National goes dirty

Written By: - Date published: 10:37 pm, September 24th, 2013 - 131 comments
Categories: brand key, dpf, same old national - Tags:

It’s not been surprising to see National’s dirty tricks machine groan back to life over the last week – in the last week of the leadership campaign a good source close to the Nat’s research unit told me that they’d picked David Cunliffe as the likely winner and they were already digging through his past. At the time they were trying to find “rightwing” comments he’d made that they could use to wedge his left support base from him.

Similarly it’s no surprise they waited until John Key was out of the country before sending Mathew Hooton on a kamikaze attack on Cunliffe on Nine to Noon – after all it’s important they keep Key’s brand well away from that kind of muck. It’s all they’ve got left.

What has been surprising is how hamfistedly it’s been done. Hooton sounded like he was hysterical when he started shouting his smear on the wireless, on the same day Vance managed to get very specific comment from an anonymous “industry player” on the story a little too quickly, and David Farrar has been unusually unsubtle about trying to build it up. I mean check this out:

Some people have suggested that the scrutiny is unfair and part of an attempt to knock Cunliffe down. I think they forget that John Key went through exactly the same thing in 2008.

The NZ Herald had reporters spend months investigating John Key’s background. They talked to former colleagues and acquaintances of Key’s from around the world. They eventually published their findings in a multi-page feature.

It’s like a begging letter to the MSM. Unsurprisingly there’s been little pick up.

What all this tells me is the dirty tricks machine that National once (quietly) prided itself on has got very rusty. Well, that and they’ve not realised that running this kind of campaign when you’re in government and you’ve clearly got no popular policy just looks dirty and desperate (*cough* H-fee *cough*).

I understand we’ll see more of this over the next week or so. The nats are looking to damage Cunliffe’s reputation before he establishes himself fully in the public’s mind (at which point it will be a much harder task for them). They know they can’t go head to head on policy – because nobody actually likes their policies – so they’re going personal.

The problem they’ve got is they’re not doing a very good job of it. Add to that the fact they’re increasingly looking like they’ve got no vision of their own and I think they’re putting themselves in line for significant blow-back. It’ll be interesting to see what their next move is.

131 comments on “National goes dirty ”

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  1. geoff 1
    24 September 2013 at 10:43 pm

    Is it possible that Key has lost control of the party? That the rustiness is partly due to an internal breakdown, ie the Collins division not playing ball?

    • Tracey 1.1
      25 September 2013 at 5:04 am

      geoff, read Hollow Men, Key is no innocent bystander.

      • geoff 1.1.1
        25 September 2013 at 7:34 am

        Tracey, I’m not implying that Key is innocent, I’m suggesting that maybe the dirty tricks that he’s attempting are not working as well as they used to because of factional divisions in the party who no longer jump as high for him as they used to.
        Also, I have read the hollow men.

  2. mickysavage 2
    24 September 2013 at 11:03 pm

    Cunliffe is the perfect anti Key. Another rags to riches story with a wealthy intelligent wife at the cutting edge of environmental law and a house in Herne Bay. But he is sticking to his beliefs and not moving.

    He is brighter than Key. He may not be as good at the funny stuff but let him dissect Key’s utterances and show where he is wrong and Key may have met his match.

    The attacks are puerile and so predictable. This Government really is behaving like a third term government in its second term.

  3. McFlock 3
    24 September 2013 at 11:44 pm

    I suspect that an effective slagging campaign is a perishable skill.
    They’ve spent five years simply saying “labour left us with it”, “labour did it too”, or just outright lying and saying “it’s going great”. Now it’s dawning on them that 2014 will be a hard slog, and they’re panicking.

    I suspect their strategy is to try and keep the labour vote as low as possible for the start of the campaign, but the problem is that by the time they get good at slight-of-slag, it will be an old trick and they’ll need something new.

    And their current desperation suggests that they haven’t found a king-hit skeleton anywhere yet – if you have an ace up your sleeve, you don’t needlessly sacrifice your bishops or rooks because they don’t exactly grow on trees… 🙂

  4. Colonial Viper 4
    24 September 2013 at 11:52 pm

    This is just National’s opening salvo. Their artillery is going to keep opening up, and they have their spotters (internal pollsters) zeroing in on the most effective targets as we speak.

    Having said that Cunliffe can use a very simple strategy for counter-attack. Keep smashing the Government where it hurts – their lack of vision for the nation and the many credibility strains showing in their management of the economy for the top 5% wealthy.

    • mickysavage 4.1
      24 September 2013 at 11:55 pm

      Yep keep reminding people about crony capitalism and never ever get diverted …

      • Peter 4.1.1
        25 September 2013 at 7:56 am

        Yes, produce the numbers to back up the statements – eg how many millions have gone to the middlemen (compared to the cost of a referendum) as a result of assets sales, how little actual NZ mum and dads invested ( and lost so far), how much of asset ownership has headed overseas, how much revenue the Government has given up, how the budget is being balanced by selling revenue generating assets to pay for non-revenue generating assets.

        Simple and truthful numbers that explain how we are being fleeced will bring in the votes required.

        • AmaKiwi 4.1.1.1
          25 September 2013 at 10:58 am

          +1

          I can tolerate a lot but when you steal from me, you’re finished.

