Nats not contesting Mt Albert

Written By: - Date published: 2:47 pm, December 19th, 2016 - 120 comments
Categories: by-election - Tags: ,

https://twitter.com/toby_etc/status/810654063276589056

120 comments on “Nats not contesting Mt Albert ”

  1. shorts 1

    fiscally conservative prime minister saves huge war chest for the election… ceding seat to Labour and saving face in what could have been an embarrassing contest

    kinda weird but hey

    • Draco T Bastard 1.1

      He may be thinking that way but it’s not how the voters will see it.

      • billmurray 1.1.1

        Draco T Bastard,
        you are right, cowardly and gutless, in IMO.

      • fisiani 1.1.2

        Voters will get the chance to elect the national candidate at the general election

        • Chris 1.1.2.1

          They’ll get the chance to elect the McGillicuddy Serious Party candidate at the general election, too. You’re beginning to sound like Pete George.

  2. Ovid 2

    Reposting from Open Mike:

    Bill English has announced National won’t stand a candidate in the Mt Albert by-election. Which makes sense given the large majority of over 10,000 in 2014. It also allows them to shrug off an attempt by Labour to use the by-election to set the political agenda next year.

    It still gives Labour the opportunity to test out their campaigning system and continue rebuilding connections with Aucklanders, though. But winning’s not much fun when your opponent has taken the ball home.

    • mickysavage 2.1

      I thought they would take the chance to try and bleed Labour of money. By elections are not cheap and would have demanded a lot of activist time. Doing this only makes them look defensive. Very strange.

      • Ovid 2.1.1

        It also makes the Nats look like they’re giving up on Auckland. Especially combined with the abolition of the housing portfolio.

  3. BM 3

    Very clever move.

    • Paul 3.1

      Wonder what Farrar’s polls are telling Blinglish and Paula Benefit.

      • BM 3.1.1

        That it’s a waste of time and money campaigning in Mount Albert, it’s a forgone conclusion.

        Labour could have definitely used this by-election to give itself positive momentum going into the next election, but now instead, it’s just become an annoyance.

        Well played Bill English.

        • Paul 3.1.1.1

          National got 14,360 party votes in the seat in 2014 – about 3,500 more than Labour.
          A forgone conclusion?

          • BM 3.1.1.1.1

            It’s not about party votes, this is about the candidate.
            The party votes will still be there come the general election.

            • Paul 3.1.1.1.1.1

              Strikes of complacency to me and disinterest in the electorate.

            • billmurray 3.1.1.1.1.2

              BM,
              I often concur to your opinion but in this situation I think English should have taken on Labour if only to show a fresh face and bleed their resources.

              Not a good look for English.

              • BM

                If it wasn’t an election year I’d agree.

                One thing Labour has always struggled with it getting positive air time, Mt -Albert would give them positive coverage in spades because they’ll be fronting with their highest profile candidate, Jacinda Adern in what is one of the safest Labour seats in the country.

                There’s only going to be one outcome and that is Labour winning in a landslide and then they’d be able to play the National is finished card for all it’s worth.

                You don’t want your competition having that sort of momentum going into a general election.

                English has now killed any chance of that.

                • billmurray

                  BM,
                  a balanced reply.
                  I shall ponder your rationale over the next few months.

                • Jo

                  Absolutely correct, but you haven’t factored in the outcome if the Greens stand a candidate. The Greens were only 2000 behind Labour and if National party voters voted tactically, it would be even closer. So Labour has to talk the Greens out of standing and they will want something pretty substantial in return.

                  But there is more! If the Greens don’t stand a candidate, what about NZF (Shane Jones?)? They won Northland and a bolt hole in Auckland would be huge, plus I can see plenty of National party voters having some fun.

                  This is very clever tactics by National and it could be an absolute nightmare for Labour!

                  • Phil

                    The Greens were only 2000 behind Labour and if National party voters voted tactically, it would be even closer.

                    Maybe that’s Bill’s plan?

                  • BM

                    That would certainly be a test of the MOU if the Greens beat Labour.

                    Can’t see it happening, but it if it did, the lols would never end.

                    • greg

                      lets face it nacts are quitters .when times get tough a nact will bolt eg john key, you wouldn’t want a nact at El Alamein or Tobruk they turn yellow and run ,when the property bubble bursts it will be nacts jumping off bridges nacts like BM have no staying power !

                    • alwyn

                      For Greg.
                      There were a lot of people at El Alamein who became National MPs after the war.
                      People like Marshall, Muldoon, McIntyre and Thomson.
                      One New Zealander who wasn’t there of course was Norman Kirk. War was not for Norm. I was told by someone who knew him well that he would not eat iodised salt and thereby ended up with a goitre that made him medically unfit.

                  • Mike the Lefty

                    National voters won’t vote tactically unless John Key tells them to. Oh wait, John Key is not the leader anymore!
                    Houston, we have a problem!

                • Chris

                  English might’ve killed off potential momentum coming from a loss at Mt Albert, but there’s still a whole bunch of other negative momentum he’s going to have to deal with. The narcissistic stupidity of his deputy is the source of one of them.

                  • Chris

                    And six months from February is ample time for the voting public to be reminded of the kind of leader Bill English presented himself as in 2002. That’s lost positive momentum from the phenomenon that was Key. Then add the ‘Bennett is a sociopath’ factor, and Little announcing categorically that they’ll go in to Pike River mine if elected, then it’s booyah!

                    • Fisiani

                      Bill English 2017 is not BE 2002. Yet again the Left are lazy and overconfident. Politics have changed and Labour will poll in the mid 20,s

                    • Chris

                      The problem with the left is that they’re no longer left. As for English, time will tell. There is, of course, the “when you think Labour can’t stuff things up any further…” factor, but if English’s first press conference with his narcissist mate is any indication I think he’ll manage to drop the margin to at least where it needs to be for the nats to lose next year. Simple fact is that Key’s gone and the nats are nothing without him. So given Labour’s and the nats’ lack of everything it’s a race to the bottom, and my money’s on English and his suicidal choice for deputy to manage it first. We shouldn’t underestimate the gift the nats have given the left, and to Labour also, by making Bennett the deputy.

