Left wing twitter is the worst *

Written By: - Date published: 7:42 am, September 1st, 2020 - 69 comments
Categories: facebook, internet, Judith Collins, Media, national, same old national, the praiseworthy and the pitiful, twitter - Tags:

I am surprised that National leader Judith Collins’ husband David Wong Tung has not had his social media thoroughly scrubbed and cleaned.  Because it looks like it could have used a good cleaning.

This appeared yesterday.

https://twitter.com/BobbyMiller202/status/1300231360926236677

And a dive into his social media, which was open to the world, showed some pretty unsavoury items.  Like one reposted item accusing Ardern of “making it easier for unemployed ferals to continue getting the benefit without any sanctions on those who don’t seek work” and describing Māori as “Natives”.

Judith’s response?  Boys will be boys.  From Thomas Coughlan at Stuff:

Collins said the posts were not something she would do herself.

“We have been together for 41 years; I have never been able to get him to do anything I tell him to do,” she said.

“It is not something I would do but he is an adult, he makes his own decisions; I think he gets sick of people having a go at him and me.”

Collins said she did not think the posts were sexist.

“He is one of the least sexist men I know, he is married to me, how could he be sexist?” Collins said.

“He is an adult, he will make his own decisions and let’s put it this way, I don’t have to answer for him because I have not been able to control him in 41 years.

“If you have got the secret to how you control a man who is 64 years old, used to play a lot of rugby and was a policeman, good luck and let me know,” she said.

As much as possible leaders’ spouses should be left out of the media gaze.  But regularly and publicly attacking the opponent with racist misogynist material makes them fair game.  And the response of their spouse will show how ready they are to be leader of the country.

69 comments on “Left wing twitter is the worst * ”

  1. Stuart Munro 1

    I have a feeling Judith is being disingenuous. She enjoyed a long and influential relationship with Slater, and it does not seem that her influence was employed in moderating his baser instincts.

    Disraeli once described the manner of Bishop Wilberforce as “unctuous, oleaginous, saponaceous.” And the good prelate was ever afterward known as Soapy Sam. For every man there is something in the vocabulary that would stick to him like a second skin. His enemies have only to find it. Bierce The Devil's Dictionary

    David Wong Tung seems to be struggling to find that apt putdown.

  2. PsyclingLeft.Always 2

    Well what else could be expected of "Swamp Kauri" Wong-Tung ?

    ( I did link this from ODT elsewhere, but what a True Image…)

    https://www.odt.co.nz/news/decision-2020/collins-husband-criticised-sharing-anti-ardern-memes

  3. Pierre 3

    not enough maoists on the timeline for left-wing twitter

  4. Ad 4

    C'mon team we're just lucky we've had the Partner media thing locked up for three years. Gayford had his own tv show ffs. Plus they are both pretty and have a young baby.

    Ardern has the most massive Facebook and Twitter advantage that this is joust not worrying about.

    Labour have media assets by the truckload.

    And Collin's team will get around him and train him up.

    This isnot a campaign area we need to worry about.

  5. tc 5

    All part of their strategy. Collins doesn't give a F and has the morals to accompany that approach.

    She'll fill the gap Cammy left no worries.

    • Gabby 5.1

      What kind of gap does a moral vacuum leave?

      • Wensleydale 5.1.1

        She's the political equivalent of a quantum singularity — sucking in all light, truth and goodness, and leaving only frigid desolation in its wake. #StrongTeam

  6. Dennis Frank 6

    Mimetics in political theory & application is a topic worthy of theses. When universities catch on (next century) useful elucidation may ensue. Until then:

    Memes can’t be tamed.

    https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/24-08-2020/the-meme-election-a-qa-with-the-minds-behind-two-political-meme-groups/

    So rogue memes and wild memes are different beasts.

    at the end of the day, meme pages like BKM are just for some lols at New Zealand’s little political goings-on. While we aspire to have the cred of influential pages like Shit Towns of New Zealand or Vicdeals, we do not.

    At the start of the day at the end of the day seems rather tired and the contagion may be a spent force. Shit towns, on the other hand…

    Sometimes politics is hard to understand

    Only because it isn't taught in schools, eh? C'mon you kids, there's more to life than social media banality, nudge that penny & it may drop! Syllabus reform!! Get it??

    the meme scene in 2020 is a dog-eat-dog world

    Gah! Stuffed by traditionalism already when it's hardly even born!

    It’s hard to balance the reality that we just set up this stupid meme page for fun with the responsibility of preventing this kind of platform from being used for rumours or slander.

