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Last poll of the year

Written By: - Date published: 10:00 am, December 30th, 2010 - 87 comments
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With only a couple of days left in 2010 the Herald has released its latest digipoll showing a slight closing of the gap between National and Labour. But that’s not the interesting part.

What is interesting is the preferred Prime Minister polling. As usual it has Key right out front and Goff languishing in the single figures but it also does lists the don’t know/won’t say section and it’s a whopping 24.6%.

That’s right, nearly a quarter of people polled didn’t know who they wanted as PM or wouldn’t say.

Unfortunately the don’t know/won’t say figure for the main question hasn’t been published which is a real shame because when you’ve got a poorly performing government and a poorly performing opposition that figure becomes very important.

For example we don’t know how many people have abandoned National but don’t feel like they have anywhere to go. If, like in the preferred PM numbers, it’s a quarter of people polled then the “National could govern alone” meme is clearly disingenuous.

It seems to me that no poll can be taken seriously without the DK/WS figures being included. Especially in a political climate where the disenchanted swing voter is so critical to the result.

87 comments on “Last poll of the year ”

  1. tsmithfield 1

    Irish “What is interesting is the preferred Prime Minister polling. As usual it has Key right out front and Goff languishing in the single figures but it also does lists the don’t know/won’t say section and it’s a whopping 24.6%.”

    Hope springs eternal, I guess.

    • IrishBill 1.1

      So you think that having a quarter of people polled undecided on preferred PM is insignificant? What if this figure is reflected in the party vote polling?

      • tsmithfield 1.1.1

        I don’t know. As I understand it, a lot of polls don’t include undecided figures. This might be par for the course if undecideds were included in all polls.

        If the question was “who would you definitely not prefer as PM?” it might be a bit more revealing.

        • Lanthanide 1.1.1.1

          Not really, because you’d probably just get people saying “Winston Peters”.

          That question asks for the worst of all worlds: most people would prefer either Key or Goff to Peters (and that’s why they also don’t vote NZ First), so really the question wouldn’t tell us anything that wasn’t already obvious.

  2. The Herald article got it wrong where it said that all 3 of the latest polls had National over 50%. The latest Roy Morgan had the nats at 48.5 and support for all government parties at over 50. Small mistake but geez you have to wonder at the quality of our opinion formers …

    • Colonial Viper 2.1

      you have to wonder at the quality of our opinion formers …

      Micky, I don’t think that there is much to wonder about at all.

  3. felix 3

    Interesting. I’d say that 24.6% will be made up of a wide range of voters including:

    * The obvious: low/middle income swing voters who voted for that nice Mr Key who promised them all “north of $50 a week” and now realise they were shafted.

    * Lefties who voted for Helen but don’t have confidence in Goff, always wanted the party to move further left and don’t see it happening at the moment.

    * Green voters unhappy with the shift to the right under the current leadership.

    * ACToid liberals who lost faith after Rodney’s lies. Oh and all that dead baby stuff.

    * Economic hard-line righties who think the Nats are too soft but have no confidence in ACT making the threshold.

    * The kbr fundies who bought all the “nanny state/hulun’s a lezzer/iwi kiwi/beat my kids” schtick and are horrified to discover that National haven’t introduced sharia law yet.

    * Reactionaries wondering about Winston’s chances.

    Lots of discontented voters there. Anyone’s game, I reckon.

    • Bored 3.1

      Lovely little deconstruct Felix, cant fault it…now is the winter of our discontent to be made glorious summer by the lopping off of the rulers head in November.

    • higherstandard 3.2

      You forgot the largest percentage.

      * I don’t give a fuck, fuck off and let me get on with my holiday.

    • thomas forrow 3.3

      Shit, have we shifted to the right?
      No one told me

      • felix 3.3.1

        Actually lots of us have been telling you.

        You just don’t fucking listen.

      • Ari 3.3.2

        There’s certainly been no large policy shifts in the Green Party, it’s more a comment on what some lefties think of the Green caucus rather than the policy itself.

  4. george 4

    To use rough as guts numbers, Goff has 8% PPM rating, and Labour is polling at around 33%. It looks pretty clear to me that the 25% difference is likely to be Labour supports that don’t support Goff as their preferred leader. So don’t say who they support as a PPM for the purposes of the poll.

    • IrishBill 4.1

      The party vote for labour is 37% but you could be right. The problem is you can’t compare the numbers for party vote to the ones for PM without knowing how many DK/WS what their party vote would be.

      • george 4.1.1

        Sorry, I had a look over the article and realised the numbers were slightly off. But was using those numbers to broadly illustrate what I was trying to say rather than get an exactly fitting answer.

        There doesn’t appear to be anywhere else where that 24.6% gap is coming from, Nationals support is 52.4%, Johns PPM support is 53.1%, so it doesn’t sounds like it’s coming from the National crowd.

        Whereas Labours support is 37.2% and Phils PPM is 7.7% a gap of 29.5 percentage points. (presumably the bulk of that 24.6%)

        • Colonial Viper 4.1.1.1

          We really could do with access to the raw data. I for one know enough Labour and Green party voters who like John Key enough to consider him their preferred PM, that its not a rare phenomenon.

          Go figure.

          • george 4.1.1.1.1

            I don’t disagree that John may cross many of the political boundaries, but I think it is relatively clear cut that Labour supporters on the whole are not behind Phil Goff as much as National supporters are behind John Key. Though that is from the information that we are given.

        • Ari 4.1.1.2

          The percentage of undecideds is removed from the total, so it’s completely unrelated to the data you have on hand, genius. 😛

  5. just saying 5

    Well for what it’s worth, my swing nat-voting rellies are still firmly national, one of them, alarmingly, even more enarmoured with Key. Labour was considered unelectable by every person I spoke with while I was away and I did tend to bring the subject up.

    Now I’m home where most around me don’t support national.

    • Colonial Viper 5.1

      Yeah this shit worries me a lot. I have been out and about in different places and with different people over the last few days, and when I bring the subject up most people are still very keen on Key and on National. Some very specific spots have good Labour support but otherwise its not a good look.

    • Vicky32 5.2

      How is that possible, just saying? I am sure you wonder, as I do…
      Deb

  6. Jellytussle 6

    Hmm…not sure about the validity of any polls until they can overcome the mobile phone factor. An increasing number of households don’t even have landlines any more!

    • lprent 6.1

      Or like me, don’t answer my unlisted landline unless the caller id is recognized. People can leave messages and usually don’t.

      captcha: executed – umm John Key or cold callers. Much the same really

  7. Marjorie Dawe 7

    But isnt it interesting that you dont actually see any pictures of Phil Goff, or for that matter any opposition party politicians, nor hear any of their true positive or informed comments in the daily papers. However, you do see lots of John Key and the National party ministers everywhere you look. How is anyone to know what the opposition parties do or are thinking if the media continues to invisibalise them. I think if the media played according to a fair playing field we would see polls with results which look a lot different. Examples are Pike River and Christchurch to which many leftist politicians went to lend a hand but we didnt actually see them did we. Thats right!! They were invisible.

  8. Marjorie Dawe 8

    Not only that, but the stories you see about the Nats are mostly all positive. It seems a bit strange how the negative stories are mainly about whatever can be found about Labour, and repeated ad nauseum, but some big negative stories about the Nats are hidden in places like the 7th page of the Herald and printed very briefly, once and with no pictures. Something is amiss here and most of our voters dont see this unfortunately. I dont buy papers any more because of the marked bias being showed. I would like them to give Kiwis the opportunity to make a fully informed decision about their voting choices and therefore the polling would be more honest.

    • jcuknz 8.1

      If you don’t buy newspapers any more how can you tell that they are biased to the right … that makes as much sense as me not buying the local rag because I believe it is biased towards its largely leftish readership :-).

      • Marjorie Dawe 8.1.1

        I dont buy the papers but I do have a computer. You claim that the local papers are leftist rags but during the local body elections in Auckland I saw lots of photos of John Banks and the right wing councillors but almost none of the leftist councillors. Its a bit sad now though isnt it, there arent that many on the right and our mayor is Len Brown. How sad for you.

