Kelvin Davis on Christmas Island

Written By: - Date published: 11:55 am, October 19th, 2015 - 39 comments
Categories: australian politics, crime, human rights - Tags: , , ,

Yesterday I wrote about our lack of influence on Australia on the detention and deportation of Kiwis. Today Key is trying to dress up Aussie platitudes as scraps of progress. But Labour MP Kelvin Davis is taking action:

Christmas Island ‘just like a prison’

Mr Davis is on the island, more than 2500 kilometres northwest of Perth, where about 40 New Zealanders are being held in detention.

Christmas Island was like a bush-covered rock in the ocean, with a hot humid climate and the compound the detainees were in looked just like a prison, he said.

“There’s big fences with razor wire, there’s buildings that look just like a prison in New Zealand – these guys are prisoners, the difference being that they don’t know when their sentence is going to end. It could be tomorrow, it could be in three years time and there are people who have literally been there for three years.”

Mr Davis said he hadn’t been able to get inside the detention centre yet, but he said he had been told the situation inside was not good.

He rejected Prime Minister John Key’s assertion that his trip there was a political stunt, saying his intention had been to draw attention to the plight of kiwis in detention, which is what he said he had done. …

Might be worth watching TV3 News tonight (for a change).

39 comments on “Kelvin Davis on Christmas Island ”

  1. Kevin 1

    I bit like Gitmo without the waterboarding.

  2. Tracey 2

    Key: You tell everyone how great I am and how much your and everyone in Australia admires my economic management?

    Turnbull: And I will pretend how hard you pushed me.

    Key: You really do live up to your name!

  3. RedLogix 3

    Someone needs to check their own Agreements:

    ANZCERTA—its genesis and the present

    The first trade agreement between Australia and New Zealand dates back to 1922, and essentially stated that each party would trade with the other. This was followed by the Australia New Zealand Trade Agreement in 1933, by which the two countries gave each other preferences and some special rates of duty. A partial free trade treaty, the New Zealand Australia Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), entered into force in 1966, leading to the removal of tariffs and quantitative restrictions on 80 per cent of trans-Tasman trade by the late-1970s. Because NAFTA was not structured to address the changing international economic environment and because it lacked an effective mechanism for removing remaining restrictions, Australia and New Zealand agreed to develop a more open bilateral trading system.

    The objectives of ANZCERTA are to:

    strengthen the broader relationship between Australia and New Zealand
    develop closer economic relations between the Member States through a mutually beneficial expansion of free trade between New Zealand and Australia
    eliminate barriers to trade between Australia and New Zealand in a gradual and progressive manner under an agreed timetable and with a minimum of disruption
    develop trade between New Zealand and Australia under conditions of fair competition.

    Since 1 July 1990, all goods meeting ANZCERTA Rules of Origin criteria can be traded across the Tasman free of duty and quantitative import restrictions.

    The Trade in Services Protocol brought services into ANZCERTA from January 1989 allowing most services to be traded free of restriction across the Tasman with limited exclusions which were last reviewed 2014.

    ANZCERTA has underpinned a strong growth in trade across the Tasman with an annual average growth in two-way trade in goods of 6.7 per cent, from 1983 to 2014. New Zealand is currently Australia’s sixth largest trading partner, ninth largest source of foreign investment and third most important destination for Australian investment abroad.

    Over the 32 years of CER, the composition of trade between Australia and New Zealand has changed dramatically, reflecting changes in technology, competitiveness, domestic industry structure, trade liberalisation and consumer demand.

    ANZCERTA forms the foundation of a broader economic and trade relationship with New Zealand. It is supplemented by more than 80 government-to-government bilateral treaties, protocols and other arrangements—covering trade and the movement of people, investment, aviation, business law coordination, mutual recognition of goods and professions, taxation, health care, social security, superannuation portability, food standards and government procurement.

    http://www.austrade.gov.au/Australian/Export/Free-Trade-Agreements/ANZCERTA

    While CER (as it is commonly known) was primarily a trade agreement – there was always clearly a ‘free travel between the countries’ component, not unlike the same provisions in the EU.

    The problem for NZ is that the agreement has never properly addressed the rights of New Zealanders working in Australia under the broad cover of CER. Because most of them do not vote in either country, both governments have failed to do much to protect their interests.

