Longstone resignation

Written By: - Date published: 12:18 pm, December 19th, 2012 - 56 comments
Categories: education, Hekia parata - Tags: , ,

From Vernon Small:

Education secretary quits

State Services Commissioner Iain Rennie says he has accepted the resignation of the Secretary for Education Lesley Longstone.

She was appointed to the role in November last year for a five-year term. …

There have been a series of difficulties at the ministry which has been under fire over the Novopay payroll debacle, the Christchurch schools merger and closure consultation process, the court-ordered u-turn of the closure of Nelson’s Salisbury school and the blunder and backdown over increased class sizes.

Can’t say that I blame Longstone for bailing, she was working for a Minister who is clearly well out of her depth. Early versions of Small’s article mentioned conflict with Parata (that seems to have been deleted now). Another fail for Hekia Parata, she’s the one that should be going.

56 comments on “Longstone resignation ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Mike Boon 1
    19 December 2012 at 12:22 pm

    I’m picking that National will hope and hope that we will all ‘forget’ over the Christmas break and they can get on with wrecking things when parliament gets back… I believe Foss will go before Hekia. The National spin machine led by Joyce & Key et. al. really love their weasel words and Parata is so very, very good at talking for hours without ever saying anything. An ideal National mouth. She needs to go but I doubt very much that she will. Accountability for blundering is one of the major missing links in this current government. You only have to look at John Banks’ survival this year for the benchmark.

    • Peter 1.1
      19 December 2012 at 2:26 pm

      Why Foss?

      • Mike Boon 1.1.1
        19 December 2012 at 4:09 pm

        because he’s not Hekia… I reckon she was hand-picked by the Joyce/Key spin machine… You know how much they hate to be proven wrong… or admit fault… or take responsibility… etc etc

  2. CnrJoe 2
    19 December 2012 at 12:23 pm

    the gift that keeps giving should go?

  3. Kevin Welsh 3
    19 December 2012 at 12:30 pm

    Wonder how much the golden handshake is…

  4. marsman 4
    19 December 2012 at 12:35 pm

    I read somewhere that Longstone was involved in establishing Charter Schools in England. The Nats obviously brought her here in order to ram through their Charter School Scam. Who will they get in to do that now? Rebstock? Bazely?

    • Morrissey 4.1
      19 December 2012 at 1:21 pm

      “…to ram through their Charter School Scam. Who will they get in to do that now? Rebstock? Bazely?”

      BANKS.

  5. Tiger Mountain 5
    19 December 2012 at 12:37 pm

    It’s back to Hogwarts for Longstone then and slowly onwards to eventual ignominy for Lady Gardiner.

  6. freedom 6
    19 December 2012 at 12:37 pm

    Who is now going to front up on Cambell Live. The Minister ? Ha!

  7. Dave Kennedy (bsprout) 7
    19 December 2012 at 12:47 pm

    Lesley Longstone’s resignation recognizes that appointing someone, who has no institutional knowledge of our education system, to introduce flawed ideology is doomed to failure. Longstone is a bureaucrat who was tasked implementing policy with little hope of success and it is my bet that her replacement in the role will also be an import. No one from within in New Zealand, who really understands education, would seriously consider it!

  8. NoseViper (The Nose knows) 8
    19 December 2012 at 12:51 pm

    Another overseas appointee gone. There was someone else recently also. I can’t remember her name. Does a name come to mind to anyone ?

    It is my contention that many appointments these days are made with the principle requirement that they are well versed in information technology and in changing systems from personal services to doing most on line. This in preference to getting someone with a ‘passion’ for doing well in their particular specialty. And it is a lucrative international scam where people have a name for being ‘the goods’ revolve around governments owned by large business which no longer look to get people who serve the people’s real needs and interests.

    Interesting that the MOE suggested that the Christchurch council hand over information on school closure to them, and then simply turn down the information requester. These national government departments and executives are conducting personal fiefdoms with ever less interest in serving and hearing what people want.

    People will come up with good ideas and discussion if given some scenarios and asked if they have any suggestions as to their preference and how they could be done better. They will soon find the holes and recognise the good points and their ideas have to be listed and then discussed to gain majority agreement. That’s how to consult effectively.

    • veutoviper 8.1
      19 December 2012 at 1:16 pm

      It was Janet Grossman who quit in June 2012 after less than a year as head of WINZ.

      http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10844946

      • NoseViper (The Nose knows) 8.1.1
        19 December 2012 at 5:31 pm

        Thanks veutoviper
        I knew it wasn’t long ago.
        Here are some interesting features about her background that underlines the importance of IT background to appointees, not intimate and deep knowledge of the nature of their area of employment.

        <blockquote>The project to set up the Work and Income’s public self-service kiosks began before Grossman started, but the development and rollout was finalised in October, on her watch. Major security flaws allowed public access to corporate and private information for 1432 individuals. The ministry is conducting four employment investigations following a report into the privacy breaches.

        But Labour welfare spokeswoman Jacinda Ardern said if Grossman did receive the $97,000, it would be an extremely costly appointment on top of headhunting and relocating her. (There was an allowance of up to $50,000 for relocating expenses.)

