MPs should not only follow the rules but follow them with stars

Written By: - Date published: 9:16 am, August 31st, 2021 - 68 comments
Categories: chris hipkins, jacinda ardern, Judith Collins, Parliament, trevor mallard - Tags:

Parliament will be sitting today.

Not the streamlined digital accessible to all Parliament where all MPs could take an active part but the pared down version where five MPs are present in the debating chamber and get to throw barbs at each other.

The rest of the democratic and corporate sector in Aotearoa is agog.  Over the past 18 months we have all worked out how to do our business differently.  For me I can’t count how many Zoom, Skype or Teams meetings I have taken part in either for Council business, for politics or from a business perspective.

Digital meetings work.  There are downsides, the interpersonal contact before and after does not occur and it is much more difficult to read a room.  But there are advantages, people tend to be more civil and instead of drowning in morasses of long speeches business tends to be more truncated and to the point.  And no travel is required.  A number of groups whose meetings I attend have decided that Zoom works perfectly well.  Instead of a two hour meeting and up to an hour’s travel we now have a one and a half hour meeting.  Winning …

The development has more than a hint that Judith Collins has used the incident to deal to Chris Bishop.  It appears that a subcommittee of Bishop, Chris Hipkins and Trevor Mallard came up with the idea of a digital Parliament and how it would work.

But then National announced it would oppose the proposal and Bishop was sacked as opposition leader of the house in what Richard Harman describes as a very public humiliation (paywalled).

And now we have Auckland based Collins travelling to Wellington to shout in a near empty chamber.

The Greens and the Maori Party have expressed opposition and will not be there today.  From Henry Cooke at Stuff:

The Māori Party will not attend in-person sessions of Parliament under Covid-19 lockdown, saying National and ACT are endangering people by rejecting a virtual option.

Māori Party co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer said she and fellow co-leader Rawiri Waititi would not be attending the session in Parliament.

Green Party MPs have also said they will only attend when Wellington is in level 3 – not on Tuesday, when it remains in level 4.

Collins has insisted that she was an essential worker and is justified in insisting on Parliament resuming.  From Russell Palmer at RNZ:

National leader Judith Collins would be required to fly down to attend, however. She said MPs were essential workers, and defended flying from Auckland to Wellington.

“I would much rather be home with my family, I would much rather that. And they would rather I was home with them. But why should I expect police officers, people who stack shelves in supermarkets, people who work in the airlines, to go and do their jobs … and I’d rather stay at home. that’s actually not what we expect from our leaders.

She said the government had steadfastly refused the opportunity to bring in the Epidemic Response Committee.

“That would have avoided any of this. As for the Zoom Parliament, never been tested here. The government has had 18 months, and [Speaker] Trevor Mallard had 18 months to work out how that would work. We’re looking at it and we don’t think that’s going to bring the scrutiny.

Such an absolutist view.  She has a right and will insist on exercising it no matter what the greater good is.  It is a shame she did not adopt the same approach when dealing with Ricardo Menendez March when she said that MPs have to be very careful to make sure that not only that they follow the rules, but they “follow the rules with stars basically”.

And she has danced on the head of a pin by claiming that the Epidemic Response Committee, which meets by zoom, should be reinstated but that all of Parliament meeting by zoom cannot.  She ignores the reality that National a year ago was the largest party in Parliament,  Now it is more of a rump that is in danger of becoming a minor party.

My personal view is that Collins has hopelessly overreached.  Comparing the importance of MPs being able to rock up to Parliament as being just as important as nurses, police officers, cleaners and supermarket workers is asking for a beat up.  The work of a politician can and should be done digitally right now and Auckland based MPs should do what the rest of us are doing and staying put.

She had better perform spectacularly well.  Otherwise she will look like she is gumming up the works of Government just so she can try and score some cheap political points.

68 comments on “MPs should not only follow the rules but follow them with stars ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Jester 1
    31 August 2021 at 9:25 am

    Judith Collins an essential worker……..I just choked on my coffee laughing.

    • Forget now 1.1
      31 August 2021 at 10:42 am

      MPs are essential workers for sure (though parliament is not the executive). But it is just as surely not a form of work that demands physical attendance (unlike say; nurses). Photo ops should not be prioritised over safety – what is essential to an individual politician is rarely essential to the country as a whole.

