John Banks – another Melissa Lee

Written By: - Date published: 7:10 am, October 1st, 2010 - 74 comments
Categories: auckland supercity, by-election, john banks, local government, melissa lee - Tags: , ,

Oh dear. John Banks just stuffed up big time. He’s following in the footsteps of that other spectacular right wing flameout, Melissa Lee in the Mt Albert by election:

John Banks’ comments raise heckles

A political salvo aimed at wounding the leadership aspirations of Manukau mayor Len Brown is still causing outcry in South Auckland tonight. Last night on the Close Up debate, Banks told Brown he didn’t “want South Auckland replicated across the North Shore and across all of Auckland”.

Banks said Brown had “led a social disaster, his city has been a social disaster for Auckland”.

South Auckland bashing! Classy.

Brown, Banks’ main rival for the role of Super City mayor said today Banks’ comments were out of line. … Banks is also being criticised by long-time residents of South Auckland.

“I think his comments are very divisive, they are very old fashioned. How on earth can one man lead one city when he has a very entrenched view about South Auckland?,” said Colleen Brown, a Manukau City Councillor.

“I have lived here for 20 years, I love the place, I choose to live here, so do a lot of other people. As a mayor of a city you need to have a political awareness of what to say and what not to say and he he’s alienated a very huge number of people by these comments which is unwarranted in my view.”

This is straight out of the Melissa Lee “Politics For Real Dummies” play book:

Prime Minister John Key wants Mt Albert voters to consider what the Government is doing, rather than focus on local issues as his candidate Melissa Lee’s campaign goes from bad to worse. … Ms Lee, a list MP standing in the June 13 by-election, yesterday apologised for saying a new motorway would divert South Auckland criminals away from the area, a remark that angered many who said she was stereotyping South Aucklanders.

That unwanted glimpse into the depths of Ms Lee’s prejudices effectively killed her campaign, and led to a humbling defeat, a massacre. Lee was abandoned by Key and the party hierarchy, and left to face that defeat alone.

I had a certain amount of sympathy for Lee. None at all for Banks. He’s already confessed that he would be unelectable if he told the truth about his policies. Now he’s made the same bungle as Lee and revealed his South Auckland prejudices. The same bungle deserves the same fate. Banks cannot credibly operate as mayor of the SuperCity.

74 comments on “John Banks – another Melissa Lee ”

  1. Pascal's bookie 1

    It wasn’t an accidental or throwaway line either, he’s also robocalling the message to Remuera:

    Vote catcher or dispatcher?

    Jessica received a charming, recorded cold-call from the John Banks campaign. “Apparently if I vote for Len Brown, he’ll hike my rates and send the money to South Auckland to pay for its crime and problems. Gee, I thought I moved to Remuera so I wouldn’t have to think about those less prosperous than me. How can they assume that just because I live in Remuera I’ll automatically have a ‘xenophobic’ view of South Auckland? This is why I did not vote for John Banks.”

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sideswipe/news/article.cfm?c_id=702&objectid=10677208

  2. Banks had an earlier Melissa Lee moment at the Radio New Zealand debate.

    Len criticised Banks for failing to build Otahuhu a swimming pool despite decades of promises. Len said that the money that could have been spent on the pool had been spent instead on putting sand on Judges Bay.

    Banks replied by saying that South Aucklanders used Judges Bay as well!

    If you replace “People from South Auckland” with “the peasants” Banks’ thought processes become very clear.

    What I am really pleased about is that the urban area with the highest vote return rate is … Otara!

    Go Len.

    • luva 2.1

      If you replace “People from South Auckland” with “the peasants” Banks’ thought processes become very clear

      Or you could replace it with “People who do not live in my jurisdiction but happen to live in yours”

      • Tigger 2.1.1

        Great to see the voter return rate in Otara is so high. And this latest comment ought to help get out the vote all across South Auckland.

    • Mike 2.2

      Anyone notice that Otahuhu was never part of Manukau? –

    • Jum 2.3

      I went to that protest and submitted on the fact the land was sorted, the design was sorted the will was there as was the voluntary labour if necessary; all it needed was some funding from John Banks. Instead he banked up the sand for the richos.

      People really need to make sure he doesn’t get that Mayor’s seat with Key and Hide alongside to sell us off. This election and the next will determine what NZ becomes – another selfish religo-manic misogynistic country like America or retains some semblance of Kiwi prestige. Oh, too late by the looks of it.

    • Kaplan 3.1

      The stats don’t ‘lie’ they don’t tell the ‘truth’ either, they just exist. Interpretation of the stats can however lie or be truthful or anywhere in between.
      So what’s your interpretation?

      • The Voice of Reason 3.1.1

        I note from earlier contributions that factchecker just randomly inserts ‘facts’ without comment, as if it was blindingly obvious what it all means. All very two dimensional without the context and I suspect its a deliberate tactic to hide factcheckers political leanings.

    • BLiP 3.2

      Looks like I’ve got a greater chance of being murdered now that National Ltd™ are in power.

    • factchecker

      The stats show that under National homicides have gone up 20%.

      I thought Key and co were going to sort out this problem once and for all?

      What went wrong? Who do I complain to?

      • Colonial Viper 3.3.1

        Stand down Micky. Its all on plan for Corrections to become the biggest Government department, move on, nothing unexpected here.

  3. the sprout 4

    agreed.
    i’ve actually been a little surprise at just how inept Banks has come across on the hustings.
    i mean, i know he’s all bully and sociopath and no genius, but i didn’t expect him to expose himself as quite so incompetent as a campaigner.

    • Craig Glen Eden 4.1

      I watched him out in New Lynn last week at the opening of the new train station, hardly anyone would go near him. Banks left pretty quickly he didn’t hang round and he looked like a candidate with very little support and sorry for him I definitely was not.

  4. nilats 5

    Well, a poli telling the truth. S. Auck. is a dysfunctional shithole keeping their squalid 3rd world lifestyle when they move to NZ.