            • Skinny 3.1.1.1.1.3

              Don’t worry there will be a contest of sorts. Adern, Genter & a NZF candidate. Got just the forum for them. Feeling spoilt for choice on the theme of the forum.

      • fisiani 3.1.2

        National 49% Labour 24%

    • Anno1701 3.2

      very predictable statement

    • Paul 3.3

      National got 14,360 party votes in the seat in 2014 – about 3,500 more than Labour.
      Must have lost some of the 14,360 supporters, I sense.

      • garibaldi 3.3.1

        In all fairness if the MOU has any teeth then Labour would piss in in a by- election, so I think it is a wise move by English. I’m sure the Greens in Mt Albert would get in behind Labour in this instance.

  4. Anne 4

    The decision comes after National candidate Parmjeet Parmar lost heavily to Labour’s Michael Wood in the Mt Roskill byelection this month.

    Scared of another lashing are they? What a bunch of cowards. Can you imagine the media uproar if the boot was on Labour’s foot? We’ll see how the media portray it this week.

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11769732

    Labour and the Greens better use this to hammer the Nats over the coming few months.

    • Carolyn_nth 4.1

      Labour response:

      National no-show gutless, but Labour is ready

      Labour is ready and keen to talk about the problems facing electors in Mt Albert despite the gutless decision of Bill English not to front a National candidate there, says Labour Deputy Leader Annette King.

      “English is running scared from his first test as a leader. He clearly doesn’t want another bloody nose after the Mt Roskill defeat.

      “We are more than ready for another contest and relish the chance to talk to people in Mt Albert about how Labour can help them deal with the problems around rising crime, health, public transport and housing affordability.

      “It’s typical of National. They don’t like building houses, so they don’t have a Housing Minister. They don’t like by-elections so they don’t run in them.

      “We take nothing for granted and will be seeking a mandate for Labour’s new candidate in Mt Albert. As we showed in Mt Roskill, we are ready to fight a by-election and a general election.

      • Draco T Bastard 4.1.1

        It will be good for Labour to run a really strong campaign. They shouldn’t let National not standing a candidate prevent them from running the strongest campaign that they can.

        • Carolyn_nth 4.1.1.1

          Jacinda Ardern was just in Checkpoint saying, if she’s the candidate, she’ll take nothing for granted and campaign strongly.

    • Cinny 4.2

      “Can you imagine the media uproar if the boot was on Labour’s foot?”

      So true… media would be all over it like white on rice running them down, this will be an interesting test of media coverage and commentary.

  5. Oh dear-never mind. Great platform to spread the labour message widely whilst the natz put their efforts into muzzling the media

    • Chris 5.1

      What’s that message for beneficiaries and the poorest of NZ’s poor, I wonder? Labour won’t tell us. Haven’t told us for the last eight elections.

  6. Greg 6

    I think there scared of another mt roskill result
    It’s a no contest but labour and green can still us it as a platform to publise some policy a Nats no show could mean the don’t want the media coverage

  7. irascible 7

    Bill English is a resolute capitulator replaying 2002 as he passes up a chance to present policies to Mt Albert Voters.

  8. Cinny 8

    Dang, National voters will be pissed off, i would be if i was a Tory.

    Only an outgoing government would not contest a by election, saving themselves the embarrassment of another crushing defeat.

    Hey English I found your balls you left them hanging on the Christmas Tree

  9. Paul 10

    Judith could run for her new party.

  10. Ad 11

    National’s move is exactly the kind of tactical thinking that Labour and the Greens need to consider.

    It will be excellent to see Jacinda Ardern finally in her own electorate, but since she’s leaving Auckland Central ……..

    ………………….. a big consequential question will be who will stand for Labour in Auckland Central.

    In 2014 at 12,600 v 6,000, National creamed Labour in the party vote stakes – which is where elections are won and lost.
    The Greens got 6,200, but only 2,000 votes for their candidate.
    2,000 votes was more than enough to make the difference between Jacinda winning and losing.

    This is ripe for Labour and the Greens to come to an arrangement.

  11. mary_a 12

    Ahhh Nats not playing this time. Poor babies don’t want to be on the losing side of the game … losing again (Mt Roskill)!

    Not a good look to not stand a candidate, particularly in election year.

    • Anne 12.1

      They originally thought they had a chance in Mt Roskill but the result finally sent their former leader running for ‘dem thar hills’. And their focus groups did the rest. They’re now looking to events next year saving their bacon. Lady Luck might continue to come to the party. She may not.

      • the pigman 12.1.1

        I think the Key/National brand has become entire dependent on the optics of “looking like winners, never like losers”.

        They don’t want to be seen to lose anything, because it’s incompatible with the “oh ho ho Labour is a pack of clowns/train wreck” narrative, which the media duly repeats on cue.

        If people started realising the government isn’t covered in teflon and there is actually a chance of beating them, they may come out and vote, after all. That would be a disaster for the Right.

        • WILD KATIPO 12.1.1.1

          I think they are already starting to see the three stooges for what they are :

          Dipper, Benefit and Dildo….

          They didn’t get those names without a reason.

          Even the one they spurned – Crusher – has a dodgy past.

          Clowns?… trainwreck?… the current line up and the one prior which included Smith , Parata , Bridges , Brownlee … it was / still is the line up of a macabre ship of fools.

          With a leader who gave Nationals stunning defeat in 2002.

          Wow !… just wow.

  12. The Left of Left still fail to understand their voting public are way more savvy today than twenty years ago. They will see the fiscal commonsense the PM has displayed.

    • Delia 13.1

      No they will just think they handed it to Labour.

      • Anne 13.1.1

        In a nutshell. I can hear it can’t you:

        Joe Blogg from Mt Albert: What the bloody hell. Why aren’t they putting up a candidate? I vote National but I’m bloody well not going to this year of they can’t be fagged giving us a candidate. They can go to hell. 🙂

        • wellfedweta 13.1.1.1

          I live in Mt Albert, and that’s not what people are saying at all. But if making stuff up makes you feel better, then fill your boots.

          • Chris 13.1.1.1.1

            What are people saying in Mt Albert?

            • Fisiani 13.1.1.1.1.1

              They are saying that they will pv national at the general election

              • Muttonbird

                No, they’re not.

                They’re confused as to why National would pull out of Mt Albert and, if the seat is ‘unwinnable’ according to English, wonder if the same bizarre strategy will play at the general election.

