My personal view is that Labour’s on the ground game and Michael Wood’s far superior standing as a candidate in comparison to Parmar will mean that Labour will win this seat comfortably.
It is not often I will go out on a limb and say this but the impression that I have received from on the ground is pretty strong.
Hope you’re correct, but regardless of competence, the party vote last time in Mt Roskill was overwhelmingly National, Goff’s majority went down considerably and whether you like it or not there are many on the right who regard Goff as one of them. Things mightn’t go to plan for Labour.
I sincerely hope you’re right ms. You usually are. A string of injuries on and off this year left me unable to physically participate in the byelection. Please keep us informed as the results roll in. Thanks.
Looks like you called it right. With each result coming in his lead is extending more and more. National are now coming up with all these excuses for not being able to take the seat from what they have tried to paint as a weak Labour Party. The fact they had more party votes for National in the seat last election should have seen this as a close race right down to the wire and not Labour pulling further and further away.
Why is Wood far superior?, compared to Parmars skill set he looks very average, no decent qualifications, no real skills or experience, looks like another head office bot who brings very little value to Parliament.
At least with Parmar you get a bit of diversity instead of another white bread lackey.
Bah – “skills and work experience”. Like it’s a job interview where that sort of stale empty language is treated seriously.
What matters in a politician is a a moral vision. See – Key hasn’t got one of those but BM could witter on endlessly about his “skills and work experience”. All those skills and all that experience directed at totally pointless and socially useless ends for the greater glory of Merrill Lynch. Spare me.
You haven’t had the experience of watching Michael (or Julie for that matter) working. They aren’t mucheck on being flashy. But they are smart and dedicated to whatever they are working on and focused on whoever they are working for.
I looked at Parmar and her quals, work experience, and exposure to the electorate and concluded she was that’s as soon as she was in the running.
Basically it was the difference between being a politician for selfies in the way that Key promoted her campaign and being a good politician. Parmar simply doesn’the have the experience to do things like to tell Key to piss off out of a LOCAL electorate or at least to actually be helpful in what he did do.
Nice try. The problem, of course, with putting an incumbent list MP up as your candidate is that voters have a parliamentary skill set to assess. And on that score Parmar has been a very average MP. Add to that the massive fail over Wood’s fabricated “assault” early on in the campaign and I reckon it’s safe to say her parliamentary days are numbered.
If labour wins in a landslide, it’ll be portrayed as business as usual and nothing for national to worry about. Anything else however will trigger another round of hyper critical bully pile ons by the governments sycophants in the corporate media.
With 25% of the vote counted, Wood is picking up 2 votes for every 1 Parmar has. I didn’t follow the campaign closely, but she didn’t seem to be a very impressive candidate.
Meanwhile, in the Uk’s Richmond Park By-Election a couple of days ago, failed Tory London Mayoral candidate and former Conservative MP, Zac Goldsmith, loses his seat, with the Lib Dems pulling off one of the most spectacular political upsets of recent years and denting the Conservatives’ narrow majority in the House of Commons into the bargain.
Lib Dem candidate Sarah Olney overturned Goldsmith’s massive 23,000 majority, at last year’s general election, to win by 1,800 votes.
Richmond Park Labour voters doing what Labour voters used to do in 1990s Uk By-Elections in Blue areas where the Lib Dems had historically come second … voted strategically en masse .
Ha-Haaa, What’s the bet Young Master Farrar and chums will be busy spinning the notion that Labour’s majority has been slashed !!! from 8,100 to a mere 6,500 (in the process, ignoring the steep fall in turnout).
Being that this was always going to be a Labour victory (sitting government yada yada) the victory for National has been the amount of money Labour has had to spend on this campaign which means less for the general election and its not like Labour has money to spare anyway
Was it always going to be a Labour victory? National were making positive noises early on, they sure thought they had a chance and their proxies in the media were pumping it as much as they could. But, let’s face it, it was another pretty terrible by-election campaign from Stephen Joyce.
I could be wrong but as I understand it no sitting Government had ever won a by-election in a seat it did not already hold and if I know this then I’m pretty sure National HQ knew it as well
I think this whole exercise was designed to get Labour to spend money it didn’t need to on a by-election it was always going to win
So all you have to do is calculate how much money Labour has which by all accounts isn’t much and subtract the cost of the by-election which normally it wouldn’t have needed to spend as much on and suddenly they have even less money to spend on the general election
You seem fixated by the money? Well how much did Trump have to spend compared to Clinton? And how did that work out?
Give over bro, this was another disastrous by-election campaign from National. They squandered a real good chance to restore their parliamentary majority.
I don’t think I claimed it was a new dawn for anybody actually, but I do think it shows a fragility for National going into next year that’s not being reflected in opinion polling at the moment. Their brand is starting to get a bit dulled and even the PM can’t rescue a dud candidate. He spent most of last week telling us that a poor result would be terminal for Little’s leadership. Well that didn’t happen. All things being equal this is a loss for National given that they won the party vote in this seat at the last election.
In the 2014 general election, Goff won with 55.8% of electorate votes.
Even if you account for the lack of a Green candidate in the by-election and assume every single Green voter turned out for Wood, (in reality it’s unlikely that’s the case) Coates only got 5% of the vote in the general election. That means Wood turned out an extra 4.5% of the vote at minimum. He did very well in the electorate, and it bodes well for the General Election IMO.
(although arguably, Parmar was a terrible candidate who didn’t do a good job at empathy and social intelligence, but that’s like, half of the National caucus anyway…)
Whatever factors you consider as in play here, Wood turned out a lot of supporters for a by-election.
Nobody said it was a new dawn – you are doing the straw man thing again.
It’s simply what happens when someone decent, personable and pretty smart goes up against an absolutely horrible candidate who looks and sounds aggressive and self-seeking.
or alternatively you could view it as the largest sample and most representative poll carried out this year ….800 odd telephone calls of dubious worth don’t compare to this swing.
If you are concerned that they have none to spare you could donate some. You sound like a fair-minded sort of guy, why not even the game up a bit? All good eh?
Oh wait – you actually want it to be unfairly tipped in favour of the party with the wealthiest supporters. Maybe that’s your definition of democracy – wealthy people buying influence and success?
It is appropriate to add both the Labour and Green votes together specifically because the Greens did not stand a candidate. Otherwise the percentage swing to Labour would be even greater than the 7% given above., more like 9.5%. And that larger figure would be statistically less accurate.
So go ahead choose which swing you want. Me, I’ll stick with 7%.
It’s actually conservative to add both percentages together and then compare with the Labour result in the by-election, as not all Green electorate voters will have crossed over. (some of the people specifically vote for Green candidates because they won’t ever vote for a Labour candidate, for instance) It’s likely the delta is more than that.
It suggests we could see a bigger party vote for Labour in Auckland next year if they do anywhere near as well as they did in the by-election.
I certainly liked his reaction to Parmar’s husband bad mouthing Julie Farley. I thought, now that is the sort of guy Labour needs to stick it to those Tory assholes.
I’m surprised National didn’t put more effort into this. If all the current polling we’re getting treated to is correct and going on the last election in this seat they could have managed something here with the right candidate and some well thought out overtures to Mt Roskill electors. It would have been an easy way to restore their majority in the House. The fact they didn’t suggests that, perhaps, it’s not quite as rosy on that side of politics as we’re lead to believe. Or maybe Stephen Joyce is just an idiot?
Heavily contesting this election by National could have been seen as a dummy run for next year’s general election. Trouncing Wood would have given a great story to say that there is no alternative and that the actual election was done and dusted. Sucking Labour into this approach would have seen it have too invest more in the Mt Roskill campaign. (What would have the Green Party done? Help Labour financially?). Making it more difficult in the general election campaign.
But this election was not played that way. National seems to have misjudged by flying in a candidate against a local. Perhaps internal polling showed it always to be losing.
Even so, the story of National sleepwalking to a 4th term is disturbed. A 7% Labour/Green swing is enough to throw the 2017 election way open.
national put in a big effort john key campaigned in mt roskill for 7 days parmjeet parmer had hording everywhere they thought they were going i win but labour had hundreds of activists door knock today getting there voters out and it worked i think there was even greens helping as well make no mistake national has taken a real thumping to night
No it’s reflecting the total lack of empathy that Key and many in his party are displaying to our country
High house prices No wage increases and a general lack of security for your and your families future
I’d just like to pause here and thank the electoral commission, who run our elections with a quiet, democratic efficiency that Americans can only dream about.
Is anyone able to fill me in on what happened today please? Some sort of protest, electoral commission doing a follow up on something. Thankies.
Congrats Michael Wood 🙂 good work, boots on the ground pays off big time, big up’s to all involved, well done you fellas, really proud of everyone’s efforts, team work, awesomeness.
yeah…struggling to come up with a suitably pithy comment for the look on one of those faces…best is along the lines of ‘some village has lost its idiot’….