        (It makes a joke of how women applying for jobs at the coalface strike negative comments about whether they might leave to have children. These trough feeders can nobly give their all for a short time, and finding it unsuitable or if hubby gets a good job offer elsewhere, leave early with a heap of money. You get it every which way.)

        Ministry of Social Development chief executive Brendan Boyle would not provide a breakdown of the $97,000 payment. He said five senior managers left this year and it would be “extremely presumptuous to assume” it went to one person.</blockquote>

        Perhaps the State Services Commission need to have a change of bums on seats as well as the Ministry of Education chess players, who need to get used to getting alongside real people. There is big money in human resources. I think that the huge salaries that are offered are actually a moral hazard to ensure the business remains bloated in its rewards for everyone.

        Can’t work out the editing. There is a change to my edit window with icons presented within it. Using blockquote didn’t work. There was no paragraphing that I put in either. I’m seeing quite a few sets of – ampersand n b s p ; except they are consecutive within the text.

  9. karol 9
    19 December 2012 at 1:07 pm

     The latest version on Stuff by Tracy Watkins et al, mentions a strained relationship with Parata:
     
     Secretary of Education Lesley Longstone has been forced to quit over a strained relationship with Education Minister Hekia Parata.
     
    Longstone’s resignation, which could cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars, will raise questions about how long Parata can remain in the portfolio, after a series of blunders.
     
    State Services Commissioner Iain Rennie confirmed today had accepted the resignation.
     
    The decision for her to quit was made two to three weeks ago, he said.
    “The last six months have been especially challenging.
     

  10. fabregas4 10
    19 December 2012 at 1:25 pm

    She will not be missed. I have always believed and continue to do so that the role of the Secretary for Education is to provide a buffer for political ideology and what is best for education. Of course Longstone was not appointed to a government that would have allowed this to get in the way of their dismanteling of public education and chose someone who would follow their party line but it is quite clear that a better Secretary, a stronger one, a more knowledgeable and able one, could have and should have got in the way of the self foot shooting party to ensure that our kids were served well.

    It is a lesson for all Ministers to pick someone who actually knows something about the job and who they trust to tell them when they are doing dumb things. And that they should take the time to listen.

    Wonder if Longstone ever managed to get to a school?

  11. ruup 11
    19 December 2012 at 1:51 pm

    Hope the don’t pay her via NOVAPAY

    • bad12 11.1
      19 December 2012 at 3:03 pm

      Interesting that you should mention the No-pay people, one rumor doing the rounds at the moment is that the Parliament is also paid using the Novopay system,

      Anyone clued up on this??? sure as hell don’t hear of any big f**k-ups with the pay of that lot….

    • Craig Glen viper 11.2
      19 December 2012 at 4:42 pm

      Hope they do.

  12. irascible 12
    19 December 2012 at 2:02 pm

    Interesting that the comments in this blog http://localbodies-bsprout.blogspot.co.nz/2012/04/lesley-longstone-management-style.html have been demonstrated to have come true very quickly.

  13. Fortran 13
    19 December 2012 at 2:27 pm

    Great – a win win for the Teachers.
    Now let’s get Parata, and give her a political lesson she will not forget.

    • Craig Glen viper 13.1
      19 December 2012 at 3:19 pm

      I dont think any teachers want to give politicians a political lesson. Teachers are to busy doing a thankless job with limited resources to worry about creating more learning oportunities for politicians. The issue here is not Teachers or the Unions doing anything, this is stupid policy being implemented by a stupid National Government who have no bloody idea about how education works and they are making a bloody mess of it. Teachers use to get paid before No Pay came along! Its time for National to start taking some resposibility for its stuff ups, no blaming anyone else its personal responsibilty time its National’s “watch” its time for National to start fronting up, no more hiding like the last election.

  14. Treetop 14
    19 December 2012 at 3:00 pm

    Longstone is the first of many government appointees who will walk due to her job being untenable when it comes to there being a so called budget surplus in 2014/2015.

  15. higherstandard 15
    19 December 2012 at 3:34 pm

    Moron, good riddance, now Parata should fuck off.

    Put Ryall in to sort it out.

  16. Mary 16
    19 December 2012 at 4:19 pm

    Now, if the Labour Party had a modicum of opposition in them they’d use this as an example to say how toxic, nasty and underhand this government is. They’d make links to Key’s lies through convenient brain fades and the screeds of other ideologically driven nasties and begin to start showing the public the reality of what this government’s about.

    But I have no confidence that Labour can do this. The Greens may get close, but there’s no guarantee. Hone will hit the nail on the head by joining all the dots but the problem with Hone is that while he tells the truth nobody listens to him. Labour need to learn how to be an opposition party but I’m afraid they’re just not up to it. I blame their lightweight advisers but what ever the reason is Shearer might make some lame remarks along the lines of “we need to ensure that this never happens again” then for Key and his mates it’ll be business as usual. Pathetic, just pathetic.

    • ScottGN 16.1
      19 December 2012 at 4:36 pm

      Actually Hipkins and Turei have moved pretty smartly on this today, both of them have been loudly demanding that Parata resign. Key has been forced to issue a statement expressing confidence in his minister.