      This article by Wiles had a nice paragraph about the parliament meeting situation; in the broader context of effective health measures against the delta variants:

      The first big thing we have to do is ensure that anyone who can work remotely is working from home. Even if they are classed as an essential worker. I’m gutted to see that some opposition MPs have decided that parliament must meet in person at alert levels three and four. That puts not just them at risk, but everyone who needs to now come to the Beehive so that they can work there. Whatever your politics, I don’t think this is showing good leadership during a pandemic and sets a dangerous precedent. It wouldn’t surprise me if people begin to take that as a sign that they too can travel around the country and/or go in to work. All at a time when we need our restrictions to be as tight as possible.

      https://thespinoff.co.nz/society/31-08-2021/siouxsie-wiles-covid-is-different-this-time-our-level-four-lockdown-needs-to-be-too/

    • georgecom 1.2
      31 August 2021 at 4:39 pm

      an essentially what worker?

  2. dv 2
    31 August 2021 at 9:36 am

    I wonder if yes has had a covid test and had both jab.

    It would be 'ironic' if she brought covid to parliament.

  3. Stephen D 3
    31 August 2021 at 9:47 am

    I really hope that someone in the media draws a parallel with Collins total disregard of the science of COVID lockdowns, and how she would have managed the pandemic should she have been PM.

    With a graph😀

  4. fender 4
    31 August 2021 at 9:48 am

    Don't be so cruel, everyone knows Judith hasn't got much longer as opposition leader so let her have her fun while it lasts. And she hasn't been to church since being photographed praying prior to the last election !!

  5. Byd0nz 5
    31 August 2021 at 9:51 am

    The big danger is she will make a big fool of herself. Then she may get rolled as Nat leader, we don't want that, at least not until after the next election.

    • tc 5.1
      31 August 2021 at 11:05 am

      I dunno slimey bridges would be an equally gifted leader with his sense of entitlement and book to pimp.

      • lprent 5.1.1
        31 August 2021 at 1:24 pm

        He did restrain himself from the essential tool with the select committee until after the outbreak was well dealt with.

        And he didn't act like the Collins super-spreader.

        After all, a National MP (possibly Nicola Wills – I just thought her name was ‘idiot’) was saying that in an unmasked parliament, that the MPs should only be 2 metres apart. Where do National find these people?

        That is the now out-dated distance for people with masks. Mallard was probably wrong for setting it to 5 metres – as he said that was a compromise – 10 metres is the safe unmasked distance. Unfortunately viruses tend to use the no-compromise strategy.

        But seriously – where do these extremely scientifically thick National MPs come from?

        • Clive Macann 5.1.1.1
          31 August 2021 at 5:41 pm

          Louise Upston whinged about the 5m distance.

          • lprent 5.1.1.1.1
            3 September 2021 at 12:50 am

            Ah thanks. I scanned the article … Don't even know who Upston is.

            Scanned her wikpedia page and was astonished to see that she has been in Parliament since 2008. Looks like she might be a local MP – that Taupo electorate is huge. I can't see how Lake Karapiro can be in the Taupo electorate – but it does look like it must be.

            Otherwise she looks like a dead weight for National.

    • Treetop 5.2
      31 August 2021 at 11:13 am

      I would give Collins the platform to show what substance she is made of when it comes to the uncertainty of the Delta strain. There would be one condition, to abide by all the level restrictions once in Wellington.

      I would like to know more about the parliament bubbles.

  6. Ad 6
    31 August 2021 at 10:00 am

    If we get a fresh infection number in the 40s today Collins is pretty sunk.

    Hang in there Judith you're just what the country needs from the Opposition right now.

    • Ad 6.1
      31 August 2021 at 1:35 pm

      49

      Pretty hard to attack success like that.

      Go Prime Minister Ardern.

    • Koff 6.2
      31 August 2021 at 1:37 pm

      49 today, bye bye Judith then?

      • Incognito 6.2.1
        31 August 2021 at 1:45 pm

        Of course, it is bye bye, Judith. But her farewell party will have to wait until the social distancing rules are relaxed to the National Caucus preference of 25 m and full-on head-protective gear with in-build leak detectors. They are such a tight-knit team.

        • solkta 6.2.1.1
          31 August 2021 at 1:54 pm

          incontinence helmets.

          • Incognito 6.2.1.1.1
            31 August 2021 at 2:01 pm

            Are they any good for verbal diarrhoea and brain farts? Padding is highly recommended too for when they do the compulsory group crush at the end of each Caucus meeting. You can tell the relief on the faces of National MPs when they make it out alive and their eyebrows still intact.

    • Clive Macann 6.3
      31 August 2021 at 5:42 pm

      49 today. So it's dropping every day.

  7. Graeme 7
    31 August 2021 at 10:03 am

    This is wedge politics by the happy clappy wing of National. If Parliament can sit, then churches can worship. Anything more than Level 1 fucks their cashflow.