    This is a generalisation but it true for some areas.:

    The problem with Brown is he would like to take Auckland in general to the Sth Auck level and not take Sth Auck to the Auck level. Culture, yeah right. Sth Auck culture is rape, robbery, kiddy bashing a lot more than the rest of Auck. Oh, I forgot tomention the gangs.

    Wishy washy lefties love Sth Auck as they are thick and vote Labour with hollow promises and increased money poured in for no increased outcomes and KFC.

    You can take the man from the coconut plantation but you can’t take the coconut from the man.

    I have lived in Papakura but moved to the N. Shore when I could afford it. In the 7 years there the place went downhill with crime, graffiti etc all increasing. My wife was abused by 15 yr old drunken coons and when confronted out came the tough boys knifes.

    Yep, Banks is right, thats a fact.

    Brown will win and watch Auckland go downhill due to his social policies. A bit of Sth Auckland coming to a place near you. Yep, I am racist, but everyone is in one way or another.

    Why do you think the South Africans live on the North Shore? Because there are no blacks.

    [Reluctantly, I will let this comment through in all its glory. This mindset is all too common in NZ, so we might as well see it for what it is. — r0b]

    • toad 5.1

      Jeez, what rock did you slither out from under, nilats? Great to see the calibre of support Banks has, r0b.

      • come get some 5.1.1

        “Wishy washy lefties love Sth Auck as they are thick and vote Labour with hollow promises and increased money poured in for no increased outcomes and KFC.”

        or

        “Wishy washy centrists love John Key as they are thick and vote National with hollow promises and decreased taxes poured in for no increased outcomes and standard of living”

    • The Voice of Reason 5.2

      Yeah, thanks r0b, it really is good to expose this crapulent fool. The unusual thing is that its normally drunks who come out with this sort of shit. Sadly, nilats appears to be stone cold sober yet still dribblingly repetitive like a pisshead trying to remember his point when the conversation has long moved on..

    • BLiP 5.3

      Scratch any Tory and that’s what you get.

    • pollywog 5.4

      Hahaha…i’d rip your honkyass a new one but i’m too busy laughing at you.

      you NEED to start sending out the love vibes or a hell of alot worse things are gonna happen to you and your wife with that attitude….karma is a bitch eh !!!

    • Vicky32 5.5

      The words racist git spring to mind… How about you go (back?) to Seth Efrica, jaapie?
      Deb

    • Jum 5.6

      Lovely nilats
      I must tell my NAct friends in Franklin, South Auckland, that Franklin is seen to be a dysfunctional shxxhole by John Banks. Banks is not loved in Franklin. Hopefully this will finish him off altogether.

    • annaliviaplurabella 5.7

      Keep ip up nilats. You have confirmed what many suspects was the core value set of Banks/C&R/Nats/Act. You have provided a valuable service.
      T
      hank you Editor for publishing this. We want a free society. Daylight and the oxygen of exposure are vital to a democracy. They are the opposite to what Banks and his corner boys want.

  5. ak 6

    Massive break for the Left here: Auckland is the prize that will reverberate through to next year.

    A rare chance for a few short days for any of us able to walk, hobble or crawl to as many doors as possible armed with that quote from Banks and deliver a giant stride for Progression. Perfectly legal to offer to post mail for anyone.

    Last chance weekend. Do us proud.

    • nilats 6.1

      Massive break for the left, I thought Len was an independent.

      However, a break for Auckland it will not be once Len starts raising rates by 10% Per year to pay for largess of increased social policies such as retirement homes, more culture & arts that the masses.

      How about a rail link to Nth Shore for all 100 people to use daily, $2bn will be easy to find for this. Put it on the Council Card.

    • Colonial Viper 6.2

      Good on ya. Keep it up and get Brown a few hundred more well deserved votes.

  6. Peter G 7

    As a resident of Mangere Bridge, I take exception to Mr Bank’s comments, South Auckland is what you could describe as a “real” place with an amazing diversity of people. In the 9 years we have lived here we have never had any Burglaries , or Cars being interferred with etc. We feel perfectly safe .

    I fear that Johnny boy is getting desperate !

    • toad 7.1

      I grew up in South Auckland too – and had the same experiences as you Peter G. I live in West Auckland now, but for the sake of proximity to my and my partner’s employment, not because of anything alluded to in nilats’ racist rant.

      And for the record, the Counties-Manukau Police District has 2009 reported crime rate of 1,119 per 10,000 population, which compares favourable with 1,333 in the Auckland Police District.

      [And before some pedant picks me up on it, I know that the Police Districts don’t correspond exactly with the Manukau and Auckland TLA regions. But it still indicates there is little factual basis for Banks’ and nilats’ assertions, which are based on pure bigotry.]

      Anyway, good on Banks for one thing – he’s probably guaranteed the highest ever South Auckland turnout in a local authority election. Which won’t be good for him, of course.

  7. Sanctuary 8

    The mayor for Remuera’s comments reveal his mindset – Bank’s “Auckland” is white, well healed and lives in the Eastern suburbs. The “other” Auckland is a sort of local third-world lite suitable for the occasional visit, but otherwise it might as be on the otherside of the moon.

    Bank’s has failed in the first duty of a SuperCity mayor – to be a unifying force rather than a divisive one.

    Bye Bye Banks.

  8. tc 9

    Banks yet again displays what a knuckle dragging luddite he is/was/always will be. The right doesn’t care as it’s after the assets not the pomp/ceremony/status and power associated with supermayor….which’s all Banks is in it for.

    Supershity’s engineered by NACT so it largely doesn’t matter anyway but if nothing what we get is to place flowers on banks political tombstone after the elections then as borat would say…great success.

    No surprise Wodney/Ford have been making pilgramages to the uberlord of public asset sellouts in his bay of Islands hideaway.