              • Chris

                Where did you hear people saying this? At the Western Springs Rotary Club?

            • wellfedweta 13.1.1.1.1.2

              Two things.

              1. National have made the right decision not standing in a by-election. Let Labour waste their money, what little they have of it.
              2. They will party vote National because there is no reason not to. The country is doing well, and Labour are tired and listless.

              • wellfedinthemiddle – Mt Albert people are not saying what you claim they are. They are in fact saying, “National under English are looking like losers”. They are also saying, “Key showed how to cut and run and English is following suit”.
                In Mt Albert, mockery is the rife.

                • wellfedweta

                  No. I live in Mt Albert. I work in Mt Albert. I am active in the community and what I hear is that Labour offer nothing.

    • Blackcap 13.2

      Maybe the Nat voters are going to vote for the green candidate?

    • UncookedSelachimorpha 13.3

      Weren’t bothered blowing a pile of cash on the worthless flag debacle.

      This is all about political expediency, nothing to do with fiscal responsibility.

  13. tas 14

    This is a surprise to me. English must have a reason, but we can only speculate. If no one stands against Jacinda, then it will simply not generate any news cycles (positive or negative). Perhaps he is hoping that Mt Albert will become a Labour vs Green contest or similar, which would only generate negative headlines for the opposition while he looks to be above it all.

    • Nick 14.1

      I think people will see it that he thought he would lose, so the natz couldn’t have 3 losses in a row, so he bailed, hoping it will be a non event.

  14. dukeofurl 15

    Just a month and everything changes. Back then national was clucking about the drain on labours finances for Mt Roskill, and maybe Little would be under pressure if labour lost.
    Now its English who doesnt want a test of his leadership, especially at the ‘retail level’ meeting and greeting voters.
    No wonder they are hiding English in the Beehive.

  15. Sacha 16

    Joyce is the campaign strategist, not English. Please do not continue the long-standing mistake of giving the Nat’s anointed leader credit for every decision.

    • Cinny 16.1

      Maybe Mr Dildo was unable to find a strong candidate?

      National just lost the chance to spread their message, because no matter if they won or lost, it’s still an opportunity to promote policy as a helping hand to secure a party vote for Mt Roskill at the general election.

      Could be strategy or it could just be saving face. Wonder which other parties will be putting candidates forward.

      • Carolyn_nth 16.1.1

        I reckon TOP should stand a candidate to lead the debate on tax.

      • mauī 16.1.2

        Their message just doesn’t resonate anymore, not with home truths popping up all over the place. Get ready for the tank.

  16. fisiani 17

    How many party votes are available at the Mt Albert by election -ZERO. National will stand a candidate at election 2017 and get the most party votes again. Labour are still in a FPP mentality as shown by Grant Robertson getting an increased electorate vote but coming third in the PV. Labour on current polling will only get 1 List MP and a further drop to the TOP party will mean that Mike Little will not get a seat. Watch for the fight for the labour candidacy at Rongotai. Paul Eagle has the local support. .

    • DoublePlusGood 17.1

      You still don’t understand MMP, do you. Labour + Green makes a government, which has a huge majority over National in both Mt Albert and Wellington Central. The latter is the strongest Green electorate in the country by miles, so not surprising that Labour would be behind Green there.

      • wellfedweta 17.1.1

        ” Labour + Green makes a government, which has a huge majority over National in both Mt Albert and Wellington Central.”

        And that shows that you don’t understand MMP either.

        • DoublePlusGood 17.1.1.1

          Of course I do. That’s the bloc that has to get to 45%+ to drag the Māori party and/or NZ First over to supporting them. They’re on about 38% at the moment.
          Fisiani doesn’t get that Greens are very strong in those electorates, which is why National get the most party votes. Both electorates are 10%+ left leaning if we were to do some sort of left-right index here. So National might get the most votes in the electorate, but they still thoroughly lose it.

          • Wellfedweta 17.1.1.1.1

            Labour + Greens doesn’t make a government on any current polling. Electorate seat majorities don’t matter much under MMP. And you are deluded to assert that Green Party strength in an electorate equates to not National party votes.

            • Robert Guyton 17.1.1.1.1.1

              Wellfedinthemiddle, your ‘ol boys are screwed, imo.

            • DoublePlusGood 17.1.1.1.1.2

              FYI, just worked out left/right for the last three elections in those two electorates:
              Wellington Central averages +17% left leaning
              Mount Albert averages +17% left leaning
              This despite National being tops in the party vote. So Fisiani’s nonsense about Labour being third in the party vote in Wellington Central while Grant Robertson tops the electorate vote is a red herring.

              Also, for depressing reading, Epsom averages 39% right leaning. It’s basically Arkansas.

          • fisiani 17.1.1.1.2

            Labour 24% +Greens 10% + NZ First 12% = 46% National =49% that’s MMP for you.

            • DoublePlusGood 17.1.1.1.2.1

              I was going with Labour 26%, Greens 12% = 38%, needing to get up to 45% to be seriously likely to be the next government as a minority government with NZ First support on confidence and supply. This effectively means they have to drop National from 48% to around 41%, so National have insufficient friends to govern without going to NZ First, and even in that instance being vulnerable.

    • David C 17.2

      fisiani.

      Robertson increasing his standing in his electorate is all about making his paycheque safe that is all. Why would he care about the Party?

      • Muttonbird 17.2.1

        A bit like Key then? Cut the party loose at the first sign of trouble.

        • wellfedweta 17.2.1.1

          What trouble (in Key’s case?). Key has faced enormous external challenges (Recession, GFC, Earthquakes) throughout his premiership and never ‘cut the party loose’.

  17. mac1 18

    I would mock their not standing a candidate with an empty seat on the podium, or better still a seated clown. I would trumpet their reasons for not fronting- their gutlessness, fear and concern only with appearances (even if they don’t appear!)

    Most of all, I would challenge their right to call themselves a ‘national’ party if they won’t contest each and every seat.

    They are instead a national (except for Mt Albert and Remuera) party, a part party, a front party for the multi-nationals and the 1%ers which won’t front, carpet baggers who won’t travel, spineless cowards who won’t face their constituents just as John Key did not front at Pike River.

