Matt King goes full nut job

Written By: - Date published: 10:00 am, December 29th, 2018 - 77 comments
Categories: censorship, child welfare, making shit up, national, poverty, Propaganda, quality of life, the praiseworthy and the pitiful, twitter, you couldn't make this shit up - Tags:

Tis Christmas time.  When MPs and political commentators go on holiday, recharge their batteries and make plans for the next year.

Unless your name is Matt King in which case you scour the papers for evidence of extreme left wing propaganda and then allege that the voices of the right are being suppressed.

Yes, this is exactly what he did recently.

The offending article, written by Lana Hart in Stuff is well written and I found myself agreeing with her every paragraph.  I guess this would be Exhibit A for King and his claim of left wing bias.

The theme of the article is the level and extent of neglect that the change of Government has unearthed.

Like in Health:

Middlemore Hospital was the poster child for chronic under-resourcing, but it was far from the only hospital in the country with asbestos and mould, earthquake-prone and leaky buildings, and entire departments that had stumbled along for years with facilities not acceptable in First World countries.

And the alarming increase in child poverty:

From social welfare benefits that hadn’t kept pace with cost of living and the wearing down of services that directly affected children, such as mental health and education funding, to a housing crisis created mostly by a belief that the free market could provide for everyone, kids in our country suffered disproportionately by government responsibilities left undone. The government’s role of protecting the most vulnerable members of our country from the crush of poverty had been largely ignored.

And even the most mundane aspects of the Government’s responsibility to regulate in the public good:

The NZ Transport  Agency had for several years reneged on its regulatory function to monitor companies that certify vehicles for road safety.

Due to what the transport minister described as “process failures and under-resourcing over the last decade”, cars and trucks with meaningless warrants of fitness are now on the road, with one estimate of the number of potentially unsafe vehicles at 150,000. Unlikely that will help improve our road toll this year.

Or how about the last Government overseeing the use of private investigators to spy on us like goddam totalitarian thugs?

It’s not OK, we’ve learned, for insurance companies to use private investigators engaged by government departments to record our conversations about personal interests such as property or environmental views. We don’t like it when we are forced to unleash a flood of personal information to someone working in a government agency or to comply with government regulations that may have seemed important to the policy wonk who wrote them in 1984, but now seem onerous and irrelevant.

I thought her conclusion was very apt:

Surely this – enabling people to live good lives –  is the role of all governments, whether local or national. They should exert some influence over us with legitimate rules without getting in the way of our individual rights to autonomy and free choice. Since some of us need more help than others, governments also need to step in to even out the inequalities that life throws at us.

After a few years looking after what Kiwis have collectively built, it will probably be time for the current Government to move out. Hopefully they will leave the public house in a better condition than when they first arrived.

Drawing on real life examples she formed a conclusion about the overall direction the last Government took us in.  And concluded, rightfully in my opinion, that it was the wrong direction.

The comments were interesting.  It seems to me that National must have a whole army of old men shaking their fists at clouds ready to fill comments sessions with their bile.  Like this one from Sherbert2:

Lana must have had her head in the sand if she thought all the problems she mentioned came to light after the election.They were invented by Labour pre-election.Remember the 80,000 kiddies living in poverty ? where are they now ? The homeless that were on our screens day in and day have been forgotten because it was all staged by the most honest, transparent, and caring govt ever .Give me a break.

Mr F Dagg had a rant:

it’s amazing the blinded bitterness the socialists still cling to… if you take a deep breath & look at the numbers you’ll find that clark/cullen under-funded core services cv to the relative generosity of national… the latter had a few fiscal issues to deal with on the few resources they were left, yet managed to relatively over-fund core services whilst carving an economy the envy of the oecd world…

what you clearly overlook is that all public services are money sinks, no matter how much money you throw at them they’ll always want more… the greed from striking public servants this year is clear proof of that…<

#socialismisaracetothebottom

And Flintstone:

well the writer of this opinion piece does highlight the fact that more needs to be spent on mental health!

And Beachboy:

What a load of dribble, firstly Middlemore had no leaks or mould, secondly the Minister does not do Warrant of Fitness inspections or run the companies which do them, thirdly the previous govt had put aside $20 plus billion to do its 17 roads of National Significance. All this govt has done is cancelled those so the roads are again delayed so they can re allocate the money to their pet projects. They have been great at reannouncing like all the homes being built by the previous govt as their own.
This government needs to take ownership of its stuff ups and there have been many of those with its KiwiJoke, lack of transparency, secretly signing the UN MOU on Migration, stopping oil and gas exploration, just to name a few.
Most people do not want government to interfere with their lives and we don’t want waffle and continual b*&(sh&^ with outright lies and mis truths. The general population can see through the waffle that nothing is being done except lots of non productive meetings

And Fisherman:

Its interesting that even 15 months into its term, this government and its deciples continue you place blame for everything that is supposedly still wrong in NZ at the feet of the Key/English administration. At some point the blame game is going to have to cease and this rabble will have to actually become accountable. The PM in particular will at some stage have to front and provide some proper leadership.

