None so blind as those who invent their own reality

Written By: - Date published: 7:12 am, October 23rd, 2013 - 93 comments
Categories: john key, slippery - Tags:

Is the Prime Minister John Key who claims to know what Labour has supposedly said in secret talks with SkyCity (talks that Cunliffe denies have happened) because it’s ‘all over town’ the same Prime Minister John Key who couldn’t be bothered to read a police report on one of his ministers who is now going to be tried for the offences investigated in said report? Asking for a friend.

93 comments on “None so blind as those who invent their own reality ”

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  1. amirite 1
    23 October 2013 at 7:31 am

    The same PM who didn’t know he had TranzRail shares, who’forgot’ that he has been regularly meeting with his mate Ian Fletcher, whom he later employed as a GCSB boss; ‘didn’t know’ that one of the richest men in NZ, Kim Dotcom, lived in his own electorate and has been sought after by USA authorities, etc etc etc…It’s amazing how easily he can memorise unsubstantiated gossip, isn’t it?

    • ghostwhowalksnz 1.1
      23 October 2013 at 7:59 am

      John Banks is running a master class on the art of what you know and what you forget

    • Morrissey 1.2
      23 October 2013 at 9:38 am

      The same PM who didn’t know he had TranzRail shares, who’forgot’ that he has been regularly meeting with his mate Ian Fletcher, whom he later employed as a GCSB boss; ‘didn’t know’ that one of the richest men in NZ, Kim Dotcom, lived in his own electorate and has been sought after by USA authorities, etc etc etc…

      Key also “couldn’t remember” whether or not he supported apartheid football in 1981.

      • Draco T Bastard 1.2.1
        23 October 2013 at 11:15 am

        While remembering that he was on the edge of his seat as John Walker made the finish line in the 1976 Olympics.

  2. deWithiel 2
    23 October 2013 at 7:45 am

    Meanwhile back in MSM lalaland, the New Zealand Herald headlines its editorial inability to understand (or perhaps its disinclination to report) David Cunliffe’s unequivocal statement that there has been ‘no undertaking with SkyCity’: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11144472. Pathetic.

    • Nicolas 2.1
      23 October 2013 at 8:29 am

      I read that article and, honestly, did not think they misrepresented Cunliffe’s statement. Yes, he said no deal had been struck between SkyCity and the Party, but he also did NOT take a clear position like that taken by Metiria and the Greens.

      She made it clear that the Green Party, if given the chance, would repeal the deal and impose stricter regulations around gambling. Cunliffe, on the other hand, basically said what doesn’t need to be said. Parliament is our supreme law-making body and that won’t change under his watch. How revolutionary, huh?

      No offense, but it is actually a bit pathetic when people continue to overstate the “right-wingness” of the NZ Herald. I’ve heard heaps of people also refer to our MSM as too “Lefty”. I wonder who’s right?

      • Tat Loo 2.1.1
        23 October 2013 at 8:37 am

        No offense, but it is actually a bit pathetic when people continue to overstate the “right-wingness” of the NZ Herald. I’ve heard heaps of people also refer to our MSM as too “Lefty”. I wonder who’s right?

        The main source of revenue for papers like the New Zealand Herald are major corporate advertisers pitching wares at the upper middle class and wealthy. Not at the unemployed and underprivileged.

        So of course the NZ Herald pitches right wing with a bias towards the moneyed side of town, it only makes business sense for them to do so, sprinkled with the occasional token Lefty contribution.

        Cunliffe, on the other hand, basically said what doesn’t need to be said. Parliament is our supreme law-making body and that won’t change under his watch. How revolutionary, huh?

        Judging by your non-chalance, it seems like you don’t understand the true implications of what he is saying. Don’t worry, other people will.

        • Tat Loo 2.1.1.1
          23 October 2013 at 8:46 am

          TV3 interview with David Cunliffe on Skycity issue, and MP payrises.

          http://www.3news.co.nz/Cunliffe-hedges-bets-on-SkyCity-deal/tabid/1607/articleID/318403/Default.aspx

          Firm, calm responses – the government has a sovereign responsibility to govern in the public interest and to regulate gambling harm. Nice one DC.

          • King Kong 2.1.1.1.1
            23 October 2013 at 12:40 pm

            Now we know who you are the fawning, for some reason, just feels a little more sickening.