    Ah, moral responsibility, not part of the syllabus. Learn via social darwinism.

    The prime minister won’t change. Ever.

    Quite a negative view for Labour youngsters to have. Still, mindless recycling of conservatism is indeed how the establishment operates, so they've learnt something!

    Just in case it isn’t apparent to readers, the husband was reproducing the artistry of the young Nat meme support group. Spinoff interviewed them plus the Labour same…

  7. Patricia Bremner 7

    We need to know what role Judith Collins sees for her husband in the future.

    He would have to be the most obnoxious partner of any leader, with scant respect for many aspects of New Zealand life apparently. Intent on breaking trust in the covid fight. A very Trumpish attitude.

    I think that is a truly toxic group, David Wong Tung Judith Collins Gerry and Slater???!!!

    Not just National Policies are "Back to the Future" it is Dirty Politics all over again.

    Why am I not surprised??

    Someone said Jacinda Ardern is tough and will weather this, but this is personal and nasty, it is aimed at her not the Labour Party.

    I hope people pour scorn on Judith Collins' silly rejoinder.

  8. Anker 8
    • I think it will back fire on Collins.
    • Gabby 8.1

      Her farmer constituency will think he's a great bloke to have a beer with and then go bash some scarfies.

  9. Reality 9

    Surely there are decent, upright normal National supporters who cringe at Judith and her husband and their behaviour over a good many years. At 64 he should be mature enough not to engage in childish pathetic behaviour. He is not 16.

  10. AB 10

    If you regard the world and other people as a set of resources to be utilised to your advantage – all this ' kindness' stuff from the PM must drive you up the wall with rage and frustration. It might even lead you to do silly things – so silly that even if you are a supposedly uncontrollable 64-year old, rugby playing bloke, your powerful wife is going to give you a total bollocking.

    There is only one question worth asking of Collins before swiftly moving on – "are you and your husband ideological soul-mates?" However she answers it, the question itself does the damage.

  11. Anne 11

    Well, Barry Soper thinks its all Much Ado About Nothing.

    And anyway, says Barry, Labour do it too – referring to Clarke G once calling a journo a bottom feeder. How that is supposed to equate to the sexist and demeaning comments about the prime minister I don't know.

    We haven't got a sense of humour says dear Barry. We're supposed to laugh at the man’s wittery. (my word) 🙄

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12361092

    • PsyclingLeft.Always 11.1

      Barry and Heather are the print medias Hosking and Hawkseby…bluuurgh

    • Gabby 11.2

      Got to wonder what rumours Soapy Baz has been responsible for generating over the years.

    • woodart 11.3

      so is soper giving us the greenlight to gaslight his partner?

    • Wensleydale 11.4

      Clarke wasn't talking about Soper, was he? If so, I didn't know Barry was such a sensitive soul.

      • anker 11.4.1

        Clarke was referring to a "Journo" whose name escapes me now who said Clarke's name with an E really bothered her. What an absolute irrelevance that article was. She later apologized. I am sorry I can't remember her name, well maybe I am not. Hopefully she has faded into the oblivion

    • georgecom 11.5

      I will laugh Barry, if something is funny. The stuff Mr Collins shared was political in nature and political in timing (during an election campaign). It is not simply a joke or a bit of 'tomfoolery'.

      Question, are such cartoons/memes covered under electoral law and requiring some form of political authorisation or attribution toward someones electoral spending?

  12. Byd0nz 12

    The Nats are in a tragic state. They have never been above a low blow, but to show how desperate they are, they released the beast that is Judith Collins, for years and years they kept her well away from leader, but to their demise they let her off the chain and that must surely be the last straw for any decent support within or out of the National fold.

  13. Reality 13

    Barry Soper thinks we all need a sense of humour. Fair enough, but given the nasty attacks Jacinda has had over the years I wonder if thinks they were funny and we should all laugh. Can't recall him springing to her defence.

    I can vouch that he was in a state of extreme apoplexy when his 'entitled' presence in a particular spot was questioned by a junior security officer at parliament. No sense of humour to be seen.

  14. JohnSelway 14

    Wait – how is it racist and misogynistic?

    • JohnSelway 14.1

      Edit to the above^
      Wait – how are the three tweets racist or misogynistic?

      (I don't know what he may have tweeted in the past so only referring to 3 tweets here)

  15. Anne 15

    Collins in her stand-up just now referred to Taiwan's fantastic response to Covid 19 and how they did it without the help of the WHO.

