Key and Abbott are prepared to sacrifice the Pacific

Written By: - Date published: 8:07 am, September 12th, 2015 - 98 comments
Categories: australian politics, climate change, Environment, global warming, International, john key, Minister for International Embarrassment, national, the praiseworthy and the pitiful - Tags: ,

AbbottKey

Anthony R0bins has already posted on this subject but it is an important one and deserves multiple  analysis so here goes.

The Pacific Leaders Forum has occurred over the past few days.  The proud leaders of small Pacific Nations were there.  Some nations like Tuvalu and Kiribati are facing the prospect of disappearing under increasing sea levels caused by climate change.  The issue is clearly of utmost importance to them.

So how did Australia and New Zealand handle the impassioned pleas of the leaders of these nations for us to do something meaningful?  The response can only be described as meh.

From ABC News:

Prime Minister Tony Abbott has held his Government’s line on climate change despite pleas from low-lying Pacific island nations for a stronger stance on emissions and temperature rises.

Both Mr Abbott and New Zealand prime minister John Key refused to go further than their existing commitments on global warming at the Pacific Islands Forum in Port Moresby.

Some Pacific island leaders say they are disappointed in the leaders for putting economic growth ahead of the survival of communities in small Pacific nations.

“Australia and New Zealand have made no additional commitments when it comes to climate change,” Mr Abbott told reporters after the meeting last night.

“As you know Australia and New Zealand have already announced very ambitious targets for emissions reduction to take to the Paris conference.”

Pacific island nations had said the meeting was their last chance to highlight the threat they face from climate change, before the UN Climate Conference in Paris.

The Australian response disappointed leaders who say some people are already being forced out of their homes by rising salinity, lack of water, or damage from severe storms or high tides.

Kiribati president Anote Tong had campaigned especially hard for Australia to further reduce emissions, support a tighter cap on global temperature rises and consider a moratorium on new coal mines.

“It is disappointing,” he said.

“I would really have loved to go back and say yes, we had support, solid support from all of the Pacific neighbours including our developed neighbours. How does it feel? I’ve learned to live with the disappointments.”

Mr Tong said Australia and New Zealand continued to argue that reducing emissions further would stymie economic growth and lead to job losses.

“I understand what’s being said, that if they agree to those reductions in emissions, then it would hurt their industries and it would hurt their life, standard of living,” he said.

“But what I’m perhaps failing to communicate across is that while it will affect their standard of living, for us, it will affect the future of our people.”

Mr Tong’s statement sums up Australia’s and New Zealand’s attitude perfectly.  We are worried about short term economic gain while they are worried about long term survival.

Key said this in this One News report:

A lot of those leaders from very low lying areas believe that climate change could be the biggest risk to the survival of their countries.  That may or may not be correct.

My tourettes kicked in.  Rising sea levels are a current fact, not some future possibility.  And why risk it?

Such gross intellectual dishonesty is hard to comprehend.  It is the equivalent to someone my age saying that they cannot recall what their position on the Springbok tour was.

But instead of trying to improve our response Key and Abbott stuck to their insipid positions previously announced for the Paris talks.  They agree to the aim of maintaining no more than a 2 degree increase even though in New Zealand’s case what is proposed will not achieve this.  The other Pacific Nations want the increase to be no more than 1.5 degrees.  There is clearly a major disjoint between Australia’s and New Zealand’s positions and the expectations of the Pacific Island Nations.

And the difference between a 1.5 degree increase and a 2 degree increase in temperature?

Potentially it represents a catastrophic difference for the Islands.  It is predicted that the Greenland Ice shelf will melt completely if global temperatures increase by 1.6 degrees.  If this occurs then sea levels rise by 6 metres.  Good bye Kiribati.

Of course this may not happen.  But if you are talking about devastation of low lying areas the precautionary approach should kick in.

And if you want to witness the utter indifference Australia has for the Pacific Islands plight then watch this video.

Shame on Abbott and Key for insisting that short term economic gains are more important than the long term future of Pacific Islands.  Shame on them.

98 comments on “Key and Abbott are prepared to sacrifice the Pacific ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. One Anonymous Bloke 1
    12 September 2015 at 8:23 am

    Is that what right wing commenters mean by “economic migrants”?

    “My economy is more important than your life.”

    • weka 1.1
      12 September 2015 at 11:18 am

      Yep. Although I think we all live that particular evil in the over-developped world, given that our lifestyles are supported by the callous economy and given that our lifestyles are the main contributors to climate change. We can intellectually and morally oppose our governments’ foreign policies, but until we are willing to change our own lives we’re still culpable (I mean willing, not necessarily able btw).

  2. Steve Withers 2
    12 September 2015 at 8:56 am

    The two conservative parties of Australia and New Zealand clearly put their economies ahead of the homes of Pacific Islanders. There can’t be any real doubt about that any more.

    What is less clear is why they believe doing – effectively – nothing about climate change is ‘good for the economy’.

    One doesn’t have to be very bright at all to see that isn’t a sustainable long term approach to climate change.

    Unless these two parties are still in denial mode. In which case they aren’t fit to govern anything that matters.

    • Corokia 2.1
      12 September 2015 at 9:03 am

      They most definitely are NOT fit to govern at this time when climate change will change life as we know it on this planet.

      From George Monbiot
      http://www.monbiot.com/2014/11/11/better-dead-than-different/

      “We in the rich world can brook no taxation to encourage green energy, or regulation to discourage the consumption of fossil fuels. We cannot adapt even to an extra penny of tax. But the other “we”, which turns out to mean “they” – the people of the tropics – can and must adapt to the loss of their homes, their land and their lives, as entire regions become wastelands”

    • Tracey 2.2
      12 September 2015 at 12:07 pm

      The irony is that we tried so hard to get on the security council so our small voice could be heard in the face of veoting bullies… but when we hold similar positions in the South pacific, we behave like self righteous masters

    • Draco T Bastard 2.3
      12 September 2015 at 12:49 pm

      One doesn’t have to be very bright at all to see that isn’t a sustainable long term approach to climate change.

      It’s not a sustainable long term approach to the economy. Using up all the wealth as fast as possible is not sustainable.

      RWNJs really don’t seem to be very bright – except for the psychopaths in charge of the whole lot of them.

  3. save NZ 3
    12 September 2015 at 9:05 am

    Instead of spending on the science budget something to improve climate change, the Natz are instead giving corporate welfare grants of approx 9.6 million to oil companies.

    Steven Joyce’s Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment latest science investment round just announced it will give GNS $2.4m a year over four years to ‘develop new workstation-ready data products for the exploration industry.’

    Hey buddy, spare some change for the oil industry?
    http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2015/09/11/hey-buddy-spare-some-change-for-the-oil-industry/#sthash.5ltI6Qhe.dpuf

  4. Pasupial 4
    12 September 2015 at 9:42 am

    It’s not just the Greenland ice-sheets either, if we’re thinking of long-term consequences of CO2 emissions:

    With cumulative fossil fuel emissions of 10,000 gigatonnes of carbon (GtC), Antarctica is projected to become almost ice-free with an average contribution to sea-level rise exceeding 3 m per century during the first millennium…

    the currently attainable carbon fuel resources are sufficient to eliminate the Antarctic Ice Sheet and that large parts of the ice sheet are threatened at much lower amounts of cumulative emission. The successive sea-level rise far exceeds all other possible contributions from thermal expansion or ice loss from mountain glaciers or the Greenland Ice Sheet. Thus, if emissions of fossil-fuel carbon result in warming substantially beyond the 2°C target, millennial-scale rates of sea-level rise are likely to be dominated by ice loss from Antarctica. With unrestrained future CO2 emissions, the amount of sea-level rise from Antarctica could exceed tens of meters over the next 1000 years and could ultimately lead to the loss of the entire ice sheet.

    http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/1/8/e1500589

    • dukeofurl 4.1
      12 September 2015 at 10:56 am

      No they arent saying that:
      ” The interaction of these processes is still insufficiently understood so that the evolution of the Antarctic Ice Sheet remains unclear, particularly for the long term.”

      More likely model predictions are these:
      ” Our simulations show that cumulative emissions of 500 GtC commit us to long-term sea-level rise from Antarctica of 1.15 m within the next millenium,

      • Pasupial 4.1.1
        12 September 2015 at 11:45 am

        dukofurl

        The fact that I used direct cut&paste blockquotes means that they did indeed say that. Though I do admit that the 10,000 GtC scenario is the worst case, and the 500 GtC is very a optimistic scenario. Sadly, given the current state of denial of anthropogenic climate change, it seems unlikely that fossil fuel use will be restrained by forethought; only be adverse circumstances, by which time the damage will be done.

