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Nothing to worry about

Written By: - Date published: 7:36 am, October 25th, 2018 - 48 comments
Categories: national, Politics, same old national, Simon Bridges, spin, you couldn't make this shit up - Tags: , ,

I was impressed with National’s uber confidence yesterday. Sure they might have had a week from hell and a poll result confirming that they were no longer the biggest party and their support was waning and they had no friends but their line that it could have been a lot worse resonated somewhat.

After all it was not as if their leader had been implicated in doing anything illegal.

Parties partition up donations all the time and split $100k donations into seven $14k donations and one $2 donation for the Feng Shui, not so that the identity of the donor has to be disclosed.  After all it is not as if they were embarrassed that their giving an award to this person would not look good, or that the fact that an associate of this person wanting to be a National Party MP might be frowned on.

And the confident expressions that all was fine by independent commentators who used to be National Party General Secretaries was notable. After all they should know.

And the Electoral Law does not have provisions relating to donations funded by contributions. National’s Party Secretary was not obliged to give the donation back. He did not have reasonable grounds to believe that the donor has failed to comply with his obligation to advise that the donation had come from contributions.  He was under no obligation to disclose the fact the donation came from contributions.  And it is not an offence to file a false return.

And what about Simon Bridges in his own return mistakenly calling Aaron Bhatnagar “Cathedral Club”?  This was an innocent mistake that happens all the time.

Of course the Police seeking advice from the Electoral Commission will result in no action being taken.

There is nothing to see here.

One can be assured by the fact that National is not panicking.  Simon Bridges ringing Cameron Slater is absolutely fine.  Slater having a key role to play in this matter as it develops is nothing for National to worry about.  What could go wrong?

48 comments on “Nothing to worry about ”

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  1. Ad 1
    25 October 2018 at 8:00 am

    Come on man can we do some actual policy now?

    These guys have gifted Ardern the next election – let’s go into Conference with a push for a bold government.

    • Draco T Bastard 1.1
      25 October 2018 at 9:55 am

      These guys have gifted Ardern the next election

      Because all of them are going to be in jail right?

    • AB 1.2
      25 October 2018 at 10:21 am

      If there is a chance to move Overton’s window back from its 30+ year rightwards slide, then we should be shoving with all our might.
      I’m not convinced that going on and on about this mess in the National Party contributes to that, but we do need longer time horizons than the next election. I guess what I am saying clumsily, is that we need not only a policy strategy, but an ideological strategy as well. Ideological victory is just as important as getting some policy stuff done, and any chance to stamp all over right wing ideology should be taken.

    • Enough is Enough 1.3
      25 October 2018 at 10:34 am

      Yep and it hardly bold to be bullied by the soon be former leader of opposition as was shown in the House yesterday.

      When the opposition is failing to pick themselves off the canvas, I have no idea why the PM let Bridges have a huge win in the Question Time yesterday.

      It is time to be bold. Don’t allow the Nats to dictate the direction of travel.

  2. Ankerrawshark 2
    25 October 2018 at 8:56 am

    Hey ad I agree policy is what we want and bold policy at the conference, but I am also appreciating the chance to follow this unfolding situation in National.

    For me it’s about justice. National we’re exposed as dirty operators in dirty politics, although many of us suspected their dishonesty and corruption. They were so invoLoved in their dirty games that they neglected to govern, which suited their rich mates well. And for me I was devastated when key romped home despite the exposures is Hager’s book.

    I want good left policies, but I also want decency in my politicians. So the fact that Jami-Lee is opening up about what goes on behind the scenes is great. As long as his mental health can take it……….

    It is possible to walk and chew gum at the same time and I believe the standard can and is doing policy and uncovering corruption in the Nats. The Jami-Lee Ross thing may have been dominating in the last week, but I think that’s understandable

  3. patricia bremner 3
    25 October 2018 at 9:00 am

    Jacinda Ardern and team have sensibly kept out of the firestorm of self destruction provided by National.

    Read the Policy statements and the list of items ticked off or started in the twelve months. Strong foundations are being laid. The conference will solidify the gains.

    This Government knows there are two years ’till the next election, and in a cloudy world situation cold winds could blow this steady state away in a heartbeat.

    Hopefully you are right and the next election will be a gift that keeps on giving.

    • veutoviper 3.1
      25 October 2018 at 9:34 am

      Did you see her in Question Time yesterday. patricia?

      She was on fire. I like the way that she answered Bridges’ first usual question “Does she stand by etc” not just with a “Yes” but with a long list of items ticked off in their first 12 months. LOL

      In the first minute or so of this video – but the whole thing is worth watching. Some very funny exchanges took place (except by Bridges).

      https://www.parliament.nz/en/watch-parliament/ondemand?itemId=203427

      • Draco T Bastard 3.1.1
        25 October 2018 at 10:16 am

        Hah, Seymore’s first question should have had the PM telling him that that was how markets worked and then asking him if he still believed in the market.

        Actually, his second question seems to indicate that he doesn’t.

        Seems National doesn’t either as they try to shift all the blame onto the government rather than placing it where it is – on the oil companies profits.

      • patricia bremner 3.1.2
        25 October 2018 at 10:25 am

        Thanks for that Veutoviper, I am in Aussie visiting family, so would have missed that. My wee tablet has been red hot at times.

