McClay accused of supporting China’s mass detention of muslims

Written By: - Date published: 8:26 am, January 17th, 2020 - 51 comments
Categories: China, human rights, International, national, political parties, same old national, United Nations - Tags: , , ,

There has this week been the release of an interesting report by Freedom House, an independent US watchdog that provides reports on trends and changes in freedom and democracy throughout the world.

From Zane Small at Stuff:

National MP Todd McClay has been accused of “echoing” the Chinese government to “justify mass detentions” in Xinjiang, in a damning new report about China’s growing global influence. 

McClay is criticised in the report for how he has characterised facilities in China’s Xinjiang region – often described as “detention camps” – where it’s understood millions of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities are detained.  

“New Zealand lawmaker Todd McClay recently referred to the forced indoctrination camps for Muslim minorities in Xinjiang as ‘vocational training centers,’ echoing the terminology used by the Chinese government and state media to justify the mass detentions.”

China says its ‘vocational training centres’ provide counter-terrorism training and psychological counselling for those affected by “extremist thoughts”, but former detainees have spoken of torture and brainwashing.

The new report, by US government-funded Freedom House, also mentions McClay’s attendance in December 2017 at a dialogue in Beijing organised by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)’s International Liaison Department. 

McClay has denied the allegations and said that the report had linked two discrete events and that his full response which was referred to was that abuses of human rights are a concern wherever they occur and that if credible evidence of human rights abuses came to light, National would expect the Government to make representations to China through formal channels.

Talk about having a bob each way.  Of course the forced imprisonment of a million people is vocational retraining but if it is proved that it is not then it is wrong?  And how about the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination as a credible source?

McClay’s pro China stance has also attracted the attention of erstwhile National supporters.  Michael Reddell posted in Newsroom how in his view National had “binned any sense of decency, integrity, or values when it comes to Chinese Communist Party-ruled China”.

He also said this:

A few months ago we had the egregious former Minister of Trade, and foreign affairs spokesperson, Todd McClay plumbing new depths. In an interview with Stuff, he championed the PRC regime interpretation of the mass internment of Uighurs in Xinjiang, noting that “the existence and purpose of vocational training centres is a domestic matter for the Chinese government.”

If he’d just kept quiet at least there might have been some doubt about his decency, but he opened his mouth and left no doubt. He was spinning for the CCP regime in Beijing.

Since then even the regime in Beijing has more or less admitted that, of course, that line isn’t true. But we’ve heard nothing more – and certainly no apology – from Mr McClay or his leaders.

McClay was also heavily involved in at least one donation from a Chinese Businessman to the National Party, that of Lang Lin who made the donation via the interestingly named Inner Mongolia Rider Horse Industry (NZ) Ltd and by using a locally incorporated company neatly sidestepped the restrictions of foreign funding of local political parties.

There is also the ongoing issue of Jian Yang whose links to the Chinese Communist Party are significant, whose last interview to mainstream local media was two years ago, and who is apparently a significant organiser of donations for the party.  To be fair to Yang he has not really hidden his background.  He was recently in Beijing for the Communist Party’s 70th anniversary as a special guest.  He was travelling with Zhang Yikun, he who parceled up a $100,000 donation to the party into neat parcels that avoided the need for National to disclose his identity.

It is extraordinary that the National Party which has been so vehemently anti communist for so much of its existence should be so friendly and deferential to the Chinese Communist Party.  It makes you wonder if this conversation where it is claimed that National President Peter Goodfellow remarked that the Chinese were more important than the farms, because they don’t complain and they pay up is actually true.

 

51 comments on “McClay accused of supporting China’s mass detention of muslims ”

  1. Mark 1

    an independent US watchdog that provides reports on trends and changes in freedom and democracy throughout the world.

    A US watchdog called Freedom House is 'independent'????

    Pull the other one. It is a US govt proxy that promotes an agenda of foreign interference and regime change around the world.

