-breeds sentenced to be hanged by the military commission, composed of Colonel Crooks, Lt. Colonel Marshall, Captain Grant, Captain Bailey, and Lieutenant Olin, and lately sitting in Minnesota, you cause to be executed on Friday the nineteenth day of December, instant, the following names, to wit [39 names listed by case number of record: cases 2, 4, 5, 6, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 19, 22, 24, 35, 67, 68, 69, 70, 96, 115, 121, 138, 155, 170, 175, 178, 210, 225, 254, 264, 279, 318, 327, 333, 342, 359, 373, 377, 382, 383].

    The other condemned prisoners you will hold subject to further orders, taking care that they neither escape, nor are subjected to any unlawful violence.

    Abraham Lincoln,
    President of the United States

    On December 6 (1862) President Lincoln notified Sibley that he should “cause to be executed” thirty-nine of the 303 convicted Santees. Execution date was the 26th of December. At the last minute, one Indian was given a reprieve. About ten o’clock the thirty-eight condemned men were marched from the prison to the scaffold. They sang the Sioux death song until soldiers pulled white caps over their heads and placed nooses around their necks. At a signal from an army officer, the control rope was cut and thirty-eight Santee Sioux dangled lifeless in the air.

    A spectator boasted that this was “America’s greatest public execution.”

    Read more…..
    http://www.unitednativeamerica.com/hanging.html

    • Morrissey 10.1
      20 January 2017 at 9:51 am

      Exhibit 2: THEODORE ROOSEVELT
      He’s also covering his face in apparent horror, second from right….

      Roosevelt was a shocking racist. I don’t use the analogy lightly, but it’s a fact that you have to go to the Nazi archive to find anything similar. So, here’s a couple of his examples about our little region here. “The expansion of the peoples of white, or European, blood during the past four centuries . . . has been fraught with lasting benefit to most of the peoples already dwelling in the lands over which the expansion took place.” That’s despite what the remnants of Native Americans or Blacks or Filipinos or others might mistakenly believe. Actually, genocide denial has been a leading and highly valued feature of the intellectual and moral culture in the United States and remains so right until the present, with striking examples right today. With regard to the conquest of half of Mexico, Roosevelt explained that it was “inevitable and in the highest degree desirable for the good of humanity at large, that the American people should ultimately crowd out the Mexicans.” It was “out of the question to expect Texans to submit to the mastery of the weaker race.” And, of course, stealing Panama from Colombia was also “in the highest degree desirable for the good of humanity.” I won’t go on with Teddy Roosevelt, whose statue graces Mount Rushmore.

    • Stunned Mullet 10.2
      20 January 2017 at 9:54 am

      I didn’t know it was hay baling season Moz.

  11. Nick 11
    20 January 2017 at 9:19 am

    Corruption is already the dominant force in the Whitehouse US political system. Trump is a different personality, but same problem exists. Obama slick, cool, dude corrupt…… Trump obnoxious, narcissistic blowhard corrupt

  12. The decrypter 12
    20 January 2017 at 9:25 am

    Wonder if msm/political parties, are, or will become very fearful of being accused as being ‘Trump Like’–or will it be a badge of honour?

  13. adam 13
    20 January 2017 at 12:59 pm

    What begins, a drone war? nope we got that.
    Voter suppression? nope we got that too.
    Mass incarceration? Defiantly covered.
    Mass surveillance? Even this will be kept.
    End of women rights over their own bodies? Look at the state level, and be afraid.
    Attacks on peaceful protest? Scary, but happening.
    Subversion of the intellectual class to speak out,? Almost a hundred years on that one, we should have a celebration or somthing…
    Union busting? nope, that already happening.
    Systematic police violence against people of colour? Again what is changing.
    Active state involvement to disrupt community groups? What, it must be the 40 year celebration of this program coming up soon.
    Self censorship? Alive and well.

    So what begins, seriously what is beginning which has not already been happening now? One thing is the open ratcheting up of all this, but again not new, not even an original idea by trump and his team.

    • McFlock 13.1
      20 January 2017 at 1:37 pm

      Begins? Maybe none.
      Gets worse, however?

      a drone war? yup, if his promise to target innocent relatives of suspects comes to fruition.
      Voter suppression? with a supreme court loaded with 7 or 9 ultra-conservatives? Yup.
      Mass incarceration? Oh, definitely.
      Mass surveillance? probably
      End of women rights over their own bodies? oh much fucking worse.
      Attacks on peaceful protest? probably worse
      Subversion of the intellectual class to speak out,? most definitely, especially if he manages to follow through on his threats about defamation in the media
      Union busting? probably resurrect the pinkerton rifles
      Systematic police violence against people of colour? databases based on religion
      Active state involvement to disrupt community groups? definitely
      Self censorship? even worse

      • Sabine 13.1.1
        20 January 2017 at 1:43 pm

        it’s all good McFlock. Imagine all the good the religious autocratic ‘united’ states of america are going to do.

        they will end up liberating all of us cause ‘the second coming’ is coming, and only the dirt faithless heathens will be left behind.