      • bad12 16.1.1
        19 December 2012 at 5:00 pm

        That will be the second time in 2 weeks that Slippery has ‘expressed His confidence’ in the Minister, what was a promise from the prime Minister worth again???…

        • ScottGN 16.1.1.1
          19 December 2012 at 5:38 pm

          John Key’s word isn’t worth jack. The government has managed this departure in the most depressingly cynical way possible. According to Rennie Longstone’s resignation was decided 2 weeks ago, which, had it been announced at the time would have allowed this issue to be debated in the final session of parliament. Instead the whole thing’s been deliberately delayed until the week before Christmas and the Minister can’t comment because she’s on fucking holiday!

      • Mary 16.1.2
        19 December 2012 at 6:17 pm

        Sure, but they’re not using this as an example of the toxic agenda this government has overall. They need to learn how to join the dots but their advisers don’t have the nous.

  17. onsos 17
    19 December 2012 at 4:34 pm

    In the realm of magical thinking that dominates cabinet, this will be viewed as a positive step. For those of us who would like to see this government fail, because most everything it succeeds at is disastrous for the people of the country, we can only hope that Key backs Perata all the way.

    For the honchos in cabinet, government is a matter of will. Through will power and the power of positive thinking, everything will come right. This is the MO for Key, who is consistently pushing English to push the same message. It’s not just electoral politics that sees them making outlandish predictions (there will be a surplus, the asset sales will proceed according to schedule, unemployment will decline, etc.). They actually think that their very belief in these things, and their belief in themselves, can make it happen.

    It is no surprise that the two fancied contenders (Collins and Joyce) exemplify this same trait, as do the favoured bulldozers (Brownlee and Bennett). Tolley was rewarded for this nonsense, and Perata has talked the game throughout. It doesn’t matter that she has been wrong, and she has failed to do what she is told.

    Longstone will now be construed as somebody who lacked the will power to carry out policy. The other option for Key would be to question his own beliefs, which is not allowed, or his judgement in backing Perata, which is not allowed either.

    On the bright side, Perata is incapable of getting anything done — making her the best minister in government — and she is a total electoral liability. As the opposition calls for her sacking, they must be careful not to call too loud; the last thing we want is for her actually to be replaced.

    • Northshoreguynz 17.1
      19 December 2012 at 5:04 pm

      Part of me wants to agree, the other parts wants an MOE focused on teaching and learning.

  18. Penny Bright 18
    19 December 2012 at 5:08 pm

    SHOULD HEKIA PARATA RESIGN AS MINISTER OF EDUCATION?
     
    Yes?  No?

    Have your say……

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/8099165/Education-secretary-quits

    Penny Bright
    ‘Anti-corruption campaigner’
    http://www.dodgyjohnhasgone.com

  19. Flossy 19
    19 December 2012 at 5:13 pm

    Wasn’t the conflict in part that the Secretary was sandwiched between an “underperforming” Deputy Secretary for Performance and Change and her sister, the Minister?

  20. Populuxe1 20
    19 December 2012 at 6:26 pm

    Whatever happened to ministerial accountability? Dumping on the flunkies is shameful.

  21. bad12 21
    19 December 2012 at 6:39 pm

    There’s still big trouble in store for Hekia in the New Year, involved also may be Longstone, depending just how far up the food chain the investigation goes into who advised the Christchurch City Council to lie to those in the education sector who had requested under the auspices of the Official Information Act information they believed the City Council held on the closure of schools in that city,

    What ‘is known’ is that someone in the Ministry of Education gave the advise to lie to the City Council,

    What isn’t known is just WHO gave the order for such advice, illegal, to be passed to the Christchurch City Council,

    You have to wonder whether Longstone has been given Her 30 pieces of silver and advised to scarper in an effort by the Slippery National Government to in effect short-circuit the investigation…

  22. North 22
    19 December 2012 at 6:49 pm

    Stuff online poll: Should Parata resign ?

    Yes 85.6%

    No 14.4%

  23. Chris Oden 23
    19 December 2012 at 6:58 pm

    How much is parata being paid to be such an abject and abysmal failure in her position as moe.AND she will be getting a raise with backpay for the privilege of being one of NZs most useless and unintelligent ministers of all times.
    She should be sacked! But that will not happen because our latest you tube star and part time prime minister has blessed her with his “con fidence” Ergo, she is safe. key will be using his usual just wait and they(us) will forget in a week. It will be sweet. No one doubts me and my “popularity” Everyone adores me so if I say you’re ok then that is what the masses will believe.So just go on holiday with your big raise and back pay and don’t give a thought to the masses.They don’t matter.They are purely incidental!
    Now, must get back to my real passion, being the biggest twit on the airwaves you will ever hear. God! I love me!!
    Tedious little man!!

  24. Dv 24
    19 December 2012 at 7:03 pm

    Langstone resigned because she had a communication break down with Parata.

    Translation, Parata doesnt speak English.

    • veutoviper 24.1
      19 December 2012 at 7:57 pm

      LOL.

      Your comment reminded me of this great comment under the Audrey Young article on the Herald on whether Parata should resign –

      “Perhaps Hekia can consult her contingency plan to facilitate transition options”.

      • Rhinoviper 24.1.1
        19 December 2012 at 10:05 pm

        “Perhaps Hekia can consult her contingency plan to facilitate transition options”.

        Oh God, I understood that. Pray for me.