      • patricia bremner 3.1.3
        25 October 2018 at 10:26 am

        Brilliant. Thanks for that Veutoviper, I am in Aussie visiting family, so would have missed that. My wee tablet has been red hot at times.

  4. outofbed 4
    25 October 2018 at 9:09 am

    So many unanswered questions
    https://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/2018/10/questions-questions-questions.html

    And this
    https://thespinoff.co.nz/unsponsored/25-10-2018/dirty-politics-2018-nicky-hager-assesses-the-jami-lee-ross-saga/

    Yes lets focus on policy, but first get some sunlight onto the National party so they can clean themselves up as they are a blight on New Zealand.

    It very pertinent as Nicky says ” We should notice that Bridges spoke of using the controversial $100,000 donation for attack advertising – not for explaining his vision for how to make a better country ”

    I want to respect the National party whilst fundamentally disagreeing with them.
    At the moment they have zero respect.

    • One Two 4.1
      25 October 2018 at 9:22 am

      The political landscape won’t be changing until it’s forced into changing…

      Every vote place, every comment of support, every wish to be able to respect a political party…

      Simply ensures those who own and control NZ politics will continue to laugh and mock the entire parliamentary system…

      Exactly as has been going on for 40 years or more…

      NZ politics is a shambles because it is captured…controlled…and recent events are the evidence…

      • Draco T Bastard 4.1.1
        25 October 2018 at 10:21 am

        +111

        Exactly.

        This is why we need better laws around political donations with some real teeth to them. As it stands, several National MPs and administrators should be going to jail.

    • Dukeofurl 4.2
      25 October 2018 at 9:25 am

      So The Spinoff have an ‘unsponsored’ category of news …and by some perchance thats where Hagers comments go.

      The Spinoff makes the Guardian seem like the UK Morning Star!

    • Draco T Bastard 4.3
      25 October 2018 at 10:19 am

      Yes lets focus on policy, but first get some sunlight onto the National party so they can clean themselves up as they are a blight on New Zealand.

      Leaving them to clean themselves up obviously isn’t working. In cases like this we need to engage the law to its fullest extent.

  5. JustMe 5
    25 October 2018 at 9:42 am

    Out of all this of recent weeks National has lost all credibility. 99% of their MPs come across now as corrupt, money hungry, ego-driven, self-serving ratbags.
    They have been creators of their own destruction and so long may it continue.
    Maybe it’s all some well deserved Karmic Payback for ALL the horrid things National have done especially to low income NZers as from 2008 through to late 2017.

    What has truly demeaned National further is the text message from a female National Party MP(whose name we probably will never know because National are so incapable(due to corruption over many years)to be transparent)saying to JLR that she wishes he was dead. Now for a supposedly adult person to say such a thing is the lowest of the low. It’s a disgusting behavioural problem that that woman has.

    She needs to seriously re-evaluate her mental state and whether she is worthy to be an MP! All indications is that she does not merit being an MP let alone a representative of her electorate. I would like to ask her as to how many mental health patients live in her electorate and are still capable of voting especially at election time? As she has shown so much hatred to Jamie-Lee Ross then her attitude is a direct reflection that she is nasty, lacking empathy, caring(a National MP showing caring is a joke nowadays),cruelty and just plain old unsuitable for her electorate.

    National cannot expect to be trusted by the voting public – unless a considerable number of the voting public are in the National Party pocket and would vote National until the Pandas arrive – mainly because behind the scenes it looks like no-one trusts anyone within the NZ National Party.

    I am sure all the problems National have experienced have been going on for more than just the past 2 years. Back then however Key and English managed to suppress any negative news because Key had successfully over-satuated the main-stream NZ media with National supporters eg Hosking, Roughan, Young, Soper, DPA, etc,etc,etc. And back then there was the attitude by National of “Nothing to see. Move along please…”

    • Dennis Frank 5.1
      25 October 2018 at 9:59 am

      Apparently it was a 64-word text. Rather long, eh? I heard the RNZ reporter of that breaking news explain that they had decided only to report that last bit. In other words, the rest of the text was too toxic for RNZ listeners to hear! But her saying she thought he ought to die was sufficiently mild to report.

      • JustMe 5.1.1
        25 October 2018 at 12:12 pm

        I wonder if the NZ Public will ever be given all the text messages Bill English did whilst he was prime minister of NZ?

      • Graeme 5.1.2
        25 October 2018 at 12:31 pm

        Editorial in Southland Times today.

        https://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/opinion/108080508/another-issue-arises-from-the-ross-case

        “Surely, however, those four words, in themselves, are sufficient to require assessment against the laws of the land; specifically the Harmful Digital Communications Act.

        When more information is provided, as it must be, the appropriate consequences for the text sender – including whether she can stay in her role – then become a legitimate issue.
        ……
        Another point, and not a small one.

        Without knowing for sure who sent that text message, we don’t know for sure who didn’t.

        Unworthy suspicion now inflicts a not-particularly-large group of people.

        Which only adds to the case, already existent, for the unnamed MP to come forward.”