    Could also be a gross overreach

  8. Red Blooded One 8
    31 August 2021 at 10:04 am

    and it was only a few days ago that we were questioning accusations from the right (yes D___d that was you) that Jacinda wasn't competent to run DEMOCRACY via Zoom. Turns out the Troglodytes are in National and Act, now having to get less opportunity to ask questions because of their stubborn adherence to oppose at all costs.

  9. Tiger Mountain 9
    31 August 2021 at 10:04 am

    The PM was blunt about her view of Collin’s intransigence on RNZ this morning.

    Hopefully “the public” will see this NZ National behaviour for exactly what it is. They are still sculling from an infinity keg of sour grape juice. The Greens and Māori Party at least have displayed some principle.

    The rest of us use zoom, and as Micky points out, so did the Epidemic Response Committee which Collins wants back! Why doesn’t she just drive to Wellington like Soymun did…

    • tc 9.1
      31 August 2021 at 11:11 am

      I thought she hung them out to dry over this in the covid 4pm update.

      Smiling all the time calmly explaining the situation.

  10. Reality 10
    31 August 2021 at 10:16 am

    Suspect Judith is wanting some media limelight on her and a few cameras around. Must choke on her cup of tea each time the PM is on TV and she misses out. The editorial in today's Dominion Post is worth reading and puts Michael Woodhouse in the dog box. After his childish toilet seat antics last year, his homeless man and divulging private information, he is not worthy of any respect.

    • Tiger Mountain 10.1
      31 August 2021 at 10:20 am

      Good. The filth some of those Nats came out with in 2020 should not be allowed to vanish down the memory hole.

  11. Patricia Bremner 11
    31 August 2021 at 10:31 am

    She has removed obstacles in her party to the point where she is left with the dregs and a very poor piece of timber holding up her political house. She has white anted herself and her party. It is so obvious, even her party supporters are critical.

  12. mike 12
    31 August 2021 at 10:38 am

    The trouble with a digital parliament at question time is that National can't shout the whole place down. In the house they barrack as a substitute for pithy interjection, sneering and poopooing ad infinitum and clapping like seals if they think they've scored a point. Tragic.

    Their last government of proven incompetents has morphed into a rump circus of cackling dumbos. Totally lowest common denominator this lot.

  13. Pete 13
    31 August 2021 at 10:42 am

    According to the sitting calendar for Parliament the sitting dates for July were the 1st, 6th, 7th and 8th.

    I don't think the world ended. I don't remember back then hearing a cacophony and baying at the moon from Collins or other politicians, Mike Hosking or their braindead supporters about that meaning the end of democracy. Nor caterwauling that the government was avoiding scrutiny.

    "She had better perform spectacularly well?" It isn't some sort of show but credit to Collins and Co. for making everything into a circus. 'Smarmin' & Bayly' or 'Jerk de the Spiel' ?

  14. Grant 14
    31 August 2021 at 11:24 am

    Jerk du cercles?

  15. Robert Guyton 15
    31 August 2021 at 12:07 pm

    Essential workers wear masks – I wonder what style Judith will choose? I'm thinking clown or zombie, but others might have more vivid imaginations.

  16. Enough is Enough 16
    31 August 2021 at 12:15 pm

    Why is this happening? Judith doesn't have any control of parliament?

    • Gosman 16.1
      31 August 2021 at 12:31 pm

      Except the way Parliament's business committee works is usually via consensus. It is a vital part of our democracy and one I would hope you wouldn't want the government to ride rough shod over. You might like that to happen at this point in time but imagine if the political party you support is in opposition and the government of the day decides to manage parliamentary business in the way it likes without reference to anyone else.

      • Nordy 16.1.1
        31 August 2021 at 12:55 pm

        Thanks for confirming the govt is doing the right thing (as it has done consistently), unlike the rabble that is the opposition.

  17. Incognito 17
    31 August 2021 at 12:39 pm

    The Prima Donna doth protest too much.

  18. Poission 18
    31 August 2021 at 12:54 pm

    Its airborne.(it travelled 20 metres)

    In 1906 M.H. Gordon, after gargling a liquid culture of S. marcescens, recited passages from Shakespeare to an audience of agar plates in an empty House of Commons. He had been commissioned to study the atmospheric hygiene of the House after an epidemic of influenza had appeared among its members. Gordon recovered colonies of pigmented S. marcescens from agar plates, demonstrating that speech, as well as coughing and sneezing, could project bacteria into the air. He reportedly suffered no ill effects from the experiment.

    http://www.antimicrobe.org/h04c.files/history/serratia.asp

  19. Maurice 19
    31 August 2021 at 1:54 pm

    Surely with Labour's majority Parliament is completely unnecessary and legislation can simply be put in place without the House being involved at all?