    • RedLogix 3.1

      Kelvin is doing great work – and deserves much stronger backing from Labour back home. And while this human story is important – I’d argue we need to see it in the context of how we want to evolve the broader CER arrangement.

      NZ is an important economic partner of Australia – and in that context we have plenty of strings to pull if they don’t want to play nice.

      • KK 3.1.1

        Kelvin was sent there by Andrew Little as his Corrections spokesperson, because Andrew was in NZ meeting Malcolm Turnbull at the time. Jodi Ihaka who is supporting Kelvin (see tweets in post) is a staff member from Andrew Little’s office.

        Not sure what you’re on about. These days it’s people always attacking Labour on this site without basic facts.

        • RedLogix 3.1.1.1

          As an outsider looking in it appears that Kelvin is making this trip – out there on his own. I’m delighted to accept your comment at face value – but that’s not how it’s looking in public right now.

          • KK 3.1.1.1.1

            Lesson there about not jumping to conclusions I guess.

          • Ed 3.1.1.1.2

            It certainly make me ask just what help he could (and perhaps should) be getting from the New Zealand government. This is a member of the New Zealand Parliament wanting to talk to New Zealand Citizens. If it not a prison, why should there be a problem?

            What is our New Zealand embassy doing to help these citizens – being held in detention against their will with no charges against them?

            New Zealand could be doing better – the question has to be whether our government is asking our representatives in Australia to avoid helping those unfortunate to be in prison without trial.

  4. Bill 4

    I’m half remembering NZ deported two Indian children a few years back. It was covered by Campbell Live. I believe they were going to wind up in the slums of Mumbai. I can’t find links, but found this one about Hemani Mall that seems similar.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCGGoIjk5Sg

    Hemani eventually won her case.

    Then there’s the case of Nicole Mihai who married a kiwi, had a child, separated and was then told she was to be deported but couldn’t take her two year old with her.

    And so it goes on and on.

    So, some questions.
    Are people upset because people are being deported? Or are people upset that people are being sent to detention camps?

    And if people are upset at Kiwis being deported from Australia, are they as up in arms when NZ deports people? Then again, if it’s the detention center angle that people find unpalatable, are they as concerned for all the other people banged up on Manus and Nauru as they are for the Kiwis on Christmas?

    • mpledger 4.1

      If these NZers had gone to Australia and then committed some terrible crime (rape, murder, aggravated assault) than I would have no problem with Australia sending them back to NZ. And I have no problem with people being sent back who went their illegally.

      But Australia has gone after people who have really minor offenses, people who have lived the majority of their lives in Australia, people who went there when they were very young and people who had lived a valuable life since committing the crime many years ago.

      The retrospective nature of the law is totally unjust – some of these people might not have committed a crime if they had known that the consequences were going to be deportation to a country they had no memory of and where they know noone. There was one guy who committed arson with his boss so his boss could get the insurance money – it’s incredibly likely that the boss was the instigator and planner and the employee just went out of misplaced loyalty but he’s getting detained and then, most likely, sent to NZ, away from his family and extended family.

      The fact that they don’t let people live in the community while their deportation order and appeals are sorted out is diabolical – it robs their family of any income that the person could be earning to support the family and it robs the children of time with a parent. It robs the person of access to quality legal advice.

      Given Australia’s history of the forced removal of children from their families, you’d think they’d have learned. But, it’s going to bight them on the ass when all these Australian kids of NZ parent/s grow up deprived of a parent because of their own government.

      NZ should not allow NZers to go to Australia except for 2 week holidays, once a year. The Ozzies might start realising the benefits that NZ workers bring to their economy and feel guilty about how they have been shafting them.

      • Bill 4.1.1

        Hmm. So thanks for that. I honestly expected to just sit watching tumbleweed while ‘waiting’ for any response to that comment.

        But here’s the thing. Did you view the link on Hemani Mall? Had lived here her whole life and was slated to be gone. Or the link to Nicole Mihai – told she’s being deported but not allowed to take her child?

        No crimes or offences committed by Hemani. And Nicole only unfortunate enough to have a broken relationship.

        These are NZ cases, not isolated, and not at all a million miles away in essence from the Oz ones. In fact, it could be argued that NZ is acting more atrociously than Oz is – at least over the highlighted cases from there.

