National announces terms of reference for its election campaign review

Written By: - Date published: 7:45 am, November 24th, 2020 - 62 comments
Categories: covid-19, election 2020, Judith Collins, national, same old national, Simon Bridges, todd muller - Tags:

So National wants to work out what went wrong during the last election.

From Radio New Zealand:

The National Party has announced its terms of reference for a review into its 2020 election campaign.

The review will be done by five panel members including former party president Judy Kirk and former National minister Kate Wilkinson.

It will look at preparations for the campaign, including candidate selection, the narrative, and the caucus’ performance.

“There is no doubt that 2020 was a difficult year for the National Party, and we would be foolish not to comprehensively review every aspect of our approach to the campaign and our work throughout the last term of Parliament. Our party membership rightly expects this, and we will deliver on it,” party president Peter Goodfellow said.

“We are committed to utilising the review results to help shape this next term, to carry out the work and changes required to position the party well into the future, and to ensure these improvements are implemented for the 2023 campaign itself.”

The review terms of reference will examine:

  • Preparations throughout the three-year term by all elements of the party, including candidate selection and Caucus performance
  • The election campaign including the political environment, strategy, narrative and execution
  • The strategic internal, social, and economic challenges and opportunities facing the National Party in the next term
  • Improvement recommendations for the next three years and the 2023 campaign

“The review panel are asked to focus on areas that the party has or could have control over and can effect positive change on. The panel has a wide mandate to seek inputs from individuals within, and external to, the party as they feel appropriate and are also asked to explore any areas they deem important …”

I am pretty confident they will not accept my advice but can I say their candidate selection was appalling.  Instead of going for local candidates who were known and actually had a degree of cut through they chose a bunch of wide boys.  Previous wide boy selections blew up.  It was almost inevitable.

Instead of seeking diversity and trying to look like New Zealand of the 2020s they went for the 1960s country party look.  They have really gone backward from the hey day of John Key where they had a significant number of token ethnic candidates.

Caucus performance was horrendous.  I have written multiple posts about National’s loyalty problem in the last three years and the incidence of leaking and undermining of the leader, whoever it was, was a wonder to behold.   Believe me I lived through Labour in 2014.  National was similar but far more brutal and far more divided.

The political environment admittedly sucked.  Going into competition with an administration that actually protected the country from the ravages of Covid and kept it out was always a tough call.  Especially when the likes of Trump and Johnson were so goddam awful and this was reinforced by the daily infection rate and the daily death rate.

The big missing aspect of the review is any mention of the environment.  Social and economic challenges get mentioned.  But environmental challenges don’t get a look in.  It is as if climate change does not exist.

If I was National I would invite them to publicly acknowledge the mess they have made of Aotearoa New Zealand, the damage they have caused to our environment through their farming friendly policies and their refusal to do something meaningful about climate change as well as their road fetish.  They should acknowledge that their attacks on the trade union movement has made us all worse off and entrenched poverty in New Zealand.  They should indicate that we are all equal, that diversity is great, and that we should not be measured by the size of our bank balances.  They should admit that their refusal to do anything about the housing crisis has plunged Auckland in particular into chaos and there is a new generation of kiwi kids who will permanently suffer from the consequences.

And they should ask for forgiveness.

I hope they take this submission into account.  Somehow I don’t think they will.

62 comments on “National announces terms of reference for its election campaign review ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Incognito 1
    24 November 2020 at 8:03 am

    Sir John Key said this:

    We have to go back and win Labour's votes.

    https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2020/11/greens-co-leader-marama-davidson-reacts-to-national-leader-judith-collins-bizarre-diversity-theory.html

    It lays bare National’s problem and they can’t see it.

    • roy cartland 1.1
      24 November 2020 at 8:50 am

      From the Newshub story:

      Collins:

      "I thought it was reasonably well received by the delegates. There was tremendous support given at the conference for all the speeches there. The other thing is, we have 550 delegates in a year when we had a terrible loss like that and a really hard year. It was an enormous support for the National Party and I think it was an outstanding AGM, frankly."

      Oh dear. Reminds me of someone:

      https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/1325099845045071873

      “I WON BY A LOT!!!!!”

    • swordfish 1.2
      24 November 2020 at 9:23 am

      .

      Given the massive chasm between Lab & Nat (and Left / Right Bloc) vote numbers … they need to pull off the difficult feat of winning back the vast majority of 2020 National deserters … those on the ideological Right who swung to ACT (around 160 k) & the huge bloc of Centrist-Pragmatists who moved to Labour (about 270 k) … plus a sizeable chunk of those who defected from Blue to Red back in 2017 (106 k) …. all the while, if possible, making inroads into the former NZF support-base & hoping a segment of disenchanted Labour voters swing into Non-Voting.

      It's a big ask …a popular Leader who can compete with Ardern is crucial … but also (like Brash between 2002-05) they really need to find an Elephant-in-the-Room issue that galvanises a very diverse range of voters, drawing all those deserters back to the mothership … If Ardern could see her way clear to leaving for a prestigious position on the International stage … then the Nats would certainly be much obliged, Guvn’r.

      • swordfish 1.2.1
        24 November 2020 at 10:04 am

        .
        Note: Technically, of course, winning back defectors to ACT isn't crucial for National's electoral prospects … all part of the Right Bloc … but National voters are nothing if not biiiig FPP-supporters & genuinely believe the largest Party deserves to form Government. They really need to get back to well over the 40% mark to remain credible.

      • Incognito 1.2.2
        24 November 2020 at 10:29 pm

        Yes, good points, thank you.