There you see ….. dissing Labour has started already – despite previous Nat gloating at the start of the by-election that (a) Wood would get nowhere near the Goff majority of 6000 and (b) boundary changes made it less likely Wood would win !
Hi Jenny, knowing you can get a little bit hysterical I should point out my post was in no way dissing Labour at all. I’m excited for Michael and so pleased also that at last Andrew has had the opportunity to finally experience a night out celebrating a win at electoral level.
I have never read anything resembling hysteria from Jenny Kirk. Quite the opposite. Perhaps if you had expressed your claimed pleasure at Michael’s win, then Jenny and others (including me) wouldn’t have concluded you were dissing Labour.
Putting your rather sexist use of the term ‘hysterical’ to one side I would have thought it was National who were a little bit desperate to experience a night out celebrating a win at electoral (by-election) level?
Haha. Don’t get your panties in a bunch Scott. No sexism intended in my comment. If you have deemed hysterical as indicating ala femine I’d suggest you need to get out and meet more men 😉
Hi Hanwort. I was inferring that the low turnout is probably attributed to people not seeing a bi-election as important as a general election. And by the way…that’s exactly how it works. Please feel free to google turnouts for bi-elections per electorate versus turnout for general election per electorate.
Except that isn’t that a massive fail on National’s part? since they thought they were in for a chance and winning this would have restored their majority in the House for the rest of this parliament?
With the fact National had a majority in the party votes last election in this seat it should have been a much closer race coming down to the wire for Labour even with a low turnout. National is going on about how weak of a party Labour is via their many mouth pieces and tame MSM. This shows just how much of a lie that is. Far from being week, Labour is stronger than ever.
All credit to Michael Wood and all the people who got stuck in and made the result what it is.
But it can’t only be about personalities. With Northland showing how the regions think and Roskill as an indicator for Auckland, surely BM can’t be the only one doing BMs tonight.
Woohoo! Congratulations, Michael Wood, and if you’re reading this, congratuiations Julie Fairey – from the news reports it looked like you had to bite your tongue through some near-lethal levels of bullshit from various people and news media during this campaign.
Matthew Hooton @MatthewHootonNZ
That’s a terrible result by Parmar in #MtRoskill. @AndrewLittleMP safe to election. Parmar won’t be heard of again. #nzpol
7:39 PM – 3 Dec 2016
If everyone who voted for the Government in Mt Roskill at the 2014 General Election (ie those Party-Voting Nat / ACT / Maori / UF / Cons) had given their support to National’s Parmar at this By-Election … and if all 2014 Opposition Party voters (Lab / Green / IMP / NZF) had voted for Wood, then the % would have been:
Don’t get your hopes up. Parmar was an awful candidate. Different in a General once Key pops out a few “akshullys” for the delight of the punters. Nobody is going to extrapolate by asking the question of why such a horrible candidate found a natural home in the National Party.
there are a multitude of horrible candidates, many of them Ministers however it is the movement AWAY from government support that is telling….it is larger than could reasonably be expected from the usual by election bias and this is from a background of supposed increasing gov support and weak opposition according to recent polling.
Does it indicate a general election result? obviously not but it certainly casts (more) doubt on the veracity of the polls
Phil phoned my Mum on her 09-627 number.
The “electorate office” called back on same day – tell us more about your concerns.
Very well done Mt Roskill Labour Machine !
My Mum, historically Labour !!, and despite Subgen corruption and too many marbles – astute.
Boom!!
Congrats to Michael Wood MP and to the wider Labour team. This result helps to vindicate Goff’s decision to stand aside and run for mayor, and it’s notable how many mayors of our major cities either ran on a Labour ticket or had strong Labour links. Of course, turnout is lower for those elections, too, but the motivated people vote.
Now Labour needs to look at pulling in more of the less motivated. There was someone on this site a day or two ago taunting people about being a swinging voter and saying she had more power than people with fixed political values. She was being bloody annoying, but she was also right, to a certain extent. Some people will always vote Labour/left, and those people need to be valued and to see their values reflected in the policies and decisions of the party, but not at the cost of attracting Mr and Ms In-the-Middle. Clark understood that (and got criticised for not being radical enough) – but over the course of three terms she and her team achieved a lot for NZ as a whole and for vulnerable NZers in particular. Key has also understood it and (though I can’t stand him) he’s managed to take the centre voters with him.
Interesting side note: Was in the Zookeepers Daughter last night and his royal ponytail puller came in with his canditate. Now it’s the first time, I’ve seen him avoid parts of the room. Yeah there was the usual people wanting photos with him, but those who looked like they did real work for a living, he ignored. Also funny quite a few hateful glears at him. Again unusual, for the royal ponytail puller, normally it’s league fans, and queer folk who give him shit.
Our cornor was ignored, could have been the wee ditty – we got 29 reason to hate key, don’t seal them up — that rang out a few times.
Dear oh dear !, They’re not taking this slap-in-the-face terribly well over at Kiwiblog.
A few comments from that highly-esteemed organ:
Actually the PM has better things to do with his time than try and pander to the losers who live in the shithole called Mt. Roskill.
The General Election will be won in places that are populated by people with a degree of intelligence.
How many Mt Roskill residents didn’t let their wives out to vote.
very changed demographics in the new seat of ‘Mt. Somalia’, apathy by the diminishing number of Nats who still live in the bloody dump, not really a surprise..
There you go, Mt Roskill … that’s National Voters’ frank, unvarnished, sincerely-held view of you and your family.
These people are the real National party ,the same people selling the brighter future the biggest con job since the Decent Society in 1990 to New Zealanders.
The people they rely on to support them are the ones with the lack of intelligence.
I am glad this is in full view and for everyone to see & access (and respond to). There also is a point to make in favour of online anonymity. For some people it can be liberating and cathartic to express their views online and others love to wallow in ‘filth’; each to their own or should that be live and let live?
I agree, but it does give Labour a much-needed taste of ‘winning’, which is a boost to morale and confidence that cannot be underestimated. I hope it will re-calibrate some of the MSM as well.
I think Labour is heading into a very challenging and exciting year; if they can maintain a sense of humour and fun they’ll pull through o.k. I also think Andrew Little has a calming and stabilising & consolidating effect on the Labour caucus, which is perhaps not too surprising given his background.
“It does give Labour a much-needed taste of ‘winning”’
Indeed.
Nevertheless, while I also agree Labour is heading into a very challenging year, at this stage, there is little for them or voters to be excited about.
Policy to date is lacking and failing to resonate while their delivery requires a lot of improvement.
Therefore, unless they got something new to pull out of their hat which they can deliver well and get voters excited, they are going to be in a heap of trouble come election day.
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Chantal Denise Pagel, Auckland University of Technology; Mark Orams, Auckland University of Technology, and Michael Lueck, Auckland University of TechnologyThree people were injured last month in separate humpback whale encounters off the Western Australia coast. The incidents happened during snorkelling tours on Ningaloo Reef when swimmers came too close ...
Den Of Thieves: They describe themselves, and the money-making rackets they dignify with the name of church, “Christian”, but these ravening wolves are no such thing. The essence of the Christian faith is the giving of love – not the taking of money. It is about opening oneself to the ...
David Pomeroy, University of Canterbury; Kay-Lee Jones, University of Canterbury; Mahdis Azarmandi, University of Canterbury, and Sara Tolbert, University of CanterburyAcademic streaming in New Zealand schools is still common, but according to recent reports it is also discriminatory and racist. Also known as tracking, setting and ability grouping, streaming ...
A New Holy-Day: Perhaps, by accepting this gift of Matariki from the first arrivals in Aotearoa, we late arrivals, shorn of our ancestors’ outlandish fleeces, can draw strength from the accumulated human wisdom of our adopted home. Perhaps, by celebrating Matariki, we can learn to take ownership of our colonial ...
If there was any doubt left, we can surely call it now. Time and date. End of. Finito. Perhaps you thought you saw a flickering eyelid or a finger move? You were wrong. Labour has given up on tax reform for the foreseeable future. One of the key remaining left/right ...
Will the rich get richer under Labour’s latest tax policy? Based on the analysis in reaction to yesterday’s announcement, the answer would seem to be yes. The consensus from commentators is that inequality and severe economic problems will remain unchanged or even be made worse by Labour’s new policy. Although ...
Labour has released its energy policy, and its basicly business as usual: bring forward the 100% renewable target to 2030, build pumped storage if the business case stacks up, restore the thermal ban and clean car standard (but not the feebate scheme), and spread a bit of money around to ...
What's wrong with Labour? The end of yesterday's RNZ health debate says it all: Do you have private health insurance? Reti: "I do." Hipkins: "Yes, I do." Hipkins is Minister of Health. But it turns out that he won't be waiting in the queue with the rest ...
McKayla HollowayThe helicopter carries a team of four Lakes380 scientists and me; we hug the Gneiss rock walls that tower over Lake Manapouri. It’s arguably one of New Zealand’s most well-known lakes – made famous by the ‘Save Manapouri’ campaign of the 1970s. My chest is drawn back into ...
