Maori Party going to cave?

Written By: - Date published: 3:22 pm, June 14th, 2010 - 50 comments
Categories: foreshore and seabed, maori party, national - Tags:

The signals are that the Maori Party is going to cave on the foreshore and seabed. National has offered a symbolic repeal of the Foreshore and Seabed Act while leaving the actual law essentially unchanged. At hui throughout the country, Maori have made it clear they won’t accept symbolism, they want real change. But Pita Sharples’ comment today that “Repeal was the “No 1 thing”” and Te Ururoa Flavell’s remark that “It would be disastrous if we weren’t aligned with the Iwi Leadership Group, however, we are a political movement and we have to make decisions in light of the information we have in front of us” suggest they are going to sacrifice their objectives to stay in government.

Of course, Key will chuck in a couple of minor concessions, window dressing that the Maori Party will claim as major wins. But make no mistake, if the Maori Party buys the symbolic deal that National is offering it will have abandoned the goal it was established to fight for. There will be big questions, then, over what the Maori Party is doing voting for a rightwing government to pass policies that are anathema to their values.

[Updated – It seems an agreement of some kind has been reached.]

[Updated 2: Ahh – the kind of agreement you reach when you don’t have an agreement:

It [the F&S] will instead become a public space though neither party has agreed what that should be called. Previously the government had proposed calling it “public domain”.

Still some miles to go on this road!]

50 comments on “Maori Party going to cave? ”

  1. ianmac 1

    It was being said on Maori TV that some believed that it would be one step at a time. Public ownership would be OK for now and would be a platform for future negotiations in perhaps another Government – meaning post 2011 Election.

    • Bright Red 1.1

      don’t they realise that National has cast this as a full and final deal, and Labour will stick to that too?

      Any deal that the Maori Party signs on to now will have permanent legitimacy and the Maori Party won’t be able to come back later and demand something else. It’s like the Treaty settlements or the Superannuation Accord.

      • Lew 1.1.1

        Yes. Unless they can get something to the contrary written into the bill, which they can’t … and if they try to leave it to the committee stage it’ll just get railroaded through by a gleeful ACT.

        This is classic opportunity cost: deal, or no deal, no do-overs. At least by saying “no deal” the abhorrent status quo is preserved with a chance that it might be revised in the future, rather than a similarly abhorrent status quo being entrenched for good.

        Unless there’s some major loophole to be exploited, they need to call it off.

        L

  2. tc 2

    “if the Maori Party buys the symbolic deal that National is offering it will have abandoned the goal it was established to fight for.. ”

    I thought they achieved that awhile back passing ETS/ACC/Budget 2010 and the all the other death via 100 cuts and dodgy stuff passed under urgency in the name of ‘being a player’ more like you got played MP……masterful handling by the nats, they get everything they want whilst maori get diddly.

    Break out the rhetoric here comes the rogering and you can bet the nats will be looking forward to them staying in gov’t with them….who wouldn’t it’s cost them F all aside from taxpayer limos etc.

  3. Lew 3

    Woah, and there it is — they’ve agreed.

    L

  4. kaiserm 4

    well the simple fact is that Labour won’t change its stride and National is only offering this…they have a choice to make some gain or none and pout

  5. Bright Red 5

    Looks like you called it, Eddie.

    They’re not going to call it ‘public domain’. They’ll invent another name, which will give the Maori Party cover to claim they’ve won a real change.

  6. Santi 6

    Why are you surprised? Undoubtly, the Maori Party had a price and Key and National are paying it.
    Expect more race-based legislation.

  7. So the FSA will be repealed and the area renamed. There will need to be some sort of statutory protection of the right of access. I wonder if the Crown will allow applications for title for the FSA and if so on what basis.

    The devil has always been in the detail on this issue and no doubt will continue to be.

    • Farrar has the details (or more of them).

      He says:

      * The 2004 Act will be repealed and replaced with new legislation
      * The foreshore and seabed area currently vested in Crown ownership will be replaced by a public space which is incapable of being owned in a fee simple sense (ie can never be sold)
      * Existing Maori and Pakeha private titles would continue unaffected
      * Customary title and customary rights will be recognised through access to justice in a new High Court process or through direct negotiations with the Crown
      * The test for customary rights and for customary title under a replacement regime will be the same as in the consultation document, and reflects the position the Govt thinks the Courts would have come to if the previous government had not imposed the Foreshore and Seabed Act 2004

      A chocolate fish to the first person who explains why this is different to the FSA apart from the changing of the name of the “public space”.

      • Blue 7.1.1

        Because this time the Maori Party have agreed to it and can have a joint press conference with the Government talking up how great it is?

      • ak 7.1.2

        It’s different because National, who objected to the F&S as being too generous to Maori, has now agreed to something that is even more generous (according to the MP). Progression by own petard. Time for Labour to push “one shore for all” and reclaim the left.
        Cadbury kina, ta.