          My formula for victory would be to demonstrate that the Nats have STOLEN hundreds of million money from all of us and given it to their rich cronies.

          • marty mars 4.1.1.1.1
            25 September 2013 at 11:13 am

            + 1 Yes and the only thing I’d add is that Key stole it – that lying fake.

            I think you are all right from cv down. The fight will get dirty because they have to keep the left (all parts including the part Labour plays) out so they can continue to exploit our land for their overseas mates. It doesn’t get lower than that and when you think like that your morality imo is barely low enough to count so you’ll do anything and everything to further selfish self interest. Hootens, aptly named kamikaze, attack was a probe using an expendable minion – I don’t think they’ll be happy with this fizzer, more desperate plans will be afoot.

        • Mary 4.1.1.2
          25 September 2013 at 11:19 am

          Yes, with a dash of how the abandonment of democratic principles paves the way for the agenda, adhered to so strictly, but with a strategy based on change by stealth so as not to scare the horses. Selfish, uncaring, greedy men.

    • Red Rosa 4.2
      25 September 2013 at 7:48 am

      National’s slickest trick is to keep referring to their government as ‘centre-right’.

      In fact it is Extreme Right. Latest of course ACT’s charter schools, from the creationist Banks. The ultimate Parata folly, and an insult to NZ education.

      Dredging up policy from the depths of UK Tories and the US Repubs, then foisting it on NZ, has been the hallmark of this government.

      But it looks like Spying and Lying will be Key’s nemesis, with the final DotCom showdown still some months away. Meantime twisting slowly, slowly in the wind….

      • AmaKiwi 4.2.1
        25 September 2013 at 11:00 am

        To quote mickysavage: “Kim Dotcom, the gift that keeps on giving.”

      • Populuxe1 4.2.2
        25 September 2013 at 12:27 pm

        Don’t be ridiculous – if you think Key is Far Right, you are woefully ignorant of history. He’s scum to be sure, but he ain’t no Hitler, Pinochet, Peron, Franco etc. He’s not even a Thatcher.

        • Chris 4.2.2.1
          25 September 2013 at 1:48 pm

          “but he ain’t no Hitler, Pinochet, Peron, Franco etc. He’s not even a Thatcher”

          Yet…

        • peterlepaysan 4.2.2.2
          25 September 2013 at 9:00 pm

          He and Thatcher are cloned from the same gene pool.

          Fairness, equality, ethics are irrelevant. Only money,power and winning matters, whatever the cost.

          Very Americas Cup really.

        • karol 4.2.2.3
          25 September 2013 at 9:17 pm

          Depends on the definition of “far right” of which there is not total agreement.

          Basically, it is not necessary synonymous with fash1sm or naz1-ism

          Some see extreme “neoliberalism” as far right.

          There’s this definition as well.

          According to Elizabeth Carter, the two defining features of a right-wing extremist party are: a rejection of fundamental human equality, which she asserts is what makes the party right-wing,[20] and a rejection of the fundamental democratic values of the state, which makes it extremist.

          I do think Key’s government is more radical than they try to pretend.

          A plutocracy in “centre right” clothing.

      • Wayne 4.2.3
        25 September 2013 at 5:50 pm

        Its 5 schools, hardly the end of public education as we know it.

  5. Murray Olsen 5
    25 September 2013 at 1:20 am

    I think (and hope) that at least part of their problem is that their attack dogs, like WhaleSpew, Penguin, and Horton have become too obvious as biased and untrustworthy typists for hire. Or, in WhaleSpew’s case, cutter and paster for hire. While died in the wool Tories won’t care that it’s bullshit, anyone who actually thinks about whom to vote for is growing tired of the same old garbage all the time. The NActs and their copywriters are becoming less popular by the day.

    • Tracey 5.1
      25 September 2013 at 5:07 am

      average punter doesnt know who farrar and hooten are though, do they? Which is why Labour labelling them by their previous national connections may be important to neutralise them f the media will pick up their comments/.

      • felix 5.1.1
        25 September 2013 at 5:36 am

        Yep. And even further than that, I’d label them as what they really are: right-wing extremists.

        It’s getting boring hearing the media refer to “political blogger David Farrar” and in the next breath “LEFT WING BLOG The Standard” as if David is some sort of neutral bystander.

        • Tracey 5.1.1.1
          25 September 2013 at 12:50 pm

          exactly. by all means use these guys as sources and guests but everytime reveal their connections and therefore jaundiced views.

        • Murray Olsen 5.1.1.2
          25 September 2013 at 10:31 pm

          Yeah, it’s not right that they can be passed off as neutral commentators when they push far right drivel. Then they call this a Labour Blog, which I find a little disturbing. Perhaps they should have to wear their sponsors’ clothing, like the yachting guys.

  6. miravox 6
    25 September 2013 at 5:58 am

    And this is why the NActs are worried:

    Labour’s support has jumped under new leader David Cunliffe to the extent that he could form a coalition government and become Prime Minister, if today’s Herald-DigiPoll survey figures were translated to an election result…

    …Mr Key’s support as preferred Prime Minister has fallen 9.4 points to 55.8 per cent. Since becoming Prime Minister he has been in the 60s and sometimes 70s. He has never been down to the 50s. Mr Cunliffe scored a respectable 16.8 per cent in his first appearance as Opposition leader in the preferred Prime Minister stakes.