Rainy-Day Man: Is Labour’s tax policy a disappointment? Of course it is! But it’s the best the Traditional Left is going to get. Why? because Labour’s pollsters are telling them that upwards of 200,000 women over the age of 45 years have shifted their allegiance from National to Labour. (Where else, ...
When we last left our intrepid Drow Rogue, he was sitting in a tavern with his companions, only for a crazy Paladin to burst in, and start screaming about the Naga. It soon turned out that ...
Slight tweak to New Research Articles in NR are categorized by domain, roughly. This introduces the problem of items that don't neatly fit in one slot, or that have significance in more than one discipline (happily becoming more frequent as the powerful multiplier of interdisciplinary cooperation is tapped more frequently). ...
Today AstraZeneca pushed the pause button on its late-stage trials of a COVID-19 vaccine. A clinical trial participant has experienced a serious health event and an investigation is underway to determine the cause. What does it mean? A cautious approach – trials can halt to assess safety data With over ...
Kaya Klop-Toker, University of Newcastle; Alex Callen, University of Newcastle; Andrea Griffin, University of Newcastle; Matt Hayward, University of Newcastle, and Robert Scanlon, University of NewcastleOn an island off the Queensland coast, a battle is brewing over the fate of a small population of goats. The battle positions the ...
Dr Ben Gray* This blog discusses what will be needed to operationalise the End of Life Choice Act in the event that it is approved at referendum. It argues that this will take significant resources. Judging by the experience in Oregon it is likely that this may only benefit ...
The Green Party has released its Thriving Oceans Plan, which would dramatically increase marine protected areas and ban bottom trawling on seamounts. ...
It was another busy week out on the campaign trail, with Labour focused on jobs, training, and supporting Kiwi workers. As we continue to roll out our five-point plan for recovery, we’re investing in our people, businesses, communities and vital services, so we can keep our economy moving as we ...
Our regions are a vital part of our economic recovery plan. They’re home to innovative and creative businesses, and the backbone of our export economy - which is why Labour will continue to support our regions to grow as together, we rebuild better. ...
National’s ‘alternative budget’ that includes huge cuts to the government’s operating allowance would risk gutting critical public services, and put health, education and nature at dire risk. ...
Data released this week shows that, while New Zealand is not immune to the economic impacts of the global pandemic, our strong health response has meant we’ve been able to get our economy going faster than many other countries. ...
This year’s election is on 17 October - and it’s coming up fast! With one month to go until Election Day, we’ve come up with 17 ways you, your friends and family can get involved in our campaign and help Labour keep New Zealand moving. ...
PREFU has given a good insight into what was required to ensure New Zealanders were largely supported to continue work and remain healthy during COVID-19, but it is clear we need additional revenue raising measures ongoing, Green Party Co-leader James Shaw said today. ...
The Green Party is disappointed with the Labour Party’s decision to reverse their three free years education policy and back down on their commitment to postgraduate student allowances. ...
In the first two years of our term in Government, we gave teachers record pay rises as a way of recognising the lack of adequate adjustments over the previous decade and the significant role they play in the lives of children and young people. We also increased the number of ...
Labour has a proud history of supporting working New Zealanders, whether through the implementation of the 40hr work week or the introduction of the Working for Families package. ...
The Green Party welcome Labour’s commitment to extend the living wage to Government contractors, but will push for Fair Pay Agreements across industries in the next Government so more New Zealanders can earn a dignified income. ...
The Green Party is urging the Government to act on its commitment to te reo Māori, by making it a core subject up to year 10, and including te reo courses in the Targeted Training and Apprenticeships scheme. ...
We're officially back to the campaign for the 2020 General Election. The campaign may look a little different this year, but our candidates are still getting out and about in their communities and spreading the word about how another term of Labour will keep New Zealand moving in the right ...
You might have heard a bit of discussion about Government debt lately, as experts weigh in on the COVID-19 economic recovery. If you’re wondering why it’s such a contested topic, or even if you’re unsure of what Government debt actually is, then read on - we’ve got you covered! ...
The Green Party has released its Farming for the Future Plan, including a $297m fund to support farmers and growers to transition to climate-friendly practices. ...
We believe every New Zealander deserves the chance to make an informed decision on Election Day. We’ve answered some of the most common questions on our 2020 tax policy, including how much money will be raised from our new top tax rate, and how this will be used to control ...
The Green Party says Labour’s energy policy is a step in the right direction, but the Greens would go further and faster to meaningfully tackle the climate crisis. ...
All this tax talk leaving you a bit dazed and confused? Read below to find out more about our progressive tax system and what Labour's policy means for you. ...
We’re committed to managing the Government’s books responsibly and keeping debt under control while supporting our people and our economy through the 1-in-100 year shock caused by COVID-19. ...
The Labour Party has moved towards more progressive income tax, but is not addressing the growing wealth gap and inequality in Aotearoa. Labour’s new revenue policy also doesn’t help pay for the necessary response to the COVID-19 crisis, Green Party Co-leader James Shaw said today. ...
As New Zealanders we are proud of who we are, what we stand for, and the way we weave together different worlds and cultures to create our unique national identity. ...
It is appalling and negligent that landlords are being encouraged to keep their properties cold and damp until after the election, as advised by the NZ Property Investors Federation, Green Party Co-leader Marama Davidson said today. ...
The Government will provide up to $1.69 million through the One Billion Trees programme to Māori landowners to make their whenua more productive through the planting of forests, both native and exotic, and improve economic and environmental outcomes, Forestry Minister Shane Jones has announced. “Around 1.5 million ha of land ...
People planning to head outdoors now have a resource that lets them know how accessible an area is for people with varying levels of mobility, Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage announced today. The Halberg Foundation, Sensibel, and the Department of Conservation (DOC) have launched Accessibel, a new tool which helps ...
One of the most significant battle sites of the 1860s Land Wars will receive $2.96 million from the Provincial Growth Fund to improve the site and help tell the New Zealand story to visitors, Māori Development Minister Nanaia Mahuta and Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones have announced. Nanaia Mahuta ...
The journey towards recognising Māori as an official language and taonga has been captured as a web series and launched today during Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, announced Associate Arts, Culture and Heritage Minister Carmel Sepuloni. “Te reo Māori is a living language, and understanding its significance, and pathways to ...
Today’s better-than-forecast GDP figures show the expected impact of the decision to act quickly to protect New Zealanders from the global COVID-19 pandemic. GDP fell 12.2% in the June quarter from March, reflecting decisions to close New Zealand’s borders and enter Alert Level 4. “This result was better than the ...
The Government is investing $39.7 Million over four years to support the educational needs of Pacific learners and families in the regions hardest hit by COVID-19, with Auckland getting an immediate boost, Associate Minister of Education Jenny Salesa says. “Like all New Zealanders Pacific families want learners to do well ...
New Zealand’s goal of 100,000 kiwi by 2030 is being helped by an extra $19.7 million in funding to accelerate iwi and community efforts to protect kiwi, Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage announced. “$19.7 million of Jobs for Nature funding is being invested in kiwi conservation activities including increased predator ...
Ensuring New Zealanders can get the best deal on their electricity takes a step in the right direction today with the South Island launch of the EnergyMate pilot run by the Electricity Retailers’ Association, says Minister of Energy and Resources, Dr Megan Woods. EnergyMate is an industry-led programme providing coaching ...
Minister for Women Julie Anne Genter announced today that the Government has reached its target of 50 percent on women on state sector board and committees – setting a new record level of women on state sector boards. “This Government is committed to having more women in leadership roles - ...
Transport Minister Phil Twyford released today the final Government Policy Statement on land transport (GPS) 2021 which outlines the planned $48 billion investment in services and infrastructure over the next decade. “The final GPS supports our Government’s five-point plan for economic recovery by confirming our record investments in transport infrastructure ...
Three ambitious and cutting-edge research programmes that will lift New Zealand’s advanced energy technology research capability over seven years, have been supported by Government today, says Research, Science and Innovation Minister Megan Woods. The projects will each receive a share of $40.7 million investment from the Strategic Science Investment Fund. ...
The critical area for forensic examination known as Pit Bottom in Stone has been reached in what is a major milestone for the Pike River re-entry project, Minister Responsible for Pike River Re-entry Andrew Little announced. “The infrastructure located in Pit Bottom in Stone is of very significant interest in ...
The Government is working on how New Zealand’s retirement income policies and settings can best support Kiwis in light of the COVID-19 economic recovery, with the help of the Retirement Commissioner’s latest review, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Kris Faafoi said. “The Retirement Commissioner’s three-yearly review into New Zealand’s retirement ...
A new digital hub and development centre in Murupara will be instrumental in growing the region’s productivity, said Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau at the official opening of two community initiatives today. “I’m pleased to be here celebrating a significant milestone for two projects set to make a ...