  9. Alwyn 9

    I don’t think that there is any way at all that National can carry over 50% into the election.
    There has only been ONE election in the last 70 years when a party got over 50% of the vote.
    The was National in 1951, the Waterfront “strike”, or “lockout”, depending on your political leanings, election.
    The Green Party are going to have to lift their game though as they usually only get about two thirds the vote in an election that they get in the polls.

  10. Marjorie Dawe 10

    Auckland got it right in the local body elections and we got the only candidate who could pull the people together. The polls were wrong here and they could be wrong again.

  11. Zaphod Beeblebrox 11

    Ask them when they have to make a decision about the future. At the moment people have a general intention of support of an ideology or image but these things can change when you start to think about the next 3 years that you vote will affect.

    Ask them about what they want for NZ schools, their employment conditions, what sort of things they want their government to be involved in. Preferences change when you have to put your vote into action. No body ever got elected promising not to do anything- just ask John Banks.

    • Colonial Viper 11.1

      Agreed. Some so-called keen National supporters can’t verbalise at all the reasons why they like Key/National. And when they do its often things like “Key is a nice guy, a good businessman, he really seems to care, etc.” In other words they have bought into the branding and the imaging lock stock and barrel.

      Not everyone though. The people who dislike Key and National can really really dislike them.

      • KJT 11.1.1

        A bit of editorial in the local rag was gushing about Key. Then in the same article was talking about the problems with increasing inequality. There seems to be a disconnect between awareness of politicians and awareness of the effects of their policies.

        • Vicky32 11.1.1.1

          That reminds me that the other night, someone on 3 News was talking about the unbelievable prices rises for such things as cheese, milk and veg etc… Yet 3 News don’t seem to connect all this to NACT, of whom they are emotional supporters…
          Deb

          • Treetop 11.1.1.1.1

            Not hard to see why there is so much vitamin D deficiency in NZ as dairy is becoming a luxury food item. Have not looked up the story, but heard a health professional today say that NZ has to test children for vitamin D. Also heard the other day that dairy has gone up internationally and that in a couple of months it will rise at the supermarket in NZ by 10 %.

            Dairy products are essential for growing children or a good alternative is required if a vegan.

            • Colonial Viper 11.1.1.1.1.1

              Dairy products are essential for growing children

              Ah…not really. OK so its what the Fonterra ads say, but how “essential” can it be if the majority of people in human civilisations have had very limited or no access to dairy products whatsoever until the last 500 years. In fact dairy is a recent enough addition to the human diet that a lot of people have some degree of allergy to dairy proteins or sugars.

              And now that our dairy herds are being fed with palm kernel and tapioca, not clean green NZ grass (not that it was anyways…)

              If NZ wants its kids with good vitamin D levels they need to get out and about and play in the sun.

            • Ari 11.1.1.1.1.2

              I’m not sure where this came from, but let’s dispell some veg*an myths.

              Generally the worry for vegans is actually B12, which is largely obtained from milk and eggs for vegetarians. It’s possible to obtain enough B12 by eating food made with rather specific yeasts, cereals or other food fortified with B12, or even taking supplements. (I think I read something about various funguses which also contain B12 which are where the animals get it in the first place, so that might be available too.)

              Vegans can eat tofu, soy, bok choi, broccoli, and other foods for the calcium which improves vitamin D uptake- it’s relatively easy to get calcium as a vegan without even resorting to foods fortified with it. No dairy intake is necessary in a diet that involves a varied choice in vegetables, and vegetarians will easily get plenty of calcium.

              The real problem with veganism is simply that it’s a lot harder to pull off and less adaptable than vegetarianism. Some people will not be able to be vegan due to health risks or allergies to particular sources of nutrients, so consulting a doctor that actually knows about vegan or vegetarian diets about how viable they are for you is never a bad idea.

              Meat and dairy are heavily advocated for by industry groups, but neither is strictly necessary in a diet. New Zealand meat is certainly more ethical and healthy than wheat-fed livestock overseas, but that doesn’t mean it’s ethical or environmentally-friendly enough for people to eat. Even just eating vegetarian meals a few times a week will greatly cut down your carbon footprint, probably as much as switching to a more efficient mode of transport.

  12. Gina 12

    I still don’t believe the polls. The reason Labour lost the last election was low turn out. We had the lowest turnout for decades. National allways win low turn out elections.

    So why didn’t left voters come out? It could have been they felt it was futile because the polls made it look like a left win wasn’t possible. It could have been a thousand other things but its possible the high polling for the Nats made left voters just not bother.

    So the result mirrored the polls but was really a reflection of low voter turnout which means left voters didn’t go to the polls.

    So if high turnout almost always means victory for the left that tells us that the majority of Kiwi’s support the left or that most Kiwi’s do not support the right. If high turnout favoured the Right believe me we would have had compulsory voting years ago.

    It’d be interesting to look at the history of Australian elections who have compulsory voting.

      • felix 12.1.1

        English changes everything.

        • just saying 12.1.1.1

          I’ve noticed that fascinating ‘Mutt and Jeff” thing going on too. Those ordinarily left-leaning Key fans invariably blame all the negative news on Bill English. They love that nice Mr Key and loathe the nasty Mr English, who Key for some unfathomable reason is unable to control. (That doesn’t make him a weak leader you understand, just too nice for his own good sometimes…) Previously as reasonably sane and sensible as most ordinary people – still lucid and reasonable in most things, and worst of all to me, often the very people that the NACT agenda is already hurting with a lot worse to come. Like turkeys falling in love with Christmas.

          It’s quite mad, I’m not entirely convinced there aren’t psychotropic substances in Auckland’s water and subliminal messages on the TV. Come to think of it, with the relentless groupthink of the Key/Nact fanboi media, subliminal suggestion would be kinda over-egging the custard….

          • Ari 12.1.1.1.1

            Nope, this is just an example of how you can’t override feelings by logic, which is a very distressing thing if you’re talking to someone who trusts their feelings more than their logic on something where feelings aren’t really relevant like politics.

    • Zaphod Beeblebrox 12.2

      Remember the bottom 20% on the income scale no longer participate in the democratic process anymore. Thats why left leaning parties struggle when they start talking about social inclusion and fairness arguments. Guess which groups of people like it when the Nats mouth off about welfare bludgers, the DHB and unfair taxation.

      Of course these are only really catchy slogans because the reality of action is rather ugly. Nobody really wants to be assailed by beggars when they step outside their front door and nobody really likes the idea of children sitting next to their kids at school not having had breakfast or not being properly clothed, even if that is what they profess they will vote for.

      It makes a good story for the Nats though.

      In the end you individuals really need to ask- do they want to keep withdrawing money from the public good and why is there so little available for the public good when we are so rich. If you look at the Auckland Council elections you might see what people really think

  13. dave 13

    That’s right, nearly a quarter of people polled didn’t know who they wanted as PM or wouldn’t say.
    Given that Nat Deputy leader got 0%, and the second most popular Labour PM is in the UN, that indicates that many are happy with Key, but others are not happy with Goff or anyone else in Labour. Perhaps more Labour voters are happy with Key as PM than Goff, and alsowont vote for Labour’s deputy leader as they dont know her name.

    • Ari 13.1

      People don’t just vote on the basis of their approved leader. Witness that Labour was polling more than twice as high as Goff for quite some time.

  14. mcflock 14

    Somewhat pertinent news article on US cellphone-only homes here.

    It is US data, but they have found for the first time that more than 50% of 25-29 year olds live in cellphone-only homes, and that the 18-24yo and 30-34yo have cellphone only rates of 40%+.

    Even assuming that the NZ trend here isn’t quite so extreme, it does mean that phone-only polls are skewed towards rich, older folk.