    A lot of people were tired of Key a long time ago, they just had nowhere for their vote to go. Now they have. If the NActs can’t nip Cunliffe’s credibility right now they won’t be looking forward to the next few polls.

    Tight control and a message for people to believe in, Labour, and the next election is yours to lose. Be brave.

  7. North 7
    25 September 2013 at 6:55 am

    Did Shouty Hooton have forewarning of this poll result ?

    One might think he did, he (according to himself ) being so impeccably connected, authoritative, omnipresent and all that.

    That would explain Monday’s calculated yet risibly thin “liar liar” rave on Nine to Noon. It would also explain the extraordinary meltdown offered up when no one clapped.

    In the grips of panic. Hilarious.

    • Tracey 7.1
      25 September 2013 at 12:52 pm

      Shooten Up said HE helped in the formation of Fonterra. Did he mean by selling the idea of it, which is not actually helping its formation at all. If he has kids I hope he has brought them up to do as he says not as he does.

  8. Jenny Kirk 8
    25 September 2013 at 7:05 am

    ” What all this tells me is the dirty tricks machine that National once (quietly) prided itself on has got very rusty.”

    Don’t kid yourself, Irish Bill. That Hooten stuff was just a pinprick, and probably a test to see if using him was/is feasible.

    The NActs will come up with some very very nasty tricks. They’ve got John Adshead and Crosby-Textor onside and they’ll come up with the goods for them. Remember Dancing Cossacks and Iwi/Kiwi.

    Labour is in for a very tough and nasty fight from here on in.

    • IrishBill 8.1
      25 September 2013 at 7:11 am

      I don’t doubt it’s going to be nasty, and I expect the Nats will adapt, but they’ve got off to a bad start. Also, I don’t rate C/T that highly – a lot of their success has been off the back of weak opponents. Cunliffe and his team are not weak opponents.

    • risildowgtn 8.2
      25 September 2013 at 7:16 am

      That is why we must fight back
      Start calling these media whores out on their lies….

      Twitter is great for springing them as a bunch of liars…… coz once ya do ,the truth is OUT there…….

      I might even join the LP if they keep this up…….

      • David H 8.2.1
        25 September 2013 at 11:53 am

        That, and formal complaints to Radio NZ, don’t hurt either. I must admit tho Gower never did reply on twitter, when I called him out for making shit up.

  9. chrissy 9
    25 September 2013 at 7:17 am

    Labour rises in the polls. Key faints.

    • Sanctuary 9.1
      25 September 2013 at 7:58 am

      The first line in the Herald is pure unintentional comedy gold:

      “…Prime Minister John Key has taken ill soon after arriving in New York, having to rest in a nearby pub…”

      Ah yes, THAT kind of ill…

  10. chris73 10
    25 September 2013 at 7:26 am

    Yes because Labour never tried to find dirt on Key or do we not remember Mike Williams little trip to Australia

    Here let me remind you all:

    “Labour is trying to avoid the fallout from the so-called “H-bomb” it has dropped on John Key as it emerges taxpayer funds have been used in the attempt to find dirt on the National Party leader.”

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/696924/Labour-tries-to-dodge-bomb-fallout

    • IrishBill 10.1
      25 September 2013 at 7:28 am

      I mention the H-fee in the post, you moron.

    • Tracey 10.2
      25 September 2013 at 9:29 am

      yes but Chris I thought all Key’s supporters thought it was dirty, beneath contempt and not something they would do? You are rolling out the “but Labour did it defence”. Is that what you wanted from your government, to be like Labour?

    • One Anonymous Knucklehead 10.3
      25 September 2013 at 9:39 am

      What a piss poor pathetic display of hypocrisy.

      Did that excuse work for you in the army, Chris? “But but but LLLLLaaaaaabbbbbboooooouuuuurrrrrr”.

      Plus what Irishbill said, moran.

      • Rogue Trooper 10.3.1
        25 September 2013 at 11:47 am

        not confusing chris73 with any Dylan I hope. “But..but…but, the officers are allowed in there…”

      • Greywarbler 10.3.2
        25 September 2013 at 12:01 pm

        OAK
        Was that Dylan Moran – Irish comedian (who can make anything funny)?

        • One Anonymous Knucklehead 10.3.2.1
          25 September 2013 at 5:12 pm

          Ah. The definition of “moran” in this case is provided by the urban dictionary: “the way a moron spells moron”, as immortalised in the phrase “Get a brain morans! Go USA!”. It is commonly used ironically.

  11. North 11
    25 September 2013 at 7:52 am

    It’s their reaction to the questioning of their ludicrous sense of superiority and entitlement will do them in. Shouty Hooton on Monday is the latest delicious example.

    The semi-precious brooch of ShonKey Python’s one time 62% as preferred PM is falling off the cold bosom. Wonder what silver bullet the likes of Chris73 will bring to the discussion now ?

    Wait for more in the vein of child-like rage and resulting gaffes.

    As says the old fulla on Dad’s Army………”They do not like it up ’em !”

    Meanwhile Judge Judy is sitting knitting.

