Key’s gone …

Written By: - Date published: 12:59 pm, December 5th, 2016 - 469 comments
Categories: john key, national - Tags:

john-key-work-here-is-done

John Key has announced that he will be standing down as Prime Minister from December 12, 2016. May the National Caucus civil war begin …

469 comments on “Key’s gone … ”

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  1. AsleepWhileWalking 1
    5 December 2016 at 1:04 pm

    OMG. Health issues I bet. Guilt does that.

    • James Thrace 1.1
      5 December 2016 at 1:28 pm

      Allegedly he had an affair with [deleted]

      [lprent: FFS. Banned for 2 weeks. ]

      • Muttonbird 1.1.1
        5 December 2016 at 1:40 pm

        Oooooh. Do tell.

        • James Thrace 1.1.1.1
          5 December 2016 at 1:44 pm

          Not much to tell. Bronagh obviously got to his text messages before he deleted them. 😀

      • Newbie 1.1.2
        5 December 2016 at 3:24 pm

        I heard Bronagh was sick of cleaning Max’s car while John was away.

      • Rae 1.1.3
        5 December 2016 at 9:37 pm

        Paul Henry, it was Paul Henry, wasn’t it, and they are running away together, Paul Henry is winding up as well. Well, who’da thunk it?

      • Patricia duff 1.1.4
        7 December 2016 at 10:32 am

        Always an affair, always slanderous, get your own perfect righteous life in order
        John Key goes out on high note. look back in time .,.Helen was great P.M. but slippery slope she left behind.

  2. Infused 2
    5 December 2016 at 1:05 pm

    The left might get a chance…lol not.

  3. Ovid 3
    5 December 2016 at 1:06 pm

    Oh my god.

  4. garibaldi 4
    5 December 2016 at 1:08 pm

    Just what I wanted for Christmas. Brilliant !
    English won’t be able to hack it. Fantastic news.

    • RedMole-AtNatHQ 4.1
      5 December 2016 at 3:59 pm

      Beware. The man has hidden depths ..

      • MrJ 4.1.1
        5 December 2016 at 4:56 pm

        Beware. The man has hidden depths ..

        Is that an euphemism for “sinks to new lows” ?

        • RedMole-AtNatHQ 4.1.1.1
          5 December 2016 at 6:18 pm

          If you like. Have you heard of ‘the deep state’ ?
          Methinks certain elites went down with Clinton.
          Our geopolitics has not changed.

  5. marty mars 5
    5 December 2016 at 1:09 pm

    Bye bye. Now let’s get ready to take full advantage of the infighting the gnats are about to engage in.

    • mary_a 5.1
      5 December 2016 at 3:09 pm

      @ marty mars (5) .. oh yes.

      The National caucus is about to become something similar to a whaling station, blood, guts and blubber flying everywhere! Collins and Bennett will be going for it, hell for leather, while Joyce flaps his gob, spinning the BS! And Blinglish …. dear God, I dread to think!

      Some political entertainment to look forward to in election year 🙂

  6. repateet 6
    5 December 2016 at 1:09 pm

    I could feel sorry for the parasites who’ll be desolated by the backside they’ve lived up no longer being there. But I won’t because I know Hosking will quickly find another residence.

    And Collins and co. will go into overdrive reformatting their plans. And plots.

  7. The decrypter 7
    5 December 2016 at 1:10 pm

    bye loser no sunshine in hell

  8. Adrian 8
    5 December 2016 at 1:10 pm

    Great win for Andrew. Key hates losing.

  9. BM 9
    5 December 2016 at 1:11 pm

    National +NZ First.

    • mlpc 9.1
      5 December 2016 at 2:07 pm

      Agreed.
      There was never any chance of Peters jumping the other way. He loathes the Greens.

      • Alan 9.1.1
        5 December 2016 at 2:13 pm

        spot on BM, election 2017, Labour up a bit, greens much the same , National 41-43%, Winston (or maybe Shane Jones by then) 10-12%.
        Act, The Maori Party and Peter Dunne will not come into play.

    • WILD KATIPO 9.2
      5 December 2016 at 2:11 pm

      BM needs to have a wee read for a change…

      Instead of sucking on the bottom of the pond for his information…

      One for for you, BM .

      https://waterpressure.wordpress.com/2011/04/16/murder-at-pike-river-mine-timeline/

    • Enough is Enough 9.3
      5 December 2016 at 2:19 pm

      That’s my thoughts.

      Key was the reason why an NZ First National coalition was unlikely. With him out of the way English and Winston can get down to business.

      Scary scary

      • Matthew Whitehead 9.3.1
        5 December 2016 at 2:51 pm

        You really think Key is the only reason not to go with National? You think NZ First don’t remember the comparative experiences of being in Coalition with Bolger/Shipley and Clark? Their last coalition with National was a disaster, do they expect anything different if they try again? Why?

        • Enough is Enough 9.3.1.1
          5 December 2016 at 4:46 pm

          I am not so sure past history will have any significance on what way Winston goes. Certainly not history from two decades ago.

          What I do know is the relationship will be a lot easier to create and sell to the NZ First supporters now that Winston’s main antagonist is out of the way.

          I just think a coalition is more likely between them then it was 24 hours ago.

      • BM 9.3.2
        5 December 2016 at 3:14 pm

        Yep.
        English and Peters will get on very well, Peters has a very similar personality to Key.

        It’s hard to know how this will effect National though, I can’t see a mass exodus to Labour/ Greens and a lot of NZ firsts rise in the polls was due to National voters dissatisfied with the way Key was running the country.

        • Leftie 9.3.2.1
          5 December 2016 at 5:15 pm

          The Mt Roskill by election puts those so called opinion polls to question.

        • Matthew Whitehead 9.3.2.2
          6 December 2016 at 2:49 pm

          Hahaha I like the idea that a leader that isn’t Key would reverse an exodus from National to NZ First. The only chance of that is if they pick someone like Collins, but then the Exodus to Labour is going to be just as big, so there’s really no winning option.

          • BM 9.3.2.2.1
            6 December 2016 at 5:21 pm

            He was a rather polarizing character, you either liked him or you didn’t, very Helen Clark like.

            Collins would be the same but without the skill set Key had, which is why I reckon English would be the best option by far.

            • Matthew Whitehead 9.3.2.2.1.1
              7 December 2016 at 12:48 am

              Key is polarising now because the electorate are/were catching on to him and his two-faced nature, and the fact that he’s been banking all that political capital not because he’s a savvy leader but rather because he didn’t have any vision for where to take the country. He was initially not very polarising to the general electorate, just to big political junkies.

              Collins is very much the reverse: The only people who like her are dyed-in-the-wool National Party faithful. I’ve never heard any sort of centrist express much sympathy for Collins, in fact I don’t know any who don’t agree that she’s probably corrupt.

              Collins not only lacks Key’s social intelligence, (she bulls through somewhat with aggressiveness, but you can only do that so much as Shipley learned) she is also surrounded by the stink of scandal, and has the disadvantage of being a very conservative MP in a nation that has some very liberal sensibilities. (That’s not to say Collins can’t hit populist areas- it’s why she’s frequently been in Justice and Police roles in her political career rather than being on the track to Attorney General) Overall, Collins is about the worst PM they could pick for going into an election, as we’d have 8 months or so of her doing her worst to relive on the campaign trail. She could surprise us and pull off a Trump-style victory with some law and order cred, (although arguably she’s too much of a politician to manage it, the same problem Peters has) but if not, she’s likely to be the biggest possible gift to Labour the National Party could come up with.

    • Matthew Whitehead 9.4
      5 December 2016 at 2:49 pm

      It’s not out of the realm of possibility, but it’s not the direction NZ First policy has been leaning lately. They have a lot more in common with Labour, and without Key in the PM’s chair, it’s possible they won’t even have the numbers to pull a coalition with NZ First.

    • Leftie 9.5
      5 December 2016 at 5:44 pm

      Bet that doesn’t happen BM.

  10. Sabine 10
    5 December 2016 at 1:12 pm

    one weeks notice, how mighty generous of him.

    maybe he got a job with the orange turd?

    • Nick Morris 10.1
      5 December 2016 at 1:33 pm

      I knew there was a reason he was putting off announcing Secretary of State.

    • Rosie 10.2
      5 December 2016 at 3:42 pm

      Who else can get away with giving only a weeks notice?

      Still, what a great day it is for anyone in NZ apart from those apparent 36% who prefer him as PM. Wonder if they feel let down or do they, in their strange state of cognitive dissonance think “what a great guy for giving it all up for his family” and adore him even more?

      Who knows? Who cares! Boo Hoo to them!

  11. Kevin 11
    5 December 2016 at 1:12 pm

    Apparently Obama’s looking for a full time caddy come January…

  12. Ovid 12
    5 December 2016 at 1:13 pm

    I had heard rumours that Bill English was planning on retiring, but this really is a surprise.

  13. Rosemary McDonald 13
    5 December 2016 at 1:16 pm

    Hooten doing his usual on Natrad right now….said how Key took the party to the left….so my ears shut down….

    “Spend more time with family….”

    Yeah, right.

    • s y d 13.1
      5 December 2016 at 4:43 pm

      Hooten let slip on RNZ that polling was showing Key was perceived as “smarmy and arrogant”.

  14. John 14
    5 December 2016 at 1:16 pm

    Resigned just in time for the New Years honours list. Arise Sir John the poor boy from a state house who made good and looked after the rich

  15. Ad 15
    5 December 2016 at 1:17 pm

    I just wish he had done something substantial with all that multi-year political capital riding up there in the polls. He had a chance to really shape the entire country for the long term good … it just didn’t happen.

    I admire him taking the decision at the request of his wife.

    Far too often politicians choose the career parliamentary life and deliberately destroy their marriages.

    Takes quite an emotional measure to reverse that at the top of the game and top of the power elite, and choose your core relationship over your career.

    • AB 15.1
      5 December 2016 at 1:28 pm

      Very gracious comment Ad. I admire that. But “he had a chance to really shape the entire country for the long term good”?
      No that was never going to happen. It’s just not in the National Party’s DNA

      • Ad 15.1.1
        5 December 2016 at 1:37 pm

        It’ll take a few months and perhaps well into 2018 to figure out his legacy.

        I sure don’t need to defend this lot, but I’m hoping Key will have done three things at a minimum:

        – Deliberately managed the housing market to plateau and gradual deflation
        – Permanently altered the public service – local and central – to prepare for nation-wide shocks
        – Strengthened the transport core of New Zealand as a whole

        I’m scratching my head otherwise to figure his lasting positive legacy.
        The arguments will go for a while on this one I am sure.

        • Ovid 15.1.1.1
          5 December 2016 at 1:45 pm

          I’ve got to credit him with the nous not to claw back Working For Families or interest free student loans and resisting the temptation to go full austerity after 2008 (although that was largely due to Michael Cullen’s stewardship of the economy). He didn’t stand in the way of marriage equality. The UFB rollout was a positive policy that is seeing us leapfrog Australia – especially in the climate of their minerals collapse. But it’s not a large list of achievements for 8 years.

        • Bob 15.1.1.2
          5 December 2016 at 1:50 pm

          Extending free healthcare to Under 12’s
          Increasing benefits above the rate of inflation for the first time in x years (50 was it?)
          Working with Fonterra and Sanitarium to introduce breakfast in schools
          Landmark Tuhoe settlement under which Te Urewera became a legal entity
          TPPA (got it to signing and I am sure there will be more to come on this in future)
          The Christchurch rebuild (National increased vote share in ChCh over this time)

          I’m sure there is plenty more, but that’s a start

          • One Anonymous Bloke 15.1.1.2.1
            5 December 2016 at 2:20 pm

            Off the top of my head:

            Pike River murder and betrayal.
            Turning New Zealand into a tax haven.
            Law Society warned the UN about his government’s attacks on human rights and the rule of law.
            Abuse of Parliamentary urgency.
            Lying reflexively.
            Trichophilia.
            Cameron Slater.

            • Sam C 15.1.1.2.1.1
              5 December 2016 at 2:25 pm

              You really are a bitter and twisted individual.

              • One Anonymous Bloke …
                5 December 2016 at 2:37 pm

                I’m glad Dear Leader has resigned. He was the worst Prime Minister this country has ever seen.

                He has poisoned our water forever. Nixon will be remembered as a classic case of a smart man shitting in his own nest. But he also shit in our nests, and that was the crime that history will burn on his memory like a brand.

                Hunter S Thompson on the death of Richard Nixon.

              • MrJ …
                5 December 2016 at 2:50 pm

                You really are a bitter and twisted individual.

                Can’t help it. All those years living under shonkey’s reign does that to a person.

            • ropata 15.1.1.2.1.2
              5 December 2016 at 2:32 pm

              It’s not twisted to tell the truth Sam C, even if it is unpleasant.