        I could unpack my comment and write a Post about of >600 words, at least. Too busy at work though 🙁

  2. tc 2
    24 November 2020 at 8:44 am

    More of the same please.

    Toxic leadership, conspiracy promotion, faux christianity, broad based insults and the ever present dirty politics.

  3. AB 3
    24 November 2020 at 9:50 am

    Lots of talk from talking heads about 'disunity' being the problem. Which is an interesting little bit of self-deception – stopping at a particular point in the causal chain that suits the narrative. The issue with that explanation, is that the loss of support from the public preceded the disunity – Bridges' poor poll results triggered the infighting and descent into farce. So the real problem lies earlier than the disunity. Basically through about March-May, pretty much everything coming out of the National Party showed that that would have cocked up the Covid response – not locked down properly, prioritised an abstraction called 'the economy' over people's wellbeing, tried to maintain the flow of profits to their supporters and donors, and had us looking like the UK.

    The real cause therefore was the fundamental inability of right-wing ideology to deal with a crisis that required collective action, a reversal of the logic of continuous and uninterruptable capital accumulation, and the equalisation of all people as having the same intrinsic value. There is nothing National can 'fix' here and still be National.

    • Patricia Bremner 3.1
      24 November 2020 at 2:38 pm

      AB, The rot set in when the public learned of Whaleoil and Collins treatment of Blomfield, Ede and company in Key's Office Dirty Politics, Key's "Hats" (only one he did not have was one like Muller's) then followed by the Bridges Jaimie Lee Ross saga.

      Goodfellow was there for all of that and everything that followed and is still there with Collins…. More of the same expected.

      Yet he says JA is the cause Lol!! Self Deception is a kind description.

    • Duncan 3.2
      24 November 2020 at 8:21 pm

      The National Party are united when they are winners and in disarray as losers. When they are losing some heads need to be put on pikes.

      So poor poll results mean some might not get the gold plated salary so here comes disunity.

      The reason given for electing Goodfellow was "he's a good little fundraiser". Nothing else. You would be amazed at the grubby deals going on behind the scenes between the National Party and NZ's richest families as the "fundraising" kicks off.

      For the Nats it's all about money and retaining power so they can disseminate their version of evil.

      Let's hope Labour are not heading down the same path.

  4. Stuart Munro 4
    24 November 2020 at 9:58 am

    The search for local candidates makes a lot of sense – diversity though, is not a carte blanche as the Greens seem to be about to discover in the person of a certain outspoken fool. Those who left the Gnats are likely pragmatists, and it is probably pragmatism that would be National's path to eventual recovery, if they ever shed enough deadwood to bother reforming.

  5. observer 5
    24 November 2020 at 11:13 am

    Their review is doomed from the start because they are incapable – really, mentally, physically incapable – of saying "Ardern is very good at what she does, and obviously so much better at this politics business than we are".

    As long as they have that mental block then it's a waste of time. They are National, the decision-makers, leaders, sleeves rolled up, economy managers, titans. She is just a fluffy little thing, and can't possibly have won the election for any reason except the stupidity of the deluded voters, which means they are really the ones to blame, and so National aren't.

  6. joe90 6
    24 November 2020 at 11:34 am

    Previous wide boy selections blew up. It was almost inevitable.

    Wide boys to dodgy AF boy blunders.

    https://twitter.com/WorriedOf/status/1330741801326571520

  7. Jack 7
    24 November 2020 at 11:53 am

    National are always behind the persistent, inevitable, wave of social change. They instinctively want yesterday not tomorrow. This will always be their fundamental problem. NZ society will continue to move beyond their grasp.

  8. Phillip ure 8
    24 November 2020 at 12:10 pm

    I thought there was a brief opening of nationals' very own overton window @ about the time of the toppling of bridges…while puzzled they did not elect the woman who beat ardern twice previously…to me she was the obvious choice…but her as deputy..and being the most 'liberal' of the tories I saw her as getting national 'real' on issues like the environment…('cos for national to continue in the long term – and being aware how they came from the ashes of two other parties of their ilk.. you'd think..?)…anyway..they need to realise that the environment is a non-ideological issue now…and they need to green-up…and I thought if they got that sorted…their chances would increase..and I would submit their loss would not have been as precipitous as it was….but anyway..muller then imploded…and with that the overton-window snapped shut again..and they swung furiously back to the right..which clearly did not work for them….so they can continue as now..and shrink into country party status…'cos clearly for national to become more relevant they have to swing back to the centre…(and as an aside) in fact looking further down the track you could see act/nats/labour/greens/maori party as roughly equal in levels of support/mp's..

    • solkta 8.1
      24 November 2020 at 12:30 pm

      Your comments are hideous to try and read. I won't bother with that one.

      • Phillip ure 8.1.1
        24 November 2020 at 12:41 pm

        still cleaving to the capital-letter..?

        • Phillip ure 8.1.1.1
          24 November 2020 at 12:49 pm

          dunno about you..but I think it all went south when we stopped using whorls around those capital letters..eh..?

        • solkta 8.1.1.2
          24 November 2020 at 12:52 pm

          Fuck: capital letters, commas, full stops, sentences, paragraphs. I really don't understand why you prefer to appear illiterate.

          • The Al1en 8.1.1.2.1
            24 November 2020 at 1:02 pm

            I admit I gave up on that in line two. Not even the Gibberish Translator would help.

          • Phillip ure 8.1.1.2.2
            24 November 2020 at 1:13 pm

            Try reading it out loud…I write for the ear…not so much for the eye..