    • North 11.1
      25 September 2013 at 7:59 am

      Old hat stuff Chris73 @ 10 above. Dead and gone long ago. As irresonant and irrelevant as the 3.5% Helen Clark is currently pulling in the preferred PM stakes which have ShonKey Python down 8%.

      You’re not gonna tell me that’s your silver bullet are you ? How artless can you be ? October 2008 ? My God !

  12. David H 12
    25 September 2013 at 8:51 am

    Well here’s my little gift to Shouty Shooten A formal complaint to Radio NZ.

    You have a so called professional political commentator screaming over everyone, Calling the newly elected Labour Leader a Liar. All in all not a very good look for any radio station, especially one that is thought of as the one last bastion of free speech, and truthful reporting.

    And not repeating the mental writhings of someone who sounds definitely unwell.

    • karol 12.1
      25 September 2013 at 9:36 am

      Well done, DH. I did email them my complaint on the day, but unlike TRP I haven’t had a reply,. is it because I used this pseudonym and its email & not my birth name?

    • Wayne 12.2
      25 September 2013 at 5:57 pm

      David,

      I guess you missed the irony in your post, “bastion of free speech”. Hooten is a commentator for the Right (sometimes overly strident), he is not a neutral analyst. And it is live radio – people say what they say, the audience judges it.

      • peterlepaysan 12.2.1
        25 September 2013 at 9:18 pm

        Its 5 schools taking money away from schools that need the money to do something meaningful that is accountable.

        5 schools promoting John Banks perverted and corrupt view of society is hardly a legacy the Nats would be proud to own.

      • peterlepaysan 12.2.2
        25 September 2013 at 9:32 pm

        So the audience judged that Bradbury was banned for life?

        So the audience judged that Hooton is allowed to stay?

        I do not think so.

      • karol 12.2.3
        25 September 2013 at 9:35 pm

        How can Hooton be a “commentator” and a “Lobbyist”/PR person?

        Plus, the slot is meant to have a commentator from the right and one from the left giving alternative views. The Hooton shouted over Ryan and Williams, preventing any other view than his liar, liar outburst.

        He should be banned for that violation of the debating process.

      • gobsmacked 12.2.4
        25 September 2013 at 10:14 pm

        Wayne

        You are a smart guy so I can only guess that you have not actually heard the relevant rant. I recommend that you do. Shouting “liar” constantly is not “commentary”, and not worth defending.

        Of course he is legally – and rightly – free to do this, but no radio station is legally obliged to give him a platform to do it. I can shout “John Key is a liar!” on the street, or on a blog, but I cannot insist that Radio New Zealand employs me to do so every week – and why should they have to?

  13. karol 13
    25 September 2013 at 9:34 am

    It may not just be that the NAct smear machine is rusty, but the blogosphere has changed since they began their Commn1st Lesbian D1ktator smears of Clark.

    Then smear stories were seeded through KB, WO and talk-back, and ultimately picked up by the MSM.

    Today, while not treated as de fact journos like Farrar & WO, TS does get read by journos, and The Daily Blog also has become a major force for the voice of the left. Good to have more than one platform to strongly articulate the strength of the collective left.

    Hooton’s rant was based on superficial research. It may have worked in the past. But if you look back at Open Mike to the day of the rant, you will see at least 3 of us dug up evidence that Hooton was wrong, in a pretty short time.

    The collective base is the strength of the left, and the best way to combat the NAct top-down, plausible deniability, smear machine.

    Note: I’m logged into the main page of TS, but it says I’m not logged in on this thread.

  14. Sable 14
    25 September 2013 at 11:33 am

    Oftentimes it not the quality of the message but how frequently its repeated that changes peoples minds for better or for worse. Think about WMD’s, war on terror, utter codswallop but the public of the US swallowed it. Why? Because it was said, again and again and again by dodgy right wing politicians and their stooges in the mainstream media.

    The opposing coalition need to fight fire with fire it they want to win here. Simply writing this off as nonsense from National and ignoring it is a HUGE mistake. They need to keep reminding people of Keys and co’s human rights violations, fiscal mismanagement, general lack of transparency and more if they want to win.

  15. amirite 15
    25 September 2013 at 11:35 am

    This morning Radiolive falsely reported that Cunliffe’s bio about the Harvard qualification on the Labour website has been edited. Cunliffe then had a swipe at Hooton for calling him a liar several times, said he”ll prove him wrong and added that the Nats are panicking after the new poll results.
    So it has started, the dirty war on Labour.
    If that’s all the media and the Nats can come up with, we’re sweet.

    • Sable 15.1
      25 September 2013 at 11:42 am

      How do people learn, by repetition. The quality of the message is secondary, keep that in mind. Labour need to deal with these detractors harshly and without mercy and do so repeatedly.

    • Tracey 15.2
      25 September 2013 at 12:46 pm

      you cant be right because national doesnt believe in dirty shots or personality politics, just politics.

      I keep waiting for that Tui sign, but they dont DO anti right wing tui signs.