              Key’s wealth and power probably insulated him from the reality of the damage he was doing to ordinary kiwis.

            • Bob 15.1.1.2.1.3
              5 December 2016 at 3:22 pm

              “Pike River murder and betrayal.”
              Really? Seriously? Murder? Mate, that is a step too far even by your low standards

            • Patricia duff 15.1.1.2.1.4
              7 December 2016 at 10:38 am

              Yes and if allowed in and mine blows up?? how many more bodies involved, all the experts , get real.

          • Ad 15.1.1.2.2
            5 December 2016 at 2:56 pm

            Definitely the healthcare moves are going, but hardly a groundbreaking legacy.

            The Treaty of Waitangi settlements are also noteworthy – but even for New Zealand they are Business As Usual under both kinds of government.

            The Christchurch rebuild, well, anyone would say it’s been far too slow, not very imaginative, and barely left Christchurch better off than when he started in office, which is the core measure of leadership. I referred to it when I mentioned ‘responding to shocks’ above.

            Even Key has said he would have preferred that he had won the flag referendum, to show he had made some tangible difference.

            He didn’t.

          • Jenny Kirk 15.1.1.2.3
            5 December 2016 at 3:40 pm

            “Extending free healthcare to Under 12’s” – this was at the expense of three-month free health checks for the oldies, Bob.

            “Working with Fonterra and Sanitarium to introduce breakfast in schools” – and this was a community initiative which Key jumped into for photo ops.

            The Tuhoe settlement was always going to happen, the Ch’ch rebuild has been a huge disaster for many home-owners with repairs having to be made to rebuilt homes, increasing benefits made no difference to the disaster brought down on beneficiaries by the Richardson-Shipley govt.

            Nope – I don’t think Key has left us much of a legacy, except more money for the rich, and much less for the ordinary NZer in the middle, let alone those who are poor.

            • greywarshark 15.1.1.2.3.1
              5 December 2016 at 4:02 pm

              The Tuhoe settlement was certainly going to happen, after the bruising raid by the police under Helen Clark’s Labour government. A really good case of one in the eye for Labour.

        • Draco T Bastard 15.1.1.3
          5 December 2016 at 3:01 pm

          Deliberately managed the housing market to plateau and gradual deflation

          He pushed to keep it going.

          Permanently altered the public service – local and central – to prepare for nation-wide shocks

          He undercut and underfunded the public service to give tax cuts for the rich.

          Strengthened the transport core of New Zealand as a whole

          He wanted more cars and underfunded Kiwirail.

        • Leftie 15.1.1.4
          5 December 2016 at 5:01 pm

          Ad. History will not look too kindly upon John Key, the most dirtiest politician this country has ever had the misfortune to have. Key’s legacy is one of abject ruin.

    • save nz 15.2
      5 December 2016 at 1:46 pm

      More likely keen to resign before more panama paper expose’s come calling to NU Zilland and there’s no point now his main focus TPPA/cash4cronies looks dead.

    • WILD KATIPO 15.3
      5 December 2016 at 2:15 pm

      Bullshit , Ad ….

      There’s no more truth in Key ‘resigning for family reasons’ than there is in his treatment of the Pike River family’s. :

      https://waterpressure.wordpress.com/2011/04/16/murder-at-pike-river-mine-timeline/

      If anything – the man should be investigated for how hes treated New Zealanders .

      • MrJ 15.3.1
        5 December 2016 at 2:46 pm

        If anything – the man should be investigated for how hes treated New Zealanders .

        Him and the rest of the Nats. All those laws they pushed through under urgency, especially the many attacks on human rights.

        Even worse this prick had the audacity to lecture other nations on human rights issues when his government was working hard to destroy ours!

  16. The Chairman 16
    5 December 2016 at 1:19 pm

    Off to play golf with Obama?

  17. Muttonbird 17
    5 December 2016 at 1:20 pm

    That’s one way to take the attention off Mt Roskill.

    • Incognito 17.1
      5 December 2016 at 10:15 pm

      Exactly what I was thinking: did John Key just throw a huge dead cat on the table?

      I know that he told Bill English in September but timing is everything in politics.

      Anyway, I wonder what the weather is going to be like tomorrow 


      • Muttonbird 17.1.1
        5 December 2016 at 10:29 pm

        One wonders whether today would have happened had Mt Roskill gone to National on Saturday.

        I think not.

        • Incognito 17.1.1.1
          5 December 2016 at 10:49 pm

          The Mt Roskill by-election was just a single nail but it can’t explain the coffin; that took time to put together 


          Very odd 


  18. RRM 18
    5 December 2016 at 1:24 pm

    After ten years of wondering which stumbling fool of a leftist was going to ask me whether I stood by my statements today, I’d be ready for a break too.

    Best PM ever.

    Andy “gravedigger” Little might be in with a chance of raising labour in the polls now…?

  19. Sorrwerdna 19
    5 December 2016 at 1:25 pm

    Your dreaming Lefties if you think this is good news

  20. The Chairman 20
    5 December 2016 at 1:26 pm

    With the election only several months away, it will be interesting to see who the National Party selects.

    They won’t want anyone who will startle voters.

    • BM 20.1
      5 December 2016 at 1:29 pm

      It’s going to be Bill English .

      • dv 20.1.1
        5 December 2016 at 1:30 pm

        Wot about Don Brash?

      • The Chairman 20.1.2
        5 December 2016 at 1:53 pm

        I heard he was considering stepping down.

        Nevertheless, he would be their safest bet considering the time-frame till the next election. The public know him well.

        • Matthew Whitehead 20.1.2.1
          5 December 2016 at 3:11 pm

          Yeah, I wouldn’t have been surprised if he had stepped down after the election. He didn’t seem like he was imminently retiring, so it’s reasonable to conclude that it’s for personal reasons.

        • Leftie 20.1.2.2
          5 December 2016 at 6:08 pm

          “I heard he was considering stepping down.”

          How do you know? When was that?

          When Key himself didn’t know until after the defeat in the Mt Roskill by election.

          • weka 20.1.2.2.1
            5 December 2016 at 6:28 pm

            Some of your comments are stuck in moderation and I can’t get them out. Have left a note for Lynn.

          • Anne 20.1.2.2.2
            5 December 2016 at 6:46 pm

            On the right track imo Leftie @20.1.2.2

            Just watched the news on TV1 and TV3. His reasons are corny and don’t fit with his known persona. If you were to believe him its all about putting his family first… putting his supporters and colleagues first… putting the country first. Rubbish. The byelection result was the final nail… He saw the writing on the wall.

            Ok, there might be truth in considering his wife and family who might well have had enough of it. (I would if I was in their shoes.) But the rest is not believable. He talked about “having always been honest with the public”. Many people with moderate to severe memory failure will fall for the line hook, line and sinker (including the sycophantic media) but its hogwash. We’ve put up with years of lies from John Key and BliP’s lists are testament to it.

            In the meantime the Mt. Roskill by-election results have fallen off the bottom of the news ladder. Oh well done John Key but sorry mate… it won’t wash forever because sanity usually prevails in the end.

            • Leftie 20.1.2.2.2.1
              6 December 2016 at 4:56 pm

              “The byelection result was the final nail
 He saw the writing on the wall.” is bang on Anne, and true to form, John key is lying right til the end.

      • WILD KATIPO 20.1.3
        5 December 2016 at 2:26 pm

        @ BM

        Bill ‘ Double Dipper ‘ English ? …

        Almost as corrupt as Key – no wonder they were a team.

        https://waterpressure.wordpress.com/2011/04/16/murder-at-pike-river-mine-timeline/

      • Anno1701 20.1.4
        5 December 2016 at 3:10 pm

        “It’s going to be Bill English .”

        charismatic !!

      • Leftie 20.1.5
        5 December 2016 at 5:21 pm

        Bill English, the leader that led National to their greatest election loss of 20.93% in 2002.

      • rob 20.1.6
        5 December 2016 at 6:58 pm

        Mr 20% last time round

        • BM 20.1.6.1
          5 December 2016 at 8:34 pm

          Long time ago and a bad choice at the time, far too young.

          Just because you didn’t win first time around doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try again, that’s the attitude of a loser.

          • North 20.1.6.1.1
            6 December 2016 at 12:32 am

            Correct. Oz PMs have lost the party leadership and come back – John Howard of “Throwing Babies Overboard” infamy. Kevin Rudd. It’s not a high bar you know.

          • Leftie 20.1.6.1.2
            6 December 2016 at 4:59 pm

            Any excuse will do for you, I guess BM, English hasn’t changed, he is still bad.

  21. Neil 21
    5 December 2016 at 1:29 pm

    There will be dancing in the streets
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9G4jnaznUoQ

  22. mauī 22
    5 December 2016 at 1:29 pm

    Financial crash or housing bubble about to burst?

  23. Rosemary McDonald 23
    5 December 2016 at 1:30 pm

    For my trespasses I scanned the reaction from the riiiight…and there’s Farrar fawning over his family loving friend John…

    (As long as it’s HIS family…fuck anyone else’s)

    http://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2016/12/key_retires.html

    Not sure if others will get the same popup ad…but I got, appropriately, ‘gutter solutions’.

    Too much.

  24. UncookedSelachimorpha 24
    5 December 2016 at 1:31 pm

    Good riddance to a terrible PM, but might not change much except for the politics of personality (plenty of Nacts with the same lousy values to follow).

    I think this marks the end of a huge, wasted opportunity for Labour. An opportunity to have debated the issue of the very rich who hold most of the nation’s wealth and don’t contribute their share. Key was a classic example, but was not challenged even slightly on this (e.g. his own tax contribution vs his wealth).

  25. Mr Nobody 25
    5 December 2016 at 1:32 pm

    If it has been planned its a great move.

    National can go into the election with changes to Super on the table and in a better position to negotiate with Peters.

    Going to be an interesting election.

    • mpledger 25.1
      5 December 2016 at 9:50 pm

      Yea, it sounds like the Nats weren’t going to be able to form a government without NZFirst and Key had said he’d never work with Winston Peters. Winnie must be loving this – Key got pushed before he retired.

  26. SpaceMonkey 26
    5 December 2016 at 1:33 pm

    Good news! My first thought was what is the ****** must be hiding something. But maybe the tea leaves were just pointing to a defeat next election. Does this clear the way for National + NZ First coalition?

  27. Coolas 27
    5 December 2016 at 1:34 pm

    Wonderful news and what a relief we don’t have to put up with the smiling assassin’s lies and and crafty manipulations anymore. And if the pundits are correct and he is the popularity of the Natzi’s we can look forward to a change of Government next year. Whoopee!

  28. Molly 28
    5 December 2016 at 1:35 pm

    Guess it is time for Attack of the Clones.

    I never liked John Key, and he never gave me cause to respect him, in fact embarrassed was the emotion most often felt when watching him in the public sphere. Often angry when seeing the effect his party’s policies have had in NZ society. But unfortunately there are too many like him in the National Party willing to take his place.

    So for my part, muted recognition with the side order of ‘meh’.

    (I’m guessing the research unit at National are predicting a major slump in housing, and a dive for the economy. Like all lacklustre managers, he is going to go while the going can be reported to be good… and leave the mess for others to clean up. And be warned, we are likely in for a spate of sycophantic articles about Key’s legacy).

    • Doogs 28.1
      5 December 2016 at 1:47 pm

      +100 Molly

    • One Anonymous Bloke 28.2
      5 December 2016 at 1:52 pm

      Even the National Party Herald could only come up with this:

      Key has governed the country through the recession of the late-2000s, formed the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority in response to the aftermath of the 2011 Christchurch Earthquake and led the country following the Pike River disaster.

      Key also worked to create the much-protested policy for the partial privitisation of state-owned enterprises, including Meridian and Mighty River Power, Genesis and Solid Energy.

      Overseas, Key has withdrawn the NZ Defence Force from Afghanistan, attended the Queen’s residence at Balmoral, improved relations with the United states and aimed to establish the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

      What a legacy! 😈 😆

    • Incognito 28.3
      5 December 2016 at 10:26 pm

      John Key was very upbeat (!) about the Half Yearly Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU) that is due this coming Thursday December 8.

  29. Ffloyd 29
    5 December 2016 at 1:36 pm

    Has to be something big coming to make him resign. Off to Hawaii? I believe it’s snowing there.

  30. Jim 30
    5 December 2016 at 1:37 pm

    The end of an error, and not a good one at that, a time when many voted against their own betterment because of the retoric of a carismatic leader. So why did he really sesign? One can only guess; was he rolled by his own caucus; was whikki leaks finally about to publish the real oil on John Key; one things for sure the real reason is not being spoken of at the moment.