        And just in case, this is how it happened in Germany. A whole lot of smart edcuated people that should know better normalising the shit that looks like shit, stinks like shit, attracts flies like shit as a piece of peace bringing art.

        • McFlock 13.1.1.1
          20 January 2017 at 2:03 pm

          yup, but as soon as this is pointed out, people call “Godwin” as if that means it’s not true.

          • adam 13.1.1.1.1
            20 January 2017 at 2:57 pm

            Godwin, I just wish people would read this Godwin

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

            I agree, it feels like we can’t call fascism, fascism anymore because of some stupid law. Or some peoples over use of the term. But, this is a political site, and I think people should have a basic understanding of political economy.

            I don’t think trump is a neo-nazi, but I do think his views are very much in line with the fascism of Mussolini or Franco – he has not done much to prove other wise, and the USA has laid pretty solid foundations for a fascist state. My hope is they won’t go down that path.

            But, historically corporations have always tended towards fascist economics, because it suits them. As far as they are concerned, monopoly is good. With a whole lot of money in public relations, and war machine which can’t stop – I think we are in trouble.

            Could be real ugly sooner than we think.

            • McFlock 13.1.1.1.1.1
              20 January 2017 at 3:20 pm

              Semantically, I don’t really care about whether he’s a sexist, racist, nazi, anti-intellectual, or a fascist (although I think he is a sexist and a racist). It’s about as important as the difference between “democratic socialist” and “fabian socialist”. It can come up in narrow arguments, but the general gist for conversation is more than precise enough. And it’s debatable whether the main difference between Trump anti-Islam rhetoric and Nazi anti-semitism is the degree of organisation behind related violence and simply how honestly the leader believes his own hate speech.

              What really pisses me off is that he actively courts the votes of sexist racist nazi fascist flat-earther fundie klan members. And that other people make excuses for it, pretend that he doesn’t mean it, that whatever he does that’s bad is just pandering to his “red meat” followers.

              Fuck that shit. He’s still pandering to that crowd, so anyone who supports him is by definition supporting someone who panders to that crowd.

          • Sabine 13.1.1.1.2
            20 January 2017 at 3:18 pm

            i don’t care about Godwin.
            I just got an answer to the question that i have asked myself ever since in 8th grade (german education) a catholic nun brought out a box of ‘memorabilia’ from the years 1933 – 1945 – coloring in books/collection books, post cards, newspapers, etc etc to show us how a people can be propagand’ized – you should have seen the nice things that were said about the Hitler Youth, and the godly pure german girls and shit, and then to round our education off we got marched through the camps, virtual and in real.
            By the time she was finished there was not one 14 year old girl in the class that a. was not completely devastate, ashamed and horrified, but we were also distraught to say the least to learn that our Grandparents did little to prevent it.

            I then spend years reading books and the likes in the hopes to find the one or the other ‘good’ German who stood up. We all know how many there were, we all know how it ended for them. You can not understand how ‘relieved’ i was to read the story about the uprising of the Warschauer Ghetto, the uprising of Sobibor, the Siblings Scholl and all the other little stories that told small tales of courage. But there were never enough.

            So Goodwin – sorry but you are obsolete, and i just received a history lessons.
            And my biggest beef is not with people who don’t know better, but with people who are educated, learned and should know better but who rationalise the ‘evil’ that is a coming.

            Sorry world, she’ll be not right at all. She’ll be fucked over again and again and again until her carcass is picked cleaned.

  14. Andre 14
    20 January 2017 at 1:42 pm

    Trump channeling lil’ Kim. Or Pootee. Tanks and missile launchers ‘n stuff at his inauguration.

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-military-equipment-inauguration_us_58811f4ae4b096b4a23091f7

  15. Andre 15
    20 January 2017 at 6:02 pm

    There’s bullshit, where the speaker simply doesn’t care what the truth is. There’s lies, where the speaker knows the truth but wishes to deceive. With Trump, we need a new word for lies intended to rub it in to the listener that the speaker can say whatever the fuck he wants to and get away with it. HuffPo proposes “fuckery”.

