Nats back to censoring the press

Written By: - Date published: 7:43 am, August 24th, 2012 - 102 comments
Categories: democracy under attack, Media - Tags:

The Government has injuncted* RNZ from running a story based on a leaked Kiwirail document that shows National’s under-investment in Kiwirail will make the tracks more dangerous and less useable at a time when it is firing 200 maintenance staff. Brownlee’s excuse? “the media outlet that wanted to publish an opinion about that document was going to do so in a most irresponsible way”

It’s really reached that point now, where the Nats think they have the right to censor coverage that they don’t agree with. Key set the standard (assisted by the craven Police) by having media outlets raided during an election campaign to chill them into not running the details of what he said to a political ally in a public cafe in front of the nation’s media. Now, ministers obviously think its open season – they can bully, threaten, and take court action against any media outlet that is preparing to “publish an opinion …. in a most irresponsible way”.

The real worry is that the media will accept this. To their credit, the print media have reacted by publishing Phil Twyford’s account of the contents of the Kiwirail document in full but they haven’t yet stood up for their rights as a free press.

*(I’m not sure but I think the injunction must only be a temporary one while arguments are heard. I can’t imagine that a court would actually prevent the media covering a story just because they had gotten hold of a draft document that a government agency didn’t want them to have).

For the record and to spit in the face of government censorship, here’s Twyford’s account of what is in the document from Parliament yesterday:

 

Phil Twyford: Has the board of KiwiRail advised him that from 2014 onwards the rail asset will decline and disruption risk will grow, that when spending gets back to current levels it will take many years to pull back from the decline, that virtually all rail routes will run down in some way, and that by 2015 KiwiRail will be doing 50 percent less track renewal work; if so, how can he still have confidence in the board?

 

Phil Twyford: Has the board of KiwiRail advised him that the amount to be spent on timber bridges will be cut substantially, projects on the main trunk line will be cancelled or deferred, the overall condition of railway sleepers will decline, and KiwiRail will have to accept a higher level of unplanned disruptions such as slips and erosion?

 

Phil Twyford: Has the board of KiwiRail advised him that the coal routes between Lyttelton and the West Coast and the route known as the golden triangle of forestry, which runs between Hamilton, Murupara, and Kawerau, have been coded by KiwiRail as TM4, which means their track metrics are unacceptable and pose a safety risk and are prejudicial to the customer base; if so, how can he still have confidence in the board?

 

Phil Twyford: Will he ask the chair of the board to tell KiwiRail management to call off the cuts to network maintenance because of the risk they pose to the organisation?

 

Phil Twyford: Will he acknowledge not only that KiwiRail cannot meet the financial targets of the Turnaround Plan, as the Minister did in this House last week, but also that the Turnaround Plan is unrealistic and is driving KiwiRail to make decisions like sacking 181 workers and deferring $200 million of network maintenance?

102 comments on “Nats back to censoring the press ”

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  1. Tracey 1
    24 August 2012 at 8:07 am

    Can you clarify for me, are you encouraging leaking of documents or not, and by anyone no matter who is in power? Perhaps that’s the real discussion here? To leak or not to leak as a broad debate and non party specific?

    [ this post is about government trying to surpress stories it doesn’t like. As for leaks – if a government wants to avoid being hurt by leaks it should avoid doing things that would piss off the public if they knew about it. Eddie]

    • tc 1.1
      24 August 2012 at 8:19 am

      Long live the leakers, without them the people would be kept in the dark on what our so called ‘transparent and accountable’ elected representatives and their ‘higher standards’ are delivering for NZ.

      Twyford needs to keep this up, he let Rortney/Key/Ford etc off the hook on the supershity shambles so about time he nailed a few issues up for the public to see, however that info gets out there as long as it’s accurate.

      Remember the MSM are effectively self censoring already in their favourable treatment of the most corrupt and reckless government in memory so leak on people.

      • Carol 1.1.1
        24 August 2012 at 9:03 am

        Twyford needs to keep this up, he let Rortney/Key/Ford etc off the hook on the supershity shambles so about time he nailed a few issues up for the public to see, however that info gets out there as long as it’s accurate.

        Actually I thought Twyford did a very good job on the supercity issue, given that Rodney & NAct used their power to push the whole dodgy thing through…. and it resulted in the mayor NAct didn’t want being elected. Twyford was thorough and relentless in his opposition to Rodney’s shonkey system.

        • Dr Terry 1.1.1.1
          24 August 2012 at 10:09 am

          Twyford is showing the intelligence and guts much needed by Labour as a whole, so there is still hope!
          Brownlie considers an ethical position as “irresponsible”. Well, how irresponsible is that?

        • tc 1.1.1.2
          24 August 2012 at 10:21 am

          I thought he backed off pretty much once he got nominated for Chris Carters comfy te-atatu seat at a time when the IT and people side was obviously not thought through or budgeted correctly and the ship was leaking badly….the damage from that continues at ratepayers expense.

          Brown got up because Banks is a clown who can’t help putting his foot in his mouth (the dimpost interview being a classic) and has the stamp of born to rule snobbery all over him and Brown had alot of good hardcore streetwise support doing the hard yards.

          aklders didn’t need reminding how toxic banks was and his and his party’s comments about sth akl sealed his fate.

          • Tracey 1.1.1.2.1
            24 August 2012 at 10:29 am

            I am an admirer of Phil Twyford. I find it gallng that whee a government leaks something (whichever party is in power) there is no squeak but when someone else leaks they squeal long and loud.. it’s how I tell who leaked something.

            How does Brownlee know how the Radio station intended representing it?

          • Carol 1.1.1.2.2
            24 August 2012 at 10:37 am

            I didn’t get the impression that Twyford backed off, and a search of google shows continued press releases from and articles about Tywford on the supercity in 2009 through to 2012.

            There was a bit of a shift to focus on Auckland transport when he became spokesperson for transport. So that might have meant he gave less attention to Auckland Council IT issues. But Twyford has continued to be busy on Auckland Council & city issues.

        • lprent 1.1.1.3
          24 August 2012 at 10:28 am

          Yeah. As you’re probably aware I was rather active in writing super shitty posts when the legislation was going through.

          One of the main reasons (apart from that the idea was designed to make it so Act money could buy elections) was because Phil T was relentlessly tenacious and outright smart in pushing forward the campaign. That meant there was always a lot of momentum to work with. It also means that he is a bit irritating if you want to have a quieter life 😈

    • AmaKiwi 1.2
      24 August 2012 at 8:54 am

      What to leak?

      1. DO NOT LEAK: Private information about individuals required to be kept in confidence by professionals.

      2. ALWAYS LEAK: Reports about publicly owned companies. We are the shareholders. If a publicly owned company is required to release the information, we are entitled to know.

      3. ALWAYS LEAK: Information which affects health and safety.

      4. GRAY AREA: The often abused gray area is “commercially sensitive information.” “If our competitors knew, they would gain a commercial advantage over us.” Since KiwiRail is a monopoly, it’s virtually impossible to apply this argument here.

      Would anyone like to add to this? I am not a lawyer but to me these seem to me to be logical categories.

      • King Kong 1.2.1
        24 August 2012 at 9:31 am

        The only problem with leaking commercially sensitive information is that it opens the door for politically appointed SOE employees. This would lead to an untidy clean out every 3/6 years.