        It is certainly a good idea to read the entire article for context.

        If the 2°C target, corresponding to about 600 GtC of additional carbon release compared to year 2010, were attained, the millennial sea-level rise from Antarctica could likely be restricted to 2 m. In our simulations, this would keep the ice sheet below the threshold for the collapse of the Wilkes Basin. However, if that threshold is crossed, the Antarctic ice cover is significantly reduced in thickness and area (Fig. 4). If we were to release all currently attainable fossil fuel resources, Antarctica would become almost ice-free. It is unclear whether this dynamic discharge would be reversible and, if so, on which time scales.

        • dukeofurl 4.1.1.1
          12 September 2015 at 1:02 pm

          I did look into the entire article, that’s where my quotes come from, the same article.
          eg “Although Antarctica has already begun to lose ice (3), the consequences of combustion of the remaining fossil-fuel resources (4) to the ice sheet’s future mass balance are still unknown.”

          As I said earlier they are looking at ” 1.15m with the next millennium”, are you saying you disagree ?

          • Pasupial 4.1.1.1.1
            12 September 2015 at 5:28 pm

            dou

            Yes, I disagree, because being able to predict the sea-level rise contributed by Antarctic melting is contingent upon knowing how many GtC will ultimately be released into the atmosphere. I hope that it will be down at the lower end of the emission continuum modeled by Winkelmann et al, but given the lack of action in curbing emissions that does seem unlikely.

            As far as your quote; ““Although Antarctica has already begun to lose ice…”, that occurs within the introductory paragraph, which by convention in scientific papers is intended to give background to the present study. It is precisely because; “the consequences of combustion of the remaining fossil-fuel resources to the ice sheet’s future mass balance are still unknown”, that the modelling described took place. The rest of the article is an attempt to address this very issue.

            • mickysavage 4.1.1.1.1.1
              12 September 2015 at 7:20 pm

              I tried to keep it really simple for the deniers. Greenland ice sheet goes sea levels goes up. Making it more complex gives them more to argue about.

              • Pasupial …
                12 September 2015 at 10:56 pm

                MS

                Greenland ice melt and Arctic methane effusion are shortterm, Antartica is longterm. It’s a complex issue, and I’m more talking past the deniers than to them.

                [NZ & Aus governments] are worried about short term economic gain while they [pacific island states] are worried about long term survival.

                Is a good summation, but we really ought to be worried about our long term survival too.

              • dukeofurl …
                13 September 2015 at 12:23 pm

                “Greenland ice sheet goes sea levels goes up. Making it more complex gives them more to argue about”

                Putting it like that, means its not science anymore.
                the IPCC produces bookloads of reports exactly because they are doing proper science.

                You should check out the high schools Mickey, to see how it is presented, they would laugh at your ‘simple approach’

  5. infused 5
    12 September 2015 at 10:47 am

    Cool. So tell China to cut its emissions by 1%. That will do more than NZ can ever do.

    We make no difference.

    • mickysavage 5.1
      12 September 2015 at 11:18 am

      I thought you guys were all against freeloaders?

    • weka 5.2
      12 September 2015 at 11:21 am

      “We make no difference.”

      Everyone has to change. Even if you dismiss concepts of fairness, there is so much carbon etc in the atmosphere now that all the little countries add up and are going to affect what happens.

    • Tracey 5.3
      12 September 2015 at 12:10 pm

      yeah we all need to make china change and fast, cos no one else carried any responsibility or advantage from their own bad behaviours in the past.

      🙄

      infused, if you have children, do you remind them daily that nothing they can ever do will make a difference? Just wondering how consistent you are.

      .

    • emergency mike 5.4
      12 September 2015 at 6:20 pm

      Thing is infused, most people on this blog are New Zealand citizens. As such, we aren’t in much of a position to tell China to do anything. Maybe you could tell them? Or is your comment just another one of your usual useless low brow thinks?

      Over in China, I’m sure that some dick on a blog is saying something like, “If small clean green New Zealand can’t even make that target then we can’t be expected to.”

      Our emissions might be tiny compared to China, but we can make a difference by setting an example that we then challenge others to follow. We have a voice on various international councils that we could be using to highlight and campaign for the plight of those Pacific island neighbours that we supposedly care about.

      But nah, you go ahead and shrug your shoulders and have yourself another ‘nothing we can do’ beer if that works better for you.

    • Lloyd 5.5
      12 September 2015 at 8:57 pm

      My understanding is that the Chinese are doing more to install clean electrical generation than the USA. Anyone got factual data on that? They certainly are installing wind turbines.

    • Macro 5.6
      12 September 2015 at 9:13 pm

      You are aware are you not that China is where the majority of things sold in this world are now made. The western world has simply exported its emissions for production off-shore to China. So stop being a monumental hypocrite. If you want China to stop emitting GHG’s, stop consuming goods made in China, and stop pointing the finger at China and saying we won’t stop until they stop.

  6. Corokia 6
    12 September 2015 at 11:00 am

    Hey Infused, using your logic I don’t need to pay any tax, my personal contribution is miniscule.

    • infused 6.1
      12 September 2015 at 6:05 pm

      No. Your just being retarded.

      • Corokia 6.1.1
        12 September 2015 at 7:25 pm

        Firing off insults doesn’t add anything to the discussion. Your argument is that NZ is tiny compared to China, so what we do doesn’t matter. Same argument for me not to have to pay tax because my contribution is tiny..

  7. Kelly-Ned 7
    12 September 2015 at 11:16 am

    You are all aware that the globe has been steadily cooling for the last 10 years and that CO2 follows warming but doesn’t lead it?
    The people promoting the poor scientific information are dependent upon that inaccurate data to keep their jobs.
    Just saying. Check me if you think I’m wrong.

  8. johnm 8
    12 September 2015 at 11:46 am

    We are already committed to a greater rise than 1.5 or 2degrees global average temperature, more like 4c because the climate is now on the bandwagon with positive feedbacks increasingly activating.

    1.1 Carbon cycle feedbacks
    1.1.1 Arctic methane release
    1.1.1.1 Methane release from melting permafrost peat bogs
    1.1.1.2 Methane release from hydrates
    1.1.2 Abrupt increases in atmospheric methane
    1.1.3 Decomposition
    1.1.4 Peat decomposition
    1.1.5 Rainforest drying
    1.1.6 Forest fires
    1.1.7 Desertification
    1.1.8 Modelling results
    1.1.8.1 Implications for climate policy
    1.2 Cloud feedback
    1.3 Gas release
    1.4 Ice-albedo feedback
    1.5 Water vapor feedback
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_change_feedback

    What Key and Abbott do makes no difference they are straw men for BAU.

    ” We May Have Already Committed Ourselves to 6-Meter Sea-Level Rise ”
    ” Even if humanity were to stop throwing carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere today, a catastrophic rise in sea levels of six meters may be inevitable. Two previous prehistoric interglacial periods, in which the carbon dioxide content of the atmosphere was believed to be about what it is today, resulted in dramatic rising of the oceans. ”
    http://www.counterpunch.org/2015/07/24/we-may-have-already-committed-ourselves-to-6-meter-sea-level-rise/

    http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/175785/tomgram%3A_dahr_jamail,_the_climate_change_scorecard/

    Last Hours : 🙁

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRGVTK-AAvw

    Study: 6th mass extinction already underway — and we’re the cause

    http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/06/20/sixth-mass-extinction-study/29028887/

  9. marty mars 9
    12 September 2015 at 12:25 pm

    It is getting close to when some of these politicians (deleted by author so I don’t get banned for saying violent things about real politicians) on the low tide mark of our cities beaches.

    • RedLogix 9.1
      12 September 2015 at 12:55 pm

      Sighs – you don’t have that on your own. I have to keep self-deleting a lot of thoughts like that as well.

      But here is a thought; maybe in the not too far distant future there will a trials for what will be called ‘climate criminals’.

      • Macro 9.1.1
        12 September 2015 at 1:06 pm

        “maybe in the not too far distant future there will a trials for what will be called ‘climate criminals’.”

        I sincerely hope so.. and abbot, key, harper, the kock’s, singer, and co will be the first to face the judge.

        How abbot and key can stand there and say that our GHG proposals for Paris are “ambitious” defies belief! Bare faced lies at best.