  25. saarbo 25
    19 December 2012 at 8:04 pm

    Parata used her childhood experience in large class sizes to justify increasing the ratio of Children to Teachers. Paraphrase “When I went to school on the East Coast I was in classes with over 40 children and look at me”

    Well, given her catastrophic cock ups, MOE now have very clear proof that large class sizes lead to extreme narcissism, inability to understand questions, bad judgement, inability to answer questions with any clarity, having an elevated opinion of your own abilities, a blame mentality………

  26. Georgecom 26
    19 December 2012 at 8:31 pm

    Longstone had to go.

    Her relationship with Parata had deteriorated
    She was involved in the class size spanking the Government took and, I would pick, has little idea about the implications of Paratas decision
    She was involved in the Christchurch school closure debacle
    She was part of the Novopay disaster
    She was on deck when the Government was forced to back down over the closure of Salisbury School
    She tried to front foot the introduction of charters schools,which had failed overseas to remedy education underachievement and isn’t needed in NZ.

    However, the person who created all these problems for her needs to go as well, Hekia Parata.

    Longstone inherited the shonky and bungled National Standards policy. That goes back to Tolleys failure
    Tolley also presided over the initial development of Novopay
    Parata was the person behind the class size policy
    Parata lead the Christchurch school closure debacle
    Parata was the Minsiter when the Salisbury School closure was overturned in the courts
    Parata was the Minister, alogn with Banks, responsible for bringing in Charter Schools.
    Parata set the tone for her relationship with Longstone, not vice versa.

    Longstone gone, Parata has to be next. Her failure to front on this issue has seen the total destruction of her credibility within 12 months.

  27. Chris Oden 27
    19 December 2012 at 9:18 pm

    Not only parata should go but key should go also. I am sick and tired of this effing sideshow that is key. He has made a laughing stock of our Parliamentary system aided and abetted by media who are equivalent to a dog lying on its back waiting for rub on its tummy.
    Oh! and also, Bouncy Paula, waste of a large amount of space. What have these people achieved Just the total ripping out of the heart and soul of New Zealand.
    Their platitudes about “or kids””our children” are so false they are laughable coming from these overfed, overdressed, overmadeup so called CARING women that it is an insult to all real women out in the Community doing the jobs that these abysmal apologies for womenhood should be addressing.
    Shame on parata and bennett.They are not Honourable.

  28. AwakeWhileSleeping 28
    19 December 2012 at 11:02 pm

    Parata, the invisible minister.

  29. North 29
    19 December 2012 at 11:09 pm

    It’s now a virtual convention (seemingly without notoriety ???) that whenever the shit hits the fan our “leaders”, the PM, cabinet ministers, the backwoodsmen sitting behind them…….all run for cover.

    Morning Report and “the bird…..”. How well we know it.

    Morning Report and “the minister was not available for comment”. How well we know it.

    These are the people who in poses from near malice to vacuous vivacity exhort us to perform all the things that make Planet Key great – responsibility, accountability, manning-up, owning your shit.

    My God.

  30. tracey 30
    20 December 2012 at 8:42 am

    Rememver the decision to cut diplomats and how the ceo, not the minister took the fall…. Major pattern

  31. NoseViper (The Nose knows) 31
    20 December 2012 at 9:10 am

    There was a comment at 7.12 a.m. on Radionz on Longstone. –
    According to Teacher Education Professor John O’Neill at Massey University, the Secretary for Education Lesley Longstone lacked a crucial understanding of New Zealand’s education sector.

    He also made the point that she seemed to be aligned to the government’s education privatisation direction. So when the advice that government gets from its supposed impartial and widely experienced and objective civil servants is actually slanted from the beginnings, it’s no wonder we are running around in ever decreasing circles until we reach paralysis and are frozen in mid-speech.

    Couple that to a new entrant to cabinet from the aggressively ambitious women rookies who are picked because they are bright, fluent and as good in a scrum as a bloke, then we don’t get sober reflection and desire to serve the people well. It’s self-advancement, serve the party and get promotion and what are oodles of money compared to your average josephine.

  32. Dv 32
    20 December 2012 at 9:24 am

    Just listened to a Canterbury principal who is trying to appoint staff to replace staff leaving. Cant appoint permanent because of the uncertainty.
    (He also said that staff changes had increases in problems with NovaPay and thinks problems will continue for several months.)

    Where is the Minister?
    On holiday and getting a pay rise!!

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  • LINDSAY MITCHELL: Oh, the irony
    Lindsay Mitchell writes – Appointed by new Labour PM Jacinda Ardern in 2018, Cindy Kiro headed the Welfare Expert Advisory Group (WEAG) tasked with reviewing and recommending reforms to the welfare system. Kiro had been Children’s Commissioner during Helen Clark’s Labour government but returned to academia subsequently. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Transport Agencies don’t want Harbour Tunnels
    It seems even our transport agencies don’t want Labour’s harbour crossing plans. In August the previous government and Waka Kotahi announced their absurd preferred option the new harbour crossing that at the time was estimated to cost $35-45 billion. It included both road tunnels and a wiggly light rail tunnel ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    3 days ago