      • Bill 7.1.3

        The answer might be in this strangely informative piece here which makes mention of

        … a document written by technical adviser Sacha McMeeking, who is also Ngai Tahu’s manager of strategy and influence.

        It floats a model under which the foreshore and seabed would be treated as a “shared” space, with any new law silent on the issue of ownership.

        But iwi and hapu would also have the right to assert title in the courts, according to a new test based on Maori custom and traditions and the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which would include the power to review and injunct decisions over the foreshore and seabed, and impose rahui (a ban on access).

        • Lanthanide 7.1.3.1

          Key: Nah, the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is purely aspirational, it won’t have any impact in law at all.

          2 months later…

  8. gobsmacked 8

    Maori Party: “A bridge too far!”

    Key: “I’m crossing the bridge. See ya later.”

    Maori Party co-leaders: “Wait for us!” (run across bridge)

    Maori Party supporters: “We’re staying here. Burn the bridge.”

  9. Santi 9

    The truth of the matter is Key has Maori party leaders in his pocket. As ministers they are enjoying the baubles of office and have got used to a luxurious lifestyle.

    They had a price which Key has paid.

  10. gobsmacked 10

    If anybody thinks this is done and dusted, they might want to read this:

    http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1006/S00151.htm

    Hardly a ringing endorsement.

  11. Bill 11

    Helps alleviate a bit of the pressure for housing though, dunnit?

  12. coolas 12

    With customary title/rights able to be determined in the High Court the Maori Party have achieved a radical change from the old legislation. Well done.

    With Court rulings, and the passage of time, it will be interesting to see how the ownership issue evolves.

    A pan Iwi judgement from the High Court would be interesting.

    • With customary title/rights able to be determined in the High Court the Maori Party have achieved a radical change from the old legislation. Well done

      Oh no they havn’t.

      They already had this right, despite impressions to the contrary. Check out the following section of the FSA:

      33 High Court may find that a group held territorial customary rights
      The High Court may, on the application of a group, or on the application of a person authorised by the court to represent the group, make a finding that the group (or any members of that group) would, but for the vesting of the full legal and beneficial ownership of the public foreshore and seabed in the Crown by section 13(1), have held territorial customary rights to a particular area of the public foreshore and seabed at common law.

      The proposed determination by the Court looks like it will be the same as under the FSA. The FS will still be inalienable but existing “rights” can be recognised.

      The MP has been sold a pup.

      • coolas 12.1.1

        I stand corrected. Thanks. I was under the impression access to the Courts was denied at present. So what’s the fuss?

        • mickysavage 12.1.1.1

          A very common belief Coolas. The original provision does restrict things in that Maori do not get the right but a declaration that they should have had the right and the ability to then seek compensation but nothing that I have seen of the deal appears to change this.

          There is a change of language but the same result IMHO.

          The other thing the FSA never did was affect Treaty of Waitangi agreements or negotiations over claims. Ngati Porou for instance has had a claim to FS recognised in its settlement.

          Section 101 of the dreaded FSA said:

          101 Status of existing and future agreements between Crown and claimant groups
          (1) To avoid doubt, nothing in this Act—
          (a) limits or otherwise affects the validity of an agreement entered into between the Crown and a claimant group to settle an historical Treaty of Waitangi claim; or
          (b) fetters the ability of the Crown to enter into any agreement with a claimant group in the future to settle an historical Treaty of Waitangi claim.

        • Alexandra 12.1.1.2

          Coolas, the FSA denied the right to Maori to take a claim for customary ownership to the Maori Land Court as per Court of Appeal Ngati Apa decision, including claims lodged prior to inactment.

      • toad 12.1.2

        I don’t agree Micky. Why can’t you admit Labour got this completely wrong?

        Section 33 of the FSA provides for nothing more than an empty declaration as to customary rights, and no real property rights at all, despite the likelihood of legitimate claims to property rights in certain rohe.

        Not that I’m yet convinced the National Party/Maori Party deal will do much more – but I do await the detail to see if it does.

        • mickysavage 12.1.2.1

          I think that the current deal will do exactly the same toad.

          The argument keeps shifting though. People kept saying that the Labour Government stopped maori from going to Court. It didn’t as section 33 clearly states.

          Your suggestion that there was a right but it was inadequate is worthy of a debate that has not happened yet. There are a number of provisions where the Act tries to give steel to an established right. For instance a High Court Judge had to approve any agreement that the parties reached concerning redress for breach of that right.

          The point that I am trying to make is that the reality was much more complex than the slogans. And that things fundamentally not be changing.

          • mickysavage 12.1.2.1.1

            Oops I meant to say

            “And that things fundamentally may not be changing.”

            What happened to the “may”?