            • Crunchtime 2.1.1.1.1.1
              23 October 2013 at 12:55 pm

              That sentence makes no sense. Your poor use of the english language is just a little sickening.

              Comment from DC was firm and calm. I’d add “authoritative”. That’s not fawning. That’s descriptive.

              • fender …
                23 October 2013 at 1:21 pm

                King Kong is shattered that Colonial Viper is Tat Loo. The Kong was hoping that CV was a nobody like himself and the truth is really hurting the apes sense of self worth.

                • King Kong …
                  23 October 2013 at 2:17 pm

                  What? You mean the quack healing, Chinese fella who has come as close to dead last as you can get in every political race he has entered.

                  Truly striding the earth like a colossus.

                  • Rogue Trooper …
                    23 October 2013 at 2:23 pm

                    to you the prize for initiating the fall of the RW commentators into the abyss…carry on…didn’t take you long.

                  • fender …
                    23 October 2013 at 5:18 pm

                    How many political races have you had the monkey-balls to enter, ape shit?

                    • King Kong …
                      24 October 2013 at 8:47 am

                      I have far too much integrity to be a politician.It would also require me to take an enormous pay cut.

                    • bad12 …
                      24 October 2013 at 9:14 am

                      You mean KK you have far too little intelligence or political nous for any political party to come within a mile of you,(yawn another ‘fantasy’ millionaire who spends all day at the Standard)…

                  • Tat Loo …
                    23 October 2013 at 6:21 pm

                    What? You mean the quack healing, Chinese fella who has come as close to dead last as you can get in every political race he has entered.

                    Second just behind the Deputy Prime Minister, and MP for Clutha-Southland, the Hon. Bill English. Not too bad for a first tilt, I thought 😉

                • Rogue Trooper …
                  23 October 2013 at 2:18 pm

                  lol

        • Nicolas 2.1.1.2
          23 October 2013 at 10:30 am

          Actually, the conclusions reached by the likes of Gavin Harris, Geoff Kemp, Richard Mulgan, Bryce Edwards and Nicky Hager (all of whom, I assume, know more about our media than you) is that our media outlets’ inadequacies are NOT derived from their servitude to “right-wing corporate interests”. Primarily, our journalists are not unscrupulous, but under-resourced. They are pressured into promoting entertaining, rather than informing news so that advertisers are happy, but there is no indication whatsoever they are puppets for big political players in the background.

          So no, I don’t buy into the idea outlets like the Herald are completely biased towards one side or the other; I think they’re mostly incompetent, particularly in the face of an increasingly sophisticated PR industry.

          Which reminds me, your last comment made you seem like a bit of a spinner, mate. I don’t care if it originates in the Right or in the Left, spinning stinks. “Firm, calm” responses? DC deserves praise AND criticism when they’re due.

          • Tat Loo 2.1.1.2.1
            23 October 2013 at 6:26 pm

            Most journalists (not jonolists) are pretty fair minded. There are exceptions of course.

            But if you really believe that papers do not take an editorial line on many issues, which they have done since day dot, you’ve missed something.

            So no, I don’t buy into the idea outlets like the Herald are completely biased towards one side or the other; I think they’re mostly incompetent, particularly in the face of an increasingly sophisticated PR industry.

            That’s weird, you jumped from describing the problem as being a lack of resources, to the problem being incompetence.

            Which is it?

            Also no one was claiming “complete bias”. That was just something you chucked in yourself.

          • karol 2.1.1.2.2
            23 October 2013 at 6:44 pm

            I agree with Tat on this. It’s more about a “bias” rather than being a deliberate attempt to present a right wing view as much as possible. The bias comes from the corporate media, the editors selected to be sympathetic to corporate interests, and the whole infotainment approach to the MSM – the latter part of the neoliberal revolution – it often diverts from crucial issues and focuses on superficial conflicts, dramas, and accessible visual representations. A neoliberal view is embedded in such an approach – the medium is the message.

            It’s not so much due to biased individual journalists, who I believe do their best to present the news fairly. But they work within the parameters set by the editors and management, and are selected so as being likely not to rock the corporate boat too much.

            Sometimes the approach is deliberately supportive of the right wing: eg the NZ Herald’s “Democracy under attack” campaign. Most often the bias is less deliberate and more subtle.