            • Andre 8.1.1.2.2.1
              24 November 2020 at 1:42 pm

              Nope. It's no clearer that way.

              Maybe you could try sentences and paragraphs?

            • Robert Guyton 8.1.1.2.2.2
              24 November 2020 at 2:03 pm

              Then you have a fine writing style…for radio…

            • solkta 8.1.1.2.2.3
              24 November 2020 at 3:01 pm

              It sounds maybe more retarded. There is a reason we have punctuation.

              • Phillip ure …
                24 November 2020 at 3:17 pm

                The same reason there was for whorls ..wha' happened..?

                • solkta …
                  24 November 2020 at 3:41 pm

                  Hmmm, i'm starting to think you are not trying to sound like an idiot.

                  • Phillip ure …
                    24 November 2020 at 4:16 pm

                    It is a fact that sentences packed together into paragraphs was because of the imperative of efficiency of use of paper…and capital letters are just a false honorific..especially in names/title..Mr being a sop to/for the lower classes…which reeks of the evils of the class-system…i decided no need for all that nonsense nearly two decades ago..and that frees up language to flow easier…to have more natural rhythmns..I find…but hey..,! if you can't read it..don't try..eh..?

                    [The Moderators here have been making efforts to have commenters use quote marks and block quotes when citing stuff and provide links. They also ask to go light on italics and bold font and only use these to emphasise certain words rather than whole sentences or text strings. Most commenters try to comply with these requests and make an effort to adhere to the basic rules of written English text and for good reason. Unfortunately, you don’t 🙁 However, you’ve been making an effort to engage positively and constructively, mostly, and some of your comments are actually not too bad, I have to say 😉

                    That reminds me, you failed to give a link despite being asked specifically for one by a commenter today. Next time, please respond and give the link, thanks – Incognito]

            • Incognito 8.1.1.2.2.4
              24 November 2020 at 10:01 pm

              I find it easier to read Morse code.

          • Tricledrown 8.1.1.2.3
            25 November 2020 at 8:32 am

            Modernizing the language has always happened and now in the time of texting Twitter tick tock and tinder.

            Simplification of the way the language is put together to communicate has changed and will continue to change.

            The points philip has brought up are accurate and easily understood.

            • Sacha 8.1.1.2.3.1
              25 November 2020 at 9:09 am

              Yet people are not getting to read them because of bad formatting. If saving expensive paper is no longer a consideration, then paragraphs make perfect sense. Sentences, even.

              • Phillip ure …
                25 November 2020 at 10:15 am

                Do you speak in sentences..?..(full-stops and all)..I find speech is more free-form…and the strictures from sentencing words actually inhibit that flow..and I am trying to write as I speak…it's as simple as that..but I do take on board that in longer comments I should give the words more air..

                • Sacha …
                  25 November 2020 at 10:19 am

                  When I wrote radio scripts .. there were plenty of spaces .. to help people read them.

                  There were sentences.

                  There was white space.

                  There was even some emphasis .. so presenters would know how to read what I had written for them.

                  The purpose was communication .. which means being received.

                • solkta …
                  25 November 2020 at 10:22 am

                  If you talk like that then you must be even more irritating in person.

                  • Sacha …
                    25 November 2020 at 10:26 am

                    Body language adds punctuation. Who knows, Mr Ure might have particularly expressive hands or eyelashes?

                    Most of us learn to translate that urge to gesture into a written marker like commas or spaces..

                  • Phillip ure …
                    25 November 2020 at 11:13 am

                    @ solkta.. Heh..!…some would say that..

              • solkta …
                25 November 2020 at 10:20 am

                I am at a loss as to how using paragraphs would have saved paper. Paragraphs are used to group a set of ideas to make one point. Without them you just have jumbled nonsense.

                • Sacha …
                  25 November 2020 at 10:23 am

                  One space after a para is less than one after each sentence, to be fair. Love seeing historical dramas where the letter paper is so tiny – even for the wealthy.

                  • solkta …
                    25 November 2020 at 10:36 am

                    One space after a para is less than one after each sentence

                    I don't get what you mean. Did they use paragraphs as an alternative to sentences?

                    Traditionally the start of a new paragraph was indented by several spaces, and the space at the end of the preceding paragraph to the side of the page left unused.

                    • Sacha …
                      25 November 2020 at 11:49 am

                      You are right. I was thinking of vertical spacing which would have only come in with the typewriter.

                    • solkta …
                      25 November 2020 at 12:13 pm

                      I think vertical spacing was a post-computer improvement. It makes reading paragraphs much easier, particularly for dyslexic people like myself.

                • Phillip ure …
                  25 November 2020 at 11:29 am

                  And to confuse matters even more..when doing more formal writing giving each sentence it's own line..no matter how short/long it is…is a favoured way of writing…

                  the rationale being that you afford that sentence the dignity of its' own line..and that there is no shortage of white space..so no need to jumble/cram sentences together into paragraphs..eh..?

                  (And apologies to the author of this post ..my only defence being 'i didn't start it'..and once said it doesn't need to be said again..)

                  • Sacha …
                    25 November 2020 at 11:46 am

                    See, you do know how to write more understandably.

                  • solkta …
                    25 November 2020 at 11:50 am

                    You can't form an argument like that. How do the sentences relate to each other to form a more complex point?

                    In academic writing essays not only have paragraphs but are also structured into three parts: introduction, body, conclusion. The conclusion should have usually one sentence to refer to the point made in each paragraph of the body. The last sentence or few should pull all the points from each paragraph together to make the overall point. Without paragraphs it would be pointless babble.