          • Alexandra 12.1.2.1.2

            Its not good enough to cite a section in isolation to the rest of the act. Schedule 1 of the F&S Act sets requires extremely high burden proof on the part of maori, which does not take into account the historical alienation of maori from land in front of, and around the Foreshore and Seabed. The Act makes it near on impossible for maori to succeed in court. I think as do many maori that they had a far greater chance of success following the Ngati Apa case which held that the maori land court had the jurisdication to hear claims for the foreshore and Seabed as well as historical grievances. The right to go to the maori land court was overturned by the F&S Act.
            A lot of people look to Ngati Porou’s achievement as a measure of the F&S Act delivering for Maori. Im less optimistic. The victory arose out of Micheal Cullen being the negotiator and a real willingness to make the Act be seen to be delivering for Maori, rather than the implementation of any legal principle. Its anyones guess how this government will respond given the recent Tuhoe experience. That is why in my view the jurisdiction of the court is so very important, long term.
            I do agree though that it looks like the proposal agreed to today is just hot air and little substance if the right to court is restricted to the high court and the hurdles to achieving customary title remain.

  13. Ron 13

    Gutless, lying pricks lying down with lying, fickle, manipulative pricks. I really hope tgis is the end of them. If it isn’t the screw ups that will happen as a result of Whanau Ora will be.
    captcha – differences

  14. Anne 14

    Did anyone really think that the Maori Party WOULDN’T sign up to whatever the Nact Govt. proposed? Just a little semantic word changing here and there John… enough to make it look like we’ve done a good deal. That’s all we’re asking for?

    Tariana Turia would sell her soul to remain in bed with John Key – politically speaking of course.

  15. michael 15

    Will the Maori Party be the new Tight Five? I hope so, because Maori voters dealt to the Tight Five.

  16. Steve 16

    “A chocolate fish to the first person who explains why this is different to the FSA apart from the changing of the name of the “public space’

    Who gave you the rights to gather/supply chocolate fish Mickey Savage?

  17. kaiserm 17

    well Steve, quite simply the crown doesn’t own the land, when something is within the public domain it takes on a weird air about it – effectively govt laws apply but at the same time, land law is very different – it effectively is a legal term change more than an actual change- we all can still use it as before but now Maori can build waka houses or fishing wharves as customary right within the court’s acceptance of customary title

  18. Alexandra 18

    Im baffled about some of the rhetoric here. Perhaps a decent analysis of the proposal would be very useful. My understanding is that the Maori party was established to fight for the repeal the FSA and the return of the right to go to court to establish customary title as per Ngati Apa case. Sure iwi took the opportunity to attempt to negotiate title but just because the most unlikely result didnt happen, doesnt mean that the MP or iwi have failed entirely on the issue. The Iwi leaders rejection of the proposal was nothing more than an attempt at givng the tree another shake, not a rebuttal of the MP’s intention to sign up to it.

    • Zaphod Beeblebrox 18.1

      We’ve already established they have the right to customary title under the FSA. So what is it exactly that they are getting?

      • Lew 18.1.1

        There are two levels (customary rights and customary title) on offer under this proposal (which is good, because it means those who can’t make a complete claim for title may still gain some rights) and the barriers to entry and mechanisms for gaining rights are much improved.

        But still, it ain’t much of a gain.

        L

  19. hellonearthis 19

    I don’t know why the Maori party are even talking to the government over this issue, it’s supposed to be negotiations with the Iwi as reported on radionz by Mark Solomon
    http://podcast.radionz.co.nz/mnr/mnr-20100609-0610-PM_says_take_it_or_leave_it_over_foreshore_and_seabed-048.mp3

  20. Anne 20

    @ Alexandra.
    Read mickeysavage @ 5:05pm, 6:13pm, 6:48pm, and 6:55pm. Taken together they make for a reasonable analysis. I believe mickysavage is a lawyer by profession, so he would know what he is talking about.

    • Alexandra 20.1

      Thanks Anne, but I think the analysis of the F & S Act is simplistic and therefore misleading. I havent had the opportunity to examine the proposal yet, so mickey may very well be right on that score. You might want to see my comment above.

  21. burt 21

    So what’s the outrage here; that National and the Maori Party have an agreement to go forward rather than being told they are the last cab off the rank.

    If as mickysavage asserts nothing has legally changed then clearly the only thing that has changed is the way it was negotiated and communicated. Now we have a negotiator sorting it out the trouble stops, that speaks volumes about the Labour party, bloody good job it’s imploding. Hopefully it will get some much needed fresh faces while we move on with an agreement and put this governance bungling behind us.

  22. ak 22

    So that’s that then. After years of wailing and gnashing of teeth the raison d’etre for the Maori Party is finally consummated with the repeal of the FSA. Resulting in……something pretty similar all round. Cue confusion and bewilderment as both redneck and browneaucrat scratch their heads and choreograph the next steps in their ugly, boring waltz.

