Moving on after FJK

Written By: - Date published: 12:53 pm, December 12th, 2017 - 65 comments
Categories: Abuse of power, john key, Politics - Tags:

I wrote this post back in March, the week Nicky Hager and Jon Stephenson published Hit and Run, and FJK left parliament. It didn’t get published for a number of reasons, but now seems an opportune moment. 

_______________________________________________________

I know there is a convention for parliamentarians to be good to one of their perceived own when they leave. And I know that some including the MSM like to look at how clever or successful bad people are. Or maybe the mainstream just can’t bring itself to look the destructiveness of the last 9 years fully in the face so it’s better to pretend that he did some good things too, or at worst he “bequeathed a backlog of neglect and deferred decisions“.

Yeah, nah. FJK.

This could have been a really long post, there is so much to be said about what has been done to NZ in the past 9 years. I’m just going to pull out the ones that come most immediately to mind and some of what was being reflected upon on twitter in the past day.

Amanda Bailey

Tania Billingsley

Roastbusters rape gang

Rape Crisis funding

Pro-rape Minister of Corrections

Rape jokes

Party politicising rape culture

All of those together point to something seriously wrong in both Key himself as a person, and the National Government as a whole. I’m not surprised, because it fits with their particular brand of beyond neoliberalism that is amoral and disconnected from what is true and real about being human.

https://twitter.com/GGrucilla/status/844442901702684672

https://twitter.com/BMHayward/status/844690877666680832

https://twitter.com/DawgBelly/status/844416309584691201

Then there are the poisoned rivers, hungry kids, families living in cars, losses of democracy, Christchurch, the utter ridiculousness of our position on climate change, and on and on. I believe we will come to look back on this decade in the same way as the 1980s, where a revolution happened which we didn’t quite understand until well after. We didn’t need a Tr*mpville, we just handed over our country on a platter. NZ leading the way again, just like last time.

Which brings us finally to this week.

That’s the legacy.

There’s something deeply disturbing about Hit and Run that I haven’t quite gotten to yet, as if the bald facts weren’t bad enough. Part of it is that it happened only 2 years into the first term. There is some kind of time dissonance, as if we are only now just coming to understand what has happened, what has been done in our names, the extent of the corruption that leads to the deaths of children and the destruction of homes, and that this wasn’t some long build up, but they were doing this shit right from the start.

A little too close to home, it’s a mirror we didn’t expect to have held up at this late stage of smile and wave. Like others I expect there will be an inquiry or not, probably depending on whether we get a change in government. Here is yet another opportunity for NZ to do the right thing, turn in the right direction, start to turn the tide. But even if there is no inquiry, this will still deeply impact on our national psyche. We can go into denial about it, and there will be people already running the line that middle NZ doesn’t care, but we can’t make it not true. It happened, the raid and the revolution, they can’t be undone. We can however make amends and it’s never too late to change.

Thus I am eternally grateful to Nicky Hager and Jon Stephenson* for, in addition to everything else, the timing.

(*or Providence).

Whether or not we ever find out if he was hoisted on his own petard, let the smarmy little fucker run. We’ve got work to do. We have two tasks now. One is #changethegovt. The other is repairing the damage from the scouring of the Shire. There are still many good and important and true things about New Zealand, things we can reclaim, things we can build on. Time to remember who and what we are and then get on with it.

_______________________________________________________________________

Task one, completed.

65 comments on “Moving on after FJK ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. One Anonymous Bloke 1
    12 December 2017 at 1:05 pm

    A passage from HST’s obituary of Richard Nixon seems apt:

    …the record will show that I kicked him repeatedly long before he went down. I beat him like a mad dog with mange every time I got a chance, and I am proud of it. He was scum.

  2. Philg 2
    12 December 2017 at 1:15 pm

    Thanks Weka, well said.
    Don’t forget the throat slitting gesture of JK in Parliament just prior to the 2014 General Election.

  3. adam 3
    12 December 2017 at 1:19 pm

    No wonder john was such good friends with Hekia.

  5. DH 5
    12 December 2017 at 1:38 pm

    I was a bit surprised more wasn’t made of his recent Parnell house sale. I thought it surely had to be seen in the context of a recent Prime Minister who refused to act on housing inflation or curb overseas buyers. His actual profit wasn’t revealed but I’d think surely he banked over $10 million in tax free earnings. Even for someone of his (original) wealth that’s still big money.