PREFU shows economy doing better than forecast Unemployment to peak at 7.8%, down from 9.8% forecast in the Budget Year-to-June accounts show tax revenue, debt and OBEGAL better than forecast Global forecast downgraded as COVID-19 second waves and uncertainty grows Balanced plan to support critical public services, manage debt and ...
The Kāpiti Coast town of Ōtaki will receive $1.4 million in Government funding for two projects providing scores of jobs for locals while improving community facilities, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones has announced. The Māoriland Charitable Trust will receive a $900,000 Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) grant to upgrade the ...
The Provincial Growth Fund will provide $11.88 million to fund fencing and waterway projects nationwide that will improve the environment and create jobs in their communities, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones has announced. “These projects will create more than 100 jobs nationwide with work starting within the next couple ...
As part of the COVID-19 recovery, the Government has strengthened its procurement rules to ensure its annual $42 billion spend creates more jobs, uses more sustainable construction practices and results in better outcomes for Māori and Pasifika, Government Ministers announced today. Economic Development Minister Phil Twyford says the $42 ...
The Government is supporting a major upgrade of Timaru’s iconic Theatre Royal and the construction of a new connected Heritage Facility museum and exhibition space with $11.6 million from the Government’s Infrastructure Fund, Jacinda Ardern announced today. “We heard the call from the community and the council. The Theatre Royal ...
Chrissy Montague (formerly Armstrong), barrister of Auckland has been appointed as a District Court Judge with Family Court jurisdiction to be based in Wellington, Attorney-General David Parker announced today. Ms Montague commenced practice in Auckland in 1987 and went into general practice dealing with Wills, Estates, Trusts, Conveyancing, Relationship Property ...
A Proposal to provide for the development and operation of commercial film and video production facilities in areas of Christchurch has been given the go ahead. Hon Poto Williams, Associate Minister for Greater Christchurch Regeneration, has approved the Proposal, which was prepared and submitted by Regenerate Christchurch. Minister Williams ...
As part of the Government’s focus on building closer partnerships with Māori and enhancing the quality of, and access to, Māori medium education, a payment of $8 million will be made to Te Wānanga o Raukawa in partial recognition of its Waitangi Tribunal claim (WAI 2698), Associate Education Minister Kelvin ...
The Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage has announced a $19 million investment over four years in an important forest restoration project involving a partnership between the Department of Conservation, iwi/hapū, the Bay of Plenty and Waikato Regional Councils, community conservation groups and organisations such as Forest and Bird across the ...
New Zealand will be the first country in the world to require the financial sector to report on climate risks, the Minister for Climate Change James Shaw announced today. The changes build on the huge progress this Government has made to tackle the climate crisis. “Today is another step on ...
Economic activity across the Auckland region and the country bounced back to levels experienced under Alert Level 1 following Auckland’s move out of Alert Level 3, analysis in the Treasury’s latest Weekly Economic Update shows. The analysis of economic data since Auckland’s move out of Level 3 shows: Auckland card ...
Takiri mai te ata, ka ao, ka ao, ka awatea, tihei mauriora! Tātou katoa ngā iwi o Aotearoa, tēnā koutou! Tēnā tātou e whakanuia ana i te wiki nei, te wiki o te reo Māori Greeting to you all from Otepoti, Dunedin. This week is the Māori Language week and ...
More mental health and addiction services are available for young New Zealanders in Rotorua and Taupō, Wairarapa, South Canterbury, Dunedin and Southland from next month, Health Minister Chris Hipkins and Associate Health Minister Julie Anne Genter say. “The Government is serious about making sure New Zealanders struggling with mental health ...
The Manuherekia catchment in Central Otago is the third exemplar catchment to be targeted as part of the Government’s plan to clean up waterways by supporting community-led programmes. Environment Minister David Parker said the Manuherekia catchment is vitally important to the people of Central Otago. “The Manuherekia rises in the ...
The Government has agreed on a preferred design for the new Dunedin Hospital featuring two separate buildings, and has provided funding for the next stages of work. Minister of Health Chris Hipkins says Cabinet has approved in principle the detailed business case for the new hospital, giving people in ...
New Zealanders across the country are set to mark history as part of the Māori Language Week commemorations led by Te Taura Whiri i te reo Māori this year. Māori Development Minister, Nanaia Mahuta says the initiative will mark history for all the right reasons including making te reo Māori ...
More than 1000 teachers, support staff and school leaders have graduated from a programme designed to grow their capability to use te reo Māori in their teaching practice, as part of the Government’s plan to integrate te reo Māori into education, Associate Education Minister Kelvin Davis announced today. Being trialled ...
The Minister for Pacific Peoples, Aupito William Sio, says the Toloa Tertiary Scholarships which aims to encourage more Pacific student numbers participating and pursuing STEM-related studies in 2021, are now open. “These tertiary scholarships are administrated by the Ministry for Pacific Peoples (MPP), and are part of MPP’s overall Toloa ...
Four Bay of Plenty timber businesses will receive investments totalling nearly $22 million through the Provincial Growth Fund to boost the local economy and create jobs, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones has announced. Rotorua-based sawmill Red Stag Wood Solutions will receive a $15 million loan to develop an engineered ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has announced that New Zealand is exploring the viability of working with partners to conduct a search for the black box on the Gulf Livestock 1. “We know how much it would mean to the families of those on the ship to understand more about ...
Infrastructure Minister Shane Jones has today announced the Government is supporting the creation of new marine infrastructure in northern Te Tairāwhiti on the North Island’s East Coast. The Government has approved in principle an allocation of up to $45 million to support the construction of a marine transport facility at ...
E Epineha. Ka tangi te iwi, ki a koe e ngaro nei i te kitenga kanohi. Kua mokemoke to whānau, to iwi, te motu whanui. Haere ki o matua, tipuna. Haere ki te okiokinga tuturu mo te tangata. Haere i runga i te aroha o ngā reanga kei muri i ...
Catch limits will be increased for 26 fisheries and reduced for three fisheries as part of a regular round of reviews designed to ensure ongoing sustainability of fisheries resources. Fisheries Minister Stuart Nash has announced decisions following a review of catch limits and management controls for 29 fish stocks. The ...
The Sport and Recreation Minister Grant Robertson says while it is disappointing the Rugby Championship will not be held in New Zealand, the country will host two Bledisloe Cup games in October and has the capacity in managed isolation facilities to host other international sporting events. “We offered flexible quarantine ...
Up to 350 more people in regional New Zealand will gain a pathway to trades training through a $14 million government investment in apprenticeships, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones announced today. The apprenticeships are part of the $40 million Regional Apprenticeship Initiative (RAI) announced in June. The funding comes ...
A Government brokered solution to the parking woes at Christchurch Hospital will deliver more than 1000 new car parks near the Hospital for staff and visitors while also ensuring the completion of the Metro Sports Facility, say Minister for Christchurch Regeneration, Dr Megan Woods. The new parking package is made ...
The lockdowns have required significant sacrifice, but Covid-19 has served us with a timely reminder of how interconnected we all are, writes Chris Farrelly of the Auckland City Mission.Amid this global pandemic, we witness the power and importance of community. Put simply, we have seen that our own efforts are ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bruce Bradbury, Associate Professor, Social Policy Research Centre, UNSW This week, support to unemployed Australians will be dramatically reduced. In April, the new Coronavirus Supplement roughly doubled the level of benefits for unemployed people on the JobSeeker payment and a range of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexandra Wake, Program Manager, Journalism, RMIT University From today, ABC local radio listeners will no longer hear the majestic fanfare theme on local radio at 7:45am, signalling the 15-minute morning news. Although it might seem a smart managerial decision to reduce reporting ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Annette Cowie, Adjunct Professor, University of New England Federal Energy Minister Angus Taylor is on Tuesday expected tooutline the Morrison government’s first Low Emissions Technology Statement, plotting Australia’s way forward on climate action. It’s likely to include “negative emissions” technologies, which ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alberto Posso, Professor of Economics, RMIT University Closing schools has been one response around the world to try to stop the spread of COVID-19. In Australia, states mandated an end to face-to-face learning for some time during the so-called first wave of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tebeje Molla, Research Fellow, Deakin University For disadvantaged people with disrupted educational trajectories, such as refugees, vocational qualifications can widen access to paid jobs and enhance economic independence. But many still consider vocational education and training (VET) qualifications not as prestigious as ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jessica Vredenburg, Senior Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Marketing, Auckland University of Technology So-called brand activism is evolving fast. When Colin Kaepernick first knelt during the US national anthem in 2016, professional football turned its back on him. Now, consumer and sports fan ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tony Makin, Professor of Economics, Griffith University The financial response of Western governments to the COVID-19 crisis has been gargantuan, with boosts to health expenditure, enhanced JobSeeker-like payments, and JobKeeper-like wage subsidies to keep workers attached to jobs. While a strong response ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nick Richardson, Adjunct Professor of Journalism, La Trobe University Of all the words written about Rupert Murdoch, “boring” is not one of them. The media mogul has been the object of fascination for six decades, after he followed his father Sir Keith ...