    • Brigid 1.1

      "Numerous major media outlets, from Reuters to The Intercept, have claimed that the United Nations has reports that the Chinese government is holding as many as 1 million Uighur Muslims in “internment camps.” But a close examination of these news stories, and of the evidence behind them — or the lack thereof — demonstrates that the extraordinary claim is simply not true."

      https://geopoliticsalert.com/china-muslim-concentration-camps

      • Mark 1.1.1

        Good point. The million figure comes from one dubious source, and then it bounces around Western news outlets like in an echo chamber and these various news sources mutually quote one another.

      • Cinny 1.1.2

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOb5oRv2xog

        1 Dec 2019 – The China Cables 🇨🇳 and the disruption of Beijing's Xinjiang narrative

        First story up on above episode of The Listening Post, around 12 mins long, very informative.

        Leaked documents via a communist party insider were obtained leading to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists 👁️ putting together the China Cables 📰. Beijing won't be able to bury reality with propaganda for too much longer.

        • Mark 1.1.2.1

          Oh yeah….New York Times etc……anyone can string a narrative from cherry picked facts and pseudo facts here and there.

          Here is a fact though. Those who condemn China: US and its Western allies. No Muslim countries

          Those who support China: The rest of the world, including Muslim countries.

          The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation: commended China on "safeguarding the rights of Muslim communities and minorities in non-OIC member states,” which included a positive reference to China."

          So Muslim countries around the world says China safeguards the rights of Muslim communities. While the US and its allies, who have killed millions of Muslims in recent decades, suddenly gets all concerned about the 'human rights' of Muslims, and cries crocodile tears.

          I'd trust Muslim countries themselves on what is going on in China. And not the US and its allies.

          • Cinny 1.1.2.1.1

            Extremely disappointing that

            @OIC_OCI

            again failed to raise the mass arbitrary detention of millions of #Uyghurs in internment camps at #HRC40. Instead standing up for millions of Uyghur Muslims being persecuted for their religion & ethnicity, the OIC commended #China's efforts.

            https://twitter.com/UyghurCongress/status/1105762717246332935?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1105762717246332935&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.hongkongfp.com%2F2019%2F03%2F14%2Forganisation-islamic-cooperation-commends-china-treatment-muslims%2F

            Last month, Turkey became the first Muslim nation to publicly criticise China over its policies in Xinjiang. The Turkish foreign ministry spokesperson said: “The systematic assimilation policy of Chinese authorities towards Uighur Turks is a great embarrassment for humanity.”

            https://www.hongkongfp.com/2019/03/14/organisation-islamic-cooperation-commends-china-treatment-muslims/

            This all happened back in March 2019, things have changed since then…. JS

            • Cinny 1.1.2.1.1.1

              The letter by members of the OIC came as a direct response of the condemnation of other nations against China and their treatment of the Uyghur. Why would the OIC react how it did?

              Quite a few OIC members are part of China's mega-project, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) Where business interests are concerned, these Muslim countries have their economic future tied up with China, the second global superpower.

              Let's unpack that a little bit…..

              Egypt, is heavily dependent on Chinese aid, investments, and tourists. China has invested more than $20 billion in Egypt in recent years. The China State Engineering Corporation has been contracted to build 20 towers in New Cairo, including what is billed as the tallest tower in Africa, in a separate contract. The Chinese conglomerate TEDA-Suez is expanding its industrial zone near the Red Sea port of Ain Sokhna. – They won't criticise China.

              As it is China is the biggest importer of oil on the planet, I doubt that any Muslim countries exporting oil would criticise China for fear of missing out on $$$$

              China now calls Pakistan its “iron brother”; China is its main weapons supplier, as well as Pakistan’s preferred training partner for complex military exercises, including the use of modern technology for air battle. If Pakistan had dared to criticise the treatment of the Uyghurs, it could have lost its most important arms supplier, and military ally.

              All of this happened around March 2019, things have changed since then.

        • Brigid 1.1.2.2

          The 'China Cables', if you'd care to read them don't declare intentional abuse of members of these camps.

          It shows that even the ICIJ is into propagandising, which is unfortunate.

          • Cinny 1.1.2.2.1

            The 'China Cables', if you'd care to read them don't declare intentional abuse of members of these camps.

            What a load of rubbish. In fact, the China Cables exposes the extent of brainwashing and manipulation carried out by the Chinese Government towards the Uyghur's.

