National’s politicisation of Covid over the past two years

Written By: - Date published: 9:07 am, March 21st, 2022 - 34 comments
Categories: covid-19, health, Judith Collins, national, same old national, Simon Bridges, todd muller - Tags:

On Friday there was this big policy announcement by National where Chris Luxon announced National’s proposal for how the Government should handle Covid.  From the Herald:

National Party leader Christopher Luxon says it is time to dismantle Covid restrictions and get back to normality.

He spoke to media this morning with his Covid-19 response spokesman Chris Bishop after issuing a call for the Government to immediately scrap vaccine passes for all but large, indoor events.

In a statement this morning, Luxon also called for all scanning requirements to be dropped immediately and to get rid of vaccine mandates for all young people aged under 18.

He also called for a move to a five-day isolation period for Covid-19 cases and their household contacts, down from seven days.

The statement caused a sense of deja vu.  Haven’t they announced essentially the same policy many times before?

This caused me to do a deep dive of National’s previous announcements during the past couple of years and boy they have been all over the place.  The basic response has either to be loudly and indignantly claiming that we should loosen things up or acerbic criticism of the most transient fault by the agencies of Government.  This post is a compendium of different things I have said at different times.

We are now in a situation that we have anticipated but avoided for two years, a full blown local Covid wave.  We are in pretty good shape, vaccination rates are high and there are a couple of country comparisons to show how well we have done.

But from the noise that has emanated from National’s ranks and from its cheerleaders for the past couple of years you would think that the country’s performance was a disaster.

Like in February of this year when National wanted to end all border restrictions.

Chris Bishop put it plainly:

We think the time has come to end the misery of human lottery that is MIQ and essentially allow fully vaccinated kiwis in Australia and around the world to return and self isolate without going into MIQ.  That is the critical point.

Susie Ferguson then asked him if National would open up the borders “now”.

Bishop replied by contradicting himself and agreeing that it needed to be phased in.  From Radio New Zealand:

There was an argument for phasing in the changes, but the most pressing need was to get New Zealanders in very desperate situations home, from wherever they are in the world.

It is interesting that as Omicron was hitting us Bishop thought there was an argument for phasing in changes but now National thinks that the whole apparatus should be dismantled, every single piece of it.

This was also the month of the Wellington protest where Maureen Pugh gave the game away and admitted that National Party members had been meeting with the protestors on an almost daily basis.

In January of this year Chris Luxon criticised the Government for not having a comprehensive plan for dealing with Omicron.  Now he proposed there to be essentially no plan, apart from sick people staying at home.

Last December Luxon said:

“Why is Auckland in red light? That is designed for when the country has an overwhelmed healthcare system and the Prime Minister says it is fine. And we have some of the highest vaccination rates of any city on planet Earth.”

Luxon said the sector was “ready for Auckland to go straight to green”.

Omicron then hit and with the benefit of hindsight the extra time we had to prepare and get more people treble vaxxed was very important.

In November last year National essentially wanted to let the virus rip because it was affecting their privilege too much.

Here is the video proof:

And here is the Hansard report:

If we step back and ask ourselves, having got vaccinated—we’re nearly 90 percent; over 90 percent of first doses. Our simple view is that we don’t need any of this at all anymore. We can move on to a stage where the vaccination rates are high, we don’t need traffic lights, we need to just open up and accept that people have had the opportunity to get vaccinated—most of them have—and let’s get back to a semblance of normality. So that’s why we oppose the bill. Full stop.

It also came up with a campaign to just open up for Christmas.

At the time I said “… in the middle of a pandemic where the numbers in hospital are increasing and a number of Kiwis have died from a virus that is spreading promising the loosening of current restrictions is the most irresponsible, stupid, foolhardy, idiotic, imbecile thing I could ever expect a political party to do.”

In October last year previous leader Judith Collins wanted the mandate dropped once the country reached a 90% vaccination rate.  I thought at the time this was crazy.  We did not know what the situation was at that time.  As shown by Japan’s response which has recently dramatically reduced new covid cases it is a combination of responses that are important.  Vaccinations by themselves will not suffice and we may need to draw on multiple responses to suppress the spread of the virus.  As it was Omicron hit us after we had reached the 90% vaccination level and if ever there was a time that we needed the extra vaccinations that mandates incentivised it was then.

In September last year National said that if 75% of the population over the age of 12 were vaccinated then we would no longer need lockdowns.  Three weeks later the figure was 70% to 75%.  A goal for adult vaccinations of 80% to 85% was also mentioned which is absurd given that in terms of first jabs we were already pretty well there.

During that month it also released its Covid opus.  Clearly the policy had been developed over an extended period of time.  How they must have hated it when John Key released his list of cafe reckons on the Sunday just before official release.  The problem with its proposal?  It admitted that our health system could not at that time cope with the subsequent run of infections.

In August last year Chris Bishop admitted that he saw National’s role as not to ensure the best response to the crisis but instead to gum up the works.

In May of last year Chris Bishop showed that he was concentrating on the issues that mattered by complaining that doctors were trying to get too many vaccines out of a vial.

In April of last year (and for many months before then) National complained bitterly at how slow the roll out of the vaccine was.  History will show that our roll out was world class and that a phenomenal proportion of the population have been vaccinated.