  10. fisiani 10
    12 September 2015 at 2:08 pm

    Climate change induced sea level increases poses a huge threat to most Pacific Islands. They are seeking support for a goal of limiting temperature increases to no more than 1.5 degrees. Australia and New Zealand are insisting on sticking to a goal of no more than 2 degrees even though this will likely mean that many Islands will disappear.

    Do you not know how many islands are in the Pacific?
    When you declare that many islands will disappear how many is many? Three? Four? Let me enlighten you.There are around 25,000 islands in the pacific Islands Only about 6,000-10,000 are inhabited, the rest are either temporary inhabited (for scientists, military, or tourism), too small to be conventionally inhabited, and alot of them are underwater reefs and not actually inhabited except for fish.

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

    Hyperbole does not help any argument and to state that there is a huge threat to MOST Pacific Islands is another example of the patently absurd.

    • One Anonymous Bloke 10.1
      12 September 2015 at 2:47 pm

      A more accurate statement would note the threat to humans and other species. Thanks for that eagle-eyed observation Fis.

      • fisiani 10.1.1
        12 September 2015 at 3:37 pm

        The Left are often guilty of exagerating in the hope that that will bring converts. It just produces sceptisism and distrust. That’s why about 50% of people plump for Honest John over Chicken Little (the sky is falling) and the wannabees. You can get really good odds on Ipredict for a Left victory in 2017. But then again you could have had long odds on Corbyn.

    • mickysavage 10.2
      12 September 2015 at 7:41 pm

      Dickhead. Analyse the consequences for Kiribati and then comment.

      • fisiani 10.2.1
        12 September 2015 at 8:18 pm

        Examine the word many or most then comment. No need for the ad hominen.

        • mickysavage 10.2.1.1
          12 September 2015 at 8:29 pm

          Alert, alert.

          False equivalence alert.

          Fisi asks:

          When you declare that many islands will disappear how many is many?

          But I said no such thing.

          I did say this:

          Some nations like Tuvalu and Kiribati are facing the prospect of disappearing under increasing sea levels caused by climate change.

          And also this …

          If this [Greenland ice sheet melt] occurs then sea levels rise by 6 metres. Good bye Kiribati.

          Of course this may not happen. But if you are talking about devastation of low lying areas the precautionary approach should kick in.

          So I said Tuvalu (average height above sea level 4.6 metres) and Kiribati (average height above sea level 2 metres) may disappear. But I did not say many islands will disappear …

          • One Anonymous Bloke 10.2.1.1.1
            12 September 2015 at 8:48 pm

            Fisiani is a liar? Say it ain’t so! Charity demands that we think of him as a brainless unwitting dupe.

          • fisiani 10.2.1.1.2
            12 September 2015 at 8:56 pm

            Yes you did write many and most. You simply edited the original post. Cheap trick to try to cover up sloppiness.

            [lprent: There are exactly two revisions on that post.

            You should know by now that if you make an assertion, you need to be able to back it.

            I keep ALL revisions of ALL posts for quite some time after they are released to be able to check for issues like this. Others cannot clear them. The post was put up at 08:07. The last revision was at 08:07 seconds before it was posted (and in anycase had nothing like what you are alleging).

            FFS: banned permanently for deliberately and knowingly making up a false allegations about an author. ]

        • fisiani 10.2.1.2
          12 September 2015 at 8:54 pm

          What we’re not prepared to accept are pointless personal attacks, or tone or language that has the effect of excluding others.

          [lprent: You deliberately misquoted Mickey, didn’t deal with it when he called you on it, and tried to misuse the site rules when he called you on it? That is a bad idea. Banned 6 months for being a dickhead.

          Updated: The dickhead lied about MS modifying the post. The revision log shows that he did not. Bye bye fis permanently. ]

  11. Redbaiter 11
    12 September 2015 at 2:08 pm

    NZ Science Media Center

    May 15 2015

    NZers’ attitudes to climate change-

    – Just over half (53%) agree that there is a scientific consensus on climate change

    – Only around half of those polled (49%) agreed they were certain that climate change is really happening, with 24% undecided and 28% disagreeing

    Keep on keeping on doomsayers. This rapidly disintegrating myth will keep you out of office for as long as you persist with it.

    • One Anonymous Bloke 11.1
      12 September 2015 at 2:39 pm

      people feel impotent to act on their own, and there is a perceived lack of government leadership…Financial factors were viewed as the most influential drivers of decisions behind how we act (as individuals) on climate change, with around 15% of New Zealanders claiming cost is a trigger for action compared to only 6% claiming knowledge was a factor.

      No wonder Redbaiter didn’t link: he’s distorted the survey findings. My question is whether he’s doing it deliberately, because he’s fundamentally dishonest, or whether he’s simply a witless parrot.

      In any event, his purpose here is to derail the conversation.

      The study he’s lying about, on the other hand, is worth reading, in that it hints at some possible ways forward.

    • Anne 11.2
      12 September 2015 at 6:17 pm

      Dear boy,
      I would trust 97% of the world’s climate scientists any day to an unacceptably large number of pig-ignorant NZers of which you appear to be one.

      • Bazza 11.2.1
        14 September 2015 at 9:39 am

        Do you do know the source of the 97%? It was a 2 minute survey sent to 10,257 earth scientists. Only 3000 bothered responding. They took the subset of scientists who had more than half of their papers recently accepted by peer-reviewed climate science journals & 97% of them supported the global warming question. Since you quoted the 97% of scientists supported global warming, I guess you know the number which was 75 out of 77 scientists. Science is not a consensus but a study of theories backed up by proven & repeatable tests, basically facts not computer models that have been proven wrong again & again.

        • lprent 11.2.1.1
          14 September 2015 at 12:41 pm

          …but a study of theories backed up by proven & repeatable tests, basically facts not computer models that have been proven wrong again & again.

          And that is where you reveal yourself to be wrong and a complete dingbat about earth sciences.

          The computer models of climate haven’t been “proved wrong” because they were never intended to be perfectly correct. Only gormless idiots like yourself ever suggested that they should be that accurate down to the last 10th of a degree or for a particular minute across in a decades long cyclic model, or to a millimeter.

          What climate models were intended to do was to display the known data about things that affected climate, and produce a measure of the risk of various climatic outcomes. That allowed both the identification of the risk levels for people making political decisions, and it allowed scientists to identify when lower probability outcomes happened so that they could look more closely at those processes.

          They were never intended to be the ‘word of god’ that the blinkered illiterate morons like yourself seem to expect them to be. They are measure of probability – a range of shades of grey, something that black and white bigot like you have problems in understanding. Anything more than a binary choice appears to be beyond you. That is the realm of the other idiots of our culture – computers.

          Now you will probably whine about me describing you accurately. That is because you can’t argue without someone else providing you lines to parrot like a bird brained tape player. Whereas I trained in the relevant science before I turned to being a programmer.

          • Bazza 11.2.1.1.1
            17 September 2015 at 9:55 am

            I hope you are a better programmer than you are on constructing logical arguments which is a worry when programming is highly dependent upon logic. Especially loved the line “That is the realm of the other idiots of our culture – computers.”
            IPCC & politicians are using their computer models to promote global warming so the accuracy of the models are critical to the people of this world.
            From what I have seen none of the computer models predicted the pause, 15 – 18 years depending on the temperature set, in the rise of global temperatures that even the UK Met office have confirmed is occurring.
            What about the prediction of stronger hurricanes hitting the USA.
            So where may they be going wrong with the computer models?
            Dr Kesten Green & Professor Scott Armstrong two, leading experts on forecasting, stated that the modeling procedures the IPCC uses to create their of climate change projections violated 72 of 89 relevant forecasting principles.
            Now this is why the science has to be right, the Western world want to shutdown coal fired power stations & stop 3rd world countries from building them. http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/home-fires-the-worlds-most-lethal-pollution-2192000.html
            Stoves and open fires are the primary means of cooking and heating for nearly three billion people.
            In India, some 400,000 people die each year from the toxic fumes.
            In Africa, 500,000 children under the age of five die from pneumonia attributable to indoor air pollution, according to the WHO.
            And in Afghanistan, smoke from cooking and heating fires killed 20 times as many people in 2010 as did the ongoing conflict.
            Wasting money on flawed computer predictions while millions either die or suffer major health risks every year is criminal.

            • One Anonymous Bloke 11.2.1.1.1.1
              17 September 2015 at 10:41 am

              There wasn’t a pause. If you followed the science you’d know that.