            • solkta 8.1.1.2.3.2
              25 November 2020 at 10:27 am

              Says a person using sentences. You could have simplified what you wrote by making it one paragraph.

    • Duncan 8.2
      24 November 2020 at 8:28 pm

      Well ok, but how does that work when Goodfellow and his cronies are among the biggest players in the seafood and dairy industries in NZ.

      You really think they would allow Nikki to be leader.

      I don't think so.

  9. Byd0nz 9
    24 November 2020 at 12:21 pm

    Leave National alone.

    Let them drown in their toxic swill for fuckin ever.

  10. Phillip ure 10
    24 November 2020 at 1:08 pm

    I reckon they should lock down brownlee as campaign manager for '23..

  11. ken 11
    24 November 2020 at 1:39 pm

    They kept Goodfellow and they're taking advice on housing from Key, so we don't need to worry about National for the foreseeable future.

  12. Hunter Thompson II 12
    24 November 2020 at 6:17 pm

    So National wants to work out what went wrong at the last general election. Basically, the party failed to get more seats under MMP than Labour. Main reason for that is Jacinda Ardern did a pretty good job of guiding NZ in troubled times, so people saw no reason to dump her.

    As others have noted, candidate selection was not good either. This is a recurring issue for the Natz. In the 2017 election a farmer who stood for National in Clutha (I think it was) had to drop out of the race becos he was charged with dirty dairying offences.

    Wish I'd been a fly on the wall when the party apparatchiks came around to tell him he was damaged goods.

    Good point Micky about the failure to tackle environment problems. National's interference with Environment Canterbury tells you all you need to know.

  13. Chris T 13
    24 November 2020 at 8:06 pm

    Labour went though the same shit for 3 elections, and they managed to sort it out.

  14. Lettuce 14
    24 November 2020 at 8:30 pm

    Bring back Boag 2023!

  15. peter lepaysan 15
    24 November 2020 at 9:50 pm

    There is a huge age demographic shift going on among the active voters. Labour has been out of power for so long in the last 60 or so years. There are two generations of voters who are sceptical enough to question the natz self entitled "born to rule" attitude. A lot of the so called "boomers" (media laziness in search of a headline) are less interested in politics if they are comfortably well off.

    The ones reliant on superannuation solely lurk in the shadows. The younger generations are looking ahead at wtf and the natz keep banging on about the "economy" and "business" and "profits".

    If the so called "business sector" ( the corner dairy and Bezos?) got together the natz would sort it out?

    The natz rely and support BIG business and try to bamboozle the rest into thinking they know best.

    A Wall Street trader should lead NZ? C'mon, get real. We tried that. He quit, they know when to and leave the suckers behind.

    It will be interesting to see if an ex chief executive of air nz rescues us.

    How much CO2 does any aeroplane leave in the atmosphere? We rely on tourism?

    OBTW I am too old to be a boomer. They were born post WW2. I arrived somewhat earlier.

  16. Henry Filth 16
    25 November 2020 at 7:38 am

    Just as dog-owners are supposed to come to physically resemble their dogs, do political party caucuses come to physically resemble their donors?

  17. Ad 17
    25 November 2020 at 11:37 am

    If New Zealand were the United States of America now, National would be legally challenging the results and would have had a meltdown in front of the cameras, continue to refuse to concede, actively foment the population to rise up against the Ardern government, glue all the locks within Parliament, remove the heads of the military and intelligence agencies, prepare to form their own online TV and radio station that consistently sought to eradicate the Treaty of Waitangi and deny welfare payments to the unemployed, encouraging all Councils to be out on the streets opposing mask-wearing, and then after playing days of golf Judith Collins would come out in praise of real estate agents and stockbrokers.

    Which makes even Kiwiblog writers look rational.

    • Incognito 17.1
      25 November 2020 at 10:06 pm

      Where were you in 2017?

      National won the Election but screwed up missed out forming a Government.

      They never got over it and that definitely includes KB.

      They should start their review at the 2017 Election.

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    It is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha Primary School!It can be any time when you are telling a story.Telling stories about things that happened in the past is how we learn from our mistakes.If we want to.Anyway, it is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago

  • Road rage at Kia Kaha Primary School
    It is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha Primary School!It can be any time when you are telling a story.Telling stories about things that happened in the past is how we learn from our mistakes.If we want to.Anyway, it is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago

  • Road rage at Kia Kaha Primary School
    It is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha Primary School!It can be any time when you are telling a story.Telling stories about things that happened in the past is how we learn from our mistakes.If we want to.Anyway, it is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha ...
    More than a fieldingBy David Slack
    2 days ago

  • Hipkins fires up in leaders’ debate, but has the curtain already fallen on the Labour-led coalitio...
    Labour’s  Chris Hipkins came out firing, in the  leaders’ debate  on Newshub’s evening programme, and most of  the pundits  rated  him the winner against National’s  Christopher Luxon. But will this make any difference when New  Zealanders  start casting their ballots? The problem  for  Hipkins is  that  voters are  all too ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    2 days ago

  • Govt is energising housing projects with solar power – and fuelling the public’s concept of a di...
    Buzz from the Beehive  Not long after Point of Order published data which show the substantial number of New Zealanders (77%) who believe NZ is becoming more divided, government ministers were braying about a programme which distributes some money to “the public” and some to “Maori”. The ministers were dishing ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago

  • MIKE GRIMSHAW: Election 2023 – a totemic & charisma failure?
    The D&W analysis Michael Grimshaw writes –  Given the apathy, disengagement, disillusionment, and all-round ennui of this year’s general election, it was considered time to bring in those noted political operatives and spin doctors D&W, the long-established consultancy firm run by Emile Durkheim and Max Weber. Known for ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • FROM BFD: Will Winston be the spectre we think?
    Kissy kissy. Cartoon credit BoomSlang. The BFD. JC writes-  Allow me to preface this contribution with the following statement: If I were asked to express a preference between a National/ACT coalition or a National/ACT/NZF coalition then it would be the former. This week Luxon declared his position, ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • California’s climate disclosure bill could have a huge impact across the U.S.
    This re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Andy Furillo was originally published by Capital & Main and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. The California Legislature took a step last week that has the potential to accelerate the fight against climate ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago

  • Untangling South East Queensland’s Public Transport
    This is a cross post Adventures in Transitland by Darren Davis. I recently visited Brisbane and South East Queensland and came away both impressed while also pondering some key changes to make public transport even better in the region. Here goes with my take on things. A bit of ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    2 days ago

  • Try A Little Kindness.
    My daughter arrived home from the supermarket yesterday and she seemed a bit worried about something. It turned out she wanted to know if someone could get her bank number from a receipt.We wound the story back.She was in the store and there was a man there who was distressed, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago

  • What makes NZFirst tick
    New Zealand’s longest-running political roadshow rolled into Opotiki yesterday, with New Zealand First leader Winston Peters knowing another poll last night showed he would make it back to Parliament and National would need him and his party if they wanted to form a government. The Newshub Reid Research poll ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago

  • September AMA
    Hi,As September draws to a close — I feel it’s probably time to do an Ask Me Anything. You know how it goes: If you have any burning questions, fire away in the comments and I will do my best to answer. You might have questions about Webworm, or podcast ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    3 days ago

  • Bludgers lying in the scratcher making fools of us all
    The mediocrity who stands to be a Prime Minister has a litany.He uses it a bit like a Koru Lounge card. He will brandish it to say: these people are eligible. And more than that, too: These people are deserving. They have earned this policy.They have a right to this policy. What ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago

  • More “partnerships” (by the look of it) and redress of over $30 million in Treaty settlement wit...
    Buzz from the Beehive Point of Order has waited until now – 3.45pm – for today’s officially posted government announcements.  There have been none. The only addition to the news on the Beehive’s website was posted later yesterday, after we had published our September 26 Buzz report. It came from ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • ALEX HOLLAND: Labour’s spending
    Alex Holland writes –  In 2017 when Labour came to power, crown spending was $76 billion per year. Now in 2023 it is $139 billion per year, which equates to a $63 billion annual increase (over $1 billion extra spend every week!) In 2017, New Zealand’s government debt ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • If not now, then when?
    Labour released its fiscal plan today, promising the same old, same old: "responsibility", balanced books, and of course no new taxes: "Labour will maintain income tax settings to provide consistency and certainty in these volatile times. Now is not the time for additional taxes or to promise billions of ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago

  • THE FACTS:  77% of Kiwis believe NZ is becoming more divided
    The Facts has posted –        KEY INSIGHTSOf New Zealander’s polled: Social unity/division 77%believe NZ is becoming more divided (42% ‘much more’ + 35% ‘a little more’) 3%believe NZ is becoming less divided (1% ‘much less’ + 2% ‘a little less’) ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on the cynical brutality of the centre-right’s welfare policies
    The centre-right’s enthusiasm for forcing people off the benefit and into paid work is matched only by the enthusiasm (shared by Treasury and the Reserve Bank) for throwing people out of paid work to curb inflation, and achieve the optimal balance of workers to job seekers deemed to be desirable ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    3 days ago

  • Wednesday’s Chorus: Arthur Grimes on why building many, many more social houses is so critical
    New research shows that tenants in social housing - such as these Wellington apartments - are just as happy as home owners and much happier than private tenants. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The election campaign took an ugly turn yesterday, and in completely the wrong direction. All three ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Old habits
    Media awareness about global warming and climate change has grown fairly steadily since 2004. My impression is that journalists today tend to possess a higher climate literacy than before. This increasing awareness and improved knowledge is encouraging, but there are also some common interpretations which could be more nuanced. ...
    Real ClimateBy rasmus
    3 days ago

  • Bennie Bashing.
    If there’s one thing the mob loves more than keeping Māori in their place, more than getting tough on the gangs, maybe even more than tax cuts. It’s a good old round of beneficiary bashing.Are those meanies in the ACT party stealing your votes because they think David Seymour is ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • The kindest cuts
    Labour kicks off the fiscal credibility battle today with the release of its fiscal plan. National is expected to follow, possibly as soon as Thursday, with its own plan, which may (or may not) address the large hole that the problems with its foreign buyers’ ban might open up. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago

  • Green right turn in Britain? Well, a start
    While it may be unlikely to register in New Zealand’s general election, Britain’s PM Rishi Sunak has done something which might just be important in the long run. He’s announced a far-reaching change in his Conservative government’s approach to environmental, and particularly net zero, policy. The starting point – ...
    Point of OrderBy xtrdnry
    4 days ago

  • At a glance – How do human CO2 emissions compare to natural CO2 emissions?
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago

  • How could this happen?
    Canada is in uproar after the exposure that its parliament on September 22 provided a standing ovation to a Nazi veteran who had been invited into the chamber to participate in the parliamentary welcome to Ukrainian President Zelensky. Yaroslav Hunka, 98, a Ukrainian man who volunteered for service in ...
    Open ParachuteBy Ken
    4 days ago