    • The Voice of Reason 9.1

      What is it with folk having a go at the Luddites? They were a brave, skilled and organised army of tradesmen who acted in a class conscious manner and it took all the machinery of the burgeoning capitalist state to defeat them. Banks doesn’t deserve comparison with them, except in the sense that Luddites were used to working with tools.

    • hateatea 9.2

      Not a Luddite but perhaps a trogdalyte!

      captcha:mistakes (I am convinced a real person with a sense of humour is choosing these)

  9. G8 10

    I live in Remuera please don’t paint us all with same distain of John Banks. Some had thought after his illness he had mellowed and changed; his comments show he has reverted to type and please accept our apologies to the people of Sth Akl. Mr Brown you now have our vote.

    • r0b 10.1

      Good on ya G8.

    • Irascible 10.2

      Banks has always campaigned at below the floor level. He hasn’t changed from being a bigot and never will. His campaigning style won him Whangarei in the 80s and he believes it will retain him as Mayor in 2010 hence his cold call phone calls recorded on Sideswipe.
      If he is elected watch him & his trolls put the boot into South & East Auckland as Rodney’s great asset strip is allowed free rein.

  10. hateatea 11

    As a Mainlander, I wasn’t going to comment here until I read the extraordinary comment by nilats.

    I watched the Closeup ‘debate’ with something akin to horror. Having never been a fan of John Banks, I had no high expectations but the depth of his ‘lows’ left me almost speechless. That someone whose first and enduring role must be to unify some quite disparate areas and their representatives into a strong, balanced and forward looking council to utter such inflammatory remarks made me almost wonder if he really wants the job at all!

    As for ‘nilats’, he joins Banks, Key, English, Brownlee and Brash firmly in Nati Redneckery.

    If it wasn’t that decisions made in Tamakimakaurau affect the rest of the country too, I would be thinking that Jafa’s will get the governance they deserve. Unfortunately I fear that with the supercity, even local governance will impact on the rest of us. If John Banks is the mayor, I think I will be avoiding all areas north of the Bombay Hills. Of course, my absence won’t affect anyone but me!

    captcha: medical (Is this for Mr Banks perhaps)

  11. Tony Palmer 12

    What is extraordinary to an (admittedly slightly shaken) Cantabrian is that Banks is in the frame at all. As many of you state, he’s blatantly divisive, racist, rude, apparently quite thick, inarticulate, short, aggressive, shrill, outspokenly ignorant and wholly unattractive. So how come he’s one of two leading candidates in what everyone admits is a tight race for such an influencial position ?
    Clearly nilats is not alone in his world of bigotry.

    Jeeeze Aucklanders get a bloody grip. At least we’re only considering an ageing dictator in a red cape versus a slippery Nat in post quake caring mode. Both seem credible pollies and locally interested blokes though … unlike your choices.

    • comedy 12.1

      Our choices in Auckland are so stuffed that Brown and Banks might be considered two of the more mainstream/normal candidates… it is indeed a fucking disgrace.

      Local and governmental candidates in this country are an absurdity.

      • RobertM 12.1.1

        They are actually among the most dismal of the local body offerings. I cringe with the idea of Sandra Coney and John Walker on the Auckland Council. Sandra would cause untold trouble.
        Banks is in a panic. He already has all the votes of the racists and the rather different group who don’t want too much of a Pacifika orientation in greater Auckland or too much social intervention. I imagine there might be quite a lot of agreement between Sandra and Len Brown.
        However where Brown is winning and Banks losing a lot of votes is on the public transport issue. The performance of Banks in the TV3 debate was a disaster. Banks dismisal of the options of a city rail loop, Auckland airport rail connection and and eventual harbour crossing and line to Takapuna when the inevitable under harbour tunnel goes in ,in ten to fifteen years was fatal.
        Banks should have displayed more flexibility and said the council would actively consider an extension of the Onehunga extension or a light rail 4ft 8 inch seperate system from Britoamart to the Airport ,running on the streets like a Melbourne tram to Onehunga and on a private right of way to the airport. Running dowm Manakau, Eden or Dominion Rd this would better service the popualtion core and would require a much lower axle load and no freight compatability. Light rail might be a better option allround.

  12. Kim Hutchinson 13

    Quote from Len Brown on John Banks’ recent comments about social issues in South Auckland:

    ” We should be addressing our strengths and opportunities and not be fixated by what our challenges are”
    (End of Quote)

    this sums up the dishonest and non trustworthy Len Brown.(Had to cut up his Council Credit Card on National Television!)
    His statement clearly shows he is unable to face any of the hard issues, and that he has failed to make any impact in his Manukau City with the Issues that really count.

    ..and, remember…he is quoted as saying ” I have total transparency…with Limits!”

    I think he may be in for a shock on October 9th

    • the sprout 13.1

      Cute – your delusion and ineloquence is quite endearing.

    • Irascible 13.2

      This response isn’t logic or rationality.

      I reckon Len was saying to Banks that there are strengths & opportunities to be utilised to make Auckland work – however these won’t be recognised by Banks because he if fixated on his own big challenges – a limited intellect and policies based on bigotry.

  13. gobsmacked 14

    Reasons not to vote for John Banks, number 384:

    John Banks has only ever been to three movies in his life, one of which was the Spice Girls’ Spice World. The other two were the Sound of Music and a western called Laramie.

    (NZ Herald, today)

    Voters respond: “So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Goodnight …”

  14. felix 15

    Make no mistake, Banks didn’t. This is deliberate. This is his last ditch attempt to stir up the racist underbelly of Auckland.

    He knows he’s fucked – he wouldn’t have tried it if he wasn’t – but he’s going for broke now and a hopeless and desperate appeal to the lowest and worst instincts of Aucklanders is all he’s got left.

    This is his Butch & Sundance final scene.

    • Kim Hutchinson 15.1

      HIGHEST VOTER TURNOUT TO DATE- OTARA/PAPATOETOE

      Wonder why?