        If you say it is alright to leak then my reaction is to make damn sure that the guys in possesion of sensitive information are on my side.

        • BM 1.2.1.1
          24 August 2012 at 9:57 am

          This.
          What would have to happen is that the SIS would have to start trawling through a backgrounds of any public servant who is privy to any commercially sensitive information or controversial policy.

          If their political leanings weren’t in step with the government of the day they would have to be either let go or moved side ways into another position.

          Bit of a shame if it came to that, but if the public service cannot be politically neutral it’s only a matter of time.

          • McFlock 1.2.1.1.1
            24 August 2012 at 1:12 pm

            From what I gather, the nats this time round have been quite consistent in political appointments: they love them, and not just one or two.
                         
            As for the rest of it, frankly I disagree. There’s a major difference between “encouraging a politically neutral public service culture”, which we do already, and “assuming that the public servant in front of you is politically neutral”, which would be stupid. 
                 
            If the decision is made that particular information is sensitive, for whatever reason (and I’d put “defense/security” onto Amakiwi’s list myself, but no worries), then only those people who need to know it should have access to it. And only those people who have been given relevant checks should be in a position where they need to know it. This limits the leak damage that is possible.
                       
            E.g. the US has come in for a lot of criticism for putting Bradley Manning in a position where he could be suspected of leaking all that information to wikileaks. Yes, he might have had functional uses for all the Iraq-oriented data, but the fact a low-level analyst had carte-blanche access to the entire system, including all diplomatic cables, was bloody stupid.

    • tracey 1.3
      24 August 2012 at 12:16 pm

      Eddie, thats trite. It is first about leaks and your point doesnt come up without the leak. So the two issues are entwined

    • Draco T Bastard 1.4
      24 August 2012 at 2:17 pm

      It’s information about a public company – we should have access to that information by default. As we don’t then leaks are necessary vehicle to get that information out. The government should actually be assisting this instead it’s running interference.

  2. Gosman 2
    24 August 2012 at 8:10 am

    Funny, Radio NZ National makes no mention of the Government placing an injunction on them over this story. It has stated that KiwiRail has placed one on them though.

    [kiwirail is part of the government. The ministers will have been informed under no surprises. Brownlee endorsed the action. Eddie]

    • Fisiani 2.1
      24 August 2012 at 8:41 am

      Quite right Gosman.
      The motto here is “Never let the truth get in the way of a good smear.”

    • Gosman 2.2
      24 August 2012 at 8:47 am

      I’m sure the Government was informed at some level, perhaps even before a decision was taken to go for an injunction in the courts. That doesn’t mean it is the Government doing the censoring though.

      The senior managment of KiwiRail tend to make decisions based on commercial reasons and the analysis on Radio NZ National this morning is that this was likely the reason for the injunction application.

      If you have EVIDENCE that this is not the case it swould strengthen your case immensely. Currently it is just another unsubstantiated partisan attack on the National led Government which a number of people making comments on this blog specialise in,

      • vto 2.2.1
        24 August 2012 at 8:58 am

        Gosan, this government deserves every single attack it is subjected to. This government lies (Ecan dismissal reasons), is plain stupid (Key saying euthanasia goes on), has backwards economic ideas (selling assets and having it cost more than not selling) which uselessnesses are evidenced by the obscenely rapid increase in debt under this government. This government does not even follow its own ideologies (complete abandonment of free market approach to Chch rebuild), except when the negatives of its ideologies affect others (complete abandonment of Chch red zoners to the free market of housing and rent). It has even failed to follow its own ideology of reducing welfare and encouraging and relying on the expertise of private business (handouts for irrigation, grabbing electricity companies because private business is incapable of creating their own; propping up the useless and failed NZX).

        This lot are laughable. You seem to have a brain in your head gosman but for the life of me I cannot understand how you do not see these things. Though your habit of running away from difficult questions kind of points to the reason …

        • Gosman 2.2.1.1
          24 August 2012 at 9:06 am

          Amazing bit of logic. Because you don’t like the Government for whatever reason, (it may even be valid for all I know), this somehow justifies making all sorts of unsubstantiated and incorrect attacks against then. Goodo if you want politics to go down that route. Just don’t be surprised or shocked if something similar happens when a political party you support gets to control the Treasury benches.

          • vto 2.2.1.1.1
            24 August 2012 at 9:12 am

            Typcal gosman. In case you hadn’t noticed, I just oultined some reasons why this government is useless. The attacks are far from unsubstantiated, as I just pointed out.

            Further to the second of your couple of measly points, I similarly railed against the uselessnesses of the previous government as well. I support no particular party. I judge things as I see them, not on the basis of some dumb-arse unthinking ideology.

            Tell me gosman, do you try to assess things from an objective perspective? From what I have seen you don’t. Your words are reflective of an ideology, sort of like in Zimbabwe, and outright hollow.

            • lprent 2.2.1.1.1.1
              24 August 2012 at 10:12 am

              “I similarly railed against the uselessnesses of the previous government as well.”

              You certainly did. Definitely a plague on all of your houses type of person… 😈

              But I think that with the Labour led government you focused more on the personalities (Peters in particular) and social policies. With this government I detect more of a dislike of outright incompetence in the government and their disdain for democratic institutions to enrich their affluent mates.

              I hesitate in asking which is worse?

              • vto …
                24 August 2012 at 10:24 am

                Hee hee lprent, please keep those skeletons in that closet of yours…

                The two governments had / have different types of failures imo. Your assessment is pretty accurate. Which is worse? The former for the perception of that government and its deceiving ways in attending to policy, the latter for the reality of this government and its deceiving ways in not attending to policy it doesn’t even have and the very direct negative effects on the community and individual people.

      • Dr Terry 2.2.2
        24 August 2012 at 10:12 am

        Gosman, I think this Government (unfortunately) will manage to survive quite well without need of your protection.

    • Gosman 2.3
      24 August 2012 at 8:48 am

      BTW KiwiRail is not part of the Government. I’m amazed you would even make such a wrong headed statement.

      • Mr Burns 2.3.1
        24 August 2012 at 8:58 am

        Does Michael Fay still own it? Why did the Government pay all that money to Toll?

        • Gosman 2.3.1.1
          24 August 2012 at 9:02 am

          The State owns KiwiRail. If you think the State and the Government are one and the same thing then you perhaps share a similar view of politics to political party’s of a more totalitarian bent than most in NZ.

          • Mr Burns 2.3.1.1.1
            24 August 2012 at 9:06 am

            Silly me thinking that the Government controlled the state.  And I thought that Key fellow was in charge.

            • Gosman 2.3.1.1.1.1
              24 August 2012 at 11:44 am

              Once again you fail to comprehend the distinction. The Government has a certain amount of power over the State. It certainly doesn’t control it one hundred percent. Neither should people want them to if they want to live in a free society.

              • Mr Burns …
                24 August 2012 at 12:01 pm

                But you said Kiwirail was not part of the Government. Now you are saying that it is part of the state and the Government has some power over the State, including I presume, Kiwirail.
                 
                Maybe your comprehension could use a bit of a tune up.

                • Gosman …
                  24 August 2012 at 12:05 pm

                  It’s not part of the Government. That is an indisputable fact. The Government has some level of control over it but just as I don’t blame the Government if KiwiRail decides to cancel a ferry crossing I also don’t hold them responsible for this without evidence to suggest the Government instructed the management at the company to go for the injunction.