  16. Jax Taylor 16
    25 September 2013 at 12:17 pm

    Thank-you. Not a Labour member here, but saw this coming a London mile off..
    As Lianne Dalziel intimated in that wonderful speech, even Duncan Garner praised..Politics not for the * faint of heart* , nor for the really black hearts either though, when the winds starts blow-back the other way!
    The prevailing ones I am picking up on, really want change everywhere. Here, London, N.Y even Iran. Not more of the same. Some in the NZ mainstream are getting as nasty and toey as one or two of those bloggers and their shills everywhere… Attack can actually be the poorest form of defence when it all goes horribly wrong.. Lessons taken from: Thatcher Days 101.
    .
    Just seen the ‘rocket’ in those polls too.. Enough to make someone faint?
    Memo to self.. Put on ak-ak flak bodice before venturing out in mini..
    😀

  17. karol 17
    25 September 2013 at 12:24 pm

    Andrea Vance is leading the smears re-Cunliffe’s CV, and she sms to have a direct line to Hooton.

    Doesn’t do much good to Vance’s image.

    Andrea Vance, News of the World, corporate shill, throws up yet another Hooton branded smear re-Cunliffe’s CV.

    Aren’t there more pressing political issues for you to focus on Andrea?

    • Sosoo 17.1
      25 September 2013 at 12:31 pm

      It’s getting even more pathetic.

      Mind you, that article basically thumps Hooton’s original claim.

      • gobsmacked 17.1.1
        25 September 2013 at 2:01 pm

        that article basically thumps Hooton’s original claim.

        Yes, Hooton caves.

        But this perfectly illustrates how this tactic works. Hooton’s climb-down gets less publicity than the original claim. So, no loss for the Right, Key is clean, some mud may stick to Cunliffe.

        For the Hooton/Slaters, truth is irrelevant. It’s up to Radio NZ and other media to call them out, Sadly, they probably won’t.

    • Tracey 17.2
      25 September 2013 at 12:37 pm

      it wont help cunliffe either, only the beltway know who shooten up is.

      btw, to the silent t brigade… there is life in cunliffe.

    • David H 17.3
      25 September 2013 at 1:42 pm

      Yeah but vance’s latest clam to fame is one of what ? Swapping pics of body parts, with a has been politician.

  18. amirite 18
    25 September 2013 at 1:03 pm

    From Twitter:

    Steve Braunias ‏@SteveBraunias 1m
    Startling new baseless accusation has it that David Cunliffe is a militant Islamic freedom fighter, a woman, and died four years ago

    🙂

  19. karol 19
    25 September 2013 at 2:15 pm

    And Blinglish gets in an attempted slur, referencing Cunlife’s CV, in replying to Cunliffe in question time – thereby showing that National is part of the shoddy, ill-judged smear campaign against Cunliffe.

    • Tracey 19.1
      25 September 2013 at 2:20 pm

      English’s idea of a housing policy is getting subsidised to have his family live in luxury in Wellington.

  20. Tracey 20
    25 September 2013 at 2:19 pm

    What is to be gained by being on the security council? Money apparently

    “Ten of the fifteen seats on the U.N. Security Council are held by rotating members
    serving two-year terms. We find that a count ry’s U.S. aid increases
    by 59 percent and its U.N. aid by 8 percent when it rotates onto the council.”

    http://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Publication%20Files/06-029.pdf

  21. Puckish Rogue 21
    25 September 2013 at 2:48 pm

    I’d suggest Cunliffe just starts telling the truth as its much easier to remember and maybe he should go through his CVs and “refresh” (I’m using quote marks to suggest that refresh means something different in case anyone was wondering) them before more of his “embellishments” come out

    • Tracey 21.1
      25 September 2013 at 2:52 pm

      Are you saying lies matter to the electorate? Cos Key’s popularity suggests otherwise.

    • karol 21.2
      25 September 2013 at 2:56 pm

      Gotta hand it to the righties – their lack of evidence keeps getting exposed & they keep right on with the same failed smear campaign.

      And that’s all you’ve got?

      Weak.

    • Rogue Trooper 21.3
      25 September 2013 at 3:10 pm

      x.

    • lprent 21.4
      25 September 2013 at 3:11 pm

      Puckish Rogue – just another moronic dickhead jerking off.

      This campaign by John Key against Cunliffe with his sock-hand up Hootens arse is simply pathetic.

      • Tracey 21.4.1
        25 September 2013 at 3:14 pm

        is this why national claimed cunliffe didnt bother them cos of the CV of cunliffe??? This is like Mike Williams in 2008.

    • ghostrider888 21.5
      25 September 2013 at 3:24 pm

      How’s that handle workin’ out for ya’. Maybe your mid-summers’ dream needs editing.

    • karol 21.6
      25 September 2013 at 3:31 pm

      Haha! And Cunliffe has used the Birther/Kenya_sarc attack in his speech in the general debate today.

        • ghostrider888 21.6.1.1
          25 September 2013 at 3:41 pm

          some humour in there karol, ‘specially the allegation David only has Joy Division on CD, not the original vinyl (was on TDB as well).

        • Tracey 21.6.1.2
          25 September 2013 at 3:42 pm

          nice one.my faves

          “Giovanni Tiso ‏@gtiso

          Hooton currently going through Cunliffe’s kindergarten art folders, checking the paintings he signed were all his.”

          Philip Matthews ‏@secondzeit

          Matthew Hooton raises further questions after learning that David Cunliffe only has Joy Division on CD not the original vinyl.