      “Police have raided homes and businesses in Auckland as they investigate alleged super city electoral roll fraud.

      Detective Inspector Mark Gutry, crime manager with Counties Manukau Police, said over the last two days police had carried out searches in the Papatoetoe ward as part of and inquiry into electoral roll enrolment irregularities.

      He said the search warrants were executed at “properties of interest” by up to 40 police following a complaint from the Electoral Enrolment Centre.

      The Registrar of Electors last week removed 306 enrolments after establishing that people did not live at addresses stated on enrolment forms.

      People at the addresses or associated with them have been very helpful, he said.

      Candidates and campaign staff will also be contacted for information as part of the inquiry.

      “Police are very aware of the electorate interest in this inquiry and we are working to complete it as thoroughly and quickly as possible,” Gutry said.

      ….MORE cheating by a desperate Brown Camp who have read their Exit Polls & got a nasty surprise…………………………

      • gobsmacked 15.1.1

        Judging by the tone of your comments, Kim, it looks like you’ve cornered the market in “desperate”.

        Why has John Key run away from John Banks? A few weeks ago he couldn’t stop praising his good mate Banksie, turning up at the functions, grabbing the photo ops – the two Johns, brothers in arms ….

        … and now he’s nowhere to be seen. Funny, that.

        • Kim Hutchinson 15.1.1.1

          If you check the records, John Key has endorsed no candidate, and was at one supporters function in Auckland,unlike the Labour team & Leader who have been actively promoting, against the rules, the so called Independant Candidate, Lenny Brown.

          • Draco T Bastard 15.1.1.1.1

            I’m pretty sure you’ll find that Jonkey did endorse Banks as SuperMayor. And I’d certainly say that going to a private function to “thank super city campaign supporters” is also an endorsement no matter how much he says it wasn’t.

            • KIm Hutchinson 15.1.1.1.1.1

              Still doesn’t get away from Len Brown’s comments that we should not be fixated on what the challenges are in South Auckland!
              …which means Len has no backbone to tacke the real hard issues in his own backyard.
              He wants to be Mayor of Manukau & is peeved he had only 1 term to spend on that Credit Card!..stealing from his own Ratepayers. Proven!
              He was against the Supercity, but realised it had to happen, and thought he would “give it a shot” otherwise he’ll be on the unemployment line.
              He is open & honest & transparent – WITH LIMITS!
              Manuaku City has been reported as having the worst infrastucture in Auckland…with new areas without basic amenities such as footpaths (METRO)
              Hundreds of residents are marching the streets in protest at his lack of action with Liquor Outlets.
              He has promised everything to everyone to buy votes.
              His team is cheating to get the Vote out in Otara & Papatoetoe ( you will find thousands of Votes will be disqualified)..and he has the Labour MP for Auckland Issues publicly endorsing him as Mayor….against all the rules.!
              …and everyone remembers the way he handled his dishonesty admissions……there is no way he can cope with any issue, let alone difficult ones..that will face the SuperCity Mayor on day one.

              It was nice popping into The Standard site ….and present the real facts…
              again, I reiterate, Len has read the Exit Polls and has a big mountain to climb

              [lprent: As an observation (about someone who I have already had to move an off-topic comment to OpenMike today), using caps and multiple !’s triggers my anti-troll instincts. I suggest that you read the policy to find out why that is dangerous. ]

              • Peter G

                Sorry, But I have a funny feeling that Banks is toast.

                • lprent

                  I have that feeling about Banks as well. I also think that C&R will suffer.

                  Toast also describes Rodney Hide

                • toad

                  Go easy on toast!

                  I enjoy eating toast in the morning. I wouldn’t enjoy Banks in the morning though, or any of his mates like Paul Goldsmith from the Shits & Rats or Christine Rank-indeed from the North Shore Shits & Rats clone ticket “North Now”.

                  • Peter G

                    Sorry Toad , I quite like toast as well 🙂

                  • Colonial Viper

                    Don’t worry lads, Banksie isn’t the good kind of nutritious toast, he is the blow-torch carbonised, crumble into dry dust form of toast.

                    Bill and John next.

              • Draco T Bastard

                Hundreds marching in the streets? There’d be a news item on it
                Worst infrastructure? Again there’d be a news item on it

                I can’t find any news items anywhere backing up what you say is so bad which leads me to believe that you’re lying.

              • BLiP

                Wanna talk about cheating? Here’s City Rats Chairman John Slater dobbing in some of his National Ltd™ mates for dubious dealings, got anything to say about that? Wanna talk about the calibre of candidates? Here’s what a judge had to say about one of the Citizen and Ratepayers candidates. Wanna talk about financial malfeasance? Here’s multimillionaire John Banks trying it on for a few hundy to shout his mates at the tennis – and who can forget what happens when John Banks’ gets to look after other people’s money

      • Anne 15.1.2

        Kimmy sweetheart.
        The Nat dirty tricks (alias research) unit and funny boy Farrar are just panicking. Don’t take it to heart. It’ll be alright. Len’s a nice fella. You won’t get hurt after October 9!

  15. Millhouse 16

    From memory a ‘Kim Hutchinson’ works for Mr Banks’ faltering campaign. That would also account for her spurious “real facts” and unwarranted optimism.

    • BLiP 16.1

      There was certainly a Kim Hutchinson at the John Banks “Victory Party”. Of course, there could be hundreds of Kim Hutchinsons out there.

      • Colonial Viper 16.1.1

        With all the awesome political talent Banksie has collected around himself I am sure he has nothing to fear.

  16. Auckland_Southie 17

    For me, this election was the battle of “who is the worst of the 2 evils?”.

    To be honest, I voted Brown, ONLY because I seriously did not want John [laughing all the way to the] Banks. Brown was simply, the better of 2 evils. I had made my mind up on this decision long before he made this comment, but this surely cements it.

    Should Banks not have been on the cards, I would have voted Colin Craig. He seems nice.