                  • lprent …
                    24 August 2012 at 12:17 pm

                    With Brownlee being the minister. Don’e make me laugh. If there is a way to screw up he will find it. Since this is rapidly looking like a classic politically inept clusterfuck of his usual type, and he was doing the Corporal Shultz (Thanks Jane Clifton), then we can pretty well assume that he was involved in the decision until he proves he was not.

                    Incidentally, yes, I do tend to view ministers should be judged by the Napoleonic code. They are the state and in the pursuit of their portfolios shall be judged as being guilty until they show in transparent public view that they are not.

                    • Gosman …
                      24 August 2012 at 12:23 pm

                      That’s nice you feel that way.

                      Just confirming you would be expecting the Minister of SOE’s to be held accountable for a commercial decision like scheduling of Cook strait ferry crossings would you?

                      This would fly in the face of the whole concept of SOE’s and be a good argument for removing commercial enterprises from State control.

                    • lprent …
                      24 August 2012 at 1:44 pm

                      Please confirm that you like screwing plastic dolls more than beating your partner?

                      And that answer to your comment makes as much sense as your reply to my comment. Did you actually read my comment because there is no trace of what I said in your demand.

                      Please reread it and use your upper brain this time rather than massaging some extra testosterone as you try idiotic diversion tactics.. If you are incapable of understanding it, then please say so. I will try to write a spot and ball explanation.

                    • Gosman …
                      24 August 2012 at 2:57 pm

                      I am simply taking your following comment at face value

                      “They are the state and in the pursuit of their portfolios shall be judged as being guilty until they show in transparent public view that they are not.”

                      Hence until such time a SOE Minister shows they are not directly responsible for a Cook Strait ferry time table decision I presume you would regard them as being responsible.

                      If that is not the case all you needed to state was no.

                  • Mr Burns …
                    24 August 2012 at 1:30 pm

                    It’s not part of the Government. That is an indisputable fact
                     
                    Nonsense.
                     
                    Why are you suggesting that Kiwirail has nothing to do with the Government when the Government appoints the directors, controls the shareholding and through the statement of corporate intent has effective control of the company?
                     
                    And do you really believe that Kiwirail would not have briefed the Minister about the injunction?

                    • Gosman …
                      24 August 2012 at 1:43 pm

                      You are having a little comprehension failure at the moment aren’t you Mr Burns.

                      Nowhere have I stated that the Government has nothing to do with KiwiRail. It still isn’t PART of Government though.

                      It would be like arguing Schools or the Judicary are part of Government. They might carry out Government policy but they are still separate from the Government.

                    • Mr Burns …
                      24 August 2012 at 1:53 pm

                      Oooh this is such fun.
                       
                      Gosman you tried to make out that the Government has nothing whatsoever to do with the injunction and then engage in increasingly bizarre semantic battles trying to prove that Kiwirail has no link whatsoever with the Government.
                       
                      Your naievity is refreshing.

                    • Gosman …
                      24 August 2012 at 2:50 pm

                      “…you tried to make out that the Government has nothing whatsoever to do with the injunction…”

                      No I didn’t. Show me where I stated categorically the Government had nothing at all to do with the injunction,

  3. mickysavage 3
    24 August 2012 at 8:29 am

    Injunctions of this sort never work.  They draw attention to the story, raise interest, and make the eventual release of the information more newsworthy that what it would otherwise be.

    The increasing corporatising of everything public also has this effect that less and less information becomes publicly available.  The boards are more concerned with “commercial sensitivity” than the legitimate rights of the public to information about their country.

  4. vto 4
    24 August 2012 at 8:37 am

    .
    Gerry Brownlee is parroting Bainimarama. Same words and reasons.

    Also, as to the matter at hand, why on earth should anybody be surprised. The last lot to rundown NZ Rail were Fay & Richwhite, money traders, and now its John Key, money trader.

    The money traders sholud stick to what they are good at it, trading money. And just like other dealers who get their clients hooked and then move in on their assets, their practice should be illegal. Money trading should be driven onto the black market and let Key and his big muscles deal with incoming newbies like the mongrel mob.

    • Gosman 4.1
      24 August 2012 at 8:55 am

      You mean kind of like what Zanu-PF did in Zimbabwe in the early 2000’s? Yeah, that worked a treat.

      • vto 4.1.1
        24 August 2012 at 8:59 am

        duh. simple is as simple does.

        • Gosman 4.1.1.1
          24 August 2012 at 9:08 am

          You realise that Zanu-PF made money trading illegal, just as you have advocated, don’t you?

          • vto 4.1.1.1.1
            24 August 2012 at 9:14 am

            You do realse that Zimbabwe’s situation is a result of far more than that don’t you?

            edit: I suspect you don’t actually, as you sound like John Key who has just been lambasted by the health sector over his “simpleton” approach to death in hospitals.

            • Gosman 4.1.1.1.1.1
              24 August 2012 at 9:17 am

              I never blamed the entire situation Zimbabwe got itself into just on the decision to make trading the Zimbabwe dollar largely illegal.

              I would hope though that someone like you setting out a particular course of action similar to what was followed in Zimbabwe would have some idea what actually happened in that country as a result of the decision to restrict trading in money.

              • vto …
                24 August 2012 at 10:05 am

                Such a silly gosman. You see this is what happens when ideology and apology interferes with logical thinking patterns. Your second paragraph conflicts entirely with your first paragraph.

                • Gosman …
                  24 August 2012 at 10:22 am

                  No it desn’t. It is entirely consistent. I asked you whether you knew what happened as a result of the decision to restrict trading in Zimbabwe dollars. This doesn’t mean that the entire collapse of the Zimbabwe economy in the last decade was as a result of this. So do you know what happened or do you just advocate for courses of action without understanding consequences?

                  • vto …
                    24 August 2012 at 10:29 am

                    Do you know which factors influenced the situation there and to what extent? Do you understand the various cross-influences? Do you have any idea other than the simplistic original self-claimed statement of fact of yours? And how on earth is paragraph 1 consistent with paragraph 2? And why do you consistently concetrate os smaller issues like this one rather than the substantive ones outlined elsewhere in this thread? Is it because you have an ideology that guides you? Have you ever seriously considered other approaches?

                    • Gosman …
                      24 August 2012 at 11:47 am

                      “Do you know which factors influenced the situation there and to what extent? Do you understand the various cross-influences?”

                      Yes I do. I regard myself as knowing an awful lot about Zimbabwe.

                      Care to answer the question regarding the impact of restricting trading money that Zanu-PF imposed now?

                    • vto …
                      24 August 2012 at 12:00 pm

                      But you have provided no evidence. All there is is one tiny wee pet subject of yours with a hollow claim, and dozens of more important substantial questions going unanswered by you. You’re an apologist and ideologue, as pointed out and questioned elsewhere, which have gone unanswered by you. Until you catch up in the answering and evidencing stakes the posts will be made in the same vein in response to you.

  5. Hilary 5
    24 August 2012 at 8:42 am

    This government just does not like rail. For only $4 million dollars the Government could fix the rail line to Gisborne which was washed out in floods earlier this year. They have just dismissed a 10,000 signature petition about it.

    • Gosman 5.1
      24 August 2012 at 8:53 am

      Or perhaps the people of the East Cape and Northern Hawkes Bay could pool their resources and repair and operate the rail line themselves instead of signing petitions to try and get other people to pay.