    • Brutus Iscariot 30.1
      5 December 2016 at 1:45 pm

      That was my first reaction, but i’m happy with his rationale.

      He’s never needed the money or the power. Hell of a job that takes its toll on family life. But he’s always been about the legacy…so what better time to go than when he is still reasonably popular.

      Once it was established that he didn’t have the legs for a 4th term, then now is the perfect time. Give the new leader a long lead-in time to the election. By springing it as so much of a surprise he also gets to hand pick his successors as there’s no time for plotting or machinations.

    • NZJester 30.2
      5 December 2016 at 1:49 pm

      I love the Freudian slip in place of era. Yes it is the end of an Error and not of an Era.

  31. Nick Morris 31
    5 December 2016 at 1:38 pm

    My information is that he is going to challenge Andrew Little for leadership of Labour. Something about supporting a party with real heart.

    Come back Matthew Hooten, you were right all along.

  32. WILD KATIPO 32
    5 December 2016 at 1:43 pm

    Yahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhooooooooooo !!!!

    Time for a song or two …

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbrzZWLu6Qw

  33. ianmac 33
    5 December 2016 at 1:44 pm

    Goodness me. Surely Key wasn’t frightened by direct interviewing from Kim Hill after years of fan based journalists? Maybe she showed him that his time is up!

    • Rosemary McDonald 33.1
      5 December 2016 at 2:08 pm

      Him Kim Hill would kill.

    • Peroxide Blonde 33.2
      5 December 2016 at 2:34 pm

      3 minutes of Kim Hill and I want to give up!!

      Her interviewing “style” shines light on nothing other than Hill’s excruciating self-consciousness. Painful.

      • Rosemary McDonald 33.2.1
        5 December 2016 at 3:01 pm

        Painful listening to the individuals who pass themselves of as ‘journalists’ these days.

        They are talking heads, with little if any knowledge of the subject matter. And it shows.

        Kim Hill knows her stuff, and , and at least she speaks clearly and doesn’t slur her words.

        Not self-conscious at all…simply a professional.

  34. Whispering Kate 34
    5 December 2016 at 1:44 pm

    There is a God after all. Two things come to mind – he was offered a job while at the latest Security Council Meeting or there is some major dirt that has been dug on him – whatever it is thank the lord we won’t have to listen to his insincerity and sarcasm anymore. Not a political genuine article that is for sure. He wants to go out on a roll – he is a legend in his own mind.

    • Anne 34.1
      5 December 2016 at 3:28 pm

      … he was offered a job while at the latest Security Council Meeting or there is some major dirt that has been dug on him.

      My immediate reaction. If it was the latter, it just might not come out now he has resigned.

  35. NZJester 35
    5 December 2016 at 1:44 pm

    I recon he was given the chance to resign to save face, but in the back room was told they had the numbers to roll him and he can either jump or get pushed.
    National hides their dirty secrets behind a wall of right wing bloggers and tame MSM.
    I recon it was the huge numbers who voted against National at the recent by-election in a seat that because of all the National party votes at the last election should have seen it more closely contested and a hard win for Labour.

    • Sam C 35.1
      5 December 2016 at 2:55 pm

      Some quantum leaps in your logic there Jester. But hey, if it helps you sleep better at night, then all power to you.

      • Leftie 35.1.1
        5 December 2016 at 5:12 pm

        Not so Sam, NZJester made a very good point. This is the second by election National have lost, and despite the spin, Key was looking for an upset and got thoroughly trounced instead. Local elections didn’t go National’s way either. Looks like John key was given his marching orders and got out while he could before the spin of the fake “rock star economy” collapsed around him.

    • Leftie 35.2
      5 December 2016 at 5:06 pm

      Spot on NZJester! Agreed.

    • mosa 35.3
      5 December 2016 at 8:08 pm

      Yeah there is some truth in that analysis Jester knowing the way the National party works.

      I think Joyce calls the shots and whatever the reasons has tapped him on the shoulder and said its time.

      No sitting PM goes willingly and Key had a massive ego and strong desire to win a fourth term for the legacy and would not have wanted to give that away.

      The guy is dirty and quite possibly compromised and that has caught up with him.

      I just dont buy the “i am going to spend more time with the family ” line.

      • NZJester 35.3.1
        5 December 2016 at 9:16 pm

        National are all about smoke and mirrors with their public face.
        He was most likely ambushed in a secret backroom meeting with someone stepping in to challenge him in a vote. The National Party inner circle have probably cast their votes for and against him with Key loosing out. The trusted inner circle will already know who will be our next PM until the next election.
        Key in order to get some special perks will be choosing who they want and has no say in the matter.

    • Grantoc 35.4
      5 December 2016 at 9:10 pm

      incoherent conspiracy nonsense NZ Jester.

      The Mt Roskill by-election is irrelevant. It was Labour’s to lose. Less than 40% of the electorate voted, and those that did vote for labour had always voted for labour. There was no mass transfer of national voters to labour, Labour had more at stake and were better organised on the day to get their vote out. It was the predicted outcome and it came to pass.

  36. repateet 36
    5 December 2016 at 1:45 pm

    No wonder he looks tired – imagine telling those lies and layers of lies over years.

    • Rosemary McDonald 36.1
      5 December 2016 at 2:11 pm

      Suffocated by his own web perhaps?

      Rare telly watching the other weekend, saw him on the Nation…thought at the time he looked a little blue. Put it down to the make up person not applying enough gunk for HD….which is pitiless on the less than perfect.

  37. Mrs Brillo 37
    5 December 2016 at 1:48 pm

    I do hope there is no serious illness in his family, my first thought.

    But Bronagh regretting all those “lonely nights” is a bit rich when she had the option to join him in Premier House, and opted instead to stay in Auckland.

    She had the power to change things, but didn’t.

    And you might say the same of Key’s terms as Prime Minister. An ineffectual man.

  38. RRM 38
    5 December 2016 at 1:48 pm

    We are incredibly lucky to have had his service at the time when we most needed a smart, competent business guy to keep us afloat.

    Most other OECD countries never recovered from the 2009 GFC and today are wracked with civil strife, divided by hyper-partizan politics, crippled by debt and unemployment. Many have either gone tits-up on socialist spending beyond their ability to pay, or else elected far-right reactionaries instead.

      • Bob 38.2.1
        5 December 2016 at 2:49 pm

        Wow, I actually wasted 10 minutes of my life reading through that loosely cobbled conspiracy theory.

        Great example of the depth of reporting of facts:

        “‱A local indigenous Maori lady phoned a New Zealand radio talk-back show in mid-January 2011 discussing the Pike River tragedy and in her own, unrefined way, perceptively said:
        “You know, there’s something mighty fishy about what the media is telling us all about this B/S at Pike River Mine. Why has nobody been charged? You know. Just as they killed those guys and they have now sealed the mine up and buried them forever – if we, as a people, don’t do something about it – before long – they are going tobury us all too!””

        Then I scrolled back to the top and saw this:
        “I recommend that people carefully read what follows – double-check the references for yourself – and above all – please THINK for yourself!
        Penny Bright”

        • MrJ 38.2.1.1
          5 December 2016 at 3:46 pm

          Wow, I actually wasted 10 minutes of my life reading through that loosely cobbled conspiracy theory.

          I didn’t even spend that much time on it. But I will say this – I don’t think there’s ever been a time in history where so much effort has been put in to preventing people going in to attempt to rescue/recover the victims of a mine collapse or explosion. I have not been able to come across one.

          My own suspicion is that our namby-girly police who blocked initial rescue attempts realise that many of the Pike River victims survived and could’ve been rescued alive hours or days later, but because they blocked all attempts to rescue (people have been dragging victims out of burning mines for hundreds of years without benefit of our modern tools!) the men died. Someone going into the mine today would be able to prove that. I suspect those involved know it would be immediately obvious that some of them survived.

          Murder? Maybe not. Culpable manslaughter?

          • Bob 38.2.1.1.1
            5 December 2016 at 5:04 pm

            ” I don’t think there’s ever been a time in history where so much effort has been put in to preventing people going in to attempt to rescue/recover the victims of a mine collapse or explosion”
            They actually let teams try to enter, they just ruled it out due to the danger invloved:
            https://web.archive.org/web/20101129211331/http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/third-explosion-won-t-set-back-recovery-3916897
            http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/4536950/Police-halt-Pike-River-recovery-effort
            They even sent down multiple robots:
            http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10838786

            “My own suspicion is that our namby-girly police who blocked initial rescue attempts realise that many of the Pike River victims survived and could’ve been rescued alive hours or days later”
            Yip, completely agree, the rescue mission should have started almost immediately as the methane within the mine had been burnt off. For the safety of those attempting a rescue you can see why the Police would have felt obliged to stop them, but in reality they all but stopped any chance of a rescue effort right there.

            “Someone going into the mine today would be able to prove that. I suspect those involved know it would be immediately obvious that some of them survived.”
            This is where I struggle, I think an effort should still be made to enter the mine if there is any way to do so, these families need closure, but the mine has been burning since the initial explosion, so I doubt there would be any evidence left to find.

            “Culpable manslaughter?”
            Unfortunately this wasn’t an option under the law at the time, however it would be under current law (my understanding).

        • WILD KATIPO 38.2.1.2
          5 December 2016 at 4:04 pm

          L0L !…

          Awesome! – just awesome !…. picks out the incidental bit and focuses on that and disregards all the rest that shows how plans for the operation were conducted. Enjoy the bit about Key visiting the Wall street broker working for Bank of America ?

          ‘ 33) September 24, 2009: Prime Minister John Key meets with Douglas A. Johonson in New York, a Bank of America trader who deals in New Zealand company stocks on the first floor of the New York Stock Exchange.’

          I’ll bet you did bud.

          I’ll bet you did.

          • Bob 38.2.1.2.1
            5 December 2016 at 4:39 pm

            Okay, how about:
            “Yet amazingly, Bathurst Resources Ltd reports on their website as at 2.11pm (EST) 21th January, 2011, their BTU Share Price is now $A1.040 – now well over 900% higher than it was at the same time in 2010”
            It is now at less than 10% of that value:
            http://www.asx.com.au/asx/share-price-research/company/BRL

            “Clearly, a very elect group of both local and global, corrupt, treacherous, corporate individuals, self-serving bankers and government officials, allegedly headed by the New Zealand Prime Minister John Key with his blind trust”
            Blind trusts are just that, blind. Pretty hard for John Key to be heading a conspiracy on investments he doesn’t handle

            “out of the very worst excesses of blatant “insider trading” imaginable in Bathurst Resources Ltd and associated company shares”
            See above

            ““The Upper Big Branch Mine methane explosion occurs in West Virginia in the U.S. killing exactly 29 miners out of a total 31, (at the same time in the afternoon, as the 29 miners out of 31 were killed on November 19, 2010, by an identical methane gas explosion at Pike River Coal in New Zealand). Most of the major shareholders of Massey Energy that own the Upper Big Branch Mine are the same controlling shareholders of New Zealand Oil & Gas Ltd that are the controlling shareholders of Pike River Coal Ltd. Following the disaster at Upper Big Branch Mine, a number of patriotic organizations called on Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship to be arrested and charged with first degree murder. http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/04/group-calls-arrest-west-virginia-ceo/””
            Charges were laid November 2011: http://m.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10765109

            “33) September 24, 2009: Prime Minister John Key meets with Douglas A. Johonson in New York, a Bank of America trader who deals in New Zealand company stocks on the first floor of the New York Stock Exchange.”
            Wow, that seals it then! Our Prime Minister publicly visited a trader who is directly involved in investments into the New Zealand economy…must be trying to cover up murder…

            Pull your head in mate, this is a big Penny Bright conspiracy based on nothing, that doesn’t stand up to the slightest bit of scrutiny, and you are peddling it a dozen times on the same post like a crazy person!

            • WILD KATIPO 38.2.1.2.1.1
              5 December 2016 at 5:25 pm

              I suggest pull your own head in ,… your type have been beating your chests for 8 years and you really dont like having to pull your heads out of your hosts backside.

              Never mind, – you can used to it. We all had to get used to having a corrupt PM for 8 years… now its your turn to have some character building .

              And now the accountability issues that caused Key to resign begins ,… as Peters said it today on RNZ. Let the games commence.

    • Draco T Bastard 38.3
      5 December 2016 at 2:15 pm

      We are incredibly lucky to have had his service at the time when we most needed a smart, competent business guy to keep us afloat.

      He’s an idiot with limited knowledge and no humanity.

    • Jeremy 38.4
      5 December 2016 at 2:17 pm

      Meanwhile, back in reality…

    • Sorrwerdna 38.5
      5 December 2016 at 2:33 pm

      +100

    • AB 38.6
      5 December 2016 at 2:52 pm

      He’s not a “business guy”. He worked in the finance sector speculating on the movement of currencies. No socially useful goods or services were created.