        [Snip – please no speculation on who the MP may be – MS]

    • Kahu 5.2
      25 October 2018 at 4:23 pm

      Wouldn’t it be funny if the female mp was paula bennett or lolz maureen pugh? The feminist media has selfcensored re identity of female mp’s & staff accusing JLR of bad behaviour yet a women mp’s bad behaviour in text gets a pass whole JLR gets reviled. In modern environment a guy’s reputation can get shredded simply by accusations re behaviour & mental illness with no evidence offered up nor formal complaints (in this case). The female MP he had an affair with should be subject to same outing that JLR has been and the vicious texter too (possibly the same woman?). The texter might be bitter coz JLR ended the relationship for all we know) JLR seen as culpable but the women are seen/treated as innocent and don’t have to take responsibility for their own behaviour/actions.

      • Delia 5.2.1
        26 October 2018 at 9:40 am

        How has the feminist media censured the publication of the name? You got something against feminists, here is a tip, we do not run the media. Some may work for it of course. Next you will be using the charming term Feminazi. I hope not. Your bunkum I expect to read on Stuff not the Labour movement site.

  6. JessNZ 6
    25 October 2018 at 9:47 am

    I want a policy on restrictions and transparencies in political funding! Keep turning over the rotting pile…

    • Draco T Bastard 6.1
      25 October 2018 at 1:19 pm

      Transparency of political donations is something that the country needs along with strict enforcement of those regulations. No one should be able to donate anonymously to a political party.

  7. R.P Mcmurphy 7
    25 October 2018 at 9:52 am

    who watches Channel 31.
    Collins has all the charm and charisma of a rattlesnake.
    Put her on the stump and the nationals party would disappear into oblivion faster than they are doing so now.

  8. outofbed 8
    25 October 2018 at 9:55 am

    I think the biggest thing that National have to worry about is that Bill English left.

    I think he was basically a decent bloke and a tempering influence for the more rabid Nat Mp’s
    In some respect the Nat vote holding up is more the residue of media management from Key and the sensible Mr English.

    I’m sure when the general public catch up with actual the venal lying nature of the current lot, things will change.

    • JessNZ 8.1
      25 October 2018 at 10:07 am

      I think it’s time National admitted that decent blokes and blokettes just don’t fit into today’s National party. Decent people recognise NZ’s inequalities and the need to change to secure the future for economic winners and victims alike.

      • JustMe 8.1.1
        25 October 2018 at 11:11 am

        I could never ever call Bill English. Not whilst he was one minute telling NZers that ‘you(NZers)are living beyond your means and MUST experience financial cutbacks….’ and at the same time he was happily and without an ounce of remorse Double Dipping from the NZ taxpayers.

        Sir Ed once said he has never met an honest politician. Looking at the antics to date of the National lot then no wonder no-one can trust them or look upon them as being honest. Not whilst they are married to Money, Greed, Ego, self-attainment whilst at the same time battering anyone and everyone who they consider ‘Down and Outs’.

        I am beginning to get the impression that National comprises mostly of bullies, intimidators, mongrels, ratbags and all the lowlifes that a political party like National can attract.

    • Pete 8.2
      25 October 2018 at 10:11 am

      The actual the venal lying nature of the current lot? Bill English basically a decent bloke?

      Apropos the comment by KJT in Open Mike today:
      “Cheating. In sport, business, and politics has become acceptable in New Zealand.
      A mind set where lying, stealing and destroying others, is fine, so long as you win.”

      Bill English was clearly lying and evasive in the doings around the Barclay Clutha stuff. The way things work it was better or considered to be less problematic, for him to lie and be evasive.

      I accept that in terms of comparison he might have been the best of a bad bunch.

    • Draco T Bastard 8.3
      25 October 2018 at 10:25 am

      I think he was basically a decent bloke…

      The guy who rorted the country of tens of thousands of dollars is a decent bloke?

      Yeah, nah.

    • patricia bremner 8.4
      25 October 2018 at 10:33 am

      English decent? Hardly!! Go back over the Todd tape saga.

    • AB 8.5
      25 October 2018 at 10:47 am

      It is easy to mistake a sort of surface civility for decency. ‘Gentleman’ Jack Marshall had the surface civility down to a fine art, but still supported the death penalty while the odious, bullying Rob Muldoon opposed it.
      The thing that convinced me that English was not at his core decent, was his fondness for ‘social investment’ theory, i.e. the idea that when people fall through the cracks and need help, it is due to some innate or acquired defect that is amenable to early detection and remediation. The opposite contention, that people are basically OK and the problem lies in the economic system, was simply unimaginable for him.

  9. Michelle 9
    25 October 2018 at 10:12 am

    A decent bloke that sold our assets even though we said no, a decent bloke that said there is no housing crisis when people were sleeping on our streets, a
    decent bloke that allowed and encouraged P house epidemic evictions on a whim,
    a decent bloke that turned a blind eye to our high suicide rates, a decent bloke whose party incarcerated Maori at the highest levels ever.
    out of bed look up the word decent.

  10. outofbed 10
    25 October 2018 at 10:55 am

    I was trying to be positive and find someone among them that was halfway decent.
    I have it on good authority he loathed the Bennet Key Bridges Smith lot.
    Still I concede the best of a bad lot is not much of an epitaph

    • ScottGN 10.1
      25 October 2018 at 12:53 pm

      If you mean Nick Smith, he and English were thick as thieves.

      • outofbed 10.1.1
        25 October 2018 at 3:07 pm

        no not Smith my mistake he is a different kettle of fish entirely
        Not a very nice person.
        I’ve had a bit to do with him when I lived in Nelson

  11. Draco T Bastard 11
    25 October 2018 at 2:31 pm

    Greens reiterate call for change after National received $3.5m in anonymous donations

    “$3.5 million in anonymous donations is a huge sum of money. It is unlikely this is made up of coins or small notes dropped in a bucket or given at a bake sale,” Greens co-leader Marama Davidson said today.