In January of last year there was the great why has New Zealand not queue jumped and paid more to purchase Pfeizer vaccines debate.  Judith Collins asked why we were not being vaccinated as fast as other Western nations who were at the time struggling to deal with massive outbreaks.  Her complaint speaks volumes, if our world is going to deal with the virus then the distribution of vaccines have to be equitable and as a priority to those in need.

The election period of 2020 is but a blur.  And the result spoke volumes about what the country thought about National’s proposals.

Who can forget July 2020 when a then National MP made the allegation that a stream of covid infected Indians, Pakistanis and Koreans were on their way to Queenstown.

And that it was based on information supplied by this National operative?

In June 2020 Todd Muller gave this speech where he urged the reopening of New Zealand.  From the Otago Daily Times:

“The New Zealand strategy cannot be that we stay locked up until everybody else gets to zero or we have a vaccine. This country would be on its knees if that was the case.”

Earlier in his brief leadership, Muller said the National Party believed Australian skiers should be able to come to New Zealand this winter.

But Muller said the “shambolic” response to testing people in quarantine of the past fortnight meant New Zealanders were now less willing to talk about how we might allow people to visit or travel internationally.

“It has reduced New Zealand’s confidence in having a conversation, because even having a conversation right now creates the sense that ‘oh, you mean we’re going to open the border and get overwhelmed’.

Muller did not last much longer.  Then Judith Collins took over.

Simon Bridges can also directly link his demise as National leader in May 2020 to his handling of the issue and especially this social media post.  The content was predictable, the Government was being too slow and it was being too strict.  The twin attacks of incompetence and maintaining an excessive response has been repeated and repeated and repeated.

The Government is currently considering a relaxing of the current settings.  Like Professor Rod Jackson I prefer that changes be kept to a modest level while we struggle handling the Omicron wave.

But the negative rhetoric that National has engaged in since 2020 has played a significant role in undermining public support for beneficial health measures and putting pressure on the Government to loosen up more than is ideal.

I can understand why people are so grumpy and worried.  It has been two long years and it does not matter how many times you point out how well the country has performed people are over it.  National’s continuous stoking of the fires of discontent is something that I will never forget and reinforces to me strongly how important it is to keep them away from the levers of power for as long as possible.

34 comments on “National’s politicisation of Covid over the past two years ”

  • Comments are now closed

  2. Tiger Mountain 2
    21 March 2022 at 9:25 am

    “National’s continuous stoking of the fires of discontent is something that I will never forget and reinforces to me strongly how important it is to keep them away from the levers of power for as long as possible.”

    Well put Micky. And now, how to keep the Natzos away from those levers? Virtually anyone with some institutional memory or ability has been shed or left over the leadership and factional instability. So we are looking at the Nat remnants, a motley crew of chancers and worse, who seem to view this country as a shallow money trench.

    The Labour Caucus needs to keep acting on the fly, without running things past the fifth columnists in the Public Service. Then just maybe, they will turn things around on results that working class people can feel and enjoy.

    • Free Wifi nationwide to overcome the digital divide that COVID clearly showed exists between school kids from different locations. Such Wifi to include a basic device if needed and Super Gold Card holders to be included.
    • Basic Income trial of several hundred dollars pw paid to all citizens via IRD, once people start earning reasonably IRD can take some back
    • Free Dental Care and eye wear means tested
    • Fare Free Public Transport, with coverage and frequency updated nationwide
    • Massive subsidy on EVs, boot Rio Tinto after they have cleaned up and use the power they bludged on for decades
    • State House and apartment MEGA BUILD including tiny houses for homeless and emergency housing in every corner of the country. Life time and transferable tenancy options for study, work and vacation.
    • Repeal the NZ Neo liberal state–Reserve Bank Act, State Sector Act etc. etc.

    • Shanreagh 2.1
      21 March 2022 at 1:23 pm

      Good points for a way forward.

      Nats continue to play around with 'shock, horror' and repetition for Covid.

      I think we should be minimising the Covid stuff to the 1.00pm figures while working and giving in person updates on other aspects.

    • Patricia Bremner 2.2
      21 March 2022 at 2:01 pm

      yes

  3. tc 3
    21 March 2022 at 10:19 am

    Good post mickey. The lies and deception combined with that born to rule arrogance whilst kicking the lesser off is the last thing we need in power.

    Housing, health education, cost of living and transport are areas national have an ideological issue with providing adequately for.

    Luxons just a new coat of paint on the old neoliberal clunker that's still focused on the last century

  4. Reality 4
    21 March 2022 at 10:33 am

    The head-spinning erratic lucky dip "answers" to the pandemic in New Zealand leaves one wondering about their fitness for government. I'll never ever forget "open the borders", and plan B demands.

    Not to be forgotten, their unsavoury candidate selections, their unsuitable leaders, the very inappropriate MPs who had to depart under clouds, Michelle Boag and her ilk lurking in the shadows, Simon Bridges' crude conversations, Michael Woodhouse and his toilet seat "humour", leaves one wondering does NZ deserve being governed by such a weird bunch. We all can make mistakes, or make a wrong decision, but they surely take 1st prize.

  5. Ad 5
    21 March 2022 at 11:21 am

    I have the same but worse criticism of National as I do of Labour.

    National have picked away at minor administrative glitches, but just can't get the gumption to ask the higher order questions:

    Where are we?

    Where are we going?