      • vto 5.1.1
        24 August 2012 at 9:01 am

        Oh, you mean like farmers irrigation, propping up the NZX, grabbing the taxpayers electricity companies for professional investors, mediworks loan, bailout guarantees for banks and SCF.

        ffs gosman, think

        • Gosman 5.1.1.1
          24 August 2012 at 9:14 am

          If you agree that those things are wrong, (and I have a large amount of sympathy for that view as well), then you should support my view on the financial support for the East Coast rail line then.

          • Lanthanide 5.1.1.1.1
            24 August 2012 at 9:24 am

            Quite clearly the government is only interested in helping it’s mates: farmers, media works, NZX, professional investors and banks.

            When it comes to helping a community, which would be a drop in the bucket compared to the above costs, they don’t help.

            That says a lot about the government.

            • vto 5.1.1.1.1.1
              24 August 2012 at 10:10 am

              You are 100% correct Lanthanide.

              Further evidence shown by the fact that Brownlee and Key abandoned the low income red zoners in homes in east Chch to the free market, yet piled in in a completely interventionist approach with complete and utter refusal to follow the free market when it came to their high income friends with central city property.

              Watch the apologist and ideologue Gosman either come out and apologise and excuse or run away from this fact.

              • Lanthanide …
                24 August 2012 at 12:38 pm

                Cut and run.

              • Gosman …
                24 August 2012 at 1:45 pm

                Why would I run away from this? They are acting in a way that is entirely consistent with what I expect politicians who enjoy exercising state authority to act. I have no great desire to excuse the government over any double standards they might employ.

      • AmaKiwi 5.1.2
        24 August 2012 at 9:06 am

        Because my investment would be subject to the whims of every parliamentary dictatorship that comes along. KiwiRail could crush my small company by making it uneconomic for me to have access to their nationwide rail network. It is done all the time to maintain monopolies from small, more efficient competitors.

      • Ben 5.1.3
        24 August 2012 at 9:10 am

        And maybe farmers in Southland could pay for their own irrigation.

        EDIT: Snap, vto. Apparently I read slowly…

      • AmaKiwi 5.1.4
        24 August 2012 at 9:10 am

        Because my investment would be subject to the whims of every parliamentary dictatorship that comes along. They could crush my small company by making it uneconomic for me to have access to their nationwide rail network. It is done all the time to maintain monopolies from small, more efficient competitors.

        • prism 5.1.4.1
          24 August 2012 at 10:21 am

          lprent
          5.1.4
          This is a comment that has been repeated. I did this the other day with quite a long comment.
          I had to go back and delete the second. But there used to be a window that would say, you’ve done this already and it would prevent you submitting the accidental copy.
          Can we have that set-up again?

          • Carol 5.1.4.1.1
            24 August 2012 at 10:24 am

            I got that duplicate notice this morning when I made a comment. So it is still there, prism.

          • lprent 5.1.4.1.2
            24 August 2012 at 10:44 am

            It is still meant to be there. I won’t test now as I have a Chorus tech trying to sort it out. I’m also “jiggling” because I’m deciding if I should just can the work day and make a ‘holiday’ to clean up my remaining boxes from the move. But I have some overlapping channel ALSA code that I want to test today…. Decisions decisions…

            Umm I can just cut n paste to test… Testing

            Ok it said “Duplicate comment detected; it looks as though you’ve already said that!” at the bottom of my comment in the admin area. I’ll try it at the front-end. It is meant to use the same backend code for comment testing.

            It let the comment through at just over 2 minutes later. But I see Carol got the dup message on the frontend earlier.

            Looking at the code it looks like it has a time period. Not sure how long the time period is as I’d have to extract it out of the config or hardwired defaults. It is designed for people pressing repeated saves on slow connections – I’d expect it would be less than a minute..

            But being able to trash your own comments for a period is working – I see people are using it

          • lprent 5.1.4.1.3
            24 August 2012 at 10:46 am

            It is still meant to be there. I won’t test now as I have a Chorus tech trying to sort it out. I’m also “jiggling” because I’m deciding if I should just can the work day and make a ‘holiday’ to clean up my remaining boxes from the move. But I have some overlapping channel ALSA code that I want to test today…. Decisions decisions…

            Umm I can just cut n paste to test… Testing

            Ok it said “Duplicate comment detected; it looks as though you’ve already said that!” at the bottom of my comment in the admin area. I’ll try it at the front-end. It is meant to use the same backend code for comment testing.

            [I think that this is the first time that I’ve had to release one of your comments from moderation! r0b]

            • lprent 5.1.4.1.3.1
              24 August 2012 at 10:55 am

              Heh. It was a test for duplicate comments…. I wondered why I couldn’t see it in the Pending.

              Oh well I’ll reply to it to test if the trash is visible.

              Yep.

      • Murray Olsen 5.1.5
        24 August 2012 at 7:54 pm

        Part of those resources are pooled. It’s called taxation and is collected by the government to provide necessary goods and services as determined by the policies of the day. This government considers holiday highways and convention centres more important, so why don’t they give all those people not benefitting from these a refund? Or is Inland Revenue not part of government either?

    • Shaz 5.2
      24 August 2012 at 9:17 am

      I agree Hilary. Rail and roads are two forms of public infrastucture allowing movement of people and goods. It would be good to see roads – especially of the holiday highwary variety costed on a level playing field with railways – imagine them beging forced to make a profit for example while potholes and washouts and dangerous conditions are allowed to prevail. This for example from yesterdays parliamentary question response is astonishing

      Gerrt Browlee said ”
      Well, one of the ways in which you can measure the quality and condition of a rail track is by looking at the incidence of derailment. Derailment may be just one wheel or it may be a whole train. In New Zealand seldom is it a whole train. But what I can report to the House is that the incidence of derailment in the last couple of years has fallen dramatically—fallen dramatically”

      • Shaz 5.2.1
        24 August 2012 at 11:39 am

        To clarify -Why assess the safety of a system by its past performance rather than anticipating the impact of future low levels of maintenance. In any case the reduction would appear to be due due to progressive track and rolling stock improvements – policies put in place well before the reporting period. Its hardly a cause for applauding the current administration. It’s also selective use of statistics. Apparently over the same period the no. of signals passed at danger has increased and the no. of crossing accidents does not appear to have changed.
        http://www.kiwirail.co.nz/uploads/Publications/2011%20Annual%20Report.pdf

    • DH 5.3
      24 August 2012 at 1:16 pm

      “This government just does not like rail. ”

      Most right-wing people seem to hate rail. It’s their Achilles heel if you ever want to make them blue-screen, they completely lose their rationality & go into a mental reboot loop.

      A typical rail argument goes like this…

      Rail is a dog because it always loses money..

      But roads don’t make money either, are you saying roads are dogs too?

      Roads serve a public good, they don’t need to make money

      But rail serves the same public good as roads so you must agree that economically rail should be treated similarly to roads

      No, rail is a dog because it always loses money…. (and they keep looping)

      I’d quite like to see that in a controlled experiment; see how long it takes before they start drooling.