    Seeding the meme that NZ's response has been very poor in comparison, and that the Ardern government was too incompetent (that word again) to handle the crisis without the WHO holding their hands?

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/424934/judith-collins-conducts-post-caucus-briefing

    (starts @ 7:28 mins – Covid response 14 mins)

    • Gabby 15.1

      Praising Taiwan? Codger's business associates will love that.

    • Sacha 15.2

      without the WHO

      Really can't stop themselves borrowing lines from the Chump.

    • Leighton 15.3

      Perhaps Taiwan's fantastic response was helped by the fact that they already had an specific public agency whose sole task was to address infection disease outbreaks and/or their health system hadn't spent the last 30 years being ground back to the bone by neoliberal ideology?

      • Anne 15.3.1

        Excellent points.

        If I have it correct, Taiwan was seriously affected by the SARs virus and they learnt from the experience. Much of the rest of the world has a lot of catching up to do.

        And anyone not blinded by ideology knows now that neoliberalism and its attendant memes are cloud cuckoo land stuff.

  16. Red 16

    Agree, the I need to be offend on behalf of tribe need to get a grip, they are actually quite funny, cartoonist are taking the piss out of politicians every day, You live with it being a politician. I am sure the PM doesn’t give a monkeys The need to rabidly defend any attack on the PM only plays to what you are arguing against, ie poor Jacinda she can’t handle it like a normal politician, I suggest she can and does not need people to be offended on her part

    • JohnSelway 16.1

      The 3 tweets at the top of the page are incredibly tame. I'm not sure what the problem is…?

    • Patricia Bremner 16.2

      Is that right!! David "Wrong Tongue" has been asked to stop using the covid response sign. I am sure he will find my name for him funny. Not!!

  17. Robert Guyton 17

    The un-holy trinity: Collins, Wong Tung and Slater.

  18. Bob – [a different Bob] 18

    Dirty politics is the default for the Nat Rats – evidenced again!

    [This user handle is already in use here. Could you please use a different one to help distinguishing between different commenters? This is the second time I’ve asked you this question – Incognito]

  19. satty 19

    Once into dirty politics… always into dirty politics.

    So predictable. She doesn’t have many “friends” anymore, so husband has to help with the dirty work nowadays.

  20. Muttonbird 20

    I think David Wong-Scum has been forced to take down the "Unite against CINDY-20" meme. Presumably for using Covid related material.

    See, he can be controlled.

  21. RRM 21

    David Wong-[deleted]

    Nice! I can always count on The Standard to remind me that John Key and his Tory voters are the real awful people in NZ society.

    Just for the avoidance of doubt, how many of the following gems of left wing kindness do you think apply to the leader of the opposition's husband?

    [Deleted. You don’t need to repeat the vitriol from others; your own is good enough for us here – Incognito]

  22. woodart 22

    collins wants to run-control the country, but cant run-control her household. cant tell her 64 yr old ex cop rugby player what to do, but expects all others to obey.

  23. EE 23

    Collins: “If you have got the secret to how you control a man who is 64 years old, used to play a lot of rugby and was a policeman, good luck and let me know.”
    Translation: “He’s a chauvinistic a-hole.”

    • Shanreagh 23.1

      Collins explanation is a glorious example of a non sequitur/logical fallacy 'a conclusion or statement that does not logically follow from the previous argument or statement'.

      So her husband puts up an offensive meme. How is this explained by

      his age – 64

      his former occupation – policeman

      the sport he played when younger – rugby

      If you answered 'it is not' to all three statements then you are correct. The fact of putting some thing offensive in the public sphere is neither explained, justified nor excused by his age, his former occupation or the sport he played when younger.

      He is just plain stupid, pig ignorant……..

      As to the ones saying we have no sense of humour, this phrase is well remembered by feminists in the 1970s/80 wave of feminism. It was a commonly used tactic then to justify the unjustifiable.

      • Shanreagh 23.1.1

        Actually just been thinking and wondering why JC did not reference the gun lobby and then she will have encapsulated significant parts of the Nats audience: older, lauranorder, rugby lovers and gunowners. Perhaps 'hubby' is not a shooter?

        Also the word 'pig' should not have been included as pigs are sentient animals and Wong-Tung is just ignorant.

        But isn't it amazing how much of the Nats 'humour' is based on putting heads of Labour people on different notices (Wong-Tung), heads on different bodies (text allegedly sent from Andrew Falloon to a supporter), heads on toilet seats (Woodhouse prize). I can remember being convulsed with laughter doing cut-outs as an 8 year old when someone in the class put a pic of a ballerina on rugby players legs. It did not last much longer than that one time more than half a century ago.