          Martyn Bradbury ‏@CitizenBomber

          UNBREAKING: @MatthewHootonNZ rushed to hospital after choking on rage that Labour under Cunliffe jump up 6.8% – “Lies” he screamed

  22. chris73 22
    25 September 2013 at 5:05 pm

    Whaleoil helpfully found this:

    http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:Lr9-zoPemccJ:https://www.facebook.com/Labour2014/info+&cd=24&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=nz

    “I was a Fulbright Scholar at Harvard University’s John F Kennedy School of Government and Harvard Business School, where I graduated with a Master of Public Administration.”

    – See that suggests he graduated from the Harvard Business School which is quite a well known and impressive school (I’ll admit it impressed me)

    “He held a Fulbright Scholarship at Harvard University’s John F Kennedy School of Government in 1994-1995, earning a Master of Public Administration.”

    – This is sounds quite different though I’m sure the John F Kennedy School of Government is impressive in its own right

    Cunliffe should hope he hasn’t got anymore embellishments lurking as he’ll start to suffer the death by a thousand cuts

    • Tracey 22.1
      25 September 2013 at 5:08 pm

      like Key has from his lies you mean?? Has Whale Oil posted a link to BLiP’s post on honest man, you know to show balance and that he is an even-handed commentator? Have you posted BLiP’s post over there chris, since you developed this aversion to leaders lying??

      • chris73 22.1.1
        25 September 2013 at 5:25 pm

        Why would he do that? Hes right-wing and doesn’t hide it just like this site is left-wing and doesn’t hide it either and thats the way i prefer it, he and this site are more honest then journalists because at least you know where they stand unlike journalists

    • McFlock 22.2
      25 September 2013 at 5:27 pm

      Chris, if he had, say, failed to complete an MPA at a community college and claimed an MBA from Harvard, toridom would have a clear point.

      But he has an MPA from Harvard, attended HJFKSG as well as HBS, and really his only fault in the matter was to leave a little bit of semantic leeway for hoots and blowfish to invent a lie.

      If those are the worst lies you guys can invent, thinks are looking rosy red and bright green for 2014.

      • chris73 22.2.1
        25 September 2013 at 10:18 pm

        Ackshully I get the feeling Cunliffe will provide more hits for National aided and abetted by the ABC club (which is where this stuffs coming from)

    • lprent 22.3
      25 September 2013 at 5:46 pm

      Just as a point of reality (as much as I hate to introduce that strange concept to people so obviously addicted to the blue pills)…

      Most MPAs share courses, parts of courses, and lecturers with MBAs across the whole damn world – including Harvard. While there are quite a lot of differences between the commercial and public administration, they are characterised more by how similar their course content is than by their differences.

      What you’re really saying is that Cam Slater is a as thick as two short planks and would never be able to get a MBA or a MPA except off a diploma mill

      I guess you must fit into the same category? Dumbarse munter?

      • karol 22.3.1
        25 September 2013 at 6:21 pm

        Has there been any WO attempted smear that ever really worked in the last few years?

        • lprent 22.3.1.1
          25 September 2013 at 6:59 pm

          Not really. These 2008 style raptor attacks just cause me to start escalating the ban button. A couple for discussion is ok. When they try to do the stupid self-reinforcing crap then I just get irritated. They are as boring as the indignant whining on talkback

          • chris73 22.3.1.1.1
            25 September 2013 at 9:39 pm

            Of course they work, if they didn’t work politicians wouldn’t use them and blogs (including this one) wouldn’t spend so much time discrediting those that use them (and vice versa of course)

            • karol 22.3.1.1.1.1
              25 September 2013 at 9:43 pm

              I wasn’t referring to politicians using them, just WO. Why he keeps using such strategies when he fails more than he succeeds is a mystery to me.

              WO probably WO only succeeded at all back in the days when there really weren’t any sizable left wing blogs to discredit his shoddy smears and diversions. They only work at all if they provide the only views circulating and if they are allowed to fester on blogs like this, causing smokescreens and diversions.

              • chris73 …
                25 September 2013 at 10:00 pm

                Heres the thing, lefties spin and the lefties on here believe it, the right spin and the righties believe it but its not what we who frequent blogs believe its what the general public believe

                For example the left have been spinning like mad the last few years that JK wants to sell NZ out to his american banker friends (he doesn’t by the way) and the left believe this and the right don’t but in the end the public have decided JK is the right person to lead NZ

                Now that Cunliffe is the leader of Labour hes going to go under justifiable scrutiny (as he may well end up leader of the country) to see what type of person he is and it looks like if he doesn’t outright lie on his CV then hes certainly guilty of embellishing it (which we all do) but its not the lie that ends you its the cover up (just ask Gilmour)

                If the righties can spin it enough that the people of NZ don’t trust Cunliffe then National will win and of course the left will be spinning to counter act…just remains to be seen who’ll win

                and winning is everything

                • geoff …
                  25 September 2013 at 10:02 pm

                  God you’re an idiot.

                • karol …
                  25 September 2013 at 10:11 pm

                  Pathetic, Chris73. What part of failed smear don’t you understand.

                  It’s Hooton that has ended up looking like a fool, and the only one under pressure for his dodgy tactics right now is Nick Smith.