              Ditto for hurricanes.

              I note your self-serving false dichotomy is a false dichotomy.

              • Bazza …
                17 September 2015 at 11:05 am

                UK Met office released a paper in 2013, “Global mean surface temperatures rose rapidly from the 1970s, but have been relatively flat
                over the most recent 15 years to 2013.” Since they are still flat that makes 15 years. According to the National Hurricane Center, 70 major hurricanes struck the United States in the 100 years between 1911 and 2010. That is an average of 7 major hurricane strikes per decade. The last major hurricane strike was in October 2005, so in the last 10 years on average there should have been 7 category 3 or higher hurricanes to strike the USA.

                • One Anonymous Bloke …
                  17 September 2015 at 11:30 am

                  NOAA says nah.

                  Are you aware that “frequency” and “intensity” mean different things? Try a dictionary.

                  • Bazza …
                    17 September 2015 at 12:27 pm

                    2010 12 hurricanes, 5 major. 2011 7 hurricanes, 4 major. 2012 10 hurricanes, 2 major. 2013 2 hurricanes, 0 major. 2014 6 hurricanes, 2 major. 2015 2 hurricanes, 1 major. Definitely look like the intensity & numbers are increasing /sarc. Re the study, key findings are that the frequency & duration have all increased since the early 1980s which is when the satellites started to measure data for hurricanes, what a surprise. Loved the next section of the report where they talked about winter storms where they have increased in frequency and intensity since the 1950s in USA. Now I know why they went from Global Warming to Climate change.

                • lprent …
                  17 September 2015 at 11:55 am

                  Averages and cherry picking specific geographical locations are rather irrelevant when you are dealing with global climate. Most climate patterns involving oceans are measured in decades. So a 30 year period from 1970-2000 might have many processes cycle within it with far more of the resulting events occurring and coinciding. A 15 year period will have far less probability of having that happen.

                  Climate is a fast geological event. But it is slow on human standards. Climate events also contain more energy than humans (especially the ignorant like you) really understand.

                  Just to give you an idea about exactly how timescales and distances that climate operates over – have a look at the el nino effects in aussie. El nino is important because it is a major heat release from the pacific ocean, and one that affects us from half of the world away (unlike the very limited geographical spread in the Atlantic).

                  http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/enso/ninocomp.shtml
                  The 12 strongest el nino events that affected there were in
                  1905 1914 1940 1941 1946 1965 1972 1977 1982 1991 1994 1997.

                  Notice the large gaps and clustering. There was a gap of more than 25 years in the early 20th. A gap of just a year in the 1940s. Trying to do an “average” on so few points is essentially meaningless.

                  If you looked at the effects in different parts of the Pacific land areas, you’d find that different effects happened in different time as at different intensities. It is only by looking at the overall effect in the whole area for any given year, and over decades that you can get any idea what has happened.

                  The same applies in the Atlantic. Heat releases can happen with hurricanes that hit the Caribbean, South America, even Africa, and most never hit land at all. To measure hurricanes by the number that hit the US eastern seaboard is completely stupid. What you are looking at is the prevailing winds. Not the heat releases. If you wanted to look at those, then you’d need to look across the whole Atlantic.

                  On one hand you are comparing averages of two different time durations on long duration cycles, one of which is shorter than many of the climate processes you are measuring. On the other, you cherry pick a single small area out of a much larger affected area.

                  So your comment is meaningless drivel by a scientific idiot. How much more stupid could you be?

                  Please learn to think about the information you are reading rather than being a mindless parrot who unthinkingly squawks it like a mating call done by a peabrained bird.

            • lprent 11.2.1.1.1.2
              17 September 2015 at 12:07 pm

              I have no idea why you think that programming is about logic. It isn’t. But like most of your half-arsed ideas, it appears to be just something you heard somewhere (probably from an elderly relatives what their grandparents understood about 1890 with the Hollerith machines) and never ever bothered to bypass your endemic laziness to think about.

              For the vast majority of what we do when programming it is about being able to visualizing the structure and processes of what we are trying build or maintain, and being very good with languages at various levels for business analysis to writing code and libraries in the language(s) of choice.

              Logic is just a tool that we use when you get down to lowest possible level. When we do write pure logic code, we then stuff it in a library function with a good interface, and then just use it as a building block for decades afterwards.

              And I have to compliment you on your complete lack of logic in another comment. Like this one you have an appalling ability to parrot meaninglessly
              http://thestandard.org.nz/key-and-abbott-are-prepared-to-sacrifice-the-pacific/#comment-1071769

              • Bazza …
                17 September 2015 at 2:19 pm

                So as I said & you agreed programming, the actual process of writing code is logic.

                • lprent …
                  17 September 2015 at 4:37 pm

                  No I didn’t agree. Well over 95% of the work of programming has nothing to do with logic. It has to do with whatever problem you are building systems to solve. Since all but the simplest of those have to do with people, organisations, and network standards (that are decades old and designed for different hardware) that are using the hardware and software a programmer is working on, logic is the very least of the skills that a programmer needs.

                  Besides that logic is very simple compared to the series of greys that the other parts of the system need. The only ‘programmers’ who have a problem with writing logic in code are students. But they have problems with just about everything. Which reminds me, it is nearly bloody Callaghan fund intern time again.

                  BTW: I’d suggest that you never try to put words into my mouth or those of others again. When I am moderating I will ban for that. It is a classic troll fire starter technique. I ban very very hard for people that do that. Logically it is the second most common path to a permanent ban. Read the policy.

                  • Bazza …
                    18 September 2015 at 9:28 am

                    My original comment was “programming is highly dependent upon logic”
                    Please note the words programming & highly dependant.
                    The purpose of programming is to find a sequence of instructions that will automate performing a specific task or solving a given problem.
                    What you do to get to that point I agree with is analysis & requires a variety of soft skills.
                    Now re the banning threat,
                    So your comments to me like these are fair & okay.
                    “So your comment is meaningless drivel by a scientific idiot. How much more stupid could you be?”
                    “rather than being a mindless parrot who unthinkingly squawks it like a mating call done by a peabrained bird.”
                    “blinkered illiterate morons like yourself”
                    “something that black and white bigot like you have problems in understanding”
                    “providing you lines to parrot like a bird brained tape player”
                    “But like most of your half-arsed ideas, it appears to be just something you heard somewhere (probably from an elderly relatives what their grandparents understood about 1890 with the Hollerith machines) and never ever bothered to bypass your endemic laziness to think about.”
                    I read the policy & where do your comments to me fit in relationship to “What we’re not prepared to accept are pointless personal attacks”
                    Have a good day & this will be my last comment on this site.

  12. One Anonymous Bloke 12
    12 September 2015 at 4:29 pm

    “Key and Abbott are prepared to sacrifice the Pacific”

    No, they aren’t. If there’s anything that can be learned from the politics of AGW it’s that our “leaders” are ill-prepared.

  13. Bill 13
    12 September 2015 at 4:33 pm

    The Pacific, along with much else, has already been sacrificed.

    2 degrees is in the rear view mirror and the 1.5 degree call by Pacific Island leaders confuses me. Any call to limit future warming that doesn’t take latency into account is just plain fcking stupid….calls for 1.5 or 2 degrees essentially come into that category now.

    John key and Abbot aren’t sacrificing the Pacific – they’re maintaining a comfortable myth about future prospects (something about having cake and eating it). That makes them something far worse than stupid.

    • Macro 13.1
      12 September 2015 at 5:00 pm

      Totally agree bill. there is no way we can limit warming to less than 2 degrees – we already have 1 degree now and more to come even if we stopped emitting GHG today! Sea level with 400 ppm as it was 25 million years ago is at least 11 m above current levels – just how long that will take is of course moot. But WAIS and Greenland are unstable and the rise could be quite quick (decades not centuries) if those two go.

      For those who wish to read further:
      http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=4699
      Significant sea level rise a certainty.

        • Macro 13.1.1.1
          12 September 2015 at 6:10 pm

          🙂 hehehe – maybe I might move there – if it wasn’t for their gun laws, and a political system even more idiotic than ours. Oh! and a crap health system, and an incarceration rate higher than anywhere in the world, and killing people who kill people because killing people is wrong, and….
          Nah! I’ll take my chances here – I’m 75m above sea level at the moment.

          • lprent 13.1.1.1.1
            13 September 2015 at 12:28 am

            I’m 87m above sealevel. Provided East Antarctica doesn’t melt significantly and unexpectedly (they’re still looking at that) this place should be safe from sea level rises. The increased storm activity and severity might cause issues though.