        Are they stuck somewhere?

        Though I guess Nats won't have puerile humour to themselves and there may be some lefties indulging.

  24. karol121 24

    Hey, you guys and gals. Why the gripes?

    He is entitled to publicly rant on social media platforms and to publish annoying or even sickening rant or commentary if he pleases, is he not?

    We do, and we consider it to be our privilege.

    Hey. I sure ain't any sort of Jacinda groupie, but politics is dog eat dog is it not?

    There was a time when most benefiting either directly or indirectly from (current or historical) taxpayer pool funding were often quite shy in relation to public rant and attacking the many who, through the taxation system contributed to their fine clobber, their feasts and their toys.

    Is a smartphone to twit with not so often considered to be just a toy? Many would suggest that it sure beats viewing pics on it and physically masturbating.

    These days, people can virtually masturbate through such activity without losing too much energy and without being accused of sexting type offences. They don't have to go anywhere near their midriffs.

    In the 21st century, brothers sand sisters of both objective and subjective rant (taxpayer funded or otherwise) holding public office or holding on to either political or contrived foreign trade apron strings are coming out of both the woodwork and closets, and doing it for themselves by ranting it how they feel.

    Take a look at "Mr Tongues" business history and associations and you will see a clearer picture in relation to how he and others have become very successful indeed off the backs of people like you and I. Even Johnkey figured it out and stated it in so many words that, "New Zealand is open for business". This includes both monkey business and dirty business, does it not?

    Wake up. This is healthy, New Zealand. Can you not take a joke in relation to your economy and your political system, more especially the old school "Goodfellow" Party of NZ? None of you on this kumara republic farm, in your urban prisons or on your one eighth of an acre maraes are starving, are you?

    Please DO NOT leave either of them alone. If anything, true to our Kiwi heritage we should be supporting their aggression.

    Neither David Wong Tong nor JC should ever walk alone in relation to the enjoyment and fulfillment associated with cuss, insult and even demeaning commentary spuriously presented as politicking.

    For sure, I do not intend missing such opportunities myself.

    After all, as JC herself has stated in so many words, he is a 64 year old who isn't controlled by her.

    Are we not being a little sanctimonious or far too sensitive here?

    Firstly, he is a described as being a former rugby player, and it is considered that Kiwis see "AO" (NZ) and Pacifica rugby players as heroes. Can you not treat him like a word rant hero as well?

    Remember that these are the men who risk life and limb on the rugby field in times of spectator sport war that we experience perpetually, so that our national pride can be defended and preserved?

    He's a former (Counties-Manukau was it?) cop, and New Zealanders are very much aligned to the concept of worshiping various Mr or Ms "Polici" types who present as authoritative and either culturally or politically dominant.

    Many New Zealanders loved JC herself as a crusher, a no holds barred mouth wrestler with a keen lust for boxing people out and and down or encouraging others to do so, and drawing blood also, I've no doubt.

    Biff, biff, smash, smash, punch and punch any opponent DOWN and OUT must surely be the Kiwi catchphrase for the current era.

    Come on Kiwi. Live the blood sport!

    • Sacha 24.1

      guys and gals. Why the gripes?

      yo, daddyo!

      • karol121 24.1.1

        Whew!

        When I get going, like Lurch from the Addams Family TV series, sometimes I just don't want to stop.

        Let's dance this political dance right around and sort the real wheat out from the chaff in relation to genuine, sincere, realistic political candidates with the general well-being of new Zealanders at heart, as opposed to free loading rants and their sidekicks making big, and laughing all the way to the bank or the resort for the mayhem they cause.

    • Enough is Enough 24.2

      Because that what politics is. Being outraged and offended by the other side for something which doesn't really matter, is what twitter and blogging was invested for.

      Heaven forbid anyone ever debate what the fuck National's policy is for the next covid outbreak, or how they intend to reduce the deficit, without austerity.

      • karol121 24.2.1

        Well put.

        So why simply gripe when you can be assertively reactive in relation to your anger and everybody else's?

        Respond to people like "tongue"wonton with the same b*llsh*t that they are trying to ram down our throats, and try not to be diplomatic about it, nor polite.

        My view. Neither he nor JC (who is quietly referred to as a bush pig) actually represent the Chinese nor any other superpower within the region. They are simply ingratiating bottom feeders, just as Simon Bridges is, and just as so many of the other cronies are.