    • Vicky32 14.1

      My son lives with his flatties in Wellington, they’re about 23 (my son) to 30 (his oldest flatmate) and they have no landline – mobiles only… I think it’s getting more common here.
      Deb

    • jcuknz 14.2

      And though I have a land line, so it is economical to go on the web, I politely brush off all callers asking for money and rarely respond to surveyors. This raises an interesting question … how do all these cellphone people participate on the web? at e-cafes whathaveyou?or do they not? Or is it twitter and facebook?

      • lprent 14.2.1

        The contract on my cell has a effective 3gb data cap (250mb nominal, but with a continuing 3gb promotion). If I was in an area with good cell coverage (ie not the wilds of chch suburbs) this last week then I’d have used about a third of that.

        There are quite a few people either tethering their iPhone or using something like a vodem to hook wirelessly to the 3G net for data.

      • Ari 14.2.2

        Some of us live in areas you don’t need a landline to get an internet connection.

  15. Gina 15

    Burt

    Sorry for the gross stupidity. I based that on info I heard a long time ago which was obvioulsy a load of coblers. I was trying to locate that info so thanks.

    I still think those polls before the last election kept a lot of left voters at home. The greens were polling a lot higher than the actual turnout.

    There was another clue before the last election which made me think that the undecideds favoured the left.

    In a poll on the tax cuts the far left i.e. Green voters were most opposed to further tax cuts, National Act voters were most in favour of further tax cuts, labour voters were in the middle and the undecideds were equal to the Greens in their opposition to tax cuts. That sort of indicates that the then 10+ undecided voters were far left wing voters but no one ever bothered to find out who the undecideds were or what they thought. In the US undecideds and independants favour the left by a hefty margin. So I still have big concerns about the validity of the polls. Add to that 23% cellphone only households who in many cases might be poor thus favouring the left. Again in the US those unpolled cellphone only households favour the left by a good margin.

  16. Shazzadude 16

    I believe that the significant “don’t know” polling for preferred PM probably comes from people who arre confused after hearing the options “Helen Clark” and “Phil Goff”, with Helen Clark having been a popular past leader, yet obviously not being there anymore.

  17. Jenny 17

    Trevor Mallard for P.M.

    • just saying 17.1

      Please no!

      • Bored 17.1.1

        Fekk no!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Mind you compared to Goff, Trev is the bomb. With no more fuse I admit, a dud. Who will save me from Labour party leaders? Woe is me!

    • felix 17.2

      Bring it!

    • higherstandard 17.3

      Only if he promises to punch everyone and fist Lockwood during question time.

    • BLiP 17.4

      Can’t see any reason why not.

    • luva 17.5

      National are (to use a Keyism) relaxed about fighting an election with Goff as the lefts figurehead. They are essentially going to sleep walk to victory. Internal complacency will still probably get them home if the uninspiring Goff remains the alternative.

      Trev is the man that the Nats are whispering about and are quite worried about. Labour and the Left in general need a silver bullet and need it soon. Trev could be that bolt of lightning and energy that would scare the shit out of Key and inspire centrist voters.

      • Colonial Viper 17.5.1

        Nope, Gillard showed to one and all that replacing a leader just before an election is just as likely to backfire and backfire badly. The Key Government can easily characterise such a move as a desperate stunt.

        Frak, National and their Crosby Textor mates have already discussed scenarios on this so why walk into their ambush.

        • Jenny 17.5.1.1

          The thing about Mallard is, that he actually wants the job.

          If after the election the majority of voters don’t go to National. And Phil Goff, in defiance of the wishes of the electorate, makes no serious effort to form a Labour led coalition government, and attempts to hand the country over to the Nats. for another term.

          Then he should be dumped immediately, with the full support of the Labour Party, and Mallard be given his shot.

          After all how hard could it be?

      • Zorr 17.5.2

        I honestly think that the next election is about Labour vs John Key. Not Phil Goff or Trevor Mallard vs him because that is not a fight they can hope to win. However, National are relying on the personality power of the Jonkey to get people to the polls in their favor because if they were to try and fight the election on their “achievements” they would solidly lose.

        • mcflock 17.5.2.1

          and the longer the wait for the election, the more chance key has of slipping – and he has a big chance of being just a bit too “relaxed” about the wrong issue.

          Blind trusts won’t do it, rorts are what people expect, but some issue where brownlee does something like stripmine mount cook (although even key would spot that one) and key takes a while to figure out that it’s a bad idea.

      • Salsy 17.5.3

        Trev?? You must be kidding!

    • lprent 17.6

      No please. As much as I like Trevor, he does have strong tendency towards impulsive acts that I would find a bit terrifying in a PM. It is bad enough having John Key doing stupid impulsive actions (cycleway anyone?) without having the same issues in Labour. If we only had a choice between two impulsive politicians, then it is time to start another party

      • Lanthanide 17.6.1

        I don’t think the cycleway was impulsive. It was cynical and probably pie-in-the-sky at the same time. Some sort of ‘think outside the box’ idea that as Minister For Tourism he can trot out, while simultaneously not costing much for the budget but somehow providing 4000 jobs.

        I remember interviews on TV at the time, Key had heard about the cycleway idea at least 2 weeks before the ‘talk-fest’ where he announced it. It’s possible the whole thing was organised simply as a platform to announce it, actually – that’s why nothing else actually came out of it.

        • Bored 17.6.1.1

          Iprent and Lan, I dont care if the cycleway was impulsive or not, I just want it delivered…….the clarion call fom the left should be, “Where is our f*****g cycleway?”

      • Salsy 17.6.2

        I would love to see John Key up against Cunliffe in a debate about the economy. That would sure shatter some illusions.

        • Lanthanide 17.6.2.1

          Yes, but it’ll be English vs Cunliffe. The facts tilt in Cunliffe’s favour, but English has never let the facts weigh him down.

    • jcuknz 17.7

      Pete Hodgeson for PM?
      [The anti spam word is ‘appropriate’ 🙂 ]

  18. Gina 18

    “Blind trusts won’t do it, rorts are what people expect”

    If our media told NewZealand the real truth about Michael Ashcroft that might have an effect on Key. Most kiwis have no clue that he owns the Belize bank or of other scandals around his financial arrangements.
    Labour really need to get this sort of information out somehow.

    • burt 18.1

      The media told us the real story about Winston but that hasn’t stopped Labour from wanting to get back into bed for another chance to rort the tax payers and not pay it back at the same time as using a secret trust and not declaring donations.

      • Bored 18.1.1

        The same Winston who the media deserted so quickly when he exposed their paymasters with the sordid rorts that were the Wine Box? The very same sordid corporate types who bankroll the right?

  19. Deadly_NZ 19

    Unfortunatly there is No one in the Labour party that could become popular enough to beat mr Smiley Wavey. We just need them to shoot them selves in the foot a few more times. Parliament should be interesting for a while in the beginning, however the deafening silence from said Labour party is also worrying. Surely they have speech writers that should be drooling over the ‘little’ cockups that have emerged from the Nats latley, but even Pete Hodgson has not been heard of. SO I sincerely hope that they have been taking notice and been buring phone and internet use with the said writers and when Mr Smiley Wavey comes back from entertaining all the ‘nice’ Americans and selling us further down the river, he will face a shit storm…

    Oh well Dreams are free..

    • burt 19.1

      The problem is Deadly_NZ that the good old days of relying on short public memory have gone. This blog alone provides a treasure trove of peoples previous positions and apologist behavious.

      The MPs simply can’t pretend they never said [xyz] or took [abc] position anymore.

      • Colonial Viper 19.1.1

        Hey with pollies like John Key who don’t give a damn what they said on camera 5 minutes ago, what does it matter.

        And the public continue to have painfully short memories.

        • burt 19.1.1.1

          Colonial Viper

          It might surprise you to know that Labour had 9 years of appalling behavious all documented in blogs and online MSM sites. They are the first govt in NZ to operate in that environment and it seems that they haven’t yet worked out the significance of that and neither have their apologist supporters.