            At this point, based on the known geological evidence about previous melts, the Greenland and the West Antarctica ice sheets have a significant risk of collapsing in the next 50-200 years (geological evidence can’t resolve teeny time periods). Certainly that is what appears to be happening. I’d pick Greenland as being largely ice free at the end of summer in a few more decades. West Antarctica is starting to look damn fragile with the water intrusions. As usual the IPCA is way too conservative.

            East Antarctica looks more stable. But since the geological evidence of such a catastrophic melts is sparse, we really don’t know.

            • Pasupial 13.1.1.1.1.1
              13 September 2015 at 1:13 am

              LPrent & Macro

              You personally may inhabit land that is sufficiently elevated to escape submersion. However, you have to ask yourself; what about the roads and other infrastructure that supply you with resources? Unless you also have many solar panels, satellite feeds, and some means to produce food, then you are going to be as starving and cutoff as any other climate refugee.

              It may not be your intention, but I’ve often heard people say that they’ll be alright when the deluge comes because they’re far up enough to escape the waves. This seems to be fundamentally missing the point that the social and economic collapse caused by climate change will have a far quicker impact on most peoples lives than the water itself. Especially; “the increased storm activity and severity”, that will make horticulture difficult.

              • Macro …
                13 September 2015 at 3:24 pm

                “However, you have to ask yourself; what about the roads and other infrastructure that supply you with resources?”
                Yes I’m well aware of that P. I was being facetious – the Thames coast road – one of my favourite stretches of NZ known as the pohutukawa Coast will be inundated and impassible. The wetlands I and 20 others are planting next to the new Kopu Bridge will be gone, and the sea bird coast and feeding grounds for the Godwits before their epic flight north to their breeding grounds in Alaska will also be lost. (ps I saw a white heron just the other day – my third sighting – rather special)
                The Hauraki Plains are particularly under threat and even now with constant argriculture, the land (what was the largest North Island wetland/swamp and 9 m of peat) is sinking at the rate of around 10cm per decade. The land is also suffering from rising salinity and will soon be desert. So much for our sustainability! As for the “rivers” that drain into the Firth, they are now more like sewers and the breeding grounds for snapper and other fish in the area is now so polluted the fish stocks of the Hauraki Gulf are at around one 10th of what they were even 50 years ago. Only the dog fish (small sharks) remain.

    • mickysavage 13.2
      12 September 2015 at 7:42 pm

      I am afraid you are right. I would hope that our leader could at least be aspirational …

  14. Smilin 14
    12 September 2015 at 4:56 pm

    Well it shows again the arrogance and contrived ignorance of both PMs the jobs are climate changed u pair of bent bastards

  15. weston 15
    12 September 2015 at 6:25 pm

    the sight of the three freaks in designer suits in the vid above is paticularly sickening given their power and total lack of empathy for the pacific islanders Three evil clones could be an apt title for them .I learned a long time ago never trust a man in a suit and i sure wouldnt trust that lot !!!

  16. Mike the Savage One 16
    12 September 2015 at 7:36 pm

    The world is ruled by many dinosaur minded idiots, I observe.

    Abbott stunned me before, with his total stupidity, and Key seems keen to compete with Abbott for who is the “better” climate change denier. Yesterday he was quoted on TV as being not so sure whether sea level rise would be the major risk to Pacific island states.

    A priority for Kim John Key is always to have his face on the front page of a paper or other media report:
    http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/south-pacific/71939731/john-key-front-page-news-in-papua-new-guinea

    As for climate change and any threat to the South Pacific, Mr Key seems little moved, rather busy with more fishing quota deals:
    http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/pacific/283938/little-movement-on-climate-at-pacific-islands-forum

    As for human rights, more “pass” by the Shining Leader of Aotearoa NZ Inc:
    “Human rights abuses in West Papua were also up for discussion at the retreat and Key’s view that a fact-finding mission wasn’t needed hadn’t changed.”
    (see the stuff.co article)

    Most important is this coverage of our Shining Leader of Greatest Wisdom:
    https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/world/-i-look-nice-key-enjoying-his-coverage-in-png-media-as-islands-slam-nz-policies-q10079

    Do not mess with the Great Leader, he has POWERFUL friends, so sleep well, dear NZers.

    And do NOT forget, to shop at Bunnies, Hammer Software, Mitre Zero and get your gear for the weekend, besides of all the specials at Countdumb and Pak’n Slave, where there are many specials, infotainment and infomercials free to view on all channels, through the night and into the mornings.

  17. Mike the Savage One 17
    12 September 2015 at 7:51 pm

    Just keep a watch on when Master Kim John Key will put his beach house at Omaha on the market! That will send you the informed warning signals, that also many beach properties in New Zealand will face erosion and further flooding in the not too distant future:

    http://www.omahabeach.co.nz/tonkin-and-taylor-report.php

    “In July 2005 Rodney District Council adopted the Tonkin & Taylor Report which required information be placed on Land Information Memorandum (LIM) reports of many Omaha properties highlighting possible flood risk.”

    Mr Key is rather “hum” on this, so I suppose, he has a plan, a well worked out plan, following advice by respected Tonkin and Taylor and others, to do the right thing, in the right time, to exit when and where needed, so he can prepare his one way flight to probably better elevated islands territory in Hawaii.

    And for those islanders who have not bothered “saving” and “preparing” for the future, stuff them, Mr Abbott and his Immigration Minister made that very clear.

  18. Mike the Savage One 18
    12 September 2015 at 8:11 pm

    St Stephen’s Ave in Parnell in Auckland, including number 107, are more elevated than Omaha Beach, so Key is SAFE there, and I wonder, how high his Hawaiian home is above sea. I am sure he will have considered it all, being a smart calculator, for his and his family’s own sake:

    “The Keys returned to build a $5 million mansion in St Stephens Ave – “the house that Merrill built”, John would call it. They had a beach house at Omaha north of Auckland, they kept their London house and they bought a Hawaiian holiday home for a reported US$3.2 million in the exclusive Wailea resort on Maui.”

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10543277
    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11281699

    PS: I once lived in the area, and St Stephen’s Ave is fairly elevated.

    So again, those “islanders” better learn to make smart decisions, like a “smart” currency trader did.

  19. Lloyd 19
    12 September 2015 at 9:19 pm

    Couple of points no-one else has made.

    Higher CO2 levels are making the oceans more acidic. Destroying corals and fisheries with acid sea might affect pacific island nations more or faster than the sea level rising. (Cyclones and Tsunamis raise the sand level on atolls}

    Global climate change is likely to make most o Australia drier. New Zealand may be faced with a version of the Syrian Crisis (drought is part of the Syrian problem), except our refugees will be Aussies, looking for a wetter climate. Abbott is a bird shitting in his own nest. Key is just a silly seagull.

    If the atolls survive it might be Aussie refugees pleading to land on atoll nations,

    • Macro 19.1
      12 September 2015 at 9:27 pm

      We already have an influx of Australian farmers heading here forced off their farms in Aussie because of persistent drought – anecdotal at this stage, but more than one or two.

  20. katipo 20
    13 September 2015 at 4:52 pm

    From the Independent.
    “Climate change talks in Paris our ‘last chance’, say Pacific islands: ‘This is not politics, it’s survival’
    The Pacific island nations whose very existence is threatened by rising sea levels have issued a desperate plea to Australia and New Zealand, their energy-guzzling neighbours, and the wider world”….

    http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/climate-change-talks-our-last-chance-say-pacific-islands-this-is-not-politics-its-survival-10490376.html

  21. fisiani 21
    13 September 2015 at 4:52 pm

    Read the heading on the homepage.
    The words many and most are clearly there.
    How can you claim you did not write them?

    [lprent: FFS: So it appears that you are saying you read the excerpt and never actually read the post? That is bad enough. But your allegation said quite clearly (my italics)

    Yes you did write many and most. You simply edited the original post. Cheap trick to try to cover up sloppiness.

    You notice that? You alleged that he edited the post after it was posted. That is clearly a lie. Now you are saying what? The excerpt was the only thing you read? That the excerpt wasn’t edited after the post was posted?

    The excerpt is not the post. The excerpt has to be a very small number of words, usually 50 to 60 maximum. In this post, it was a précis in 59 words of a post of 760 words. It is highly unlikely to put the full argument in the excerpt, which is why we generally don’t write posts of 59 words, but instead write posts of hundreds of words.