And Annon:

It was completely unnecessary to start something about government control in our lives with an attack on the previous government and their supposed lack of funding. They only had so much to spend after auntie helen squandered it and they had to deal with several natural disasters during their time in power and still managed to leave money in the bank to be squandered by this government.

BTW labour are notorious for wanting to control people’s lives. They walk the extremely fine line between socialism and communism and history has shown that NEITHER of these work – even China has headed towards capitalism given the growth in their economy.

There were a number of anti Government comments, verging from slightly to considerably nutty.

It looks like a couple of comments got through but were deleted by the moderator.  One response to a deleted comment was this:

You are a sad person wishing poor people who aren’t as fortunate as you are not to breed. The fact that your comments have got past the Moderator surprises me.  You see my parents were poor, my siblings and I changed that through hard work. My family are successful Business people now.   If your comments were enacted by a previous Government my family wouldn’t be here. Good luck to you I hope no misfortune happens to you or your family which reduces you or them to being poor.

The deleted comment must have been pretty extreme in a eugenics sort of way.

But Matt King was having nothing of this:

Responses were interesting:

https://twitter.com/richardneateNZ/status/1078406015014424576

https://twitter.com/fxbtnz/status/1078728914439208960

https://twitter.com/jeremy_pm/status/1078436756800716800

And it looks like SnarkyMcSnark had a screen shot of the deleted comment:

I think that Matt should set out publicly what comments he had made which Stuff did not publish. They should be allowed the light of day to shine strongly on them so we can either revel in their magnificence or laugh at their stupidity.

But for a National MP to claim there is some sort of conspiracy to suppress right wing views in the media is bizarre.  Right wing voices are incredibly loud and vociferous.  To suggest otherwise is the sort of Trumpesque nuttiness that America sees far too much of.

77 comments on “Matt King goes full nut job ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Kat 1
    29 December 2018 at 10:13 am

    Matt King will most likely be back pushing lawnmowers and chainsaws after the next election. He may consider the security business or even a stint at medicinal cannabis farming.

    • veutoviper 1.1
      29 December 2018 at 12:10 pm

      Don’t mention lawnmowers !!!!!!!!!!!!

      Otherwise you will be condemned to comment at least 50 times a day on Kiwiblog for eternity.

      • veutoviper 1.1.1
        29 December 2018 at 12:58 pm

        PS – not a criticism; just a bad attempt at humour. Sorry, Kat.

        Sometimes ignorance is bliss and I recommend it for anyone who doesn’t understand the references to lawnmowers at Kiwiblog.

    • Wayne 1.2
      29 December 2018 at 4:17 pm

      Pretty sure that Matt will comfortably win Northland at the next election.

      As for the article/opinion piece, well, it might just have well been written at Labour HQ. But the be fair to Stuff, they have regularly published opinion pieces from the right as well, just not that many of them.

      I personally find Stuff has a more left wing tilt than the Herald, which has a better balance of right and left commentators. Seems to be about 50% balance in the Herald and 75% left in Stuff. Which reflects that Wellington’s population and thus readership is generally more left than Auckland.

      Papers/news media websites tend to reflect their communities/readerships. Which is hardly surprising.

      • Muttonbird 1.2.1
        29 December 2018 at 4:22 pm

        No, Stuff is 50-50, and The Herald is 75% right wing.

      • Sacha 1.2.2
        29 December 2018 at 4:34 pm

        Really? Please do tell us which Herald commentators you see as left-wing.

        • Chris 1.2.2.1
          29 December 2018 at 7:43 pm

          The reason Spray and Walk Away Wayne will not answer your question is because while of course he will say that he thinks the Herald is 50/50, what he believes is that every commentator at the Herald is left-wing.

          There you go Wayne, saved you the trouble.

      • Anne 1.2.3
        29 December 2018 at 4:44 pm

        I think you’ll find Stuff is just out for click-bait and the right give them more ammunition than the left. 😉

      • KJT 1.2.4
        29 December 2018 at 4:46 pm

        Probably.

        As Northland farmers will vote for a gumboot, so long as it is coloured blue.

        One of the 100k, MP’s?

        • the other pat 1.2.4.1
          31 December 2018 at 8:34 am

          ah the humble blue band gumboot.!!!….leaks like a sieve and costs a thousand bux a pair…but the peasants who make em get paid 2.50 a day

      • David Mac 1.2.5
        29 December 2018 at 4:56 pm

        I think Northland is in a state of flux and I’d say all bets are off re: Who wins the seat next time round.

        I feel my thoughts are confirmed by Winston scooping the pool time before last.

        I’ve been up here for over a decade now and the change I speak of seems to have many faces. eg:

        Freehold home owners cashing up in Auckland, buying a beaut house on the coast and sticking 500k in the bank – Right voters.

        The reverse urban drift, people returning to a less pressured lifestyle in locations that their families have lived in for 700 years. – Left voters.

        I think the Northland seat is open to the candidate that offers the most palatable offering of bipartisan hope, regardless of what party they are attached to.