          • Colonial Viper 19.1.1.1.1

            “National is not going to be raising GST” (John Key, 2008)

            http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxpwt5s4rLY

          • Bored 19.1.1.1.2

            Burt, you implore us to take off the tinted specs….you might notice from my criticism of Labour that I see them warts and all. When perchance are you going to take off your tinted specs and see the NACT bunch as more corrupt and venal at a far faster rate than Labour ever managed? When are you going to be really honest and see it as it really is? As you say, its on the record.

            • Deadly_NZ 19.1.1.1.2.1

              well I did finish with dreams are free. But at least after labour was rolled there was enough money in all his funds that the Nacts have already frittered way on tax cuts and pretty baubles for their rich mates and the most frustrating thing is that Labour can see the same polls as us and it’s like they just dont give a shit! and thats scarey if you wanna get rid of the “smiling John and his cronies”

    • Bored 19.2

      Deadly, Labour are a hollow vessel steered by one compassless captain, and the sheeple of NZ have no shepherd to herd them other than the one they are stuck with, keyed into we might say. Truly sad as the flood waters of corruption rise.

      • Colonial Viper 19.2.1

        Gimme a break, you know how politics is supposed to work. Get ordinary people into politics at a grass roots level, either as independent activitsts, members or non-member supporters of either parties or interest groups. Make the voices of ordinary party members more numerous and louder and louder. Make the party machinery listen. Strengthen the party to the extent that the party views are clearly and plainly reflected in the deliberations of the parliamentarians. If the parliamentarians aren’t doing what we think they should be, don’t tell them at the polls on election day. Give them hell through their entire term. Force the fraking politicians to do the right thing. Now that’s democracy.

        Now if the people don’t give a frak, and they end up thinking that politics is something that happens to other people on the 6pm news, then yeah they risk ending up as sheeple, and getting led to the slaughter while smiling and waving is par for the course.

        • Zaphod Beeblebrox 19.2.1.1

          if only the first scenario were true. In NZ politics is not about individual party members holding MP’s to account- its about corporate and special interest groups asking for action in return for financial and political support. NFF, BRT, Trucking lobby, mining lobby , Northern employers and the Auckland Business establishment on one side, CTU and welfare groups on the other. Of course these groups are only interesting in advancing their own interests- they don’t care about the public interest.

          • Marjorie Dawe 19.2.1.1.1

            ZB, I don’t know why you think that the CTU and welfare groups don’t care about the public interest when every day they are dealing with real struggling people and fighting for those who are unable to fight for themselves. The difference is that the interests of the business groups and rich is about making money and keeping as much of it ( re tax cuts) without actually noticing that some of our kids don’t eat every day and are dressed in rags. The interests of the Ctu and welfare groups are about caring and sharing the good fortune with those less fortunate. What a sad society we would be without caring like that. The other sad thing is that there are poor people who just concentrate on getting through each day and who dont have the time, energy or faith in our so called democratic system to vote. They are also not told the truth by our media and it is difficult then to make the connection between a smiling, waving man and their increasingly desperate situations they find themselves in.

        • Bored 19.2.1.2

          Nice riposte CV, gotta go to Oz next to see if they have sheeple too. Back in a fortnight to again demand my cycleway.

