Luxon’s triple backward summersault on Labour Day

Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, April 21st, 2022 - 72 comments
Categories: Christopher Luxon, labour, making shit up, Media, national, same old national, spin, the praiseworthy and the pitiful, you couldn't make this shit up - Tags:

There is this media beatup occurring currently which suggests that National is now viable and a government in waiting.

If you want proof then Radio New Zealand’s weird attack on the Government yesterday for delaying the reduction of MIQ requirements while Omicron threatened.

And Luxon is getting away with saying some pretty strange stuff.  Like yesterday when he initially said that Labour Day should be abolished but then backtracked on it.

This is not a new proposal from National.  During the debate on the Te Kāhui o Matariki Public Holiday Bill last month Paul Goldsmith said this:

Now, of course, everybody wants more holidays. I can understand that, and I can understand why all the submitters think it’s a good idea. And, like I say, the principle of having a Matariki holiday we agree with, and we’re very happy about that, but what we would have liked to have seen is just some recognition—just a moment’s recognition from this Government—of the difficulties of staying in business and staying afloat, and recognising that now maybe—maybe—this is just not the time for yet more entitlements in this country.

And maybe they could have considered Labour Weekend as a good alternative to remove. I don’t know why we don’t have a “National Weekend” that I’m aware of. We don’t have an “ACT Weekend”, but we have a Labour Weekend, and maybe it’s time in history that it’s moved on, and we replace Labour Weekend with Matariki, and that would be fine. Then we would have been able to support this piece of legislation.

And fellow conservative Scott Simpson said this at the third reading stage of the bill:

My good friend and colleague Paul Goldsmith suggested in an earlier debate that maybe we consider looking at removing Labour Day. That’s probably something that should at least be considered. I don’t think this Government even considered it. In fact, what we know from the impact statement and speeches and contributions made at earlier stages of this legislation passing through the Parliament—we know that actually no consideration has been given by this Government to even thinking about rationalising the range of statutory public holidays in New Zealand. I think that’s an opportunity lost and an opportunity missed.

During the passage of the Bill they even proposed an amendment that would remove Labour Day from the list of public holidays.

Support at the time for National’s proposal was muted at best.  I can confidently say that the proposal was opposed by the vast majority of ordinary kiwis.

So what does Luxon do yesterday?  He floats the idea again.

From Glenn McConnell at Stuff:

Now that Matariki is recognised with an official public holiday, Christopher Luxon has continued to call for another public holiday to be scrapped.

The National Party leader says he loves Labour Day, but he and his MPs want it to be axed.

…

During a visit to Whāngarei, Luxon was asked if he stood by the idea to get rid of Labour Day. He said doing so would add hundreds of millions of dollars to businesses, at a time when costs were increasing.

“Love Matariki, love Labour Day, love every other public holiday we’ve got in New Zealand, but we’re choosing to make a decision to add $450 million of costs to small businesses that have to pass through to customers,” he said.

Te Rā o Matariki would be New Zealand’s 12th public holiday – including regional anniversary days.

The Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment estimated adding a public holiday would cost up to $448 million. But official advice also said the public holiday could have a positive economic impact – with benefits estimated to be between $310.4m to $496.1m.

Note the dodgy use of statistics.  Luxon’s claim the holiday costs $450 million is based on a very narrow view of the data and ignores the societal benefits giving workers a day off has.

But later in the day Luxon did a triple backward summersault with a degree of difficulty of 9.0 and completely changed his position, claiming that earlier in the day he was being facetious.

From Thomas Coughlan at the Herald:

National leader Christopher Luxon said he would not get rid of any public holidays if he won the 2023 election, saying he could not “follow through on the commitment” of removing holidays.

Luxon has repeatedly said the Government should consider axing a public holiday to pay for the cost of Matariki, which National supports.

…

When questioned whether he would cancel another holiday if he came into Government in 2023, Luxon said “that’s what we’ve been saying since this bill’s come to Parliament”.

Luxon later suggested Labour Day would be axed to pay for Matariki, a joke National MPs have made before, given Labour Day’s significance to the Labour movement and by extension, the Labour Party.

However, on Newstalk ZB, Luxon clarified that if he won the 2023 election he would not axe holidays, saying the Matariki change was “irreversible”.

So in the space of a few hours Luxon shows his anti worker world view by proposing to get rid of Labour Day essentially because it has the word “Labour” in it, then he backtracks completely on his stated position.

Gordon Campbell’s earlier comment on Luxon’s recent public transport utterance is just as relevant here.  He said:

If a female politician said something as laughable as Luxon’s proposal on transport subsidies and defended it on the basis that she hadn’t thought about it too deeply, she would never survive the fallout. She would be roundly damned as a scatterbrain and a show pony, and deemed plainly unfit for higher office.