        • Kat 1.2.5.1
          29 December 2018 at 6:36 pm

          Matt King is desperately trying to make himself relevant, he has two more years but based on current performance he won’t. The odds are against him winning the Northland seat again. Total share of votes in 2017 was: Matt King 15,243, Winston Peters 13,854, Willow Jean Prime 8,599 (others are not worth mentioning). Matt Kings majority of 1,389 is very assailable and especially if Winston stands again and that unknown may be the main “state of flux” that could influence the outcome.

          • David Mac 1.2.5.1.1
            29 December 2018 at 7:11 pm

            Hi Kat, I’m hoping the next MP for Northland is someone that has never stood. Almost everytime I catch a comment from ex New Zealander of the Year Dr Lance O’Sullivan I think ‘Yep, that makes sense to me.’

            I encounter his grassroots good work at every turn. Sorting out a kid’s clicky hips or signing the paperwork to get a family home properly insulated. I don’t care what party he aligns with, he has my vote.

            I think a wise party would be hard-out wooing him.

            • Kat 1.2.5.1.1.1
              29 December 2018 at 7:39 pm

              David, Northland will be a political hot potato come next election. Matt King is the sitting MP and unless hit by a bus or a runaway lawnmower will be standing for National. Willow Jean Prime is the Labour candidate and a current MP and difficult to see her not standing. For a credible shot on a party ticket that leaves Dr Lance O’Sullivan joining NZF as well as standing in Northland. He may join a party and stand somewhere else but highly unlikely to be Northland.

              • David Mac …
                29 December 2018 at 8:08 pm

                Yes Kat, I agree with your take on the Northland political landscape.

                At the risk of pooping in my own nest, I’ve been a bit disappointed with how invisible Willow Jean appears to be.

                It seems to be an ailment that follows list MPs about. I think she should be lighting fires, rattling cages and getting her name in the paper and through my eyes, it just hasn’t happened.

                I saw Dr Lance romancing with the Maori Party but I think he has the potential to appeal to a wider audience. Willow Jean is there because the Labour party appointed her. I think Lance has the potential to pull up a chair in the Beehive because the people of Northland want him there.

                • One Two …
                  29 December 2018 at 10:18 pm

                  You’re correct about MP’s in general , David…not just list MP’s…

                  Although list MP’s must follow the gatekeepers agenda more than electorate…or it’s list demotion time…

                  Lance O’Sullivan is unstable and unsuitable to be taken seriously…on any subject matter…

                  • KJT …
                    8 January 2019 at 8:23 pm

                    I am now convinced he is a good bloke. If One two doesn’t like him.

                    Actually he talks sense. Which means he will probably never be a politician.

              • Chris …
                1 January 2019 at 1:13 am

                Highly unlikely to be Labour, too.

          • Wayne 1.2.5.1.2
            30 December 2018 at 8:10 am

            Kat,

            For you to be correct would require a deal between NZF and Labour. Now that could be possible. If Labour’s voters were prepared to follow direction, a win is possible for NZF. That assumes the Winston (or other serious NZF candidate) held on to at least 80% of the 2017 Winston vote. That will be a big ask in itself.

            My money would still be on Matt holding the seat, since not all of the Labour vote would actually switch.

            As for the Herald balance of commentators, Wilson, Marvelly and Rudman would all be left, Roughan, Hooton and O’Sullivan are right. Trevett, Dann and Young are basically centre.

            • Wayne 1.2.5.1.2.1
              30 December 2018 at 8:15 am

              I should also mention Fallow. Hard to pick. Maybe centre right, but could be centre left.

            • Sacha 1.2.5.1.2.2
              30 December 2018 at 8:37 am

              Young and Roughan are tribally Nat rather than Act, but I’d hardly call that ‘centre’. I’ve most often seen Trevett slavishly echo Nat talking points and angles too.

              You seem to have omitted Hosking, Hawkesby, Soper and Duplessis-Allen – or do they also count as ‘centre’ in your eyes?

              • Andre …
                30 December 2018 at 8:44 am

                It’s all consistent if ‘centre’ is ‘where National is’.

              • Wayne …
                30 December 2018 at 9:01 am

                Hosking is typically on the back page. Half the time I don’t get there. But yes, he is right. Soper, I would say is centre, though I think Dupleiss-Allen is centre right. As for Hawkesby, centre. While they are both couples, they are not political mirrors of each other.

                While Audrey is from a National family, she works hard to be a centre voice. Yes. some of her articles might seem right, but then plenty are also left. It depends on how well the govt or the opposition are actually doing.

                Clair Trevett puts a lot of humour in her articles, seems happy to prick anyone’s ballon.

                • Sacha …
                  30 December 2018 at 9:04 am

                  Interesting. Thank you for responding.

                  • Wayne …
                    30 December 2018 at 10:30 am

                    I should also mention Little. He is left, but is primarily a social rather than political commentator. Also an entertaining writer.