    Not a bad pay packet was it, a million bucks a year on top of the generous PM salary. How much of that did he donate to charity?

    • Ad 5.1
      12 December 2017 at 2:57 pm

      He subdivided off the tennis court as a future new house site.

      Power, Ryle, and Key have been the standout big next-career movers since leaving Parliament.

      • marty mars 5.1.1
        12 December 2017 at 4:24 pm

        Lol what’s keys big career move again? Travelling salesman.

        • Naki man 5.1.1.1
          12 December 2017 at 4:34 pm

          “Lol what’s keys big career move again? Travelling salesman”

          Chairman of ANZ is sir Johns new career, not a bad number really
          You can call it travelling salesman if it helps you get over your bitterness.

          • marty mars 5.1.1.1.1
            12 December 2017 at 4:55 pm

            Yeah he’ll really use his dino brain doing that. Have you ever been on the board of anything big? If you had you’d know the truth of these things. Mind you even if he was in prison im sure you’d be fawning over him.

          • UncookedSelachimorpha 5.1.1.1.2
            13 December 2017 at 12:12 am

            Yep, helping a bank extract unearned millions from the populace by virtue of powers granted to them by legislation.

            Fitting.

            • DH 5.1.1.1.2.1
              13 December 2017 at 9:37 am

              He didn’t do too bad for himself either, which was my point. The Herald was very cagey about the price Key paid for his Parnell property but we do know housing in Auck doubled in price under Keys reign. One might assume he made a good $10 million profit on it, an income three times greater than his PM salary. It wasn’t the only property he owned & profited on either.

              I honestly thought more people would put 2+2 together. How many times did Key deny foreign buyers were affecting our property market, and refuse to curb them? And who bought his house?

          • NZJester 5.1.1.1.3
            13 December 2017 at 8:21 am

            To be fair John Key well and truly earned that job at ANZ by helping the banks like ANZ ship huge profits out of New Zealand and fleece the little guys for every cent they could. Not to mention the large profits from super high mortgages they are earning from the housing bubble, and all the dubious money he let flow in and out of New Zealand unchecked for them to also profit from.

    • Siobhan 5.2
      12 December 2017 at 3:44 pm

      “But a real estate industry source said the 763 sq m house and about 1650 sq m of land with a large pool house and in-ground pool was sold to a buyer in China last month.”

      He sold the house etc for around 20 mill. and kept a little slice for a future build worth around 5 million.

      http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11919697

      But. to be fair, no one is looking to stop the meteoric rise of the ‘Property Market’, infact ‘Affordable Housing’ is always framed in terms of helping people “hop on the property ladder”.

      Until we can stop with that rhetoric Housing will always be a life size game of Monopoly

      • DH 5.2.1
        12 December 2017 at 4:03 pm

        It’s that he was personally enriched from policies he, as Prime Minister, had large responsibility for that matters IMO Siobhan. He then cashed in his earnings not long after retiring, which frankly should have raised some eyebrows.

      • Carolyn_Nth 5.2.2
        12 December 2017 at 4:25 pm

        Agree with you on “affordable housing” and the “property ladder”. That’s an enabling culture for the likes of Key.

        And it is that culture that needs to be changed.

        • AB 5.2.2.1
          12 December 2017 at 5:36 pm

          Ladders are very useful tools. Why anyone would sully the reputation of ladders by likening them to a completely useless, greed-fuelled casino like a housing market, I have no idea.

  6. SpaceMonkey 6
    12 December 2017 at 3:18 pm

    I honestly believe that John Key was the worst Prime Minister we’ve ever had in my lifetime. My memory goes back to Robert Muldoon.

    Having worked in two of the companies John Key worked for (I believe we were both at Bankers Trust at the same time – he in NY and myself in London), knowing the type of people traders were… I felt sick the day he became leader of the National party. But I never foresaw the sh*t he would leave this country in.

    John Key sold NZ out to the US here and the Chinese there, and in deal after deal with dodgy corporations. As far as I am concerned, it was treason and he should be accordingly held to account.

  7. roy 7
    12 December 2017 at 4:31 pm

    I don’t remember hating any politicians as much as I do him – Muldoon was a old bastard in many ways, Douglas and Prebble too, and Brash is just sad now… but Key…
    Maybe it’s his insincerity combined with his cruel policies that makes him a special case?