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  • The big question for Labour: Will Hipkins have any more success than Ardern did with the top priorit...
    Chris  Hipkins,  after  he became prime minister, committed  to defeating the  cost-of- living crisis. He  proceeded to make a  bonfire of policies  that were at  the  heart of Jacinda Ardern’s administration.  But, as   Richard Prebble pointed out this week, “the government has not just U-turned, it has repudiated the ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    13 hours ago
  • Reality check.
    There are some wellness, crystal-gazing, holistic spiritual guidance types in my disaster-hit coastal community who insist that the power of positive thinking will overcome the physical and material damages incurred by the community. They object to restrictions on road travel … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    14 hours ago
  • High Performance Instability in the Financial Sector
    Evaluating the recent crashes of Silicon Valley Bank in the US and Credit Suisse in Switzerland plus two other banks (perhaps more by the time you read this) needs to begin with a review of the inevitable instability in the financial sector. The financial sector is inherently unstable, like military ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    14 hours ago
  • The week in review
    1. We see here new police minister Ginny Andersen. Which larger than life NZ political figure was her great-uncle?a. Rob Muldoonb. Bill Andersenc. Richard John Seddond. Norman Kirk2. We see here archival footage of Ginny Andersen coming out of her electorate office to ask ex-tobacco lobbyist Chris Bishop if he ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    17 hours ago
  • Nash splashes out with a $900,000 investment in the blue economy (or is it more corporate welfare?)
    Buzz from the Beehive Stuart Nash, speaking as Minister of Oceans and Fisheries, one of his remaining portfolios after he was dropped down the Hipkins Government batting order, has drawn attention to the blue economy and its potential. Nash says the government is investing in the blue economy, or – ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    18 hours ago
  • Ask Me Anything about the week to March 24
    Photo by Josh Mills on UnsplashIt’s that time of the week for an ‘Ask Me Anything’ session for paying subscribers about the week that was for the next hour, including:The runs on Silicon Valley Bank and First Republic Bank on the west coast of the United States that forced the ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    20 hours ago
  • Weekly Roundup 24-March-2023
    Roundup is back! We skipped last week’s Friday post due to a shortage of person-power – did you notice? Lots going on out there… Our header image this week shows a green street that just happens to be Queen St, by @chamfy from Twitter. This week (and last) in ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    21 hours ago
  • Gordon Campbell on the Keen-Minshull visit
    After threatening Prime Minister Chris Hipkins of consequences if he dared to bar her entry, Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull has been given her visa, regardless. This will enable her to hold rallies in Auckland and Wellington this weekend, and spread her messages of hostility against an already marginalised trans community. Neo-Nazis may, ...
    21 hours ago
  • BRYCE EDWARDS’ Political Roundup:  NZ needs to distance itself from Australia’s anti-China nucl...
    * Bryce Edwards writes – The New Zealand Government has been silent about Australia’s decision to commit up to $400bn acquiring nuclear submarines, even though this is a significant threat to peace and stability in the Asia Pacific. The deal was struck by the Albanese Labor Government as ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    22 hours ago
  • Wayne Brown's #Auxit moment
    Boomers voted him in, but Brown’s Trumpish moments might spook Aucklanders worried about what a change to National nationally might mean. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTL;DR: Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has become our version of Donald Trump and Boris Johnson, except without any of the insatiable appetite for media appearances. He ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    22 hours ago
  • Bryce Edwards: NZ needs to distance itself from Australia’s anti-China nuclear submarines
    The New Zealand Government has been silent about Australia’s decision to commit up to $400bn acquiring nuclear submarines, even though this is a significant threat to peace and stability in the Asia Pacific. The deal was struck by the Albanese Labor Government as part of its Aukus pact with the ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    23 hours ago
  • Posie Parker vs Transgender Rights.
    Recently you might have heard of a person called Posie Parker and her visit to Aotearoa. Perhaps you’re not quite sure what it’s all about. So let’s start with who this person is, why their visit is controversial, and what on earth a TERF is.Posie Parker is the super villain ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • Select Committee told slow down; you’re moving too fast
    The chair of Parliament’s Select Committee looking at the Government’s resource management legislation wants the bills sent back for more public consultation. The proposal would effectively kill any chance of the bills making it into law before the election. Green MP, Eugenie Sage, stressing that she was speaking as ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 day ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #12 2023
    Open access notables  The United States experienced some historical low temperature records during the just-concluded winter. It's a reminder that climate and weather are quite noisy; with regard to our warming climate,, as with a road ascending a mountain range we may steadily change our conditions but with lots of ...
    1 day ago
  • What becomes of the broken hearted? Nanny State will step in to comfort them
    Buzz from the Beehive The Nanny State has scored some wins (or claimed them) in the past day or two but it faltered when it came to protecting Kiwi citizens from being savaged by one woman armed with a sharp tongue. The wins are recorded by triumphant ministers on the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago
  • Acceptance, decency, road food.
    Sometimes you see your friends making the case so well on social media you think: just copy and share.On acceptance and decency, from Michèle A’CourtA notable thing about anti-trans people is they way they talk about transgender women and men as though they are strangers “over there” when in fact ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Climate Change: More Labour sabotage
    Not that long ago, things were looking pretty good for climate change policy in Aotearoa. We finally had an ETS, and while it was full of pork and subsidies, it was delivering high and ever-rising carbon prices, sending a clear message to polluters to clean up or shut down. And ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago
  • Is bundling restricting electricity competition?
    Comparing (and switching) electricity providers has become easier, but bundling power up with broadband and/or gas makes it more challenging. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The Kākā TL;DR: The new Consumer Advocacy Council set up as a result of the Labour Government’s Electricity Price Review in 2019 has called on either ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Westland Milk puts heat on competitors as global dairy demand  remains softer for longer
    Hokitika-based Westland Milk Products  has  put the heat on dairy giant Fonterra with  a $120m profit turnaround in 2022, driven by record sales. Westland paid its suppliers a 10c premium above the forecast Fonterra price per kilo, contributing $535m to the West Coast and Canterbury economies. The dairy ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    2 days ago
  • BRYCE EDWARDS’ Political Roundup:  The Beehive’s revolving door and corporate mateship
    * Bryce Edwards writes – New Zealanders are uncomfortable with the high level of influence corporate lobbyists have in New Zealand politics, and demands are growing for greater regulation. A recent poll shows 62 per cent of the public support having a two-year cooling off period between ministers leaving public ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • Bryce Edwards: The Beehive’s revolving door and corporate mateship
    New Zealanders are uncomfortable with the high level of influence corporate lobbyists have in New Zealand politics, and demands are growing for greater regulation. A recent poll shows 62 per cent of the public support having a two-year cooling off period between ministers leaving public office and becoming lobbyists and ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    2 days ago
  • A miracle pill for our transport ills
    This is a guest post by accessibility and sustainable transport advocate Tim Adriaansen It originally appeared here.   A friend calls you and asks for your help. They tell you that while out and about nearby, they slipped over and landed arms-first. Now their wrist is swollen, hurting like ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    2 days ago
  • The Surprising Power of Floating Wind Turbines
    Floating offshore wind turbines offer incredible opportunities to capture powerful winds far out at sea. By unlocking this wind energy potential, they could be a key weapon in our arsenal in the fight against climate change. But how developed are these climate fighting clean energy giants? And why do I ...
    2 days ago
  • The next Maori challenge
    Over the past two or three weeks, a procession of Maori iwi and hapu in a series of little-noticed appearances before two Select Committees have been asking for more say for Maori over resource management decisions along the co-governance lines of Three Waters. Their submissions and appearances run counter ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • Secret “war-crime” warrants by International Criminal Court is mischief-making