                • Anne …
                  30 December 2018 at 10:37 am

                  I have come to enjoy Claire Trevett. Even when I don’t agree with what she is saying, I love the way she says it. She has a remarkable way with words.

            • Kat 1.2.5.1.2.3
              30 December 2018 at 2:43 pm

              There won’t be a “deal” between Labour and NZF. Only National/Act supporters need directions on how to vote, as in Epsom. Voters have two ticks remember, party and candidate and come the next election if Winston or Shane Jones stands it will be a no brainer for Labour/NZF voters what to do. This is the nightmare reality for National in Northland and a number of other electorates.

              The other problem for National is that on one hand they accuse Shane Jones of buying the electorate being the champion of the provinces and on the other accuse the govt of doing nothing in Northland. National can’t have it both ways and if they have any hope at all they need to change tact and start producing serious alternative policy that is relevant to the 21st century.

              Have a great New Year, Wayne.

      • Pete 1.2.6
        29 December 2018 at 10:52 pm

        King comfortably winning next time is more a comment on the idiots who vote for him.

        National treated Northland like crap for years and got a scare when Peters won it. Then they crapped themselves when their buddies didn’t get into Government. That has seen clowns like King running around all aggrieved and saying how badly Northland is doing with roading.

      • Unicus 1.2.7
        30 December 2018 at 9:31 am

        Can anyone from the National gaggle haunting this site explain why a corporate focused Murdoch -esq media – even in its most indulgent moments support the a Labour Party or its allies – or even democracy itself for that matter.

      • PaulC 1.2.8
        31 December 2018 at 2:18 pm

        I’ve cancelled BOTH my Taranaki Daily News & NZ Herald. Neither are papers as they used to be. Neither publish balanced reports, only biased ones.

  2. NZJester 2
    29 December 2018 at 10:27 am

    Matt King If he was telling the truth would not have “Matt King For Northland” on his sign, it would read “Matt King For Himself (and anyone who gives him a decent legal bribe)”

  3. R.P Mcmurphy 3
    29 December 2018 at 10:33 am

    Watch him on channel 31 and he is a bi-polar right wing bombiddybom tory nutter.

  4. marty mars 4
    29 December 2018 at 10:45 am

    Matt King ate a pie once – hold the front page, more details soon, now back to the studio for expert commentary…

  5. Gabby 5
    29 December 2018 at 11:00 am

    Matt Headroom.

    • Jacquelyne 5.1
      29 December 2018 at 1:21 pm

      Please Gabby hon
      Max Headroom was funny.Still is.
      Also the invention of clever dry minds.
      Matt King more like a concoction of missing wonky links,a little bit like his current leader..

    • WeTheBleeple 5.2
      30 December 2018 at 6:29 am

      In Australia back in the day they had introduced video relayed court proceedings. I was locked up for drunk and disorderly (which is how we roll in Aussie) and not presenting a passport (was in a safe in Bundaberg, long story) and put in a video courtroom with a Brisbane judge on a monitor – who looked just like Max Headroom. To make matters worse there was a video delay giving him the jerky appearance of the TV character.

      I was biting my cheeks really hard to stop from laughing. It was uncannily like the show, and everything seemed detached from reality that hungover day…

  6. Pat 6
    29 December 2018 at 11:15 am

    All symptoms of the fear that comes with the elites loss of control thats occurring worldwide…..something about chickens and roosts.

  7. mosa 7
    29 December 2018 at 11:19 am

    Collins – King ticket for 2020.

  8. greywarshark 8
    29 December 2018 at 11:37 am

    Matt King and probably the whole of the National Party and their apparatchiks
    should donate their brains to science so that the effects of modern civilisation can be studied from those who have been most diseased by the neo-liberal, free market plague.

    • fender 8.1
      29 December 2018 at 11:53 am

      That suggestion just makes me visualise a laboratory full of empty jars and scientists sitting around twiddling their thumbs.

      • greywarshark 8.1.1
        29 December 2018 at 5:03 pm

        Oh there is mass there, but it’s a mess. And as full mask and safety gear will need to be worn to prevent the virulent strain from spreading, there is likely to be a high turnover in lab staff.

  9. veutoviper 9
    29 December 2018 at 12:06 pm

    Thanks for bringing this to notice, MS.

    A thought provoking article well worth reading, which I would probably have missed.

    (Please note that the Press journalist’s name is Lana Hart – not Hutt as in your post. No criticism – summer holiday brains are allowed.)

    I find Matt King’s Twitter response to her article really interesting as a day or so ago (27/28 Dec) there were reports on both RNZ News and in The Herald that Dr Shane Reti – King’s Whangarei Nat MP mate – had also not ‘closed down for summer’ and was criticising the Government on the Northland meningococcal vaccine roll-out being too slow.

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/northern-advocate/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503450&objectid=12181790

    https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/379131/officials-slow-on-meningococcal-w-outbreak-mp

    At the time, cynical me thought OK is this a one off? Or are the Nats going to spend the Summer recess chasing cars and barking about every little which thing they can find to attack?