    “This spells out powerful vested interests tipping huge amounts of money into the coffers of the National Party, hiding behind anonymity.”

    With that amount of money we can be pretty sure that the National Party knows exactly where that money came from and the policies that it wants.

    Time to make sure that no political donations are anonymous. We just can’t allow this sort of corruption to continue.

    • tc 11.1
      25 October 2018 at 3:03 pm

      Finally ! c’mon greens about time you grew a pair.

      Of course they know where it all comes from….if they don’t they’ll get a reminder soon enough from the donor.

  12. ianmac 12
    25 October 2018 at 3:19 pm

    When the Dirty Tricks book came out my National Party friends would not read it because the source was stolen emails. The Party can do no wrong they said.

    And now I bet they will say that again because Ross exposed some secret stuff, that mean it must be ignored. “The Party can do no wrong,” as no doubt Michelle Boag says.

    • Draco T Bastard 12.1
      25 October 2018 at 6:58 pm

      When the Dirty Tricks book came out my National Party friends would not read it because the source was stolen emails.

      That always bugged me that. They allowed themselves, and there is no other word for it. to be distracted by the claims of ‘stolen emails’ rather than applying the simple and damming logic that if the emails were stolen then they were obviously real and that everything that was described was absolutely true. And the only conclusion from that is that the National Party in inherently corrupt.

      Recent evidence reinforces that conclusion.

  13. Kahu 13
    25 October 2018 at 4:26 pm

    Wouldn’t it be funny if the female mp was paula bennett or lolz maureen pugh? The feminist media has selfcensored re identity of female mp’s & staff accusing JLR of bad behaviour yet a women mp’s bad behaviour in text gets a pass whole JLR gets reviled. In modern environment a guy’s reputation can get shredded simply by accusations re behaviour & mental illness with no evidence offered up nor formal complaints (in this case). The female MP he had an affair with should be subject to same outing that JLR has been and the vicious texter too (possibly the same woman?). The texter might be bitter coz JLR ended the relationship for all we know) JLR seen as culpable but the women are seen/treated as innocent and don’t have to take responsibility for their own behaviour/actions.

  14. R.P Mcmurphy 14
    26 October 2018 at 3:20 am

    parliament seems to have become inhabited by hot house flowers who learned their stuff bullying in the schoolyard.
    in the cold light of day there is no hiding place for their childish manouvres and poisonous machinations.

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    New Zealanders are uncomfortable with the high level of influence corporate lobbyists have in New Zealand politics, and demands are growing for greater regulation. A recent poll shows 62 per cent of the public support having a two-year cooling off period between ministers leaving public office and becoming lobbyists and ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago

  • A miracle pill for our transport ills
    This is a guest post by accessibility and sustainable transport advocate Tim Adriaansen It originally appeared here.   A friend calls you and asks for your help. They tell you that while out and about nearby, they slipped over and landed arms-first. Now their wrist is swollen, hurting like ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    3 days ago

  • The Surprising Power of Floating Wind Turbines
    Floating offshore wind turbines offer incredible opportunities to capture powerful winds far out at sea. By unlocking this wind energy potential, they could be a key weapon in our arsenal in the fight against climate change. But how developed are these climate fighting clean energy giants? And why do I ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago

  • The next Maori challenge
    Over the past two or three weeks, a procession of Maori iwi and hapu in a series of little-noticed appearances before two Select Committees have been asking for more say for Maori over resource management decisions along the co-governance lines of Three Waters. Their submissions and appearances run counter ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago

  • Secret “war-crime” warrants by International Criminal Court is mischief-making
    The decision of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue war crimes arrest warrants for the Russian President and the Russia Children Ombudsman may have been welcomed by the ideologically committed but otherwise seems to have been greeted with widespread cynicism (see Situation in Ukraine: ICC judges issue arrest warrants ...
    Open ParachuteBy Ken
    3 days ago

  • How to answer Drunk Uncle Kevin's Climate Crisis reckons
    Let’s say you’re clasping your drink at a wedding, or a 40th, or a King’s Birthday Weekend family reunion and Drunk Uncle Kevin has just got going.He’s in an expansive frame of mind because we’re finally rid of that silly girl. But he wants to ask an honest question about ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago

  • National’s Luxon may be glum about his poll ratings but has he found a winner in promising to rai...
    National Party leader Christopher Luxon may  be feeling glum about his poll ratings, but  he could be tapping  into  a rich political vein in  describing the current state of education as “alarming”. Luxon said educational achievement has been declining,  with a recent NCEA pilot exposing just how far it has ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    4 days ago

  • Climate Change: More Labour foot-dragging
    Yesterday the IPCC released the final part of its Sixth Assessment Report, warning us that we have very little time left in which to act to prevent catastrophic climate change, but pointing out that it is a problem that we can solve, with existing technology, and that anything we do ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago

  • Te Pāti Māori Are Revolutionaries – Not Reformists.
    Way Beyond Reform: Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer have no more interest in remaining permanent members of “New Zealand’s” House of Representatives than did Lenin and Trotsky in remaining permanent members of Tsar Nicolas II’s “democratically-elected” Duma. Like the Bolsheviks, Te Pāti Māori is a party of revolutionaries – not reformists.THE CROWN ...
    Bowalley Road
    4 days ago