  • Webworm Presents: Jurassic Park on 35mm
    Hi,Paying Webworm members such as yourself keep this thing running, so as 2023 draws to close, I wanted to do two things to say a giant, loud “THANKS”. Firstly — I’m giving away 10 Mister Organ blu-rays in New Zealand, and another 10 in America. More details down below.Secondly — ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    3 days ago

  • The Prime Minister's Dream.
    Yesterday saw the State Opening of Parliament, the Speech from the Throne, and then Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s dream for Aotearoa in his first address. But first the pomp and ceremony, the arrival of the Governor General.Dame Cindy Kiro arrived on the forecourt outside of parliament to a Māori welcome. ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • National’s new MP; the proud part-Maori boy raised in a state house
    Probably not since 1975 have we seen a government take office up against such a wall of protest and complaint. That was highlighted yesterday, the day that the new Parliament was sworn in, with news that King Tuheitia has called a national hui for late January to develop a ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago

  • Climate Adam: Battlefield Earth – How War Fuels Climate Catastrophe
    This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). War, conflict and climate change are tearing apart lives across the world. But these aren't separate harms - they're intricately connected. ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago

  • They do not speak for us, and they do not speak for the future
    These dire woeful and intolerant people have been so determinedly going about their small and petulant business, it’s hard to keep up. At the end of the new government’s first woeful week, Audrey Young took the time to count off its various acts of denigration of Te Ao Māori:Review the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • Another attack on te reo
    The new white supremacist government made attacking te reo a key part of its platform, promising to rename government agencies and force them to "communicate primarily in English" (which they already do). But today they've gone further, by trying to cut the pay of public servants who speak te reo: ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago

  • For the record, the Beehive buzz can now be regarded as “official”
    Buzz from the Beehive The biggest buzz we bring you from the Beehive today is that the government’s official website is up and going after being out of action for more than a week. The latest press statement came  from  Education Minister  Eric Stanford, who seized on the 2022 PISA ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago

  • Climate Change: Failed again
    There was another ETS auction this morning. and like all the other ones this year, it failed to clear - meaning that 23 million tons of carbon (15 million ordinary units plus 8 million in the cost containment reserve) went up in smoke. Or rather, they didn't. Being unsold at ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell On The Government’s Assault On Maori
    This isn’t news, but the National-led coalition is mounting a sustained assault on Treaty rights and obligations. Even so, Christopher Luxon has described yesterday’s nationwide protests by Maori as “pretty unfair.” Poor thing. In the NZ Herald, Audrey Young has compiled a useful list of the many, many ways that ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    4 days ago

  • Rising costs hit farmers hard, but  there’s more  positive news  for  them this  week 
    New Zealand’s dairy industry, the mainstay of the country’s export trade, has  been under  pressure  from rising  costs. Down on the  farm, this  has  been  hitting  hard. But there  was more positive news this week,  first   from the latest Fonterra GDT auction where  prices  rose,  and  then from  a  report ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    4 days ago

  • ROB MacCULLOCH:  Newshub and NZ Herald report misleading garbage about ACT’s van Veldon not follo...
    Rob MacCulloch writes –  In their rush to discredit the new government (which our MainStream Media regard as illegitimate and having no right to enact the democratic will of voters) the NZ Herald and Newshub are arguing ACT’s Deputy Leader Brooke van Veldon is not following Treasury advice ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Top 10 for Wednesday, December 6
    Even many young people who smoke support smokefree policies, fitting in with previous research showing the large majority of people who smoke regret starting and most want to quit. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere on the morning of Wednesday, December ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • Eleven years of work.
    Well it didn’t take six months, but the leaks have begun. Yes the good ship Coalition has inadvertently released a confidential cabinet paper into the public domain, discussing their axing of Fair Pay Agreements (FPAs).Oops.Just when you were admiring how smoothly things were going for the new government, they’ve had ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • Why we're missing out on sharply lower inflation
    A wave of new and higher fees, rates and charges will ripple out over the economy in the next 18 months as mayors, councillors, heads of department and price-setters for utilities such as gas, electricity, water and parking ramp up charges. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Just when most ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • How Did We Get Here?
    Hi,Kiwis — keep the evening of December 22nd free. I have a meetup planned, and will send out an invite over the next day or so. This sounds sort of crazy to write, but today will be Tony Stamp’s final Totally Normal column of 2023. Somehow we’ve made it to ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    4 days ago

  • At a glance – Has the greenhouse effect been falsified?
    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 ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago

  • New Zealaders  have  high expectations of  new  government:  now let’s see if it can deliver?
    The electorate has high expectations of the  new  government.  The question is: can  it  deliver?    Some  might  say  the  signs are not  promising. Protestors   are  already marching in the streets. The  new  Prime Minister has had  little experience of managing  very diverse politicians  in coalition. The economy he  ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    5 days ago

  • You won't believe some of the numbers you have to pull when you're a Finance Minister
    Nicola of Marsden:Yo, normies! We will fix your cost of living worries by giving you a tax cut of 150 dollars. 150! Cash money! Vote National.Various people who can read and count:Actually that's 150 over a fortnight. Not a week, which is how you usually express these things.And actually, it looks ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago

  • Pushback
    When this government came to power, it did so on an explicitly white supremacist platform. Undermining the Waitangi Tribunal, removing Māori representation in local government, over-riding the courts which had tried to make their foreshore and seabed legislation work, eradicating te reo from public life, and ultimately trying to repudiate ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago

  • Defence ministerial meeting meant Collins missed the Maori Party’s mischief-making capers in Parli...
    Buzz from the Beehive Maybe this is not the best time for our Minister of Defence to have gone overseas. Not when the Maori Party is inviting (or should that be inciting?) its followers to join a revolution in a post which promoted its protest plans with a picture of ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago

  • Threats of war have been followed by an invitation to join the revolution – now let’s see how th...
     A Maori Party post on Instagram invited party followers to ….  Tangata Whenua, Tangata Tiriti, Join the REVOLUTION! & make a stand!  Nationwide Action Day, All details in tiles swipe to see locations.  • This is our 1st hit out and tomorrow Tuesday the 5th is the opening ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Top 10 for Tuesday, December 4
    The RBNZ governor is citing high net migration and profit-led inflation as factors in the bank’s hawkish stance. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere on the morning of Tuesday, December 5, including:Reserve Bank Governor Adrian Orr says high net migration and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago

  • Nicola Willis' 'show me the money' moment
    Willis has accused labour of “economic vandalism’, while Robertson described her comments as a “desperate diversion from somebody who can't make their tax package add up”. There will now be an intense focus on December 20 to see whether her hyperbole is backed up by true surprises. Photo montage: Lynn ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago

  • CRL costs money but also provides huge benefits
    The City Rail Link has been in the headlines a bit recently so I thought I’d look at some of them. First up, yesterday the NZ Herald ran this piece about the ongoing costs of the CRL. Auckland ratepayers will be saddled with an estimated bill of $220 million each ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    5 days ago

  • And I don't want the world to see us.
    Is this the most shambolic government in the history of New Zealand? Given that parliament hasn’t even opened they’ve managed quite a list of achievements to date.The Smokefree debacle trading lives for tax cuts, the Trumpian claims of bribery in the Media, an International award for indifference, and today the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • Cooking the books
    Finance Minister Nicola Willis late yesterday stopped only slightly short of accusing her predecessor Grant Robertson of cooking the books. She complained that the Half Yearly Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU), due to be made public on December 20, would show “fiscal cliffs” that would amount to “billions of ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago

  • Most people don’t realize how much progress we’ve made on climate change
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections The year was 2015. ‘Uptown Funk’ with Bruno Mars was at the top of the music charts. Jurassic World was the most popular new movie in theaters. And decades of futility in international climate negotiations was about to come to an end in ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago

  • Of Parliamentary Oaths and Clive Boonham
    As a heads-up, I am not one of those people who stay awake at night thinking about weird Culture War nonsense. At least so far as the current Maori/Constitutional arrangements go. In fact, I actually consider it the least important issue facing the day to day lives of New ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    6 days ago

  • Bearing True Allegiance?
    Strong Words: “We do not consent, we do not surrender, we do not cede, we do not submit; we, the indigenous, are rising. We do not buy into the colonial fictions this House is built upon. Te Pāti Māori pledges allegiance to our mokopuna, our whenua, and Te Tiriti o ...
    Bowalley Road
    6 days ago

  • You cannot be serious
    Some days it feels like the only thing to say is: Seriously? No, really. Seriously?OneSomeone has used their health department access to share data about vaccinations and patients, and inform the world that New Zealanders have been dying in their hundreds of thousands from the evil vaccine. This of course is pure ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago

  • A promise kept: govt pulls the plug on Lake Onslow scheme – but this saving of $16bn is denounced...
    Buzz from the Beehive After $21.8 million was spent on investigations, the plug has been pulled on the Lake Onslow pumped-hydro electricity scheme, The scheme –  that technically could have solved New Zealand’s looming energy shortage, according to its champions – was a key part of the defeated Labour government’s ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • CHRIS TROTTER: The Maori Party and Oath of Allegiance
    If those elected to the Māori Seats refuse to take them, then what possible reason could the country have for retaining them?   Chris Trotter writes – Christmas is fast approaching, which, as it does every year, means gearing up for an abstruse general knowledge question. “Who was ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • BRIAN EASTON:  Forward to 2017
    The coalition party agreements are mainly about returning to 2017 when National lost power. They show commonalities but also some serious divergencies. Brian Easton writes – The two coalition agreements – one National and ACT, the other National and New Zealand First – are more than policy documents. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Climate Change: Fossils
    When the new government promised to allow new offshore oil and gas exploration, they were warned that there would be international criticism and reputational damage. Naturally, they arrogantly denied any possibility that that would happen. And then they finally turned up at COP, to criticism from Palau, and a "fossil ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago

  • GEOFFREY MILLER:  NZ’s foreign policy resets on AUKUS, Gaza and Ukraine
    Geoffrey Miller writes – New Zealand’s international relations are under new management. And Winston Peters, the new foreign minister, is already setting a change agenda. As expected, this includes a more pro-US positioning when it comes to the Pacific – where Peters will be picking up where he ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on the government’s smokefree laws debacle
    The most charitable explanation for National’s behaviour over the smokefree legislation is that they have dutifully fulfilled the wishes of the Big Tobacco lobby and then cast around – incompetently, as it turns out – for excuses that might sell this health policy U-turn to the public. The less charitable ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    6 days ago