      • lostinsuburbia 5.3.1
        24 August 2012 at 3:53 pm

        Don’t forget the old line “rail is 19th century technology”, yes because we want to steam engines running on the lines (and they forget that the car was invented in the 19th century too)

      • Shaz 5.3.2
        24 August 2012 at 4:09 pm

        +1 Vey funny and close to the bone!! I think the circuity problem for righties goes furhter. Roads represent freedom (as anyone who has sat in an Auckland jam knows) whereas trains are a socialised hell where you can only only move around, read, think, eat, look around, snooze and phone without endangering life amd limb to say nothing of the opportunity to engage enjoyably with fellow passangers.

  6. Dave Kennedy (bsprout) 6
    24 August 2012 at 9:00 am

    I agree, Hilary, there is no evidence that there is a need to spend as much as $12 billion on motorways, but heaps of evidence that there is growing demand for rail as a transport system.
    http://localbodies-bsprout.blogspot.co.nz/2012/08/rail-is-worth-investment.html
    As you say, National just doesn’t like rail and will do as much as they can to run the service down just like they don’t like teachers and are doing as much as they can to attack one of the few high performing sectors in the country. The are the political equivalent of playground bullies who throw around their weight just because they can, and damn the consequences.
    http://localbodies-bsprout.blogspot.co.nz/2011/04/power-responsibility.html

  7. vto 7
    24 August 2012 at 9:04 am

    Perhaps someone should ask Minister Bennett what she would do in this situation of private information.

    Bloody lying cheating dishonourable bastards.

  8. AmaKiwi 8
    24 August 2012 at 9:30 am

    Brownlee’s excuse? “the media outlet that wanted to publish an opinion about that document was going to do so in a most irresponsible way”

    Pre-publication censorship is unconstitutional in some countries. Brownlee has made an overwhelmingly convincing argument why it should be unconstitutional here. Of course we don’t have a constitution so at any time our parliamentary dictators can re-introduce pre-publication censorship!

    The people at the top are rotten because our system rewards them for being rotten. Direct democracy now!

    • Draco T Bastard 8.1
      24 August 2012 at 3:09 pm

      Of course we don’t have a constitution

      Yes we do. It’s just that it’s based in the laws and precedents rather than a fixed document that confuses people into thinking that we don’t have one.

      • TheContrarian 8.1.1
        24 August 2012 at 3:45 pm

        The NZ ‘constitution’ is an amalgamation of documents and act as a kind of fluid constitution.

        I covered this in a paper I did last year so I am a little rusty on the details. 

        EDIT: Here ya go – this is a good explanation
        http://gg.govt.nz/role/constofnz.htm

        • AmaKiwi 8.1.1.1
          24 August 2012 at 4:21 pm

          Thank you for that. I read your paper. Some of the documents are quite ancient (Magna Carter, etc.) and not subject to change, but many are recent NZ legislation which it seems to be can be changed by parliament at any time.

          More worrying is that this collection of documents is way beyond the comprehension of 99% of the population who are not lawyers.

          • TheContrarian 8.1.1.1.1
            24 August 2012 at 4:26 pm

            “More worrying is that this collection of documents is way beyond the comprehension of 99% of the population who are not lawyers.”

            yes and no. All you need do is read them. They are all available to the public (at least as far as I am aware).  

            • Colonial Viper 8.1.1.1.1.1
              24 August 2012 at 4:40 pm

              forum non conveniens

              availability to the lay person does not equate to comprehensibility to the lay person

              • TheContrarian …
                24 August 2012 at 4:44 pm

                There are plenty of easily accessible summaries and explanations of the various documents and the library has books explaining our laws and fluid constitution in detail.

                • Colonial Viper …
                  24 August 2012 at 6:09 pm

                  In other words, it would be useful to have studied law in order to have a better understanding.

                  I agree. That is actually what AmaKiwi was saying you know.

                  • TheContrarian …
                    24 August 2012 at 6:17 pm

                    “In other words, it would be useful to have studied law in order to have a better understanding.”

                    As I said:

                    “There are plenty of easily accessible summaries and explanations of the various documents and the library has books explaining our laws and fluid constitution in detail.”

                    All available to the lay person. A law degree would be handy if you planned to work on policy and the constitution as a career but there is plenty of information out there that’ll give the lay person a full understanding of our laws, where they apply and where they come from

          • Draco T Bastard 8.1.1.1.2
            24 August 2012 at 6:04 pm

            Some of the documents are quite ancient (Magna Carter, etc.) and not subject to change,…

            It’s that age and the prevailing conditions of the time that some were written that I think we need to redo all our laws from scratch. Set some principles/ethics that the laws need to adhere to and that everyone can agree on and then just start again.

      • AmaKiwi 8.1.2
        24 August 2012 at 3:56 pm

        It would be nice if you are correct, but what part of our “constitution” cannot be changed by an act of parliament?

        This is not an attempt to refute what you’ve said. I would seriously like to know if there are ANY limits on parliamentary power.

        • TheContrarian 8.1.2.1
          24 August 2012 at 4:11 pm

          Do you mean the executive power? The executive and parliament are slightly different. In that the executive or ruling party can lose the confidence of the house and it can stop bills from being passed.

          Admittedly I can’t recall a time that has ever happened 

        • Draco T Bastard 8.1.2.2
          24 August 2012 at 6:09 pm

          It would be nice if you are correct, but what part of our “constitution” cannot be changed by an act of parliament?

          AFAIK, none except some unwritten rules and traditions* and the MPs seem to get upset when other people say that parliament needs limits.

          * One of which seems to be that the next government won’t unilaterally undo anything that the previous government did even when it’s obvious that what was done was against the wishes of the people and bad for the country. IMO, this is why Labour never got round to saying that they will undo state asset sales.

  9. deuto 9
    24 August 2012 at 9:39 am

    Morning Report on RNZ National ran extensive coverage of the background to the injunction this morning which is well worth listening to, as is Brent Edwards commentary which followed:

    http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2529092/kiwirail-continues-efforts-to-stop-broadcast-of-leaked-report.asx

    http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2529093/political-editor-on-kiwirail-efforts-to-keep-report-under-wraps.asx

    It would appear that RNZ National obtained the document indirectly (wouldn’t reveal sources etc); rang Kiwiral late Weds night as they wanted to run the story on Morning Report on Thurs morning; Kiwirail sought a High Court judge injunction which was granted at 11pm, but was amended Thurs morning to allow discussion in Parliament yesterday as per Twyford’s questions in Question time.

    This morning’s report on Morning Report was very carefully worded etc presumably on legal advice, but also came out strongly, suggesting that they are continuing to challenge the injunction etc.

    Probably a case of watch this space.

  10. prism 10
    24 August 2012 at 10:27 am

    I did a long comment and wrongly put it on Open Mike 24/8 at 3.2.
    If there are people who want to remind themselves of the past happenings in NZ Rail I have gathered a few interesting facts from Wikipedia. It would make a change to view some facts rather than responses to Gosman etc. So much time is spent on personalities. More heat than light.

    [I moved your comment here it is 10.1 below. r0b]

    • prism 10.1
      24 August 2012 at 9:32 am

      Carol
      Brownlee has promised that Kiwirail will have lots of money to spend. Sounds like a promise of pocket money for Jim Quinn being a good boy.
      Just to recap on some of the past of NZ Rail and its privatisation from wikipedia:

      In 1982, the same year the land transport sector was deregulated, the Railways Department was reconstituted as the New Zealand Railways Corporation, a state-owned enterprise.