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/fuckery-donald-trump-lies_us_588126a8e4b096b4a230a23f?fx74o5hg6bf6tuik9

  16. Morrissey 16
    20 January 2017 at 6:10 pm

    So what do you call THIS? “Fuckery” seems inadequate…..

    • Sabine 16.1
      20 January 2017 at 6:30 pm

      consider that there is not one president who has not said the same in various incarnations i feel compelled to ask.

      IS this going to be Trumps “Labour did it too” 🙂

      • Morrissey 16.1.1
        20 January 2017 at 6:35 pm

        Fair comment. While Trump adds previously unimaginable levels of insanity and uncouthness, they’re all ruthless, or they wouldn’t get to those positions of power. As Noam Chomsky has pointed out, not one American president since World War II would survive a trial at the International Criminal Court….

        • Bill 16.1.1.1
          20 January 2017 at 6:51 pm

          Is this maybe the problem many liberals have?

          That they believe in their heart of hearts that liberalism is essentially benign…even progressive… that sure, ‘mistakes’ occur, but being essentially benign, liberalism could never ever lead to anything malign and/or reactionary (eg – Trump). Therefor there must be some factor external to liberalism responsible for serving up Trump?

  17. North 17
    20 January 2017 at 8:55 pm

    Only a few years younger than Trump my problem is this: starting over 60 years ago I was taught by good working class people, my parents, to be wary of:

    the blowhard
    the bully
    the racist
    the megalomaniac
    the women hater
    the perv’
    the guy who ‘stiffs’ the small guy
    the guy who mocks disabled
    the guy who thinks all of the above is clever,

    And Archie (CV) Bunker.

  18. Skeptic 18
    21 January 2017 at 11:38 am

    I think among all the outrage, something that outgoing President Obama said has yet to manifest itself. He called on the Democratic left in the US to mobilize and organize the same way the ultra-right has done over that last 12 years. This is already starting to happen (see various reports from US papers), but when this movement fully takes off, and as the Chump puts his foot in his mouth on a daily basis, look for the sudden and all too predictable implosion of the conservative ranks of the Republican party – especially the ultra-right simple minded folk (bless them all – each and everyone). Given the demographics of uneven population increases in the US, I think the era of WASP domination of the GOP is almost at an end – not before time too.

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  • Weekly Roundup 26-July-2024

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    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 day ago
  • God what a relief

    1. What's not to love about the way the Harris campaign is turning things around?a. Nothingb. Love all of itc. God what a reliefd. Not that it will be by any means easye. All of the above 2. Documents released by the Ministry of Health show Associate Health Minister Casey ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 day ago
  • Trust In Me

    Trust in me in all you doHave the faith I have in youLove will see us through, if only you trust in meWhy don't you, you trust me?In a week that saw the release of the 3,000 page Abuse in Care report Christopher Luxon was being asked about Boot Camps. ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • The Hoon around the week to July 26

    TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking about the Royal Commission Inquiry into Abuse in Care report released this week, and with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on a UN push to not recognise carbon offset markets and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Friday, July 26

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 26, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Transport: Simeon Brown announced $802.9 million in funding for 18 new trains on the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines, which ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Radical law changes needed to build road

    The northern expressway extension from Warkworth to Whangarei is likely to require radical changes to legislation if it is going to be built within the foreseeable future. The Government’s powers to purchase land, the planning process and current restrictions on road tolling are all going to need to be changed ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 day ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #30 2024

    Open access notables Could an extremely cold central European winter such as 1963 happen again despite climate change?, Sippel et al., Weather and Climate Dynamics: Here, we first show based on multiple attribution methods that a winter of similar circulation conditions to 1963 would still lead to an extreme seasonal ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago
  • First they came for the Māori

    Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedFirst they came for the doctors But I was confused by the numbers and costs So I didn't speak up Then they came for our police and nurses And I didn't think we could afford those costs anyway So I ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    2 days ago
  • Join us for the weekly Hoon on YouTube Live

    Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on UnsplashWe’re back again after our mid-winter break. We’re still with the ‘new’ day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when we have our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Will the real PM Luxon please stand up?

    Notes: This is a free article. Abuse in Care themes are mentioned. Video is at the bottom.BackgroundYesterday’s report into Abuse in Care revealed that at least 1 in 3 of all who went through state and faith based care were abused - often horrifically. At least, because not all survivors ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    2 days ago
  • Will debt reduction trump abuse in care redress?