This is becoming a pattern.  And I have said this before but it is becoming increasingly clear that Chris Luxon is no John Key.

72 comments on “Luxon’s triple backward summersault on Labour Day ”

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  1. Ghostwhowalksnz 1
    21 April 2022 at 9:29 am

    So Luxon has reneged on a promise even before getting to election time

    Same with the ending of public transport subsidies, it was unpromised later the same day. And included weird comments about the called' $100 mill yearly subsidy' for the Te Huia Auckland Hamilton passenger train.[ yes He did say yearly in the reports]

    Thats included the roughly $50 mill capital and setup costs which all up with subsidy came to $80 mill not $100 mill. Yet Luxon was happy about covering capital costs for public transport.

    he must have been a similar disaster at Air NZ when he arrived as a captains pick CEO in waiting after spending 25 years in the soaps, shampoos and deodorants business at Reckitt and Colman

    • Blazer 1.1
      23 April 2022 at 1:30 pm

      I believe Luxon worked for Unilever….and his father for Johnson&Johnson…same products .

  2. Nic the NZer 2
    21 April 2022 at 9:44 am

    I support Paul Goldsmiths proposal for new National, Labour (added because Labour day is actually dedicated to the struggle for an 8 hour working day), Green, NZ First, ACT, Māori Party, Opportunities, Advance NZ, Legalise Cannabis, New Conservative, ONE, Outdoors, Social Credit, Sustainable NZ and Vision NZ public holiday days.

    Lets do this!

    • roy cartland 2.1
      21 April 2022 at 10:16 am

      And everything with 'National' in it can have those other parties represented (RNZ National, National Identity, National Parks, International whatever…)

      • Nic the NZer 2.1.1
        21 April 2022 at 10:51 am

        I thought the new holidays should be expressly dedicated to members of the public auditing the political party named by the holiday. I don't think that leaves any time to enjoy National Parks on National day given the state of Nationals public finances, is all.

      • Descendant Of Smith 2.1.2
        21 April 2022 at 2:12 pm

        The party that inflicted Building Blue on the public service a second time.

        Don't you wish you had a job at Human Synergistics, a consulting firm paid hundreds of thousands of dollars by the Ministry of Social Development to colour-code its workers changing them from red to blue..

        https://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/comment/columnists/68614620/bowron-going-blue-makes-me-see-red

        "David Lange’s reluctance to promulgate any more products derived from Douglas’ neo-liberal disconnection from reality eventually resulted in Douglas stepping down. A year later and it was game-over for David Lange. Its almost as if Human Synergistics had done its work. David Lange was pigeon-holed into its fabricated Circumplex Red Zone while the members of Labour’s Caucus had affiliated their self-actualisation into the equally fabricated Blue Zone. The “Caucus Team” was operating at the “higher-order satisfaction needs level” where its “Humanistic-Encouraging” behaviour was “sensitive and supportive of it own members.” Accordingly, by voting their fellow Blue Zoner, Roger Douglas, back into Cabinet, Caucus told Red Zoner David Lange to fuck off . So he did, weeping for his fellow New Zealanders and what lay ahead."

        https://thestandard.org.nz/human-synergistics-richard-prebble-and-the-end-of-government/

        From memory Lange got someone else to fill out his forms.

      • Peter 2.1.3
        21 April 2022 at 5:45 pm

        Don't forget 'National Standards' in schools.

        They high jacked 'standards' so that anyone arguing against the programme could be accused of being against standards

        Reality hit when the last PISA test results came out and our kid's results were down. The cohort that went through with God's gift, National Standards, had results that were down the tubes.

    • Patricia Bremner 2.2
      21 April 2022 at 11:28 am

      National "The Party of cuts"

      • Tony Veitch (not etc.) 2.2.1
        21 April 2022 at 11:38 am

        Or, as an Honest Government ad puts it, the Party that puts the 'n' into 'The Party of Cuts.'

        Though they’re talking about Scottie from Marketing. Still, birds of a feather, and all that!

    • Christopher Randal 2.3
      21 April 2022 at 5:47 pm

      You forgot my favourite – Magillicuddy Serious Party day!

  3. roy cartland 3
    21 April 2022 at 9:46 am

    The man's a f*ckwit. Without being facetious, I say it's time for the unproductive rich to give up something. More than a few somethings.

    • Patricia Bremner 3.1
      21 April 2022 at 11:39 am

      Entitlements are for special people? More like him?

      He has talked of a "business perspective" the window he is looking through with a narrow view.