  • When does history become “ancient”, on Tinetti’s watch as Minister of Education – and what o...
    Buzz from the Beehive Auckland was wiped off the map, when Education Minister Jan Tinetti delivered her speech of welcome as host of the inaugural Conference of Pacific Education Ministers “here in Tāmaki Makaurau”. But – fair to say – a reference was made later in the speech to a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago

  • Climate Catastrophe, but first rugby.
    Morning mate, how you going?Well, I was watching the news last night and they announced this scientific report on Climate Change. But before they got to it they had a story about the new All Blacks coach.Sounds like important news. It’s a bit of a worry really.Yeah, they were talking ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • What the US and European bank rescues mean for us
    Always a bailout: US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the Government would fully guarantee all savers in all smaller US banks if needed. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: No wonder an entire generation of investors are used to ‘buying the dip’ and ‘holding on for dear life’. US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Who will drain Wellington’s lobbying swamp?
    Wealthy vested interests have an oversized influence on political decisions in New Zealand. Partly that’s due to their use of corporate lobbyists. Fortunately, the influence lobbyists can have on decisions made by politicians is currently under scrutiny in Guyon Espiner’s in-depth series published by RNZ. Two of Espiner’s research exposés ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago

  • It’s Raining Congestion
    Yesterday afternoon it rained and traffic around the region ground to a halt, once again highlighting why it is so important that our city gets on with improving the alternatives to driving. For additional irony, this happened on the same day the IPCC synthesis report landed, putting the focus on ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    4 days ago

  • Checking The Left: The Dreadful Logic Of Fascism.
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    Bowalley Road
    4 days ago

  • Good Friends and Terrible Food
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    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    4 days ago

  • At a glance – What evidence is there for the hockey stick?
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago

  • Carry right on up there, Corporal Espiner
    RNZ has been shining their torch into corners where lobbyists lurk and asking such questions as: Do we like the look of this?and Is this as democratic as it could be?These are most certainly questions worth asking, and every bit as valid as, say:Are we shortchanged democratically by the way ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • This smells
    RNZ has continued its look at the role of lobbyists by taking a closer look at the Prime Minister's Chief of Staff Andrew Kirton. He used to work for liquor companies, opposing (among other things) a container refund scheme which would have required them to take responsibility for their own ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago

  • Major issues on the table in Mahuta’s  talks in Beijing with China’s new Foreign Minister
    Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta has left for Beijing for the first ministerial visit to China since 2019. Mahuta is  to  meet China’s new foreign minister Qin Gang  where she  might have to call on all the  diplomatic skills  at  her  command. Almost certainly she  will  face  questions  on what  role ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    5 days ago

  • Inside TOP's Teal Card and political strategy
    TL;DR: The Opportunities Party’s Leader Raf Manji is hopeful the party’s new Teal Card, a type of Gold card for under 30s, will be popular with students, and not just in his Ilam electorate where students make up more than a quarter of the voters and where Manji is confident ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago

  • Make Your Empties Go Another Round.
    When I was a kid New Zealand was actually pretty green. We didn’t really have plastic. The fruit and veges came in a cardboard box, the meat was wrapped in paper, milk came in a glass bottle, and even rubbish sacks were made of paper. Today if you sit down ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on how similar Vladimir Putin is to George W. Bush
    Looking back through the names of our Police Ministers down the years, the job has either been done by once or future party Bigfoots – Syd Holland, Richard Prebble, Juduth Collins, Chris Hipkins – or by far lesser lights like Keith Allen, Frank Gill, Ben Couch, Allen McCready, Clem Simich, ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    5 days ago

  • CHRIS TROTTER:  Te Pāti Māori’s uncompromising threat to the status quo
    Chris Trotter writes – The Crown is a fickle friend. Any political movement deemed to be colourful but inconsequential is generally permitted to go about its business unmolested. The Crown’s media, RNZ and TVNZ, may even “celebrate” its existence (presumably as proof of Democracy’s broad-minded acceptance of diversity). ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Shining a bright light on lobbyists in politics
    Four out of the five people who have held the top role of Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff since 2017 have been lobbyists. That’s a fact that should worry anyone who believes vested interests shouldn’t have a place at the centre of decision making. Chris Hipkins’ newly appointed Chief of ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    5 days ago

  • Auckland Council Draft Budget – an unnecessary backwards step
    Feedback on Auckland Council’s draft 2023/24 budget closes on March 28th. You can read the consultation document here, and provide feedback here. Auckland Council is currently consulting on what is one of its most important ever Annual Plans – the ‘budget’ of what it will spend money on between July ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    5 days ago

  • Talking’ Posey Parker Blues
    by Molten Moira from Motueka If you want to be a woman let me tell you what to do Get a piece of paper and a biro tooWrite down your new identification And boom! You’re now a woman of this nationSpelled W O M A Na real trans woman that isAs opposed ...
    RedlineBy Admin
    5 days ago

  • More Māori words make it into the OED, and polytech boss (with rules on words like “students”) ...
    Buzz from the Beehive   New Zealand Education Minister Jan Tinetti is hosting the inaugural Conference of Pacific Education Ministers for three days from today, welcoming Education Ministers and senior officials from 18 Pacific Island countries and territories, and from Australia. Here’s hoping they have brought translators with them – or ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago

  • Social intercourse with haters and Nazis: an etiquette guide
    Let’s say you’ve come all the way from His Majesty’s United Kingdom to share with the folk of Australia and New Zealand your antipathy towards certain other human beings. And let’s say you call yourself a women’s rights activist.And let’s say 99 out of 100 people who listen to you ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago

  • The Greens, Labour, and coalition enforcement
    James Shaw gave the Green party's annual "state of the planet" address over the weekend, in which he expressed frustration with Labour for not doing enough on climate change. His solution is to elect more Green MPs, so they have more power within any government arrangement, and can hold Labour ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago

  • This sounds familiar…
    RNZ this morning has the first story another investigative series by Guyon Espiner, this time into political lobbying. The first story focuses on lobbying by government agencies, specifically transpower, Pharmac, and assorted universities, and how they use lobbyists to manipulate public opinion and gather intelligence on the Ministers who oversee ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago

  • Letter to the NZ Herald: NCEA pseudoscience – “Mauri is present in all matter”
    Nick Matzke writes –   Dear NZ Herald, I am a Senior Lecturer in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Auckland. I teach evolutionary biology, but I also have long experience in science education and (especially) political attempts to insert pseudoscience into science curricula in ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • So what would be the point of a Green vote again?
    James Shaw has again said the Greens would be better ‘in the tent’ with Labour than out, despite Labour’s policy bonfire last week torching much of what the Government was doing to reduce emissions. File Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The Green Party has never been more popular than in some ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

  • Gas stoves pose health risks. Are gas furnaces and other appliances safe to use?
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Sarah Wesseler Poor air quality is a long-standing problem in Los Angeles, where the first major outbreak of smog during World War II was so intense that some residents thought the city had been attacked by chemical weapons. Cars were eventually discovered ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago

  • Genetic Heritage and Co Governance
    Yesterday I was reading an excellent newsletter from David Slack, and I started writing a comment “Sounds like some excellent genetic heritage…” and then I stopped.There was something about the phrase genetic heritage that stopped me in tracks. Is that a phrase I want to be saying? It’s kind of ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago

  • BRIAN EASTON: Radical Uncertainty
    Brian Easton writes – Two senior economists challenge some of the foundations of current economics. It is easy to criticise economic science by misrepresenting it, by selective quotations, and by ignoring that it progresses, like all sciences, by improving and abandoning old theories. The critics may go ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Geoffrey Miller: New Zealand’s Middle East strategy, 20 years after the Iraq War
    This week marks the twentieth anniversary of the Iraq War. While it strongly opposed the US-led invasion, New Zealand’s then Labour-led government led by Prime Minister Helen Clark did deploy military engineers to try to help rebuild Iraq in mid-2003. With violence soaring, their 12-month deployment ended without being renewed ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    6 days ago

  • The motorways are finished
    After seventy years, Auckland’s motorway network is finally finished. In July 1953 the first section of motorway in Auckland was opened between Ellerslie-Panmure Highway and Mt Wellington Highway. The final stage opens to traffic this week with the completion of the motorway part of the Northern Corridor Improvements project. Aucklanders ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    6 days ago

  • Kicking National’s tyres
    National’s appointment of Todd McClay as Agriculture spokesperson clearly signals that the party is in trouble with the farming vote. McClay was not an obvious choice, but he does have a record as a political scrapper. The party needs that because sources say it has been shedding farming votes ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    6 days ago

  • As long as there is cricket, the world is somehow okay.
    Rays of white light come flooding into my lounge, into my face from over the top of my neighbour’s hedge. I have to look away as the window of the conservatory is awash in light, as if you were driving towards the sun after a rain shower and suddenly blinded. ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    7 days ago

  • So much of what was there remains
    The columnists in Private Eye take pen names, so I have not the least idea who any of them are. But I greatly appreciate their expert insight, especially MD, who writes the medical column, offering informed and often damning critique of the UK health system and the politicians who keep ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    7 days ago

  • 2023 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Mar 12, 2023 thru Sat, Mar 18, 2023. Story of the Week Guest post: What 13,500 citations reveal about the IPCC’s climate science report   IPCC WG1 AR6 SPM Report Cover - Changing ...
    Skeptical Science
    7 days ago

  • Financial capability services are being bucked up, but Stuart Nash shouldn’t have to see if they c...
    Buzz from the Beehive  The building of financial capability was brought into our considerations when Social Development and Employment Minister Carmel Sepuloni announced she had dipped into the government’s coffers for $3 million for “providers” to help people and families access community-based Building Financial Capability services. That wording suggests some ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 week ago

  • Things that make you go Hmmmm.
    Do you ever come across something that makes you go Hmmmm?You mean like the song?No, I wasn’t thinking of the song, but I am now - thanks for that. I was thinking of things you read or hear that make you stop and go Hmmmm.Yeah, I know what you mean, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago

  • The hoon for the week that was to March 19
    By the end of the week, the dramas over Stuart Nash overshadowed Hipkins’ policy bonfire. File photo: Lynn GrieveasonTLDR: This week’s news in geopolitics and the political economy covered on The Kākā included:PM Chris Hipkins’ announcement of the rest of a policy bonfire to save a combined $1.7 billion, but ...
    The KakaBy Peter Bale
    1 week ago