            More over Brigid you say that the ICIJ are propagandising the situation… dang, the propaganda comes from Beijing not the ICIJ.

            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrTln_0Xw4w

  2. Mark 2

    Just googled them:

    Freedom House is a U.S.-based 501 U.S. government-funded non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on democracy, political freedom, and human rights.

    It is these sort of fuckers who provide the ideological grist for immense suffering around the world, from Iraq, Libya, Vietnam, Ukraine etc…..and now trying it on with China through their ISIS mates.
    https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-mideast-crisis-syria-china/syria-says-up-to-5000-chinese-uighurs-fighting-in-militant-groups-idUSKBN1840UP

    Remember: the US killed a million Muslims in Iraq alone.

    • mickysavage 2.1

      I would not be so hard on them. They say this about the US political system:

      "US FREEDOM IN DECLINE

      The great challenges facing US democracy did not commence with the inauguration of President Donald Trump. Intensifying political polarization, declining economic mobility, the outsized influence of special interests, and the diminished influence of fact-based reporting in favor of bellicose partisan media were all problems afflicting the health of American democracy well before 2017. Previous presidents have contributed to the pressure on our system by infringing on the rights of American citizens. Surveillance programs such as the bulk collection of communications metadata, initially undertaken by the George W. Bush administration, and the Obama administration’s overzealous crackdown on press leaks are two cases in point.

      At the midpoint of his term, however, there remains little question that President Trump exerts an influence on American politics that is straining our core values and testing the stability of our constitutional system. No president in living memory has shown less respect for its tenets, norms, and principles. Trump has assailed essential institutions and traditions including the separation of powers, a free press, an independent judiciary, the impartial delivery of justice, safeguards against corruption, and most disturbingly, the legitimacy of elections. Congress, a coequal branch of government, has too frequently failed to push back against these attacks with meaningful oversight and other defenses."

      https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/freedom-world-2019/democracy-in-retreat

    • mickysavage 2.2

      They also say this about Australia:

      "Similarly, punitive approaches to immigration are resulting in human rights abuses by democracies—such as Australia’s indefinite confinement of seaborne migrants in squalid camps on the remote island of Nauru, the separation of migrant children from their detained parents by the United States, or the detention of migrants by Libyan militias at the behest of Italy—that in turn offer excuses for more aggressive policies towards migrants and refugees elsewhere in the world. Populist politicians’ appeals to “unique” or “traditional” national values in democracies threaten the protection of individual rights as a universal value, which allows authoritarian states to justify much more egregious human rights violations. And by unilaterally assailing international institutions like the United Nations or the International Criminal Court without putting forward serious alternatives, antiliberal governments weaken the capacity of the international system to constrain the behavior of China and other authoritarian powers."

    • Enough is Enough 2.3

      Yes. Its distressing how some people promote US government funded reports if that report is critical of their political opponent.

      The US is the biggest exporter of death and destruction. They have no standing to be critical of New Zealanders

      • RedLogix 2.3.1

        The US is the biggest exporter of death and destruction.

        Yet oddly enough the era since WW2 in which the USA has been 'exporting death and destruction' has seen the most dramatic expansion of prosperity and reduction in war in all of human history.

        Quite the little paradox really.

        • Mark 2.3.1.1

          A lot of things are paradoxical. Life is like that.

          I'd say the decolonisation process, the Soviet Union, and the success of the Chinese revolution contributed enormously to this process.

          Yes, US and Western inventions and science have been a great boon for humanity. The average life expectancy of even the poorest countries is at least as high as what it was in the West only a little more than a century ago. But it was the October revolution which allowed these gains to flow on to non-Western humanity.

          All of this does not gainsay the fact as expressed by the contributor above: "The US is the biggest exporter of death and destruction. "

          • RedLogix 2.3.1.1.1

            But it was the October revolution which allowed these gains to flow on to non-Western humanity

            Sighs … you really believe that don't you. As an apologist for greatest mass murderer in all of modern history, you have no standing to be critical of anything. Period.

            • Mark 2.3.1.1.1.1

              Mao: hugely popular in China https://bit.ly/2TCRN8e

              Stalin: hugely popular in Russia https://bit.ly/2TvsUeM

              Case closed.