    The decision of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue war crimes arrest warrants for the Russian President and the Russia Children Ombudsman may have been welcomed by the ideologically committed but otherwise seems to have been greeted with widespread cynicism (see Situation in Ukraine: ICC judges issue arrest warrants ...
    3 days ago
  • How to answer Drunk Uncle Kevin's Climate Crisis reckons
    Let’s say you’re clasping your drink at a wedding, or a 40th, or a King’s Birthday Weekend family reunion and Drunk Uncle Kevin has just got going.He’s in an expansive frame of mind because we’re finally rid of that silly girl. But he wants to ask an honest question about ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • National’s Luxon may be glum about his poll ratings but has he found a winner in promising to rai...
    National Party leader Christopher Luxon may  be feeling glum about his poll ratings, but  he could be tapping  into  a rich political vein in  describing the current state of education as “alarming”. Luxon said educational achievement has been declining,  with a recent NCEA pilot exposing just how far it has ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    3 days ago
  • Climate Change: More Labour foot-dragging
    Yesterday the IPCC released the final part of its Sixth Assessment Report, warning us that we have very little time left in which to act to prevent catastrophic climate change, but pointing out that it is a problem that we can solve, with existing technology, and that anything we do ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • Te Pāti Māori Are Revolutionaries – Not Reformists.
    Way Beyond Reform: Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer have no more interest in remaining permanent members of “New Zealand’s” House of Representatives than did Lenin and Trotsky in remaining permanent members of Tsar Nicolas II’s “democratically-elected” Duma. Like the Bolsheviks, Te Pāti Māori is a party of revolutionaries – not reformists.THE CROWN ...
    3 days ago
  • When does history become “ancient”, on Tinetti’s watch as Minister of Education – and what o...
    Buzz from the Beehive Auckland was wiped off the map, when Education Minister Jan Tinetti delivered her speech of welcome as host of the inaugural Conference of Pacific Education Ministers “here in Tāmaki Makaurau”. But – fair to say – a reference was made later in the speech to a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Climate Catastrophe, but first rugby.
    Morning mate, how you going?Well, I was watching the news last night and they announced this scientific report on Climate Change. But before they got to it they had a story about the new All Blacks coach.Sounds like important news. It’s a bit of a worry really.Yeah, they were talking ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • What the US and European bank rescues mean for us
    Always a bailout: US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the Government would fully guarantee all savers in all smaller US banks if needed. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: No wonder an entire generation of investors are used to ‘buying the dip’ and ‘holding on for dear life’. US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Who will drain Wellington’s lobbying swamp?
    Wealthy vested interests have an oversized influence on political decisions in New Zealand. Partly that’s due to their use of corporate lobbyists. Fortunately, the influence lobbyists can have on decisions made by politicians is currently under scrutiny in Guyon Espiner’s in-depth series published by RNZ. Two of Espiner’s research exposés ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • It’s Raining Congestion
    Yesterday afternoon it rained and traffic around the region ground to a halt, once again highlighting why it is so important that our city gets on with improving the alternatives to driving. For additional irony, this happened on the same day the IPCC synthesis report landed, putting the focus on ...
    3 days ago
  • Checking The Left: The Dreadful Logic Of Fascism.
    The Beginning: Anti-Co-Governance agitator, Julian Batchelor, addresses the Dargaville stop of his travelling roadshow across New Zealand . Fascism almost always starts small. Sadly, it doesn’t always stay that way. Especially when the Left helps it to grow.THERE IS A DREADFUL LOGIC to the growth of fascism. To begin with, it ...
    3 days ago
  • Good Friends and Terrible Food
    Hi,From an incredibly rainy day in Los Angeles, I just wanted to check in. I guess this is the day Trump may or may not end up in cuffs? I’m attempting a somewhat slower, less frenzied week. I’ve had Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s new record on non-stop, and it’s been a ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    3 days ago
  • At a glance – What evidence is there for the hockey stick?
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    4 days ago
  • Carry right on up there, Corporal Espiner
    RNZ has been shining their torch into corners where lobbyists lurk and asking such questions as: Do we like the look of this?and Is this as democratic as it could be?These are most certainly questions worth asking, and every bit as valid as, say:Are we shortchanged democratically by the way ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago
  • This smells
    RNZ has continued its look at the role of lobbyists by taking a closer look at the Prime Minister's Chief of Staff Andrew Kirton. He used to work for liquor companies, opposing (among other things) a container refund scheme which would have required them to take responsibility for their own ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Major issues on the table in Mahuta’s  talks in Beijing with China’s new Foreign Minister
    Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta has left for Beijing for the first ministerial visit to China since 2019. Mahuta is  to  meet China’s new foreign minister Qin Gang  where she  might have to call on all the  diplomatic skills  at  her  command. Almost certainly she  will  face  questions  on what  role ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    4 days ago
  • Inside TOP's Teal Card and political strategy
    TL;DR: The Opportunities Party’s Leader Raf Manji is hopeful the party’s new Teal Card, a type of Gold card for under 30s, will be popular with students, and not just in his Ilam electorate where students make up more than a quarter of the voters and where Manji is confident ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Make Your Empties Go Another Round.
    When I was a kid New Zealand was actually pretty green. We didn’t really have plastic. The fruit and veges came in a cardboard box, the meat was wrapped in paper, milk came in a glass bottle, and even rubbish sacks were made of paper. Today if you sit down ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on how similar Vladimir Putin is to George W. Bush
    Looking back through the names of our Police Ministers down the years, the job has either been done by once or future party Bigfoots – Syd Holland, Richard Prebble, Juduth Collins, Chris Hipkins – or by far lesser lights like Keith Allen, Frank Gill, Ben Couch, Allen McCready, Clem Simich, ...
    4 days ago
  • CHRIS TROTTER:  Te Pāti Māori’s uncompromising threat to the status quo
    Chris Trotter writes – The Crown is a fickle friend. Any political movement deemed to be colourful but inconsequential is generally permitted to go about its business unmolested. The Crown’s media, RNZ and TVNZ, may even “celebrate” its existence (presumably as proof of Democracy’s broad-minded acceptance of diversity). ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Shining a bright light on lobbyists in politics
    Four out of the five people who have held the top role of Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff since 2017 have been lobbyists. That’s a fact that should worry anyone who believes vested interests shouldn’t have a place at the centre of decision making. Chris Hipkins’ newly appointed Chief of ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago
  • Auckland Council Draft Budget – an unnecessary backwards step
    Feedback on Auckland Council’s draft 2023/24 budget closes on March 28th. You can read the consultation document here, and provide feedback here. Auckland Council is currently consulting on what is one of its most important ever Annual Plans – the ‘budget’ of what it will spend money on between July ...
    4 days ago
  • Talking’ Posey Parker Blues
    by Molten Moira from Motueka If you want to be a woman let me tell you what to do Get a piece of paper and a biro tooWrite down your new identification And boom! You’re now a woman of this nationSpelled W O M A Na real trans woman that isAs opposed ...
    RedlineBy Admin
    4 days ago
  • More Māori words make it into the OED, and polytech boss (with rules on words like “students”) ...
    Buzz from the Beehive   New Zealand Education Minister Jan Tinetti is hosting the inaugural Conference of Pacific Education Ministers for three days from today, welcoming Education Ministers and senior officials from 18 Pacific Island countries and territories, and from Australia. Here’s hoping they have brought translators with them – or ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • Social intercourse with haters and Nazis: an etiquette guide
    Let’s say you’ve come all the way from His Majesty’s United Kingdom to share with the folk of Australia and New Zealand your antipathy towards certain other human beings. And let’s say you call yourself a women’s rights activist.And let’s say 99 out of 100 people who listen to you ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago
  • The Greens, Labour, and coalition enforcement