    Creating a vacuum into which a newly-decisive opposition should now plunge. The issue aint ownership – it’s access, people. And it’s huge. Let the wranglers wrangle, new “decisive” Phil; congratulate the MP and Nats on arriving at F&S 2, give the Greens a ring if you like, – but promote a new “One Shore for All” Continuous Coastal Access Strip with gusto and confidence. Now. While the embers are still warm.

    Access for All. Everywhere. 24/7.

    Leave the details (ports, compensation etc) till later: invoke the Queen’s Chain and use words like Esplanade Strip, High-tide reserve, Common-held-heritage, World Heritage Walkway, Surfing Mecca, Wildlife preserve, Winding Wildlife Wilderness of Wonder, World-first Uninterrupted Highway of Nature, Continuous Coastal Paradise, Longest Beach in the World, The longest Strand, Beachcombers’ Heaven, Fishers’ Fantasia, Beach volleyball (female), Lucy Shoreless, Sir Headland Hillary, Whale-watchers’ wonderland, Whale oil be amazed, oil-free pelicans, pellet-free oilcans, amazing albatross aerial antics, canny crustaceans, crusty can……ok sorry about that, but you get the drift….Joanna Blogs doesn’t really give a rat’s about ownership – nor believe it will ever be resolved. It’s access, access, access. Ak sez.

    • RedLogix 22.1

      Oh ownership would be back on the table fast enough when:

      Deepsea oil is found.

      The west coast ironsands become a prized target again.

      Or we find a way to mine the minerals around volcanic sea-mounts.

      Or extract vast quantities of methane hydrates from the depths.

      Or more sheltered shorelines for aquaculture are sought.

      Or wave power developments come to maturity.

      Or we just wake up and realise that the best place for wind farms is ….

  23. Lew 23

    Actually, the māori party hasn’t caved — the Iwi Leadership Group has. The māori party’s role is to represent the interests of their people — and in the case of the Foreshore and Seabed, the ILG was convened as a paroxy for those interests holding potential claims to the F&S. I objected stringently to the possibility that the māori party would agree to the government’s proposal which had been rejected by the ILG — that would have been as clear a breach of their mandate as could be imagined. But in this case, the ILG have come out in support of the plan, changing their position an apparent 180° in a week based on … nothing that I can figure.

    So, in principle, the māori party is just doing what their stakeholders want them to do.

    But I can’t reconcile it. The proposed bill has some good aspects, but fundamentally as micky says it’s very much like the FSA. It is an improvement on the FSA, but not, to my mind, a considerable enough improvement to be acceptable. So this is not really a defence of the māori party. I think it’s a bad call on their part to agree to it, even if the ILG wants it; they’ve settled for too little.

    L

    (Essentially a brief rewrite of this post for those who are interested. But I thought after taking such a strong position on this topic over the years, I should put my thoughts on the record here.)

  24. Sanctuary 24

    “Actually, the māori party hasn’t caved ”

    How long did it take you to dream up that lame-o excuse Lew?

    • Lew 24.1

      About as long as it took me to read the Iwi Leadership Group’s press release, where they make it clear that they had granted the māori party a mandate to accept. I still think they shouldn’t have accepted, but there’s no argument to be made that they lacked a mandate to do so.

      L

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    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
    3 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
    3 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
    3 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 ...
    3 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
    3 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
    3 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
    3 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 ...
    4 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
    4 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
    4 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
    4 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
    4 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
    4 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
    4 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
    4 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 ...
    4 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 ...
    5 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 ...
    5 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 ...
    5 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
    5 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
    5 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
    5 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
    5 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
    5 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
    5 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 ...
    5 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
    5 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
    5 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 ...
    6 days ago
  • Chris Bishop: Smokin’
    Yes. Correct. It was an election result. And now we are the elected government. ...
    My ThinksBy boonman
    6 days 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 ...
    6 days 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
    7 days 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
    7 days 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 ...
    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
  • While we wait patiently, our new Minister of Education is up and going with a 100-day action plan
    Sorry to say, the government’s official website is still out of action. When Point of Order paid its daily visit, the message was the same as it has been for the past week: Site under maintenance Beehive.govt.nz is currently under maintenance. We will be back shortly. Thank you for your ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 week ago
  • DAVID FARRAR: Hysterical bullshit
    Radio NZ reports: Te Pāti Māori’s co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer has accused the new government of “deliberate .. systemic genocide” over its policies to roll back the smokefree policy and the Māori Health Authority. The left love hysterical language. If you oppose racial quotas in laws, you are a racist. And now if you sack ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    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
    1 day 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
    1 day 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
    2 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
    2 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
    2 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
    2 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
    3 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
    3 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
    4 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
    5 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
    5 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
    5 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
    6 days 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
    1 week 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
    1 week 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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