      "Governing for all" is a concept beyond the man. imo

      • Incognito 3.1.1
        21 April 2022 at 12:00 pm

        Framing it as “entitlement” is clever because it plants a seed of doubt about whether it is truly deserved (as in: earned). Entitlement, in this context, is in the head of the entitled one only, at the expense of others. This kind of framing is, of course, polarising and potentially divisive, but that’s exactly the game Luxon and National are playing, in my opinion. Don’t underestimate the ‘egg-head’.

  4. Reality 4
    21 April 2022 at 10:22 am

    Luxon seems to open his mouth and say anything to keep "business" happy and then belatedly no doubt be told by his advisers that he has said something stupid. He seems to need daily coaching on what is or is not stupid.

    As for no subsidies for public transport operators, I well remember when the railways were sold. The private owners never spent any money on upgrades or maintenance. Consequently the Labour government had to spend millions and millions of taxpayers money to keep the railways functioning. Luxon's business mates do not always make good decisions.

  5. tsmithfield 5
    21 April 2022 at 10:37 am

    Whatever you think of him, Luxon isn't stupid. And National have their own group of public relations people helping shape the National message.

    Discussing the rationale of an additional public holiday with the prospect of dropping one is definitely controversial, and probably not popular amongst most, taken on its own without context. But it is a relatively minor issue that will be forgotten about soon enough.

    But the effect is that it gets lots of media attention, and the chance for interviews.

    Which, as per his interview last night on ZB, gives him the chance to push back with his messaging focused around a government he is framing as irresponsible and needlessly increasing costs for businesses a time of high inflation, and the cumulative effect of government decisions on the cost of living.

    • Nic the NZer 5.1
      21 April 2022 at 10:47 am

      Your saying Luxon at first put the latest public relations message across, but then realized he isn't stupid and walked it back across several appearances?

      • tsmithfield 5.1.1
        21 April 2022 at 11:44 am

        No. Walking the comment back would make perfect sense if the strategy I outlined is being applied.

        Get the conversation going, but remove the political fallout of actually carrying such an idea through.

        • Nic the NZer 5.1.1.1
          21 April 2022 at 11:58 am

          Got it. So it's don't blame Chris for his jarring media personality and opinions, he's only doing what National party marketing arm tell him to do.

        • Incognito 5.1.1.2
          21 April 2022 at 12:03 pm

          Exactly! He’s trying to come across as a reasonable man with common sense who appears to listen & explain.

    • Patricia Bremner 5.2
      21 April 2022 at 12:00 pm

      But the effect is that gets lots of media attention, and the chance for interviews. Yes TSmithfield.

      I agree that is the framing, but he is not adept and forgets to be "charming" when discussing ideas.

      He is a "one man band" and is used to having his way, he finds democracy difficult and a block to the business agenda he is promoting, so in these interviews we see a man full of hubris and dogma. His body language is that of challenge not accommodation.

      Politics is the art of compromise. That is extremely difficult for him and may be his undoing.

    • McFlock 5.3
      21 April 2022 at 1:44 pm

      The curious thing is trying to suck up to business. They're not exactly known to be floating voters, so I guess he's hoping to claw some back off ACT.

      The incessant cost of living problems will hurt the government, but those are the times we live in. Even without the rest of the world in the economic shit, if the govt had let hundreds of thousands of people get thrown on the job heap with almost zero notice because of covid things would be much worse for govt popularity.

      edit: the other thing is that if he steps on the wrong issue, he becomes the party leader who “couldn’t even sort himself out over Labour Day, and he wants to run the country?”

  6. Bearded Git 6
    21 April 2022 at 10:45 am

    Luxon: "but we’re choosing to make a decision to add $450 million of costs to small businesses"

    This is a weird statement. Apart from the obvious catastrophic errors in calculating the cost (and MBIE says "up to $448m") while ignoring the benefits, pointed out by Micky in the post, he says the costs will only fall on small businesses, which is inaccurate.

    If Luxon really believes this rubbish he may one day support a policy to cancel 4 public holidays. After all he would argue that this would add $1.8 billion to the economy, remembering he sees no benefit in the holidays.

    • Brigitte 6.1
      21 April 2022 at 1:00 pm

      Thinking about it, much of the cost will fall on larger organisations. Many small businesses (those in hospitality) may see additional money coming in on the holiday although that will be offset by the fact they need to give those workers a day off in lieu as well as paying them extra on the actual holiday.

      And just to note a typo in the heading: it's somersault.

      [Bugger will fix – MS]

  7. Incognito 7
    21 April 2022 at 10:53 am

    Let me act as the Devil’s advocate here (or as some would see it, a Luxon & National apologist). Their messaging is like a dog whistle and depending on what kind of dog you are you’ll hear a different message.