        Sure, the detention camps are another layer of shit thrown at those people. But as I asked in the original comment, if the outrage is at the camps, then is it to be reserved for Kiwis while others on Nauru or Manus are to be damned to twist in the breeze by public indifference?

        • weka 4.1.1.1

          I don’t think the ‘layer’ is as incidental as that, I think it’s the main point. If you put up a story like Nicole Mihai’s only set in Australia and about a NZ woman, I think most people would find both stories equally shocking and unjust. If one of those women also got put in detention indefinitely, I think you’d find most people would judge the stories differently.

          Not sure that Nauru is comparable either.

        • mpledger 4.1.1.2

          My post was long enough as it was so I stopped.

          The problem is, with both cases, that rewarding people who have children born in NZ with residency, when they have no entitlement otherwise, encourages others to try and do the same. NZ citizenship is a great gift and NZers should have the sole right to bestow it, not have it taken by those willing to break the law to get it.

          In both cases, the people knew a priori that they didn’t have the right to be here. If they wanted residency they should have gone about it properly.

          This is different to the NZers in OZ case. The NZers had a legitimate right to be in OZ and it’s only a change in policy in the last year that has changed the ball game.

          (However, in the case of Nicole Mihai, I think she should be allowed to stay since her child can not leave with her and she is the primary care giver and so the benefit to her NZ son should tip the balance. )

    • So, some questions.
      Are people upset because people are being deported? Or are people upset that people are being sent to detention camps?

      Australia has every right to deport NZ citizens with criminal records, and it’s none of the NZ government’s business. So, not the first one. However, no country has the right to detain people indefinitely without charge, and a country doing it to NZ citizens is very much the NZ government’s business, and NZ’s Prime Minister should be roasting his counterpart publicly in the media for it but hasn’t been because he’s a piece-of-shit corporate weasel masquerading as a prime minister. So, the second one then.

      • Bill 4.2.1

        So, the second one then.

        And does your anger extend to the adults and children from other countries being held in remote island detention camps by Australia, or does empathy shut down at the edges of ‘Kiwi-ism’?

        • sabine 4.2.1.1

          yes.

        • Psycho Milt 4.2.1.2

          Depends how you define anger. The fact that Australian governments of whatever stripe treat refugees appallingly is disgusting, but at a fairly abstract level, given that we aren’t Australians. The NZ government staying quiet while NZers get the same treatment is disgusting on a much more visceral level, if you’re a NZer yourself.

    • RedLogix 6.1

      Yup – but it was the comment thread under the Guardian story which is interesting.

      Many of the comments were more sympathetic to NZ than we are to ourselves.

  5. Bea Brown 7

    What is Kelvin Davis trying to achieve?
    How will it help Labour?
    Who is footing the bill?

    • One Anonymous Bloke 7.1

      He can be reached through Labour’s website – why don’t you ask him?

      I’m glad he’s there, if only to demonstrate that not all New Zealanders have National Party values.

    • Tracey 7.2

      You’re right, it would be more appropriate for the PM to go, but he has ruled it out. probably needs plausible deniability of the treatment of NZ citizens which he would lose if he visited.

    • mpledger 7.3

      To shine a light on the shabby treatment that NZers are getting at the hands of the Australians – IIRC the Australians aren’t allowed to report on conditions at these detention camps by law.

      Who knows how it will help Labour. It will help people – isn’t that the point of politics.

      The same people who foot the bill of all MPs travel that is work related. And I am happy to pay for it – forcing people into camps who have already served their time for crimes they have committed is unjust. They should be at large in the community where they can be of benefit to their family until all proceedings have ended.

    • RedLogix 7.4

      Kelvin is doing what successive NZ govts have totally failed to do – promoting and protecting the rights of New Zealanders who are living and working in Australia as they are entitled to do under the CER arrangements.

      Successive NZ and Australian govts have found it convenient to erase these people from their calculations because they have been marginalised from the political process. Very often though, the right thing to do is not necessarily in ones own best interests. Sometimes doing the right thing takes a conscience and some guts.

    • Grindlebottom 7.5

      I think it’s a bit of a stunt to be honest but it’s a worthwhile one if it focuses attention on these detention centres that seem to be dreadful places bloody dreadful places.