              • RedLogix

                If Stalin and Mao's 'achievements outweigh their mistakes' then logically you'll have no problem embracing the USA and the wider Western world with an even greater warmth and enthusiasm.

                • Mark

                  Yup, sure. No problem. After all Marx, Engels, and Lenin, and Marxism Leninism are a product of the West. As are Newton, Beethoven, Brahms, and Edison.

                  Having an issue with Western imperialism is not the same as being anti-Western civilization. For example you obviously have an issue with what you would call Chinese ‘imperialism’ (although I would argue there really is no such thing). Yet you may well not hate Chinese culture and people in a wider sense. There is no inconsistency in that

              • "Case closed."

                End of story then eh? No more discussion to be had! You're right, Red Logix's wrong!, that's it – no more to be said!

                TTFN then. Stand down

              • Andre

                Survivorship bias is a fascinating thing.

                • Mark

                  Yeah, you are in fact correct….cause more people survived (proportionally speaking) under Mao than at any other time before in Chinese history, and in any other developing country of his time.

                  So if you were to choose any developing country to be born back in 1950, your best bet to survive to adulthood would be China.

                  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4331212/

  3. Mark 3

    Of course they have to appear fair and balanced. They are not dumb. They will offer mild criticism of Western countries in order to strengthen their credibility when it comes to attacking countries they really don’t like, like China and Russia and Iran.

    They obviously promote an agenda that is targetted at states that have different political systems from the US and are thereby less compliant. Eg. And by unilaterally assailing international institutions like the United Nations or the International Criminal Court without putting forward serious alternatives, antiliberal governments weaken the capacity of the international system to constrain the behavior of China and other authoritarian powers."

    Obviously they critique Western powers in the same way that many communists critique countries like China for not being communist enough, or how some pro-China individuals critique China for being too soft on the HK rioters.

    In the end Freedom House provides the ideological architecture for neo-conservatism. In the end they are funded by the US government

    • gsays 3.1

      So that is about the messenger, what do you make of the message?

      A National party polly, repeating the CCP line about 'vocational training centres'.

      The National party leader meeting with, amongst others, the head of secret police. A trip that was not organised by the relevant department. Meetings which have no notes available.

      All this adds credence to JLR's accusation of dodgy practices in regards to big donations being 'handled'.

      Yes Uncle Sam has killed millions, does that mean it's OK?

  4. Sanctuary 4

    The Soviet Union funded communist parties in order to try and further their influence.

    The Chinese Communist Party simply bribes the greediest and least principled political party. And that party is inevitably on the right.

  5. Cinny 5

    Excellent post Micky.

    With all the morning news shows starting this week, surely they will ask simon some serious questions about nationals relationship with china.

  6. Mark 6

    There is nothing to it. Otherwise NZ First, the Greens, and Labour would be making a huge noise about it.

    Rich people make donations to political parties all the time. Not something I like. But nothing illegal has happened. There is no evidence of bribery. And Western leaders meet with opposition figures from other countries all the time.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9Modr_sVr0

    And with NZs active involvement in 5 eyes, mainly designed to contain China, is China really so evil to want to maximise ‘influence’ whatever that means?

  7. Dennis Frank 7

    Todd ought to get more serious about the meaning of vocational training. Xi has broadened his mind by doing on location research into the meaning of literary sources used in American education. "To better grasp the meaning of The Old Man and the Sea, Xi traveled to Ernest Hemingway’s favorite bar in Havana."

    Such dedication to meaning is rather impressive, and it has informed Xi's foreign policy. https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/11/21/xi-jinping-china-communist-party-francois-bougon/

    So Todd ought to form an acolyte relationship to his guru and emulate his method. Could make him the Nat leader. Spraying literary references around would bamboozle and therefore seriously impress his caucus colleagues. Vocational training!

    "Xi Jinping is a Chinese renaissance man. Self-assured, self-possessed, and utterly unflappable, Xi is equally at home on the hearths of struggling farmers and in the greeting halls of foreign capitals. State media likes to juxtapose the years he spent in the caves of Shaanxi with the days he spent governing Shanghai’s glittering towers. Here is a man as men should be: a leader who can grasp both the plow and the bond market!"