    Businesses, especially small businesses, will hear a consistent message of acknowledgement and support. Reduced income because of reduced consumer spending and increased costs due to higher pay rate of employees for a Public Holiday, for example, are much more tangible (as in: in hurting in the pocket) than increased productivity and improved service because of better-rested and more relaxed staff let alone “the societal benefits” at large. The latter will sound more like a conclusion from an academic study done elsewhere.

    I also reckon that each Labour Day or Matariki SME owners are more likely to be reminded of which Government they hold responsible than the people enjoying a day off and when they switch off their brains.

    • tsmithfield 7.1
      21 April 2022 at 11:26 am

      Yes. Consistent with what I was saying also.

      The statement by Luxon may seem counter-intuitive if taken in isolation. But if seen as part of a broader strategy, it makes more sense.

      Who knows. I guess only Luxon could answer that.

      • Ghostwhowalksnz 7.1.1
        21 April 2022 at 12:48 pm

        You seem to think he knows what he is doing.

        The evidence is that he is all mixed up and clueless.

        Authenticity and integrity is the precious gold politicians aspire to find and cover themselves in it. Flip flops arent the aim at all.

        Just having an occasion to repeat talking points is exacatly what voters turn against.

        • tsmithfield 7.1.1.1
          21 April 2022 at 1:02 pm

          It may not matter what the original intent was. Probably the effect is more important.

          It might be that the result is a combination of what Incognito and I have suggested. Whether it was intended that way in the first place is probably a moot point.

          • Ghostwhowalksnz 7.1.1.1.1
            21 April 2022 at 5:23 pm

            The effect wasnt good, other wise he wouldnt have back pedalled so quickly and risk his 'integrity'

            The media commentators are staring to notice the 'gaffes ' and dont seem to think its a good outcome or master plan

            'Fran O'Sullivan: Gaffes won't help Christopher Luxon defeat Jacinda Ardern'

            The upshot is that he was later forced to dance on the proverbial pinhead and clarify just what he meant: "People that are in state houses that actually aren't paying the rents, that are trashing the houses, abusing the neighbours," he told other media.

            This was somewhat risible, as explanations go.

            So even the National friendly media dont see the upside that you claim ….hmm

            I suggest you and incognito are too one eyed see the wood for the trees

            • Incognito 7.1.1.1.1.1
              21 April 2022 at 6:31 pm

              I suggest you and incognito are too one eyed see the wood for the trees

              Your irony is hilarious, as I was trying to see if from the other side of the fence. You should try it once, if you can find your way to the fence that is, but don’t get too close or it might zap you. You sound like a partisan hick.

              • Ghostwhowalksnz …
                23 April 2022 at 12:27 pm

                So good if you to be fair and balanced in a Fox news way over this .

                maybe send off your resume to NZ Herald ?

                Who really gives a flying F over what their respin will be, they really dont need your help to do this.

                • Incognito …
                  23 April 2022 at 5:43 pm

                  It wasn’t news reporting, it was my PoV from a different angle; I was playing the Devil’s advocate, as I said at the beginning of this thread. To an uncritical lazy partisan hick such as you this may come across as taking a side, i.e. taking the wrong side. Your biased intolerance prevents you from considering any merit in any opinion that may not 100% agree with yours in your binary reality of Left vs. Right, right vs. wrong, or good vs. bad. In fact, you’re so scared that it (i.e. my alternative angle) might “help” the other side that you resort to pathetic ad homs and attacking the messenger. You have again proven my point that you’re a partisan hick with whom debating is futile because a mutually agreeable conclusion is ruled a priori because of your rigid convictions right at the start. No wonder debate is dying.

                  • Ghostwhowalksnz …
                    23 April 2022 at 8:21 pm

                    Debate ? This is gibberish. if I want debate I would read the NY review of Books. Its a blog for goodness sake.

                    • Incognito …
                      23 April 2022 at 8:55 pm

                      TS is a blog!? No shit, Sherlock. You come over here to bore us with your biased BS? Have you read https://thestandard.org.nz/about/ and https://thestandard.org.nz/policy/? Because this ain’t the cartoon section of your favourite partisan propaganda paper. When you grow up and can handle an alternative viewpoint without attacking the messenger you may want to comment here on TS starting with simple emojis and then work your way up to words of more than one syllable surprise

    • Kat 7.2
      21 April 2022 at 11:28 am

      That is exactly what National/Luxon are up to. They want to shore up the SME support. There are business that I have spoken with who traditionally vote National/Act that are wanting a change in govt, never mind being bailed out during the last two years with the present govts financial pandemic assistance. They can be easily swayed to become totally anti Labour, anti Ardern with the promise of palms being crossed with silver and more employer-centric policies.

      National/Act regard these SME's as lawful prey.

  8. Tiger Mountain 8
    21 April 2022 at 11:41 am

    “Luxury Luxon” actually deserves a media pile on from all channels…but he seems to be getting rose water and hot towels just like sirkey.