      • ropata 38.6.1
        5 December 2016 at 5:13 pm

        The parasitic banking sector likes to pretend they are performing a vital service in the economy. They think they are wizards able to conjure wealth out of nothing. In fact they are just ticket clippers and imposing costs on the actual productive sector.

        Usury should be illegal and all banking should be nationalised as a public utility.

      • mosa 38.6.2
        5 December 2016 at 8:13 pm

        Look at the carnage he left behind in Ireland and their economy is F***D

    • NZJester 38.7
      5 December 2016 at 9:36 pm

      The only reason this country kept afloat during the recession was thanks to Labour’s forward thinking and paying off our international debt, not anything Key’s government did.
      Key managed to royally screw that up and put this country into a crippling amount of debt again. You can bet with his so called blind trust portfolio that he is making money off of that debt he put this country in.
      Even the so called budget surplus his government came up with was a big lie. When all of our crucial NZ services like health (both mental and physical), education, social welfare, fire services, policing, emergency call services and civil defense are all under funded any budget surplus announced is a lie.
      His legacy is selling out this country to big business , making lots of false promises (Pike River top of the list of broken promises) and a crippling debt that will make it hard for a Labour government to properly fund and rebuild all the services National has under funded for so long.

  39. One Anonymous Bloke 39
    5 December 2016 at 1:49 pm

    Great news.

  40. David 40
    5 December 2016 at 1:50 pm

    The bad news is probably stacking up against the lie of the “rock star economy” and he does not want to be tarnished with the product of his own policies. http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/property/86867469/blowing-bubbles-where-the-housing-bubble-has-blown-up-the-biggest The music has stopped and who is going to hold the parcel of debt? Not the Government for sure, it is the over leveraged National heartland. This could get really ugly really quickly and Key knows the sun shines in Hawaii and no one knows who he is up there.

    • Yorick 40.1
      5 December 2016 at 6:41 pm

      Even more so in London where he has a flat .. where Spencer ended up.
      Consulting with Charles III on Brexit ?

  41. Drowsy M. Kram 41
    5 December 2016 at 1:51 pm

    “Because they loved their money more than anything in the whole world.” The voters have been pushed far enough in this iteration of dirty, greed-based politics. Time for a breather before flogging off health and education.

    Several concern troll comments on this site have been advising on the importance of Labour retiring older MPs in favour of new blood. And John Key/National have been reading; time to replace John Key with the fresh-faced Bill English.

    Predict that the consistently genuine Andrew Little, not to mention Winston and Gareth, will get a boost in the preferred prime minister stakes – STAY THE COURSE.

    • mlpc 41.1
      5 December 2016 at 2:18 pm

      I agree that Little has been consistent.
      But, with a tail wind, he might get over 10% in the preferred PM stakes.

      • Drowsy M. Kram 41.1.1
        5 December 2016 at 2:39 pm

        Credit where credit’s due – Key can be consistent too. Consistently ambiguous on the 1981 Springbok tour, still flogging the TPPA. But overall a remarkably flexible leader, as his utterances on Pike River attest. Not admirable – a consistent liar to the end.

  42. james 42
    5 December 2016 at 1:53 pm

    A job like the PM must take a HUGE toll.

    Its not a job that I would want (nor would I be any good at it – hell my wife wouldn’t even vote for me).

    Im glad for him that he has gone out on top, but saddened that there has been a toll that has simply gotten too much.

    I obviously thought him a great PM – and a person. Thats my view – others (esp on the standard) who will disagree.

    So – I wish him the best for what he tackles next, and all the best for his replacement.

    • Rosemary McDonald 42.1
      5 December 2016 at 2:13 pm

      Is there another parade somewhere you could piss on James?

      • james 42.1.1
        5 December 2016 at 5:18 pm

        If this is what it takes for you to have a parade Rosemary McDonald – then I pity you.

    • North 42.2
      5 December 2016 at 2:17 pm

      I’m saving my good wishes for the children of New Zealand who suffered and still suffer at the hands of this unprincipled power seeker, wannabe macho-laddie, child. Was always a disgraceful primary school fibber. Good riddance. Who ya’ gonna import this time grande dame Boag?

      Didn’t even serve out his third term aye? Wasn’t “Honest John” gonna be New Zealand’s longest serving PM?

    • Sorrwerdna 42.3
      5 December 2016 at 2:35 pm

      Good on ya James

    • Banjo 42.4
      5 December 2016 at 2:36 pm

      A lot of jobs take a huge toll, it never seems to be a consideration for blue collar workers and their families, they’re just told they have to be more flexible. Key was at least richly remunerated while his Govt removed workers rights and enabled a precarious work environment for many. Lots of people work just as long hours, just as hard, some in dangerous environments, many who also have to factor in fatigue from shift work. So meh to Key and the apparent HUGE toll the job took.

    • WILD KATIPO 42.5
      5 December 2016 at 2:54 pm

      Oh James , James , James…

      You need to read more than Kiwiblog for a change.

      Here… a small education for the uneducated far right.

      https://waterpressure.wordpress.com/2011/04/16/murder-at-pike-river-mine-timeline/

      • Sorrwerdna 42.5.1
        5 December 2016 at 3:26 pm

        Hey Katipo -there must be something wrong with your keyboard -its keeps auto-adding an internet address to a load of bollocks

        • WILD KATIPO 42.5.1.1
          5 December 2016 at 4:11 pm

          Nothing wrong with the keyboard, son, but – but you have a few hours left so dont panic …They say tapeworm parasites can live a few days without their heads…

          And now your host has gone its going to be fun to watch all you bloodsuckers squirm and squeal without being able to feed off the population any longer…

      • james 42.5.2
        5 December 2016 at 5:21 pm

        Anyone who quotes Penny Blight as a credible source (little less spamming the comments with the same link over and over), is not somebody who could ever be taken seriously – or in fact should even be left alone with crayons

    • garibaldi 42.6
      5 December 2016 at 3:07 pm

      I’m on your wife’s side James!

    • ianmac 42.7
      5 December 2016 at 4:17 pm

      James: “A job like the PM must take a HUGE toll.”
      Not really James. NZ population 4.5million. How about Mayor of New York or Birmingham? We are really very tiny even though our PM gets paid twice as much as Brit PM with 70million.

    • Paul 42.8
      5 December 2016 at 9:49 pm

      Yes Key placed a HUGE toll on many families.
      305 000 in poverty.

  43. newsense 43
    5 December 2016 at 1:57 pm

    Here is the Herald’s list of his achievements:
    (I’ve taken out the elections won bit)
    “Key has governed the country through the recession of the late-2000s, formed the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority in response to the aftermath of the 2011 Christchurch Earthquake and led the country following the Pike River disaster.

    Key also worked to create the much-protested policy for the partial privitisation of state-owned enterprises, including Meridian and Mighty River Power, Genesis and Solid Energy.

    Overseas, Key has withdrawn the NZ Defence Force from Afghanistan, attended the Queen’s residence at Balmoral, improved relations with the United states and aimed to establish the Trans-Pacific Partnership.”

    That’s pathetic for a 8 year PM.

  44. Ad 44
    5 December 2016 at 1:59 pm

    Whether there was planning in this, the timing is outstanding:

    – It is the most important cabinet renewal after a highly refreshed caucus and cabinet compared to 2008, signaled in advance of barbeque seasons, and the 2017 electoral season

    – It is three days before an enormous surplus forecast, giving National the election-year headroom for massive social spending AND tax cuts.

    Both are serious momentum for his successor.

  45. The decrypter 45
    5 December 2016 at 1:59 pm

    maybe he’s telling his last lie?

  46. Doogs 46
    5 December 2016 at 2:01 pm

    I really believe that Key has actually told the truth for the first time in his political career. Bronagh has said, be home more, and he has conceded.

    Not sure I agree with comments about the big cat fights that are about to start in the Natzi caucus. They are far too well drilled for that. It’ll be Billy Dipstick or Joycie Dildo – or if they are are completely suicidal, Pawdry Benefit.

    What concerns me most is that this tawdry, self-serving little man re-introduced the gongs a few years ago with the long term view that when he finally went, one would be waiting for him. If that is the case, he is a bigger arsehole than I even took him for.

    Goodbye and total good riddance. He mentioned something about going out on the top – going out on the bottom, more likely – the bottom of the list! What list? Best PM list, of course.

    • Nick 46.1
      5 December 2016 at 2:08 pm

      I dont think he told the truth about Bronagh…..its just the usual positioning statement to gain sympathy….the truth will surface in time.

      A true PM fail …..

    • Draco T Bastard 46.2
      5 December 2016 at 2:33 pm

      Not sure I agree with comments about the big cat fights that are about to start in the Natzi caucus. They are far too well drilled for that.

      They’re authoritarians so pretty much once the leader goes it’s all on to choose the next leader and, as Dirty Politics showed, they don’t fight clean.

  47. Whispering Kate 47
    5 December 2016 at 2:04 pm

    The PM is famous for not being around when the shit hits the fan, how many times has Blinglish been left to scrape up his messes while he flies overseas to be as far away as possible from it. I cannot remember when he has ever been around for uncomfortable situations where his deputy can do his dirty work for him. The PM can see next year ahead of him and he never likes to be around and seen as a loser, so its pretty obvious he will now sit on the back benches and let his minions take the flak. His supposed “legacy” is his most important mission in life – so he is performing true to form. His own Government will not be respecting him right now for leaving them in the lurch. Withstanding any ill health in his family, we are better off without him.

    • wellfedweta 47.1
      5 December 2016 at 3:19 pm

      Key has ALWAYS been around when problems arise. The GFC. The recession. The earthquakes. Pike River. He has stood up time and again in the face of natural and international challenges. Your lack of insight reminds me the criticism of Helen Clark over the years.

      • One Anonymous Bloke 47.1.1
        5 December 2016 at 3:31 pm

        Nine years of surpluses and the Chinafta are the reason the GFC didn’t hit us too hard. Key’s legacy is homeless families.

      • framu 47.1.2
        5 December 2016 at 3:35 pm

        your lack of connection to reality is disturbing

        key ALWAYS got other ministers to front bad news

        • wellfedweta 47.1.2.1
          5 December 2016 at 3:40 pm

          In their portfolio’s, maybe. But Key has fronted lots of the major issues in the past several years. Don’t you understand that is why he is so popular.

          • framu 47.1.2.1.1
            5 December 2016 at 4:46 pm

            “Don’t you understand that is why he is so popular.”

            its called marketing – thats why hes popular.

            for extra points did the PMs spin team grow or shrink during his term?

            • wellfedweta 47.1.2.1.1.1
              5 December 2016 at 4:51 pm

              You can’t remain popular at Key levels for 8 years without substance. Even Clark didn’t.

        • Whispering Kate 47.1.2.2
          5 December 2016 at 9:02 pm

          Thank you Framu for agreeing with me – he is Teflon John for very good reason, he loathed being associated with bad news or being seen as a loser. Wellfedweka doesn’t know what he is talking about. Swanning around in helicopters with the requisite hard hat on doesn’t do it for me – ask Christchurch residents how they feel x amount of years on about his promises and the Pike River families as well. All hair oil and no socks was how my Granny would have described him – an apt description indeed.

      • WILD KATIPO 47.1.3
        5 December 2016 at 3:36 pm

        Pike River ?

        Perhaps this might change your tune a little bit about John Philip Key …

        https://waterpressure.wordpress.com/2011/04/16/murder-at-pike-river-mine-timeline/

        • wellfedweta 47.1.3.1
          5 December 2016 at 3:38 pm

          News Flash

          John Key did not cause the explosion at Pike River.

          There are, you can go back to your conspiracy books now.

          • One Anonymous Bloke 47.1.3.1.1
            5 December 2016 at 3:43 pm

            His government enabled the slack health and safety environment, then cut a deal with the perps.

            • wellfedweta 47.1.3.1.1.1
              5 December 2016 at 3:52 pm

              Under which government was Pike River consented? Labour.

              There were no ‘changes’ made under national that contributed to the Pike River disaster. Seriously in 10 years the far left have been trying to paint Key as some kind of demon. You’ve failed. Key leaves undefeated.

  48. Mrs Brillo 48
    5 December 2016 at 2:09 pm

    Barbecue at Judith’s place?

  49. Brutus Iscariot 49
    5 December 2016 at 2:10 pm

    One last bird flipped at his enemies. For all the churlish rhetoric here now, he will get to say he went out on top. The Left will never have the satisfaction of hearing him concede defeat on an election night.

    I understand the need to conjure up fantasies to make the truth more palatable, but the facts are that he’s now one of the very few politicians to “win the game”.

    Whether that’s reality or perception, posterity will now look upon him more fondly than possibly he deserves to be.