    • ropata 7.1
      12 December 2017 at 7:29 pm

      I think the country had high hopes that the Key administration would continue the good work of Clark and Cullen, Key was elected on a platform of no asset sales, helping the underclass, and taming the property market.

      Of course his true lizard nature was only revealed years later when all those high Obama-like dreams were shattered amidst earthquakes, financial crises, and massive dislocation of NZ citizens in the name of property prices. (Not to mention #dirtypolitics and endless lies and #momentoftruth)

      I share your disgust and deep disappointment at what could have been.

      • WILD KATIPO 7.1.1
        12 December 2017 at 8:01 pm

        … ” I think the country had high hopes that the Key administration would continue the good work of Clark and Cullen, Key was elected on a platform of no asset sales, helping the underclass, and taming the property market ” …

        Yeah maybe ,… but after the Aroha Ireland episode …

        Aroha of McGehan Close flees NZ | Stuff.co.nz
        http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/10468960/Aroha-of-McGehan-Close-flees-NZ

        It didn’t take long for something to start smelling rank in this country and it all centered around the stench emanating off John Key…

        Rebel Son – From a Mile Away – YouTube

  8. Philg 8
    12 December 2017 at 8:02 pm

    An electrician I spoke to before the 2014 Election admitted that he first voted for JK because he thought he knew how to make money and the country needed this expertise. Never again, he said

    • BM 8.1
      12 December 2017 at 8:24 pm

      He does know how to make money, dudes worth around 100 million.

      Your electrician mate sounds a bit simple.

      • Psycho Milt 8.1.1
        12 December 2017 at 8:29 pm

        He does indeed. Skills in enriching yourself by facilitating currency speculation aren’t obviously useful to a country and it’s not clear why anyone would imagine they would be.

        • BM 8.1.1.1
          12 December 2017 at 8:37 pm

          Shows how little you know about currency trading.

          Very few make money from it, the fact key did speak volumes about his skill and nerve.

          Those skills equate well to being a PM, quick-witted, being able to rapidly ascertain what’s going on and act correctly on that, knowing when you’re wrong and cutting your losses.

          Compared to Key, Ardern is a joke, she’s been pampered and treated like a child for last 9 nine years. heaven help NZ if something serious happens over the next three years.

          • Muttonbird 8.1.1.1.1
            12 December 2017 at 8:40 pm

            Yet New Zealand voted for Ardern. That’s damning.

            • BM 8.1.1.1.1.1
              12 December 2017 at 8:43 pm

              NZ didn’t vote for Ardern.

              Peters made her PM, that’s MMP.

              Personally, I think she’s a joke and has about as much strength as a chocolate teacup.

              Like I say hopefully nothing serious happens within the next three years otherwise we’re fucked.

              • marty mars …
                12 December 2017 at 9:12 pm

                She’s certainly the most preferred PM and billshitter continues his losing runs. I love it when quality shines through and dirty stinking liars get exposed.

              • ropata …
                12 December 2017 at 9:30 pm

                BM misses Key’s stupid blokey jokes, smarmy teflon evasions, and relaxed attitude to everything.

                Ardern strikes me as sharper and more forthright than Key, far less prone to weasel words, and excellent grasp of policy details and current events. She just seems like a more honest person, with the wellbeing of ordinary Kiwis at heart.

                CV said this:

                Although to be honest, Key's former position as a Merril Lynch senior banker marked him as an able, handpicked servant of the banking mafia.— Tat Loo (@Tat_Loo) December 12, 2017

              • Priss …
                13 December 2017 at 1:46 pm

                Need we remind you that 55% of voters voted AGAINST National, BM?

                Peters didn’t maker Ardern PM, the voters who voted Labour, Greens, and NZFirst did. If you can’t get that into your Tory-addled brains, you need to go back to Primary School.

                Politics 101: Learn to count, BM.

              • Tracey …
                14 December 2017 at 7:23 am

                It is all about perception. Yours is that Key was a great leader. Mine is he lacked anything other than the ability to be, and attract, self interest. As a result he presided over and encoyraged a mean self interest in NZ which has seen health and education crumble. In the case of health, literally.