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    Don’t expect any fiscal shocks or surprises when the books are opened on December 20 with the unveiling of the Half Yearly Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU). That was the message yesterday from Westpac in an economic commentary. But the bank’s analysis did not include any changes to capital ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #49 2023
    113 articles in 48 journals by 674 contributing authors Physical science of climate change, effects Diversity of Lagged Relationships in Global Means of Surface Temperatures and Radiative Budgets for CMIP6 piControl Simulations, Tsuchida et al., Journal of Climate 10.1175/jcli-d-23-0045.1 Do abrupt cryosphere events in High Mountain Asia indicate earlier tipping ...
    2 days ago
  • Phone calls at Kia Kaha primary
    It is quiet reading time in Room 13! It is so quiet you can hear the Tui outside. It is so quiet you can hear the Fulton Hogan crew.It is so quiet you can hear old Mr Grant and old Mr Bradbury standing by the roadworks and counting the conesand going on ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • A question of confidence is raised by the Minister of Police, but he had to be questioned by RNZ to ...
    It looks like the new ministerial press secretaries have quickly learned the art of camouflaging exactly what their ministers are saying – or, at least, of keeping the hard news  out of the headlines and/or the opening sentences of the statements they post on the home page of the governments ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago
  • Xmas  good  cheer  for the dairy industry  as Fonterra lifts its forecast
    The big dairy co-op Fonterra  had  some Christmas  cheer to offer  its farmers this week, increasing its forecast farmgate milk price and earnings guidance for  the year after what it calls a strong start to the year. The forecast  midpoint for the 2023/24 season is up 25cs to $7.50 per ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • MICHAEL BASSETT: Modern Maori myths
    Michael Bassett writes – Many of the comments about the Coalition’s determination to wind back the dramatic Maorification of New Zealand of the last three years would have you believe the new government is engaged in a full-scale attack on Maori. In reality, all that is happening ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago
  • Dreams of eternal sunshine at a spotless COP28
    Mary Robinson asked Al Jaber a series of very simple, direct and highly pertinent questions and he responded with a high-octane public meltdown. Photos: Getty Images / montage: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR The hygiene effects of direct sunshine are making some inroads, perhaps for the very first time, on the normalised ‘deficit ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • LINDSAY MITCHELL: Oh, the irony
    Lindsay Mitchell writes – Appointed by new Labour PM Jacinda Ardern in 2018, Cindy Kiro headed the Welfare Expert Advisory Group (WEAG) tasked with reviewing and recommending reforms to the welfare system. Kiro had been Children’s Commissioner during Helen Clark’s Labour government but returned to academia subsequently. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • Transport Agencies don’t want Harbour Tunnels
    It seems even our transport agencies don’t want Labour’s harbour crossing plans. In August the previous government and Waka Kotahi announced their absurd preferred option the new harbour crossing that at the time was estimated to cost $35-45 billion. It included both road tunnels and a wiggly light rail tunnel ...
    2 days ago
  • Webworm Presents: Jurassic Park on 35mm
    Hi,Paying Webworm members such as yourself keep this thing running, so as 2023 draws to close, I wanted to do two things to say a giant, loud “THANKS”. Firstly — I’m giving away 10 Mister Organ blu-rays in New Zealand, and another 10 in America. More details down below.Secondly — ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago
  • The Prime Minister's Dream.
    Yesterday saw the State Opening of Parliament, the Speech from the Throne, and then Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s dream for Aotearoa in his first address. But first the pomp and ceremony, the arrival of the Governor General.Dame Cindy Kiro arrived on the forecourt outside of parliament to a Māori welcome. ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • National’s new MP; the proud part-Maori boy raised in a state house
    Probably not since 1975 have we seen a government take office up against such a wall of protest and complaint. That was highlighted yesterday, the day that the new Parliament was sworn in, with news that King Tuheitia has called a national hui for late January to develop a ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago
  • Climate Adam: Battlefield Earth – How War Fuels Climate Catastrophe
    This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). War, conflict and climate change are tearing apart lives across the world. But these aren't separate harms - they're intricately connected. ...
    3 days ago
  • They do not speak for us, and they do not speak for the future
    These dire woeful and intolerant people have been so determinedly going about their small and petulant business, it’s hard to keep up. At the end of the new government’s first woeful week, Audrey Young took the time to count off its various acts of denigration of Te Ao Māori:Review the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Another attack on te reo
    The new white supremacist government made attacking te reo a key part of its platform, promising to rename government agencies and force them to "communicate primarily in English" (which they already do). But today they've gone further, by trying to cut the pay of public servants who speak te reo: ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • For the record, the Beehive buzz can now be regarded as “official”
    Buzz from the Beehive The biggest buzz we bring you from the Beehive today is that the government’s official website is up and going after being out of action for more than a week. The latest press statement came  from  Education Minister  Eric Stanford, who seized on the 2022 PISA ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Climate Change: Failed again
    There was another ETS auction this morning. and like all the other ones this year, it failed to clear - meaning that 23 million tons of carbon (15 million ordinary units plus 8 million in the cost containment reserve) went up in smoke. Or rather, they didn't. Being unsold at ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell On The Government’s Assault On Maori
    This isn’t news, but the National-led coalition is mounting a sustained assault on Treaty rights and obligations. Even so, Christopher Luxon has described yesterday’s nationwide protests by Maori as “pretty unfair.” Poor thing. In the NZ Herald, Audrey Young has compiled a useful list of the many, many ways that ...
    3 days ago
  • Rising costs hit farmers hard, but  there’s more  positive news  for  them this  week 
    New Zealand’s dairy industry, the mainstay of the country’s export trade, has  been under  pressure  from rising  costs. Down on the  farm, this  has  been  hitting  hard. But there  was more positive news this week,  first   from the latest Fonterra GDT auction where  prices  rose,  and  then from  a  report ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    3 days ago
  • ROB MacCULLOCH:  Newshub and NZ Herald report misleading garbage about ACT’s van Veldon not follo...
    Rob MacCulloch writes –  In their rush to discredit the new government (which our MainStream Media regard as illegitimate and having no right to enact the democratic will of voters) the NZ Herald and Newshub are arguing ACT’s Deputy Leader Brooke van Veldon is not following Treasury advice ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Top 10 for Wednesday, December 6