          • karol 2.1.1.2.3
            23 October 2013 at 6:47 pm

            Nicolas, you are misrepresenting some of the guys you mention – certainly that’s not Hager’s view. This is what he said in his Jesson lecture.

            We live in an era where the public spaces are cluttered with paid spokespeople and commercial agendas: where lobbyists for foreign-owned banks are more likely to be heard commenting on economic news than community groups, where legions of other PR people vie to promote their clients’ interests and where the public spaces available for real democratic activity are shrinking. This is about the cumulative impact of an ever-growing, professionalised industry for political and media manipulation: more and more paid manufacturing of news, more and more paid voices in so-called public discussion, greater influence of corporate election donations, fake community groups, more scripting of politicians by unseen advisers and so on; all of it tending to crowd out ordinary people or citizen groups that don’t have a PR company and a large advertising budget. If we have more and more and more of this stuff pouring into the public spaces, at what point do we realise that the river is no longer fit to swim in or to drink?

            These profound changes to the way politics occurs have unfortunately coincided with the multiple crises occurring within the news media. Exactly when better journalism is needed to compensate for so much organised manipulation of news and politics, highly commercialised media organisations have (with notable exceptions) become more superficial, more susceptible to vested interests and less thoughtful about what counts as legitimate news and commentary. In recent years, for instance, two major news organisations have published regular political and election columns by David Farrar, without telling their readers that he earns his living as the chief pollster for the governing party, the National Party, including being the person who regularly briefs the prime minister on the poll results. He has also appeared regularly as a “political commentator” on Newstalk ZB and breakfast television. A good measure of media organisations is to look at the balance in their choice of political commentators. Most are not balanced.

            More like that in the lecture, where Hager outlines the problems in a lot of detail.

      • richard 2.1.2
        23 October 2013 at 9:51 am

        …but he also did NOT take a clear position like that taken by Metiria and the Greens.

        I am hoping that Cunliffe’s milk and water response was an involuntary hangover from the days of non-commitalism that plagued labour for years.

  3. bad12 3
    23 October 2013 at 8:22 am

    There is something bizaare about Slippery the Prime Ministers little ‘faux revelation’ over what Labour might or might not do when it becomes the Government in 2014 with regards the ‘Sky-city deal’,

    i watched this story on TV3 news last night and the comparison in the two leaders of the respective parties, Labour and National was stark, Slippery the PM looking every bit the disheveled used car salesman gave off an air of desperation as He tried to convince God only knows who for God knows what reason that He has the inside gossip from within the Labour Party on what they would do with with the shoddy Sky-city deal struck by that company and Slippery’s National Government,

    On the other hand David Cunliffe looked every bit the composed Prime Minister in waiting as He quietly without undue rhetoric poo pooed Slippery the PM’s latest flight from the factual world of reality,

    Why the desperation tho, there has to be a reason why Slippery is trying to light a fire, one reason may be that Nationals own paid for Party polling is matching,(or worse), than what has been revealed by the last couple of Roy Morgans,

    The other, Blubber boy, the stench, the woeful trail of wreckage among the Party faithful in Auckland has as yet left the Parliamentary National MP’s blissfully untouched, without knowledge of, involvement in, and, if you will having all taken the vows of silence over,

    Except now, there is the rumor that Len Brown was tipped off by none other then a National Party MP that National’s own shit-spewing publicity organ in the form of Blubber boy was about to ‘out’ Brown,

    Is the Prime Ministers starting of a fire of distraction really just a pathetic ham-fisted attempt to divert attention away from what is as yet only the tiny whiff of a deeper story which leads right back to Nationals Parliamentary wing’s hands having been sullied by a deeper and as yet unreported involvement in this affair,

    Blubber boy reckons there is more yet to be revealed about the ‘Brown affair’, obviously believing anything that one says is always going to be a 50/50 proposition, BUT, if there is More to come, then, under fire from His own, i would suggest the only scandal, if He has one to release, can only be with regards a deeper involvement in the ‘Brown affair’ from Nationals Parliamentary wing than has so far been revealed…

    • MrSmith 3.1
      23 October 2013 at 5:39 pm

      Perhaps Key is just trying to tell someone he has the GCSB in his pocket along with the SAS and The filth, so basically he know everything, so a warning maybe be careful Mr/Mrs before you …………………. etc.