  • Saving Stuart Nash: Explaining Chris Hipkins' unexpected political calculation
    When word went out that Prime Minister Chris Hipkins would be making an announcement about Stuart Nash on the tiles at parliament at 2:45pm yesterday, the assumption was that it was over. That we had reached tipping point for Nash’s time as minister. But by 3pm - when, coincidentally, the ...
    PunditBy Tim Watkin
    1 week ago

  • Radical Uncertainty
    Two senior economists challenge some of the foundations of current economics. It is easy to criticise economic science by misrepresenting it, by selective quotations, and by ignoring that it progresses, like all sciences, by improving and abandoning old theories. The critics may go on to attack physics by citing Newton.So ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 week ago

  • Jump onto the weekly hoon on Riverside at 5pm
    Photo by Walker Fenton on UnsplashIt’s that time of the week again when and I co-host our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kaka for an hour at 5 pm. Jump on this link on Riverside (we’ve moved from Zoom) for our chat about the week’s news with ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago

  • The Dream of Florian Neame: Accepted
    In a nice bit of news, my 2550-word deindustrial science-fiction piece, The Dream of Florian Neame, has been accepted for publication at New Maps Magazine (https://www.new-maps.com/). I have published there before, of course, with Of Tin and Tintagel coming out last year. While I still await the ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago

  • Crown apology to Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa Tāmaki nui-a-Rua
    Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Minister Andrew Little has delivered the Crown apology to Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa Tāmaki nui-a-Rua for its historic breaches of Te Tiriti of Waitangi today. The ceremony was held at Queen Elizabeth Park in Masterton, hosted by Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa Tāmaki nui-a-Rua, with several hundred ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    15 hours ago

  • Minister of Foreign Affairs meets with Chinese counterpart
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Nanaia Mahuta has concluded her visit to China, the first by a New Zealand Foreign Minister since 2018. The Minister met her counterpart, newly appointed State Councilor and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Qin Gang, who also hosted a working dinner. This was the first engagement between the two ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    16 hours ago