    One MP does not a strategy make; two a coincidence? Time will tell. A bit like the sudden appearance of the motorway signs…

    No rest for the wicked?

    Isaiah 57:20 “But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt.”

    LOL

    [Ta. Now fixed – MS]

  10. JustMe 10
    29 December 2018 at 12:33 pm

    National and their various MPs and supporters eg the Mouthpiece of the NZ National Party(aka the NZ Herald)will always blame everyone else but the faces staring back at them in the mirror.

    Perhaps such denial by National MPs that they caused alot of problems due to their arrogance, pig-headedness, greed, ego, etc.etc.etc should have such an illness identified as being the “Denial Syndrome”.

    It’s clearly a mental illness that is rampant amongst politicians that have been in a job far too long and taking it, the job of being an MP on a fantastic pay packet and perks of the job, a little bit too much for granted.

    Anthony Robbins once referred to a relationship in crisis as being something where the “Law of Familiarity’ comes into effect. That is being with someone(or in the instance of Matt King and co)in a job like politics for far too long is they start taking things for granted.

    Politicians do start behaving as if the world OWES THEM a living and not vice-versa.

    If King, like Key, doesn’t like hearing National and the previous government being criticised then it’s time King dropped off the scene and gave the job to perhaps a more credit-worthy and meritable person.

    But we all know he like his ilk in politics(the National Party)will not do the honourable thing and resign. Not whilst there is the NZ taxpayer to rip off at every opportunity.

  11. Lorrayne Josephs 11
    29 December 2018 at 1:12 pm

    farming …..failed………Cop…….failed…..MP…….Completely failed.Give it up Rodders.

  12. JustMe 12
    29 December 2018 at 1:30 pm

    I am strongly feeling like I need to do a “Lets Bash National and their MPs urge coming on”.

    And lets go:
    Where was Matt King when John Key was sexually harassing a waitress on more than ONE occasion by pulling her ponytail despite the fact she told him not to????!! Oh right he, King, was probably thinking all righteousness shines out of Key’s rectum. Either that or he just deemed the waitress as a lowly worker and not one meriting any rights as a worker.

    Where was Matt King(if he was even an MP at the time)when John Key in one of his ‘pre-election promises'(tui billboard time)promised no increase in GST? Oh right King was probably still admiring the aforementioned rectum.

    Where was King when Bill English was Double Dipping and treating those who caught him out with such disdain because English considered it(ripping off NZ taxpayers)as being his democratic right? As per usual not a peep out of King.

    Where was King when Key promised just to impress Prince William to ‘bring out our boys’ after the Pike River disaster? Naturally not a peep out of King.

    Where was King when over $64million was spent on Beemers with bum warming seats that ONLY a few eg King and co; could enjoy? Not a peep.

    Where was King when Key on one of his Ego-quests wasted $26million on a flag referendum no-one but John Key and the National Party wanted? Not a King peep.

    Where was King for the promised bridges that the current national party leader Simon Bridges promised for Northland whilst he was transport minister? Probably doing what National are infamous at i.e behaving like the three monkeys ‘see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil(which there is a National government).

    National and its various MPs will always try to paint themselves as being as pure as the driven snow. They will try to give us voters the illusion they have never, ever made a mistake in their entire lifetime especially in politics. It just shows how shallow minded and selfish they truly are.

    Where was King for when Aaron Gilmore yelled at a waiter: Do you know who I am? or Brownlee saying to yet another worker(another law abiding NZ citizen ‘I am running late for a plane’?

    And so it comes across that King wants to be noticed and have attention heaped upon him He obviously misses the publicity that he deems as his right and privilege whilst giving scant attention to those homeless people and everyone else living in poverty which has become more pronounced over the past 9 years there was a National government that were living on a Meth Myth and evicting families from HNZ homes with the intent of on-selling to wealthy overseas investors who donated heavily to the NZ National Party.

    And so whilst National were so busy demeaning and denigrating NZ workers at every opportunity they conveniently forgot through selective amnesia as to whom was paying their pay packet and perks of the job. And so whilst Key was referring to NZ protesters as “rent a protestor’ he was in fact showing to us all how much he hated NZ, NZers and the NZ workers.

    And that says alot about National and their MPs when all things considered.

    • Unicus 12.1
      30 December 2018 at 10:59 am

      ” Where was King when Key ect”

      Oh and where indeed was Matt when his predecessor slunk off – his disgraceful peccadillos hidden behind a National Party created media smokescreen

  13. Muttonbird 13
    29 December 2018 at 1:49 pm

    I reckon this, and Chris Bishop’s bill to get drunk at the races, and the three billboards outside any holiday traffic jam is a calculated Nat strategy to try to keep relevant in the summer break.

    Most people will have had enough of polititians by now but National MPs having the ego they do think we need a little more when trying to spend time with our families.

  14. Muttonbird 14
    29 December 2018 at 2:11 pm

    Right wing voices are incredibly loud and vociferous.

    They are but they are uttered by deaf old white men who have trouble recalling their latest rant.