  20. Jake 20
    31 August 2021 at 2:10 pm

    Please tell me the names of the members of the Business Cttee, and how they voted

  21. coreyjhumm 21
    31 August 2021 at 2:26 pm

    She's living in our fantasy world. Collins is on another planet.

    As angry,disappointed heartbroken and at times disgusted with the current governments inaction on housing mental health and poverty and the rage their vaping regulations and threats of putting mean people in jail give me and many others

    This insane parliament sitting has made me stop hating the labour party and remember I hate the nats more. Utterly reckless and disgraceful to have parliament sit physically.

    I am mad that Ardern as PM didn't just use her powers to stop this, I think the internal polling must be bad she can stop us vapers from buying quit smoking products at dairys and stop everyone from going to work but refuses to use her constitutional powers to have parliament sit .. somethings up there …

    But I will never forget the risk national and act have put the country in just for point scoring. Utter trash people.

    I was entertaining the idea of voting act purely on free speech and vaping as labour and the greens don't care about poor people or housing or anything that's not a woke upper middle class cause and so I was going to abandon the left after being a lefty my entire adult life… but I don't want these reckless idiots in

    Now I want a lab/top or lab/nzf govt.

    Which is progress from me wanting labour out of power completely.

  22. Patricia Bremner 22
    31 August 2021 at 2:58 pm

    yes

  23. dv 23
    31 August 2021 at 4:13 pm

    National leader Judith Collins has pressed Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on whether higher vaccination rates would have shortened the lockdown, as Parliament returns

    GEEZ

    Vaccination helps to reduce the affect of the virus on the individual.

    IT DOES NOT stop transmission.

    • Andre 23.1
      31 August 2021 at 5:00 pm

      On a population level, the vaccine does not stop transmission, but it greatly reduces transmission. So if JuDarth were actually asking questions in good faith rather than just trying for some political cheap shots, it would have been a fair question.

      Against the Delta variant, the Pfizer vaccine has real world effectiveness of roughly 75% in preventing infection for those fully vaccinated. That simple reduction in the number of people that get infected from an infection source directly translates to reduction in transmission at the population level and any outbreaks dying off sooner.

      There's also the matter that the breakthrough infections that do happen tend to be shorter than the infection duration in unvaccinated people, which is also likely to reduce transmission, but I haven't yet seen anything that puts numbers to that.

      To put rough hand-wavy numbers to it, if the Delta variant has R0 around 6 in a completely naive population (as New Zealand effectively was until May-ish), then in a 25% vaccinated population R0 would be roughly 5, in a 50% vaccinated population R0 would be around 3.8, in a 100% vaccinated population R0 would be 1.5.

      Note that the R0 being above 1.5 even in a fully vaccinated population means that further infection control measures such as ongoing mask use, social distancing, minimising potential superspreader events etc will still be needed to bring R effective below 1 so that outbreaks die out instead of growing.

      It also means that there is no chance of achieving herd immunity from vaccination alone. Everyone will be exposed to the virus at some point, the question for the vaccine hesitant is whether they want face the virus having received the protection of the vaccine, or face it with a naive untrained immune system with attendant much higher risk of severe disease or even death.

      https://www.ndm.ox.ac.uk/files/coronavirus/covid-19-infection-survey/finalfinalcombinedve20210816.pdf (big pdf of actual report with raw data and good graphs)

      https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2021-08-19-vaccines-still-effective-against-delta-variant-concern-says-oxford-led-study-covid (summary for general reading)

    • Tricledrown 23.2
      1 September 2021 at 11:21 am

      Check out Israel's latest covid outbreak returning to normal is not going to happen.Aucklands hospitals are already overstretched with just 40 patients.

      Collins grow up behaving like lord haw haw is treasonous to our country and our woefully underfunded health system which your Natinal Party largely caused tax cuts making it difficult to fund properly.

  24. Paul 24
    31 August 2021 at 8:12 pm

    Die Hard 3 is NOT a Christmas movie.

  25. peter sim 25
    31 August 2021 at 10:03 pm

    Given the junk yard that is now the national party the only possible alternative to JC is Simon Bridges.

    It will be interesting to see what the wealthy capitalists (including the downtrodden farmers (federated or not) choose to lead a "national" party,

    When they are not leading tractor led demonstrations about how badly they are treated

    None of them refused government handouts for wages and salaries. Some have had the decency to return the money, others, not.

    Boycott is an interesting word.

    • Maurice 25.1
      1 September 2021 at 9:47 am

      Perhaps we could all bring home to farmers out displeasure …. by stopping eating anything they produce?

      • Robert Guyton 25.1.1
        1 September 2021 at 12:02 pm

        Are the cropping farmers howling alongside of their livestocking bro's?