                  • chris73 …
                    25 September 2013 at 10:37 pm

                    I’m sorry Karol I didn’t realise that you decided when a smear attack on the left was working or not so in future I’ll consult with you first

                    gotta go I’m “refreshing” my CV 🙂

                    • felix …
                      25 September 2013 at 10:58 pm

                      If by “worked” you mean that half a dozen morans like yourself are still fapping, then yeah, sure it worked.

                      However the facts are that Hooten didn’t find a shred of proof for his utterly unbelievable lies, and he spent a whole day “explaining” himself to the media, who ultimately reported it as a failed smear attempt.

                    • karol …
                      25 September 2013 at 11:01 pm

                      Ha! Chris! So you acknowledge it was a “smear attack”!

                      Double fail, mate – for admitting the aim, and trying to keep it going even when other righties and the MSM have given up on it.

                • Huginn …
                  25 September 2013 at 10:11 pm

                  No chris73, we don’t all ’embellish’ our c.v.’s.

      • chris73 22.3.2
        25 September 2013 at 9:44 pm

        Dancing on the head of a pin really

        He said he went to a particular institution:

        “Harvard Business School”

        and now its been removed

        I know you all love Cunliffe and believe him to be the messiah reborn but things like this (to the general public) looks like hes making shit up

        The question you really should be asking is who in the Labour caucus is supplying Andrea Vance…

        ABC = All Behind Cunliffe with a knife maybe

        • karol 22.3.2.1
          25 September 2013 at 9:51 pm

          BS. It’s Hooton et al who have been shown to be dancing on the head of a pin. And has exposed the pathetic little attempt to use underhand means to divert from significant issues, and do a bit of personality politics smearing.

          All Cunliffe has done is clarify.

          The MSM really hasn’t run with this weak little smear attempt. Yet, a few like you keep trying to re-ignite the sparks of dying embers.

          Is that all you’ve got?

          • chris73 22.3.2.1.1
            25 September 2013 at 10:07 pm

            So hes “refreshed” his CV twice so far, how many more times will it take for him to “refresh” his CV before you start to think that maybe sometimes is a bit iffy…don’t worry I already know the answer

            • karol 22.3.2.1.1.1
              25 September 2013 at 10:11 pm

              And how many times has Hooton had to back pedal?

              • chris73 …
                25 September 2013 at 10:25 pm

                Hootens not trying to become PM of NZ (at least not at this moment)

                • Colonial Viper …
                  25 September 2013 at 11:03 pm

                  Yet you admire his “credibility” and “sincerity”, which I can only describe as deficient judgement on your part.

                  • chris73 …
                    26 September 2013 at 7:33 am

                    No not really but I want National to win and this will help Nationals chances…I guess that sometimes the ends justified the means (something lefties are all too familiar with)

                    • Tracey …
                      26 September 2013 at 7:41 am

                      then dont say you admire integrity and sincerity which are contrary to Machievelli’s rules as Ramsey so eloquently pointed out yesterday while masquerading as a left leaning supporter.

                      Why will Cunliffe’s “lies” help National when Key’s lies help National? Is there something else at work? Are you saying National “work” the lies better?

    • Huginn 22.4
      25 September 2013 at 10:02 pm

      No, it doesn’t.

      It sounds like Cunliffe is a Fulbright Scholar who was accepted into Harvard University and studied towards his Masters in Public Admin at Harvard’s John F Kennedy School of Government as well as the Harvard Business School.

      It’s all Harvard, Chris73. Cunliffe is a Harvard grad. Now stop embarrassing yourselves.

      Note:
      The John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University is a public policy and public administration school, and one of Harvard’s graduate and professional schools. Wikipedia

      • chris73 22.4.1
        25 September 2013 at 10:10 pm

        Hes been found guilty of embellishing his CV which fortunately (for most of us) isn’t illegal but does call into question his integrity whatever way you want to spin it

        • karol 22.4.1.1
          25 September 2013 at 10:12 pm

          chris73, all that’s happening is you have been found guilty of embellishing a non-smear.

        • Huginn 22.4.1.2
          25 September 2013 at 10:13 pm

          What, you’re saying he didn’t graduate from Harvard?

          • chris73 22.4.1.2.1
            25 September 2013 at 10:29 pm

            His wording strongly suggested his qual came mainly from the Harvard Business School, hes now “refreshed” his CV and the Harvard Business School is gone

            So no I’m not saying he didn’t get his qual, I’m saying he made it sound as though he get it from a more well-known and prestigious institution…in other words embellishing

            • Huginn 22.4.1.2.1.1
              25 September 2013 at 11:38 pm

              But they ARE the same institution.

              Harvard’s John F Kennedy School of Government and the Harvard Business School are all Harvard, chris73.

              Harvard’s John F Kennedy School of Government’s MPA is inter-disciplinary, so he needed to tell us where else at Harvard he had had studied for it. It’s a wonk thing – but ok for him to drop it when people began to mix the MPA up with Harvard’s MBA program which people know about watching TV.

              You’re embarrassing yourself with this.
              You guys are on much safer ground with the Royal Forest & Bird revelations. Fancy David Cunliffe telling everyone that he was a member when he clearly had not paid his subs. What a scoundrel! I bet he’s in Al Qaeda too.

              You should go and check his birth certificate . . . straight away.