  4. BM 4
    23 October 2013 at 8:52 am

    No doubt Cunliffe has been talking out of both sides of his mouth.
    Honestly, you don’t score a million dollar pad in Herne bay being a raving communist.

    All this cancel this, take back that stuff is complete bull shit said to keep the the paid up party members placated.

    One song sheet for the Labour sheeple, another one for business.

    • Tat Loo 4.1
      23 October 2013 at 9:00 am

      What should be worrying you is that many small and medium business owners quite like the new Labour message; after waiting for John Key’s brighter future for 5 years it’s no wonder.

      • BM 4.1.1
        23 October 2013 at 9:11 am

        What a load of horse shit

        Higher wage costs,crippling environmental taxes, another 10 tons of government bureaucracy and unionists poking their nose into their business every 5 minutes.

        Yeah, wow small to medium businesses are practically gagging for a new Labour led government.

        The only ones who don’t care are the big boys such as Sky city as they control the show, they’re above all that.

        • vto 4.1.1.1
          23 October 2013 at 9:26 am

          What a load of horse shit.

          I think you will find that most businesses would rather an equal and prosperous community where people earned enough to live on. That way their businesses prosper.

          You should get out more.

          • Tat Loo 4.1.1.1.1
            23 October 2013 at 10:40 am

            Correct – what BM regards as “higher wage costs” in fact equals “higher discretionary income for customers” – which is a great thing for small business.

        • MrSmith 4.1.1.2
          23 October 2013 at 6:02 pm

          “Yeah, wow small to medium businesses are practically gagging for a new Labour led government.”

          We are BM, more money in the working man and woman’s pocket, so they can save it for their first home or spend it as they see fit, retailers and small business owners will be rubbing there hands together in glee as they were the last time Labour were running the show, when a lot of hard working people made their fortunes, not sitting on their asses trading bits of paper, but with sweat and hard work.

      • King Kong 4.1.2
        23 October 2013 at 9:12 am

        Perhaps you might like to provide the details on how you know these sme owners are signing up for their little red books.

        Talking to your dairy owner each morning doesn’t equate to “many”

        • One Anonymous Knucklehead 4.1.2.1
          23 October 2013 at 9:34 am

          If they were actually being offered little red books you might have a point.

          What they’re actually being offered (among other things) is the higher per capita GDP that always accompanies a Labour led government.

        • greywarbler 4.1.2.2
          23 October 2013 at 10:58 am

          KK

          Talking to your dairy owner each morning doesn’t equate to “many”

          That’s where our politicians get much of their background and backing for proceeding with their policies. They will often use the vague terms ‘people’ , or ‘everybody in NZ’ even. And they might include ‘overseas’ if they want to give an exotic authority to their precious brainfarts. Try listening, looking and thinking to them before coming here with your amused, bemused, naive questions.
          ook!

      • Populuxe1 4.1.3
        23 October 2013 at 1:59 pm

        Given Labour’s message is mainly Blairite third wayism, I’m having difficulty spotting the difference.

    • Lanthanide 4.2
      23 October 2013 at 9:08 am

      “Honestly, you don’t score a million dollar pad in Herne bay being a raving communist.”

      You’re right. All you have to do is have bought your house sometime during the 90s and held onto it.

      Pretty easy.

      • Rob 4.2.1
        23 October 2013 at 1:22 pm

        Lanthanide, you obviously do not live in Akl.

        When I returned from the UK in 92 I looked for housing in Auckland , finally settling on Onehunga which was the only suburb I could afford to buy in that was moderatly central. I paid 125K for the old 3 bed villa , that needed the full reno (rewireing, plumbing, lining, roof and pileing). Equivalent do -ups in Grey Lynn were 170K , Ponsonby were 200k and Herne bay was at least 250K , a shit load of money back then. Also my salary working in a science related business was 22K.

        Point being Herne Bay has been a very expensive suburb for along time and it is not open to poor strugglers.

        • fender 4.2.1.1
          23 October 2013 at 1:30 pm

          It’s a good thing Cunliffe hasn’t claimed to be a poor struggler then eh.