    Being able to function as a bridge between working man and trading man like Xi would also enhance Todd's standing. Not many can bring capitalists and workers together.

    "But Xi is also eager to present himself as a man of the future. He revels in touring laboratories and centers of scientific innovation. He dabbles in complexity science and has tried to integrate its findings into Chinese Communist Party policies."

    Mastering the science of complexity and demonstrating how it enables folks to comprehend climate change would make Todd so much of a front-runner as leadership contender that competitors would give up in collective funk, retreating to the back of the room to chew their fingernails. Simon would be bewildered (as usual) but he now knows that grinning whenever possible is an effective cover. Fun times ahead.

  8. mosa 8

    McClay is nothing more than a chinese mouthpiece and front for donated dirty money too the Waitemata trust too ensure Chinese influence is kept under the radar.

    The Nasty Natz threw away any affiliation with the country they claim too be working for and its best interests of real kiwis when they put out their hand and accepted foreign funds and the consequences that come with the acceptance of that money.

    They i am sure did not give it a second thought.

  9. Fireblade 9

    Chairman Bridges and the Nats love the Communist Party of China and their money.

    Here's Simon on state-owned CGTN television whoring himself to the Chinese government.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tFiaz4A9Ys

  10. Mark 10

    FREEDOM HOUSE SUPPORTED THE INVASION OF IRAQ

    Here is there statement on the invasion, from March 2003

    https://freedomhouse.org/article/freedom-house-statement-iraq-war

    So an organisation that supported a war that resulted in the deaths of at least 1 million Muslims, now sheds crocodile tears over the apparent impact of China's anti-terror efforts on Xinjiang muslims?

    The 'Freedom House' report has less worth and credibility than a piece of used bog paper.

    • Incognito 10.1

      Let’s try comparing apples with apples, shall we?

      May 20, 2004

      Members of the Board of Trustees of Freedom House sent a letter to President Bush today urging him to take action to make "immediate systemic changes" to prevent any future abuse of detainees under U.S. authority. The Administration should expedite investigations and should do so with an "openness that will demonstrate anew America's commitment to the rule of law and democracy." A copy of the letter and list of signatories is listed below.

      https://freedomhouse.org/article/president-bush-urged-prevent-future-abuse-detainees

      And while I have your attention, you are doing a great job creating diversions and downplaying China’s attempt to gain influence in politics in NZ through the National Party, among many other avenues that they are actively pursuing, but you might want to address the other points raised in the OP and in comment 3.1.

  11. Mark 11

    Apples with Apples? Ok the US has killed a million Muslims in the past two decades. China most emphatically has not. The fact that Freedom House after outright supporting the invasion, makes a statement that they could not avoid making means jack shit. Oh, its OK to invade and bomb the shit out of a sovereign country – just don’t torture the prisoners. What a pathetically low and easy bar for Western powers to clear. FFS in China there is open criticism of abuse by police etc.

    The fact is the US is the most egregious abuser of human rights in the world today, with an imprisonment rate for example, that is about 6 or 7 times that of China's

    Now about the Chinese attempt to gain influence in politics etc in NZ, neither you nor I know whats going on. We have the security services and the government who we trust to do a good job in protecting NZs interests.

    But whatever China is doing in terms of influence peddling, it is what all countries do. Why single out the Chinese for their attempts at influence, when the US influence is about 100 times more – we are part of 5 eyes for heavens sake – surely that makes us a target for those targetted by 5 eyes and the 'pivot to Asia'

    Of course the worst peacetime act against NZ by a foreign power was the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior – by a fellow 'democracy'.

    So based on history and the current facts, we should be looking at US influence and French influence with far greater scrutiny. But of course it is the uppity Chinese everyone focuses their attention on —-because they are Chinese.

    Now again, Freedom House is US govt funded. You got that through your head yet?

    • Incognito 11.1

      OMG, you forgot to mention her e-mails.

      Of course, Freedom House is a covert black-ops by the US Government to undermine the Dems but so are Fox News and Cambridge Analytica, not to mention Twitter. FFS!

      Look, it’s crystal clear that you’re rooting for the PRC and that you won’t make a genuine attempt to address the points raised in the OP.