    • tc 8.1
      21 April 2022 at 12:29 pm

      Nationals media delivering for the backers as usual.

      Rimmer gets a free ride being part of that club.

    • AB 8.2
      21 April 2022 at 6:35 pm

      Yep – this is the point. He knows that he can stuff up almost with impunity. Best hope is that he is so emboldened by it all, that he crosses the line that defines "almost".

      My theory is that Ardern annoyed the media as a whole in 2020 by having so much support for her decisions and actions. And because of that, we (the public) hammered the media when they acted like silly, nit-picking arses with an overinflated sense of their own ability and relevance. Now it's payback time.

  9. mac1 9
    21 April 2022 at 12:06 pm

    I Googled National holidays. This is what I got! Eleven of them! They even claim Labour Day as a National public holiday!

    National public holidays 2022

    • New Year’s Day: Saturday 1 January or Monday 3 January
    • Day after New Year’s Day: Sunday 2 January or Tuesday 4 January
    • Waitangi Day: Sunday 6 February or Monday 7 February
    • Good Friday: Friday 15 April
    • Easter Monday: Monday 18 April
    • Anzac Day: Monday 25 April
    • Queen’s Birthday: Monday 6 June
    • Matariki Day: Friday 24 June
    • Labour Day: Monday 24 October
    • Christmas Day: Sunday 25 December or Tuesday 27 December
    • Boxing Day: Monday 26 December
  10. mac1 10
    21 April 2022 at 12:17 pm

    "claiming that earlier in the day he was being facetious."

    Luxon is not a funny man. Nor is he a thinker.

    This "but I was only joking", is a short step away from the standard bigot's response to being called out on some misogyist, racist, homophobic statement- "Can't you take a joke, gedda sensa humour".

    A person who is being facetious needs to be funny, so that the hearer can tell it's facetious. Re-telling a political attack line from a fellow National MP does not make that benchmark.

    Perhaps he needs to study his predecessor, Judith Collins, who used her eyebrows to show her facetiousness. https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/28-07-2020/eyebrow-comedy-all-the-times-judith-collins-made-a-joke-in-her-debut-leader-speech

    • Incognito 10.1
      21 April 2022 at 12:35 pm

      I have no trouble at all believing that Nats would and indeed do joke about axing Labour Day, just like a misogynist might ‘joke’ about axing Mother’s Day or Woman’s Day even though they’re not Public Holidays. JC’s eyebrow was always in need of a stretch.

    • Charlie 10.2
      21 April 2022 at 12:40 pm

      Luxon could raise his shirt over his head like a foreskin, that would send the best facetious messaging.

      • mac1 10.2.1
        21 April 2022 at 12:57 pm

        I believe that's what soccer players do at the corner post, but not when scoring an own goal…..like Luxon.

        • Charlie 10.2.1.1
          21 April 2022 at 1:41 pm

          Luxon would probaly put his soccer shirt up for auction saying his own goal was the hand of God.

    • Patricia Bremner 10.3
      21 April 2022 at 9:17 pm

      mac1 more like fatuous.devil However he is really sending messages to the “Top Feeders".

      We should keep a list of his gaffes/displays of attitude.

      Bottom Feeders…"Who are they exactly Christopher?"

      • Blazer 10.3.1
        22 April 2022 at 9:20 am

        'We should keep a list of his gaffes/displays of attitude.'

        Where's 'Blip' when you …need him!

  11. Barfly 11
    21 April 2022 at 12:26 pm

    IMO he wasn't being facetious he was being the entitled ring wing 'stuff the people' arsehole that he is.

    • tc 11.1
      21 April 2022 at 12:51 pm

      Gotta retrieve those ACT voters back to the hive with some clear messaging.

      He's doing a job presenting supplied material knowing he will not be called on it.

      Nice work if you can get it, morally challenging but none the less easy money.

    • Ghostwhowalksnz 11.2
      21 April 2022 at 12:54 pm

      Yes. I can see the fellow travellors are trying to turn it into 'a joke' I thought this would happen.

      The scenario is more likely this is the sort froth he says when talking to donors and the private meetings with party faithfull. They lap it up.

      But the public comments are supposed to be more circumspect and hes been reminded of that by the real power behind the throne. Willis, Bishop, Goldsmith

    • Patricia Bremner 11.3
      21 April 2022 at 9:18 pm

      yes Yep.

  12. Mike the Lefty 12
    21 April 2022 at 1:21 pm

    National and ACT have always regarded Labour Day, and its associated public holiday, with barely concealed loathing. It is a reminder to them of how NZ workers won the right to have a balanced work/sleep/recreational lifestyle and how this (to them) signifies the end of the good old days when the employer said "jump" and the employee asked "how high".