    How do we get there?

    How long will it take?

    How much will it cost?

    All I'm generally getting out of Luxon is a few blowsy abstract nouns.

  6. Peter 6
    21 March 2022 at 11:22 am

    To me the Michelle Boag / Hamish Walker incident still stinks.

    Audrey Young said, "MP Hamish Walker’s confession to being the person who sent the names of Covid-19 patients to media outlets was bad enough — but his apology has reinforced his shocking judgment.

    It is an apology for an apology. It smacks of self-righteous post-fact justification, and downright deception."

    But suddenly other events. Michael Woodhouse came out strongly, strangely, saying, "This is unconscionable and unacceptable that those suffering from the incredible dangerous virus now have to suffer further with their private details being leaked." He then went quiet, laid low.

    Nicky Kaye announced her resignation.

    The State Services Commission report on the incident, led by Michael Heron QC, concluded that a privacy breach involving the personal information of Covid-19 patients was committed by "motivated individuals" within the National Party. The assumption became that the motivated individuals were Boag and Walker. Only them. It was as if they were the only crumbs to be cleaned off the counter.

    Young's assessment of "downright deception?" Maybe it should have been applied far further than just to Walker.

  7. Obtrectator 7
    21 March 2022 at 12:14 pm

    "National Party leader Christopher Luxon says it is time to dismantle Covid restrictions and get back to normality."

    Oh for the love of Pete: when are these imbeciles going to accept that the old "normality" isn't there to go back to?

    • Shanreagh 7.1
      21 March 2022 at 1:13 pm

      Yes it is boring isn't it…instead of being enthusiastic about a way to move forward in a better, more vibrant, interesting way he lines up behind torpor. Well actually in lining up behind torpor they line up behind their pocket-lining selves achieved by boring and safe means such as taxation.

    • ozaki 7.2
      22 March 2022 at 8:08 am

      On RNZ the other day when confronted with there being no going back to the old normal, Luxon said something like "well, let's go back to the new normal".

  8. Peter 8
    21 March 2022 at 12:32 pm

    Of course it was political. Everything he does is political.

    I wondered why he ignored official advice.

    He said, "What I will say around individual cases in general is that we've only generally released information where there's been a very good reason to do so – so a public interest in doing so or where we've been responding to concerns raised by individual people – but generally speaking we've been very cautious about releasing any personal or individual information." The implication of course is that he thought there was a good reason.

    (Do politicians always take the advice of officials implicitly?)

    You can have my thoughts on "be kind" too. A parent says they are going to "be kind" to their child. They are a hypocrite if they tell the child off, discipline them in some way?

    Ardern making reference to "being kind" and "team of 5 million" was silly. There are those who are determinedly petty, negative and puerile so the notions would be chucked in her face, forever. There were lockdowns, not nice, MIQ, not nice, and so on ad infinitum.

  9. Shanreagh 9
    21 March 2022 at 1:09 pm

    My biggest shock, and I mean that, was when the Covid announcement was made in the House in early 2020 and Bridges did not cross the floor to stand next to the PM in support of an 'we're all in this together approach'.

    Everyone would have realised that doing this would not have stopped the disagreements on approach, and neither should it have.

    It just signaled to me that the Nats actually did not believe we are all in this together as people despite their political beliefs.

    It signaled to me that the Nats believed that people are political animals first and foremost and I do not accept this. There are some innate beliefs that transcend political beliefs.

    They signaled that they believed there is a political approach to everything and this combative approach overrides health and the best way forward.

    I can tell you that the last time this happened in front of me, when the better person did not emerge at a point of crisis, was watching the underarm bowling incident. The sickening realisation, almost in slow motion, that the best thing was not going to be done.

    Having failed this moment it has been no shock to me at the rabid politicisation of Covid by the Nats.

    • ozaki 9.1
      22 March 2022 at 8:12 am

      Absolutely! Bridges could even have been with her at the 1pm stand ups, he would have looked like an alternative leader.

      And to Peter above, lockdowns saved lives, 1000s of them.

      • Shanreagh 9.1.1
        22 March 2022 at 9:06 am

        No I did not mean appearing at the 1.00pm stand-ups. The announcement that Covid as here etc it was a pretty shattering and worrying moment for NZ when we had to confront this Pandemic for the first time. It would have been hugely symbolic and also a display of 'we've got our backs' as a collective.

  10. Patricia Bremner 10
    21 March 2022 at 1:31 pm

    Woodhouse laid low as he had received the "List" from Boag, but had sat on it and threw the other recipients under the bus.

    Don't forget Woodhouse's lies about the homeless man in MIQ which cost a great deal to disprove. He never apologised. That rankles, and for Luxon to talk of "committed and talented team" is hot air.

    They have one plan. Discredit the PM and Government, any way possible.

    • Anne 10.1
      21 March 2022 at 4:22 pm

      Yes Patricia Bremner and it showed that DP never really stopped. I find it significant that since Luxon took over, it appears to be moving to the forefront again.

      I'm glad mickysavage included a link to Professor Rod Jackson's interview on RNZ this morning. It served to remind me of the pernicious way the govt's opponents had constantly discredited the Covid responses throughout the pandemic and in the process… contradicted themselves time and again. Micky has exposed that very well.

