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/BMHayward/status/844690877666680832

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 ”

  1. One Anonymous Bloke 1

    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

    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

    No wonder john was such good friends with Hekia.

  4. DH 5

    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

      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

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

        • Naki man 5.1.1.1

          “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

            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

            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

              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

            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

      “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

        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

        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

          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.

  5. SpaceMonkey 6

    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.

  6. roy 7

    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

      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.

  7. Philg 8

    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

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

      Your electrician mate sounds a bit simple.

      • Psycho Milt 8.1.1

        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

          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

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

            • BM 8.1.1.1.1.1

              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.

              • 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

                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

                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

                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

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

            • BM 8.1.1.1.2.1

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

              • Bill

                Your deleted comments 2.1 and 2.1.1.1

                I wouldn’t go ripping the piss here BM.

                • BM

                  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

                    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

                    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

              He’s very tiresome this evening.

          • mauī 8.1.1.1.3

            “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

              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

            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

            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

        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

        “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

          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

        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

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

  8. 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
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEXo6VfQg6Y

  9. mosa 11

    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

      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

      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.

      • 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. .

  10. Priss 12

    Key’s legacy? Nothing.

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

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    2 days 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 ...
    2 days 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
    3 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
    3 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
    3 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
    4 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
    5 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
    5 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
    5 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
    5 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
    6 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
    6 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

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 hours 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
    8 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
    10 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
    10 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
    24 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
    1 day 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
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
    Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024.  “Lower fruit and vege ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government backs rural led catchment projects
    The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction.   Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
    Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government lowering building costs
    The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Trustee tax change welcomed
    Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister’s Ramadan message
    Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness.  It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister appoints new NZTA Chair
    Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Speech to Life Sciences Summit
    Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology.  It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Progress continues apace on water storage
    Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government agrees to restore interest deductions
    Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government has agreed to restore deductibility for mortgage interest on residential investment properties. “Help is on the way for landlords and renters alike. The Government’s restoration of interest deductibility will ease pressure on rents and simplify the tax code,” says ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister to attend World Anti-Doping Agency Symposium
    Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop will travel to Switzerland today to attend an Executive Committee meeting and Symposium of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mr Bishop will then travel on to London where he will attend a series of meetings in his capacity as Infrastructure Minister. “New Zealanders believe ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

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