  • Always Be Campaigning
    The big screen is a great place to lay out the ways of the salesman. He comes ready-made for Panto, ripe for lampooning.This is not to disparage that life. I have known many good people of that kind. But there is a type, brazen as all get out. The camera ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • STEPHEN FRANKS: Press seek to publicly shame doctor – we must push back
    The following is a message sent yesterday from lawyer Stephen Franks on behalf of the Free Speech Union. I don’t like to interrupt first thing Monday morning, but we’ve just become aware of a case where we think immediate and overwhelming attention could help turn the tide. It involves someone ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Competing on cruelty
    The right-wing message calendar is clearly reading "cruelty" today, because both National and NZ First have released beneficiary-bashing policies. National is promising a "traffic light" system to police and kick beneficiaries, which will no doubt be accompanied by arbitrary internal targets to classify people as "orange" or "red" to keep ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago

  • Further funding for Pharmac (forgotten in the Budget?) looks like a $1bn appeal from a PM in need of...
    Buzz from the Beehive One Labour plan  – for 3000 more public homes by 2025 – is the most recent to be posted on the government’s official website. Another – a prime ministerial promise of more funding for Pharmac – has been released as a Labour Party press statement. Who ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: The Vested interests shaping National Party policies
    As the National Party gets closer to government, lobbyists and business interests will be lining up for influence and to get policies adopted. It’s therefore in the public interest to have much more scrutiny and transparency about potential conflicts of interests that might arise. One of the key individuals of ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago

  • Labour may be on way out of power and NZ First back in – but will Peters go into coalition with Na...
    Voters  are deserting Labour in droves, despite Chris  Hipkins’  valiant  rearguard  action.  So  where  are they  heading?  Clearly  not all of them are going to vote National, which concedes that  the  outcome  will be “close”. To the Right of National, the ACT party just a  few weeks  ago  was ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    4 days ago

  • GRAHAM ADAMS: Will the racists please stand up?
    Accusations of racism by journalists and MPs are being called out. Graham Adams writes –    With the election less than three weeks away, what co-governance means in practice — including in water management, education, planning law and local government — remains largely obscure. Which is hardly ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on whether Winston Peters can be a moderating influence
    As the centre-right has (finally!) been subjected to media interrogation, the polls are indicating that some voters may be starting to have second thoughts about the wisdom of giving National and ACT the power to govern alone. That’s why yesterday’s Newshub/Reid Research poll had the National/ACT combo dropping to 60 ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    4 days ago

  • Tuesday’s Chorus: RBNZ set to rain on National's victory parade
    ANZ has increased its forecast for house inflation later this year on signs of growing momentum in the market ahead of the election. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: National has campaigned against the Labour Government’s record on inflation and mortgage rates, but there’s now a growing chance the Reserve ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • After a Pittsburgh coal processing plant closed, ER visits plummeted
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Katie Myers. This story was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. Pittsburgh, in its founding, was blessed and cursed with two abundant natural resources: free-flowing rivers and a nearby coal seam. ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago

  • September-23 AT Board Meeting
    Today the AT board meet again and once again I’ve taken a look at what’s on the agenda to find the most interesting items. Closed Agenda Interestingly when I first looked at the agendas this paper was there but at the time of writing this post it had been ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    4 days ago

  • Electorate Watch: West Coast-Tasman
    Continuing my series on interesting electorates, today it’s West Coast-Tasman.A long thin electorate running down the northern half of the west coast of the South Island. Think sand flies, beautiful landscapes, lots of rain, Pike River, alternative lifestylers, whitebaiting, and the spiritual home of the Labour Party. A brief word ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • Big money brings Winston back
    National leader Christopher Luxon yesterday morning conceded it and last night’s Newshub poll confirmed it; Winston Peters and NZ First are not only back but highly likely to be part of the next government. It is a remarkable comeback for a party that was tossed out of Parliament in ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago

  • 20 days until Election Day, 7 until early voting begins… but what changes will we really see here?
    As this blogger, alongside many others, has already posited in another forum: we all know the National Party’s “budget” (meaning this concept of even adding up numbers properly is doing a lot of heavy, heavy lifting right now) is utter and complete bunk (read hung, drawn and quartered and ...
    exhALANtBy exhalantblog
    5 days ago

  • A night out
    Everyone was asking, Are you nervous? and my response was various forms of God, yes.I've written more speeches than I can count; not much surprises me when the speaker gets to their feet and the room goes quiet.But a play? Never.YOU CAME! THANK YOU! Read more ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago

  • A pallid shade of Green III
    Clearly Labour's focus groups are telling it that it needs to pay more attention to climate change - because hot on the heels of their weaksauce energy efficiency pilot programme and not-great-but-better-than-nothing solar grants, they've released a full climate manifesto. Unfortunately, the core policies in it - a second Emissions ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago

  • A coalition of racism, cruelty, and chaos
    Today's big political news is that after months of wibbling, National's Chris Luxon has finally confirmed that he is willing to work with Winston Peters to become Prime Minister. Which is expected, but I guess it tells us something about which way the polls are going. Which raises the question: ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago

  • More migrant workers should help generate the tax income needed to provide benefits for job seekers
    Buzz from the Beehive Under something described as a “rebalance” of its immigration rules, the Government has adopted four of five recommendations made in an independent review released in July, The fifth, which called on the government to specify criteria for out-of-hours compliance visits similar to those used during ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago

  • Letter To Luxon.
    Some of you might know Gerard Otto (G), and his G News platform. This morning he wrote a letter to Christopher Luxon which I particularly enjoyed, and with his agreement I’m sharing it with you in this guest newsletter.If you’d like to make a contribution to support Gerard’s work you ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • LINDSAY MITCHELL: Alarming trend in benefit numbers
    Lindsay Mitchell writes –  While there will not be another quarterly release of benefit numbers prior to the election, limited weekly reporting continues and is showing an alarming trend. Because there is a seasonal component to benefit number fluctuations it is crucial to compare like with like. In ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • BRIAN EASTON: Has there been external structural change?
    A close analysis of the Treasury assessment of the Medium Term in its PREFU 2023 suggests the economy may be entering a new phase.   Brian Easton writes –  Last week I explained that the forecasts in the just published Treasury Pre-election Economic and Fiscal Update (PREFU 2023) was ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • CRL Progress – Sep-23
    It’s been a while since we looked at the latest with the City Rail Link and there’s been some fantastic milestones recently. To start with, and most recently, CRL have released an awesome video showing a full fly-through of one of the tunnels. Come fly with us! You asked for ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    5 days ago

  • Monday’s Chorus: Not building nearly enough
    We are heading into another period of fast population growth without matching increased home building or infrastructure investment.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Labour and National detailed their house building and migration approaches over the weekend, with both pledging fast population growth policies without enough house building or infrastructure investment ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago

  • Game on; Hipkins comes out punching
    Labour leader Chris Hipkins yesterday took the gloves off and laid into National and its leader Christopher Luxon. For many in Labour – and particularly for some at the top of the caucus and the party — it would not have been a moment too soon. POLITIK is aware ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago

  • Tax Cut Austerity Blues.
    The leaders have had their go, they’ve told us the “what?” and the “why?” of their promises. Now it’s the turn of the would be Finance Ministers to tell us the “how?”, the “how much?”, and the “when?”A chance for those competing for the second most powerful job in the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago

  • MIKE GRIMSHAW:  It’s the economy – and the spirit – Stupid…
    Mike Grimshaw writes – Over the past 30-odd years it’s become almost an orthodoxy to blame or invoke neoliberalism for the failures of New Zealand society. On the left the usual response goes something like, neoliberalism is the cause of everything that’s gone wrong and the answer ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • 2023 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #38
    A chronological listing of news and opinion articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Sep 17, 2023 thru Sat, Sep 23, 2023. Story of the Week  Opinion: Let’s free ourselves from the story of economic growth A relentless focus on economic growth has ushered in ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago

  • The End Of The World.
    Have you been looking out of your window for signs of the apocalypse? Don’t worry, you haven’t been door knocked by a representative of the Brian Tamaki party. They’re probably a bit busy this morning spruiking salvation, or getting ready to march on our parliament, which is closed. No, I’ve ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago

  • Climate Town: The Brainwashing Of America's Children
    Climate Town is the YouTube channel of Rollie Williams and a ragtag team of climate communicators, creatives and comedians. They examine climate change in a way that doesn’t make you want to eat a cyanide pill. Get informed about the climate crisis before the weather does it for you. The latest ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

  • Has There Been External Structural Change?
    A close analysis of the Treasury assessment of the Medium Term in its PREFU 2023 suggests the economy may be entering a new phase. Last week I explained that the forecasts in the just published Treasury Pre-election Economic and Fiscal Update (PREFU 2023) was similar to the May Budget BEFU, ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 week ago