    • mac1 18.1

      Sorry, should be the “National less Mt Albert and Epsom party”. I’m almost as bad as Stephen Joyce at making it up……

  18. Thinkerr 19

    Knowing this is a Labour stronghold, and a sure win for Ardern (has she been appointed yet?), this could be a good chance to swing party votes away from National, with some cooperation between Labour, Green & NZ1st.

    With no National candidate to vote for, people who think it is important to exercise their right to vote and traditionally vote National will be forced to look at other parties’ policies and actually bring themselves to vote for a not-National candidate. Having done so once, it would presumably be easier a second time.

    This is a good opportunity for NZ1st and the Greens to appeal to disappointed National supporters and pick up their party vote in 2017.

    Agree with some other commenters. With a majority of the party vote in 2014, English looks to be a bit fearful of 2002 repeating itself for him. That can only be based on internal polls.

  19. David C 20

    Smart move by the Nats, denies Labour the chance to debate any policy.

    Obviously tho Nats want Labour to win a few more electorate seats this time around. With Labour polling in the 20’s Angry Andy wont get in on the list.

    • Cinny 20.1

      Last election the Tory candidate for our electorate failed to turn up at a number of meet the candidates meetings. The public that attended had many questions for the government, just no one to answer them. Those that don’t front up to the public end up losing votes, it’s just how it is, people don’t trust those whom don’t front up.

      And I’d say that will arise in Mt Albert… those standing should highlight that the outgoing government do not care about that electorate, if they cared they would be giving them choice.

      Everyone can come up with every theory they like, but in the end it’s a matter of a no show and a government unable to defend their decisions, that’s what the people will see.

    • Muttonbird 20.2

      Are you suggesting National will deliberately not stand in seats in the general election?

      Bit risky, but I’m sure Joyce knows what he’s doing…

      • Cinny 20.2.1

        Nope, I’m just saying those that don’t front up to meetings or in the case of Mt Albert, elections, don’t win any votes.

  20. Carolyn_nth 21

    Is Joe Carolan going to stand again for Mana in Mt Albert? – that would make for a debate.

    Plus a TOP candidate – and there’s all the headlines you need at the beginning of 2017

  21. Muttonbird 22

    Joyce is that bad a campaign strategist he can’t even remember who stood in Northland.

    “They [Labour] made their own decision for example not to stand in Northland and that was fine for them,” Mr Joyce said.

    http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/320840/bill-english-accused-of-chickening-out-in-mt-albert

    • One Anonymous Bloke 22.1

      Or perhaps he’s counting on National voters to believe it because he said it.

      • Muttonbird 22.1.1

        They’re sheep who struggle to think independently so they will believe it because he said it.

        They’re unsure of what to think right now because Farrar is yet to tell them by posting on the subject. Watch them all fall into line once that happens.

  22. Muttonbird 23

    John Key’s David Farrar’s opinion piece is finally up and it couldn’t be more Key-like in its casual everyman tone, its fixation on ‘unchangeable numbers’, and its avoidance of the issues facing the working people of Mt Albert.

    It is as if Key wrote the piece himself, and indeed I suspect Farrar had a breathless phone call with his former leader last night to ask exactly how to frame this act of cowardice to his audience.

    Also of note is Farrar backtracking on his conviction that Labour will never govern again by admitting Jacinda Ardern will be Prime Minister one day. Unless of course he is imagining Ardern will defect to National!

    • David C 23.1

      Muttonbird.
      A link please to where DPF has said that Labour will never govern again.

      • Muttonbird 23.1.1

        Keeping Labour out of office is Farrar’s reason for living! Of course it is his conviction.

        • David C 23.1.1.1

          Yip as I thought. You were just dribbling shit as per usual.

          • Muttonbird 23.1.1.1.1

            There’s been plenty of discourse on kiwiblog about the demise of Labour from the likes of you. About how they are not relevant to voters anymore and it’s only a matter of time before they disappear for good. Apparently Labour don’t have a purpose anymore and their recent low polling represents a permanent change.

            Looks like National’s heavy defeats in the Lockwood flag debacle, Northland, Mt Roskill, and now Mt Albert, are starting to weigh heavily on some. 🙂

            • David C 23.1.1.1.1.1

              Yip with Labour on 23% and Angry Andy’s popularity well below that of Winston Peters I am sure I will be having sleepless nights.