              • Colonial Viper …
                26 September 2013 at 12:21 am

                It appears that chris73 knows jackshit about

                a) Harvard University
                b) using wikipedia

                • chris73 …
                  26 September 2013 at 7:35 am

                  You know as well as I do that people will read the headline and skim the article (TLDR) which means an image of Cunliffe embellishing his CV is starting to build

                  and if he embellishes this what else does he embellish…

  23. Benghazi 23
    25 September 2013 at 11:32 pm

    Chris which word allows you to leap to ‘mainly’? It’s clear on any interpretation of either version of the CV that Cunliffe graduated with an MPA from Harvard. The degree comprised of papers taken at both the Kennedy School and the Business School. Quite likely there were other papers from other specialist areas. That’s what happens at universities all over the world every year. And as for your assertion that the Business School is more prestigious and well known, that is merely your opinion.

  24. felix 24
    26 September 2013 at 6:50 am

    chris73 this is a message from Control.

    Please stop.

    Message ends.

    • Tracey 24.1
      26 September 2013 at 7:10 am

      I think everyone is being unfair to chris73. Afterall havent we been waiting for Key’s supporters to give a shit about lying or embellishing or misleading? If he is frothing this much over the CV of Cunliffe he must be crying himself to sleep over Keystone Cops “embellishments.

      “looks like hes making shit up”

      “which fortunately (for most of us) isn’t illegal but does call into question his integrity whatever way you want to spin it”

      ” maybe you could teach Cunliffe some ethics then”

      We have a convert, we should be welcoming him. Can someone point me to the posts he has made on other blogs in the last couple of days dissecting Key’s misleads/lies/embellishments? I would even venture to WO’ site to read that.

      Well done chris, your original notion that everyone embellishes CV’s seems to have given way to an almost obsessive need to prove a lie from Cunliffe. Hold the leaders to account is what I say. Expect higher standards from them than us.

      By the way, I look forward to reading your point by point condemnation of these embellishments and the links to where they have been corrected or acknowledged. If you need the weekend to complete it, I can wait.

  25. Tracey 25
    26 September 2013 at 7:29 am

    More comments from chris73 on standards he expects from our leaders. he has moved his stance over the past few days though. So good on him, change is hard, especially ideology:

    “So Cunliffe was either economical with the truth (again) or embellished his CV (again) and the MSM dutifully reported it (again)

    Not a good rep to have in the lead up to an election”

    “To quote Dr House

    “Everybody lies””

    ” I don’t think its that bad I mean everyone embellishes their CV and people expect politicians to tell porkies”

    “Hootens not trying to become PM of NZ (at least not at this moment)”

    He probably wont vote Labour, he wont vote ACT (Banks breaches his code) and he clearly has abandoned National… He is facing an ideological crisis and we need to exten a supportive hand to him

    • Huginn 25.1
      26 September 2013 at 6:55 pm

      I know, I know. My heart went out to the flakey little guy when he made this sad but revealing admission about:

      ’embellishing [one’s cv] (which we all do)’

      He’s definitely trying to make himself some sort of a path to self reconstruction.

      chris73 – if you’re reading this – I want you to give yourself permission to embellish yourself into whatever you want to be. Don’t hold back – you must let yourself embellish your self into the grand, powerful and splendid creature that you know you want to be.

      Big hugs from your friend Huginn

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    A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 21, 2024 thru Sat, April 27, 2024. Story of the week Anthropogenic climate change may be the ultimate shaggy dog story— but with a twist, because here ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • Aotearoa: a live lab for failed Right-wing socio-economic zombie experiments once more…
    Every day now just seems to bring in more fresh meat for the grinder. In their relentlessly ideological drive to cut back on the “excessive bloat” (as they see it) of the previous Labour-led government, on the mountains of evidence accumulated in such a short period of time do not ...
    exhALANtBy exhalantblog
    1 week ago

  • Water is at the heart of farmers’ struggle to survive in Benin
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Megan Valére Sosou Market gardening site of the Itchèléré de Itagui agricultural cooperative in Dassa-Zoumè (Image credit: Megan Valère Sossou) For the residents of Dassa-Zoumè, a city in the West African country of Benin, choosing between drinking water and having enough ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

  • At a time of media turmoil, Melissa had nothing to proclaim as Minister – and now she has been dem...
    Buzz from the Beehive   Melissa Lee – as may be discerned from the screenshot above – has not been demoted for doing something seriously wrong as Minister of ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 week ago

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • Anzac Commemorative Address – Dawn Service, Gallipoli, Türkiye
    Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia.   Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • PM announces changes to portfolios
    Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • New catch limits for unique fishery areas
    Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Minister welcomes hydrogen milestone
    Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Urgent changes to system through first RMA Amendment Bill
    The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Overseas decommissioning models considered
    Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Release of North Island Severe Weather Event Inquiry
    Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Justice Minister to attend Human Rights Council
    Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order.  “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Patterson reopens world’s largest wool scouring facility
    Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Speech to the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective Summit, 18 April 2024
    Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing  At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin    Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho    Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today.    I am delighted ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Government to introduce revised Three Strikes law
    The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • New diplomatic appointments
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions.   “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says.    “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Humanitarian support for Ethiopia and Somalia
    New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today.   “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Arts Minister congratulates Mataaho Collective
    Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale.  “It is good ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Supporting better financial outcomes for Kiwis
    The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

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