  • New community-level energy projects to support more than 800 Māori households
    Seven more innovative community-scale energy projects will receive government funding through the Māori and Public Housing Renewable Energy Fund to bring more affordable, locally generated clean energy to more than 800 Māori households, Energy and Resources Minister Dr Megan Woods says. “We’ve already funded 42 small-scale clean energy projects that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Huge boost to Te Tai Tokerau flood resilience
    The Government has approved new funding that will boost resilience and greatly reduce the risk of major flood damage across Te Tai Tokerau. Significant weather events this year caused severe flooding and damage across the region. The $8.9m will be used to provide some of the smaller communities and maraes ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Napier’s largest public housing development comes with solar
    The largest public housing development in Napier for many years has been recently completed and has the added benefit of innovative solar technology, thanks to Government programmes, says Housing Minister Dr Megan Woods. The 24 warm, dry homes are in Seddon Crescent, Marewa and Megan Woods says the whanau living ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Te Whānau a Apanui and the Crown initial Deed of Settlement I Kua waitohua e Te Whānau a Apanui me...
    Māori: Kua waitohua e Te Whānau a Apanui me te Karauna te Whakaaetanga Whakataunga Kua waitohua e Te Whānau a Apanui me te Karauna i tētahi Whakaaetanga Whakataunga hei whakamihi i ō rātou tāhuhu kerēme Tiriti o Waitangi. E tekau mā rua ngā hapū o roto mai o Te Whānau ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Plan for 3,000 more public homes by 2025 – regions set to benefit
    Regions around the country will get significant boosts of public housing in the next two years, as outlined in the latest public housing plan update, released by the Housing Minister, Dr Megan Woods. “We’re delivering the most public homes each year since the Nash government of the 1950s with one ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Immigration settings updates
    Judicial warrant process for out-of-hours compliance visits 2023/24 Recognised Seasonal Employer cap increased by 500 Additional roles for Construction and Infrastructure Sector Agreement More roles added to Green List Three-month extension for onshore Recovery Visa holders The Government has confirmed a number of updates to immigration settings as part of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Poroporoaki: Tā Patrick (Patu) Wahanga Hohepa
    Tangi ngunguru ana ngā tai ki te wahapū o Hokianga Whakapau Karakia. Tārehu ana ngā pae maunga ki Te Puna o te Ao Marama. Korihi tangi ana ngā manu, kua hinga he kauri nui ki te Wao Nui o Tāne. He Toa. He Pou. He Ahorangi. E papaki tū ana ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Renewable energy fund to support community resilience
    40 solar energy systems on community buildings in regions affected by Cyclone Gabrielle and other severe weather events Virtual capability-building hub to support community organisations get projects off the ground Boost for community-level renewable energy projects across the country At least 40 community buildings used to support the emergency response ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • COVID-19 funding returned to Government
    The lifting of COVID-19 isolation and mask mandates in August has resulted in a return of almost $50m in savings and recovered contingencies, Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall announced today. Following the revocation of mandates and isolation, specialised COVID-19 telehealth and alternative isolation accommodation are among the operational elements ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Appointment of District Court Judge
    Susie Houghton of Auckland has been appointed as a new District Court Judge, to serve on the Family Court, Attorney-General David Parker said today.  Judge Houghton has acted as a lawyer for child for more than 20 years. She has acted on matters relating to the Hague Convention, an international ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Government invests further in Central Hawke’s Bay resilience
    The Government has today confirmed $2.5 million to fund a replace and upgrade a stopbank to protect the Waipawa Drinking Water Treatment Plant. “As a result of Cyclone Gabrielle, the original stopbank protecting the Waipawa Drinking Water Treatment Plant was destroyed. The plant was operational within 6 weeks of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Govt boost for Hawke’s Bay cyclone waste clean-up
    Another $2.1 million to boost capacity to deal with waste left in Cyclone Gabrielle’s wake. Funds for Hastings District Council, Phoenix Contracting and Hog Fuel NZ to increase local waste-processing infrastructure. The Government is beefing up Hawke’s Bay’s Cyclone Gabrielle clean-up capacity with more support dealing with the massive amount ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Taupō Supercars revs up with Government support
    The future of Supercars events in New Zealand has been secured with new Government support. The Government is getting engines started through the Major Events Fund, a special fund to support high profile events in New Zealand that provide long-term economic, social and cultural benefits. “The Repco Supercars Championship is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • There is no recession in NZ, economy grows nearly 1 percent in June quarter
    The economy has turned a corner with confirmation today New Zealand never was in recession and stronger than expected growth in the June quarter, Finance Minister Grant Robertson said. “The New Zealand economy is doing better than expected,” Grant Robertson said. “It’s continuing to grow, with the latest figures showing ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Highest legal protection for New Zealand’s largest freshwater springs
    The Government has accepted the Environment Court’s recommendation to give special legal protection to New Zealand’s largest freshwater springs, Te Waikoropupū Springs (also known as Pupū Springs), Environment Minister David Parker announced today.   “Te Waikoropupū Springs, near Takaka in Golden Bay, have the second clearest water in New Zealand after ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • More support for victims of migrant exploitation
    Temporary package of funding for accommodation and essential living support for victims of migrant exploitation Exploited migrant workers able to apply for a further Migrant Exploitation Protection Visa (MEPV), giving people more time to find a job Free job search assistance to get people back into work Use of 90-day ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Strong export boost as NZ economy turns corner
    An export boost is supporting New Zealand’s economy to grow, adding to signs that the economy has turned a corner and is on a stronger footing as we rebuild from Cyclone Gabrielle and lock in the benefits of multiple new trade deals, Finance Minister Grant Robertson says. “The economy is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Funding approved for flood resilience work in Te Karaka
    The Government has approved $15 million to raise about 200 homes at risk of future flooding. More than half of this is expected to be spent in the Tairāwhiti settlement of Te Karaka, lifting about 100 homes there. “Te Karaka was badly hit during Cyclone Gabrielle when the Waipāoa River ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Further business support for cyclone-affected regions
    The Government is helping businesses recover from Cyclone Gabrielle and attract more people back into their regions. “Cyclone Gabrielle has caused considerable damage across North Island regions with impacts continuing to be felt by businesses and communities,” Economic Development Minister Barbara Edmonds said. “Building on our earlier business support, this ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • New maintenance facility at Burnham Military Camp underway
    Defence Minister Andrew Little has turned the first sod to start construction of a new Maintenance Support Facility (MSF) at Burnham Military Camp today. “This new state-of-art facility replaces Second World War-era buildings and will enable our Defence Force to better maintain and repair equipment,” Andrew Little said. “This Government ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Foreign Minister to attend United Nations General Assembly
    Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta will represent New Zealand at the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York this week, before visiting Washington DC for further Pacific focussed meetings. Nanaia Mahuta will be in New York from Wednesday 20 September, and will participate in UNGA leaders ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Midwives’ pay equity offer reached
    Around 1,700 Te Whatu Ora employed midwives and maternity care assistants will soon vote on a proposed pay equity settlement agreed by Te Whatu Ora, the Midwifery Employee Representation and Advisory Service (MERAS) and New Zealand Nurses Association (NZNO), Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall announced today. “Addressing historical pay ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • New Zealand provides support to Morocco
    Aotearoa New Zealand will provide humanitarian support to those affected by last week’s earthquake in Morocco, Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced today. “We are making a contribution of $1 million to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to help meet humanitarian needs,” Nanaia Mahuta said. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Government invests in West Coast’s roading resilience
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