Welcome to The Spinoff’s Election Live for September 21, bringing you the latest on election 2020 and other NZ news. The essential campaign dates are here. For all you need to know about the cannabis referendum click here. For the assisted dying referendum click here. Explore the parties’ pledges at Policy. I’m ...
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Fonterra gets back into the black, National’s economic plan derailed by accounting blunder, and Air NZ boss questions continuing with elimination strategy.To lead off today, one of the most important single numbers for the rural economy. Fonterra has announced a payout ...
Some of the safest parliamentary seats in the country are about to be taken over by newbies. They're sure things, anointed by their parties, waiting for the public's stamp of approval. In the latest in an occasional series, Marc Daalder speaks to public health expert Ayesha Verrall who, fresh off a ...
It was trash talk of a constructive nature during a political debate about the country's waste problem, including a hike in landfill levies hoped to fund better waste infrastructure Politicians put forward their policies for dealing with New Zealand’s growing waste problem in an online debate. Per capita we have ...
Fresh-faced and 14, our new national surfing champion initially struggled under the weight of the title. But with a new mindset, Ava Henderson is looking forward to claiming more crowns, she tells Anna Willcox. In the months after being crowned the New Zealand women’s surf champion, Ava Henderson didn’t like it. ...
National tried to go high-tech in its virtual campaign launch - but it was a far less sophisticated mathematical error which overshadowed Judith Collins, Sam Sachdeva writes As far as political humiliations at Avalon Studios go, Paul Goldsmith didn't quite match the time Rodney Hide dropped his Dancing with the Stars ...
Protecting 30 percent of our oceans by 2030 was one of a raft of marine plans announced by the Green Party Bans of bottom trawling in the Hauraki Gulf and a dramatic increase in the amount of protected marine areas are part of the Green Party's vision for oceans. Green ...
In this second of a series on the party leaders on the campaign trail, Tim Murphy joins the Greens' Marama Davison on a Sunday street corner in Glen Innes Marama Davidson and her offsider doubled the numbers when they arrived at the third of her four street corner campaign stops in ...
Covid-19 has put sign language in the public eye this year, but the fight to have it recognised as a 'real 'l language continues This week is New Zealand Sign Language Week, to coincide with the International Week of the Deaf and the United Nations International Day of Sign Languages ...
It was trash talk of a constructive nature during a political debate about the country's waste problem, including a hike in landfill levies hoped to fund better waste infrastructure Politicians put forward their policies for dealing with New Zealand’s growing waste problem in an online debate. Per capita we have ...
All week this week we focus on an extraordinary book of essays by Iranian-born Auckland film-maker Ghazaleh Golbakhsh. Today: her tale of a wandering Persian exile The Shah of Grey Lynn walks in front of me, his body long and lean, his head hung low. A shah is similar ...
Misinformation about the effectiveness of the test is swirling, but in fact the PCR is both reliable and critical in taking on the virus, explains Siouxsie Wiles.I’ve been asked by several people in recent days whether there is any truth to a video about the Covid-19 PCR test that is ...
Let’s put tax at the core of this election. Sharing wealth is how we share care and responsibility for this land and all of the people in it, writes Laura O’Connell Rapira.It’s election season in the middle of a pandemic and global economic crisis. These are strange times we find ...
A look at the three elements that make up the TV election debate - the broadcaster, the moderator, and the politician. They come around every three years. Everything from the studio sets and the position of the podiums, to the colour of the ties, is carefully thought out; and then ...
By Keith Jackson The trend is your friend, it is said, and the trend in counting votes for the next president of Bougainville remains firmly with former Bougaiville Revolutionary Army commander Ishmael Toroama, who continues to move ahead of the field. With the elimination of the 14th presidential candidate late ...
A Government plan to charge people for emergency housing like motels was derailed by Covid-19, but will now come into effect two days after the election. ...
Thank you for your kind welcome. I am so proud to lead this great National Party in our first-ever virtual campaign launch. It is a bittersweet day. We should all be here together. But we all know why we aren’t. The rhetoric never matches the ...
Judith Collins’ hopes of kicking the National 2020 campaign into gear were stalled by an embarrassing accounting error, writes Justin Giovannetti from the Hutt Valley.Today was the day the National Party’s election campaign was finally going to start rolling with momentum after a belated campaign launch. Instead, festivities were overshadowed ...
It’s been revealed that an upcoming novel by the Harry Potter author features a crossdressing serial killer. In the last several years Joanne “JK” Rowling has doubled, tripled, and as of last week, quadrupled down on her bigotry towards transgender people, both in her public statements and in her popular fiction. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kcasey McLoughlin, Senior Lecturer in Law, University of Newcastle Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death has generated an outpouring of grief around the globe. Part of this grief reflects her unparalleled status as a feminist icon and pioneer for women in the legal ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jared Mondschein, Senior Fellow & Senior Advisor, US Studies Centre, University of Sydney As the two sides in US politics begin jockeying for position following the passing of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the similarities to the 2016 presidential election are ...
The National Party has acknowledged it made a $4 billion error in its fiscal plan promising tax cuts to kick start the economy, after the anomaly was highlighted by Labour. ...
RNZ article today featured 'Truck crashes leave Auckland Harbour Bridge hobbled' clearly shows the massive cost of damages many of our highways drains, bridges and road surfaces by overuse of freight trucks all over NZ as the National Party recklessly ...
Kiwi politicians will face their toughest audience yet when they enter ‘a virtual hotseat’ hosted by a panel of the nation’s young people. Presented by Save the Children New Zealand and GirlGuiding New Zealand, the ‘Virtual Hotseat’ will ...
Today the Green Party announced their “Thriving Oceans Plan” to highlight their Ocean policies to build a thriving ocean. Every single life on our planet is dependent on the ocean. It’s one of the world’s greatest resources. It produces food and ...
The Taxpayers’ Union says that if Labour had done what it had promised and introduce an independent election policy costing office, the current confusion over National’s numbers would never have happened. Union Spokesman, Jordan Williams, says: “The ...
Child abuse advocacy group, Child Matters, is frustrated that calls to make Police vetting and child protection training mandatory for everyone who works with children have gone unheard Child Matters Chief Executive, Jane Searle, says while changes ...
Greenpeace is applauding the Greens marine policy, released today, saying it sets a strong vision for healthy and thriving oceans. Jessica Desmond, oceans campaigner at Greenpeace Aotearoa, says she’s pleased to see the Greens take a big picture ...
Ko au te moana, ko te moana ko au. I am the sea. The sea is me. Kia ora koutou katoa. Our moana is a taonga. Take care of our oceans and the oceans will take care of us. They are the lifeblood of our planet. A home to thousands ...
Greens to protect Aotearoa’s oceans with marine sanctuaries, bottom trawling and set-netting restrictions, and action against plastic The Green Party has released its Thriving Oceans Plan, which would dramatically increase marine protected areas ...
The Green Party will end bottom impact trawling, dredging, and Danish seining in the Hauraki Gulf, as part of its Thriving Oceans Plan. Green Party Co-leader and Tamaki Makaurau candidate Marama Davidson said today: “So many New Zealanders love ...
A basic error has left a $4 billion gap in National’s economic plan, Labour Finance spokesperson Grant Robertson says. “If National can’t even do the basics required on their own policy costings, they cannot be trusted to run the country. Making mistakes ...
For her Loading Docs short Going Home, film-maker Ashley Williams paid tribute to her late uncle Clive by learning to fly.Some people say I was brave to fly. I tell them my Uncle Clive was the one who had courage.He was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer at the age of ...
As if the UK doesn’t have enough trouble negotiating Brexit with the European Union, it has now entered the US presidential election campaign. Democrat candidate Joe Biden says there will be “no US-UK free trade agreement” if London tampers with the exit arrangements over Northern Ireland. House speaker Democrat Nancy ...
After the second lockdown came to Auckland, Nick Atkinson dusted off and spruced up his bicycle, touring from Pukekohe to Otorohanga.Two bikes slowly rusted in the back yard. One seized up completely, the other possibly salvageable. The traffic had dried up for periods this year and many Aucklanders took to ...
Charges have been laid over historic offending at Dilworth, but former students say it could be just the beginning, writes the NZ Herald’s Isaac Davison in this Herald Premium article.Two years ago, a former Dilworth School student approached the school with a warning.The old boy – a victim of alleged ...
“Early results from ACT’s Debt Destroyer suggest most New Zealanders are more fiscally responsible than Grant Robertson and want to reduce Government spending,” says ACT Leader David Seymour. “ACT launched the Debt Destroyer last week, an interactive ...
New Zealand's semi-official poet laureate Victor Billot pens topical verse every Sunday. Today: Billy Te KahikaConnecting the dots Good evening all! I hope you don’t easily scare. For what I will tell you will pin back your ears. I’m Billy T K (Junior), servant of truth. I’m all about ...