    National should be reminded that Don Brash's pledge to take back one week from the minimum four weeks' annual leave in the 2005 election campaign may well have cost them winning what was a very close election.

    It could be argued, of course, that the 8-hour working day is now just history. How many people work 8-hour 40 hour weeks, with weekends off, anymore? Not many I would think. Employment now is described as casual, part-time, permanent part-time, on-call, contracted out, zero hours, weekends and more.

    But that doesn't excuse Luxon and National from their clumsy attack on NZ workers. It seem that National regards public holidays as a business expense rather than a reward for the "hard working New Zealanders" that they always claim to represent.

    As the CTU pointed out, if it was just a matter of cost, then why didn't National go after Queens Birthday holiday, which arguably means less to New Zealanders than Matariki and is near the same time. Then Luxon claims the Matariki public holiday will cost New Zealand businesses $450 million but gives no evidence for this. The hospitality and accommodation industries will tell you that public holidays are usually a boom time for them.

    Will National go after regional anniversary holidays too?

  13. Brendan Waugh 13
    21 April 2022 at 2:25 pm

    Nat voter here.

    Own goal.

    Either make a small bit of noise to keep the base happy, or at least keep to message.

    In the big scheme of things an extra public holiday is not going to break the bank.

  14. Craig H 14
    21 April 2022 at 2:58 pm

    If National were serious about it, the obvious holiday to suggest for replacement would have been Queen's Birthday, both practically as the nearest public holiday by date, and symbolically by suggesting we replace a colonial fossil of a holiday with an indigenous holiday.

    However, they weren't serious about it, they were grandstanding, and now they've been called out for it.

    Also, Labour Day predates the Labour Party, so if anything, the party is named after the holiday, not the other way around.

    • Ghostwhowalksnz 14.1
      21 April 2022 at 5:14 pm

      I didnt know that but its correct

      'What the Liberals did do was make Labour Day a holiday. The Labour Day Act of 1899 created a statutory public holiday on the second Wednesday in October, first celebrated in 1900. The holiday was 'Mondayised' in 1910, and since then it has been held on the fourth Monday in October.'

      https://nzhistory.govt.nz/politics/labour-day

      the party had a number of founding dates after that the earliest but short lived was 1910

  15. SPC 15
    21 April 2022 at 3:16 pm

    A fly on the wall at the National Party Intelligence Unit meeting.

    1. I've got a new word association idea – Labour Day as a cost. Labour government spending as inflationary. Word associate Labour with higher cost.
    2. Brilliant, best idea since dancing cossacks, Kiwi not iwi and John Key's claim we were of an ambition to increase wage levels to that of Australia.
    3. Even Luxon could not stuff up something that simple.
    4. So its agreed.
    5. It's a majority but I suspect Luxon will just reveal why he was never a candidate for Finance.
  16. Dean Reynolds 16
    21 April 2022 at 5:08 pm

    Luxon is a penis in a suit

  17. newsense 17
    21 April 2022 at 5:26 pm

    Seems like some clever advice from someone. ‘Clever’?
    Continually get yourself in the news, stake out a series of clear messages hitting traditional conservative crap- race baiting, union baiting, public transport or f- the poor, lazy workers, government spending outa control.

    It might not be much of a manifesto, but let’s be honest it doesn’t seem to be one.

    On the other hand we could have seen the media smacking him down for having poor control of the details, for flip flopping, for playing politics with the violent occupation of the parliament precinct, for weak leadership, for being a dick, but they haven’t.

    More to see here I guess…

  18. Peter 18
    21 April 2022 at 5:55 pm

    That man of principle, David Seymour, will be into it after the election. He has told us previously of the massive cost of a holiday for Matariki.

    He'll no doubt push from his position in Government, for getting rid of holidays on the day after New Year, Easter Monday and Labour Day at a minimum.

    If he is really true to his practical view, Good Friday will be gone, and Queen's Birthday. There you go David, by your previous reckoning of $400 mill or so for Matariki you can save businesses well over a billion.

    • Dean Reynolds 18.1
      21 April 2022 at 5:57 pm

      Seymour won't be part of government after the 2023 election.

    • Mike the Lefty 18.2
      22 April 2022 at 12:50 pm

      ACT in the past have made noises about reducing the number of public holidays. I remember Richard Prebble saying something like the only public holiday needed aside from Christmas and Easter was ANZAC day, although I am working with a memory from over 30 years ago and might not be spot on.

      ACT would also like to freeze the minimum wage (although this is a small climbdown on their earlier pledges to REDUCE it); reduce the minimum annual leave from four to three weeks and abolish the time and a half wage plus a day in lieu for working a public holiday.