      Jackson was careful not to name anyone or any group (apart from the anti vaxxers) but he made it clear that the derogatory claims over the Covid response was purely political and bore no relation to available evidence. It says so much about the Right's tactics. They don't care how many people die or what damage they are doing to the country as a whole, just so long as they can gain power… for themselves and their wealthy backers.

      Here is a re-link of the Rod Jackson interview for ease of access:

      https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018834988/covid-19-not-time-to-remove-vaccine-passes-yet-rod-jackson

      • tc 10.1.1
        22 March 2022 at 9:53 am

        Luxons use of DP is no surprise when you look at who is around him and who backed him.

        When you have no policy throwing shit continually looks like action to the easily won over.

  11. Reality 11
    21 March 2022 at 4:40 pm

    I was pleased to see Rod Jackson had spoken out about caution still being very necessary. He has always been balanced and good to listen to. Common sense hopefully prevails, given the numbers of deaths occurring each day.

    Where has Des Gorman gone – he was always going along with whatever National was saying. Even was at one of their conferences I recall. Strange silence from him since Omicron arrived. Maybe has belatedly seen sense.

  12. Mike the Lefty 12
    22 March 2022 at 10:02 am

    We should also remember that nearly a year ago National were screaming that purpose built MIQ hotels were needed NOW and why wasn't the government building them NOW.

    Just a few weeks ago National were saying that MIQ is no longer necessary. If Labour had done what National proposed the first purpose built MIQ facilities would be ready probably about now – just ready in time to be rendered pointless.

    More millions of dollars spent for nothing. Doesn't exactly fit in with National's promise to cut "wasteful" spending does it?

    The point is that National's COVID policies have always been like the Monty Python argument sketch – just automatic gain saying coupled with knee-jerk reaction, populism and hindsight.

    The Labour government, when it had the time to do so, thought hard about its actions and responses rather than the knee-jerk responses that right-wing commentators like Mike Hosking were demanding. This was often interpreted as "sitting on their hands" but the best advice you can get about pandemic diseases is from scientists and medical professionals, not narcissistic Breakfast Show hosts chasing ratings. COVID was a rapidly changing scene. The original wave, delta and omicron are quite different in nature, effect and transmission and require different strategies – but this is often not apparent at the time, more in hindsight.

    I believe that essentially the Labour government has handled COVID pretty well, at least so far and it isn't over yet. Its efforts have been hampered by a run-down public health system that can't cope with an outbreak of the common cold let alone COVID and the actions of a small but very vocal bunch of anarchists who seem intent on sharing their COVID and their bad manners with the rest of the nation.

  13. Shanreagh 13
    22 March 2022 at 11:55 am

    small but very vocal bunch of anarchists who seem intent on sharing their COVID and their bad manners with the rest of the nation.

    Very good turn of phrase there MTL! wink

  14. tsmithfield 14
    22 March 2022 at 11:57 am

    I thought the title of this post was a bit rich given that, in my view, Labour has sought to politicize the Covid crisis at every opportunity with their 1 pm press conferences and the like. LOL.

    It is true that National has changed its position on the crisis a number of times. But so has the government. For instance, it opened up the border with Australia then closed it again. It set dates for the border reopening before Christmas then changed that. Now it has changed the goal posts again for tourists arriving.

    The reality is that in the constantly changing and uncertain environment that Covid has created that plans need to adapt to what is happening. National has only been able to do that in its announcements. Whereas Labour has been able to do that with actions. But it is all the same side of the coin.

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • Look who’s stepped up to champion Winston
    There’s no news to be gleaned from the government’s official website today  – it contains nothing more than the message about the site being under maintenance. The time this maintenance job is taking and the costs being incurred have us musing on the government’s commitment to an assault on inflation. ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 hours ago

  • What's The Story?
    Don’t you sometimes wish they’d just tell the truth? No matter how abhorrent or ugly, just straight up tell us the truth?C’mon guys, what you’re doing is bad enough anyway, pretending you’re not is only adding insult to injury.Instead of all this bollocks about the Smokefree changes being to do ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    10 hours ago

  • The longest of weeks
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.Friday Under New Management Week in review, quiz style1. Which of these best describes Aotearoa?a. Progressive nation, proud of its egalitarian spirit and belief in a fair go b. Best little country on the planet c. ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    11 hours ago

  • Suggested sessions of EGU24 to submit abstracts to
    Like earlier this year, members from our team will be involved with next year's General Assembly of the European Geosciences Union (EGU). The conference will take place on premise in Vienna as well as online from April 14 to 19, 2024. The session catalog has been available since November 1 ...
    Skeptical Science
    21 hours ago

  • Under New Management
    1. Which of these best describes Aotearoa?a. Progressive nation, proud of its egalitarian spirit and belief in a fair go b. Best little country on the planet c. Under New Management 2. Which of these best describes the 100 days of action announced this week by the new government?a. Petulantb. Simplistic and wrongheaded c. ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 day ago

  • While we wait patiently, our new Minister of Education is up and going with a 100-day action plan
    Sorry to say, the government’s official website is still out of action. When Point of Order paid its daily visit, the message was the same as it has been for the past week: Site under maintenance Beehive.govt.nz is currently under maintenance. We will be back shortly. Thank you for your ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago

  • DAVID FARRAR: Hysterical bullshit
    Radio NZ reports: Te Pāti Māori’s co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer has accused the new government of “deliberate .. systemic genocide” over its policies to roll back the smokefree policy and the Māori Health Authority. The left love hysterical language. If you oppose racial quotas in laws, you are a racist. And now if you sack ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago

  • ELE LUDEMANN: It wasn’t just $55 million
    Ele Ludemann writes –  Winston Peters reckons media outlets were bribed by the $55 million Public Interest Journalism Fund. He is not the first to make such an accusation. Last year, the Platform outlined conditions media signed up to in return for funds from the PJIF: . . . ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago

  • Weekly Roundup 1-December-2023
    Wow, it’s December already, and it’s a Friday. So here are few things that caught our attention recently. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt covered the new government’s coalition agreements and what they mean for transport. On Tuesday Matt looked at AT’s plans for fare increases ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 day ago

  • Shane MacGowan Is Gone.
    Late 1996, The Dogs Bollix, Tamaki Makaurau.I’m at the front of the bar yelling my order to the bartender, jostling with other thirsty punters on a Friday night, keen to piss their wages up against a wall letting loose. The black stuff, long luscious pints of creamy goodness. Back down ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago

  • The Hoon around the week to Dec 1
    Nicola Willis, Chris Bishop and other National, ACT and NZ First MPs applaud the signing of the coalition agreements, which included the reversal of anti-smoking measures while accelerating tax cuts for landlords. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • 2023 More Reading: November (+ Writing Update)
    Completed reads for November: A Modern Utopia, by H.G. Wells The Vampire (poem), by Heinrich August Ossenfelder The Corpus Hermeticum The Corpus Hermeticum is Mead’s translation. Now, this is indeed a very quiet month for reading. But there is a reason for that… You see, ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    2 days ago

  • Forward to 2017
    The coalition party agreements are mainly about returning to 2017 when National lost power. They show commonalities but also some serious divergencies.The two coalition agreements – one National and ACT, the other National and New Zealand First – are more than policy documents. They also describe the processes of the ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    2 days ago

  • Questions a nine year old might ask the new Prime Minister
    First QuestionYou’re going to crack down on people ram-raiding dairies, because you say hard-working dairy owners shouldn’t have to worry about getting ram-raided.But once the chemist shops have pseudoephedrine in them again, they're going to get ram-raided all the time. Do chemists not work as hard as dairy owners?Second QuestionYou ...
    More than a fieldingBy David Slack
    2 days ago

  • Questions a nine year old might ask the new Prime Minister
    First QuestionYou’re going to crack down on people ram-raiding dairies, because you say hard-working dairy owners shouldn’t have to worry about getting ram-raided.But once the chemist shops have pseudoephedrine in them again, they're going to get ram-raided all the time. Do chemists not work as hard as dairy owners?Second QuestionYou ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago

  • Finally
    Henry Kissinger is finally dead. Good fucking riddance. While Americans loved him, he was a war criminal, responsible for most of the atrocities of the final quarter of the twentieth century. Cambodia. Bangladesh. Chile. East Timor. All Kissinger. Because of these crimes, Americans revere him as a "statesman" (which says ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago

  • Government in a hurry – Luxon lists 49 priorities in 100-day plan while Peters pledges to strength...
    Buzz from the Beehive Yes, ministers in the new government are delivering speeches and releasing press statements. But the message on the government’s official website was the same as it has been for the past several days, when Point of Order went looking for news from the Beehive that had ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago

  • DAVID FARRAR: Luxon is absolutely right
    David Farrar writes  –  1 News reports: Christopher Luxon says he was told by some Kiwis on the campaign trail they “didn’t know” the difference between Waka Kotahi, Te Pūkenga and Te Whatu Ora. Speaking to Breakfast, the incoming prime minister said having English first on government agencies will “make sure” ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Top 10 at 10 am for Thursday, Nov 30
    There are fears that mooted changes to building consent liability could end up driving the building industry into an uninsured hole. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere as of 10 am on Thursday, November 30, including:The new Government’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on how climate change threatens cricket‘s future
    Well that didn’t last long, did it? Mere days after taking on what he called the “awesome responsibility” of being Prime Minister, M Christopher Luxon has started blaming everyone else, and complaining that he has inherited “economic vandalism on an unprecedented scale” – which is how most of us are ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    2 days ago

  • We need to talk about Tory.
    The first I knew of the news about Tory Whanau was when a tweet came up in my feed.The sort of tweet that makes you question humanity, or at least why you bother with Twitter. Which is increasingly a cesspit of vile inhabitants who lurk spreading negativity, hate, and every ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago

  • Dangling Transport Solutions
    Cable Cars, Gondolas, Ropeways and Aerial Trams are all names for essentially the same technology and the world’s biggest maker of them are here to sell them as an public transport solution. Stuff reports: Austrian cable car company Doppelmayr has launched its case for adding aerial cable cars to New ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    2 days ago

  • November AMA
    Hi,It’s been awhile since I’ve done an Ask-Me-Anything on here, so today’s the day. Ask anything you like in the comments section, and I’ll be checking in today and tomorrow to answer.Leave a commentNext week I’ll be giving away a bunch of these Mister Organ blu-rays for readers in New ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago

  • National’s early moves adding to cost of living pressure
    The cost of living grind continues, and the economic and inflation honeymoon is over before it began. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: PM Christopher Luxon unveiled his 100 day plan yesterday with an avowed focus of reducing cost-of-living pressures, but his Government’s initial moves and promises are actually elevating ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Backwards to the future
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has confirmed that it will be back to the future on planning legislation. This will be just one of a number of moves which will see the new government go backwards as it repeals and cost-cuts its way into power. They will completely repeal one ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago

  • New initiatives in science and technology could point the way ahead for Luxon government
    As the new government settles into the Beehive, expectations are high that it can sort out some  of  the  economic issues  confronting  New Zealand. It may take time for some new  ministers to get to grips with the range of their portfolio work and responsibilities before they can launch the  changes that  ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    3 days ago

  • Treaty pledge to secure funding is contentious – but is Peters being pursued by a lynch mob after ...
    TV3 political editor Jenna Lynch was among the corps of political reporters who bridled, when Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters told them what he thinks of them (which is not much). She was unabashed about letting her audience know she had bridled. More usefully, she drew attention to something which ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • How long does this last?
    I have a clear memory of every election since 1969 in this plucky little nation of ours. I swear I cannot recall a single one where the question being asked repeatedly in the first week of the new government was: how long do you reckon they’ll last? And that includes all ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago

  • National’s giveaway politics
    We already know that national plans to boost smoking rates to collect more tobacco tax so they can give huge tax-cuts to mega-landlords. But this morning that policy got even more obscene - because it turns out that the tax cut is retrospective: Residential landlords will be able to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago

  • CHRIS TROTTER: Who’s driving the right-wing bus?
    Who’s At The Wheel? The electorate’s message, as aggregated in the polling booths on 14 October, turned out to be a conservative political agenda stronger than anything New Zealand has seen in five decades. In 1975, Bill Rowling was run over by just one bus, with Rob Muldoon at the wheel. In 2023, ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • GRAHAM ADAMS:  Media knives flashing for Luxon’s government
    The fear and loathing among legacy journalists is astonishing Graham Adams writes – No one is going to die wondering how some of the nation’s most influential journalists personally view the new National-led government. It has become abundantly clear within a few days of the coalition agreements ...
    Point of OrderBy gadams1000
    3 days ago

  • Top 10 news links for Wednesday, Nov 29
    TL;DR: Here’s my pick of top 10 news links elsewhere for Wednesday November 29, including:The early return of interest deductibility for landlords could see rebates paid on previous taxes and the cost increase to $3 billion from National’s initial estimate of $2.1 billion, CTU Economist Craig Renney estimated here last ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Smokefree Fallout and a High Profile Resignation.
    The day after being sworn in the new cabinet met yesterday, to enjoy their honeymoon phase. You remember, that period after a new government takes power where the country, and the media, are optimistic about them, because they haven’t had a chance to stuff anything about yet.Sadly the nuptials complete ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • As Cabinet revs up, building plans go on hold
    Wellington Council hoardings proclaim its preparations for population growth, but around the country councils are putting things on hold in the absence of clear funding pathways for infrastructure, and despite exploding migrant numbers. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Cabinet meets in earnest today to consider the new Government’s 100-day ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • National takes over infrastructure
    Though New Zealand First may have had ambitions to run the infrastructure portfolios, National would seem to have ended up firmly in control of them.  POLITIK has obtained a private memo to members of Infrastructure NZ yesterday, which shows that the peak organisation for infrastructure sees  National MPs Chris ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago

  • At a glance – Evidence for global warming
    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

  • Who’s Driving The Right-Wing Bus?
    Who’s At The Wheel? The electorate’s message, as aggregated in the polling booths on 14 October, turned out to be a conservative political agenda stronger than anything New Zealand has seen in five decades. In 1975, Bill Rowling was run over by just one bus, with Rob Muldoon at the wheel. In ...
    Bowalley Road
    4 days ago

  • Sanity break
    Cheers to reader Deane for this quote from Breakfast TV today:Chloe Swarbrick to Brook van Velden re the coalition agreement: “... an unhinged grab-bag of hot takes from your drunk uncle at Christmas”Cheers also to actual Prime Minister of a country Christopher Luxon for dorking up his swearing-in vows.But that's enough ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • Sanity break
    Cheers to reader Deane for this quote from Breakfast TV today:Chloe Swarbrick to Brook van Velden re the coalition agreement: “... an unhinged grab-bag of hot takes from your drunk uncle at Christmas”Cheers also to actual Prime Minister of a country Christopher Luxon for dorking up his swearing-in vows.But that's enough ...
    More than a fieldingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • National’s murderous smoking policy
    One of the big underlying problems in our political system is the prevalence of short-term thinking, most usually seen in the periodic massive infrastructure failures at a local government level caused by them skimping on maintenance to Keep Rates Low. But the new government has given us a new example, ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago

  • NZ has a chance to rise again as our new government gets spending under control
    New Zealand has  a chance  to  rise  again. Under the  previous  government, the  number of New Zealanders below the poverty line was increasing  year by year. The Luxon-led government  must reverse that trend – and set about stabilising  the  pillars  of the economy. After the  mismanagement  of the outgoing government created   huge ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    4 days ago