  • Top 10 links at 10 am for Monday, December 4
    As Deb Te Kawa writes in an op-ed, the new Government seems to have immediately bought itself fights with just about everyone. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere as of 10 am on Monday December 4, including:Palau’s President ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

  • Be Honest.
    Let’s begin today by thinking about job interviews.During my career in Software Development I must have interviewed hundreds of people, hired at least a hundred, but few stick in the memory.I remember one guy who was so laid back he was practically horizontal, leaning back in his chair until his ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago

  • Geoffrey Miller: New Zealand’s foreign policy resets on AUKUS, Gaza and Ukraine
    New Zealand’s international relations are under new management. And Winston Peters, the new foreign minister, is already setting a change agenda. As expected, this includes a more pro-US positioning when it comes to the Pacific – where Peters will be picking up where he left off. Peters sought to align ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    6 days ago

  • Auckland rail tunnel the world’s most expensive
    Auckland’s city rail link is the most expensive rail project in the world per km, and the CRL boss has described the cost of infrastructure construction in Aotearoa as a crisis. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The 3.5 km City Rail Link (CRL) tunnel under Auckland’s CBD has cost ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

  • First big test coming
    The first big test of the new Government’s approach to Treaty matters is likely to be seen in the return of the Resource Management Act. RMA Minister Chris Bishop has confirmed that he intends to introduce legislation to repeal Labour’s recently passed Natural and Built Environments Act and its ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    6 days ago

  • The Song of Saqua: Volume III
    Time to revisit something I haven’t covered in a while: the D&D campaign, with Saqua the aquatic half-vampire. Last seen in July: https://phuulishfellow.wordpress.com/2023/07/27/the-song-of-saqua-volume-ii/ The delay is understandable, once one realises that the interim saw our DM come down with a life-threatening medical situation. They have since survived to make ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    6 days ago

  • Chris Bishop: Smokin’
    Yes. Correct. It was an election result. And now we are the elected government. ...
    My ThinksBy boonman
    1 week ago

  • 2023 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #48
    A chronological listing of news and opinion articles posted on the Skeptical Science  Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Nov 26, 2023 thru Dec 2, 2023. Story of the Week CO2 readings from Mauna Loa show failure to combat climate change Daily atmospheric carbon dioxide data from Hawaiian volcano more ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

  • Affirmative Action.
    Affirmative Action was a key theme at this election, although I don’t recall anyone using those particular words during the campaign.They’re positive words, and the way the topic was talked about was anything but. It certainly wasn’t a campaign of saying that Affirmative Action was a good thing, but that, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago

  • 100 days of something
    It was at the end of the Foxton straights, at the end of 1978, at 100km/h, that someone tried to grab me from behind on my Yamaha.They seemed to be yanking my backpack. My first thought was outrage. My second was: but how? Where have they come from? And my ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago

  • Look who’s stepped up to champion Winston
    There’s no news to be gleaned from the government’s official website today  – it contains nothing more than the message about the site being under maintenance. The time this maintenance job is taking and the costs being incurred have us musing on the government’s commitment to an assault on inflation. ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 week ago

  • What's The Story?
    Don’t you sometimes wish they’d just tell the truth? No matter how abhorrent or ugly, just straight up tell us the truth?C’mon guys, what you’re doing is bad enough anyway, pretending you’re not is only adding insult to injury.Instead of all this bollocks about the Smokefree changes being to do ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago

  • The longest of weeks
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.Friday Under New Management Week in review, quiz style1. Which of these best describes Aotearoa?a. Progressive nation, proud of its egalitarian spirit and belief in a fair go b. Best little country on the planet c. ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago

  • Suggested sessions of EGU24 to submit abstracts to
    Like earlier this year, members from our team will be involved with next year's General Assembly of the European Geosciences Union (EGU). The conference will take place on premise in Vienna as well as online from April 14 to 19, 2024. The session catalog has been available since November 1 ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

  • Under New Management
    1. Which of these best describes Aotearoa?a. Progressive nation, proud of its egalitarian spirit and belief in a fair go b. Best little country on the planet c. Under New Management 2. Which of these best describes the 100 days of action announced this week by the new government?a. Petulantb. Simplistic and wrongheaded c. ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago

  • Ministers visit Hawke’s Bay to grasp recovery needs
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon joined Cyclone Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell and Transport and Local Government Minister Simeon Brown, to meet leaders of cyclone and flood-affected regions in the Hawke’s Bay. The visit reinforced the coalition Government’s commitment to support the region and better understand its ongoing requirements, Mr Mitchell says.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • New Zealand condemns malicious cyber activity
    New Zealand has joined the UK and other partners in condemning malicious cyber activity conducted by the Russian Government, Minister Responsible for the Government Communications Security Bureau Judith Collins says. The statement follows the UK’s attribution today of malicious cyber activity impacting its domestic democratic institutions and processes, as well ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Disestablishment of Te Pūkenga begins
    The Government has begun the process of disestablishing Te Pūkenga as part of its 100-day plan, Minister for Tertiary Education and Skills Penny Simmonds says.  “I have started putting that plan into action and have met with the chair and chief Executive of Te Pūkenga to advise them of my ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Climate Change Minister to attend COP28 in Dubai
    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will be leaving for Dubai today to attend COP28, the 28th annual UN climate summit, this week. Simon Watts says he will push for accelerated action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement, deliver New Zealand’s national statement and connect with partner countries, private sector leaders ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • New Zealand to host 2024 Pacific defence meeting
    Defence Minister Judith Collins yesterday announced New Zealand will host next year’s South Pacific Defence Ministers’ Meeting (SPDMM). “Having just returned from this year’s meeting in Nouméa, I witnessed first-hand the value of meeting with my Pacific counterparts to discuss regional security and defence matters. I welcome the opportunity to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Study shows need to remove distractions in class
    The Government is committed to lifting school achievement in the basics and that starts with removing distractions so young people can focus on their learning, Education Minister Erica Stanford says.   The 2022 PISA results released this week found that Kiwi kids ranked 5th in the world for being distracted ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Minister sets expectations of Commissioner
    Today I met with Police Commissioner Andrew Coster to set out my expectations, which he has agreed to, says Police Minister Mark Mitchell. Under section 16(1) of the Policing Act 2008, the Minister can expect the Police Commissioner to deliver on the Government’s direction and priorities, as now outlined in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • New Zealand needs a strong and stable ETS
    New Zealand needs a strong and stable Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) that is well placed for the future, after emission units failed to sell for the fourth and final auction of the year, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says.  At today’s auction, 15 million New Zealand units (NZUs) – each ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • PISA results show urgent need to teach the basics
    With 2022 PISA results showing a decline in achievement, Education Minister Erica Stanford is confident that the Coalition Government’s 100-day plan for education will improve outcomes for Kiwi kids.  The 2022 PISA results show a significant decline in the performance of 15-year-old students in maths compared to 2018 and confirms ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Collins leaves for Pacific defence meeting
    Defence Minister Judith Collins today departed for New Caledonia to attend the 8th annual South Pacific Defence Ministers’ meeting (SPDMM). “This meeting is an excellent opportunity to meet face-to-face with my Pacific counterparts to discuss regional security matters and to demonstrate our ongoing commitment to the Pacific,” Judith Collins says. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Working for Families gets cost of living boost
    Putting more money in the pockets of hard-working families is a priority of this Coalition Government, starting with an increase to Working for Families, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says. “We are starting our 100-day plan with a laser focus on bringing down the cost of living, because that is what ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Post-Cabinet press conference
    Most weeks, following Cabinet, the Prime Minister holds a press conference for members of the Parliamentary Press Gallery. This page contains the transcripts from those press conferences, which are supplied by Hansard to the Office of the Prime Minister. It is important to note that the transcripts have not been edited ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme scrapped
    The Government has axed the $16 billion Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme championed by the previous government, Energy Minister Simeon Brown says. “This hugely wasteful project was pouring money down the drain at a time when we need to be reining in spending and focussing on rebuilding the economy and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • NZ welcomes further pause in fighting in Gaza
    New Zealand welcomes the further one-day extension of the pause in fighting, which will allow the delivery of more urgently-needed humanitarian aid into Gaza and the release of more hostages, Foreign Minister Winston Peters said. “The human cost of the conflict is horrific, and New Zealand wants to see the violence ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Condolences on passing of Henry Kissinger
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters today expressed on behalf of the New Zealand Government his condolences to the family of former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who has passed away at the age of 100 at his home in Connecticut. “While opinions on his legacy are varied, Secretary Kissinger was ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Backing our kids to learn the basics
    Every child deserves a world-leading education, and the Coalition Government is making that a priority as part of its 100-day plan. Education Minister Erica Stanford says that will start with banning cellphone use at school and ensuring all primary students spend one hour on reading, writing, and maths each day. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • US Business Summit Speech – Regional stability through trade
    I would like to begin by echoing the Prime Minister’s thanks to the organisers of this Summit, Fran O’Sullivan and the Auckland Business Chamber.  I want to also acknowledge the many leading exporters, sector representatives, diplomats, and other leaders we have joining us in the room. In particular, I would like ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Keynote Address to the United States Business Summit, Auckland
    Good morning. Thank you, Rosemary, for your warm introduction, and to Fran and Simon for this opportunity to make some brief comments about New Zealand’s relationship with the United States.  This is also a chance to acknowledge my colleague, Minister for Trade Todd McClay, Ambassador Tom Udall, Secretary of Foreign ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • India New Zealand Business Council Speech, India as a Strategic Priority
    Good morning, tēnā koutou and namaskar. Many thanks, Michael, for your warm welcome. I would like to acknowledge the work of the India New Zealand Business Council in facilitating today’s event and for the Council’s broader work in supporting a coordinated approach for lifting New Zealand-India relations. I want to also ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Coalition Government unveils 100-day plan
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has laid out the Coalition Government’s plan for its first 100 days from today. “The last few years have been incredibly tough for so many New Zealanders. People have put their trust in National, ACT and NZ First to steer them towards a better, more prosperous ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • New Zealand welcomes European Parliament vote on the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement
    A significant milestone in ratifying the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) was reached last night, with 524 of the 705 member European Parliament voting in favour to approve the agreement. “I’m delighted to hear of the successful vote to approve the NZ-EU FTA in the European Parliament overnight. This is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

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