    • Muttonbird 49.1
      5 December 2016 at 2:31 pm

      Win the game? He just walked out 20 minutes before full time.

      • Brutus Iscariot 49.1.1
        5 December 2016 at 2:56 pm

        We will never know, will we. But the polls say he left with a stonking 50% rating. Perception is all that matters, and he will have it in spades. If Nats lose in 2017, people will say it was because he wasn’t there. If they win in 2017, it will be because of the platform he laid.

        Win win for his historical reputation.

        • Paul 49.1.1.1
          5 December 2016 at 10:03 pm

          The last real poll was Mt Roskill.
          You know the sort when people actually vote.
          And Key was hammered.

    • Luka Muchio 49.2
      5 December 2016 at 2:40 pm

      Key went out on top, good for him. Now time to roll that charisma vacuum called Andre Little and bring in ‘Gracinda. ‘

      • red-blooded 49.2.1
        5 December 2016 at 6:58 pm

        It would be disastrous to change leaders again. Little has built a solid team and is shaping up to be a good leader.

        Robertson and Ardern are both strong politicians and good communicators. They’ll have plenty to contribute to the next Labour government and each has good leadership potential, but that doesn’t make it time to “roll” Little. (And btw, I’d rather have a serious, honest person leading the party and the country than a smarmy jerk like Key.)

    • Sam C 49.3
      5 December 2016 at 2:47 pm

      Never was a truer word spoken.

    • WILD KATIPO 49.4
      5 December 2016 at 3:00 pm

      @ BRUTUS ISCARIOT

      No ones going to give a damn about what you sycophants say at present – more so in the future when history teaches the REAL truth about John Philip Key.

      https://waterpressure.wordpress.com/2011/04/16/murder-at-pike-river-mine-timeline/

    • wellfedweta 49.5
      5 December 2016 at 3:22 pm

      Well said. Most popular PM in history. National riding high. The country is good shape. He’s done a Richie McCaw.

      • framu 49.5.1
        5 December 2016 at 3:37 pm

        “Most popular PM in history”

        you might want to let history have its say on key first

      • rod 49.5.2
        5 December 2016 at 8:24 pm

        He’s done a Richie McCaw. I didn’t know that, are you sure?

      • mauÄ« 49.5.3
        5 December 2016 at 8:46 pm

        People love Ritchie. Depending on who you talk to people either love or hate Key. He’s divided the new zealand people, like any decent dictator would.

    • ropata 49.6
      5 December 2016 at 3:54 pm

      “Win the game” ?!?!

      If that’s what you think politics is for, no wonder idiots like Trump get elected

  50. MrJ 50
    5 December 2016 at 2:13 pm

    This has been such a great day! Much more hopeful for the future now.

    However, he could’ve done it better. He could’ve “gone postal” in the traditional fashion! Now that would be a retirement worthy of how much damage he’s done to the rest of the country!

  51. Tony Veitch (not the partner-bashing 3rd rate broadcaster 51
    5 December 2016 at 2:16 pm

    There is a God after all – and here’s me doubting his/her existence for the past 8 years!

  52. Prickles 52
    5 December 2016 at 2:17 pm

    When it was announced by the flight attendant just before the plane left Napier for Wellington, people cheered and clapped. Not all of course but a good number.

    • alwyn 52.1
      5 December 2016 at 4:05 pm

      You are obviously much smarter than most of us.
      By your logic when someone announces their planned retirement and people clap it is because they are glad to see them go.
      Little innocent me thought it meant they were thanking the person and wishing them well.
      Amazing. When Helen Clark announced her resignation after the election loss the people at the function gave her a standing ovation, did they not?
      I thought it was her party members saying thank you and wishing her well for the future.
      But Prickles informs us it meant they were happy to see the back of her.
      Is that really what you interpret clapping as you silly git?

      • WILD KATIPO 52.1.1
        5 December 2016 at 4:34 pm

        Funny,… thats not what Winston Peters said about John Philip Key on RNZ today,.. he seemed to think it had more to do with a tanking economy and certain other things that will be unearthed ….

        ‘ which will come out in the days and weeks to follow ‘….

        • alwyn 52.1.1.1
          5 December 2016 at 6:24 pm

          Winston Peters?
          You mean you take him seriously on anything.
          It was after midday wasn’t it. By that stage Winston, who is a seriously bitter old man, would be well into his cups and he was probably seeing pink elephants dancing around the room. You don’t really believe anything that man says do you?

        • Grantoc 52.1.1.2
          5 December 2016 at 9:24 pm

          You’re in good company if you buy Peter’s ludicrous conspiracy theories WK. Peters doesn’t know what he’s talking about. He never has.

          The only thing that ‘will come out in the days and weeks to follow….’ is evidence that Peters is officially diagnosed as being nuts.

      • the pigman 52.1.2
        5 December 2016 at 7:04 pm

        “Is that really what you interpret clapping as you silly git?

        Oh! Did you come here for an argument? This is Abuse.
        Aha! You want Room 12A, next door.

      • prickles 52.1.3
        6 December 2016 at 12:21 pm

        Hi Alwyn, just read again what I actually wrote. I didn’t make any mention of my interpretation of what they meant – simply reported what happened. The interpretation has come only from you.

    • Paul 52.2
      5 December 2016 at 6:25 pm

      And they are the rich who fly.
      The poor must be delirious.

  53. red-blooded 53
    5 December 2016 at 2:24 pm

    Well, I guess now’s when we get to see how much of the Nat’s support is due to their policies and how much is due to Smarmy John…

    Thanks goodness Little has put an emphasis on team-building in Labour so that they’re not likely to fly apart now, given an opportunity to show themselves as a credible alternative.

    Bye bye, John; wish I could say it’d been a pleasure.

  55. MrJ 55
    5 December 2016 at 2:28 pm

    Can I recommend a song to be played in honour of this announcement? All radio stations should pick this up!

    Motorhead’s Traitor
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUEMRNc-q9Y
    (lyrics available at http://www.metrolyrics.com/traitor-lyrics-motorhead.html for those who don’t wish to listen to this bit of classic rock’n’roll)

  56. millsy 56
    5 December 2016 at 2:31 pm

    Well, time for the Opposition to get their collective shit together, and get off their asses.

    A July election is very likely now.

    • Sorrwerdna 56.1
      5 December 2016 at 2:37 pm

      Good luck with that

    • Draco T Bastard 56.2
      5 December 2016 at 2:38 pm

      Yep. It’s going to have to be after the budget and the delivery of more unaffordable tax cuts but before the complete collapse of the economy brought about by National’s policies.

  57. The lost sheep 57
    5 December 2016 at 2:35 pm

    Spare a thought for the terminal KDS sufferers, who will now have to live with the reality that Key will always be the man the Left could not beat.

  58. rsbandit 58
    5 December 2016 at 2:41 pm

    I don’t know why we are cheering. This makes Labour/Green unelectable.

    The path is now clear for NZFirst/National. Key doesn’t do anything without planning and calculation, and anyone who judges this on face value is an idiot.

    • One Anonymous Bloke 58.1
      5 December 2016 at 2:46 pm

      Depends. National could lose a considerable amount of support as a consequence. One thing’s for sure: winning the 2017 election will take a lot of hard work, then as now.

      • rsbandit 58.1.1
        5 December 2016 at 2:49 pm

        They’ll lose some, but not nearly enough. Some of that support will go to NZFirst, of course.

        • Alan 58.1.1.1
          5 December 2016 at 3:13 pm

          Winning 2017 just got a whole lot harder for Labour/ Greens.
          Act, Maori Party and Peter Dunne just got sidelined too.

      • mlpc 58.1.2
        5 December 2016 at 2:51 pm

        But where would the Nats’ support go?
        Surely not to Labour or the Greens.

        • One Anonymous Bloke 58.1.2.1
          5 December 2016 at 2:58 pm

          surely not

          [citation needed]

          I find ‘swing’ voting incomprehensible, and it’s a thing nonetheless.

  59. adam 59
    5 December 2016 at 2:43 pm

    He looking more and more like a Sid Holland clone….

  60. Henry Filth 60
    5 December 2016 at 2:46 pm

    Nice timing.

    Just like Holyoake, Marshall and Muldoon all over again.

  61. mary_a 61
    5 December 2016 at 2:55 pm

    Our brighter future coming? Oh wait … Collins, Joyce, Bennett, English waiting in the wings. Bye bye National next year 🙂

  62. repateet 62
    5 December 2016 at 3:05 pm

    You have to respect his consistency:

    “And more than anything else in my time here, I have tried to be straight and true with New Zealanders.”

    A lying bastard to the end.

  63. Rosie 63
    5 December 2016 at 3:07 pm

    This one’s going out to you Rogue Trooper. I wish you had lived to see this day. I know you’d have a song for us. I’m guessing it would have been this one:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrLk4vdY28Q

    • greywarshark 63.1
      5 December 2016 at 3:52 pm

      Rosie Nice to remember Rogue Trooper. I was thinking of him a while ago, though didn’t know him apart from this Blog.

      But I was thinking of Leonard Cohen and Hallelujah too, thanks for putting that up.

  64. lprent 64
    5 December 2016 at 3:08 pm

    Prime Ministers resigning everywhere.

    Over here the PM resigned as well

    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-38204189

  65. wellfedweta 65
    5 December 2016 at 3:10 pm

    Listening to the comments of international leaders it is obvious the very high regard John Key is held in internationally. Andrew Little’s were gracious and measured, Winston Peter’s utterly graceless. Votes lost there.

    John Key will certainly qualify as our best post war PM, marginally ahead of Helen Clark. He leaves NZ in a terrific position, and with record levels of personal popularity. Well done good sir, go well.

    • Sam C 65.1
      5 December 2016 at 3:17 pm

      I thought Little’s comments on Nat Rad were excellent and the most statesmanlike I’ve heard from him. OAB could learn quite a bit from the Labour leader.

      • One Anonymous Bloke 65.1.1
        5 December 2016 at 3:21 pm

        OAB isn’t a politician and cares not one whit for niceties. Legacy: 300,000 children living in poverty, warnings from UNICEF etc.

        • wellfedweta 65.1.1.1
          5 December 2016 at 3:41 pm

          Where are 300,000 children living in poverty? Certainly not in NZ.

          • One Anonymous Bloke 65.1.1.1.1
            5 December 2016 at 3:51 pm

            Take it up with the office of the Children’s Commissioner. No, wait: they won’t care about your ignorant opinion any more than I do.

            Better whine about it on a blog. Start with some pathetic denial and move on to the hate speech later, eh.

            • wellfedweta 65.1.1.1.1.1
              5 December 2016 at 3:55 pm

              I’m simply pointing out you are wrong. You can continue to exaggerate the numbers of you like, but it isn’t helping.

              • One Anonymous Bloke …
                5 December 2016 at 4:01 pm

                Then I am in good company and you are in denial on a blog.

                In 2014, 305,000 (29%) of dependent 0–17 year olds were living in income poverty defined using a relative threshold measure of below 60% of the median income after housing costs were taken into consideration. In 2013, the percentage was 24%…

                As I said, I have no interest in reading your pathetic excuses. Take it up with the Children’s Commission.

                • wellfedweta …
                  5 December 2016 at 4:06 pm

                  So the only way you can support your claim is using a measure that has been roundly discredited. Thought so.

                  • One Anonymous Bloke …
                    5 December 2016 at 4:09 pm

                    😆

                    Right wingers lying to one another on blogs discredits you, not the Children’s Commission. Frankly, if there were 100,000 kids living in poverty you still wouldn’t give a toss about them.

                    • wellfedweta …
                      5 December 2016 at 4:11 pm

                      The 60% has been debunked. Get over it. And you don;t give a toss about poverty. If you did you wouldn’t lie about the problem.

                    • One Anonymous Bloke …
                      5 December 2016 at 4:17 pm

                      Let’s be clear about this: your word isn’t worth shit. Has the Children’s Commission changed the definition? Then piss off.

                    • wellfedweta …
                      5 December 2016 at 7:58 pm

                      “Has the Children’s Commission changed the definition? ”

                      Of course not. It would give them nothing to moan about.

                  • MrJ …
                    5 December 2016 at 6:28 pm

                    So the only way you can support your claim is using a measure that has been roundly discredited.

                    [CITATION NEEDED]

                  • Puddleglum …
                    5 December 2016 at 8:16 pm

                    “roundly discredited“? “debunked“?

                    How can a straightforward standard statistical measure be ‘discredited’ and ‘debunked’ and by whom?

                    It’s possible to argue that there is a better measure but how can a proportion of the median income be said to be ‘debunked’?

                    • One Anonymous Bloke …
                      6 December 2016 at 7:36 am

                      ^^^ this.