    Even many young people who smoke support smokefree policies, fitting in with previous research showing the large majority of people who smoke regret starting and most want to quit. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere on the morning of Wednesday, December ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Eleven years of work.
    Well it didn’t take six months, but the leaks have begun. Yes the good ship Coalition has inadvertently released a confidential cabinet paper into the public domain, discussing their axing of Fair Pay Agreements (FPAs).Oops.Just when you were admiring how smoothly things were going for the new government, they’ve had ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Why we're missing out on sharply lower inflation
    A wave of new and higher fees, rates and charges will ripple out over the economy in the next 18 months as mayors, councillors, heads of department and price-setters for utilities such as gas, electricity, water and parking ramp up charges. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Just when most ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • How Did We Get Here?
    Hi,Kiwis — keep the evening of December 22nd free. I have a meetup planned, and will send out an invite over the next day or so. This sounds sort of crazy to write, but today will be Tony Stamp’s final Totally Normal column of 2023. Somehow we’ve made it to ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    3 days ago
  • At a glance – Has the greenhouse effect been falsified?
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    4 days ago
  • New Zealaders  have  high expectations of  new  government:  now let’s see if it can deliver?
    The electorate has high expectations of the  new  government.  The question is: can  it  deliver?    Some  might  say  the  signs are not  promising. Protestors   are  already marching in the streets. The  new  Prime Minister has had  little experience of managing  very diverse politicians  in coalition. The economy he  ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    4 days ago
  • You won't believe some of the numbers you have to pull when you're a Finance Minister
    Nicola of Marsden:Yo, normies! We will fix your cost of living worries by giving you a tax cut of 150 dollars. 150! Cash money! Vote National.Various people who can read and count:Actually that's 150 over a fortnight. Not a week, which is how you usually express these things.And actually, it looks ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago
  • Pushback
    When this government came to power, it did so on an explicitly white supremacist platform. Undermining the Waitangi Tribunal, removing Māori representation in local government, over-riding the courts which had tried to make their foreshore and seabed legislation work, eradicating te reo from public life, and ultimately trying to repudiate ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Defence ministerial meeting meant Collins missed the Maori Party’s mischief-making capers in Parli...
    Buzz from the Beehive Maybe this is not the best time for our Minister of Defence to have gone overseas. Not when the Maori Party is inviting (or should that be inciting?) its followers to join a revolution in a post which promoted its protest plans with a picture of ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • Threats of war have been followed by an invitation to join the revolution – now let’s see how th...
     A Maori Party post on Instagram invited party followers to ….  Tangata Whenua, Tangata Tiriti, Join the REVOLUTION! & make a stand!  Nationwide Action Day, All details in tiles swipe to see locations.  • This is our 1st hit out and tomorrow Tuesday the 5th is the opening ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Top 10 for Tuesday, December 4
    The RBNZ governor is citing high net migration and profit-led inflation as factors in the bank’s hawkish stance. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere on the morning of Tuesday, December 5, including:Reserve Bank Governor Adrian Orr says high net migration and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Nicola Willis' 'show me the money' moment
    Willis has accused labour of “economic vandalism’, while Robertson described her comments as a “desperate diversion from somebody who can't make their tax package add up”. There will now be an intense focus on December 20 to see whether her hyperbole is backed up by true surprises. Photo montage: Lynn ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • CRL costs money but also provides huge benefits
    The City Rail Link has been in the headlines a bit recently so I thought I’d look at some of them. First up, yesterday the NZ Herald ran this piece about the ongoing costs of the CRL. Auckland ratepayers will be saddled with an estimated bill of $220 million each ...
    4 days ago
  • And I don't want the world to see us.
    Is this the most shambolic government in the history of New Zealand? Given that parliament hasn’t even opened they’ve managed quite a list of achievements to date.The Smokefree debacle trading lives for tax cuts, the Trumpian claims of bribery in the Media, an International award for indifference, and today the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • Cooking the books
    Finance Minister Nicola Willis late yesterday stopped only slightly short of accusing her predecessor Grant Robertson of cooking the books. She complained that the Half Yearly Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU), due to be made public on December 20, would show “fiscal cliffs” that would amount to “billions of ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Most people don’t realize how much progress we’ve made on climate change
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections The year was 2015. ‘Uptown Funk’ with Bruno Mars was at the top of the music charts. Jurassic World was the most popular new movie in theaters. And decades of futility in international climate negotiations was about to come to an end in ...
    5 days ago
  • Of Parliamentary Oaths and Clive Boonham
    As a heads-up, I am not one of those people who stay awake at night thinking about weird Culture War nonsense. At least so far as the current Maori/Constitutional arrangements go. In fact, I actually consider it the least important issue facing the day to day lives of New ...
    5 days ago
  • Bearing True Allegiance?
    Strong Words: “We do not consent, we do not surrender, we do not cede, we do not submit; we, the indigenous, are rising. We do not buy into the colonial fictions this House is built upon. Te Pāti Māori pledges allegiance to our mokopuna, our whenua, and Te Tiriti o ...
    5 days ago
  • You cannot be serious
    Some days it feels like the only thing to say is: Seriously? No, really. Seriously?OneSomeone has used their health department access to share data about vaccinations and patients, and inform the world that New Zealanders have been dying in their hundreds of thousands from the evil vaccine. This of course is pure ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago
  • A promise kept: govt pulls the plug on Lake Onslow scheme – but this saving of $16bn is denounced...
    Buzz from the Beehive After $21.8 million was spent on investigations, the plug has been pulled on the Lake Onslow pumped-hydro electricity scheme, The scheme –  that technically could have solved New Zealand’s looming energy shortage, according to its champions – was a key part of the defeated Labour government’s ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • CHRIS TROTTER: The Maori Party and Oath of Allegiance
    If those elected to the Māori Seats refuse to take them, then what possible reason could the country have for retaining them?   Chris Trotter writes – Christmas is fast approaching, which, as it does every year, means gearing up for an abstruse general knowledge question. “Who was ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • BRIAN EASTON:  Forward to 2017