Welcome to The Spinoff’s Election Live for September 20, bringing you the latest on election 2020 and other NZ news. The essential campaign dates are here. For all you need to know about the cannabis referendum click here. For the assisted dying referendum click here. Explore the parties’ pledges at Policy. 7.15am: National ...
In the second of a weekly election diary, National's Hutt South MP Chris Bishop enjoys the culinary delights of the south and prepares for the party's fiscal plan launch. Labour MP Deborah Russell will also contribute each week. Trite but true: it’s been a funny old election campaign. Level 2 for ...
As the Māori Party prompts debate around whether New Zealand should be officially named Aotearoa, Professor Kerry Howe examines our common usage and understanding of the term Should the name New Zealand be replaced by, or co-exist with Aotearoa? For Aotearoa, is it widely assumed, is the original ‘indigenous name’ for ...
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Mt Roskill by election 
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My personal view is that Labour’s on the ground game and Michael Wood’s far superior standing as a candidate in comparison to Parmar will mean that Labour will win this seat comfortably.
It is not often I will go out on a limb and say this but the impression that I have received from on the ground is pretty strong.
Hope you’re correct, but regardless of competence, the party vote last time in Mt Roskill was overwhelmingly National, Goff’s majority went down considerably and whether you like it or not there are many on the right who regard Goff as one of them. Things mightn’t go to plan for Labour.
I sincerely hope you’re right ms. You usually are. A string of injuries on and off this year left me unable to physically participate in the byelection. Please keep us informed as the results roll in. Thanks.
Good on you Mickey for getting out there and doing the work on election day.
+100 Mickey
Looks like you called it right. With each result coming in his lead is extending more and more. National are now coming up with all these excuses for not being able to take the seat from what they have tried to paint as a weak Labour Party. The fact they had more party votes for National in the seat last election should have seen this as a close race right down to the wire and not Labour pulling further and further away.
Why is Wood far superior?, compared to Parmars skill set he looks very average, no decent qualifications, no real skills or experience, looks like another head office bot who brings very little value to Parliament.
At least with Parmar you get a bit of diversity instead of another white bread lackey.
Supporting racial diversity comment followed with a racial slur
There is a small group of commentators here whose level is so low, and the intent , obvious
I would say you’re at the absolute lowest level
Well done!
You honestly prefer Parmar?… 😆
She has an impressive list of achievements from being in parliament for 2 years. Yep… if anyone knows what they are send them on through…
I saw a head to head comparing her skills and work experiences to Woods.
She pisses all over him., so yeah I prefer Parmar.
She’s toast bro. National doesn’t like losers. She’ll be gone in no time.
Oh yes, please enlighten us on her work experiences as a scientist?
Ok, those skills and experiences have left such a great impression that no one seems to know what they are, they must be good.
Bah – “skills and work experience”. Like it’s a job interview where that sort of stale empty language is treated seriously.
What matters in a politician is a a moral vision. See – Key hasn’t got one of those but BM could witter on endlessly about his “skills and work experience”. All those skills and all that experience directed at totally pointless and socially useless ends for the greater glory of Merrill Lynch. Spare me.
Are we talking about the same Parmjeet?
You haven’t had the experience of watching Michael (or Julie for that matter) working. They aren’t mucheck on being flashy. But they are smart and dedicated to whatever they are working on and focused on whoever they are working for.
I looked at Parmar and her quals, work experience, and exposure to the electorate and concluded she was that’s as soon as she was in the running.
Basically it was the difference between being a politician for selfies in the way that Key promoted her campaign and being a good politician. Parmar simply doesn’the have the experience to do things like to tell Key to piss off out of a LOCAL electorate or at least to actually be helpful in what he did do.
Nice try. The problem, of course, with putting an incumbent list MP up as your candidate is that voters have a parliamentary skill set to assess. And on that score Parmar has been a very average MP. Add to that the massive fail over Wood’s fabricated “assault” early on in the campaign and I reckon it’s safe to say her parliamentary days are numbered.
he won and whats her name lost and got totally walloped
He’s got the brains not to be a National Party member?
Parmar shows all the signs of the Dunning-Kruger effect. But, we shouldn’t be surprised, that’s the case for all National candidates.
http://i.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/87120705/live-mt-roskill-byelection
Labour surges into lead…. let it be, let it be!
If labour wins in a landslide, it’ll be portrayed as business as usual and nothing for national to worry about. Anything else however will trigger another round of hyper critical bully pile ons by the governments sycophants in the corporate media.
http://www.electionresults.govt.nz/by2016/
With 25% of the vote counted, Wood is picking up 2 votes for every 1 Parmar has. I didn’t follow the campaign closely, but she didn’t seem to be a very impressive candidate.
http://www.electionresults.govt.nz/by2016/
Wood leads with 28% of vote counted
Meanwhile, in the Uk’s Richmond Park By-Election a couple of days ago, failed Tory London Mayoral candidate and former Conservative MP, Zac Goldsmith, loses his seat, with the Lib Dems pulling off one of the most spectacular political upsets of recent years and denting the Conservatives’ narrow majority in the House of Commons into the bargain.
Lib Dem candidate Sarah Olney overturned Goldsmith’s massive 23,000 majority, at last year’s general election, to win by 1,800 votes.
Richmond Park Labour voters doing what Labour voters used to do in 1990s Uk By-Elections in Blue areas where the Lib Dems had historically come second … voted strategically en masse .
Now, back to Mt Roskill …
Zac Goldsmith is a crap candidate wherever he stands…
hi scott, i hear he is now playing in waikato….
So, at this stage, roughly:
Wood (Lab) 64%
Parmar (Nat) 30%
Wood currently doing even better than suggested by Labour’s Internal Mt Roskill poll – which had Wood 58 / Parmar 28
just a thought…assume neither CB nor RM did any publicly released polls for the by election?
No. Pretty sure just Labour’s (publicly-released) Internal of Mt Roskill.
(although you can bet the Nats got Farrar to do them one)
Blimey !!! with 50% counted … Now
Wood (Lab) 67%
Parmar (Nat) 27%
This is just a good old-fashioned drubbing.
64% counted
Wood (Lab) 66%
Parmar (Nat) 28%
79% counted
Wood (Lab) 67%
Parmar (Nat) 27%
Things aint gonna change too much from here on in …
Ha-Haaa, What’s the bet Young Master Farrar and chums will be busy spinning the notion that Labour’s majority has been slashed !!! from 8,100 to a mere 6,500 (in the process, ignoring the steep fall in turnout).
2014 Election
Goff (Lab) 57%
Parmar (Nat) 32%
.
2016 By-Election
Close to 100% counted
Wood (Lab) 67% … + 10
Parmar (Nat) 27% … – 5
Provisional Final Result
(% valid votes)
Wood (Lab) … 66.46%
Parmar (Nat) … 27.67%
Majority … 6518
How about the other candidateside.
Anyone know what the Electoral Commission has done with the 2014 election results? I can’t find it on their changed website.
http://electionresults.govt.nz/ redirects to the by-election.
http://www.elections.org.nz/events/past-events/2014-general-election
Yeah I saw that, I just can’t see the actual 2014 results on that page. Can you please give a direct link?
Sorry. Overall results are at http://archive.electionresults.govt.nz/electionresults_2014/
Mt Roskill in particular is at http://archive.electionresults.govt.nz/electionresults_2014/electorate-28.html
Thanks! Did you find that off the front page?
Getting a fresh face into parliament will be really good for Labour!
Lighten up , guys… itll be all right on the night….
Lighten up , guys,… itll be all right on the night…
What is the NAP party? – coming last
NAP=Not a Party
Ah. Thanks.
Also, Not a Prayer in hell’s chance of winning
Being that this was always going to be a Labour victory (sitting government yada yada) the victory for National has been the amount of money Labour has had to spend on this campaign which means less for the general election and its not like Labour has money to spare anyway
Was it always going to be a Labour victory? National were making positive noises early on, they sure thought they had a chance and their proxies in the media were pumping it as much as they could. But, let’s face it, it was another pretty terrible by-election campaign from Stephen Joyce.
I could be wrong but as I understand it no sitting Government had ever won a by-election in a seat it did not already hold and if I know this then I’m pretty sure National HQ knew it as well
I think this whole exercise was designed to get Labour to spend money it didn’t need to on a by-election it was always going to win
So all you have to do is calculate how much money Labour has which by all accounts isn’t much and subtract the cost of the by-election which normally it wouldn’t have needed to spend as much on and suddenly they have even less money to spend on the general election
Or not.
You seem fixated by the money? Well how much did Trump have to spend compared to Clinton? And how did that work out?
Give over bro, this was another disastrous by-election campaign from National. They squandered a real good chance to restore their parliamentary majority.
If you think that this heralds a new dawning for the Labour party then good on you, I don’t think it will but only time will tell
I don’t think I claimed it was a new dawn for anybody actually, but I do think it shows a fragility for National going into next year that’s not being reflected in opinion polling at the moment. Their brand is starting to get a bit dulled and even the PM can’t rescue a dud candidate. He spent most of last week telling us that a poor result would be terminal for Little’s leadership. Well that didn’t happen. All things being equal this is a loss for National given that they won the party vote in this seat at the last election.