  6. Grindlebottom 8

    I’m unhappy about the [reported] automatic cancellation of special category visas and deportation of kiwis who’ve served (or been sentenced to) jail sentences of a year or more if they’ve lived there for longer than 10 years. Because we don’t deport aussie citizens in the same circumstances after 10 years.

    I’m also opposed to keeping kiwis (and others) in detention centres pending resolution of their appeals against deportation.

    If they’ve spent less than 10 years in either country and they’ve committed serious or repeated offences, I’m ok with their being booted back to their country of citizenship, subject to appeal on humanitarian grounds.

    I’m also not happy about the Aussies holding asylum seekers in detention on Manus and Nauru where “…both centres have been plagued by allegations of assault, rape and poor health care. Detainees suffer psychologically from the ongoing and endless uncertainty about their future.” I’d maybe be less aggravated by it if their detention centres were in Australia, more humanely run, their cases were speedily decided, and if they were granted asylum in Australia if their cases were approved. We haven’t had to face the same problem the Aussies did with ever-increasing boatloads of people-smuggled asylum seekers so I don’t feel so strongly about detaining such people while their identities and circumstances are checked out.

    • Bill 8.1

      Well, that’s a bit of a genuine relief.

      Thank fuck that at least someone is willing to explicitly join the dots and view matters in a wider context and under the auspices of ‘people’ rather than putting blinkers on to exclude anything ‘peripheral’ to Kiwis and what’s happening to them. – thankyou –

      By the way, your link is busted. I’ve fixed it, but am also indulging a piece of shameless re-cycling with this one.

      • Grindlebottom 8.1.1

        Thanks for fixing the link. Have had continual probs trying to do short links. Not sure what I’m doing wrong.

      • weka 8.1.2

        Thank fuck that at least someone is willing to explicitly join the dots and view matters in a wider context and under the auspices of ‘people’ rather than putting blinkers on to exclude anything ‘peripheral’ to Kiwis and what’s happening to them. – thankyou –

        I’m not sure about the blinkers bit/peripheral bit. I think putting people in detention for immigration issues is wrong full stop, wherever they are and wherever they’ve come from. I also understand why some NZers will be more shocked by the treatment of the NZers in question than other immigrants. This is because NZ and Australia have traditionally had a close enough relationship that means that this kind of thing would not be expected. Many NZers also have family or close friends that live there.

        It’s not about excluding anything or making it peripheral, it’s about the natural human characteristic of feeling more for the people you are close to. That’s a different thing than one’s politics, and the challenge there is for people to prioritise their politics according to justice not personal feeling alone.

        • Grindlebottom 8.1.2.1

          Sometimes there could be issues warranting detention. If someone being deported or told to leave voluntarily for good cause absconds, for example, and is subsequently located. Or if someone enters the country as an asylum seeker or on a legitimate visa with a false identity & subsequently turns out to be a serious criminal, security risk, or terrorist.

          Was just reading this review of New Zealand’s approach to detaining asylum seekers. While it expresses concerns about a recent amendment to the Immigration Act 2009 allowing detention of any “mass arrival” asylum seekers, on the whole NZ doesn’t detain many asylum seekers in secure facilities (the only secure facilities we have are police stations or prisons). NZ releases most into the community with conditions, as soon as possible, or uses “open detention” in non-secure facilities like the Mangere Refugee Resettlement Centre while their refugee or protected person status claims are determined.
          http://www.globaldetentionproject.org/countries/asia-pacific/new-zealand/introduction.html

          • weka 8.1.2.1.1

            I take your point. I suppose the issue is about how humane systems are, and lessening the need for indefinite detention unless absolutely necessary (eg for people arriving here illegally who have histories of violent crimes).

            For people that have been living here for a long time, I think there are better solutions than detention centres.

            Thanks for the overview of the NZ situation, that’s helpful.

  7. infused 9

    In this case, I think NZ should match their actions.

  8. Grindlebottom 10

    Here’s John Key’s latest thoughts – kiwis in detention centres appealing against their deportation should just come home, tomorrow while their appeals are determined.

    Don’t think he’d have too many takers. I suspect many will be suspicious about their chances of being allowed back in to Oz once they’ve left the lucky country.