  15. Sacha 15
    29 December 2018 at 2:39 pm

    The striking thing about that column is how unusual its perspective is in our press.

  16. Ad 16
    29 December 2018 at 3:31 pm

    lana hart is so accurate she males me feel like a commie.

    king will need to work a lot harder on his Trump-style to shift any votes. its a stale as pitching roads to farmers.

  17. Sanctuary 17
    29 December 2018 at 3:58 pm

    Matt King is one of those people that you just know has never had an original thought in his life. He displays the pathology of the provincial squatocracy, perched on the edge of the Empire. Acutely aware of his status and living what he thinks is an exemplar life of the capitalist, but which is actually just a stale and sterile parody of how the ruling elite live in Virginia or Florida.

    Stuck in the cultural cringe of the white settler mindset he is simply intellectually incapable of developing an indigenous variation of anything, so of course he seeks solace and information from the true home of the colonial – the Anglo-Saxon Empire and it’s current cultural nexus of the USA. And as befits any hayseed colonial aping his supposed superiors, he adopts a crude pastiche of the most extreme views found on Fox News, in order to prove his loyalty by being a better citizen of the Empire.

    The worrying thing is that you only have to listen to Bridges spouting conspiracy theories about UN agendas on immigration to realise that the Breitbart paranoia and conspiracy theories of the US hard right are colonising National’s base. What a shitty party. Half of it wants to sell us out to Trumpism, and the other half wants to sell us out to the Chinese Communist party. I guess what unites them is a greed for foreign cash, presumably so they can leave this horrible colonial outpost and shoot through to a country estate somewhere more civilised.

  18. mpledger 18
    29 December 2018 at 4:37 pm

    I think there is something screwy about stuff’s comment section. I have posted comments that have never turned up but I have seen them when I go and look for them in another browser. Also the count of comments can be different on different browsers, it’s not just out by one or two but substantially out.

    • the other pat 18.1
      31 December 2018 at 9:06 am

      what i found was that when you reply to several right leaning comments on one issue it is trolling apparently and will get you banned….had an interesting convo with their editor who wasnt interested at all….they are definitely right leaning….just not as overt as the NZ Herald

  19. Darien Fenton 19
    29 December 2018 at 4:44 pm

    Not that its a biggie, but Matt King has blocked me on Twitter. I can only recall responding to a tweet of his once – and then it was a stretch to remember who he is. Doesn’t take long for new MPs to think they know best and only want to hear good things about their very important selves. Having said that, I give grudging kudos for Simeon Brown who plugs along, albeit stupidly, but at least leaves comments open.

  20. Rapunzel 20
    29 December 2018 at 5:21 pm

    The Natz holiday hysteria reeks of true desperation and for what? What are they offering? A leader few people rate at all and if even only ½ of the issues in the news item applied in revealing the way they let NZ down over nine years and they have not changed what do they expect NZ to accept any sort of sound and forward thinkg govt? It pretty shallow and digusting really.

  21. Morrissey 21
    29 December 2018 at 5:36 pm

    Aaron Gilmore all over again.

    • North 21.1
      30 December 2018 at 3:22 pm

      Morrissey…..if you mean to identify Matt King with your Aaron Gilmore reference you probably go too far. Matt King is ‘nice’, Demonstrably so. ‘Nice’ to the point of gushing over the rock hard scones and over-sweet feijoa jam still found in Northland’s rural hinterland.

      Nothing to add. Errh…..In respect of the scones…..baking powder maybe.

  22. mike 22
    29 December 2018 at 6:25 pm

    what a dick we had to put up with 9 years of the hosk whale blubber dirty politics john keys lies now that there lies doesn’t work they complain just another gnat twat

  23. Lynette Stevens 23
    30 December 2018 at 6:18 am

    I bet poor young Sarah Higgins got to the bottom of the meth testing rort…any politician who tries to do something good, get’s ‘dirty politicked’…some stand up to the EUOF like Jami-Lee Ross…others like Sarah fail dismally and it was fatal…Meka Whaitiri MP got accused of bullying…is it because she got too close to what goes on with John Key’s immigration scam? Or drugs coming into the country through Customs? And Clare Curran accused by Carol Hirschfield…was it because of Clare finding out about the likes of Rob Pope (he who framed Scott Watson and whitewashed the Crewe review) being head of CERT? Yet those like old Judas Collins can ignore a sworn affidavit about a gun not handed to police in one of NZ’s largest cold cases, the Crewe murders, gets away with it….all starting to add up?

  24. DJ Ward 24
    30 December 2018 at 11:45 am

    So all of the article points out thing the Nats did and portrays them in a bad light. Then his attempts to comment are blocked.

    So he is correct in saying this was a left wing article, and in blocking comments Stuff supports the left wing narrative. Just one article is not proof of a trend.

    My own veiw.
    I’ve looked at 100s of Stuffs articles, analysing and commenting on another site, and they are experts at propaganda in regard to feminism, and yes they are left wing biased.

  25. greywarshark 25
    30 December 2018 at 3:38 pm

    It’s the old story again, cherchez la femme!

