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 ”

  1. Ad 1

    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

      These guys have gifted Ardern the next election

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

    • AB 1.2

      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

      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

    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

    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

      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

        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

        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

        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

    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

      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

        +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

      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

      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

    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

      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

        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

        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

      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

        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

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

    • Draco T Bastard 6.1

      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

    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

    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

      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

        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

      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

      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

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

    • AB 8.5

      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

    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

    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

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

      • outofbed 10.1.1

        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

    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

      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

    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

      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

    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

    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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    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    5 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    6 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    6 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    6 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 hours ago
  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    11 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
    Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024.  “Lower fruit and vege ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government backs rural led catchment projects
    The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction.   Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
    Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government lowering building costs
    The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Trustee tax change welcomed
    Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
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  • Minister’s Ramadan message
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