  • Government delivering world-class satellite positioning services
    World-class satellite positioning services that will support much safer search and rescue, boost precision farming, and help safety on construction sites through greater accuracy are a significant step closer today, says Land Information Minister Damien O’Connor. Damien O’Connor marked the start of construction on New Zealand’s first uplink centre for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • District Court Judges appointed
    Attorney-General David Parker has announced the appointment of Christopher John Dellabarca of Wellington, Dr Katie Jane Elkin of Wellington, Caroline Mary Hickman of Napier, Ngaroma Tahana of Rotorua, Tania Rose Williams Blyth of Hamilton and Nicola Jan Wills of Wellington as District Court Judges.  Chris Dellabarca Mr Dellabarca commenced his ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • New project set to supercharge ocean economy in Nelson Tasman
    A new Government-backed project will help ocean-related businesses in the Nelson Tasman region to accelerate their growth and boost jobs. “The Nelson Tasman region is home to more than 400 blue economy businesses, accounting for more than 30 percent of New Zealand’s economic activity in fishing, aquaculture, and seafood processing,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • National’s education policy: where’s the funding?
    After three years of COVID-19 disruptions schools are finally settling down and National want to throw that all in the air with major disruption to learning and underinvestment.  “National’s education policy lacks the very thing teachers, parents and students need after a tough couple of years, certainty and stability,” Education ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Free programme to help older entrepreneurs and inventors
    People aged over 50 with innovative business ideas will now be able to receive support to advance their ideas to the next stage of development, Minister for Seniors Ginny Andersen said today. “Seniors have some great entrepreneurial ideas, and this programme will give them the support to take that next ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Government target increased to keep powering up the Māori economy
    A cross government target for relevant government procurement contracts for goods and services to be awarded to Māori businesses annually will increase to 8%, after the initial 5% target was exceeded. The progressive procurement policy was introduced in 2020 to increase supplier diversity, starting with Māori businesses, for the estimated ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Continued progress on reducing poverty in challenging times
    77,000 fewer children living in low income households on the after-housing-costs primary measure since Labour took office Eight of the nine child poverty measures have seen a statistically significant reduction since 2018. All nine have reduced 28,700 fewer children experiencing material hardship since 2018 Measures taken by the Government during ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Speech at Fiji Investment and Trade Business Forum
    Deputy Prime Minister Kamikamica; distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen. Tēnā koutou katoa, ni sa bula vinaka saka, namaste. Deputy Prime Minister, a very warm welcome to Aotearoa. I trust you have been enjoying your time here and thank you for joining us here today. To all delegates who have travelled to be ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Government investments boost and diversify local economies in lower South Island
    $2.9 million convertible loan for Scapegrace Distillery to meet growing national and international demand $4.5m underwrite to support Silverlight Studios’ project to establish a film studio in Wanaka Gore’s James Cumming Community Centre and Library to be official opened tomorrow with support of $3m from the COVID-19 Response and Recovery ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Government future-proofs EV charging
    Transport Minister Michael Wood has today launched the first national EV (electric vehicle) charging strategy, Charging Our Future, which includes plans to provide EV charging stations in almost every town in New Zealand. “Our vision is for Aotearoa New Zealand to have world-class EV charging infrastructure that is accessible, affordable, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • World-leading family harm prevention campaign supports young NZers
    Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment Priyanca Radhakrishnan has today launched the Love Better campaign in a world-leading approach to family harm prevention. Love Better will initially support young people through their experience of break-ups, developing positive and life-long attitudes to dealing with hurt. “Over 1,200 young kiwis told ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • First Chief Clinical Advisor welcomed into Coroners Court
    Hon Rino Tirikatene, Minister for Courts, welcomes the Ministry of Justice’s appointment of Dr Garry Clearwater as New Zealand’s first Chief Clinical Advisor working with the Coroners Court. “This appointment is significant for the Coroners Court and New Zealand’s wider coronial system.” Minister Tirikatene said. Through Budget 2022, the Government ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Next steps for affected properties post Cyclone and floods
    The Government via the Cyclone Taskforce is working with local government and insurance companies to build a picture of high-risk areas following Cyclone Gabrielle and January floods. “The Taskforce, led by Sir Brian Roche, has been working with insurance companies to undertake an assessment of high-risk areas so we can ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • New appointment to Māori Land Court bench
    E te huia kaimanawa, ko Ngāpuhi e whakahari ana i tau aupikinga ki te tihi o te maunga. Ko te Ao Māori hoki e whakanui ana i a koe te whakaihu waka o te reo Māori i roto i te Ao Ture. (To the prized treasure, it is Ngāpuhi who ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Government focus on jobs sees record number of New Zealanders move from Benefits into work
    113,400 exits into work in the year to June 2022 Young people are moving off Benefit faster than after the Global Financial Crisis Two reports released today by the Ministry of Social Development show the Government’s investment in the COVID-19 response helped drive record numbers of people off Benefits and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Vertical farming partnership has upward momentum
    The Government’s priority to keep New Zealand at the cutting edge of food production and lift our sustainability credentials continues by backing the next steps of a hi-tech vertical farming venture that uses up to 95 per cent less water, is climate resilient, and pesticide-free. Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor visited ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Conference of Pacific Education Ministers – Keynote Address
    E nga mana, e nga iwi, e nga reo, e nga hau e wha, tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou kātoa. Warm Pacific greetings to all. It is an honour to host the inaugural Conference of Pacific Education Ministers here in Tāmaki Makaurau. Aotearoa is delighted to be hosting you ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • New $13m renal unit supports Taranaki patients
    The new renal unit at Taranaki Base Hospital has been officially opened by the Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall this afternoon. Te Huhi Raupō received around $13 million in government funding as part of Project Maunga Stage 2, the redevelopment of the Taranaki Base Hospital campus. “It’s an honour ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Second Poseidon aircraft on home soil
    Defence Minister Andrew Little has marked the arrival of the country’s second P-8A Poseidon aircraft alongside personnel at the Royal New Zealand Air Force’s Base at Ohakea today. “With two of the four P-8A Poseidons now on home soil this marks another significant milestone in the Government’s historic investment in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Further humanitarian aid for Türkiye and Syria
    Aotearoa New Zealand will provide further humanitarian support to those seriously affected by last month’s deadly earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria, says Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta. “The 6 February earthquakes have had devastating consequences, with almost 18 million people affected. More than 53,000 people have died and tens of thousands more ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Community voice to help shape immigration policy
    Migrant communities across New Zealand are represented in the new Migrant Community Reference Group that will help shape immigration policy going forward, Immigration Minister Michael Wood announced today.  “Since becoming Minister, a reoccurring message I have heard from migrants is the feeling their voice has often been missing around policy ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • State Highway 3 project to deliver safer journeys, better travel connections for Taranaki
    Construction has begun on major works that will deliver significant safety improvements on State Highway 3 from Waitara to Bell Block, Associate Minister of Transport Kiri Allan announced today. “This is an important route for communities, freight and visitors to Taranaki but too many people have lost their lives or ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Ginny Andersen appointed as Minister of Police
    Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has today appointed Ginny Andersen as Minister of Police. “Ginny Andersen has a strong and relevant background in this important portfolio,” Chris Hipkins said. “Ginny Andersen worked for the Police as a non-sworn staff member for around 10 years and has more recently been chair of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Government confirms vital roading reconnections
    Six further bailey bridge sites confirmed Four additional bridge sites under consideration 91 per cent of damaged state highways reopened Recovery Dashboards for impacted regions released The Government has responded quickly to restore lifeline routes after Cyclone Gabrielle and can today confirm that an additional six bailey bridges will ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Foreign Minister Mahuta to meet with China’s new Foreign Minister
    Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta departs for China tomorrow, where she will meet with her counterpart, State Councillor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang, in Beijing. This will be the first visit by a New Zealand Minister to China since 2019, and follows the easing of COVID-19 travel restrictions between New Zealand and China. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Education Ministers from across the Pacific gather in Aotearoa
    Education Ministers from across the Pacific will gather in Tāmaki Makaurau this week to share their collective knowledge and strategic vision, for the benefit of ākonga across the region. New Zealand Education Minister Jan Tinetti will host the inaugural Conference of Pacific Education Ministers (CPEM) for three days from today, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
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  • State Highway 5 reopens between Napier and Taupō following Cyclone Gabrielle
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  • Special Lotto draw raises $11.7 million for Cyclone Gabrielle recovery
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  • Government delivers a $3 million funding boost for Building Financial Capability services
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