  9. RedLogix 11

    The point Key is missing totally is that NZ is no longer ‘home’ for many of these people.

    Gordon Campbell makes the extraordinary point that the change in the deportation rules was passed through the Australian Federal Parliament with the justification that it was to be used to target ISIS extremists and potential terrorists.

    The justification for this brutal treatment? Incredibly, these New Zealanders and their children are being lumped together with Islamic State as a threat to Australian society. (So much for being Anzac brothers.) In Australia, the immigration crackdown was supposed to enable would-be jihadis (and their funders and recruitment agents) who held dual citizenship to be deported from Australia. It would be entirely possible for the Australians to distinguish between terrorists and their accomplices on one hand, and New Zealanders resident in Australia with their families on the other. To date, the Aussies have shown no interest in doing so.

    http://gordoncampbell.scoop.co.nz/2015/10/13/gordon-campbell-on-our-inability-to-stand-up-to-australia/

    Key has been humiliated – he talks up the ANZAC family thing – and gets pissed on.

    • Grindlebottom 11.1

      Key has been humiliated – he talks up the ANZAC family thing – and gets pissed on.

      He not only gets pissed on, he turns round and shakes it off on us.

      Good on Gordon Campbell for that bit of background.

      • RedLogix 11.1.1

        This whole issue shows up the awful flaws of the entire SCV444 scheme. The entire thing is a misbegotten crock with a contradiction at it’s heart.

        The SCV444 which is the visa which allows New Zealanders to live in Australia on indefinitely is described as a ‘temporary visa’.

        It shows up when you go to apply for the Medicare card (which you absolutely need to access any health providers at all) – you are asked to sign a “Statutory Declaration” that you intend to stay in Australia ‘permanently’. Which given that the visa which allows you to be here is described as ‘temporary’ – doesn’t make a lot of sense.

        What it boils down to is that the Australian govt treats you as permanent for tax purposes – and temporary for pretty much all others.

        And it’s how we finish up with people who are effectively Australians – having lived there all their lives – but can be ejected from the country on a bureaucratic whim.

        One of the core elements of the original CER agreement back in 1966 was the ‘free movement of people’ between the countries. Clearly time and circumstance have moved on – and the current rules are a distortion of how most Australians and New Zealanders regard the relationship.

        New Zealand is an economy at least as large as the state of Victoria – and we are a major economic partner of Australia. Despite what many people think we do matter to Australia in many ways – but we have allowed ourselves to be politically neutered – we have no political leverage in Canberra. There is the root of the problem.

  10. savenz 12

    +1 to send Davis by Labour. Good move for justice and highlighting the problem.

    Nice to see some action.

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    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    4 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    5 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    5 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    5 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • There’s a name for this
    Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • Echoes of 1968 in 2024?  Pocock on the repetitive problems of the New Left
    Mike Grimshaw writes – Recent events in American universities point to an underlying crisis of coherent thinking, an issue that increasingly affects the progressive left across the Western world. This of course is nothing new as anyone who can either remember or has read of the late ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Two bar blues
    The thing about life’s little victories is that they can be followed by a defeat.Reader Darryl told me on Monday night:Test again Dave. My “head cold” last week became COVID within 24 hours, and is still with me. I hear the new variants take a bit longer to show up ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 13
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Angus Deaton on rethinking his economics IMFLocal scoop: The people behind Tamarind, the firm that left a $500m cleanup bill for taxpayers at Taranaki’s Tui oil well, are back operating in Taranaki under a different company name. Jonathan ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • AT Need To Lift Their Game
    Normally when we talk about accessing public transport it’s about improving how easy it is to get to, such as how easy is it to cross roads in a station/stop’s walking catchment, is it possible to cycle to safely, do bus connections work, or even if are there new routes/connections ...
    6 days ago
  • Christopher's Whopper.
    Politicians are not renowned for telling the truth. Some tell us things that are verifiably not true. They offer statements that omit critical pieces of information. Gloss over risks, preferring to offer the best case scenario.Some not truths are quite small, others amusing in their transparency. There are those repeated ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago

  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    23 hours ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
    Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024.  “Lower fruit and vege ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government backs rural led catchment projects
    The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction.   Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
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  • Speech to Life Sciences Summit
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