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • Surely it won't happen
    I have prepared a bad news sandwich. That is to say, I'm going to try and make this more agreeable by placing on the top and underneath some cheering things.So let's start with a daughter update, the one who is now half a world away but also never farther out ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    8 hours ago
  • Let Them Eat Sausage Rolls: Hipkins Tries to Kill Labour Again
    Sometimes you despair. You really do. Fresh off leading Labour to its ugliest election result since 1990,* Chris Hipkins has decided to misdiagnose matters, because the Government he led cannot possibly have been wrong about anything. *In 2011 and 2014, people were willing to save Labour’s electorate ...
    17 hours ago
  • Clued Up: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    “But, that’s the thing, mate, isn’t it? We showed ourselves to be nothing more useful than a bunch of angry old men, shaking our fists at the sky. Were we really that angry at Labour and the Greens? Or was it just the inescapable fact of our own growing irrelevancy ...
    22 hours ago
  • JERRY COYNE: A powerful University dean in New Zealand touts merging higher education with indigeno...
    Jerry Coyne writes –  This article from New Zealand’s Newsroom site was written by Julie Rowland,  the deputy dean of the Faculty of Science at the University of Auckland as well as a geologist and the Director of the Ngā Ara Whetū | Centre for Climate, Biodiversity & Society. In other ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • Ain't nobody gonna steal this heart away.
    Ain't nobody gonna steal this heart away.For the last couple of weeks its felt as though all the good things in our beautiful land are under attack.These isles in the southern Pacific. The home of the Māori people. A land of easy going friendliness, openness, and she’ll be right. A ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • Speaking for the future
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.MondayYou cannot be seriousOne might think, god, people who are seeing all this must be regretting their vote.But one might be mistaken.There are people whose chief priority is not wanting to be ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 day ago
  • How Should We Organise a Modern Economy?
    Alan Bollard, formerly Treasury Secretary, Reserve Bank Governor and Chairman of APEC, has written an insightful book exploring command vs demand approaches to the economy. The Cold War included a conflict about ideas; many were economic. Alan Bollard’s latest book Economists in the Cold War focuses on the contribution of ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    2 days ago
  • Willis fails a taxing app-titude test but govt supporters will cheer moves on Te Pukenga and the Hum...
    Buzz from the Beehive The Minister of Defence has returned from Noumea to announce New Zealand will host next year’s South Pacific Defence Ministers’ Meeting and (wearing another ministerial hat) to condemn malicious cyber activity conducted by the Russian Government. A bigger cheer from people who voted for the Luxon ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago
  • ELIZABETH RATA: In defence of the liberal university and against indigenisation
    The suppression of individual thought in our universities spills over into society, threatening free speech everywhere. Elizabeth Rata writes –  Indigenising New Zealand’s universities is well underway, presumably with the agreement of University Councils and despite the absence of public discussion. Indigenising, under the broader umbrella of decolonisation, ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on the skewed media coverage of Gaza
    Now that he’s back as Foreign Minister, maybe Winston Peters should start reading the MFAT website. If he did, Peters would find MFAT celebrating the 25th anniversary of how New Zealand alerted the rest of the world to the genocide developing in Rwanda. Quote: New Zealand played an important role ...
    2 days ago
  • “Your Circus, Your Clowns.”
    It must have been a hard first couple of weeks for National voters, since the coalition was announced. Seeing their party make so many concessions to New Zealand First and ACT that there seems little remains of their own policies, other than the dwindling dream of tax cuts and the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 8-December-2023
    It’s Friday again and Christmas is fast approaching. Here’s some of the stories that caught our attention. This week in Greater Auckland On Tuesday Matt covered some of the recent talk around the costs, benefits and challenges with the City Rail Link. On Thursday Matt looked at how ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    2 days ago
  • End-of-week escapism
    Amsterdam to Hong Kong William McCartney16,000 kilometres41 days18 trains13 countries11 currencies6 long-distance taxis4 taxi apps4 buses3 sim cards2 ferries1 tram0 medical events (surprisingly)Episode 4Whether the Sofia-Istanbul Express really qualifies to be called an express is debatable, but it’s another one of those likeably old and slow trains tha… ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to Dec 8
    Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro arrives for the State Opening of Parliament (Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)TL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:New Finance Minister Nicola Willis set herself a ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • New Zealand’s Witchcraft Laws: 1840/1858-1961/1962
    Sometimes one gets morbidly curious about the oddities of one’s own legal system. Sometimes one writes entire essays on New Zealand’s experience with Blasphemous Libel: https://phuulishfellow.wordpress.com/2017/05/09/blasphemous-libel-new-zealand-politics/ And sometimes one follows up the exact historical status of witchcraft law in New Zealand. As one does, of course. ...
    2 days ago
  • No surprises
    Don’t expect any fiscal shocks or surprises when the books are opened on December 20 with the unveiling of the Half Yearly Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU). That was the message yesterday from Westpac in an economic commentary. But the bank’s analysis did not include any changes to capital ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #49 2023
    113 articles in 48 journals by 674 contributing authors Physical science of climate change, effects Diversity of Lagged Relationships in Global Means of Surface Temperatures and Radiative Budgets for CMIP6 piControl Simulations, Tsuchida et al., Journal of Climate 10.1175/jcli-d-23-0045.1 Do abrupt cryosphere events in High Mountain Asia indicate earlier tipping ...
    3 days ago
  • Phone calls at Kia Kaha primary
    It is quiet reading time in Room 13! It is so quiet you can hear the Tui outside. It is so quiet you can hear the Fulton Hogan crew.It is so quiet you can hear old Mr Grant and old Mr Bradbury standing by the roadworks and counting the conesand going on ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • A question of confidence is raised by the Minister of Police, but he had to be questioned by RNZ to ...
    It looks like the new ministerial press secretaries have quickly learned the art of camouflaging exactly what their ministers are saying – or, at least, of keeping the hard news  out of the headlines and/or the opening sentences of the statements they post on the home page of the governments ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Xmas  good  cheer  for the dairy industry  as Fonterra lifts its forecast
    The big dairy co-op Fonterra  had  some Christmas  cheer to offer  its farmers this week, increasing its forecast farmgate milk price and earnings guidance for  the year after what it calls a strong start to the year. The forecast  midpoint for the 2023/24 season is up 25cs to $7.50 per ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • MICHAEL BASSETT: Modern Maori myths
    Michael Bassett writes – Many of the comments about the Coalition’s determination to wind back the dramatic Maorification of New Zealand of the last three years would have you believe the new government is engaged in a full-scale attack on Maori. In reality, all that is happening ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Dreams of eternal sunshine at a spotless COP28
    Mary Robinson asked Al Jaber a series of very simple, direct and highly pertinent questions and he responded with a high-octane public meltdown. Photos: Getty Images / montage: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR The hygiene effects of direct sunshine are making some inroads, perhaps for the very first time, on the normalised ‘deficit ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • LINDSAY MITCHELL: Oh, the irony
    Lindsay Mitchell writes – Appointed by new Labour PM Jacinda Ardern in 2018, Cindy Kiro headed the Welfare Expert Advisory Group (WEAG) tasked with reviewing and recommending reforms to the welfare system. Kiro had been Children’s Commissioner during Helen Clark’s Labour government but returned to academia subsequently. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Transport Agencies don’t want Harbour Tunnels