      Did anybody say that we’re happy with the US influence here? Strawman.

      Gulf War and 2003 invasion of Iraq. Both strawmen.

      Rainbow Warrior. Strawman.

      French influence (you mean the RWC or hors d'oeuvres?). Strawman.

      Et cetera. More strawmen.

      You’re heading for the nearest Exit if you keep walking straight ahead, Mark. In fact, you have already called your taxi.

  12. adam 12

    The irony of Inner Mongolia Rider Horse Industry (NZ) Ltd – is the way the CCP teats Mongolians born in China.

    Stealing land, messing up water, killing grazing land, forcing them into cities. You know, the usual from statist authoritarian muppets.

    https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/chinese-police-hold-another-ethnic-mongolian-writer-04162019113037.html

  13. Mark 13

    Why does the NZ left like you Adam, seem to treat US propaganda outlets as being the authoritative version of everything that happens in non-Western countries:

    "Radio Free Asia (RFA) is a United States government-funded, nonprofit international broadcasting corporation that broadcasts and publishes"

    Do you think they are ever going to write something positive about non-Western countries that don't toe the line of Uncle Sam?

    You are so brainwashed, Adam, that you automatically assume anything put out by Uncle Sam must be true….time you grew up

    • Incognito 13.1

      You are so brainwashed, Adam, that you automatically assume anything put out by Uncle Sam must be true….time you grew up

      Keep walking, Mark, your taxi is pulling up outside.

  14. Mark 14

    hahahah…Adam, do you ever read anything that is not pre-approved by your american masters? Quoting Radio Free Asia as gospel ffs!

    Perhaps Chinese influence has an upside,….countering US lies and numnuts like you who fall for those lies.

    [Bye, Mark. I hope you enjoyed our hospitality on this site and appreciated the freedom to express your opinions. Unfortunately, you could not handle that freedom and created diversions galore, downplayed issues raised in the OP, and started mocking and insulting another commenter and accusing him of being a puppet. Banned for two months – Incognito]

  15. Andre 15

    Early strong front-runner for TS irony of the decade in these comments from Mark bashing adam.

  16. corodale 16

    Exoterically speaking China are repressive, and it´s not worth arguing with the MSM.

    Esoterically speaking, China are being pragmatic, the muslim counties (where welcomed to inspect it) didn´t support the witch hunt, because China´s policy was more humane that the western policy of driving marginal muslim populations into the middle east, so they can be shot at like rats in an empty oil barrel.

    Interesting to see National with such strong hedging on China, but Nats will be comfortable with 3 more years in opposition, watching the middle class shrink and pretending Labour are to blame.

    Expect the random neck and bowel movements from National MPs to remain the norm.

  17. Incognito 17

    Nothing is coincidental in (geo-)politics.

    Safe and sound? China launches propaganda blitz to discredit Uyghur #StillNoInfo campaign

    https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-01-18/safe-and-sound-china-propaganda-undercuts-xinjiang-uyghur/11865648

    • Dennis Frank 17.1

      "Senior analyst Sarah Cook, who authored a report, told the ABC that a key tactic of the CCP was to sprinkle in elements of truth to add a hint of authenticity."

      Binary folk get baffled. "Hey, I thought it was either truth or fake news! What's going on??" To the white, grey is black. To the black, grey is white.

      Devil in the details, & the regime is using a devilish method of propaganda. Since binary folk are the majority, it could work. Like spicing up food. Scatter elements of truth on top of the compulsory meal.

      • Incognito 17.1.1

        The binary is both implicit and explicit: do you believe the propaganda or the counter-propaganda?

        • Dennis Frank 17.1.1.1

          A very good question if rhetorical! Tests the capacity for transcendence and self-transformation. I dealt with that (mid-'80s) by acquiring the integral view.

          Applied holism facilitates the integration of world views or belief systems & postmodernism helps. Once you conceive that polarised groups or communities contain elements of good on both sides, you have a sound basis upon which to proceed. A facilitator would set up a dialogue by asking each how they propose to produce peaceful coexistence as a win/win outcome.