    The coalition party agreements are mainly about returning to 2017 when National lost power. They show commonalities but also some serious divergencies. Brian Easton writes The two coalition agreements – one National and ACT, the other National and New Zealand First – are more than policy documents. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Climate Change: Fossils
    When the new government promised to allow new offshore oil and gas exploration, they were warned that there would be international criticism and reputational damage. Naturally, they arrogantly denied any possibility that that would happen. And then they finally turned up at COP, to criticism from Palau, and a "fossil ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • GEOFFREY MILLER:  NZ’s foreign policy resets on AUKUS, Gaza and Ukraine
    Geoffrey Miller writes – New Zealand’s international relations are under new management. And Winston Peters, the new foreign minister, is already setting a change agenda. As expected, this includes a more pro-US positioning when it comes to the Pacific – where Peters will be picking up where he ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on the government’s smokefree laws debacle
    The most charitable explanation for National’s behaviour over the smokefree legislation is that they have dutifully fulfilled the wishes of the Big Tobacco lobby and then cast around – incompetently, as it turns out – for excuses that might sell this health policy U-turn to the public. The less charitable ...
    5 days ago
  • Top 10 links at 10 am for Monday, December 4
    As Deb Te Kawa writes in an op-ed, the new Government seems to have immediately bought itself fights with just about everyone. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere as of 10 am on Monday December 4, including:Palau’s President ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Be Honest.
    Let’s begin today by thinking about job interviews.During my career in Software Development I must have interviewed hundreds of people, hired at least a hundred, but few stick in the memory.I remember one guy who was so laid back he was practically horizontal, leaning back in his chair until his ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: New Zealand’s foreign policy resets on AUKUS, Gaza and Ukraine
    New Zealand’s international relations are under new management. And Winston Peters, the new foreign minister, is already setting a change agenda. As expected, this includes a more pro-US positioning when it comes to the Pacific – where Peters will be picking up where he left off. Peters sought to align ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Auckland rail tunnel the world’s most expensive
    Auckland’s city rail link is the most expensive rail project in the world per km, and the CRL boss has described the cost of infrastructure construction in Aotearoa as a crisis. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The 3.5 km City Rail Link (CRL) tunnel under Auckland’s CBD has cost ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • First big test coming
    The first big test of the new Government’s approach to Treaty matters is likely to be seen in the return of the Resource Management Act. RMA Minister Chris Bishop has confirmed that he intends to introduce legislation to repeal Labour’s recently passed Natural and Built Environments Act and its ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    6 days ago
  • The Song of Saqua: Volume III
    Time to revisit something I haven’t covered in a while: the D&D campaign, with Saqua the aquatic half-vampire. Last seen in July: https://phuulishfellow.wordpress.com/2023/07/27/the-song-of-saqua-volume-ii/ The delay is understandable, once one realises that the interim saw our DM come down with a life-threatening medical situation. They have since survived to make ...
    6 days ago
  • Chris Bishop: Smokin’
    Yes. Correct. It was an election result. And now we are the elected government. ...
    My ThinksBy boonman
    6 days ago
  • 2023 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #48
    A chronological listing of news and opinion articles posted on the Skeptical Science  Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Nov 26, 2023 thru Dec 2, 2023. Story of the Week CO2 readings from Mauna Loa show failure to combat climate change Daily atmospheric carbon dioxide data from Hawaiian volcano more ...
    6 days ago
  • Affirmative Action.
    Affirmative Action was a key theme at this election, although I don’t recall anyone using those particular words during the campaign.They’re positive words, and the way the topic was talked about was anything but. It certainly wasn’t a campaign of saying that Affirmative Action was a good thing, but that, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago
  • 100 days of something
    It was at the end of the Foxton straights, at the end of 1978, at 100km/h, that someone tried to grab me from behind on my Yamaha.They seemed to be yanking my backpack. My first thought was outrage. My second was: but how? Where have they come from? And my ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • Look who’s stepped up to champion Winston
    There’s no news to be gleaned from the government’s official website today  – it contains nothing more than the message about the site being under maintenance. The time this maintenance job is taking and the costs being incurred have us musing on the government’s commitment to an assault on inflation. ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 week ago
  • What's The Story?
    Don’t you sometimes wish they’d just tell the truth? No matter how abhorrent or ugly, just straight up tell us the truth?C’mon guys, what you’re doing is bad enough anyway, pretending you’re not is only adding insult to injury.Instead of all this bollocks about the Smokefree changes being to do ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • The longest of weeks
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.Friday Under New Management Week in review, quiz style1. Which of these best describes Aotearoa?a. Progressive nation, proud of its egalitarian spirit and belief in a fair go b. Best little country on the planet c. ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago
  • Suggested sessions of EGU24 to submit abstracts to
    Like earlier this year, members from our team will be involved with next year's General Assembly of the European Geosciences Union (EGU). The conference will take place on premise in Vienna as well as online from April 14 to 19, 2024. The session catalog has been available since November 1 ...
    1 week ago
  • Under New Management
    1. Which of these best describes Aotearoa?a. Progressive nation, proud of its egalitarian spirit and belief in a fair go b. Best little country on the planet c. Under New Management 2. Which of these best describes the 100 days of action announced this week by the new government?a. Petulantb. Simplistic and wrongheaded c. ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago
  • While we wait patiently, our new Minister of Education is up and going with a 100-day action plan
    Sorry to say, the government’s official website is still out of action. When Point of Order paid its daily visit, the message was the same as it has been for the past week: Site under maintenance Beehive.govt.nz is currently under maintenance. We will be back shortly. Thank you for your ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 week ago
  • DAVID FARRAR: Hysterical bullshit
    Radio NZ reports: Te Pāti Māori’s co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer has accused the new government of “deliberate .. systemic genocide” over its policies to roll back the smokefree policy and the Māori Health Authority. The left love hysterical language. If you oppose racial quotas in laws, you are a racist. And now if you sack ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 week ago