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    6 days ago

  • A night out
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    6 days ago

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    6 days ago

  • Letter To Luxon.
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    6 days ago

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    6 days ago

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  • MIKE GRIMSHAW:  It’s the economy – and the spirit – Stupid…
    Mike Grimshaw writes – Over the past 30-odd years it’s become almost an orthodoxy to blame or invoke neoliberalism for the failures of New Zealand society. On the left the usual response goes something like, neoliberalism is the cause of everything that’s gone wrong and the answer ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 week ago

  • Safeguarding Tuvalu language and identity
    Tuvalu is in the spotlight this week as communities across New Zealand celebrate Vaiaso o te Gagana Tuvalu – Tuvalu Language Week. “The Government has a proven record of supporting Pacific communities and ensuring more of our languages are spoken, heard and celebrated,” Pacific Peoples Minister Barbara Edmonds said. “Many ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 hours ago

  • New community-level energy projects to support more than 800 Māori households
    Seven more innovative community-scale energy projects will receive government funding through the Māori and Public Housing Renewable Energy Fund to bring more affordable, locally generated clean energy to more than 800 Māori households, Energy and Resources Minister Dr Megan Woods says. “We’ve already funded 42 small-scale clean energy projects that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Huge boost to Te Tai Tokerau flood resilience
    The Government has approved new funding that will boost resilience and greatly reduce the risk of major flood damage across Te Tai Tokerau. Significant weather events this year caused severe flooding and damage across the region. The $8.9m will be used to provide some of the smaller communities and maraes ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Napier’s largest public housing development comes with solar
    The largest public housing development in Napier for many years has been recently completed and has the added benefit of innovative solar technology, thanks to Government programmes, says Housing Minister Dr Megan Woods. The 24 warm, dry homes are in Seddon Crescent, Marewa and Megan Woods says the whanau living ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Te Whānau a Apanui and the Crown initial Deed of Settlement I Kua waitohua e Te Whānau a Apanui me...
    Māori: Kua waitohua e Te Whānau a Apanui me te Karauna te Whakaaetanga Whakataunga Kua waitohua e Te Whānau a Apanui me te Karauna i tētahi Whakaaetanga Whakataunga hei whakamihi i ō rātou tāhuhu kerēme Tiriti o Waitangi. E tekau mā rua ngā hapū o roto mai o Te Whānau ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Plan for 3,000 more public homes by 2025 – regions set to benefit
    Regions around the country will get significant boosts of public housing in the next two years, as outlined in the latest public housing plan update, released by the Housing Minister, Dr Megan Woods. “We’re delivering the most public homes each year since the Nash government of the 1950s with one ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Immigration settings updates
    Judicial warrant process for out-of-hours compliance visits 2023/24 Recognised Seasonal Employer cap increased by 500 Additional roles for Construction and Infrastructure Sector Agreement More roles added to Green List Three-month extension for onshore Recovery Visa holders The Government has confirmed a number of updates to immigration settings as part of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Poroporoaki: Tā Patrick (Patu) Wahanga Hohepa
    Tangi ngunguru ana ngā tai ki te wahapū o Hokianga Whakapau Karakia. Tārehu ana ngā pae maunga ki Te Puna o te Ao Marama. Korihi tangi ana ngā manu, kua hinga he kauri nui ki te Wao Nui o Tāne. He Toa. He Pou. He Ahorangi. E papaki tū ana ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Renewable energy fund to support community resilience
    40 solar energy systems on community buildings in regions affected by Cyclone Gabrielle and other severe weather events Virtual capability-building hub to support community organisations get projects off the ground Boost for community-level renewable energy projects across the country At least 40 community buildings used to support the emergency response ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • COVID-19 funding returned to Government
    The lifting of COVID-19 isolation and mask mandates in August has resulted in a return of almost $50m in savings and recovered contingencies, Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall announced today. Following the revocation of mandates and isolation, specialised COVID-19 telehealth and alternative isolation accommodation are among the operational elements ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Appointment of District Court Judge
    Susie Houghton of Auckland has been appointed as a new District Court Judge, to serve on the Family Court, Attorney-General David Parker said today.  Judge Houghton has acted as a lawyer for child for more than 20 years. She has acted on matters relating to the Hague Convention, an international ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Government invests further in Central Hawke’s Bay resilience
    The Government has today confirmed $2.5 million to fund a replace and upgrade a stopbank to protect the Waipawa Drinking Water Treatment Plant. “As a result of Cyclone Gabrielle, the original stopbank protecting the Waipawa Drinking Water Treatment Plant was destroyed. The plant was operational within 6 weeks of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Govt boost for Hawke’s Bay cyclone waste clean-up
    Another $2.1 million to boost capacity to deal with waste left in Cyclone Gabrielle’s wake. Funds for Hastings District Council, Phoenix Contracting and Hog Fuel NZ to increase local waste-processing infrastructure. The Government is beefing up Hawke’s Bay’s Cyclone Gabrielle clean-up capacity with more support dealing with the massive amount ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Taupō Supercars revs up with Government support
    The future of Supercars events in New Zealand has been secured with new Government support. The Government is getting engines started through the Major Events Fund, a special fund to support high profile events in New Zealand that provide long-term economic, social and cultural benefits. “The Repco Supercars Championship is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • There is no recession in NZ, economy grows nearly 1 percent in June quarter