    James Shaw gave the Green party's annual "state of the planet" address over the weekend, in which he expressed frustration with Labour for not doing enough on climate change. His solution is to elect more Green MPs, so they have more power within any government arrangement, and can hold Labour ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • This sounds familiar…
    RNZ this morning has the first story another investigative series by Guyon Espiner, this time into political lobbying. The first story focuses on lobbying by government agencies, specifically transpower, Pharmac, and assorted universities, and how they use lobbyists to manipulate public opinion and gather intelligence on the Ministers who oversee ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Letter to the NZ Herald: NCEA pseudoscience – “Mauri is present in all matter”
    Nick Matzke writes –   Dear NZ Herald, I am a Senior Lecturer in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Auckland. I teach evolutionary biology, but I also have long experience in science education and (especially) political attempts to insert pseudoscience into science curricula in ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • So what would be the point of a Green vote again?
    James Shaw has again said the Greens would be better ‘in the tent’ with Labour than out, despite Labour’s policy bonfire last week torching much of what the Government was doing to reduce emissions. File Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The Green Party has never been more popular than in some ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Gas stoves pose health risks. Are gas furnaces and other appliances safe to use?
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Sarah Wesseler Poor air quality is a long-standing problem in Los Angeles, where the first major outbreak of smog during World War II was so intense that some residents thought the city had been attacked by chemical weapons. Cars were eventually discovered ...
    5 days ago
  • Genetic Heritage and Co Governance
    Yesterday I was reading an excellent newsletter from David Slack, and I started writing a comment “Sounds like some excellent genetic heritage…” and then I stopped.There was something about the phrase genetic heritage that stopped me in tracks. Is that a phrase I want to be saying? It’s kind of ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • BRIAN EASTON: Radical Uncertainty
    Brian Easton writes – Two senior economists challenge some of the foundations of current economics. It is easy to criticise economic science by misrepresenting it, by selective quotations, and by ignoring that it progresses, like all sciences, by improving and abandoning old theories. The critics may go ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: New Zealand’s Middle East strategy, 20 years after the Iraq War
    This week marks the twentieth anniversary of the Iraq War. While it strongly opposed the US-led invasion, New Zealand’s then Labour-led government led by Prime Minister Helen Clark did deploy military engineers to try to help rebuild Iraq in mid-2003. With violence soaring, their 12-month deployment ended without being renewed ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • The motorways are finished
    After seventy years, Auckland’s motorway network is finally finished. In July 1953 the first section of motorway in Auckland was opened between Ellerslie-Panmure Highway and Mt Wellington Highway. The final stage opens to traffic this week with the completion of the motorway part of the Northern Corridor Improvements project. Aucklanders ...
    5 days ago
  • Kicking National’s tyres
    National’s appointment of Todd McClay as Agriculture spokesperson clearly signals that the party is in trouble with the farming vote. McClay was not an obvious choice, but he does have a record as a political scrapper. The party needs that because sources say it has been shedding farming votes ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • As long as there is cricket, the world is somehow okay.
    Rays of white light come flooding into my lounge, into my face from over the top of my neighbour’s hedge. I have to look away as the window of the conservatory is awash in light, as if you were driving towards the sun after a rain shower and suddenly blinded. ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago
  • So much of what was there remains
    The columnists in Private Eye take pen names, so I have not the least idea who any of them are. But I greatly appreciate their expert insight, especially MD, who writes the medical column, offering informed and often damning critique of the UK health system and the politicians who keep ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • 2023 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Mar 12, 2023 thru Sat, Mar 18, 2023. Story of the Week Guest post: What 13,500 citations reveal about the IPCC’s climate science report   IPCC WG1 AR6 SPM Report Cover - Changing ...
    6 days ago
  • Financial capability services are being bucked up, but Stuart Nash shouldn’t have to see if they c...
    Buzz from the Beehive  The building of financial capability was brought into our considerations when Social Development and Employment Minister Carmel Sepuloni announced she had dipped into the government’s coffers for $3 million for “providers” to help people and families access community-based Building Financial Capability services. That wording suggests some ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    7 days ago
  • Things that make you go Hmmmm.
    Do you ever come across something that makes you go Hmmmm?You mean like the song?No, I wasn’t thinking of the song, but I am now - thanks for that. I was thinking of things you read or hear that make you stop and go Hmmmm.Yeah, I know what you mean, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    7 days ago
  • The hoon for the week that was to March 19
    By the end of the week, the dramas over Stuart Nash overshadowed Hipkins’ policy bonfire. File photo: Lynn GrieveasonTLDR: This week’s news in geopolitics and the political economy covered on The Kākā included:PM Chris Hipkins’ announcement of the rest of a policy bonfire to save a combined $1.7 billion, but ...
    The KakaBy Peter Bale
    1 week ago
  • Saving Stuart Nash: Explaining Chris Hipkins' unexpected political calculation
    When word went out that Prime Minister Chris Hipkins would be making an announcement about Stuart Nash on the tiles at parliament at 2:45pm yesterday, the assumption was that it was over. That we had reached tipping point for Nash’s time as minister. But by 3pm - when, coincidentally, the ...
    PunditBy Tim Watkin
    1 week ago
  • Radical Uncertainty
    Two senior economists challenge some of the foundations of current economics. It is easy to criticise economic science by misrepresenting it, by selective quotations, and by ignoring that it progresses, like all sciences, by improving and abandoning old theories. The critics may go on to attack physics by citing Newton.So ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 week ago
  • Jump onto the weekly hoon on Riverside at 5pm
    Photo by Walker Fenton on UnsplashIt’s that time of the week again when and I co-host our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kaka for an hour at 5 pm. Jump on this link on Riverside (we’ve moved from Zoom) for our chat about the week’s news with ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The Dream of Florian Neame: Accepted
    In a nice bit of news, my 2550-word deindustrial science-fiction piece, The Dream of Florian Neame, has been accepted for publication at New Maps Magazine (https://www.new-maps.com/). I have published there before, of course, with Of Tin and Tintagel coming out last year. While I still await the ...
    1 week ago
  • Snakes and leaders
    And so this is Friday, and what have we learned?It was a week with all the usual luggage: minister brags and then he quits, Hollywood red carpet is full of twits. And all the while, hanging over the trivial stuff: existential dread, and portents of doom.Depending on who you read ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago
  • This station is Karanga-a-Hape, Chur!
    When I changed the name of this newsletter from The Daily Read to Nick’s Kōrero I was a bit worried whether people would know what Kōrero meant or not. I added a definition when I announced the change and kind of assumed people who weren’t familiar with it would get ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Greens don’t shy from promoting a candidate’s queerness but are quiet about govt announcement on...
    There was a time when a political party’s publicity people would counsel against promoting a candidate as queer. No matter which of two dictionary meanings the voting public might choose to apply – the old meaning of odd, strange, weird, or aberrant, or the more recent meaning of gay, homosexual ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 week ago
  • Ask Me Anything about the week to March 17
    Photo by Joakim Honkasalo on UnsplashIt’s that time of the week for an ‘Ask Me Anything’ session for paying subscribers about the week that was for the next hour, including:PM Chris Hipkins announcement of the rest of a policy bonfire to save a combined $1.7 billion, but which blew up ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Slow consenting could create $16b climate liability by 2050
    Even though concern over the climate change threat is becoming more mainstream, our governments continue to opt out of the difficult decisions at the expense of time, and cost for future generations. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTLDR: Now we have a climate liability number to measure the potential failure of the ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • THOMAS CRANMER: Challenging progressivism in New Zealand’s culture wars
    Thomas Cranmer writes  Like it or not, the culture wars have entered New Zealand politics and look set to broaden and intensify. The culture wars are often viewed as an exclusively American phenomenon, but the reality is that they are becoming increasingly prominent in countries around the world, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 week ago