  • Ministers visit Hawke’s Bay to grasp recovery needs
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon joined Cyclone Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell and Transport and Local Government Minister Simeon Brown, to meet leaders of cyclone and flood-affected regions in the Hawke’s Bay. The visit reinforced the coalition Government’s commitment to support the region and better understand its ongoing requirements, Mr Mitchell says.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • New Zealand condemns malicious cyber activity
    New Zealand has joined the UK and other partners in condemning malicious cyber activity conducted by the Russian Government, Minister Responsible for the Government Communications Security Bureau Judith Collins says. The statement follows the UK’s attribution today of malicious cyber activity impacting its domestic democratic institutions and processes, as well ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Disestablishment of Te Pūkenga begins
    The Government has begun the process of disestablishing Te Pūkenga as part of its 100-day plan, Minister for Tertiary Education and Skills Penny Simmonds says.  “I have started putting that plan into action and have met with the chair and chief Executive of Te Pūkenga to advise them of my ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Climate Change Minister to attend COP28 in Dubai
    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will be leaving for Dubai today to attend COP28, the 28th annual UN climate summit, this week. Simon Watts says he will push for accelerated action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement, deliver New Zealand’s national statement and connect with partner countries, private sector leaders ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • New Zealand to host 2024 Pacific defence meeting
    Defence Minister Judith Collins yesterday announced New Zealand will host next year’s South Pacific Defence Ministers’ Meeting (SPDMM). “Having just returned from this year’s meeting in Nouméa, I witnessed first-hand the value of meeting with my Pacific counterparts to discuss regional security and defence matters. I welcome the opportunity to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Study shows need to remove distractions in class
    The Government is committed to lifting school achievement in the basics and that starts with removing distractions so young people can focus on their learning, Education Minister Erica Stanford says.   The 2022 PISA results released this week found that Kiwi kids ranked 5th in the world for being distracted ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Minister sets expectations of Commissioner
    Today I met with Police Commissioner Andrew Coster to set out my expectations, which he has agreed to, says Police Minister Mark Mitchell. Under section 16(1) of the Policing Act 2008, the Minister can expect the Police Commissioner to deliver on the Government’s direction and priorities, as now outlined in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • New Zealand needs a strong and stable ETS
    New Zealand needs a strong and stable Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) that is well placed for the future, after emission units failed to sell for the fourth and final auction of the year, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says.  At today’s auction, 15 million New Zealand units (NZUs) – each ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • PISA results show urgent need to teach the basics
    With 2022 PISA results showing a decline in achievement, Education Minister Erica Stanford is confident that the Coalition Government’s 100-day plan for education will improve outcomes for Kiwi kids.  The 2022 PISA results show a significant decline in the performance of 15-year-old students in maths compared to 2018 and confirms ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Collins leaves for Pacific defence meeting
    Defence Minister Judith Collins today departed for New Caledonia to attend the 8th annual South Pacific Defence Ministers’ meeting (SPDMM). “This meeting is an excellent opportunity to meet face-to-face with my Pacific counterparts to discuss regional security matters and to demonstrate our ongoing commitment to the Pacific,” Judith Collins says. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Working for Families gets cost of living boost
    Putting more money in the pockets of hard-working families is a priority of this Coalition Government, starting with an increase to Working for Families, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says. “We are starting our 100-day plan with a laser focus on bringing down the cost of living, because that is what ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Post-Cabinet press conference
    Most weeks, following Cabinet, the Prime Minister holds a press conference for members of the Parliamentary Press Gallery. This page contains the transcripts from those press conferences, which are supplied by Hansard to the Office of the Prime Minister. It is important to note that the transcripts have not been edited ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme scrapped
    The Government has axed the $16 billion Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme championed by the previous government, Energy Minister Simeon Brown says. “This hugely wasteful project was pouring money down the drain at a time when we need to be reining in spending and focussing on rebuilding the economy and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • NZ welcomes further pause in fighting in Gaza
    New Zealand welcomes the further one-day extension of the pause in fighting, which will allow the delivery of more urgently-needed humanitarian aid into Gaza and the release of more hostages, Foreign Minister Winston Peters said. “The human cost of the conflict is horrific, and New Zealand wants to see the violence ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Condolences on passing of Henry Kissinger
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters today expressed on behalf of the New Zealand Government his condolences to the family of former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who has passed away at the age of 100 at his home in Connecticut. “While opinions on his legacy are varied, Secretary Kissinger was ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Backing our kids to learn the basics
    Every child deserves a world-leading education, and the Coalition Government is making that a priority as part of its 100-day plan. Education Minister Erica Stanford says that will start with banning cellphone use at school and ensuring all primary students spend one hour on reading, writing, and maths each day. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • US Business Summit Speech – Regional stability through trade
    I would like to begin by echoing the Prime Minister’s thanks to the organisers of this Summit, Fran O’Sullivan and the Auckland Business Chamber.  I want to also acknowledge the many leading exporters, sector representatives, diplomats, and other leaders we have joining us in the room. In particular, I would like ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Keynote Address to the United States Business Summit, Auckland
    Good morning. Thank you, Rosemary, for your warm introduction, and to Fran and Simon for this opportunity to make some brief comments about New Zealand’s relationship with the United States.  This is also a chance to acknowledge my colleague, Minister for Trade Todd McClay, Ambassador Tom Udall, Secretary of Foreign ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
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