                We will never agree on such things BM. But your certainty of Arderns lack and Key’s bounty is as reliable as those who suggest the reverse… except none of us yet has proof of Arderns leadership ability as a PM but plenty of Key’s.

                He is lucky he didnt get a job in Hollywood or some of his behaviour would now see him outted and jobless.

          • Bill 8.1.1.1.2
            12 December 2017 at 8:41 pm

            There’s a wee note for you over on “daily review” BM.

            • BM 8.1.1.1.2.1
              12 December 2017 at 8:45 pm

              What’s that Bill? I can’t see anything?

              • Bill …
                12 December 2017 at 8:47 pm

                Your deleted comments 2.1 and 2.1.1.1

                I wouldn’t go ripping the piss here BM.

                • BM …
                  12 December 2017 at 8:50 pm

                  Ok, I saw that I thought there may have been something else and I’d missed it.

                  A bit like when Weka leaves a note and you’ve got to tell her you’ve been naughty and won’t do it again.

                  Anyway, I won’t make any more comments about that posters mental state.

                  • weka …
                    12 December 2017 at 9:34 pm

                    The main reason I do that is because some commenters insist on behaving like children and ignore the moderation (others genuinely haven’t seen it). Saves me wasting my time if I ask for an acknowledgment.

                  • Tricledrown …
                    13 December 2017 at 7:49 am

                    BM uninvited playing with other people’s hair a sign of sexual harrasment.
                    Latest research has shown.
                    Whose daughter has to get naked to make a name for her self

            • Ed 8.1.1.1.2.2
              12 December 2017 at 9:13 pm

              He’s very tiresome this evening.

          • mauī 8.1.1.1.3
            12 December 2017 at 8:49 pm

            “quickly ascertain what’s going on and act correctly.”

            Yep, what the hell happened to those skills in Christchurch, Havelock North, Kaikoura and Pike river.

            Ok folks you’re on your own, but we will provide some help but its goin to be real shitty.

            • WILD KATIPO 8.1.1.1.3.1
              12 December 2017 at 9:05 pm

              Yeah , – like all good practiced con men – he knew where the exit door was and made a hasty retreat when he knew the tide was turning against him.

              Mussolini tried the same thing but the Italians were a bit quicker than the Kiwis.

              That mans responsible for much of the destructive moves against our democracy , – and , – true to how he was when he earned the reputation as the ‘ smiling assassin ‘ when he sacked over 600 other employees, he smiled merrily as he lied about the XKEYSCORE program and mass surveillance.

              John Key, mass surveillance and what really happened … – NZ Herald
              http://www.nzherald.co.nz › New Zealand

              What a total piece shit.

          • Psycho Milt 8.1.1.1.4
            13 December 2017 at 7:40 am

            Those skills equate well to being a PM, quick-witted, being able to rapidly ascertain what’s going on and act correctly on that, knowing when you’re wrong and cutting your losses.

            You could say the same for being a successful con man, gambler or drug dealer. In any case, the people with Key’s skills turned out to be great at lining their pockets and delivering a global financial crisis, but not much else. A PM who doesn’t think politics is just another high-stakes game they’re playing will make a very pleasant change.

          • patricia bremner 8.1.1.1.5
            13 December 2017 at 8:34 am

            8.1.1.1 Still Bloody Minded BM. Jacinda is far more than you paint her. The first 50 days are testament. You will choke on your bile BM.

      • JC 8.1.2
        12 December 2017 at 10:58 pm

        Don’t usually feed the trolls!

        But you’ve hit a Raw nerve! Just once on this, I’ll question your Values. (And or lack of them)

        So the Prick might have made a mint, (by whatever means), legite or Not.

        But what did he do for his country….?

        Pretty Simple. Nothing! And even worse …

        Why dont you just Fuck Off. Just like your mate

      • UncookedSelachimorpha 8.1.3
        13 December 2017 at 12:14 am

        “dudes worth around 100 million.”

        Telling language from BM there. I always dislike that expression.

        Key has 100 million. He is worth no more than anyone else.

        • patricia bremner 8.1.3.1
          13 December 2017 at 1:39 pm

          8.1.3 No, JK is not worth more than anyone else. He has more than anyone else. That is what it was all about. Not being better, being richer.

          Poor stupid sod thinks we envy him. LOL No, not really!!!

          Happiness.

          You can’t buy it!! It requires caring commitment and heart. “Nuff said”.