          Xi is already on record as supporting win/win design in foreign policy, so cite him! Thus drawing both sides out of their comfort zone, detaching them from their respective entrenched positions, require them to acknowledge the needs of the opposition. From that point (if both do) it's just negotiation.

  18. Bob James 18

    What is particularly troubling to me is why the Labour Party (and the Greens and NZ First) are doing hardly anything about this. There is a deafening silence.

    Why the heck are they not raising a huge public clamour, particularly around Jian Yang, and making political hay out of it, as they would with any other issue. Most New Zealanders would utterly oppose undue influence from the totalitarian Chinese dictatorship, and any party who wanted to, could get political mileage out of making it a big issue. But no one seems willing to pick up the ball.

    In fact the duty to point this out belongs not so much to National (who can only be expected to protect their own), but to the other political parties.

    So it comes down it, either:

    *all NZ political parties, and the intelligence services, and NZ Immigration are equally compromised and utterly corrupted by the CCP, or

    *there is nothing really to it all, and the danger from the CCP is being over-cooked

    I’d go with the first.

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    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Gavin Jacobson talks to Thomas Piketty 10 years on from Capital in the 21st Century The SalvoLocal scoop: Green MP’s business being investigated over migrant exploitation claims Stuff Steve KilgallonLocal deep-dive: The commercial contractors making money from School ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 hours ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things on Tuesday, March 19
    It’s a home - but Kāinga Ora tenants accused of “abusing the privilege” may lose it. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government announced a crackdown on Kāinga Ora tenants who were unruly and/or behind on their rent, with Housing Minister Chris Bishop saying a place in a state ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    7 hours ago
  • New Life for Light Rail
    This is a guest post by Connor Sharp of Surface Light Rail  Light rail in Auckland: A way forward sooner than you think With the coup de grâce of Auckland Light Rail (ALR) earlier this year, and the shift of the government’s priorities to roads, roads, and more roads, it ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    7 hours ago
  • Why Are Bosses Nearly All Buffoons?
    Note: As a paid-up Webworm member, I’ve recorded this Webworm as a mini-podcast for you as well. Some of you said you liked this option - so I aim to provide it when I get a chance to record! Read more ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    10 hours ago
  • Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6.06 pm on March 18
    TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    21 hours ago
  • Peters holds his ground on co-governance, but Willis wriggles on those tax cuts and SNA suspension l...
    Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago
  • Labour’s final report card
    David Farrar writes –  We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how  went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promise The result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • “Drunk Uncle at a Wedding”
    I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on Dune 2, and images of Islam
    Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
    1 day ago
  • New Rail Operations Centre Promises Better Train Services
    Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
    1 day ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things at 6.36am on Monday, March 18
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    1 day ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to March 25 and beyond
    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 day ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    1 day ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    1 day ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    4 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    5 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    5 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    5 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • There’s a name for this
    Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • Echoes of 1968 in 2024?  Pocock on the repetitive problems of the New Left
    Mike Grimshaw writes – Recent events in American universities point to an underlying crisis of coherent thinking, an issue that increasingly affects the progressive left across the Western world. This of course is nothing new as anyone who can either remember or has read of the late ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Two bar blues
    The thing about life’s little victories is that they can be followed by a defeat.Reader Darryl told me on Monday night:Test again Dave. My “head cold” last week became COVID within 24 hours, and is still with me. I hear the new variants take a bit longer to show up ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 13
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Angus Deaton on rethinking his economics IMFLocal scoop: The people behind Tamarind, the firm that left a $500m cleanup bill for taxpayers at Taranaki’s Tui oil well, are back operating in Taranaki under a different company name. Jonathan ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • AT Need To Lift Their Game
    Normally when we talk about accessing public transport it’s about improving how easy it is to get to, such as how easy is it to cross roads in a station/stop’s walking catchment, is it possible to cycle to safely, do bus connections work, or even if are there new routes/connections ...
    6 days ago
  • Christopher's Whopper.
    Politicians are not renowned for telling the truth. Some tell us things that are verifiably not true. They offer statements that omit critical pieces of information. Gloss over risks, preferring to offer the best case scenario.Some not truths are quite small, others amusing in their transparency. There are those repeated ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago

  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    23 hours ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
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