                      For his next pratfall, Wellfedweta will use millimetres to debunk inches.

    • WILD KATIPO 65.2
      5 December 2016 at 3:21 pm

      @ Wellfedweta.

      Bullshit.

      He leaves New Zealand with record homelessness , a housing market that’s fucked and soon to crash , an immigration policy that resulted in runaway stress on our infrastructure and abuse of our labour laws, miserable low wages, massive decline in our social services and health, police, – and thats not even starting on the list – as well as this :

      https://waterpressure.wordpress.com/2011/04/16/murder-at-pike-river-mine-timeline/

      • wellfedweta 65.2.1
        5 December 2016 at 3:46 pm

        No, he leaves NZ with:

        Record employment.
        Record visitor numbers.
        Record low interest rates.
        Low inflation.
        Low debt.
        One of the strongest economies in the OECD.

        The local hard left are the only ones who can’t see how good things are, and thankfully there aren’t too many of you left.

        • One Anonymous Bloke 65.2.1.1
          5 December 2016 at 3:58 pm

          UNICEF and the World Bank and the IMF and the Salvation Army and the Children’s Commissioner and the Governor of the Reserve Bank and the NZ Law Society and the homeless families are all hard Left?

          And then you woke up.

          • wellfedweta 65.2.1.1.1
            5 December 2016 at 4:04 pm

            Where’s the 300,000? And the definition?

            • One Anonymous Bloke 65.2.1.1.1.1
              5 December 2016 at 4:06 pm

              Pay attention. I linked to it five minutes ago.

              • wellfedweta …
                5 December 2016 at 4:10 pm

                Yea, and I told you to go away and find a definition that hasn’t been debunked. I suspect you know nothing of real child poverty. Which is why you’re happy to minimise the problem with such dumb data.

                • One Anonymous Bloke …
                  5 December 2016 at 4:32 pm

                  Yawn. Your denials aren’t worth shit.

                  • wellfedweta …
                    5 December 2016 at 4:37 pm

                    Nor is your data.

                    • One Anonymous Bloke …
                      5 December 2016 at 4:40 pm

                      If it were mine, it wouldn’t be, but it isn’t, and since the Children’s Commission is a credible source and you are a denier on a blog, that’s how it’s going to stay.

                • Jeremy …
                  5 December 2016 at 4:48 pm

                  Here’s some advice:
                  You’ll hear better if you take your fingers out of your ears.

                • Anno1701 …
                  5 December 2016 at 4:49 pm

                  “Which is why you’re happy to minimise the problem with such dumb data.”

                  this is pathetic, please try harder…..

                • Venezia …
                  6 December 2016 at 12:53 am

                  Best Post war PM? John Key governed this country for the benefit of the wealthy and international corporates. Turned NZ into a tax haven. He presided over record numbers of homeless families while attempting (& failing) to sell off many thousands of State Houses. Did nothing for 305,000 children being raised in poverty. Passed a record number of laws under urgency, and denied the people of Canterbury their democratic rights to electing their regional council. Ran a Dirty Politics operation out of the PMs office. Lies and manipulation were his modus operandi eg:
                  https://thestandard.org.nz/john-keys-lies-since-the-2014-election-updated/

        • DoublePlusGood 65.2.1.2
          5 December 2016 at 9:13 pm

          Record employment is from record population
          Record low interest rates is because the economy is stagnant, ditto inflation.
          Crown debt is massively increased from when National started in 2008, so that’s you just blatantly lying.
          And we aren’t remotely close to having one of the strongest economies in the OECD, as we’re pretending like we have growth on the back of immigration and an empty property market boom.
          Honestly, if you’re going to write a hagiography, at least pick some things that are actually going well.

          • wellfedweta 65.2.1.2.1
            6 December 2016 at 9:26 am

            The economy is not stagnant. It is growing faster than most other OECD economies. Our net government debt to GDP is one of the lowest in the developed world. Clearly you haven’t even attempted to research the facts before commenting.

      • the pigman 65.2.2
        5 December 2016 at 8:20 pm

        Respect to the families of the Pike River miners, but that’s 16 times you’ve linked that ball of batshit crazy in this comment thread. You must be wondering how many more times it’s going to take to get the attention of a moderator.

    • lprent 65.3
      5 December 2016 at 3:26 pm

      John Key will certainly qualify as our best post war PM, marginally ahead of Helen Clark.

      He did nothing good of consequence. The best one can say of him was that he didn’t screw up too badly.

      Basically Cullen and Clark left him in an enviable fiscal position. However that has largely dissipated with the GFC and he has done nothing at all to deal with the structural issues from the aging demographics. Probably his most notable screwup was to not continue loading up the Cullen fund.

      • wellfedweta 65.3.1
        5 December 2016 at 3:37 pm

        Cullen and Clark left him with a recession that was, at least in part, the result of local circumstances. They also left him with some very poor quality spending. Key has achieved much, but most notably the way he has restored our economic strength after the GFC. The Labour alternative doesn’t bear thinking about.

        • framu 65.3.1.1
          5 December 2016 at 3:40 pm

          explain why bill english praised cullen for the state of the books

          your talking nonsense – and i bet its “decade of deficits” nonsense

          • wellfedweta 65.3.1.1.1
            5 December 2016 at 3:48 pm

            The books were in good shape, due to the decades of sound economic policy. But Labour made some bad spending decisions, which were coming home to roost in 2007/08.

        • lprent 65.3.1.2
          5 December 2016 at 3:57 pm

          The “local recession” was a result of trying to rectify issues from the local housing market bubble. Key released those and now we have a really bad bubble.

          The thing that staved off the economic problem over the GFC was the rapid rise in commodity prices due to the Chinese market. That was the market that Goff and Clark opened up. It is notable that Key has since only managed to get the Korean FTA completed, and has a dead in the water and pretty useless for NZ TPP.

          In the meantime, outside of dairy, all of the other economic good news has been in the tech areas that were initiated by Labour in the early 00s.

          The governments only active economic moves were to sell assets to diminish the effect of their spendthrift borrowing, and to overheat the local economy with excessive net migration thereby causing the nasty downstream effects that has on our infrastructure – mostly showing up in housing.

          I’d point out that 8 years after Key took over the reins, we still don’t have a real surplus – just book-keeping ones caused by shuffling book-keeping.

          Essentially the government has managed to squander the chance to deal with our medium term issue of the aging population. They simply made the downstream issues that government has to deal with harder and more complex by deferring them to buy votes.

          • wellfedweta 65.3.1.2.1
            5 December 2016 at 4:03 pm

            “The “local recession” was a result of trying to rectify issues from the local housing market bubble.”

            Rubbish. http://www.treasury.govt.nz/economy/overview/2010/04.htm

            ‘In the meantime, outside of dairy, all of the other economic good news has been in the tech areas that were initiated by Labour in the early 00s.”

            Rubbish. http://www.newshub.co.nz/nznews/nz-tourism-growth-exceeds-forecasts-2016051117. And that’s just one sector.

            Rubbish. http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/315560/government-surplus-swells-to-$1-point-8b

            • lprent 65.3.1.2.1.1
              5 December 2016 at 4:29 pm

              Oh so you weren’t talking about the downturn in 2007? You were talking about the global financial crisis n 2009/2010?

              Tourism is a commodity product. It generally rises and falls with the price of aviation kerosene and the relative currency differentials. In the last few years it has risen again. Offhand in NZ the only effect that wasn’t due to those was the Lord of the Rings – something to do with favourable tax treatment given to the film industry back in 2000.

              However it looks like the price of kerosene will rise post the OPEC decisions last week, and I suspect that the exchange rate isn’t moving in tourism’s favour from our current major markets

              This year we actually have a projected government surplus for the first time since 2007 (it is in reality down below 1bn once you take out the book keeping fiddles). That was the half year result. Looking at what is likely between now and March, it doesn’t look likely to sustain

              But have you looked the the forward projections from treasury out past 2030 ? I’d look it up, however I have to get back to sleep to kill the jetlag. Have to get up in a few hours to work at building those exports.

              If anyone has time, could they look up the longer term projections from Treasury that John Key doesn’t want to read.

              • wellfedweta …
                5 December 2016 at 4:37 pm

                “Oh so you weren’t talking about the downturn in 2007? You were talking about the global financial crisis n 2009/2010?”

                No, I was talking about the downturn in 2007, that then ran into the GFC.

                “Tourism is a commodity product. It generally rises and falls with the price of aviation kerosene and the relative currency differentials.”

                No, Tourism is a service. And NZ’s tourism has expanded significantly despite the high dollar.

                “This year we actually have a projected government surplus for the first time since 2007 (it is in reality down below 1bn once you take out the book keeping fiddles). ”

                We had a surplus in 2016. Labour left a huge deficit in 2008/09.

                “But have you looked the the forward projections from treasury out past 2030 ? ”

                Are you serious? Are you so desperate you need to call on forecasts that far out? The Governments policies have returned NZ to healthy surplus, and before expectations.

                Are you reading comments from international leaders LP?

              • ropata …
                5 December 2016 at 6:52 pm

                http://www.treasury.govt.nz/government/longterm/fiscalposition/2016/he-tirohanga-mokopuna/ltfs-16-htm.pdf

                Well disguised amidst the rosy projections but John Key cannot be proud of
                * Natural capital facing decline
                * Persistent inequality
                * Failure to manage net debt
                * Increasing costs of superannuation

    • Anne 65.4
      5 December 2016 at 3:41 pm

      Well you’re a well fed weta so you would say that. There are many thousands of wetas out there who are suffering because of the policies of the John Key government!

      • wellfedweta 65.4.1
        5 December 2016 at 4:09 pm

        Really? So Key is to blame for weta deaths now? Honestly I though the right were nuts when Helen Clark was in power.

        • Anne 65.4.1.1
          5 December 2016 at 4:16 pm

          You must learn not to make things up. Who said there are dead wetas? Suffering wetas yes, but no direct deaths – yet.

          • wellfedweta 65.4.1.1.1
            5 December 2016 at 4:22 pm

            There are definitely dead wetas. I know, becasue I saw a couple dead on my deck.

    • Psycho Milt 65.5
      5 December 2016 at 3:52 pm

      John Key will certainly qualify as our best post war PM…

      Among arse-kissers like yourself, undoubtedly. However, he certainly won’t be regarded as our best post-war PM after the arse-kissers are all dead, for the fairly significant reason that he did nothing to justify such a bizarre claim. Not screwing up badly isn’t the same as doing a great job.

      • wellfedweta 65.5.1
        5 December 2016 at 3:57 pm

        Key is internationally admired. He has unprecedented personal popularity. His stewardship of NZ has seen our economy the envy of the western world. It’s only extremely sour grapes that seems to be getting in the way of your objectivity.

        • WILD KATIPO 65.5.1.1
          5 December 2016 at 4:43 pm

          Internationally admired, is he?

          OK then.

          Sweet dreams.

          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihReeJg08ns

        • Psycho Milt 65.5.1.2
          5 December 2016 at 5:03 pm

          Key is internationally admired.

          So is Helen Clark. Maybe she’s the greatest post-war NZ leader?

          He has unprecedented personal popularity.

          And? So did Rob Muldoon, but once all his “Rob’s Mob” arse-kissers were dead, it became apparent how history was really going to look on him. Personal popularity’s wonderful for the ambitious mofo trying to get elected, but it’s of no value to the country.

          His stewardship of NZ has seen our economy the envy of the western world.

          The rest of the western world didn’t have Michael Cullen spend years paying public debt down to nothing before the GFC hit. Key’s main contribution has been to largely stick with Labour’s programme and resist the calls for austerity – due credit to him that he did those things, but it’s more “safe pair of hands” than “greatest post-war leader” material.

          • wellfedweta 65.5.1.2.1
            5 December 2016 at 5:23 pm

            “So is Helen Clark. Maybe she’s the greatest post-war NZ leader?”

            She’d be close. #2.

            “So did Rob Muldoon”

            Muldoon never had the personal popularity of Key, nor did he ever have national secure the % of votes Key has.

            “…due credit to him that he did those things, but it’s more “safe pair of hands” than “greatest post-war leader” material.”

            It’s far more than the economy. Key has done much to correct what Labour got wrong, but he has also made significant progress on race relations, quality of government spending, quality of our health care system etc.

            • Psycho Milt 65.5.1.2.1.1
              5 December 2016 at 8:30 pm

              He’s proved adept at disguising the deterioration in public services that occurs under every National government, yes. Health is a fine example, in which we have numbers that look great, and as long as you only look at those numbers you might get the impression the government’s doing a good job. The people working in the field know what misery’s being inflicted to achieve those numbers, but hey, the numbers are the measure of performance, right?