      The opening up of competition with road led to difficulties for rail:
      The government wrote off NZ$1.3 billion in debt acquired by the company from the Railways Corporation, and injected a further $300 million in capital. Despite this capital injection the company remained only marginally profitable, reporting after-tax profits of $36.2 million in 1992 and $18 million in 1993.

      The Bolger National government privatised New Zealand Rail Limited in 1993. The company was sold for $328.3 million[5] to a consortium named Tranz Rail Limited, made up of merchant bankers Fay, Richwhite & Company (31.8% via the investment company Pacific Rail, later renamed Midavia Rail), the American railroad Wisconsin Central (27.3%), Berkshire Partners (27.3%), Alex van Heeren, the owner of Huka Lodge, 9.1% and Richwhite family interests, 4.5%. Tranz Rail borrowed $223.3, and its shareholders contributed $105 million to the acquisition price through the purchase of 105 million Tranz Rail shares at $1 each.

      (Berkshire Partners, the Boston-based private equity firm, has invested in over 100 middle market companies since 1986 through eight investment funds with aggregate capital commitments of $11 billion.)

      It’s interesting to see Wisconsin involved here. This state appeared to be a hard-line right wing slanted place and its methods used as a template for reducing social welfare in NZ. Business too must have buddied up. The reduction in government commitment to core services like reasonably-priced reliable transport for all and social welfare is evident in the methods adopted here.

      [lprent: Reparented it to 10. Must show r0b this trick at some point. That should fix the various comments. ]

      • prism 10.1.1
        24 August 2012 at 10:35 am

        Thanks for that.

      • Gosman 10.1.2
        24 August 2012 at 11:56 am

        The only interesting fact in that piece you got from Wikipedia is the information regarding the opening up of rail to competition with road transport. The rest is just largely irrelevant detail about a privatisation that has since been reversed. What relevance does that have to today’s situation?

        • McFlock 10.1.2.1
          24 August 2012 at 1:24 pm

          None, if you don’t want to learn from the past. /sarc 

        • prism 10.1.2.2
          24 August 2012 at 3:52 pm

          Gosman
          I suppose you are very old like me and try to remember the past, and fit the future into a frame of intelligent decision making. But the young ones don’t know all the details just brief references to privatisation and snippets of facts. Then perhaps you are not old, but young and cocky. You are one of these ones who know it all anyway. Very youthful of you.

  11. deuto 11
    24 August 2012 at 1:20 pm

    Backdown time?

    Kiwirail are to hold a press conference at 1.30pm and the injunction preventing Radio NZ from publishing details of the document is to lifted, according to Radio NZ news at 1pm.

    http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/114082/kiwirail-backing-down,-will-lift-injunction

    Just an hour or so earlier, Radio NZ were reporting that Labour and others had received an email from Kiwirail telling them that they were also subject to the injunction; and that RNZ were seeking a court lifting of the injunction.

    Edit – strange! This came up as 11 and pushed Prism’s earlier 11 to 11.1.

    [lprent: Reparented it. Should be fixed now and yep – you are now 11 ]

    • deuto 11.1
      24 August 2012 at 3:51 pm

      Lol. lprent, wish I was 11! Felt more like 111 recently; milestone birthdays are very depressing. And no, I am not telling which one.

  12. AmaKiwi 12
    24 August 2012 at 4:10 pm

    I am sick to death of this autocratic government behavior! I asked a leading Labour MP about placing limits on Government. He replied, “Elect a Labour government.” B.S. Labour has pulled similar stunts. Not as frequently as this crowd, but they’ve done it before and will do it again.

    “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Lord Acton, 1887

  13. fnjckg 13
    24 August 2012 at 8:29 pm

    now theres some trainwrecks derailing in slow motion

    by the way, the posts from the I AM Right are pretty lame at this present juncture

    Are the ‘A’ team busy predating some where else

  14. xtasy 14
    25 August 2012 at 2:17 am

    Are you blody serious? How often have I written comments to NZ Herald, TVNZ, TV3, their subsidiaries and other media, and NeVER was my comment published. It was in cases, but they “reserve” their rights to publish or not. So we talk about censoring? It happens in 99 per cent of the times in this manipulated country, I am bloody afraid! It happens so much, nobody even cares, as nobody is truly independently and solidly informed. Nobody would know the bloody difference, I’d say. I am furious about the msm in this country, it is THE WORST I have seen anywhere in the world, full of wannabe slimy and in line jumping grads from what is called “journalism courses”. Where the hell elsewhere in the world do you have such indoctrinating, privately “subsidised” and dumbind down “media training”?

    This is a bloody msm media dictatorship, I’d say! Commerce, consumerism and NO information!

  15. xtasy 15
    25 August 2012 at 3:04 am

    In all honesty I have given up on the NZ media, just being a crap bastard outfit of wannaby cheap scate and low paid journo careerists, groomed by corporte companies dominating the show (APN and Fairfax, Sky TV), and having NO brain allowed to function to do truly independent journalistic work here!

    If I was a journo, I would REFUSE to work in NZ, as it is a crap media environment, not enhancing or encouraging true reporting, not offering investigative journalism or similar. Just look at the crap and deteriorating weekly shows on TV.

    But the internet leaves to be desired too, as users are pre-occupied with social media idocy, flocking to dumb fakebook, controlling every click, google gangstermania, other silly venues and t aking blog sites for fair value informative sites. Excuse me, the Standard, you are above the rest in NZ, at least.

    So what the hell is going on, it is NOT information, and hence the NATS know their venues and have an easy game. Time to take the bastards on even more!

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    1 day ago

  • Vroom vroom go the big red trucks
    The absolute brass neck of this guy.We want more medical doctors, not more spin doctors, Luxon was saying a couple of weeks ago, and now we’re told the guy has seven salaried adults on TikTok duty. Sorry, doing social media. The absolute brass neck of it. The irony that the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 day ago

  • Jones finds $410,000 to help the government muscle in on a spat project
    Buzz from the Beehive Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones relishes spatting and eagerly takes issue with environmentalists who criticise his enthusiasm for resource development. He relishes helping the fishing industry too. And so today, while the media are making much of the latest culling in the public service to ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago

  • Again, hate crimes are not necessarily terrorism.
    Having written, taught and worked for the US government on issues involving unconventional warfare and terrorism for 30-odd years, two things irritate me the most when the subject is discussed in public. The first is the Johnny-come-lately academics-turned-media commentators who … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    2 days ago

  • Despair – construction consenting edition
    Eric Crampton writes – Kainga Ora is the government’s house building agency. It’s been building a lot of social housing. Kainga Ora has its own (but independent) consenting authority, Consentium. It’s a neat idea. Rather than have to deal with building consents across each different territorial authority, Kainga Ora ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Coalition promises – will the Govt keep the commitment to keep Kiwis equal before the law?
    Muriel Newman writes – The Coalition Government says it is moving with speed to deliver campaign promises and reverse the damage done by Labour. One of their key commitments is to “defend the principle that New Zealanders are equal before the law.” To achieve this, they have pledged they “will not advance ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • An impermanent public service is a guarantee of very little else but failure
    Chris Trotter writes –  The absence of anything resembling a fightback from the public servants currently losing their jobs is interesting. State-sector workers’ collective fatalism in the face of Coalition cutbacks indicates a surprisingly broad acceptance of impermanence in the workplace. Fifty years ago, lay-offs in the thousands ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • What happens after the war – Mariupol
    Mariupol, on the Azov Sea coast, was one of the first cities to suffer almost complete destruction after the start of the Ukraine War started in late February 2022. We remember the scenes of absolute destruction of the houses and city structures. The deaths of innocent civilians – many of ...
    Open ParachuteBy Ken
    2 days ago