    Nothing about the post, including its excerpt, was changed after its publication to “cover up” what he wrote. That is what you alleged and that is what you finally got banned for.

    Excerpts are are not posts. They are teasers to get people interested enough to read the post and its details. They are not there for fuckwits like you to make false accusations about the actions of our authors because you screwed up and didn’t actually read what they wrote in the post.

    Even more than ever, it is pretty damn clear that the reasons for your ban were entirely your own lazy fault for not reading the post. ]

  22. Chez 22
    14 September 2015 at 5:05 pm

    “Realistically, you’re so far into the future that’s not an issue that we’re going to face in the next year or two,” he said.

    The words that comes out of JK’s mouth does not surprise me anymore. This guy we call the “leader” of our great nation thinks that climate change is nothing to worry about at least not for the next year or two. Climate change was doomed to happen, although it is a slow process it is not something that we can ignore or move to the side for the mean while. Think back to the years 2002-2004 when a whole village had to be relocated inland in Vanuatu. Anyone remember that? It was a cause of a tectonic subsidence and sea level rise. That is just one of the many examples of the warning signs that mother nature is telling us!! Many problems has already occurred in the past proving that it will most likely to occur again in the near future. So what I am trying to say is that NO Mr. Key you’re not being realistic at all if you think that this problem is so far into the future that we don’t have to worry about it for now!

    If JK is so worried about economic growth then maybe he may need to wake up and realise that we (New Zealand) is also surrounded by water and we all know that Antarctica is slowly melting too. “The precise measurements suggest West Antarctica shed some 209 billion metric tons (230 billion tons) of ice each year between 2009 and 2012” (Oskin,B.2014). So we should consider our Pacific neighbours cry for help because we could end up being in the same position. At the end of the day you can’t take wealth to the grave with you.

    • Brent 22.1
      16 September 2015 at 10:57 am

      Honestly I have no idea why Key hasn’t been impeached by the House of Commons yet.

      [lprent: We don’t have a House of Commons perhaps? We have a House of Representatives. We have not been a colony of the UK for quite some time.

      BTW: all new handles and ’email’ combinations require a moderator to release them. Wait as there is no need to create a different handle. It simply makes you look suspicious to moderators as trying to use multiple psuedonyms just makes you look like a troll. Both of your pseudonym’s comments have been approved with probation. This means that any new comments by you will require moderator approval. I suggest that you pick which single handle you wish to use. And read the policy and the about.

      Once you have a comment approved without probation you will be free to post comments at will, but always subject to the policies of this site. ]

    • Sarah 22.2
      16 September 2015 at 11:13 am

      Given that the vast majority of New Zealanders and Australians have access to the internet, I don’t see any more excuses turning a blind eye to the detrimental effects and predictable results of CC. Wait no longer and educate everyone you know and/or set as an example. NZ’s recent protest against the secrecy of the TPPA deal reached the surface of global news. Why don’t we stop waiting on these clowns to do something and support the movement ourselves.

    • John Cena 22.3
      16 September 2015 at 2:00 pm

      If we’re talking about survival here and are inevitably approaching doomsday, people like Key and Abbott might just be playing their cards correctly.

      No one had a choice where to be conceived nor which socioeconomic state one would begin his/her life – and despite these two factors, there are plenty of success stories of families and individuals fleeing to much more stable governances for a brighter looking future financially. Clap clap to them.

      Yes, I agree we have had many warnings in the hundred years that’s passed, however the numbers show there is no stopping to the rise of the global temperatures. Where to put the blame? Procreating frenzy (poor family planning or due to treating children as future investments) which results to demands of natural resources increasing exponentially, Pop culture nurturing our young ones, and(but not limited to) the sum of the middle to upper class population’s greed.

      We as a specie, had plenty of time to mend our planet’s wounds. We still have a chance, though only very little. At the end of the day (today), John Key is still our Prime Minister, taking in refugees is not an ideal action for him. He is well aware a huge sum of the NZ population are very unhappy with the way he’s governing the country. And with more refugees moving into the country, someone is bound to complain – either the refugees struggling to get employed(when the time comes they have to jump in to the NZ workforce) or the citizens of NZ complaining about all these refugees taking “their” jobs. Either way it’s going to be interesting.

      • Chez 22.3.1
        19 September 2015 at 12:37 pm

        Interesting argument you have put up there “John Cena”. You have mentioned that there is only one thing to blame for the damages to our earth and that is.. “Procreating frenzy (poor family planning or due to treating children as future investments) which results to demands of natural resources increasing exponentially”.

        You cannot blame CC solely on procreating ! Everyone of us has been a significant part of this damage! either by turning our cars every morning or chopping down trees. I personally think It is very ignorant of you to blame it on procreating and calling it a “frenzy”. Some people hold dearly religious beliefs which they believe in bringing every human being into this world if God is willing . This means that abortion or any kinds of contraceptive is not an option (but lets not get onto this topic for now as it could get very catty soon enough!)

        What I’m trying to say is that we as individual human beings are all to blame for climate change , just because it has not affected our country YET. does not mean it is not our “fault” and that we should not help our pacific neighbours! Or would you rather wait until we are affected too and then change your opinion about this decision????

        • John Cena 22.3.1.1
          20 September 2015 at 9:42 pm

          How come you only focussed on only one out of my other named culprits of climate change? with my two other culprits, I’ve figured I’m also pointing fingers at the middle class and the upper class citizens. So yes, in my response I am saying, and I will be blunt this time around, it is us, the humans, who’ve added too much salt and lemon to the wound.

          We are the predators who became pests. We shall go through another extinction and there will be new dominant species to run the next generation of Earth life, that is, if by that time the sun is not twice as hot as it is currently and our planet still isn’t a ball of Lava.

          We accept the refugees or not, we will all end up with the same fate. What’s important now, is how much sympathy does the NZ government have for these refugees.

  23. Olga 23
    14 September 2015 at 11:44 pm

    Surely, John Key could perhaps do a bit more to show a little more empathy towards the whole refugee crisis. What can be translated from his statement about the climate refugee situation is the lack of urgency and priority towards them. The future of these people rely on the “now”. The future cannot wait as its actions rely on the present’s doings. Maybe New Zealand’s investment into the Pacific’s development on sustainable energy should be reviewed. Potentially because it might not be alleviating these sinking island atolls from the harsh tremors of the global warming effects. Is John Key doing enough?

    His leadership ought to show where his weaknesses lie and what with the rejection of raising the Syrian refugee quota to more than 750? However, New Zealand has not increased its refugee quota since it was first set at 800 almost 30 years ago, in 1987.

    Yes, his reasoning provides that we as a country have been allowing refugee immigration for quite a long period of time. Also Key’s self-held belief that if New Zealand were to invite the influx of refugee immigrants into its country, then it would need to better its services before increasing the intake. To add more salt to the wound, these same Syrian refugees must face much harsher plights as human beings fighting for a means of survival like literally. Whilst we citizens might also fight for a means of survival in differing contexts, what must be noted is that refugees fleeing these war zones in particular must now fight twice as hard to maintain basic necessities which we might be so privileged to. Things like security, shelter, food and emotional understanding are all jeopardized. Yet even its nearby bordering countries are so unwilling to accept them to the extent that Hungary vows to arrest refugees who come into contact. With a crisis like this concerning refugees, the most humane thing that could be done is look into the issues and do something about it. After all, these are other human beings who just like us have a right to the basic needs in life. And thus, the quota of the Syrian refugee intake should be doubled. This begs a clear cut but evocative question; What if we were in refugee’s shoes?