    Luxon speaks in Parliament yesterday about the Abuse in Care report. Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:PM Christopher Luxon said yesterday in tabling the Abuse in Care report in Parliament he wanted to ‘do the ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Olywhites and Time Bandits

    About a decade ago I worked with a bloke called Steve. He was the grizzled veteran coder, a few years older than me, who knew where the bodies were buried - code wise. Despite his best efforts to be approachable and friendly he could be kind of gruff, through to ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Why were the 1930s so hot in North America?

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters and Bob Henson Those who’ve trawled social media during heat waves have likely encountered a tidbit frequently used to brush aside human-caused climate change: Many U.S. states and cities had their single hottest temperature on record during the 1930s, setting incredible heat marks ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago
  • Throwback Thursday – Thinking about Expressways

    Some of the recent announcements from the government have reminded us of posts we’ve written in the past. Here’s one from early 2020. There were plenty of reactions to the government’s infrastructure announcement a few weeks ago which saw them fund a bunch of big roading projects. One of ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    2 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Thursday, July 25

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Thursday, July 25 are:News: Why Electric Kiwi is closing to new customers - and why it matters RNZ’s Susan EdmundsScoop: Government drops ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • The Possum: Demon or Friend?

    Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago
  • Not a story

    Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Thursday, July 25

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Thursday, July 25, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day were:The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry published its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • A tougher line on “proactive release”?

    The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • 'Let's build a motorway costing $100 million per km, before emissions costs'

    TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Lester's Prescription – Positive Bleeding.

    I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Casey Costello gaslights Labour in the House

    Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone icon on the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    3 days ago
  • Why is the Texas grid in such bad shape?

    This is a re-post from the Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler Headline from 2021 The Texas grid, run by ERCOT, has had a rough few years. In 2021, winter storm Uri blacked out much of the state for several days. About a week ago, Hurricane Beryl knocked out ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on a textbook case of spending waste by the Luxon government

    Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    3 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Wednesday, July 24

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • LXR Takaanini

    As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    3 days ago
  • Four kilograms of pain

    Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Wednesday, July 24

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive: Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Luxon gets caught out

    NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago
  • A worrying sign

    Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Are we fine with 47.9% home-ownership by 2048?

    Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloitte report for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Let's Win This

    You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • Waimahara: The Singing Spirit of Water

    There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
    Greater AucklandBy Connor Sharp
    4 days ago
  • A major milestone: Global climate pollution may have just peaked

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’s Oliver LewisScoop: Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announced the Board of Te Whatu Ora- Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • HealthNZ and Luxon at cross purposes over budget blowout

    Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • 2500-3000 more healthcare staff expected to be fired, as Shane Reti blames Labour for a budget defic...

    Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    4 days ago
  • Might Kamala Harris be about to get a 'stardust' moment like Jacinda Ardern?

    As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
    PunditBy Tim Watkin
    5 days ago
  • Solutions Interview: Steven Hail on MMT & ecological economics

    TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
    The KakaBy Steven Hail
    5 days ago
  • Reported back

    The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Vandrad the Viking, Christopher Coombes, and Literary Archaeology

    Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell On The Biden Withdrawal

    History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    5 days ago
  • Joe Biden's withdrawal puts the spotlight back on Kamala and the USA's complicated relatio...

    This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    5 days ago
  • Why we have to challenge our national fiscal assumptions

    A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Existential Crisis and Damaged Brains

    What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • A speed limit is not a target, and yet…

    This is a guest post from longtime supporter Mr Plod, whose previous contributions include a proposal that Hamilton become New Zealand’s capital city, and that we should switch which side of the road we drive on. A recent Newsroom article, “Back to school for the Govt’s new speed limit policy“, ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #29

    A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago
  • I'd like to share what I did this weekend

    This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • For the children – Why mere sentiment can be a misleading force in our lives, and lead to unex...

    National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Order image, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • A friend in uncertain times

    Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • The Chaotic World of Male Diet Influencers

    Hi,We’ll get to the horrific world of male diet influencers (AKA Beefy Boys) shortly, but first you will be glad to know that since I sent out the Webworm explaining why the assassination attempt on Donald Trump was not a false flag operation, I’ve heard from a load of people ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • It's Starting To Look A Lot Like… Y2K

    Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Bernard’s Saturday Soliloquy for the week to July 20

    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Pharmac Director, Climate Change Commissioner, Health NZ Directors – The latest to quit this m...

    Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 week ago
  • Flooding Housing Policy

    The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 week ago
  • A Voyage Among the Vandals: Accepted (Again!)