    It seems even our transport agencies don’t want Labour’s harbour crossing plans. In August the previous government and Waka Kotahi announced their absurd preferred option the new harbour crossing that at the time was estimated to cost $35-45 billion. It included both road tunnels and a wiggly light rail tunnel ...
    3 days ago
  • Webworm Presents: Jurassic Park on 35mm
    Hi,Paying Webworm members such as yourself keep this thing running, so as 2023 draws to close, I wanted to do two things to say a giant, loud “THANKS”. Firstly — I’m giving away 10 Mister Organ blu-rays in New Zealand, and another 10 in America. More details down below.Secondly — ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    3 days ago
  • The Prime Minister's Dream.
    Yesterday saw the State Opening of Parliament, the Speech from the Throne, and then Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s dream for Aotearoa in his first address. But first the pomp and ceremony, the arrival of the Governor General.Dame Cindy Kiro arrived on the forecourt outside of parliament to a Māori welcome. ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • National’s new MP; the proud part-Maori boy raised in a state house
    Probably not since 1975 have we seen a government take office up against such a wall of protest and complaint. That was highlighted yesterday, the day that the new Parliament was sworn in, with news that King Tuheitia has called a national hui for late January to develop a ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago
  • Climate Adam: Battlefield Earth – How War Fuels Climate Catastrophe
    This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). War, conflict and climate change are tearing apart lives across the world. But these aren't separate harms - they're intricately connected. ...
    4 days ago
  • They do not speak for us, and they do not speak for the future
    These dire woeful and intolerant people have been so determinedly going about their small and petulant business, it’s hard to keep up. At the end of the new government’s first woeful week, Audrey Young took the time to count off its various acts of denigration of Te Ao Māori:Review the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago
  • Another attack on te reo
    The new white supremacist government made attacking te reo a key part of its platform, promising to rename government agencies and force them to "communicate primarily in English" (which they already do). But today they've gone further, by trying to cut the pay of public servants who speak te reo: ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • For the record, the Beehive buzz can now be regarded as “official”
    Buzz from the Beehive The biggest buzz we bring you from the Beehive today is that the government’s official website is up and going after being out of action for more than a week. The latest press statement came  from  Education Minister  Eric Stanford, who seized on the 2022 PISA ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • Climate Change: Failed again
    There was another ETS auction this morning. and like all the other ones this year, it failed to clear - meaning that 23 million tons of carbon (15 million ordinary units plus 8 million in the cost containment reserve) went up in smoke. Or rather, they didn't. Being unsold at ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell On The Government’s Assault On Maori
    This isn’t news, but the National-led coalition is mounting a sustained assault on Treaty rights and obligations. Even so, Christopher Luxon has described yesterday’s nationwide protests by Maori as “pretty unfair.” Poor thing. In the NZ Herald, Audrey Young has compiled a useful list of the many, many ways that ...
    4 days ago
  • Rising costs hit farmers hard, but  there’s more  positive news  for  them this  week 
    New Zealand’s dairy industry, the mainstay of the country’s export trade, has  been under  pressure  from rising  costs. Down on the  farm, this  has  been  hitting  hard. But there  was more positive news this week,  first   from the latest Fonterra GDT auction where  prices  rose,  and  then from  a  report ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    4 days ago
  • ROB MacCULLOCH:  Newshub and NZ Herald report misleading garbage about ACT’s van Veldon not follo...
    Rob MacCulloch writes –  In their rush to discredit the new government (which our MainStream Media regard as illegitimate and having no right to enact the democratic will of voters) the NZ Herald and Newshub are arguing ACT’s Deputy Leader Brooke van Veldon is not following Treasury advice ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Top 10 for Wednesday, December 6
    Even many young people who smoke support smokefree policies, fitting in with previous research showing the large majority of people who smoke regret starting and most want to quit. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere on the morning of Wednesday, December ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Eleven years of work.
    Well it didn’t take six months, but the leaks have begun. Yes the good ship Coalition has inadvertently released a confidential cabinet paper into the public domain, discussing their axing of Fair Pay Agreements (FPAs).Oops.Just when you were admiring how smoothly things were going for the new government, they’ve had ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • Why we're missing out on sharply lower inflation
    A wave of new and higher fees, rates and charges will ripple out over the economy in the next 18 months as mayors, councillors, heads of department and price-setters for utilities such as gas, electricity, water and parking ramp up charges. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Just when most ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • How Did We Get Here?
    Hi,Kiwis — keep the evening of December 22nd free. I have a meetup planned, and will send out an invite over the next day or so. This sounds sort of crazy to write, but today will be Tony Stamp’s final Totally Normal column of 2023. Somehow we’ve made it to ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    4 days ago
  • At a glance – Has the greenhouse effect been falsified?
    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 ...
    5 days ago
  • New Zealaders  have  high expectations of  new  government:  now let’s see if it can deliver?
    The electorate has high expectations of the  new  government.  The question is: can  it  deliver?    Some  might  say  the  signs are not  promising. Protestors   are  already marching in the streets. The  new  Prime Minister has had  little experience of managing  very diverse politicians  in coalition. The economy he  ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    5 days ago
  • You won't believe some of the numbers you have to pull when you're a Finance Minister
    Nicola of Marsden:Yo, normies! We will fix your cost of living worries by giving you a tax cut of 150 dollars. 150! Cash money! Vote National.Various people who can read and count:Actually that's 150 over a fortnight. Not a week, which is how you usually express these things.And actually, it looks ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago
  • Pushback
    When this government came to power, it did so on an explicitly white supremacist platform. Undermining the Waitangi Tribunal, removing Māori representation in local government, over-riding the courts which had tried to make their foreshore and seabed legislation work, eradicating te reo from public life, and ultimately trying to repudiate ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Defence ministerial meeting meant Collins missed the Maori Party’s mischief-making capers in Parli...
    Buzz from the Beehive Maybe this is not the best time for our Minister of Defence to have gone overseas. Not when the Maori Party is inviting (or should that be inciting?) its followers to join a revolution in a post which promoted its protest plans with a picture of ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • Threats of war have been followed by an invitation to join the revolution – now let’s see how th...
     A Maori Party post on Instagram invited party followers to ….  Tangata Whenua, Tangata Tiriti, Join the REVOLUTION! & make a stand!  Nationwide Action Day, All details in tiles swipe to see locations.  • This is our 1st hit out and tomorrow Tuesday the 5th is the opening ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Top 10 for Tuesday, December 4
    The RBNZ governor is citing high net migration and profit-led inflation as factors in the bank’s hawkish stance. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere on the morning of Tuesday, December 5, including:Reserve Bank Governor Adrian Orr says high net migration and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Nicola Willis' 'show me the money' moment