  24. Philj 24
    17 September 2015 at 5:27 pm

    Well at least Abbot can now go and fight a few more forest fires this summer. With the extra time he has…

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    Newsroom has a story today about National's (fortunately failed) effort to disestablish the newly-created Inspector-General of Defence. The creation of this agency was the key recommendation of the Inquiry into Operation Burnham, and a vital means of restoring credibility and social licence to an agency which had been caught lying ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 day ago

  • Winding Back The Hands Of History’s Clock.
    Holding On To The Present: The moment a political movement arises that attacks the whole idea of social progress, and announces its intention to wind back the hands of History’s clock, then democracy, along with its unwritten rules, is in mortal danger.IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 day ago

  • Sweet Moderation? What Christopher Luxon Could Learn From The Germans.
    Stuck In The Middle With You: As Christopher Luxon feels the hot breath of Act’s and NZ First’s extremists on the back of his neck and, as he reckons with the damage their policies are already inflicting upon a country he’s described as “fragile”, is there not some merit in reaching out ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 day ago

  • A clear warning
    The unpopular coalition government is currently rushing to repeal section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act. The clause is Oranga Tamariki's Treaty clause, and was inserted after its systematic stealing of Māori children became a public scandal and resulted in physical resistance to further abductions. The clause created clear obligations ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago

  • Poll results and Waitangi Tribunal report go unmentioned on the Beehive website – where racing tru...
    Buzz  from the Beehive The government’s official website – which Point of Order monitors daily – not for the first time has nothing much to say today about political happenings that are grabbing media headlines. It makes no mention of the latest 1News-Verian poll, for example.  This shows National down ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago

  • Listening To The Traffic.
    It Takes A Train To Cry: Surely, there is nothing lonelier in all this world than the long wail of a distant steam locomotive on a cold Winter’s night.AS A CHILD, I would lie awake in my grandfather’s house and listen to the traffic. The big wooden house was only a ...
    Bowalley Road
    2 days ago

  • Comity Be Damned! The State’s Legislative Arm Is Flexing Its Constitutional Muscles.
    Packing A Punch: The election of the present government, including in its ranks politicians dedicated to reasserting the rights of the legislature in shaping and determining the future of Māori and Pakeha in New Zealand, should have alerted the judiciary – including its anomalous appendage, the Waitangi Tribunal – that its ...
    Bowalley Road
    2 days ago

  • Ending The Quest.
    Dead Woman Walking: New Zealand’s media industry had been moving steadily towards disaster for all the years Melissa Lee had been National’s media and communications policy spokesperson, and yet, when the crisis finally broke, on her watch, she had nothing intelligent to offer. Christopher Luxon is a patient man - but he’s not ...
    Bowalley Road
    2 days ago

  • Will political polarisation intensify to the point where ‘normal’ government becomes impossible,...
    Chris Trotter writes –  New Zealand politics is remarkably easy-going: dangerously so, one might even say. With the notable exception of John Key’s flat ruling-out of the NZ First Party in 2008, all parties capable of clearing MMP’s five-percent threshold, or winning one or more electorate seats, tend ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Bernard’s pick 'n' mix for Tuesday, April 30
    TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:30am on Tuesday, May 30:Scoop: NZ 'close to the tipping point' of measles epidemic, health experts warn NZ Herald Benjamin PlummerHealth: 'Absurd and totally unacceptable': Man has to wait a year for ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Why Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating in the country
    Bryce Edwards writes – Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Worst poll result for a new Government in MMP history
    Luxon will no doubt put a brave face on it, but there is no escaping the pressure this latest poll will put on him and the government. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Pinning down climate change's role in extreme weather
    This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler In the wake of any unusual weather event, someone inevitably asks, “Did climate change cause this?” In the most literal sense, that answer is almost always no. Climate change is never the sole cause of hurricanes, heat waves, droughts, or ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago

  • Serving at Seymour's pleasure.
    Something odd happened yesterday, and I’d love to know if there’s more to it. If there was something which preempted what happened, or if it was simply a throwaway line in response to a journalist.Yesterday David Seymour was asked at a press conference what the process would be if the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago

  • Webworm LA Pop-Up
    Hi,From time to time, I want to bring Webworm into the real world. We did it last year with the Jurassic Park event in New Zealand — which was a lot of fun!And so on Saturday May 11th, in Los Angeles, I am hosting a lil’ Webworm pop-up! I’ve been ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago

  • “Feel good” school is out
    Education Minister Erica Standford yesterday unveiled a fundamental reform of the way our school pupils are taught. She would not exactly say so, but she is all but dismantling the so-called “inquiry” “feel good” method of teaching, which has ruled in our classrooms since a major review of the New ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago

  • 6 Months in, surely our Report Card is “Ignored all warnings: recommend dismissal ASAP”?
    Exactly where are we seriously going with this government and its policies? That is, apart from following what may as well be a Truss-Lite approach on the purported economic “plan“, and Victorian-era regression when it comes to social policy. Oh it’ll work this time of course, we’re basically assured, “the ...
    exhALANtBy exhalantblog
    2 days ago

  • Bread, and how it gets buttered
    Hey Uncle Dave, When the Poms joined the EEC, I wasn't one of those defeatists who said, Well, that’s it for the dairy job. And I was right, eh? The Chinese can’t get enough of our milk powder and eventually, the Poms came to their senses and backed up the ute ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Why Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating in the country
    Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is higher than for any other mayor ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    2 days ago

  • Justice for Gaza?
    The New York Times reports that the International Criminal Court is about to issue arrest warrants for Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, over their genocide in Gaza: Israeli officials increasingly believe that the International Criminal Court is preparing to issue arrest warrants for senior government officials on ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago

  • If there has been any fiddling with Pharmac’s funding, we can count on Paula to figure out the fis...
    Buzz from the Beehive Pharmac has been given a financial transfusion and a new chair to oversee its spending in the pharmaceutical business. Associate Health Minister David Seymour described the funding for Pharmac as “its largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff”. ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • FastTrackWatch – The case for the Government’s Fast Track Bill
    Bryce Edwards writes – Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Bernard’s pick 'n' mix for Monday, April 29
    TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:10am on Monday, April 29:Scoop: The children's ward at Rotorua Hospital will be missing a third of its beds as winter hits because Te Whatu Ora halted an upgrade partway through to ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on Iran killing its rappers, and searching for the invisible Dr. Reti
    span class=”dropcap”>As hideous as David Seymour can be, it is worth keeping in mind occasionally that there are even worse political figures (and regimes) out there. Iran for instance, is about to execute the country’s leading hip hop musician Toomaj Salehi, for writing and performing raps that “corrupt” the nation’s ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    3 days ago

  • Auckland Rail Electrification 10 years old
    Yesterday marked 10 years since the first electric train carried passengers in Auckland so it’s a good time to look back at it and the impact it has had. A brief history The first proposals for rail electrification in Auckland came in the 1920’s alongside the plans for earlier ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    3 days ago

  • Coalition's dirge of austerity and uncertainty is driving the economy into a deeper recession
    Right now, in Aotearoa-NZ, our ‘animal spirits’ are darkening towards a winter of discontent, thanks at least partly to a chorus of negative comments and actions from the Government Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Disability Funding or Tax Cuts.
    You make people evil to punish the paststuck inside a sequel with a rotating castThe following photos haven’t been generated with AI, or modified in any way. They are flesh and blood, human beings. On the left is Galatea Young, a young mum, and her daughter Fiadh who has Angelman ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • Of the Goodness of Tolkien’s Eru
    April has been a quiet month at A Phuulish Fellow. I have had an exceptionally good reading month, and a decently productive writing month – for original fiction, anyway – but not much has caught my eye that suggested a blog article. It has been vaguely frustrating, to be honest. ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    3 days ago

  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #17
    A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 21, 2024 thru Sat, April 27, 2024. Story of the week Anthropogenic climate change may be the ultimate shaggy dog story— but with a twist, because here ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago

  • Pastor Who Abused People, Blames People
    Hi,I spent about a year on Webworm reporting on an abusive megachurch called Arise, and it made me want to stab my eyes out with a fork.I don’t regret that reporting in 2022 and 2023 — I am proud of it — but it made me angry.Over three main stories ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    3 days ago

  • Vic Uni shows how under threat free speech is
    The new Victoria University Vice-Chancellor decided to have a forum at the university about free speech and academic freedom as it is obviously a topical issue, and the Government is looking at legislating some carrots or sticks for universities to uphold their obligations under the Education and Training Act. They ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Winston remembers Gettysburg.
    Do you remember when Melania Trump got caught out using a speech that sounded awfully like one Michelle Obama had given? Uncannily so.Well it turns out that Abraham Lincoln is to Winston Peters as Michelle was to Melania. With the ANZAC speech Uncle Winston gave at Gallipoli having much in ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • 25
    She was born 25 years ago today in North Shore hospital. Her eyes were closed tightly shut, her mouth was silently moving. The whole theatre was all quiet intensity as they marked her a 2 on the APGAR test. A one-minute eternity later, she was an 8.  The universe was ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • Fact Brief – Is Antarctica gaining land ice?
    Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park in collaboration with members from our Skeptical Science team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is Antarctica gaining land ice? ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago

  • Policing protests.
    Images of US students (and others) protesting and setting up tent cities on US university campuses have been broadcast world wide and clearly demonstrate the growing rifts in US society caused by US policy toward Israel and Israel’s prosecution of … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    5 days ago