  • Babies and benefits – no good news
    Lindsay Mitchell writes – Ten years ago, I wrote the following in a Listener column: Every year around one in five new-born babies will be reliant on their caregivers benefit by Christmas. This pattern has persisted from at least 1993. For Maori the number jumps to over one in three.  ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Should the RBNZ be looking through climate inflation?
    Climate change is expected to generate more and more extreme events, delivering a sort of structural shock to inflation that central banks will have to react to as if they were short-term cyclical issues. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Bernard's pick 'n' mix of the news links
    The top six news links I’ve seen elsewhere in the last 24 hours, as of 9:16 am on Thursday, April 18 are:Housing: Tauranga residents living in boats, vans RNZ Checkpoint Louise TernouthHousing: Waikato councillor says wastewater plant issues could hold up Sleepyhead building a massive company town Waikato Times Stephen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on the public sector carnage, and misogyny as terrorism
    It’s a simple deal. We pay taxes in order to finance the social services we want and need. The carnage now occurring across the public sector though, is breaking that contract. Over 3,000 jobs have been lost so far. Many are in crucial areas like Education where the impact of ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    2 days ago

  • Meeting the Master Baiters
    Hi,A friend had their 40th over the weekend and decided to theme it after Curb Your Enthusiasm fashion icon Susie Greene. Captured in my tiny kitchen before I left the house, I ending up evoking a mix of old lesbian and Hillary Clinton — both unintentional.Me vs Hillary ClintonIf you’re ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago

  • How extreme was the Earth's temperature in 2023
    This is a re-post from Andrew Dessler at the Climate Brink blog In 2023, the Earth reached temperature levels unprecedented in modern times. Given that, it’s reasonable to ask: What’s going on? There’s been lots of discussions by scientists about whether this is just the normal progression of global warming or if something ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago

  • Backbone, revisited
    The schools are on holiday and the sun is shining in the seaside village and all day long I have been seeing bunches of bikes; Mums, Dads, teens and toddlers chattering, laughing, happy, having a bloody great time together. Cheers, AT, for the bits of lane you’ve added lately around the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago

  • Ministers are not above the law
    Today in our National-led authoritarian nightmare: Shane Jones thinks Ministers should be above the law: New Zealand First MP Shane Jones is accusing the Waitangi Tribunal of over-stepping its mandate by subpoenaing a minister for its urgent hearing on the Oranga Tamariki claim. The tribunal is looking into the ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago

  • What’s the outfit you can hear going down the gurgler? Probably it’s David Parker’s Oceans Sec...
    Buzz from the Beehive Point  of Order first heard of the Oceans Secretariat in June 2021, when David Parker (remember him?) announced a multi-agency approach to protecting New Zealand’s marine ecosystems and fisheries. Parker (holding the Environment, and Oceans and Fisheries portfolios) broke the news at the annual Forest & ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • Will politicians let democracy die in the darkness?
    Bryce Edwards writes  – Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Matt Doocey doubles down on trans “healthcare”
    Citizen Science writes –  Last week saw two significant developments in the debate over the treatment of trans-identifying children and young people – the release in Britain of the final report of Dr Hilary Cass’s review into gender healthcare, and here in New Zealand, the news that the ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • A TikTok Prime Minister.
    One night while sleeping in my bed I had a beautiful dreamThat all the people of the world got together on the same wavelengthAnd began helping one anotherNow in this dream, universal love was the theme of the dayPeace and understanding and it happened this wayAfter such an eventful day ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • Texas Lessons
    This is a guest post by Oscar Simms who is a housing activist, volunteer for the Coalition for More Homes, and was the Labour Party candidate for Auckland Central at the last election. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    3 days ago

  • Bernard's pick 'n' mix of the news links at 6:06 am
    The top six news links I’ve seen elsewhere in the last 24 hours as of 6:06 am on Wednesday, April 17 are:Must read: Secrecy shrouds which projects might be fast-tracked RNZ Farah HancockScoop: Revealed: Luxon has seven staffers working on social media content - partly paid for by taxpayer Newshub ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Fighting poverty on the holiday highway
    Turning what Labour called the “holiday highway” into a four-lane expressway from Auckland to Whangarei could bring at least an economic benefit of nearly two billion a year for Northland each year. And it could help bring an end to poverty in one of New Zealand’s most deprived regions. The ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago

  • Bernard's six-stack of substacks at 6:26 pm
    Tonight’s six-stack includes: launching his substack with a bunch of his previous documentaries, including this 1992 interview with Dame Whina Cooper. and here crew give climate activists plenty to do, including this call to submit against the Fast Track Approvals bill. writes brilliantly here on his substack ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • At a glance – Is the science settled?
    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
    3 days ago

  • Apposite Quotations.
    How Long Is Long Enough? Gaza under Israeli bombardment, July 2014. This posting is exclusive to Bowalley Road. ...
    Bowalley Road
    3 days ago

  • What’s a life worth now?
    You're in the mall when you hear it: some kind of popping sound in the distance, kids with fireworks, maybe. But then a moment of eerie stillness is followed by more of the fireworks sound and there’s also screaming and shrieking and now here come people running for their lives.Does ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago

  • Howling at the Moon
    Karl du Fresne writes –  There’s a crisis in the news media and the media are blaming it on everyone except themselves. Culpability is being deflected elsewhere – mainly to the hapless Minister of Communications, Melissa Lee, and the big social media platforms that are accused of hoovering ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Newshub is Dead.
    I don’t normally send out two newsletters in a day but I figured I’d say something about… the news. If two newsletters is a bit much then maybe just skip one, I don’t want to overload people. Alternatively if you’d be interested in sometimes receiving multiple, smaller updates from me, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • Seymour is chuffed about cutting early-learning red tape – but we hear, too, that Jones has loose...
    Buzz from the Beehive David Seymour and Winston Peters today signalled that at least two ministers of the Crown might be in Wellington today. Seymour (as Associate Minister of Education) announced the removal of more red tape, this time to make it easier for new early learning services to be ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Will politicians let democracy die in the darkness?
    Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. Our political system is suffering from the ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago

  • Was Hawkesby entirely wrong?
    David Farrar  writes –  The Broadcasting Standards Authority ruled: Comments by radio host Kate Hawkesby suggesting Māori and Pacific patients were being prioritised for surgery due to their ethnicity were misleading and discriminatory, the Broadcasting Standards Authority has found. It is a fact such patients are prioritised. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • PRC shadow looms as the Solomons head for election
    PRC and its proxies in Solomons have been preparing for these elections for a long time. A lot of money, effort and intelligence have gone into ensuring an outcome that won’t compromise Beijing’s plans. Cleo Paskall writes – On April 17th the Solomon Islands, a country of ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Climate Change: Criminal ecocide
    We are in the middle of a climate crisis. Last year was (again) the hottest year on record. NOAA has just announced another global coral bleaching event. Floods are threatening UK food security. So naturally, Shane Jones wants to make it easier to mine coal: Resources Minister Shane Jones ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago

  • Is saving one minute of a politician's time worth nearly $1 billion?
    Is speeding up the trip to and from Wellington airport by 12 minutes worth spending up more than $10 billion? Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me in the last day to 8:26 am today are:The Lead: Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • Long Tunnel or Long Con?
    Yesterday it was revealed that Transport Minister had asked Waka Kotahi to look at the options for a long tunnel through Wellington. State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    4 days ago

  • Smoke And Mirrors.
    You're a fraud, and you know itBut it's too good to throw it all awayAnyone would do the sameYou've got 'em goingAnd you're careful not to show itSometimes you even fool yourself a bitIt's like magicBut it's always been a smoke and mirrors gameAnyone would do the sameForty six billion ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • What is Mexico doing about climate change?
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections The June general election in Mexico could mark a turning point in ensuring that the country’s climate policies better reflect the desire of its citizens to address the climate crisis, with both leading presidential candidates expressing support for renewable energy. Mexico is the ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago

  • State of humanity, 2024
    2024, it feels, keeps presenting us with ever more challenges, ever more dismay.Do you give up yet? It seems to ask.No? How about this? Or this?How about this?When I say 2024 I really mean the state of humanity in 2024.Saturday night, we watched Civil War because that is one terrifying cliff we've ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • Govt’s Wellington tunnel vision aims to ease the way to the airport (but zealous promoters of cycl...
    Buzz from the Beehive A pet project and governmental tunnel vision jump out from the latest batch of ministerial announcements. The government is keen to assure us of its concern for the wellbeing of our pets. It will be introducing pet bonds in a change to the Residential Tenancies Act ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago

  • The case for cultural connectedness
    A recent report generated from a Growing Up in New Zealand (GUiNZ) survey of 1,224 rangatahi Māori aged 11-12 found: Cultural connectedness was associated with fewer depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms and better quality of life. That sounds cut and dry. But further into the report the following appears: Cultural connectedness is ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Useful context on public sector job cuts
    David Farrar writes –    The Herald reports: From the gory details of job-cuts news, you’d think the public service was being eviscerated.   While the media’s view of the cuts is incomplete, it’s also true that departments have been leaking the particulars faster than a Wellington ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell On When Racism Comes Disguised As Anti-racism
    Remember the good old days, back when New Zealand had a PM who could think and speak calmly and intelligently in whole sentences without blustering? Even while Iran’s drones and missiles were still being launched, Helen Clark was live on TVNZ expertly summing up the latest crisis in the Middle ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    5 days ago

  • Govt ignored economic analysis of smokefree reversal
    Costello did not pass on analysis of the benefits of the smokefree reforms to Cabinet, emphasising instead the extra tax revenues of repealing them. Photo: Hagen Hopkins, Getty Images TL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me at 7:26 am today are:The Lead: Casey Costello never passed on ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago

  • True Blue.
    True loveYou're the one I'm dreaming ofYour heart fits me like a gloveAnd I'm gonna be true blueBaby, I love youI’ve written about the job cuts in our news media last week. The impact on individuals, and the loss to Aotearoa of voices covering our news from different angles.That by ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • Who is running New Zealand’s foreign policy?
    While commentators, including former Prime Minister Helen Clark, are noting a subtle shift in New Zealand’s foreign policy, which now places more emphasis on the United States, many have missed a key element of the shift. What National said before the election is not what the government is doing now. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago

  • $41m to support clean energy in South East Asia
    New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    12 hours ago

  • Minister releases Fast-track stakeholder list
    The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    14 hours ago

  • Judicial appointments announced
    Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    15 hours ago

  • Education Minister heads to major teaching summit in Singapore
    Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa.  The summit is co-hosted ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    16 hours ago

  • Value of stopbank project proven during cyclone
    A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    16 hours ago

  • Anzac commemorations, Türkiye relationship focus of visit
    Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul.    “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    16 hours ago

  • Minister to Europe for OECD meeting, Anzac Day
    Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago

  • Comprehensive Partnership the goal for NZ and the Philippines
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr.  The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Government commits $20m to Westport flood protection
    The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Taupō takes pole position
    The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Cost of living support for low-income homeowners
    Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners.  “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Government backing mussel spat project
    The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Government focused on getting people into work
    Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Clean energy key driver to reducing emissions
    The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Earthquake-prone buildings review brought forward
    The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Thailand and NZ to agree to Strategic Partnership
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Government consults on extending coastal permits for ports
    RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Inflation coming down, but more work to do
    Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • School attendance restored as a priority in health advice
    Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Unnecessary bureaucracy cut in oceans sector
    Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Patterson promoting NZ’s wool sector at International Congress
    Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector.    "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Removing red tape to help early learners thrive
    The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • RMA changes to cut coal mining consent red tape
    Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • McClay reaffirms strong NZ-China trade relationship
    Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Prime Minister Luxon acknowledges legacy of Singapore Prime Minister Lee
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singapore’s outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.   Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpart’s almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • PMs Luxon and Lee deepen Singapore-NZ ties
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.  During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Antarctica New Zealand Board appointments
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has made further appointments to the Board of Antarctica New Zealand as part of a continued effort to ensure the Scott Base Redevelopment project is delivered in a cost-effective and efficient manner.  The Minister has appointed Neville Harris as a new member of the Board. Mr ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Finance Minister travels to Washington DC
    Finance Minister Nicola Willis will travel to the United States on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Five Finance Ministers group, with counterparts from Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.  “I am looking forward to meeting with our Five Finance partners on how we can work ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Pet bonds a win/win for renters and landlords
    The coalition Government has today announced purrfect and pawsitive changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to give tenants with pets greater choice when looking for a rental property, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Pets are important members of many Kiwi families. It’s estimated that around 64 per cent of New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Long Tunnel for SH1 Wellington being considered
    State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the Government has also asked NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to consider and provide advice on a Long Tunnel option, Transport Minister Simeon Brown ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • New Zealand condemns Iranian strikes
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have condemned Iran’s shocking and illegal strikes against Israel.    “These attacks are a major challenge to peace and stability in a region already under enormous pressure," Mr Luxon says.    "We are deeply concerned that miscalculation on any side could ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Huge interest in Government’s infrastructure plans
    Hundreds of people in little over a week have turned out in Northland to hear Regional Development Minister Shane Jones speak about plans for boosting the regional economy through infrastructure. About 200 people from the infrastructure and associated sectors attended an event headlined by Mr Jones in Whangarei today. Last ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Health Minister thanks outgoing Health New Zealand Chair
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has today thanked outgoing Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora Chair Dame Karen Poutasi for her service on the Board.   “Dame Karen tendered her resignation as Chair and as a member of the Board today,” says Dr Reti.  “I have asked her to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Roads of National Significance planning underway
    The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has signalled their proposed delivery approach for the Government’s 15 Roads of National Significance (RoNS), with the release of the State Highway Investment Proposal (SHIP) today, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.  “Boosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Government’s plan to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Navigating an unstable global environment
    New Zealand is renewing its connections with a world facing urgent challenges by pursuing an active, energetic foreign policy, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.   “Our country faces the most unstable global environment in decades,” Mr Peters says at the conclusion of two weeks of engagements in Egypt, Europe and the United States.    “We cannot afford to sit back in splendid ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
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  • Joint US and NZ declaration
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