              That’s probably his real legacy: assign key performance indicators to public services, then sit back and watch how your public service managers can game those KPI numbers even while you reduce their funding in real terms. Pretty much the same with the economy – great numbers, just don’t look at how they’re being achieved (immigration and resulting expenditure on creating expenditure to deal with it). We must have the finest, most exquisitely-gamed key performance indicators in the history of the country under this government – some people mistake it for good governance.

              • ropata …
                5 December 2016 at 10:38 pm

                +1 very good points. The use of dodgy carbon credits is a typical example. As is the refusal to measure child poverty and manipulated crime stats.

                A bunch of numbers and pretty graphs is the kind of bull used by investment scammers all the time.

                Key and the Gnats slapped Kiwis in the face with their casual dismissals of evidence from qualified academics, about uncomfortable topics like
                polluted waterways,
                the housing crisis,
                charter schools,
                inequality,
                the Panama Papaers,
                the TPPA,
                the GCSB spying on Kiwis,
                Pike River

                But Key’s worst crime was to allow Gerry Brownlee to rampage over Christchurch and turn the tragedy of the earthquake into a frenzy of wanton destruction by disaster capitalists. Much more effort could have been made to save people’s treasured possessions and livelihoods and the culture of the city.

                National’s crony capitalism has turned the heart of Christchurch into a wasteland and is trying to beggar the CCC. I think the Gnats were complicit with arsehole insurance companies in ripping off the victims even more.

                What a complete and utter banker Key was.

        • Paul 65.5.1.3
          5 December 2016 at 10:09 pm

          The world ridicules him.
          Showers and ponytails.

    • mpledger 65.6
      5 December 2016 at 4:41 pm

      Yea, I saw Stephen Harper’s glowing tribute…

    • Venezia 65.7
      6 December 2016 at 12:33 am

      Best Post war PM? John Key governed this country for the benefit of the wealthy and international corporates. Turned NZ into a tax haven. He presided over record numbers of homeless families while attempting (& failing) to sell off many thousands of State Houses. Did nothing for 305,000 children being raised in poverty. Passed a record number of laws under urgency, and denied the people of Canterbury their democratic rights to electing their regional council. Changed labour and employment laws for the benefit of international corporates. Ran a Dirty Politics operation out of the PMs office.
      Lies and manipulation were his modus operandi eg:
      https://thestandard.org.nz/john-keys-lies-since-the-2014-election-updated/

      Not my idea of a good Prime Minister.

  66. Cinny 66
    5 December 2016 at 3:14 pm

    Should there not be a snap election? After all people voted for Key to lead, not someone else. Snap election should be called, that would be the democratic thing to do

    • miravox 66.1
      5 December 2016 at 10:46 pm

      Cinny, I just have to credit you with the excellent spell you cast on the outgoing PM https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-21112016/#comment-1263774

      So I went to sleep in Vienna last night hugely relieved that the son of refugees won the Austrian presidency and woke up this morning that the son of an Austrian (Viennese) refugee had just resigned as the PM in New Zealand. Synchronicity! I don’t think my political day could get any better.

      I’m quite happy to wait awhile before the next election. Give the self-entitled wannabees in government to tear National apart first.

      Go Judith!!!

      • lprent 66.1.1
        6 December 2016 at 6:10 am

        You should try my day. I’m in Italy, and they are amused at the differences between their PM resignation and that of John Key. Especially the reasons for it…

        • miravox 66.1.1.1
          6 December 2016 at 8:02 am

          That would be fun!

          I’m not sure about the Italian situation… they do need reform, but a PM arrogant enough (or with the conviction of the rightness of his cause without reading the public mood) to bank his future on a referendum? – there’s the difference between NZ’s outgoing PM (not that he’s not arrogant, just that the flag referendum was only marketing) and Italy’s. Not so much of a difference between Italy Renzi and Cameron in this sense but.

      • Cinny 66.1.2
        6 December 2016 at 8:16 am

        It’s christmas come early Miravox 🙂 Parliament is sitting today, I hope they get down to business and don’t waste question time singing about the outgoing PM.

        Great news for Austria btw, what a win 🙂 Rock on Alexander Van der Bellen

  67. inspider 67
    5 December 2016 at 3:18 pm

    It’s clear the prospect of facing Hayley Holt in election debates was too much pressure for the man. What with Andrew Little’s star on the rise, it was like a pincer move on his netherworld dancing toys. Few men could withstand such a manoeuvre.

  68. ropata 68
    5 December 2016 at 3:25 pm

    The Daily Blog reckons that Key has resigned because Bomber is about to publish a new book … hahahahaha 🙄

    • BM 68.1
      5 December 2016 at 3:30 pm

      He’s a bigger fuckwit then Slater, and that takes some beating.

    • Puckish Rogue 68.2
      5 December 2016 at 3:32 pm

      Might be some truth, the site has been taken down for…maintenance and we all know what that means

      🙂

      • Robert Guyton 68.2.1
        5 December 2016 at 3:46 pm

        Pucky – your crystal ball!

        Paper-weight.

        • Puckish Rogue 68.2.1.1
          5 December 2016 at 4:05 pm

          My crystal balls are telling me this will lead to a National-NZFirst government after the next election

          Care for a little wager? 🙂

          • Robert Guyton 68.2.1.1.1
            5 December 2016 at 4:18 pm

            I have to admire your dogged persistence, Pucky, and in the heat of the enormous burn you just suffered. I know you’re feeling despondent, disillusioned and desperate and aren’t responsible for what you say right now, so I’ll not hold you to your foolish wager. We’ll talk again once reality sets in for you and you see the future more clearly than you do now. On an entirely ‘nother note, today I learned two interesting things; the meaning of netherworld dancing toys, and your little gem(s) above 🙂

    • mpledger 68.3
      5 December 2016 at 4:42 pm

      Bomber or ….
      Hager or ….
      someone else?

      • the pigman 68.3.1
        5 December 2016 at 9:22 pm

        Considering Bomber can’t publish a coherent paragraph, I can’t see him shitting out a book.

        It may be that another Hager investigation is coming to fruition. To cut through the media firewall around Keys it would literally have to have photographic evidence of Keys, Farrar and Slater performing a kind of Human Centipede-like maneuver on a dead teenage prostitute before anyone would pay attention.

  69. mary_a 69
    5 December 2016 at 3:26 pm

    Is it likely a long term residence at the Serco suites is on the cards?

    • ropata 69.1
      5 December 2016 at 5:16 pm

      Absolutely no way. The elites always look after each other. Nixon, Bush, Obama have never had to face justice for their crimes. (The lords of the banking cartels even less so.)

  70. The PInk Postman 70
    5 December 2016 at 3:30 pm

    I can hardly wait to see Michel Boarg’ s face .And what will replace “”Under John Key’s leadership”
    so loved and quoted by the Nat’s.

  71. ropata 71
    5 December 2016 at 3:30 pm

    Perhaps this #ponytailcrisis had something to do with it

    Calls for regulation of ‘brutal’ hair industry

    Human rights advocates are calling for New Zealand’s million dollar hair industry to be regulated in light of a Weekend Herald investigation into the secret behind hair extensions.

    Every year New Zealand imports more than $2 million worth of human hair – the equivalent of about 62,500 ponytails – to meet growing demand for hair extensions, which can cost thousands of dollars per head.

    • inspider 71.1
      5 December 2016 at 3:51 pm

      This was one of the stupidest and most overinflated stories of the year.

      It should really have had the title – “renewable resource voluntarily sold by people in other countries. Little girl looks a bit sad at haircut, forgets it will grow back. But story runs big to justify foreign travel grant.”

      The endless backslapping by the herald’s editorial team was also a real circle jerk. Pity they didn’t tell us it was an old story, subject of a book released months ago.

      • mpledger 71.1.1
        5 December 2016 at 4:46 pm

        As long as you don’t mind children being assaulted and workers being poisoned.

        • inspider 71.1.1.1
          5 December 2016 at 5:29 pm

          CuttiNg hair is an assault? What are you a brethren?

          One girl interviewed says she doesn’t like it but does it to support her family. Doesn’t sound like assault to me.

          As for poisoned workers, the story doesn’t mention anything like that. It might have had more impact if it had.

          • mpledger 71.1.1.1.1
            5 December 2016 at 10:15 pm

            So one girl says it was ok so it must be true for every girl.

            It said the workers were being poisoned by peroxide.

  72. Nick 72
    5 December 2016 at 3:56 pm

    Where the leader goes….the rest will follow….Out the door the nitz go !! woohoo

  73. Robert Guyton 73
    5 December 2016 at 4:04 pm

    I’m worried about Keeping Stock…

    🙂

  74. Nick Morris 74
    5 December 2016 at 4:10 pm

    This thing is not going to be served up to the Left on a platter.

    The wannabes are going to have to be forced to put up competing policy, reminding them that we have had 8 years of no policy. Their answers then should be analysed to death while the pretenders to the crown are compared both interminably and unfavourably with Andrew Little.

    Hours should be spent on the matter of John Key’s “legacy”.

    It should be endlessly pointed out that the newbie hopefuls has played golf with Obama or appeared reading a Top Ten on Letterman, or been to the palace to feed the corgis or hung out (or is it hanged out) with Ritchie.

    Some time should also be spent trying to think of any other legacy. (Before giving up).

  75. swordfish 75
    5 December 2016 at 4:12 pm

    My and my family’s thoughts and prayers are very much with little Mike Hosking at the moment. Must surely be a very difficult time. There’ll be tears, there’ll be shouting, there’ll be screaming, there’ll be bewilderment in the Hosking-Hawkesby household tonight … (but, then again, there always is).

    • ianmac 75.1
      5 December 2016 at 4:21 pm

      Very clever. Very True. Very sad Swordfish 🙂

    • Cinny 75.2
      5 December 2016 at 4:25 pm

      Lmfaoooooo am looking forward to Henry in the morning 🙂

      Went up town and spread the news with a few local business owners, they were thrilled, my neighbours gave me a hug when I told them and you should have seen the kids and teachers faces at the school. What a great day for NZ

      Speculation is rife on right wing sites, accolades are flying in the wake of their questions and general bewilderment.

      Retiring for family, health or medical reasons makes me think of an academy award winning film from 2015 starring Michael Keaton. However the PM whom simply gave up when it became too hard may have genuine reasons. I’m so happy he’s gone no matter his reasons

      • MrJ 75.2.1
        5 December 2016 at 7:06 pm

        Went up town and spread the news with a few local business owners, they were thrilled, my neighbours gave me a hug when I told them and you should have seen the kids and teachers faces at the school. What a great day for NZ

        Indeed, a great day for our nation and perhaps the only decent thing shonkey has done.

        What I have found interesting over the last few years (apart from not yet meeting any one who admits to liking National!) is the amount of hatred small business owners have for National and especially shon key. If their policies have been so great for the economy, why to SBO hate him so much?

        But then, if they were so good we wouldn’t have had the nations highest suicide rates, highest homeless rates, highest child poverty rates, very high debt (on a part with the end of the last Nat administration – and very much higher than Labour left him!).. Don’t know where Nat supporters get off saying “record employment levels” when what, 40 or 50 years ago we had 0 unemployment, job for life and so on. Or do they refer to the numbers of people in jobs? Well duh. Growing population. Of course number of jobs rises!

        So glad this is over.

      • woodpecker 75.2.2
        5 December 2016 at 7:18 pm

        Same sort of thing happened at my work place Cinny.
        It was like everyone was breaking the first rule of fight club. Smiles all over the place.

    • Adrian 75.3
      5 December 2016 at 4:55 pm

      BREAKING NEWS just in! Man pulled from his Ferrari ( or Lamborghini, or whatever it is this week ) in nick of time with exhaust hose hooked up to heater inlet.
      Only comment “….I just couldn’t go on…”.

  76. ianmac 76
    5 December 2016 at 4:22 pm

    Here’s a thought. Early Election anyone?

  77. swordfish 77
    5 December 2016 at 4:27 pm

    The considered view of a life-long Tory and Kiwiblog regular:

    Sir Cullen’s Sidekick

    I think the timing is wrong. John Key and National had a great opportunity to bury Labour once for all in the 2017 election. Now the playing field has been levelled and Chicken Little has a real chance of becoming the PM. I just cannot believe this has happened. This was the only way Chicken Little could have become the PM and that is exactly what has happened.

  78. Nick 78
    5 December 2016 at 4:41 pm

    “served New Zealand well – Little”….Huh ? ….. perhaps I just dont understand politics

    • framu 78.1
      5 December 2016 at 4:59 pm

      i would put those comments in the same basket as “health reasons” or “family reasons”

      ie: they are things your expected to say – even though everyone knows you probably dont mean it 100%

    • Leftie 78.2
      6 December 2016 at 12:33 am

      Political niceties. Ever hear of that saying, “don’t kick a man when he’s down”?