    As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā's Chorus for Friday, July 19

    An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Roundup 19-July-2024

    Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Climate Wrap: A market-led plan for failure

    TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Tobacco First

    Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Trump’s Adopted Son.

    Waiting In The Wings: For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSA announced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago

  • Joint statement from the Prime Ministers of Canada, Australia and New Zealand

    Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue.  We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    18 hours ago
  • AG reminds institutions of legal obligations

    Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago
  • More young people learning about digital safety

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views.  “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago
  • Speech to the Conference for General Practice 2024

    Tēnā tātou katoa,  Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    23 hours ago
  • Employers and payroll providers ready for tax changes

    New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts.  “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Experimental vineyard futureproofs wine industry

    An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Funding confirmed for regions affected by North Island Weather Events

    The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Indonesian Foreign Minister to visit

    Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.   “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Strengthening partnership with Ngāti Maniapoto

    He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Transport Minister thanks outgoing CAA Chair

    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Test for Customary Marine Title being restored

    The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says.  “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Opposition united in bad faith over ECE sector review

    Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet.  “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Kiwis having their say on first regulatory review

    After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks.  “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government upgrading Lower North Island commuter rail

    The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government moves to ensure flood protection for Wairoa

    Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • PM speech to Parliament – Royal Commission of Inquiry’s Report into Abuse in Care

    Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care.  At the heart of this report are the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government acknowledges torture at Lake Alice

    For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
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    3 days ago
  • Government acknowledges courageous abuse survivors

    The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Half a million people use tax calculator

    With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis.  “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Paid Parental Leave improvements pass first reading

    Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Rebuilding the economy through better regulation

    Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
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    3 days ago
  • ‘Open banking’ and ‘open electricity’ on the way

    New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Charity lotteries to be permitted to operate online

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Accelerating Northland Expressway

    The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Sir Don to travel to Viet Nam as special envoy

    Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.    “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Grant Illingworth KC appointed as transitional Commissioner to Royal Commission

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024.  “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ to advance relationships with ASEAN partners

    Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane.    “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says.   “This will be our third visit to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Backing mental health services on the West Coast

    Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ support for sustainable Pacific fisheries

    New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...
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    4 days ago
  • Students’ needs at centre of new charter school adjustments

    Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Commissioner replaces Health NZ Board

    In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today.  “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister to speak at Australian Space Forum

    Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum.  While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation.  “New Zealand has a thriving space ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Climate Change Minister to attend climate action meeting in China

    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will travel to China on Saturday to attend the Ministerial on Climate Action meeting held in Wuhan.  “Attending the Ministerial on Climate Action is an opportunity to advocate for New Zealand climate priorities and engage with our key partners on climate action,” Mr Watts says. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Oceans and Fisheries Minister to Solomons

    Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is travelling to the Solomon Islands tomorrow for meetings with his counterparts from around the Pacific supporting collective management of the region’s fisheries. The 23rd Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee and the 5th Regional Fisheries Ministers’ Meeting in Honiara from 23 to 26 July ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Government launches Military Style Academy Pilot

    The Government today launched the Military Style Academy Pilot at Te Au rere a te Tonga Youth Justice residence in Palmerston North, an important part of the Government’s plan to crackdown on youth crime and getting youth offenders back on track, Minister for Children, Karen Chhour said today. “On the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Nine priority bridge replacements to get underway

    The Government has welcomed news the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has begun work to replace nine priority bridges across the country to ensure our state highway network remains resilient, reliable, and efficient for road users, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“Increasing productivity and economic growth is a key priority for the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Update on global IT outage

    Acting Prime Minister David Seymour has been in contact throughout the evening with senior officials who have coordinated a whole of government response to the global IT outage and can provide an update. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has designated the National Emergency Management Agency as the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • New Zealand, Japan renew Pacific partnership

    New Zealand and Japan will continue to step up their shared engagement with the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.    “New Zealand and Japan have a strong, shared interest in a free, open and stable Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says.    “We are pleased to be finding more ways ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • New infrastructure energises BOP forestry towns

    New developments in the heart of North Island forestry country will reinvigorate their communities and boost economic development, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones visited Kaingaroa and Kawerau in Bay of Plenty today to open a landmark community centre in the former and a new connecting road in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • 'Pacific Futures'

    President Adeang, fellow Ministers, honourable Diet Member Horii, Ambassadors, distinguished guests.    Minasama, konnichiwa, and good afternoon, everyone.    Distinguished guests, it’s a pleasure to be here with you today to talk about New Zealand’s foreign policy reset, the reasons for it, the values that underpin it, and how it ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

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