  • District Court Judges appointed
    Attorney-General David Parker has announced the appointment of Christopher John Dellabarca of Wellington, Dr Katie Jane Elkin of Wellington, Caroline Mary Hickman of Napier, Ngaroma Tahana of Rotorua, Tania Rose Williams Blyth of Hamilton and Nicola Jan Wills of Wellington as District Court Judges.  Chris Dellabarca Mr Dellabarca commenced his ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    18 hours ago
  • New project set to supercharge ocean economy in Nelson Tasman
    A new Government-backed project will help ocean-related businesses in the Nelson Tasman region to accelerate their growth and boost jobs. “The Nelson Tasman region is home to more than 400 blue economy businesses, accounting for more than 30 percent of New Zealand’s economic activity in fishing, aquaculture, and seafood processing,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • National’s education policy: where’s the funding?
    After three years of COVID-19 disruptions schools are finally settling down and National want to throw that all in the air with major disruption to learning and underinvestment.  “National’s education policy lacks the very thing teachers, parents and students need after a tough couple of years, certainty and stability,” Education ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Free programme to help older entrepreneurs and inventors
    People aged over 50 with innovative business ideas will now be able to receive support to advance their ideas to the next stage of development, Minister for Seniors Ginny Andersen said today. “Seniors have some great entrepreneurial ideas, and this programme will give them the support to take that next ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government target increased to keep powering up the Māori economy
    A cross government target for relevant government procurement contracts for goods and services to be awarded to Māori businesses annually will increase to 8%, after the initial 5% target was exceeded. The progressive procurement policy was introduced in 2020 to increase supplier diversity, starting with Māori businesses, for the estimated ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Continued progress on reducing poverty in challenging times
    77,000 fewer children living in low income households on the after-housing-costs primary measure since Labour took office Eight of the nine child poverty measures have seen a statistically significant reduction since 2018. All nine have reduced 28,700 fewer children experiencing material hardship since 2018 Measures taken by the Government during ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Speech at Fiji Investment and Trade Business Forum
    Deputy Prime Minister Kamikamica; distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen. Tēnā koutou katoa, ni sa bula vinaka saka, namaste. Deputy Prime Minister, a very warm welcome to Aotearoa. I trust you have been enjoying your time here and thank you for joining us here today. To all delegates who have travelled to be ...
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    2 days ago
  • Government investments boost and diversify local economies in lower South Island
    $2.9 million convertible loan for Scapegrace Distillery to meet growing national and international demand $4.5m underwrite to support Silverlight Studios’ project to establish a film studio in Wanaka Gore’s James Cumming Community Centre and Library to be official opened tomorrow with support of $3m from the COVID-19 Response and Recovery ...
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    2 days ago
  • Government future-proofs EV charging
    Transport Minister Michael Wood has today launched the first national EV (electric vehicle) charging strategy, Charging Our Future, which includes plans to provide EV charging stations in almost every town in New Zealand. “Our vision is for Aotearoa New Zealand to have world-class EV charging infrastructure that is accessible, affordable, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • World-leading family harm prevention campaign supports young NZers
    Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment Priyanca Radhakrishnan has today launched the Love Better campaign in a world-leading approach to family harm prevention. Love Better will initially support young people through their experience of break-ups, developing positive and life-long attitudes to dealing with hurt. “Over 1,200 young kiwis told ...
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    3 days ago
  • First Chief Clinical Advisor welcomed into Coroners Court
    Hon Rino Tirikatene, Minister for Courts, welcomes the Ministry of Justice’s appointment of Dr Garry Clearwater as New Zealand’s first Chief Clinical Advisor working with the Coroners Court. “This appointment is significant for the Coroners Court and New Zealand’s wider coronial system.” Minister Tirikatene said. Through Budget 2022, the Government ...
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    3 days ago
  • Next steps for affected properties post Cyclone and floods
    The Government via the Cyclone Taskforce is working with local government and insurance companies to build a picture of high-risk areas following Cyclone Gabrielle and January floods. “The Taskforce, led by Sir Brian Roche, has been working with insurance companies to undertake an assessment of high-risk areas so we can ...
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    3 days ago
  • New appointment to Māori Land Court bench
    E te huia kaimanawa, ko Ngāpuhi e whakahari ana i tau aupikinga ki te tihi o te maunga. Ko te Ao Māori hoki e whakanui ana i a koe te whakaihu waka o te reo Māori i roto i te Ao Ture. (To the prized treasure, it is Ngāpuhi who ...
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    3 days ago
  • Government focus on jobs sees record number of New Zealanders move from Benefits into work
    113,400 exits into work in the year to June 2022 Young people are moving off Benefit faster than after the Global Financial Crisis Two reports released today by the Ministry of Social Development show the Government’s investment in the COVID-19 response helped drive record numbers of people off Benefits and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Vertical farming partnership has upward momentum
    The Government’s priority to keep New Zealand at the cutting edge of food production and lift our sustainability credentials continues by backing the next steps of a hi-tech vertical farming venture that uses up to 95 per cent less water, is climate resilient, and pesticide-free. Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor visited ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Conference of Pacific Education Ministers – Keynote Address
    E nga mana, e nga iwi, e nga reo, e nga hau e wha, tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou kātoa. Warm Pacific greetings to all. It is an honour to host the inaugural Conference of Pacific Education Ministers here in Tāmaki Makaurau. Aotearoa is delighted to be hosting you ...
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    4 days ago
  • New $13m renal unit supports Taranaki patients
    The new renal unit at Taranaki Base Hospital has been officially opened by the Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall this afternoon. Te Huhi Raupō received around $13 million in government funding as part of Project Maunga Stage 2, the redevelopment of the Taranaki Base Hospital campus. “It’s an honour ...
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    4 days ago
  • Second Poseidon aircraft on home soil
    Defence Minister Andrew Little has marked the arrival of the country’s second P-8A Poseidon aircraft alongside personnel at the Royal New Zealand Air Force’s Base at Ohakea today. “With two of the four P-8A Poseidons now on home soil this marks another significant milestone in the Government’s historic investment in ...
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    4 days ago
  • Further humanitarian aid for Türkiye and Syria
    Aotearoa New Zealand will provide further humanitarian support to those seriously affected by last month’s deadly earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria, says Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta. “The 6 February earthquakes have had devastating consequences, with almost 18 million people affected. More than 53,000 people have died and tens of thousands more ...
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    4 days ago
  • Community voice to help shape immigration policy
    Migrant communities across New Zealand are represented in the new Migrant Community Reference Group that will help shape immigration policy going forward, Immigration Minister Michael Wood announced today.  “Since becoming Minister, a reoccurring message I have heard from migrants is the feeling their voice has often been missing around policy ...
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    4 days ago
  • State Highway 3 project to deliver safer journeys, better travel connections for Taranaki
    Construction has begun on major works that will deliver significant safety improvements on State Highway 3 from Waitara to Bell Block, Associate Minister of Transport Kiri Allan announced today. “This is an important route for communities, freight and visitors to Taranaki but too many people have lost their lives or ...
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    4 days ago
  • Ginny Andersen appointed as Minister of Police
    Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has today appointed Ginny Andersen as Minister of Police. “Ginny Andersen has a strong and relevant background in this important portfolio,” Chris Hipkins said. “Ginny Andersen worked for the Police as a non-sworn staff member for around 10 years and has more recently been chair of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government confirms vital roading reconnections
    Six further bailey bridge sites confirmed Four additional bridge sites under consideration 91 per cent of damaged state highways reopened Recovery Dashboards for impacted regions released The Government has responded quickly to restore lifeline routes after Cyclone Gabrielle and can today confirm that an additional six bailey bridges will ...
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    5 days ago
  • Foreign Minister Mahuta to meet with China’s new Foreign Minister
    Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta departs for China tomorrow, where she will meet with her counterpart, State Councillor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang, in Beijing. This will be the first visit by a New Zealand Minister to China since 2019, and follows the easing of COVID-19 travel restrictions between New Zealand and China. ...
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    5 days ago
  • Education Ministers from across the Pacific gather in Aotearoa
    Education Ministers from across the Pacific will gather in Tāmaki Makaurau this week to share their collective knowledge and strategic vision, for the benefit of ākonga across the region. New Zealand Education Minister Jan Tinetti will host the inaugural Conference of Pacific Education Ministers (CPEM) for three days from today, ...
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    5 days ago
  • State Highway 5 reopens between Napier and Taupō following Cyclone Gabrielle
    A vital transport link for communities and local businesses has been restored following Cyclone Gabrielle with the reopening of State Highway 5 (SH5) between Napier and Taupō, Associate Minister of Transport Kiri Allan says. SH5 reopened to all traffic between 7am and 7pm from today, with closure points at SH2 (Kaimata ...
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    5 days ago
  • Special Lotto draw raises $11.7 million for Cyclone Gabrielle recovery
    Internal Affairs Minister Barbara Edmonds has thanked generous New Zealanders who took part in the special Lotto draw for communities affected by Cyclone Gabrielle. Held on Saturday night, the draw raised $11.7 million with half of all ticket sales going towards recovery efforts. “In a time of need, New Zealanders ...
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    6 days ago
  • Government delivers a $3 million funding boost for Building Financial Capability services
    The Government has announced funding of $3 million for providers to help people, and whānau access community-based Building Financial Capability services. “Demand for Financial Capability Services is growing as people face cost of living pressures. Those pressures are increasing further in areas affected by flooding and Cyclone Gabrielle,” Minister for ...
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    1 week ago
  • Education New Zealand | Manapou ki te Ao – new Chair and member
    Minister of Education, Hon Jan Tinetti, has announced appointments to the Board of Education New Zealand | Manapou ki te Ao. Tracey Bridges is joining the Board as the new Chair and Dr Therese Arseneau will be a new member. Current members Dr Linda Sissons CNZM and Daniel Wilson have ...
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    1 week ago
  • Scholarships honouring Ngarimu VC and the 28th (Māori) Battalion announced
    Fifteen ākonga Māori from across Aotearoa have been awarded the prestigious Ngarimu VC and 28th (Māori) Battalion Memorial Scholarships and Awards for 2023, Associate Education Minister and Ngarimu Board Chair, Kelvin Davis announced today.  The recipients include doctoral, masters’ and undergraduate students. Three vocational training students and five wharekura students, ...
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    1 week ago
  • Appointment of Judge of the Court of Appeal and Judge of the High Court
    High Court Judge Jillian Maree Mallon has been appointed a Judge of the Court of Appeal, and District Court Judge Andrew John Becroft QSO has been appointed a Judge of the High Court, Attorney‑General David Parker announced today. Justice Mallon graduated from Otago University in 1988 with an LLB (Hons), and with ...
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    1 week ago
  • NZ still well placed to meet global challenges
    The economy has continued to show its resilience despite today’s GDP figures showing a modest decline in the December quarter, leaving the Government well positioned to help New Zealanders face cost of living pressures in a challenging global environment. “The economy had grown strongly in the two quarters before this ...
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    1 week ago
  • Western Ring Route Complete
    Aucklanders now have more ways to get around as Transport Minister Michael Wood opened the direct State Highway 1 (SH1) to State Highway 18 (SH18) underpass today, marking the completion of the 48-kilometre Western Ring Route (WRR). “The Government is upgrading New Zealand’s transport system to make it safer, more ...
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    1 week ago
  • Briefings to Incoming Ministers
    This section contains briefings received by incoming ministers following changes to Cabinet in January. Some information may have been withheld in accordance with the Official Information Act 1982. Where information has been withheld that is indicated within the document. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Teaming up for a stronger, more resilient Fiji
    Aotearoa New Zealand Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta reaffirmed her commitment to working together with the new Government of Fiji on issues of shared importance, including on the prioritisation of climate change and sustainability, at a meeting today, in Nadi. Fiji and Aotearoa New Zealand’s close relationship is underpinned by the Duavata ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Investment in blue highway a lifeline for regional economies and cyclone recovery
    The Government is delivering a coastal shipping lifeline for businesses, residents and the primary sector in the cyclone-stricken regions of Hawkes Bay and Tairāwhiti, Regional Development Minister Kiri Allan announced today. The Rangitata vessel has been chartered for an emergency coastal shipping route between Gisborne and Napier, with potential for ...
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    1 week ago
  • Next steps developing clean energy for NZ
    The Government will progress to the next stage of the NZ Battery Project, looking at the viability of pumped hydro as well as an alternative, multi-technology approach as part of the Government’s long term-plan to build a resilient, affordable, secure and decarbonised energy system in New Zealand, Energy and Resources ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Statement from the Prime Minister on Stuart Nash
    This morning I was made aware of a media interview in which Minister Stuart Nash criticised a decision of the Court and said he had contacted the Police Commissioner to suggest the Police appeal the decision. The phone call took place in 2021 when he was not the Police Minister. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • CPTPP Trade Ministers coming to Auckland
    The Government’s sharp focus on trade continues with Aotearoa New Zealand set to host Trade Ministers and delegations from 10 Asia Pacific economies at a meeting of Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) Commission members in July, Minister for Trade and Export Growth Damien O’Connor announced today. “New Zealand ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Govt approves $25 million extension for cyclone-affected businesses
    $25 million boost to support more businesses with clean-up in cyclone affected regions, taking total business support to more than $50 million Demand for grants has been strong, with estimates showing applications will exceed the initial $25 million business support package Grants of up to a maximum of $40,000 per ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

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