    Willis has accused labour of “economic vandalism’, while Robertson described her comments as a “desperate diversion from somebody who can't make their tax package add up”. There will now be an intense focus on December 20 to see whether her hyperbole is backed up by true surprises. Photo montage: Lynn ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • CRL costs money but also provides huge benefits
    The City Rail Link has been in the headlines a bit recently so I thought I’d look at some of them. First up, yesterday the NZ Herald ran this piece about the ongoing costs of the CRL. Auckland ratepayers will be saddled with an estimated bill of $220 million each ...
    5 days ago
  • And I don't want the world to see us.
    Is this the most shambolic government in the history of New Zealand? Given that parliament hasn’t even opened they’ve managed quite a list of achievements to date.The Smokefree debacle trading lives for tax cuts, the Trumpian claims of bribery in the Media, an International award for indifference, and today the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Cooking the books
    Finance Minister Nicola Willis late yesterday stopped only slightly short of accusing her predecessor Grant Robertson of cooking the books. She complained that the Half Yearly Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU), due to be made public on December 20, would show “fiscal cliffs” that would amount to “billions of ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Most people don’t realize how much progress we’ve made on climate change
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections The year was 2015. ‘Uptown Funk’ with Bruno Mars was at the top of the music charts. Jurassic World was the most popular new movie in theaters. And decades of futility in international climate negotiations was about to come to an end in ...
    6 days ago
  • Of Parliamentary Oaths and Clive Boonham
    As a heads-up, I am not one of those people who stay awake at night thinking about weird Culture War nonsense. At least so far as the current Maori/Constitutional arrangements go. In fact, I actually consider it the least important issue facing the day to day lives of New ...
    6 days ago
  • Bearing True Allegiance?
    Strong Words: “We do not consent, we do not surrender, we do not cede, we do not submit; we, the indigenous, are rising. We do not buy into the colonial fictions this House is built upon. Te Pāti Māori pledges allegiance to our mokopuna, our whenua, and Te Tiriti o ...
    6 days ago
  • You cannot be serious
    Some days it feels like the only thing to say is: Seriously? No, really. Seriously?OneSomeone has used their health department access to share data about vaccinations and patients, and inform the world that New Zealanders have been dying in their hundreds of thousands from the evil vaccine. This of course is pure ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • A promise kept: govt pulls the plug on Lake Onslow scheme – but this saving of $16bn is denounced...
    Buzz from the Beehive After $21.8 million was spent on investigations, the plug has been pulled on the Lake Onslow pumped-hydro electricity scheme, The scheme –  that technically could have solved New Zealand’s looming energy shortage, according to its champions – was a key part of the defeated Labour government’s ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • CHRIS TROTTER: The Maori Party and Oath of Allegiance
    If those elected to the Māori Seats refuse to take them, then what possible reason could the country have for retaining them?   Chris Trotter writes – Christmas is fast approaching, which, as it does every year, means gearing up for an abstruse general knowledge question. “Who was ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • BRIAN EASTON:  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. Brian Easton writes The two coalition agreements – one National and ACT, the other National and New Zealand First – are more than policy documents. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Climate Change: Fossils
    When the new government promised to allow new offshore oil and gas exploration, they were warned that there would be international criticism and reputational damage. Naturally, they arrogantly denied any possibility that that would happen. And then they finally turned up at COP, to criticism from Palau, and a "fossil ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • GEOFFREY MILLER:  NZ’s foreign policy resets on AUKUS, Gaza and Ukraine
    Geoffrey Miller writes – New Zealand’s international relations are under new management. And Winston Peters, the new foreign minister, is already setting a change agenda. As expected, this includes a more pro-US positioning when it comes to the Pacific – where Peters will be picking up where he ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on the government’s smokefree laws debacle
    The most charitable explanation for National’s behaviour over the smokefree legislation is that they have dutifully fulfilled the wishes of the Big Tobacco lobby and then cast around – incompetently, as it turns out – for excuses that might sell this health policy U-turn to the public. The less charitable ...
    6 days ago
  • Top 10 links at 10 am for Monday, December 4
    As Deb Te Kawa writes in an op-ed, the new Government seems to have immediately bought itself fights with just about everyone. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere as of 10 am on Monday December 4, including:Palau’s President ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • Be Honest.
    Let’s begin today by thinking about job interviews.During my career in Software Development I must have interviewed hundreds of people, hired at least a hundred, but few stick in the memory.I remember one guy who was so laid back he was practically horizontal, leaning back in his chair until his ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: New Zealand’s foreign policy resets on AUKUS, Gaza and Ukraine
    New Zealand’s international relations are under new management. And Winston Peters, the new foreign minister, is already setting a change agenda. As expected, this includes a more pro-US positioning when it comes to the Pacific – where Peters will be picking up where he left off. Peters sought to align ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    6 days ago
  • Auckland rail tunnel the world’s most expensive
    Auckland’s city rail link is the most expensive rail project in the world per km, and the CRL boss has described the cost of infrastructure construction in Aotearoa as a crisis. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The 3.5 km City Rail Link (CRL) tunnel under Auckland’s CBD has cost ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • First big test coming
    The first big test of the new Government’s approach to Treaty matters is likely to be seen in the return of the Resource Management Act. RMA Minister Chris Bishop has confirmed that he intends to introduce legislation to repeal Labour’s recently passed Natural and Built Environments Act and its ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    6 days ago
  • The Song of Saqua: Volume III
    Time to revisit something I haven’t covered in a while: the D&D campaign, with Saqua the aquatic half-vampire. Last seen in July: https://phuulishfellow.wordpress.com/2023/07/27/the-song-of-saqua-volume-ii/ The delay is understandable, once one realises that the interim saw our DM come down with a life-threatening medical situation. They have since survived to make ...
    6 days ago
  • Chris Bishop: Smokin’
    Yes. Correct. It was an election result. And now we are the elected government. ...
    My ThinksBy boonman
    1 week ago
  • 2023 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #48
    A chronological listing of news and opinion articles posted on the Skeptical Science  Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Nov 26, 2023 thru Dec 2, 2023. Story of the Week CO2 readings from Mauna Loa show failure to combat climate change Daily atmospheric carbon dioxide data from Hawaiian volcano more ...
    1 week ago
  • Affirmative Action.
    Affirmative Action was a key theme at this election, although I don’t recall anyone using those particular words during the campaign.They’re positive words, and the way the topic was talked about was anything but. It certainly wasn’t a campaign of saying that Affirmative Action was a good thing, but that, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • 100 days of something
    It was at the end of the Foxton straights, at the end of 1978, at 100km/h, that someone tried to grab me from behind on my Yamaha.They seemed to be yanking my backpack. My first thought was outrage. My second was: but how? Where have they come from? And my ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago
  • 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
    1 week 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
    1 week 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
    1 week 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 ...
    1 week 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 week ago