    The economy has turned a corner with confirmation today New Zealand never was in recession and stronger than expected growth in the June quarter, Finance Minister Grant Robertson said. “The New Zealand economy is doing better than expected,” Grant Robertson said. “It’s continuing to grow, with the latest figures showing ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Highest legal protection for New Zealand’s largest freshwater springs
    The Government has accepted the Environment Court’s recommendation to give special legal protection to New Zealand’s largest freshwater springs, Te Waikoropupū Springs (also known as Pupū Springs), Environment Minister David Parker announced today.   “Te Waikoropupū Springs, near Takaka in Golden Bay, have the second clearest water in New Zealand after ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • More support for victims of migrant exploitation
    Temporary package of funding for accommodation and essential living support for victims of migrant exploitation Exploited migrant workers able to apply for a further Migrant Exploitation Protection Visa (MEPV), giving people more time to find a job Free job search assistance to get people back into work Use of 90-day ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Strong export boost as NZ economy turns corner
    An export boost is supporting New Zealand’s economy to grow, adding to signs that the economy has turned a corner and is on a stronger footing as we rebuild from Cyclone Gabrielle and lock in the benefits of multiple new trade deals, Finance Minister Grant Robertson says. “The economy is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Funding approved for flood resilience work in Te Karaka
    The Government has approved $15 million to raise about 200 homes at risk of future flooding. More than half of this is expected to be spent in the Tairāwhiti settlement of Te Karaka, lifting about 100 homes there. “Te Karaka was badly hit during Cyclone Gabrielle when the Waipāoa River ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Further business support for cyclone-affected regions
    The Government is helping businesses recover from Cyclone Gabrielle and attract more people back into their regions. “Cyclone Gabrielle has caused considerable damage across North Island regions with impacts continuing to be felt by businesses and communities,” Economic Development Minister Barbara Edmonds said. “Building on our earlier business support, this ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • New maintenance facility at Burnham Military Camp underway
    Defence Minister Andrew Little has turned the first sod to start construction of a new Maintenance Support Facility (MSF) at Burnham Military Camp today. “This new state-of-art facility replaces Second World War-era buildings and will enable our Defence Force to better maintain and repair equipment,” Andrew Little said. “This Government ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Foreign Minister to attend United Nations General Assembly
    Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta will represent New Zealand at the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York this week, before visiting Washington DC for further Pacific focussed meetings. Nanaia Mahuta will be in New York from Wednesday 20 September, and will participate in UNGA leaders ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Midwives’ pay equity offer reached
    Around 1,700 Te Whatu Ora employed midwives and maternity care assistants will soon vote on a proposed pay equity settlement agreed by Te Whatu Ora, the Midwifery Employee Representation and Advisory Service (MERAS) and New Zealand Nurses Association (NZNO), Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall announced today. “Addressing historical pay ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • New Zealand provides support to Morocco
    Aotearoa New Zealand will provide humanitarian support to those affected by last week’s earthquake in Morocco, Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced today. “We are making a contribution of $1 million to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to help meet humanitarian needs,” Nanaia Mahuta said. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Government invests in West Coast’s roading resilience
    The Government is investing over $22 million across 18 projects to improve the resilience of roads in the West Coast that have been affected by recent extreme weather, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins confirmed today.  A dedicated Transport Resilience Fund has been established for early preventative works to protect the state ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Government invests in Greymouth’s future
    The Government has today confirmed a $2 million grant towards the regeneration of Greymouth’s CBD with construction of a new two-level commercial and public facility. “It will include a visitor facility centred around a new library. Additionally, it will include retail outlets on the ground floor, and both outdoor and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 weeks ago

  • Nanaia Mahuta to attend PIF Foreign Ministers’ Meeting
    Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta will attend the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, in Suva, Fiji alongside New Zealand’s regional counterparts. “Aotearoa New Zealand is deeply committed to working with our pacific whanau to strengthen our cooperation, and share ways to combat the challenges facing the Blue Pacific Continent,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 weeks ago

  • PREFU shows no recession, growing economy, more jobs and wages ahead of inflation
    Economy to grow 2.6 percent on average over forecast period Treasury not forecasting a recession Inflation to return to the 1-3 percent target band next year Wages set to grow 4.8 percent a year over forecast period Unemployment to peak below the long-term average Fiscal Rules met - Net debt ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 weeks ago

  • New cancer centre opens in Christchurch
    Prime Minister Chris Hipkins and Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall proudly opened the Canterbury Cancer Centre in Christchurch today. The new facility is the first of its kind and was built with $6.5 million of funding from the Government’s Infrastructure Reference Group scheme for shovel-ready projects allocated in 2020. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 weeks ago

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