      • Tricledrown 8.1.4
        13 December 2017 at 7:44 am

        BM if not for the trillions of US Dollars printed in the GFC Key’s shares would be worth nothing.
        Main Street was bankrupted house foreclosures while Wall Street got Welfare.
        Par for PM who was brought up on Welfare.

    • Obtrectator 8.2
      13 December 2017 at 10:09 am

      Sounds like your electrician confused “making money” with “creating wealth”. They are not the same.

  9. WILD KATIPO 9
    12 December 2017 at 9:18 pm

    And this ones for BM – just to remind him that his love affair for Key didn’t extend to all people of this country at all. In fact , there was a VERY large number who thought he was a fake.

    Like these people.

    John Key booed off the stage at the Big Gay Out – LGBT … – YouTube
    john key at the big gay out getting booed you tube▶ 3:14

  11. mosa 11
    12 December 2017 at 11:25 pm

    I saw through him right from the start.

    My wife always said he had dead eyes and she was right as there was nothing there at all.

    Those kiwis who have never had an original idea in their lives and believe in celebrity star status as their guiding light and think poverty is the name of a reality tv show voted for this man ” that nice Mr Key ”

    And a lot got wealthy and credit him for lifting them into the monied class and keeping them there.

    But most of his support came from the ” hear no evil , speak no evil and see no evil kiwi who bought into the marketing campaign and never questioned his motives and agenda.

    His time in office was one of the biggest political con jobs ever seen in this country and i really believe he got away scot free and with a knighthood to boot and if the media had not been so compromised it would have uncovered the true extent of his crimes that remain hidden from scrutiny.

    • patricia bremner 11.1
      13 December 2017 at 8:48 am

      11. So did I Mosa. The moment he crossed the hall with all those G-men in tow, I thought, we have a wolf in sheep’s clothing here.

      I have watched Michelle Boag closely, as she promoted JK to the National party as a replacement for Brash. Same firm, different mask.

      Everything he said, I believed the opposite, and generally that worked.

    • halfcrown 11.2
      13 December 2017 at 11:39 am

      I also saw right through him. My experience living a wartime childhood in the East End he is a typical East End bombsite spiv we were so aware of. As the saying goes pinch your watch at one end of the market and sell it back to you at the other end. Very wary of the prick and trust him no further than the length of his fucking nose. Being brought up in that environment one get very wary of this type of prick. That is why I always refer to him as The Fucking Spiv.

      • the PinkPostman 11.2.1
        13 December 2017 at 1:54 pm

        as I did Half crown they were all over the East Lane market ,I remember one bloke who sold “A potion that cured everything “. And as you pointed out one did not wear your best watch at the Sunday Market in East Lane. I remember as a kid I bought a tin of peaches for my parents that turned out to be swedes. .

  12. Priss 12
    13 December 2017 at 1:47 pm

    Key’s legacy? Nothing.

    Except for artificial “anniversaries” like this, who talks about him these days? No one.

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    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Thursday, July 25 are:News: Why Electric Kiwi is closing to new customers - and why it matters RNZ’s Susan EdmundsScoop: Government drops ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • The Possum: Demon or Friend?

    Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago
  • Not a story

    Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Thursday, July 25

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Thursday, July 25, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day were:The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry published its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • A tougher line on “proactive release”?

    The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • 'Let's build a motorway costing $100 million per km, before emissions costs'

    TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Lester's Prescription – Positive Bleeding.

    I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Casey Costello gaslights Labour in the House

    Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone icon on the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    3 days ago
  • Why is the Texas grid in such bad shape?

    This is a re-post from the Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler Headline from 2021 The Texas grid, run by ERCOT, has had a rough few years. In 2021, winter storm Uri blacked out much of the state for several days. About a week ago, Hurricane Beryl knocked out ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on a textbook case of spending waste by the Luxon government

    Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    3 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Wednesday, July 24

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • LXR Takaanini

    As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    3 days ago
  • Four kilograms of pain

    Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Wednesday, July 24

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive: Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Luxon gets caught out

    NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago
  • A worrying sign

    Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Are we fine with 47.9% home-ownership by 2048?

    Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloitte report for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Let's Win This

    You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • Waimahara: The Singing Spirit of Water

    There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
    Greater AucklandBy Connor Sharp
    4 days ago
  • A major milestone: Global climate pollution may have just peaked

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’s Oliver LewisScoop: Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announced the Board of Te Whatu Ora- Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • HealthNZ and Luxon at cross purposes over budget blowout

    Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • 2500-3000 more healthcare staff expected to be fired, as Shane Reti blames Labour for a budget defic...

    Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    4 days ago
  • Might Kamala Harris be about to get a 'stardust' moment like Jacinda Ardern?

    As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
    PunditBy Tim Watkin
    5 days ago
  • Solutions Interview: Steven Hail on MMT & ecological economics

    TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
    The KakaBy Steven Hail
    5 days ago
  • Reported back

    The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Vandrad the Viking, Christopher Coombes, and Literary Archaeology

    Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell On The Biden Withdrawal

    History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    5 days ago
  • Joe Biden's withdrawal puts the spotlight back on Kamala and the USA's complicated relatio...

    This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    5 days ago
  • Why we have to challenge our national fiscal assumptions

    A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Existential Crisis and Damaged Brains

    What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • A speed limit is not a target, and yet…

    This is a guest post from longtime supporter Mr Plod, whose previous contributions include a proposal that Hamilton become New Zealand’s capital city, and that we should switch which side of the road we drive on. A recent Newsroom article, “Back to school for the Govt’s new speed limit policy“, ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #29

    A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago
  • I'd like to share what I did this weekend

    This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • For the children – Why mere sentiment can be a misleading force in our lives, and lead to unex...

    National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Order image, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • A friend in uncertain times

    Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • The Chaotic World of Male Diet Influencers

    Hi,We’ll get to the horrific world of male diet influencers (AKA Beefy Boys) shortly, but first you will be glad to know that since I sent out the Webworm explaining why the assassination attempt on Donald Trump was not a false flag operation, I’ve heard from a load of people ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • It's Starting To Look A Lot Like… Y2K

    Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Bernard’s Saturday Soliloquy for the week to July 20

    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Pharmac Director, Climate Change Commissioner, Health NZ Directors – The latest to quit this m...

    Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 week ago
  • Flooding Housing Policy

    The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 week ago
  • A Voyage Among the Vandals: Accepted (Again!)

    As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā's Chorus for Friday, July 19

    An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Roundup 19-July-2024

    Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Climate Wrap: A market-led plan for failure

    TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Tobacco First

    Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Trump’s Adopted Son.

    Waiting In The Wings: For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSA announced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The Hoon around the week to July 19

    TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent talking about the National-ACT-NZ First Government’s release of its first Emissions Reduction Plan;University of Otago Foreign Relations Professor and special guest Dr Karin von ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #29 2024

    Open access notables Improving global temperature datasets to better account for non-uniform warming, Calvert, Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society: To better account for spatial non-uniform trends in warming, a new GITD [global instrumental temperature dataset] was created that used maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) to combine the land surface ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

  • Joint statement from the Prime Ministers of Canada, Australia and New Zealand

    Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue.  We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    17 hours ago
  • AG reminds institutions of legal obligations

    Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago
  • More young people learning about digital safety

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views.  “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago
  • Speech to the Conference for General Practice 2024

    Tēnā tātou katoa,  Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago
  • Employers and payroll providers ready for tax changes

    New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts.  “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Experimental vineyard futureproofs wine industry

    An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Funding confirmed for regions affected by North Island Weather Events

    The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Indonesian Foreign Minister to visit

    Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.   “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Strengthening partnership with Ngāti Maniapoto

    He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Transport Minister thanks outgoing CAA Chair

    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Test for Customary Marine Title being restored

    The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says.  “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Opposition united in bad faith over ECE sector review

    Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet.  “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Kiwis having their say on first regulatory review

    After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks.  “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government upgrading Lower North Island commuter rail

    The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government moves to ensure flood protection for Wairoa

    Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • PM speech to Parliament – Royal Commission of Inquiry’s Report into Abuse in Care

    Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care.  At the heart of this report are the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government acknowledges torture at Lake Alice

    For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government acknowledges courageous abuse survivors

    The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Half a million people use tax calculator

    With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis.  “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Paid Parental Leave improvements pass first reading

    Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Rebuilding the economy through better regulation

    Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • ‘Open banking’ and ‘open electricity’ on the way

    New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Charity lotteries to be permitted to operate online

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
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