        • Patricia Bremner 25.1.1.1
          1 September 2021 at 2:28 pm

          Not as much Robert, but our tendency to overcrop one thing, avacado or grapes etc, which require large sources of water, often drawn from aquifers is a worry to many.

  26. Patricia Bremner 26
    1 September 2021 at 2:15 pm

    Judith is doing her "shift the blame" number."It's her not me!!" What a crock.

    What has Judith done to improve our covid experience? I can not think of one thing.

    Does she even talk to the scientists? Or does she rely on what is convenient for her? When asked if she had talked with the Samoan community she said she talks to her husband all the time!! He of the horrible facebook posts!!

    Then when challenged she shows what she wanted all along… to poke a decision from Jacinda she could moan about. Full of it!!

    Jacinda Ardern is way ahead of this failed politician.

    • Pete 26.1
      1 September 2021 at 2:54 pm

      What has Judith done to improve our covid experience? At least today she entertained me.

      Mostly I enjoyed her complaining that Ministers had their staff working in the lockdown. So did she want Parliament to operate? Does she want Ministers to operate or not?

      I suppose if you're going to look like a blue whale you may as well be all at sea.

  27. georgecom 27
    1 September 2021 at 7:17 pm

    least under level 4 conditions no one can get close enough to bury the knife in her back. I imagine JC feels some safety as nats leader under level 4

  28. swordfish 28
    1 September 2021 at 9:26 pm

    .

    Jesus, how depressing for a once vibrant forum … the dreary echo chamber banality of tribal / partisan politics … particularly when those tribal politics are geared exclusively towards the less than noble goals of (a) furthering the careers of a small cadre of highly privileged politicians & (b) enacting the dubious ideology of equally privileged Woke ideologues … how bout focussing on the more profound issues of the day rather than petty, pointless fluff like this … it's beginning to resemble a ritualised Catholic liturgy … Micky starts with the incantation "In the name of the Judith, and of the Simon, and of the Holy Spirit" to which the faithful answer with mindnumbingly predictable variations of "Amen."

    I mean, what's the bloody point ? … apart, of course, from engendering some kind of small-scale communal solidarity.

    Then again, maybe this petty dumbing down is simply an inevitable corollary of the ascendancy of New Middle Class Woke politics & the deadening effect their authoritarian "moral" policing exerts on the crucial debates of our time.

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    The unpopular coalition government is currently rushing to repeal section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act. The clause is Oranga Tamariki's Treaty clause, and was inserted after its systematic stealing of Māori children became a public scandal and resulted in physical resistance to further abductions. The clause created clear obligations ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago

  • Poll results and Waitangi Tribunal report go unmentioned on the Beehive website – where racing tru...
    Buzz  from the Beehive The government’s official website – which Point of Order monitors daily – not for the first time has nothing much to say today about political happenings that are grabbing media headlines. It makes no mention of the latest 1News-Verian poll, for example.  This shows National down ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago

  • Listening To The Traffic.
    It Takes A Train To Cry: Surely, there is nothing lonelier in all this world than the long wail of a distant steam locomotive on a cold Winter’s night.AS A CHILD, I would lie awake in my grandfather’s house and listen to the traffic. The big wooden house was only a ...
    Bowalley Road
    2 days ago

  • Comity Be Damned! The State’s Legislative Arm Is Flexing Its Constitutional Muscles.
    Packing A Punch: The election of the present government, including in its ranks politicians dedicated to reasserting the rights of the legislature in shaping and determining the future of Māori and Pakeha in New Zealand, should have alerted the judiciary – including its anomalous appendage, the Waitangi Tribunal – that its ...
    Bowalley Road
    2 days ago

  • Ending The Quest.
    Dead Woman Walking: New Zealand’s media industry had been moving steadily towards disaster for all the years Melissa Lee had been National’s media and communications policy spokesperson, and yet, when the crisis finally broke, on her watch, she had nothing intelligent to offer. Christopher Luxon is a patient man - but he’s not ...
    Bowalley Road
    2 days ago

  • Will political polarisation intensify to the point where ‘normal’ government becomes impossible,...
    Chris Trotter writes –  New Zealand politics is remarkably easy-going: dangerously so, one might even say. With the notable exception of John Key’s flat ruling-out of the NZ First Party in 2008, all parties capable of clearing MMP’s five-percent threshold, or winning one or more electorate seats, tend ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Bernard’s pick 'n' mix for Tuesday, April 30
    TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:30am on Tuesday, May 30:Scoop: NZ 'close to the tipping point' of measles epidemic, health experts warn NZ Herald Benjamin PlummerHealth: 'Absurd and totally unacceptable': Man has to wait a year for ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Why Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating in the country
    Bryce Edwards writes – Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Worst poll result for a new Government in MMP history
    Luxon will no doubt put a brave face on it, but there is no escaping the pressure this latest poll will put on him and the government. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Pinning down climate change's role in extreme weather
    This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler In the wake of any unusual weather event, someone inevitably asks, “Did climate change cause this?” In the most literal sense, that answer is almost always no. Climate change is never the sole cause of hurricanes, heat waves, droughts, or ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago

  • Serving at Seymour's pleasure.
    Something odd happened yesterday, and I’d love to know if there’s more to it. If there was something which preempted what happened, or if it was simply a throwaway line in response to a journalist.Yesterday David Seymour was asked at a press conference what the process would be if the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago

  • Webworm LA Pop-Up
    Hi,From time to time, I want to bring Webworm into the real world. We did it last year with the Jurassic Park event in New Zealand — which was a lot of fun!And so on Saturday May 11th, in Los Angeles, I am hosting a lil’ Webworm pop-up! I’ve been ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago

  • “Feel good” school is out
    Education Minister Erica Standford yesterday unveiled a fundamental reform of the way our school pupils are taught. She would not exactly say so, but she is all but dismantling the so-called “inquiry” “feel good” method of teaching, which has ruled in our classrooms since a major review of the New ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago

  • 6 Months in, surely our Report Card is “Ignored all warnings: recommend dismissal ASAP”?
    Exactly where are we seriously going with this government and its policies? That is, apart from following what may as well be a Truss-Lite approach on the purported economic “plan“, and Victorian-era regression when it comes to social policy. Oh it’ll work this time of course, we’re basically assured, “the ...
    exhALANtBy exhalantblog
    3 days ago

  • Bread, and how it gets buttered
    Hey Uncle Dave, When the Poms joined the EEC, I wasn't one of those defeatists who said, Well, that’s it for the dairy job. And I was right, eh? The Chinese can’t get enough of our milk powder and eventually, the Poms came to their senses and backed up the ute ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Why Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating in the country
    Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is higher than for any other mayor ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago

  • Justice for Gaza?
    The New York Times reports that the International Criminal Court is about to issue arrest warrants for Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, over their genocide in Gaza: Israeli officials increasingly believe that the International Criminal Court is preparing to issue arrest warrants for senior government officials on ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago

  • If there has been any fiddling with Pharmac’s funding, we can count on Paula to figure out the fis...
    Buzz from the Beehive Pharmac has been given a financial transfusion and a new chair to oversee its spending in the pharmaceutical business. Associate Health Minister David Seymour described the funding for Pharmac as “its largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff”. ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • FastTrackWatch – The case for the Government’s Fast Track Bill
    Bryce Edwards writes – Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Bernard’s pick 'n' mix for Monday, April 29
    TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:10am on Monday, April 29:Scoop: The children's ward at Rotorua Hospital will be missing a third of its beds as winter hits because Te Whatu Ora halted an upgrade partway through to ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on Iran killing its rappers, and searching for the invisible Dr. Reti
    span class=”dropcap”>As hideous as David Seymour can be, it is worth keeping in mind occasionally that there are even worse political figures (and regimes) out there. Iran for instance, is about to execute the country’s leading hip hop musician Toomaj Salehi, for writing and performing raps that “corrupt” the nation’s ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    3 days ago

  • Auckland Rail Electrification 10 years old
    Yesterday marked 10 years since the first electric train carried passengers in Auckland so it’s a good time to look back at it and the impact it has had. A brief history The first proposals for rail electrification in Auckland came in the 1920’s alongside the plans for earlier ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    3 days ago

  • Coalition's dirge of austerity and uncertainty is driving the economy into a deeper recession
    Right now, in Aotearoa-NZ, our ‘animal spirits’ are darkening towards a winter of discontent, thanks at least partly to a chorus of negative comments and actions from the Government Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Disability Funding or Tax Cuts.
    You make people evil to punish the paststuck inside a sequel with a rotating castThe following photos haven’t been generated with AI, or modified in any way. They are flesh and blood, human beings. On the left is Galatea Young, a young mum, and her daughter Fiadh who has Angelman ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • Of the Goodness of Tolkien’s Eru
    April has been a quiet month at A Phuulish Fellow. I have had an exceptionally good reading month, and a decently productive writing month – for original fiction, anyway – but not much has caught my eye that suggested a blog article. It has been vaguely frustrating, to be honest. ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    3 days ago

  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #17
    A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 21, 2024 thru Sat, April 27, 2024. Story of the week Anthropogenic climate change may be the ultimate shaggy dog story— but with a twist, because here ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago

  • Pastor Who Abused People, Blames People
    Hi,I spent about a year on Webworm reporting on an abusive megachurch called Arise, and it made me want to stab my eyes out with a fork.I don’t regret that reporting in 2022 and 2023 — I am proud of it — but it made me angry.Over three main stories ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    4 days ago

  • Vic Uni shows how under threat free speech is
    The new Victoria University Vice-Chancellor decided to have a forum at the university about free speech and academic freedom as it is obviously a topical issue, and the Government is looking at legislating some carrots or sticks for universities to uphold their obligations under the Education and Training Act. They ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Winston remembers Gettysburg.
    Do you remember when Melania Trump got caught out using a speech that sounded awfully like one Michelle Obama had given? Uncannily so.Well it turns out that Abraham Lincoln is to Winston Peters as Michelle was to Melania. With the ANZAC speech Uncle Winston gave at Gallipoli having much in ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • 25
    She was born 25 years ago today in North Shore hospital. Her eyes were closed tightly shut, her mouth was silently moving. The whole theatre was all quiet intensity as they marked her a 2 on the APGAR test. A one-minute eternity later, she was an 8.  The universe was ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • Fact Brief – Is Antarctica gaining land ice?
    Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park in collaboration with members from our Skeptical Science team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is Antarctica gaining land ice? ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago

  • Policing protests.
    Images of US students (and others) protesting and setting up tent cities on US university campuses have been broadcast world wide and clearly demonstrate the growing rifts in US society caused by US policy toward Israel and Israel’s prosecution of … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    5 days ago

  • Open letter to Hon Paul Goldsmith
    Barrie Saunders writes – Dear Paul As the new Minister of Media and Communications, you will be inundated with heaps of free advice and special pleading, all in the national interest of course. For what it’s worth here is my assessment: Traditional broadcasting free to air content through ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: FastTrackWatch – The Case for the Government’s Fast Track Bill
    Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its arguments for such a bold reform. ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    5 days ago

  • Luxon gets out his butcher’s knife – briefly
    Peter Dunne writes –  The great nineteenth British Prime Minister, William Gladstone, once observed that “the first essential for a Prime Minister is to be a good butcher.” When a later British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, sacked a third of his Cabinet in July 1962, in what became ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • More tax for less
    Ele Ludemann writes – New Zealanders had the OECD’s second highest tax increase last year: New Zealanders faced the second-biggest tax raises in the developed world last year, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) says. The intergovernmental agency said the average change in personal income tax ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Real News vs Fake News.
    We all know something’s not right with our elections. The spread of misinformation, people being targeted with soundbites and emotional triggers that ignore the facts, even the truth, and influence their votes.The use of technology to produce deep fakes. How can you tell if something is real or not? Can ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • Another way to roll
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.Share ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago

  • Simon Clark: The climate lies you'll hear this year
    This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Simon Clark. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). This year you will be lied to! Simon Clark helps prebunk some misleading statements you'll hear about climate. The video includes ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago

  • Cutting the Public Service
    It is all very well cutting the backrooms of public agencies but it may compromise the frontlines. One of the frustrations of the Productivity Commission’s 2017 review of universities is that while it observed that their non-academic staff were increasing faster than their academic staff, it did not bother to ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    6 days ago

  • Luxon’s demoted ministers might take comfort from the British politician who bounced back after th...
    Buzz from the Beehive Two speeches delivered by Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters at Anzac Day ceremonies in Turkey are the only new posts on the government’s official website since the PM announced his Cabinet shake-up. In one of the speeches, Peters stated the obvious:  we live in a troubled ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • This is how I roll over
    1. Which of these would you not expect to read in The Waikato Invader?a. Luxon is here to do business, don’t you worry about thatb. Mr KPI expects results, and you better believe itc. This decisive man of action is getting me all hot and excitedd. Melissa Lee is how ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago

  • The Waitangi Tribunal is not “a roving Commission”…
    …it has a restricted jurisdiction which must not be abused: it is not an inquisition   NOTE – this article was published before the High Court ruled that Karen Chhour does not have to appear before the Waitangi Tribunal Gary Judd writes –  The High Court ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Is Oranga Tamariki guilty of neglect?
    Lindsay Mitchell writes – One of reasons Oranga Tamariki exists is to prevent child neglect. But could the organisation itself be guilty of the same? Oranga Tamariki’s statistics show a decrease in the number and age of children in care. “There are less children ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Three Strikes saw lower reoffending
    David Farrar writes: Graeme Edgeler wrote in 2017: In the first five years after three strikes came into effect 5248 offenders received a ‘first strike’ (that is, a “stage-1 conviction” under the three strikes sentencing regime), and 68 offenders received a ‘second strike’. In the five years prior to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Luxon’s ruthless show of strength is perfect for our angry era
    Bryce Edwards writes – Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in politics. That’s refreshing and will be extremely ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • 'Lacks attention to detail and is creating double-standards.'
    TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the two days to 6:06am on Thursday, April 25:Politics: PM Christopher Luxon has set up a dual standard for ministerial competence by demoting two National Cabinet ministers while leaving also-struggling ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