  • KARL DU FRESNE: Media and the new government
    Two articles by Karl du Fresne bring media coverage of the new government into considerations.  He writes –    Tuesday, November 28, 2023 The left-wing media needed a line of attack, and they found one The left-wing media pack wasted no time identifying the new government’s weakest point. Seething over ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • PHILIP CRUMP:  Team of rivals – a CEO approach to government leadership
    The work begins Philip Crump wrote this article ahead of the new government being sworn in yesterday – Later today the new National-led coalition government will be sworn in, and the hard work begins. At the core of government will be three men – each a leader ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Black Friday
    As everyone who watches television or is on the mailing list for any of our major stores will confirm, “Black Friday” has become the longest running commercial extravaganza and celebration in our history. Although its origins are obscure (presumably dreamt up by American salesmen a few years ago), it has ...
    Bryan GouldBy Bryan Gould
    4 days ago

  • In Defense of the Media.
    Yesterday the Ministers in the next government were sworn in by our Governor General. A day of tradition and ceremony, of decorum and respect. Usually.But yesterday Winston Peters, the incoming Deputy Prime Minister, and Foreign Minister, of our nation used it, as he did with the signing of the coalition ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • Top 10 news links at 10 am for Tuesday, Nov 28
    Nicola Willis’ first move was ‘spilling the tea’ on what she called the ‘sobering’ state of the nation’s books, but she had better be able to back that up in the HYEFU. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Here’s my pick of top 10 news links elsewhere at 10 am ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • PT use up but fare increases coming
    Yesterday Auckland Transport were celebrating, as the most recent Sunday was the busiest Sunday they’ve ever had. That’s a great outcome and I’m sure the ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    4 days ago

  • The very opposite of social investment
    Nicola Willis (in blue) at the signing of the coalition agreement, before being sworn in as both Finance Minister and Social Investment Minister. National’s plan to unwind anti-smoking measures will benefit her in the first role, but how does it stack up from a social investment viewpoint? Photo: Lynn Grieveson ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago

  • Giving Tuesday
    For the first time "in history" we decided to jump on the "Giving Tuesday" bandwagon in order to make you aware of the options you have to contribute to our work! Projects supported by Skeptical Science Inc. Skeptical Science Skeptical Science is an all-volunteer organization but ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago

  • Let's open the books with Nicotine Willis
    Let’s say it’s 1984,and there's a dreary little nation at the bottom of the Pacific whose name rhymes with New Zealand,and they've just had an election.Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, will you look at the state of these books we’ve opened,cries the incoming government, will you look at all this mountain ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago

  • Climate Change: Stopping oil
    National is promising to bring back offshore oil and gas drilling. Naturally, the Greens have organised a petition campaign to try and stop them. You should sign it - every little bit helps, and as the struggle over mining conservation land showed, even National can be deterred if enough people ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago

  • Don’t accept Human Rights Commission reading of data on Treaty partnership – read the survey fin...
    Wellington is braced for a “massive impact’ from the new government’s cutting public service jobs, The Post somewhat grimly reported today. Expectations of an economic and social jolt are based on the National-Act coalition agreement to cut public service numbers in each government agency in a cost-trimming exercise  “informed by” head ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago

  • The stupidest of stupid reasons
    One of the threats in the National - ACT - NZ First coalition agreements was to extend the term of Parliament to four years, reducing our opportunities to throw a bad government out. The justification? Apparently, the government thinks "elections are expensive". This is the stupidest of stupid reasons for ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago

  • A website bereft of buzz
    Buzz from the Beehive The new government was being  sworn in, at time of writing , and when Point of Order checked the Beehive website for the latest ministerial statements and re-visit some of the old ones we drew a blank. We found ….  Nowt. Nothing. Zilch. Not a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago

  • MICHAEL BASSETT: A new Ministry – at last
    Michael Bassett writes – Like most people, I was getting heartily sick of all the time being wasted over the coalition negotiations. During the first three weeks Winston grinned like a Cheshire cat, certain he’d be needed; Chris Luxon wasted time in lifting the phone to Winston ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Luxon's Breakfast.
    The Prime Minister elect had his silver fern badge on. He wore it to remind viewers he was supporting New Zealand, that was his team. Despite the fact it made him look like a concierge, or a welcomer in a Koru lounge. Anna Burns-Francis, the Breakfast presenter, asked if he ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • LINDSAY MITCHELL:  Oranga Tamariki faces major upheaval under coalition agreement
     Lindsay Mitchell writes – A hugely significant gain for ACT is somewhat camouflaged by legislative jargon. Under the heading ‘Oranga Tamariki’ ACT’s coalition agreement contains the following item:   Remove Section 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 According to Oranga Tamariki:     “Section ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • BRIAN EASTON:  Peters as Minister
    A previous column looked at Winston Peters biographically. This one takes a closer look at his record as a minister, especially his policy record. Brian Easton writes – 1990-1991: Minister of Māori Affairs. Few remember Ka Awatea as a major document on the future of Māori policy; there is ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Cathrine Dyer's guide to watching COP 28 from the bottom of a warming planet
    Is COP28 largely smoke and mirrors and a plan so cunning, you could pin a tail on it and call it a weasel? Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: COP28 kicks off on November 30 and up for negotiation are issues like the role of fossil fuels in the energy transition, contributions to ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago

  • Top 10 news links at 10 am for Monday, Nov 27
    PM Elect Christopher Luxon was challenged this morning on whether he would sack Adrian Orr and Andrew Coster.TL;DR: Here’s my pick of top 10 news links elsewhere at 10 am on Monday November 27, including:Signs councils are putting planning and capital spending on hold, given a lack of clear guidance ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on the new government’s policies of yesteryear
    This column expands on a Werewolf column published by Scoop on Friday Routinely, Winston Peters is described as the kingmaker who gets to decide when the centre right or the centre-left has a turn at running this country. He also plays a less heralded but equally important role as the ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    5 days ago

  • The New Government’s Agreements
    Last Friday, almost six weeks after election day, National finally came to an agreement with ACT and NZ First to form a government. They also released the agreements between each party and looking through them, here are the things I thought were the most interesting (and often concerning) from the. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    5 days ago

  • How many smokers will die to fund the tax cuts?
    Maori and Pasifika smoking rates are already over twice the ‘all adult’ rate. Now the revenue that generates will be used to fund National’s tax cuts. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The devil is always in the detail and it emerged over the weekend from the guts of the policy agreements National ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

  • How the culture will change in the Beehive
    Perhaps the biggest change that will come to the Beehive as the new government settles in will be a fundamental culture change. The era of endless consultation will be over. This looks like a government that knows what it wants to do, and that means it knows what outcomes ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    6 days ago

  • No More Winnie Blues.
    So what do you think of the coalition’s decision to cancel Smokefree measures intended to stop young people, including an over representation of Māori, from taking up smoking? Enabling them to use the tax revenue to give other people a tax cut?David Cormack summed it up well:It seems not only ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago

  • 2023 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #47
    A chronological listing of news and opinion articles posted on the Skeptical Science  Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Nov 19, 2023 thru Sat, Nov 25, 2023.  Story of the Week World stands on frontline of disaster at Cop28, says UN climate chief  Exclusive: Simon Stiell says leaders must ‘stop ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago

  • Some of it is mad, some of it is bad and some of it is clearly the work of people who are dangerous ...
    On announcement morning my mate texted:Typical of this cut-price, fake-deal government to announce itself on Black Friday.What a deal. We lose Kim Hill, we gain an empty, jargonising prime minister, a belligerent conspiracist, and a heartless Ayn Rand fanboy. One door closes, another gets slammed repeatedly in your face.It seems pretty ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    7 days ago

  • “Revolution” is the threat as the Māori Party smarts at coalition government’s Treaty directi...
    Buzz from the Beehive Having found no fresh announcements on the government’s official website, Point of Order turned today to Scoop’s Latest Parliament Headlines  for its buzz. This provided us with evidence that the Māori Party has been soured by the the coalition agreement announced yesterday by the new PM. “Soured” ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 week ago

  • The Good, the Bad, and the even Worse.
    Yesterday the trio that will lead our country unveiled their vision for New Zealand.Seymour looking surprisingly statesmanlike, refusing to rise to barbs about his previous comments on Winston Peters. Almost as if they had just been slapstick for the crowd.Winston was mostly focussed on settling scores with the media, making ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago

  • When it Comes to Palestine – Free Speech is Under Threat
    Hi,Thanks for getting amongst Mister Organ on digital — thanks to you, we hit the #1 doc spot on iTunes this week. This response goes a long way to helping us break even.I feel good about that. Other things — not so much.New Zealand finally has a new government, and ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    1 week ago

  • Thank you Captain Luxon. Was that a landing, or were we shot down?
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.Also in More Than A FeildingFriday The unboxing And so this is Friday and what have we gone and done to ourselves?In the same way that a Christmas present can look lovely under the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago

  • Cans of Worms.
    “And there’ll be no shortage of ‘events’ to test Luxon’s political skills. David Seymour wants a referendum on the Treaty. Winston wants a Royal Commission of Inquiry into Labour’s handling of the Covid crisis. Talk about cans of worms!”LAURIE AND LES were very fond of their local. It was nothing ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago

  • Disinformation campaigns are undermining democracy. Here’s how we can fight back
    This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Misinformation is debated everywhere and has justifiably sparked concerns. It can polarise the public, reduce health-protective behaviours such as mask wearing and vaccination, and erode trust in science. Much of misinformation is spread not ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

  • Peters as Minister
    A previous column looked at Winston Peters biographically. This one takes a closer look at his record as a minister, especially his policy record.1990-1991: Minister of Māori Affairs. Few remember Ka Awatea as a major document on the future of Māori policy; there is not even an entry in Wikipedia. ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 week ago

  • The New Government: 2023 Edition
    So New Zealand has a brand-spanking new right-wing government. Not just any new government either. A formal majority coalition, of the sort last seen in 1996-1998 (our governmental arrangements for the past quarter of a century have been varying flavours of minority coalition or single-party minority, with great emphasis ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago

  • New Zealand welcomes European Parliament vote on the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement
    A significant milestone in ratifying the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) was reached last night, with 524 of the 705 member European Parliament voting in favour to approve the agreement. “I’m delighted to hear of the successful vote to approve the NZ-EU FTA in the European Parliament overnight. This is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Further humanitarian support for Gaza, the West Bank and Israel
    The Government is contributing a further $5 million to support the response to urgent humanitarian needs in Gaza, the West Bank and Israel, bringing New Zealand’s total contribution to the humanitarian response so far to $10 million. “New Zealand is deeply saddened by the loss of civilian life and the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2023-12-02T05:03:29+00:00