  • Ministers visit Hawke’s Bay to grasp recovery needs
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon joined Cyclone Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell and Transport and Local Government Minister Simeon Brown, to meet leaders of cyclone and flood-affected regions in the Hawke’s Bay. The visit reinforced the coalition Government’s commitment to support the region and better understand its ongoing requirements, Mr Mitchell says.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • New Zealand condemns malicious cyber activity
    New Zealand has joined the UK and other partners in condemning malicious cyber activity conducted by the Russian Government, Minister Responsible for the Government Communications Security Bureau Judith Collins says. The statement follows the UK’s attribution today of malicious cyber activity impacting its domestic democratic institutions and processes, as well ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Disestablishment of Te Pūkenga begins
    The Government has begun the process of disestablishing Te Pūkenga as part of its 100-day plan, Minister for Tertiary Education and Skills Penny Simmonds says.  “I have started putting that plan into action and have met with the chair and chief Executive of Te Pūkenga to advise them of my ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Climate Change Minister to attend COP28 in Dubai
    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will be leaving for Dubai today to attend COP28, the 28th annual UN climate summit, this week. Simon Watts says he will push for accelerated action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement, deliver New Zealand’s national statement and connect with partner countries, private sector leaders ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • New Zealand to host 2024 Pacific defence meeting
    Defence Minister Judith Collins yesterday announced New Zealand will host next year’s South Pacific Defence Ministers’ Meeting (SPDMM). “Having just returned from this year’s meeting in Nouméa, I witnessed first-hand the value of meeting with my Pacific counterparts to discuss regional security and defence matters. I welcome the opportunity to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Study shows need to remove distractions in class
    The Government is committed to lifting school achievement in the basics and that starts with removing distractions so young people can focus on their learning, Education Minister Erica Stanford says.   The 2022 PISA results released this week found that Kiwi kids ranked 5th in the world for being distracted ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Minister sets expectations of Commissioner
    Today I met with Police Commissioner Andrew Coster to set out my expectations, which he has agreed to, says Police Minister Mark Mitchell. Under section 16(1) of the Policing Act 2008, the Minister can expect the Police Commissioner to deliver on the Government’s direction and priorities, as now outlined in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • New Zealand needs a strong and stable ETS
    New Zealand needs a strong and stable Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) that is well placed for the future, after emission units failed to sell for the fourth and final auction of the year, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says.  At today’s auction, 15 million New Zealand units (NZUs) – each ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • PISA results show urgent need to teach the basics
    With 2022 PISA results showing a decline in achievement, Education Minister Erica Stanford is confident that the Coalition Government’s 100-day plan for education will improve outcomes for Kiwi kids.  The 2022 PISA results show a significant decline in the performance of 15-year-old students in maths compared to 2018 and confirms ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Collins leaves for Pacific defence meeting
    Defence Minister Judith Collins today departed for New Caledonia to attend the 8th annual South Pacific Defence Ministers’ meeting (SPDMM). “This meeting is an excellent opportunity to meet face-to-face with my Pacific counterparts to discuss regional security matters and to demonstrate our ongoing commitment to the Pacific,” Judith Collins says. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Working for Families gets cost of living boost
    Putting more money in the pockets of hard-working families is a priority of this Coalition Government, starting with an increase to Working for Families, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says. “We are starting our 100-day plan with a laser focus on bringing down the cost of living, because that is what ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Post-Cabinet press conference
    Most weeks, following Cabinet, the Prime Minister holds a press conference for members of the Parliamentary Press Gallery. This page contains the transcripts from those press conferences, which are supplied by Hansard to the Office of the Prime Minister. It is important to note that the transcripts have not been edited ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme scrapped
    The Government has axed the $16 billion Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme championed by the previous government, Energy Minister Simeon Brown says. “This hugely wasteful project was pouring money down the drain at a time when we need to be reining in spending and focussing on rebuilding the economy and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • NZ welcomes further pause in fighting in Gaza
    New Zealand welcomes the further one-day extension of the pause in fighting, which will allow the delivery of more urgently-needed humanitarian aid into Gaza and the release of more hostages, Foreign Minister Winston Peters said. “The human cost of the conflict is horrific, and New Zealand wants to see the violence ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Condolences on passing of Henry Kissinger
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters today expressed on behalf of the New Zealand Government his condolences to the family of former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who has passed away at the age of 100 at his home in Connecticut. “While opinions on his legacy are varied, Secretary Kissinger was ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Backing our kids to learn the basics
    Every child deserves a world-leading education, and the Coalition Government is making that a priority as part of its 100-day plan. Education Minister Erica Stanford says that will start with banning cellphone use at school and ensuring all primary students spend one hour on reading, writing, and maths each day. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • US Business Summit Speech – Regional stability through trade
    I would like to begin by echoing the Prime Minister’s thanks to the organisers of this Summit, Fran O’Sullivan and the Auckland Business Chamber.  I want to also acknowledge the many leading exporters, sector representatives, diplomats, and other leaders we have joining us in the room. In particular, I would like ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Keynote Address to the United States Business Summit, Auckland
    Good morning. Thank you, Rosemary, for your warm introduction, and to Fran and Simon for this opportunity to make some brief comments about New Zealand’s relationship with the United States.  This is also a chance to acknowledge my colleague, Minister for Trade Todd McClay, Ambassador Tom Udall, Secretary of Foreign ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • India New Zealand Business Council Speech, India as a Strategic Priority
    Good morning, tēnā koutou and namaskar. Many thanks, Michael, for your warm welcome. I would like to acknowledge the work of the India New Zealand Business Council in facilitating today’s event and for the Council’s broader work in supporting a coordinated approach for lifting New Zealand-India relations. I want to also ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • Coalition Government unveils 100-day plan
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has laid out the Coalition Government’s plan for its first 100 days from today. “The last few years have been incredibly tough for so many New Zealanders. People have put their trust in National, ACT and NZ First to steer them towards a better, more prosperous ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks 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
    2 weeks ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2023-12-10T00:42:13+00:00