  • One Night Only!
    Hi,Today I mainly want to share some of your thoughts about the recent piece I wrote about success and failure, and the forces that seemingly guide our lives. But first, a quick bit of housekeeping: I am doing a Webworm popup in Los Angeles on Saturday May 11 at 2pm. ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago

  • What did Melissa Lee do?
    It is hard to see what Melissa Lee might have done to “save” the media. National went into the election with no public media policy and appears not to have developed one subsequently. Lee claimed that she had prepared a policy paper before the election but it had been decided ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    6 days ago

  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #17 2024
    Open access notables Ice acceleration and rotation in the Greenland Ice Sheet interior in recent decades, Løkkegaard et al., Communications Earth & Environment: In the past two decades, mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet has accelerated, partly due to the speedup of glaciers. However, uncertainty in speed derived from satellite products ...
    Skeptical Science
    7 days ago

  • Maori Party (with “disgust”) draws attention to Chhour’s race after the High Court rules on Wa...
    Buzz from the Beehive A statement from Children’s Minister Karen Chhour – yet to be posted on the Government’s official website – arrived in Point of Order’s email in-tray last night. It welcomes the High Court ruling on whether the Waitangi Tribunal can demand she appear before it. It does ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    7 days ago

  • Who’s Going Up The Media Mountain?
    Mr Bombastic: Ironically, the media the academic experts wanted is, in many ways, the media they got. In place of the tyrannical editors of yesteryear, advancing without fear or favour the interests of the ruling class; the New Zealand news media of today boasts a troop of enlightened journalists dedicated to ...
    Bowalley Road
    7 days ago

  • “That's how I roll”
    It's hard times try to make a livingYou wake up every morning in the unforgivingOut there somewhere in the cityThere's people living lives without mercy or pityI feel good, yeah I'm feeling fineI feel better then I have for the longest timeI think these pills have been good for meI ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago

  • “Comity” versus the rule of law
    In 1974, the US Supreme Court issued its decision in United States v. Nixon, finding that the President was not a King, but was subject to the law and was required to turn over the evidence of his wrongdoing to the courts. It was a landmark decision for the rule ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago

  • Streamlining Building Consent Changes
    The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says.      “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 hours ago

  • Minister acknowledges passing of Sir Robert Martin (KNZM)
    New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    16 hours ago

  • Speech to New Zealand Institute of International Affairs, Parliament – Annual Lecture: Challenges ...
    Good evening –   Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    16 hours ago

  • Accelerating airport security lines
    From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    18 hours ago

  • Community hui to talk about kina barrens
    People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    24 hours ago

  • Kiwi exporters win as NZ-EU FTA enters into force
    Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Mining resurgence a welcome sign
    There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill passes first reading
    The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Government to boost public EV charging network
    Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure.  The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Residential Property Managers Bill to not progress
    The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Independent review into disability support services
    The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Justice Minister updates UN on law & order plan
    Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Ending emergency housing motels in Rotorua
    The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Trade Minister travels to Riyadh, OECD, and Dubai
    Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Education priorities focused on lifting achievement
    Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • NZTA App first step towards digital driver licence
    The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say.  “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Supporting whānau out of emergency housing
    Whānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Tribute to Dave O'Sullivan
    Racing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave O’Sullivan (OBE). “Our sympathies are with the O’Sullivan family with the sad news of Dave O’Sullivan’s recent passing,” Mr Peters says. “His contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Speech – Eid al-Fitr
    Assalaamu alaikum, greetings to you all. Eid Mubarak, everyone! I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and everyone celebrating this joyous occasion. It is a pleasure to be here. I have enjoyed Eid celebrations at Parliament before, but this is my first time joining you as the Minister ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Government saves access to medicines
    Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced Pharmac’s largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff.    “Access to medicines is a crucial part of many Kiwis’ lives. We’ve committed to a budget allocation of $1.774 billion over four years so Kiwis are ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Pharmac Chair appointed
    Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Taking action on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
    Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says.  “Every day, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • New sports complex opens in Kaikohe
    Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Diplomacy needed more than ever
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges.    “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Anzac Commemorative Address, Buttes New British Cemetery Belgium
    Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service.  It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Anzac Commemorative Address – NZ National Service, Chunuk Bair
    Distinguished guests -   It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders.   Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Anzac Commemorative Address – Dawn Service, Gallipoli, Türkiye
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