4500 votes is very fragile.
yes but the turnout was half of a general election, that 4500 is equivalent to 9000 with twice the number of people voting
Wood won with 66.3% of the preliminary count.
In the 2014 general election, Goff won with 55.8% of electorate votes.
Even if you account for the lack of a Green candidate in the by-election and assume every single Green voter turned out for Wood, (in reality it’s unlikely that’s the case) Coates only got 5% of the vote in the general election. That means Wood turned out an extra 4.5% of the vote at minimum. He did very well in the electorate, and it bodes well for the General Election IMO.
(although arguably, Parmar was a terrible candidate who didn’t do a good job at empathy and social intelligence, but that’s like, half of the National caucus anyway…)
Whatever factors you consider as in play here, Wood turned out a lot of supporters for a by-election.
Nobody said it was a new dawn – you are doing the straw man thing again.
It’s simply what happens when someone decent, personable and pretty smart goes up against an absolutely horrible candidate who looks and sounds aggressive and self-seeking.
or alternatively you could view it as the largest sample and most representative poll carried out this year ….800 odd telephone calls of dubious worth don’t compare to this swing.
t
If you are concerned that they have none to spare you could donate some. You sound like a fair-minded sort of guy, why not even the game up a bit? All good eh?
Oh wait – you actually want it to be unfairly tipped in favour of the party with the wealthiest supporters. Maybe that’s your definition of democracy – wealthy people buying influence and success?
Haha its all about the money? This is by far the cheapest successful by election I have ever seen.
Dude, you did note that at the last election the party vote in that electorate was National didn’t you?
This should have been a shoe in for National.
Call it now it is all over. It is a thumping.
well done.
Farrar is pretending it isn’t happening…
Hah, he’s trumping.
Farrar’s post is actually very gracious.
The comments afterwards seem to be associated with a great deal of dyspepsia though.
http://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2016/12/wood_wins_huge.html#comments
Sword Fish whats the latest numbers ?
Here is a repeat of the link Carolyn_nth put up: http://www.electionresults.govt.nz/by2016/
60% counted and Wood way in the lead.
http://i.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/87120705/live-mt-roskill-byelection
Interesting tweets. Major sour grapes from John Key and Parmjeet Parmar. Matthew Hooten with his usual nasty tail sting for Andrew Little.
Olwyn’s link and see my comments above
Thanks got it.
So much for the media saying it was going to be an upset National win with Andrew Little gone by Monday lunchtime.
Why are my posts vanishing?
[random bug that drops some comments into moderation – weka]
Another 1000 votes counted and it’s going to be all over.
67/28 to labour 64% count
looks like wood will get a bigger % of the vote than Goff
Good Lord it is a shellacking…
Labour! Labour! Labour!
It’s all over bar the champagne corks popping.
Tracey Watkins where are you when we need you??
You won’t get nowt of her till the dust has safely settled.
So far Labour is polling at 67% of the vote. Last election Labour Green combined was 59.6% of the vote. At least a 7% swing to Lab/Green.
Not quite, the Green Party did not stand a candidate this time.
It is appropriate to add both the Labour and Green votes together specifically because the Greens did not stand a candidate. Otherwise the percentage swing to Labour would be even greater than the 7% given above., more like 9.5%. And that larger figure would be statistically less accurate.
So go ahead choose which swing you want. Me, I’ll stick with 7%.
It is a resounding win, that’s for sure.
I don’t what is or is not appropriate but these are the facts:
In 2014 Phil Goff got 56.5% and Barry Coates 5.1% and together 61.6%.
In 2016 Michael Wood gets 66.5% (to be confirmed).
It’s actually conservative to add both percentages together and then compare with the Labour result in the by-election, as not all Green electorate voters will have crossed over. (some of the people specifically vote for Green candidates because they won’t ever vote for a Labour candidate, for instance) It’s likely the delta is more than that.
It suggests we could see a bigger party vote for Labour in Auckland next year if they do anywhere near as well as they did in the by-election.
At 82.1% of the vote counted, Wood’s lead over Parmar is 5017. Looks like he will equal Goff’s 8000 majority.
Congratulations to Michael Wood. Some of us picked him for big things 5 -10 years ago.
I certainly liked his reaction to Parmar’s husband bad mouthing Julie Farley. I thought, now that is the sort of guy Labour needs to stick it to those Tory assholes.
Don’t take any shit from the Nats!!!
Julie Fairey. 😉
I think somebody claimed here on TS that Mt Roskill was not a Labour stronghold but a Goff stronghold. Well, now it is a Wood stronghold 🙂
Instead of heading bush Michael is off to parliament.
Congratulations to the whole Labour team and well done Michael.
A glimmer of light now forward to next year.
Labour ” Its Time ” !
I’m surprised National didn’t put more effort into this. If all the current polling we’re getting treated to is correct and going on the last election in this seat they could have managed something here with the right candidate and some well thought out overtures to Mt Roskill electors. It would have been an easy way to restore their majority in the House. The fact they didn’t suggests that, perhaps, it’s not quite as rosy on that side of politics as we’re lead to believe. Or maybe Stephen Joyce is just an idiot?
It wasn’t National’s by-election to win but Labour’s to lose.
I’d like to say that I respect how Phil Goff managed to keep ‘his nose clean’ in this by-election that would have meant much to him.
Heavily contesting this election by National could have been seen as a dummy run for next year’s general election. Trouncing Wood would have given a great story to say that there is no alternative and that the actual election was done and dusted. Sucking Labour into this approach would have seen it have too invest more in the Mt Roskill campaign. (What would have the Green Party done? Help Labour financially?). Making it more difficult in the general election campaign.
But this election was not played that way. National seems to have misjudged by flying in a candidate against a local. Perhaps internal polling showed it always to be losing.
Even so, the story of National sleepwalking to a 4th term is disturbed. A 7% Labour/Green swing is enough to throw the 2017 election way open.
Watch out for all the spin that will hit the msm.
national put in a big effort john key campaigned in mt roskill for 7 days parmjeet parmer had hording everywhere they thought they were going i win but labour had hundreds of activists door knock today getting there voters out and it worked i think there was even greens helping as well make no mistake national has taken a real thumping to night
“…Or maybe Stephen Joyce is just an idiot..?”
Occam’s razor favours this…
Ta Gristle. On a percentage basis it will be at least equal to Goff. But:
watch the MSM make a big thing of the fact his majority was 2500 (or whatever) less than Goff’s. The inference – he’s an inferior candidate.
It looks like its going to be a great result, Anne. And I don’t think the MSM or Mr Key will like it one little bit !
No it’s reflecting the total lack of empathy that Key and many in his party are displaying to our country
High house prices No wage increases and a general lack of security for your and your families future
I’d just like to pause here and thank the electoral commission, who run our elections with a quiet, democratic efficiency that Americans can only dream about.
Wow, less than 30% turnout…
Coming as it has 3 weeks before Xmas… it was always going to be a low turnout.
Which should give Labour a solid 15,000+ majority in the general election then.
Yes, dismal!
Is this your version of the missing million voters?
Is anyone able to fill me in on what happened today please? Some sort of protest, electoral commission doing a follow up on something. Thankies.
Congrats Michael Wood 🙂 good work, boots on the ground pays off big time, big up’s to all involved, well done you fellas, really proud of everyone’s efforts, team work, awesomeness.
Watery nats sun rising tomorrow.
What’s the bet that the msm will be suggesting that it is time for key to step down due to National’s dismal performance in the bye-election.
Whats the bet the MSM will downplay the win saying he failed to reach the 8000 majority of Goff.
And low turnout will be added in.
Key…Akshully it was a safe Labour seat we did not expect to win.
Good to see my old electorate has used their common sense and elected a great guy for the seat and the party.
Go Woodsy Go !!
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11759940
Parmar and Joyce looking like one of their’s dog just savaged the other’s cat…
and
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/87120705/live-mt-roskill-byelection
Woods looking pleased, if a little humble…
Jolly good show!
Yeah but whats with the happy grin on Paula Pullyerbenefits face , then?
She seems happy enough?
What gives?
She pissed?
some people just like being photographed
yeah…struggling to come up with a suitably pithy comment for the look on one of those faces…best is along the lines of ‘some village has lost its idiot’….
BM said Parmar does the pissing…
See 2.2.1
I wouldn’t read to much in a by election with such a piss poor turn out.
Looks likes lots a voters intend to keep their powder dry.
There you see ….. dissing Labour has started already – despite previous Nat gloating at the start of the by-election that (a) Wood would get nowhere near the Goff majority of 6000 and (b) boundary changes made it less likely Wood would win !
Hi Jenny, knowing you can get a little bit hysterical I should point out my post was in no way dissing Labour at all. I’m excited for Michael and so pleased also that at last Andrew has had the opportunity to finally experience a night out celebrating a win at electoral level.