  79. Philj 79
    5 December 2016 at 4:43 pm

    John Key is the symptom of a much deeper problem. You have to credit him with good timing. What’s next for JK…. a brighter future? And NZ….

  80. Leftie 80
    5 December 2016 at 4:56 pm

    Hallelujah
. Hallelujah
. Hallelujah
 Hallleeeeeeluoooojahhhhhhhhh


  81. Infused 81
    5 December 2016 at 4:56 pm

    The only way the left defeat key?

    By him resigning on his own terms 😀

    That’s funny. Just as Labour slumps and National rise.

    • Leftie 81.1
      5 December 2016 at 5:23 pm

      Toxic brand key was finished, no longer a draw card, I reckon key was given his marching orders.

      • Paul 81.1.1
        5 December 2016 at 9:55 pm

        From the Guardian.

        ‘Jennifer Lees-Marshment, an associate professor in politics and international relations at Auckland University, said: “Recently the normally high-performing Key brand has been undermined by denying a growing housing and traffic crisis as people in New Zealand’s biggest city, Auckland, struggle to find a place to live and to travel to work.

        “The Key brand has become disconnected and he has increasingly appeared to be someone who doesn’t understand what it is like to be an ordinary New Zealander any more.”’

        • ropata 81.1.1.1
          6 December 2016 at 12:55 pm

          The teflon has FINALLY worn off… took long enough.

          Key’s ties to big corporates and sale of NZ to foreign interests have fatally compromised his teflon shine. Dirty politics was only one part of his campaign.

          Maybe he is shitting himself over the Trump administration and the global security situation.

    • b waghorn 81.2
      5 December 2016 at 5:39 pm

      when he flies off to hawaii i’m going to be at the airport so i can watch you and pucky and hoskings humping his leg and begging him to take you with him

  82. Muttonbird 82
    5 December 2016 at 4:58 pm

    Prime Minister resigns: A look at John Key’s achievements

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QR9QP0Rjsc&feature=youtu.be

    • Tony Veitch (not the partner-bashing 3rd rate broadcaster 82.1
      5 December 2016 at 6:22 pm

      There’s going to be a lot of discussion in the coming weeks and months about John Key’s legacy, so let me have my say:

      Key won three elections and . . . umm . . . er . . .

      Anything else he ‘achieved’ will have to be undone by the incoming Labour-Greens government!

  83. Adrian Thornton 83
    5 December 2016 at 5:14 pm

    OK, just for the record, I don’t want to lose the little credibility that I might have and sound all conspiratorial here, but something about this is just doesn’t make sense.
    Don’t know what, but the timing, the delivery everything about this feel very ab lib to me.

  84. weka 84
    5 December 2016 at 5:20 pm

    Anyone know if the notice time is usual or unusual historically?

  87. Fred Frog 87
    5 December 2016 at 5:29 pm

    So many comments by those whose leader is on 8% and can’t even win an electorate.

    labgreen, losers in 2008, 2011,2014 & 2017. At the rate labour is going, no-one from the list will get in, and Angry andy will be a leader outside parliament.

    I really have to have a good laugh at the left. Oxymorons abound, they call dictatorships “Democratic Republic of “, they call their backwards facing “policies” progressive. And funniest of all, they think they have a chance at the next election , even though they’ve had another another moron forced on them for a leader by the unions.

    • ropata 87.1
      5 December 2016 at 6:32 pm

      what a pile of bigoted ignorant rubbish.

      let me guess… TrumpKey supporter, middle aged white male, owns a couple of houses, hates poor people.

  88. Paul 88
    5 December 2016 at 5:34 pm

    Winston’s reaction is the most interesting.

    ‘Winston Peters says John Key has resigned for ‘hidden economic reasons’.’

    http://www.radionz.co.nz/audio/player?audio_id=201826484

  89. ropata 89
    5 December 2016 at 5:41 pm

    Bradbury excoriates Key mercilessly. Worth remembering how much he has screwed over NZ for his shonky ideology.

    http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2016/12/05/the-true-legacy-of-john-key

    A couple of additions I would make
    * turned the office of PM into an international laughing stock
    * abused power of office to conduct dirty politics against opponents and silence critics
    * introduced 7 new taxes, mostly shifting the burden away from the rich and onto workers
    * lowered the tone of political debate into shouting matches and schoolyard taunts
    * used shonky carbon credits, cut DOC resources, allowed MAF to ignore widespread fish dumping
    * gave 5-eyes and the GCSB unprecedented spying powers over NZ citizens
    * made inequality worse and turned a blind eye to the suffering of the “underclass”

  90. james 90
    5 December 2016 at 5:42 pm

    Winston will be a lot happier working with the Nats with someone other than John Key as leader.

    Winston for deputy PM – English as PM.

    Labour out in the wilderness for another 3 tears;

    • Leftie 90.1
      5 December 2016 at 5:57 pm

      You are dreaming James.

      • Muttonbird 90.1.1
        5 December 2016 at 6:06 pm

        Grief addled brain. James is punch drunk from these two body-blows to the National Party: Mt Roskill, and Dear Leader quitting.

      • James 90.1.2
        5 December 2016 at 6:30 pm

        Why ?

        • Leftie 90.1.2.1
          6 December 2016 at 6:52 am

          You’re trolling and Winston was quite happy working with the Labour led government last time, and hasn’t supported National in almost 20 years. Besides, he is more on the same page as Labour than with National.

  91. Leftie 91
    5 December 2016 at 5:42 pm

    Boag: Key’s made the right decision

    “Former National Party President Michelle Boag says John Key has made the right decision in stepping down as Prime Minister.”

    <a href="http://www.nzherald.co.nz/hawkes-bay-today/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503462&objectid=11760717

    That statement shows there was something going on.

  92. Rosemary McDonald 92
    5 December 2016 at 5:57 pm

    Currently Michele “Chopper” Boag is waxing most lyrical on what great job Our Former Leader has made of basically doing whatever he was asked to do….

    …..next puppet out of the box is….

    http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/checkpoint/audio/201826522/former-national-party-president-says-english-best-option-to-replace-key

    • Paul 92.1
      5 December 2016 at 6:08 pm

      She’s all over the msm.
      Pass the bucket.

      • Puddleglum 92.1.1
        5 December 2016 at 8:27 pm

        And she’s strategically pushing the line that Key’s success was so dependent on his ‘strong team’ and English’s steady hand on the rudder.

        Re-positioning the National re-election rhetoric on the hop.

  93. Leftie 93
    5 December 2016 at 5:59 pm

    John key couldn’t handle another defeat, and so he’s bailed without even completing his 3rd term.

  94. CnrJoe 94
    5 December 2016 at 6:14 pm

    326 comments. Just. Wow

  95. Paul 95
    5 December 2016 at 6:24 pm

    ‘National MPs told of PM’s shock exit half an hour before John Key informed the media’

    There is something dodgy about all of this…..

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11760871

    • Bob 95.1
      5 December 2016 at 8:37 pm

      Yes I agree. At the very very least it would’ve been a slickly managed media briefing, he would’ve had some of the National head honchos alongside him, they would have explained how the successor would be picked in an orderly way. They could’ve organised this in a couple of days. National has prided itself on being stable and steady compared to the other lot. Key is a vain man and wanted a 4th term.

      This is very very uncharacteristic.

      • Paul 95.1.1
        5 December 2016 at 9:28 pm

        There is more to the story than meets the eye.
        However, with the awful media we have, we probably will never know.

  96. woodpecker 96
    5 December 2016 at 7:21 pm

    Calling Fisiani you there dude? You OK?
    We will expect you to pay for any counseling you may require yourself.

  97. Hone 97
    5 December 2016 at 9:04 pm

    He just ran out of ponytails to pull.
    Off to pull Hawaiians tails now.

  98. Thinkerr 98
    5 December 2016 at 9:45 pm

    Somewhere in a Parnell restaurant, John & Bronagh Key compare his role as PM vs her lonely nights without his presence…

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGXU7268Z50

  99. KJT 99
    5 December 2016 at 10:16 pm

    Stayed just long enough to get the Parliamentary pension?

  100. nzsage 100
    5 December 2016 at 10:53 pm

    No surprise that Key can’t take responsibility for this decision and blames it on Bronagh. I’m surprised he didn’t add “but Labour did it as well”.

    • lprent 101.1
      6 December 2016 at 6:06 am

      Very good analysis.

    • Pat 101.2
      6 December 2016 at 10:28 am

      bloody sharp indeed.

    • mosa 101.3
      6 December 2016 at 10:48 am

      He has left out some other elephants in the room like Pike , Panama papers and The Saudi sheep deal and the massive destructive change to the states role in surveillance , Kim.Com ,Sky City and Warner brothers who got special consideration and Key thought nothing of changing our soverign law to accommade their labour issues.

      But great analysis overall.

      The problem is his legacy has already been established and will overcome any of the most obvious failures of his tenure and its started already with the predictable gush of love from the MSM.

      The most popular PM in history will be his legacy in the minds of those who never wanted to confront his very many failings and would rather be swept along by the hype of this man and his invented god like status and that says a lot for the people who supported him and ignored his deceptions..

  102. Xanthe 102
    6 December 2016 at 10:18 am

    Absolutly nothing to do with Kim Dotcom !
    🙂

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    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • NZ welcomes Australian Governor-General
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced the Australian Governor-General, His Excellency General The Honourable David Hurley and his wife Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley, will make a State visit to New Zealand from Tuesday 16 April to Thursday 18 April. The visit reciprocates the State visit of former Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Pseudoephedrine back on shelves for Winter
    Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced that Medsafe has approved 11 cold and flu medicines containing pseudoephedrine. Pharmaceutical suppliers have indicated they may be able to supply the first products in June. “This is much earlier than the original expectation of medicines being available by 2025. The Government recognised ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • NZ and the US: an ever closer partnership
    New Zealand and the United States have recommitted to their strategic partnership in Washington DC today, pledging to work ever more closely together in support of shared values and interests, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.    “The strategic environment that New Zealand and the United States face is considerably more ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Joint US and NZ declaration
    April 11, 2024 Joint Declaration by United States Secretary of State the Honorable Antony J. Blinken and New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs the Right Honourable Winston Peters We met today in Washington, D.C. to recommit to the historic partnership between our two countries and the principles that underpin it—rule ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • NZ and US to undertake further practical Pacific cooperation
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced further New Zealand cooperation with the United States in the Pacific Islands region through $16.4 million in funding for initiatives in digital connectivity and oceans and fisheries research.   “New Zealand can achieve more in the Pacific if we work together more urgently and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Government redress for Te Korowai o Wainuiārua
    The Government is continuing the bipartisan effort to restore its relationship with iwi as the Te Korowai o Wainuiārua Claims Settlement Bill passed its first reading in Parliament today, says Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith. “Historical grievances of Te Korowai o Wainuiārua relate to 19th century warfare, land purchased or taken ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Focus on outstanding minerals permit applications
    New Zealand Petroleum and Minerals is working to resolve almost 150 outstanding minerals permit applications by the end of the financial year, enabling valuable mining activity and signalling to the sector that New Zealand is open for business, Resources Minister Shane Jones says.  “While there are no set timeframes for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Applications open for NZ-Ireland Research Call
    The New Zealand and Irish governments have today announced that applications for the 2024 New Zealand-Ireland Joint Research Call on Agriculture and Climate Change are now open. This is the third research call in the three-year Joint Research Initiative pilot launched in 2022 by the Ministry for Primary Industries and Ireland’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Tenancy rules changes to improve rental market
    The coalition Government has today announced changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to encourage landlords back to the rental property market, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “The previous Government waged a war on landlords. Many landlords told us this caused them to exit the rental market altogether. It caused worse ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Boosting NZ’s trade and agricultural relationship with China
    Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay will visit China next week, to strengthen relationships, support Kiwi exporters and promote New Zealand businesses on the world stage. “China is one of New Zealand’s most significant trade and economic relationships and remains an important destination for New Zealand’s products, accounting for nearly 22 per cent of our good and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Freshwater farm plan systems to be improved
    The coalition Government intends to improve freshwater farm plans so that they are more cost-effective and practical for farmers, Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay have announced. “A fit-for-purpose freshwater farm plan system will enable farmers and growers to find the right solutions for their farm ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • New Fast Track Projects advisory group named
    The coalition Government has today announced the expert advisory group who will provide independent recommendations to Ministers on projects to be included in the Fast Track Approvals Bill, say RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Regional Development Minister Shane Jones. “Our Fast Track Approval process will make it easier and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Pacific and Gaza focus of UN talks
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters says his official talks with the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in New York today focused on a shared commitment to partnering with the Pacific Islands region and a common concern about the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.    “Small states in the Pacific rely on collective ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

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