        Twitter, sites such as this one, or wherever, it matters not. Just as long as the message gets through to them.

        That is BOTH politics and democracy.

        So, thank you for raising the point about politics, which for many candidates is simply money for jam in relation to spewing out idealist rant and convenient narrative rhetoric.

  25. Peter 25

    The good thing about the debate is how it shows that it is a 'no holds barred' world.

    Many want nothing to do with standards, norms, tradition, propriety, manners, convention, civility. It is the 'do what you want' age.

    To be consistent of course all children being raised from the time they are born should be raised to reflect those attitudes and values.

    Come back in 60 years and see how that worked.

    Back to the beginning. When leaders have scummy ways of acting and encourage it we are well and truly stuffed. Wong Tung and his wife think it's funny and inconsequential.

    Their smart arse attitude is just about the worst thing. There are going to be morons, lowlife thickheads who are going to explode on social media with their shit. Leaders justifying their own shit behaviour and their followers excusing it on the grounds of what moronic, lowlife thickheads are doing, is the worst leadership.

    To use the old political slogan: "New Zealand the way you want it?"

    • Draco T Bastard 25.1

      When leaders have scummy ways of acting and encourage it we are well and truly stuffed.

      QFT

      Nations tend to follow their leaders. Germany followed Hitler, the USSR followed Stalin.

      What will NZ look like if we followed the behaviour as set out by National?

  26. Tricledrown 26

    Crushless Collins married to Trump doppleganger

    • Shanreagh 26.1

      Actually I think it is Collins that is the Trump doppelganger. The phrasing of JC's justification is eerily like Hillary Clinton's 'He's a hard dog to keep on the porch' I felt sad for Hillary Clinton as she said it ruefully. JC said her 'justifications' in a smarmy self satisfied 'Aren't I a smarty?' way.

  27. Brigid 27

    I do hope these two didn't breed.

    • Anne 27.1

      They produced a son who is now grown up and has apparently sworn he will never have anything to do with politics.

      • Dennis Frank 27.1.1

        Oh, you mean like Justin Trudeau did? 😊 I read it in his autobiography. To Justin's credit, he maintained that view for quite a few years. And when he eventually shifted, the time was right, it felt like the right thing to do. I was impressed by his lengthy account of the shift & the reasons in relation to the political context. Authenticity can't be faked, so I developed some respect for him…

    • Westykev 27.2

      Children of politicians get a hard enough time as it is and don't need such f@#ked up comments by yourself adding to it.

  28. … he is married to me, how could he be sexist?” Collins said.

    Does anyone have any idea what Collins might have supposed that to mean? Or is it just random noise masquerading as a sentence?

    • Dennis Frank 28.1

      The latter. But you can imagine how it gets the tiny wee brains of journos whirring. And in politics, that's all that really matters. Think of it as a corollary of the old rule `any publicity is good publicity' (regardless of the screw-up factor).

      • Shanreagh 28.1.1

        Yes makes as much sense as the reasons why her 'hubby' cannot be reasoned with to act as an adult: age, being a policeman and playing rugby. I think the eyes glaze over as the journos are totally mesmerised by what she says – a sort of Emperor has no clothes effect.

        There are no 'But Mummy it doesn't mean anything' in that lot…….

        But
        ‘random noise masquerading as a sentence’ is a very good description.

  29. Austringer 29

    Hey Jude, you and yer man jump on Donald!s team sounds like a good fit.

    • karol121 29.1

      I believe that she thought she had joined him, or that she piggy backed her way to his door using somebody else's assets, but she's such an embarrassment, I doubt that even he would want her.

      I'm beginning to think that she and others have outstayed their welcome with most of anybody who is anybody among the political and business elite within the People's Republic of China also. This, despite various whispers and assertions that she and many of her cronies are "in" with them.

      She really needs to get on her bicycle quick smart, before she causes irreversible damage to New Zealand.

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  • Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6.06 pm on March 18
    TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Peters holds his ground on co-governance, but Willis wriggles on those tax cuts and SNA suspension l...
    Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago
  • Labour’s final report card
    David Farrar writes –  We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how  went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promise The result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • “Drunk Uncle at a Wedding”
    I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on Dune 2, and images of Islam
    Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
    1 day ago
  • New Rail Operations Centre Promises Better Train Services
    Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
    2 days ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things at 6.36am on Monday, March 18
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    2 days ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to March 25 and beyond
    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    5 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    5 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    6 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 hours ago
  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    8 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    10 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    10 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    24 hours ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
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  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
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