Excited, are we?… well jilly jolly gosh … Im so excited that your excited too.
Were all so excited,… except … a few Nat whingers and whiners on this post who need to harden up a bit.
And my , my , my …. is Paula Bennett thinking she can now roll Joyce as Ms Fixit ?
She sure seemed content in the link Rosemary provided…
I have never read anything resembling hysteria from Jenny Kirk. Quite the opposite. Perhaps if you had expressed your claimed pleasure at Michael’s win, then Jenny and others (including me) wouldn’t have concluded you were dissing Labour.
Speaking for everyone now are we Anne?
Jenny and your failure in taking in what was said is no more my problem then yours by you engaging typing fingers before brain.
That’s fine, I accept your apologies for over reacting.
Jester i think you misread the tone of Jennys comments.
Its assertiveness not hysteria.
And then happiness at the win tonight.
Putting your rather sexist use of the term ‘hysterical’ to one side I would have thought it was National who were a little bit desperate to experience a night out celebrating a win at electoral (by-election) level?
Haha. Don’t get your panties in a bunch Scott. No sexism intended in my comment. If you have deemed hysterical as indicating ala femine I’d suggest you need to get out and meet more men 😉
i met couple ladies from espom who are now glad to be in mt roskill and have woods as there mp rather than that god awful Seymour
Keep their powder dry for what? So that their votes count for more at the next general election? That’s not how it works, you know…
Hi Hanwort. I was inferring that the low turnout is probably attributed to people not seeing a bi-election as important as a general election. And by the way…that’s exactly how it works. Please feel free to google turnouts for bi-elections per electorate versus turnout for general election per electorate.
Except that isn’t that a massive fail on National’s part? since they thought they were in for a chance and winning this would have restored their majority in the House for the rest of this parliament?
National and its coalition partners have a majority in the house Scott. Do please keep up.
Jester its by- election.
Yep sorry mosa, spell check on iPad does that
Just a heads up mate.
All good.
I have no idea what that has to do with keeping one’s powder dry. Feel free to Google the expression and obtain an understanding of what it means.
LOL! The voters don’t want to have to put in a claim with ACC for OOS because of voting more than twice in one year! You suit your nom de plume.
No one mentioned acc mr incognito. I just mentioned that people don’t see bi elections as important.
More important than polls.
Mr Incognito, eh; you seem to like making assumptions.
I agree that by-elections are generally regarded less important, rightly or wrongly, than general elections.
I wish you a good night, Jester (F/M).
And you to Incognito 🙂
With the fact National had a majority in the party votes last election in this seat it should have been a much closer race coming down to the wire for Labour even with a low turnout. National is going on about how weak of a party Labour is via their many mouth pieces and tame MSM. This shows just how much of a lie that is. Far from being week, Labour is stronger than ever.
All credit to Michael Wood and all the people who got stuck in and made the result what it is.
But it can’t only be about personalities. With Northland showing how the regions think and Roskill as an indicator for Auckland, surely BM can’t be the only one doing BMs tonight.
“A full 100 per cent of the votes have now been counted. Labour’s Michael Wood has 11,170 votes, while National’s Parmjeet Parmar has 4652.”
Stuff
Congratulations Michael Wood! The other candidates seemed bloody hopeless.
Only 4500 for National.
That’s about 8% of the electorate, right?
Joyce must be packing it.
Woohoo! Congratulations, Michael Wood, and if you’re reading this, congratuiations Julie Fairey – from the news reports it looked like you had to bite your tongue through some near-lethal levels of bullshit from various people and news media during this campaign.
Thats just the problem here PM Labour people should stop biting their tongues and get stuck in where these bastards are concerned.
Its been to quiet for eight bloody years.
+1
Matthew Hooton @MatthewHootonNZ
That’s a terrible result by Parmar in #MtRoskill. @AndrewLittleMP safe to election. Parmar won’t be heard of again. #nzpol
7:39 PM – 3 Dec 2016
Revealing Fact:
If everyone who voted for the Government in Mt Roskill at the 2014 General Election (ie those Party-Voting Nat / ACT / Maori / UF / Cons) had given their support to National’s Parmar at this By-Election … and if all 2014 Opposition Party voters (Lab / Green / IMP / NZF) had voted for Wood, then the % would have been:
Wood (Lab) … 52%
Parmar (Nat) … 48%
.
Whereas, the actual Preliminary Final Result is:
Wood (Lab) … 66%
Parmar (Nat) … 28%
revealing indeed….. is this a NZ/Auckland wide trend will be interesting to discover…..and certainly flies in the face of recent polling
Don’t get your hopes up. Parmar was an awful candidate. Different in a General once Key pops out a few “akshullys” for the delight of the punters. Nobody is going to extrapolate by asking the question of why such a horrible candidate found a natural home in the National Party.
there are a multitude of horrible candidates, many of them Ministers however it is the movement AWAY from government support that is telling….it is larger than could reasonably be expected from the usual by election bias and this is from a background of supposed increasing gov support and weak opposition according to recent polling.
Does it indicate a general election result? obviously not but it certainly casts (more) doubt on the veracity of the polls
Thats interesting Swordfish.
By-election behaviour is always different than a general election.
With the two party block figure the percentage is 4% difference for the left , a win but still close.
Although 66% in the preliminary is a great result.
How would this play out nationally in a FPP Election ?
Phil phoned my Mum on her 09-627 number.
The “electorate office” called back on same day – tell us more about your concerns.
Very well done Mt Roskill Labour Machine !
My Mum, historically Labour !!, and despite Subgen corruption and too many marbles – astute.
Boom!!
Congrats to Michael Wood MP and to the wider Labour team. This result helps to vindicate Goff’s decision to stand aside and run for mayor, and it’s notable how many mayors of our major cities either ran on a Labour ticket or had strong Labour links. Of course, turnout is lower for those elections, too, but the motivated people vote.
Now Labour needs to look at pulling in more of the less motivated. There was someone on this site a day or two ago taunting people about being a swinging voter and saying she had more power than people with fixed political values. She was being bloody annoying, but she was also right, to a certain extent. Some people will always vote Labour/left, and those people need to be valued and to see their values reflected in the policies and decisions of the party, but not at the cost of attracting Mr and Ms In-the-Middle. Clark understood that (and got criticised for not being radical enough) – but over the course of three terms she and her team achieved a lot for NZ as a whole and for vulnerable NZers in particular. Key has also understood it and (though I can’t stand him) he’s managed to take the centre voters with him.
But enough pontificating – happy, happy, happy!
Interesting side note: Was in the Zookeepers Daughter last night and his royal ponytail puller came in with his canditate. Now it’s the first time, I’ve seen him avoid parts of the room. Yeah there was the usual people wanting photos with him, but those who looked like they did real work for a living, he ignored. Also funny quite a few hateful glears at him. Again unusual, for the royal ponytail puller, normally it’s league fans, and queer folk who give him shit.
Our cornor was ignored, could have been the wee ditty – we got 29 reason to hate key, don’t seal them up — that rang out a few times.
the zookeepers daughter is a bar, right?
Indeed
just checking
Dear oh dear !, They’re not taking this slap-in-the-face terribly well over at Kiwiblog.
A few comments from that highly-esteemed organ:
There you go, Mt Roskill … that’s National Voters’ frank, unvarnished, sincerely-held view of you and your family.
Crikey !!! … those guys sound like a pit full of starving Taipans… makes us Katipo’s look like rank beginners…
The mask has slipped.
These people are the real National party ,the same people selling the brighter future the biggest con job since the Decent Society in 1990 to New Zealanders.
The people they rely on to support them are the ones with the lack of intelligence.
And unfortunately they vote.
I am glad this is in full view and for everyone to see & access (and respond to). There also is a point to make in favour of online anonymity. For some people it can be liberating and cathartic to express their views online and others love to wallow in ‘filth’; each to their own or should that be live and let live?
One hopes this win doesn’t fool Labour into believing they don’t have any problems.
This isn’t the time to become complacent.
I agree, but it does give Labour a much-needed taste of ‘winning’, which is a boost to morale and confidence that cannot be underestimated. I hope it will re-calibrate some of the MSM as well.
I think Labour is heading into a very challenging and exciting year; if they can maintain a sense of humour and fun they’ll pull through o.k. I also think Andrew Little has a calming and stabilising & consolidating effect on the Labour caucus, which is perhaps not too surprising given his background.
“It does give Labour a much-needed taste of ‘winning”’
Indeed.
Nevertheless, while I also agree Labour is heading into a very challenging year, at this stage, there is little for them or voters to be excited about.
Policy to date is lacking and failing to resonate while their delivery requires a lot of improvement.
Therefore, unless they got something new to pull out of their hat which they can deliver well and get voters excited, they are going to be in a heap of trouble come election day.
Well done to woods. Congrats.
I think my earlier post disappeared.
Regardless trying again. Congratulations to woods. He was the better candidate, ran the better campaign and is the deserved winner.