  • Open letter to Hon Paul Goldsmith
    Barrie Saunders writes – Dear Paul As the new Minister of Media and Communications, you will be inundated with heaps of free advice and special pleading, all in the national interest of course. For what it’s worth here is my assessment: Traditional broadcasting free to air content through ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: FastTrackWatch – The Case for the Government’s Fast Track Bill
    Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its arguments for such a bold reform. ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    5 days ago

  • Luxon gets out his butcher’s knife – briefly
    Peter Dunne writes –  The great nineteenth British Prime Minister, William Gladstone, once observed that “the first essential for a Prime Minister is to be a good butcher.” When a later British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, sacked a third of his Cabinet in July 1962, in what became ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • More tax for less
    Ele Ludemann writes – New Zealanders had the OECD’s second highest tax increase last year: New Zealanders faced the second-biggest tax raises in the developed world last year, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) says. The intergovernmental agency said the average change in personal income tax ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Real News vs Fake News.
    We all know something’s not right with our elections. The spread of misinformation, people being targeted with soundbites and emotional triggers that ignore the facts, even the truth, and influence their votes.The use of technology to produce deep fakes. How can you tell if something is real or not? Can ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • Another way to roll
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.Share ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago

  • Simon Clark: The climate lies you'll hear this year
    This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Simon Clark. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). This year you will be lied to! Simon Clark helps prebunk some misleading statements you'll hear about climate. The video includes ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago

  • Cutting the Public Service
    It is all very well cutting the backrooms of public agencies but it may compromise the frontlines. One of the frustrations of the Productivity Commission’s 2017 review of universities is that while it observed that their non-academic staff were increasing faster than their academic staff, it did not bother to ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    5 days ago

  • Luxon’s demoted ministers might take comfort from the British politician who bounced back after th...
    Buzz from the Beehive Two speeches delivered by Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters at Anzac Day ceremonies in Turkey are the only new posts on the government’s official website since the PM announced his Cabinet shake-up. In one of the speeches, Peters stated the obvious:  we live in a troubled ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • This is how I roll over
    1. Which of these would you not expect to read in The Waikato Invader?a. Luxon is here to do business, don’t you worry about thatb. Mr KPI expects results, and you better believe itc. This decisive man of action is getting me all hot and excitedd. Melissa Lee is how ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago

  • The Waitangi Tribunal is not “a roving Commission”…
    …it has a restricted jurisdiction which must not be abused: it is not an inquisition   NOTE – this article was published before the High Court ruled that Karen Chhour does not have to appear before the Waitangi Tribunal Gary Judd writes –  The High Court ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Is Oranga Tamariki guilty of neglect?
    Lindsay Mitchell writes – One of reasons Oranga Tamariki exists is to prevent child neglect. But could the organisation itself be guilty of the same? Oranga Tamariki’s statistics show a decrease in the number and age of children in care. “There are less children ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Three Strikes saw lower reoffending
    David Farrar writes: Graeme Edgeler wrote in 2017: In the first five years after three strikes came into effect 5248 offenders received a ‘first strike’ (that is, a “stage-1 conviction” under the three strikes sentencing regime), and 68 offenders received a ‘second strike’. In the five years prior to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Luxon’s ruthless show of strength is perfect for our angry era
    Bryce Edwards writes – Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in politics. That’s refreshing and will be extremely ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • 'Lacks attention to detail and is creating double-standards.'
    TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the two days to 6:06am on Thursday, April 25:Politics: PM Christopher Luxon has set up a dual standard for ministerial competence by demoting two National Cabinet ministers while leaving also-struggling ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

  • One Night Only!
    Hi,Today I mainly want to share some of your thoughts about the recent piece I wrote about success and failure, and the forces that seemingly guide our lives. But first, a quick bit of housekeeping: I am doing a Webworm popup in Los Angeles on Saturday May 11 at 2pm. ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago

  • What did Melissa Lee do?
    It is hard to see what Melissa Lee might have done to “save” the media. National went into the election with no public media policy and appears not to have developed one subsequently. Lee claimed that she had prepared a policy paper before the election but it had been decided ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    6 days ago

  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #17 2024
    Open access notables Ice acceleration and rotation in the Greenland Ice Sheet interior in recent decades, Løkkegaard et al., Communications Earth & Environment: In the past two decades, mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet has accelerated, partly due to the speedup of glaciers. However, uncertainty in speed derived from satellite products ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago

  • Maori Party (with “disgust”) draws attention to Chhour’s race after the High Court rules on Wa...
    Buzz from the Beehive A statement from Children’s Minister Karen Chhour – yet to be posted on the Government’s official website – arrived in Point of Order’s email in-tray last night. It welcomes the High Court ruling on whether the Waitangi Tribunal can demand she appear before it. It does ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    7 days ago

  • Who’s Going Up The Media Mountain?
    Mr Bombastic: Ironically, the media the academic experts wanted is, in many ways, the media they got. In place of the tyrannical editors of yesteryear, advancing without fear or favour the interests of the ruling class; the New Zealand news media of today boasts a troop of enlightened journalists dedicated to ...
    Bowalley Road
    7 days ago

  • “That's how I roll”
    It's hard times try to make a livingYou wake up every morning in the unforgivingOut there somewhere in the cityThere's people living lives without mercy or pityI feel good, yeah I'm feeling fineI feel better then I have for the longest timeI think these pills have been good for meI ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    7 days ago

  • “Comity” versus the rule of law
    In 1974, the US Supreme Court issued its decision in United States v. Nixon, finding that the President was not a King, but was subject to the law and was required to turn over the evidence of his wrongdoing to the courts. It was a landmark decision for the rule ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago

  • Aotearoa: a live lab for failed Right-wing socio-economic zombie experiments once more…
    Every day now just seems to bring in more fresh meat for the grinder. In their relentlessly ideological drive to cut back on the “excessive bloat” (as they see it) of the previous Labour-led government, on the mountains of evidence accumulated in such a short period of time do not ...
    exhALANtBy exhalantblog
    1 week ago

  • Water is at the heart of farmers’ struggle to survive in Benin
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Megan Valére Sosou Market gardening site of the Itchèléré de Itagui agricultural cooperative in Dassa-Zoumè (Image credit: Megan Valère Sossou) For the residents of Dassa-Zoumè, a city in the West African country of Benin, choosing between drinking water and having enough ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

  • At a time of media turmoil, Melissa had nothing to proclaim as Minister – and now she has been dem...
    Buzz from the Beehive   Melissa Lee – as may be discerned from the screenshot above – has not been demoted for doing something seriously wrong as Minister of ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 week ago

  • Minister acknowledges passing of Sir Robert Martin (KNZM)
    New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    10 hours ago

  • Speech to New Zealand Institute of International Affairs, Parliament – Annual Lecture: Challenges ...
    Good evening –   Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    10 hours ago

  • Accelerating airport security lines
    From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago

  • Community hui to talk about kina barrens
    People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    18 hours ago

  • Kiwi exporters win as NZ-EU FTA enters into force
    Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    18 hours ago

  • Mining resurgence a welcome sign
    There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago

  • Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill passes first reading
    The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Government to boost public EV charging network
    Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure.  The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Residential Property Managers Bill to not progress
    The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Independent review into disability support services
    The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Justice Minister updates UN on law & order plan
    Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Ending emergency housing motels in Rotorua
    The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Trade Minister travels to Riyadh, OECD, and Dubai
    Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Education priorities focused on lifting achievement
    Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • NZTA App first step towards digital driver licence
    The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say.  “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Supporting whānau out of emergency housing
    Whānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Tribute to Dave O'Sullivan
    Racing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave O’Sullivan (OBE). “Our sympathies are with the O’Sullivan family with the sad news of Dave O’Sullivan’s recent passing,” Mr Peters says. “His contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Speech – Eid al-Fitr
    Assalaamu alaikum, greetings to you all. Eid Mubarak, everyone! I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and everyone celebrating this joyous occasion. It is a pleasure to be here. I have enjoyed Eid celebrations at Parliament before, but this is my first time joining you as the Minister ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Government saves access to medicines
    Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced Pharmac’s largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff.    “Access to medicines is a crucial part of many Kiwis’ lives. We’ve committed to a budget allocation of $1.774 billion over four years so Kiwis are ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Pharmac Chair appointed
    Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Taking action on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
    Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says.  “Every day, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
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