          Can’t help admiring the guy though, he actually wants to improve things for strugglers. Whereas Key only cares for his rich mates.

    • bad12 4.3
      23 October 2013 at 9:15 am

      BM, aaah a good reply in the vein of the spastics knee can jerk after all, what i understand Labour leader David Cunliffe to be saying is that Labour once Government after November 2014, something i am sure has your knees twitching uncontrollably, is hardly going to stop construction of the proposed convention center in it’s tracks,

      Sky City seems to me to have the right to build such a convention center at it’s whim, however, Cunliffe has directly said that as the Government Labour and i assume the Green Party have the right to Legislate to ensure the minimization of harm from gambling and in this case pokey machines in particular,

      Put more simply, as YOU appear to all extents and purposes to be one, a simpleton that is, the next Labour/Green Government WILL Legislate for the number of pokey machines Sky-city are allowed on its current site in Auckland,

      To further simplify what will happen for you, in consideration of your obvious intellectual limitations, Sky-city will be allowed the same number of pokey machines on it’s present site as it had befor the ‘deal’ was struck with National,

      If Sky-city knowing this still ‘choose’ to build the proposed convention center what have they got to whine about…

  5. Philgwellington Wellington 5
    23 October 2013 at 9:08 am

    You are in the wrong place BM. You are clearly blue in a red/green zone;-)

  6. Lionel 6
    23 October 2013 at 9:22 am

    Go back to Whale Oil and Kiwiblog BM that is your home you are out of step with reality over here.

    • bad12 6.1
      23 October 2013 at 9:30 am

      BM and KK are over here at the Standard because of the fact that the comments they make stand out, over at the Sewerage pipes they are just minor dumps of intellectual defecation among the 1000’s of others talking shit,

      Neither of them have anything of a factual nature to impart their sole reason for commenting is to try and drag the Post off into unreadable Derrrr comments….

      • richard 6.1.1
        23 October 2013 at 9:43 am

        Poor little poppets. For the attention deprived, even being proved to be fools over and over again is better than getting no attention.

    • tc 6.2
      23 October 2013 at 9:30 am

      no being rostered on to TS is their role as shitelands is sitting on the naughty step so they’ve been very busy trolls lately. Maybe chris73’s day off.,

    • King Kong 6.3
      23 October 2013 at 10:02 am

      Did you just say “go back to the townships, you are not welcome here?”.

      I guess that makes me the Nelson Mandela of the Standard and BM the Desmond Tutu.

  7. Philgwellington Wellington 7
    23 October 2013 at 9:32 am

    Xox
    Donkeys go where Donkeys go. Kk go to the zoo, with the Donkeys.

  8. billbrowne 8
    23 October 2013 at 10:32 am

    Stand strong David, we don’t owe the MSM or the PM for that matter any policy-on-the-hoof just ’cause they want something to beat us over the head with.

  9. Zorr 9
    23 October 2013 at 12:38 pm

    I’m just posting to say that New Zealand politics needs more representation by pink ponies. Please increase the pink pony quota 110% 🙂

  10. Vagabundo 10
    23 October 2013 at 2:46 pm

    Hahaha, so it’s gotten to the point where Key has just claimed he has no ministerial responsibility over his own statements.

  11. ghostrider888 11
    23 October 2013 at 6:20 pm

    66.6

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    Chris Trotter writes –  New Zealand politics is remarkably easy-going: dangerously so, one might even say. With the notable exception of John Key’s flat ruling-out of the NZ First Party in 2008, all parties capable of clearing MMP’s five-percent threshold, or winning one or more electorate seats, tend ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Bernard’s pick 'n' mix for Tuesday, April 30
    TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:30am on Tuesday, May 30:Scoop: NZ 'close to the tipping point' of measles epidemic, health experts warn NZ Herald Benjamin PlummerHealth: 'Absurd and totally unacceptable': Man has to wait a year for ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Why Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating in the country
    Bryce Edwards writes – Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Worst poll result for a new Government in MMP history
    Luxon will no doubt put a brave face on it, but there is no escaping the pressure this latest poll will put on him and the government. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Pinning down climate change's role in extreme weather
    This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler In the wake of any unusual weather event, someone inevitably asks, “Did climate change cause this?” In the most literal sense, that answer is almost always no. Climate change is never the sole cause of hurricanes, heat waves, droughts, or ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago

  • Serving at Seymour's pleasure.
    Something odd happened yesterday, and I’d love to know if there’s more to it. If there was something which preempted what happened, or if it was simply a throwaway line in response to a journalist.Yesterday David Seymour was asked at a press conference what the process would be if the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago

  • Webworm LA Pop-Up
    Hi,From time to time, I want to bring Webworm into the real world. We did it last year with the Jurassic Park event in New Zealand — which was a lot of fun!And so on Saturday May 11th, in Los Angeles, I am hosting a lil’ Webworm pop-up! I’ve been ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago

  • “Feel good” school is out
    Education Minister Erica Standford yesterday unveiled a fundamental reform of the way our school pupils are taught. She would not exactly say so, but she is all but dismantling the so-called “inquiry” “feel good” method of teaching, which has ruled in our classrooms since a major review of the New ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago

  • 6 Months in, surely our Report Card is “Ignored all warnings: recommend dismissal ASAP”?
    Exactly where are we seriously going with this government and its policies? That is, apart from following what may as well be a Truss-Lite approach on the purported economic “plan“, and Victorian-era regression when it comes to social policy. Oh it’ll work this time of course, we’re basically assured, “the ...
    exhALANtBy exhalantblog
    2 days ago

  • Bread, and how it gets buttered
    Hey Uncle Dave, When the Poms joined the EEC, I wasn't one of those defeatists who said, Well, that’s it for the dairy job. And I was right, eh? The Chinese can’t get enough of our milk powder and eventually, the Poms came to their senses and backed up the ute ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Why Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating in the country
    Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is higher than for any other mayor ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    2 days ago

  • Justice for Gaza?
    The New York Times reports that the International Criminal Court is about to issue arrest warrants for Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, over their genocide in Gaza: Israeli officials increasingly believe that the International Criminal Court is preparing to issue arrest warrants for senior government officials on ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago

  • If there has been any fiddling with Pharmac’s funding, we can count on Paula to figure out the fis...
    Buzz from the Beehive Pharmac has been given a financial transfusion and a new chair to oversee its spending in the pharmaceutical business. Associate Health Minister David Seymour described the funding for Pharmac as “its largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff”. ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago

  • FastTrackWatch – The case for the Government’s Fast Track Bill
    Bryce Edwards writes – Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Bernard’s pick 'n' mix for Monday, April 29
    TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:10am on Monday, April 29:Scoop: The children's ward at Rotorua Hospital will be missing a third of its beds as winter hits because Te Whatu Ora halted an upgrade partway through to ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on Iran killing its rappers, and searching for the invisible Dr. Reti
    span class=”dropcap”>As hideous as David Seymour can be, it is worth keeping in mind occasionally that there are even worse political figures (and regimes) out there. Iran for instance, is about to execute the country’s leading hip hop musician Toomaj Salehi, for writing and performing raps that “corrupt” the nation’s ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    3 days ago

  • Auckland Rail Electrification 10 years old
    Yesterday marked 10 years since the first electric train carried passengers in Auckland so it’s a good time to look back at it and the impact it has had. A brief history The first proposals for rail electrification in Auckland came in the 1920’s alongside the plans for earlier ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    3 days ago

  • Coalition's dirge of austerity and uncertainty is driving the economy into a deeper recession
    Right now, in Aotearoa-NZ, our ‘animal spirits’ are darkening towards a winter of discontent, thanks at least partly to a chorus of negative comments and actions from the Government Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Disability Funding or Tax Cuts.
    You make people evil to punish the paststuck inside a sequel with a rotating castThe following photos haven’t been generated with AI, or modified in any way. They are flesh and blood, human beings. On the left is Galatea Young, a young mum, and her daughter Fiadh who has Angelman ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • Of the Goodness of Tolkien’s Eru
    April has been a quiet month at A Phuulish Fellow. I have had an exceptionally good reading month, and a decently productive writing month – for original fiction, anyway – but not much has caught my eye that suggested a blog article. It has been vaguely frustrating, to be honest. ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    3 days ago

  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #17
    A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 21, 2024 thru Sat, April 27, 2024. Story of the week Anthropogenic climate change may be the ultimate shaggy dog story— but with a twist, because here ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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