      Wage workers who have any illusions that ACT actually give a monkeys about their welfare should remember this the next time they approach a ballot box.

  19. observer 19
    21 April 2022 at 7:13 pm

    This is a familiar debate on political tactics, as discussed by several already in this thread. "Getting people talking", making headlines, all publicity is good publicity, etc.

    The problem with that analysis is that in the end, there has to be a party policy. Only one. The waffly word salad won't do.

    The 2023 election campaign will probably happen around Oct/Nov, including Labour weekend. Luxon will be asked: "Scrap Labour Day, yes or no?".

    And before that, in the pre-campaign period, he will be asked "Scrap Matariki, yes or no?".

    Luxon's answer will have to be "No", in both cases. First, because you don't promise to remove people's holidays, but more importantly because it's not the issue he wants the election to be about.

    Right now the confusion and contradiction doesn't matter much. But in a campaign it would only be a ridiculous distraction. A self-inflicted wound for the Nats.

    So I'd say this one is filed under cock-up, not conspiracy. And there's a limit to how many times Luxon can keep saying "I didn't mean it, I didn't express myself clearly". That's simply not an option for a PM – and on issues much bigger than the dates of public holidays.

    • Blazer 19.1
      22 April 2022 at 9:04 am

      Luxon is so under whelming.

      God,how easy it must be to …run an airline!

      Christofaux (pas )=hopeless,marginally better than that other management titan=Muller.

    • Ghostwhowalksnz 19.2
      22 April 2022 at 9:05 am

      he cant say he 'didnt mean it' as the scrapping Labour day for Matariki was already being promoted and aired by National.

      It wasnt a true gaffe in that he meant to say something different. he really wanted to do this.

      This just shows Luxon isnt a conviction politician at all, but like Key a 'process politician' and it can be now said that he 'got into politics to take away peoples holidays' and other tricks learnt from a long management career

  20. Peter 20
    22 April 2022 at 6:53 am

    "Waffly word salads" will certainly do for many. The clarity offered from the start of coronavirus on is stark. There are many many dumb people.

    Anything will do. One word, one notion out of a word salad can be like the Sky tower piercing out of a fog. It will stab and stay, the overruling image and driver, erasing all existing reality.

  21. Margaret 21
    22 April 2022 at 8:51 am

    The question that needs to be asked of Luxon while rabbiting on that workers are worse off today with inflation, if he becomes PM and rolls back all wage rises given workers under Labour will they be worse off than they are now?

    • Ghostwhowalksnz 21.1
      22 April 2022 at 9:17 am

      Wages are an inflation follower anyway, as workers dont have a crystal ball. Although over a longer period they do rise more than inflation

      The minimum wage increase was example , following the inflation rate of the previous year.

      Guess who was avoiding answering the question when asked if supported or opposed the minimum wage increase ( according to Stuffs Henry Cooke)

      By playing games like that he will find himself in a doom spiral of being asked ' Do you oppose or support ……'

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    Bowalley Road
    5 days ago

  • Mortgage rates at 10% anyone?
    No – nothing about that in PM Luxon’s nine-point plan to improve the lives of New Zealanders. But beyond our shores Jamie Dimon, the long-serving head of global bank J.P. Morgan Chase, reckons that the chances of a goldilocks soft landing for the economy are “a lot lower” than the ...
    Point of OrderBy xtrdnry
    6 days ago

  • Sad tales from the left
    Michael Bassett writes –  Have you noticed the odd way in which the media are handling the government’s crackdown on surplus employees in the Public Service? Very few reporters mention the crazy way in which State Service numbers rocketed ahead by more than 16,000 during Labour’s six years, ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • In Whose Best Interests?
    On The Spot: The question Q+A host, Jack Tame, put to the Workplace & Safety Minister, Act’s Brooke van Velden, was disarmingly simple: “Are income tax cuts right now in the best interests of lowering inflation?”JACK TAME has tested another MP on his Sunday morning current affairs show, Q+A. Minister for Workplace ...
    Bowalley Road
    6 days ago

  • Don’t Question, Don’t Complain.
    It has to start somewhereIt has to start sometimeWhat better place than here?What better time than now?So it turns out that I owe you all an apology.It seems that all of the terrible things this government is doing, impacting the lives of many, aren’t necessarily ‘bad’ per se. Those things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago

  • Auckland faces 25% water inflation shock
    Three Waters became a focus of anti-Government protests under Labour, but its dumping by the new Government hasn’t solved councils’ funding problems and will eventually hit the back pockets of everyone. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me at 8:06 am today are:The Government ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

  • Small accomplishments and large ironies
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.Share Read more ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago

  • The Song of Saqua: Volume VII
    In order to catch up to the actual progress of the D&D campaign, I present you with another couple of sessions. These were actually held back to back, on a Monday and Tuesday evening. Session XV Alas, Goatslayer had another lycanthropic transformation… though this time, he ran off into the ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    6 days ago

  • Accelerating the Growth Rate?
    There is a constant theme from the economic commentariat that New Zealand needs to lift its economic growth rate, coupled with policies which they are certain will attain that objective. Their prescriptions are usually characterised by two features. First, they tend to be in their advocate’s self-interest. Second, they are ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    6 days ago

  • The only thing we have to fear is tenants themselves
    1. Which of these acronyms describes the experience of travelling on a Cook Strait ferry?a. ROROb. FOMOc. RAROd. FMLAramoana, first boat ever boarded by More Than A Feilding, four weeks after the Wahine disaster2. What is the acronym for the experience of watching the government risking a $200 million break ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    7 days ago

  • Peters talks of NZ “renewing its connections with the world” – but who knew we had been discon...
    Buzz from the Beehive The thrust of the country’s foreign affairs policy and its relationship with the United States have been addressed in four statements from the Beehive over the past 24 hours. Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters somewhat curiously spoke of New Zealand “renewing its connections with a world ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    7 days ago

  • Comprehensive Partnership the goal for NZ and the Philippines
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr.  The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 hours ago

  • Government commits $20m to Westport flood protection
    The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    11 hours ago

  • Taupō takes pole position
    The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    12 hours ago

  • Cost of living support for low-income homeowners
    Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners.  “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    14 hours ago

  • Government backing mussel spat project
    The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    15 hours ago

  • Government focused on getting people into work
    Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    18 hours ago

  • Clean energy key driver to reducing emissions
    The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago

  • Earthquake-prone buildings review brought forward
    The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    23 hours ago

  • Thailand and NZ to agree to Strategic Partnership
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Government consults on extending coastal permits for ports
    RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Inflation coming down, but more work to do
    Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • School attendance restored as a priority in health advice
    Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Unnecessary bureaucracy cut in oceans sector
    Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Patterson promoting NZ’s wool sector at International Congress
    Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector.    "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Removing red tape to help early learners thrive
    The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • RMA changes to cut coal mining consent red tape
    Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • McClay reaffirms strong NZ-China trade relationship
    Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Prime Minister Luxon acknowledges legacy of Singapore Prime Minister Lee
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singapore’s outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.   Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpart’s almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • PMs Luxon and Lee deepen Singapore-NZ ties
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.  During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Antarctica New Zealand Board appointments
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has made further appointments to the Board of Antarctica New Zealand as part of a continued effort to ensure the Scott Base Redevelopment project is delivered in a cost-effective and efficient manner.  The Minister has appointed Neville Harris as a new member of the Board. Mr ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Finance Minister travels to Washington DC
    Finance Minister Nicola Willis will travel to the United States on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Five Finance Ministers group, with counterparts from Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.  “I am looking forward to meeting with our Five Finance partners on how we can work ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Pet bonds a win/win for renters and landlords
    The coalition Government has today announced purrfect and pawsitive changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to give tenants with pets greater choice when looking for a rental property, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Pets are important members of many Kiwi families. It’s estimated that around 64 per cent of New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Long Tunnel for SH1 Wellington being considered
    State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the Government has also asked NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to consider and provide advice on a Long Tunnel option, Transport Minister Simeon Brown ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • New Zealand condemns Iranian strikes
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have condemned Iran’s shocking and illegal strikes against Israel.    “These attacks are a major challenge to peace and stability in a region already under enormous pressure," Mr Luxon says.    "We are deeply concerned that miscalculation on any side could ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Huge interest in Government’s infrastructure plans
    Hundreds of people in little over a week have turned out in Northland to hear Regional Development Minister Shane Jones speak about plans for boosting the regional economy through infrastructure. About 200 people from the infrastructure and associated sectors attended an event headlined by Mr Jones in Whangarei today. Last ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Health Minister thanks outgoing Health New Zealand Chair
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has today thanked outgoing Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora Chair Dame Karen Poutasi for her service on the Board.   “Dame Karen tendered her resignation as Chair and as a member of the Board today,” says Dr Reti.  “I have asked her to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Roads of National Significance planning underway
    The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has signalled their proposed delivery approach for the Government’s 15 Roads of National Significance (RoNS), with the release of the State Highway Investment Proposal (SHIP) today, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.  “Boosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Government’s plan to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Navigating an unstable global environment
    New Zealand is renewing its connections with a world facing urgent challenges by pursuing an active, energetic foreign policy, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.   “Our country faces the most unstable global environment in decades,” Mr Peters says at the conclusion of two weeks of engagements in Egypt, Europe and the United States.    “We cannot afford to sit back in splendid ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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