NZ spies on its Pacific neighbours

Written By: - Date published: 6:29 am, March 5th, 2015 - 170 comments
Categories: Abuse of power, Deep stuff, International, john key, national, Politics - Tags: , , ,

gcsb-scum

The Herald this morning has reported on the latest analysis of New Zealand’s data gathering role based on Eric Snowden’s files.  The story is bound to have a profound effect on New Zealand’s relationship with its Pacific neighbours.  Essentially New Zealand has been collecting data en masse from them and handing it over to the Americans.

From the Herald:

New Zealand’s spies are targeting the entire email, phone and social media communications of the country’s closest, friendliest and most vulnerable neighbours, according to documents supplied by United States fugitive and whistleblower Edward Snowden.

Snowden’s files reveal a heavy focus on “full-take collection” from the Pacific with nearly two dozen countries around the world targeted by our Government Communications Security Bureau.

Information from across the Pacific is collected by New Zealand’s GCSB but sent onto the United States’ National Security Agency to plug holes in its global spying network, the documents show.

Our beloved Prime Minister tried yesterday to usurp the claims.  It appears his office was approached for a response and it adopted the standard “we do not know that the documents are true but the claims are false” line.

From Stuff:

Today Key went on the attack, giving “very strong advice” for New Zealanders not to believe Hager, whose Dirty Politics book was a major theme of the September election.

That book alleged that National used a strategy of making Key the friendly face of the government while using right-wing blogs, most notably Whale Oil, to attack opponents. It was based on correspondence hacked from Whale Oil blogger Cameron Slater’s computers.

Key claimed the material in Dirty Politics was wrong, and the same would be the case this time.

“Last time he came out with all this stuff, he was categorically wrong, he’ll be wrong this time as well, because information changes, we review things all the time, different actions are taken,” Key said this afternoon.

It had never been in doubt that New Zealand gathered and shared intelligence, he said.

“What a bizarre time to be coming out making the case that New Zealand either gathers and shares information or gets information from other intelligence agencies.

“Well, of course we do, and we do that to keep New Zealanders safe. We’re in the situation where we’ve got ISIL [Islamic State] reaching out to cause harm to New Zealanders, I think New Zealanders would expect me to share information,” Key said.

“My very strong advice to New Zealanders is [to] discount massively everything you hear from Nicky Hager. He was wrong last time, he’s wrong this time, his interests are his own self-serving interests, not the rest of the country.”

Key did not confirm or deny that New Zealand’s spy agencies were spying in the Pacific.

“I’m not going into who we gather information from, or why, but I can tell you we do gather information, we have over successive governments across a range of different places, but we do that for really, really good reasons.”

“We don’t do that loosely or randomly, and actually, those situations change dramatically.”

I cannot imagine a more random gathering of information than collecting all of it and providing it to the Americans.  And it will be interesting for Key to explain how the handing over of the data of kiwis living or holidaying in the Pacific to the Americans is legal or complies with previous promises that there is no mass surveillance of New Zealanders.  As a minimum it would appear that Kiwis in the Pacific Islands have been subject to mass surveillance.

I suspect that National will look rattled on this issue for a few days.  Until the focus group results are in.

170 comments on “NZ spies on its Pacific neighbours ”

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  1. Tinfoilhat 1
    5 March 2015 at 6:59 am

    I expect that most of the population just won’t care what with all the rugby and cricket on at the moment.

    • Pascals bookie 1.1
      5 March 2015 at 7:15 am

      So?

      Caring what people care about is a damn fool way to go about your business I reckon.

      • Peter 1.1.1
        5 March 2015 at 7:25 am

        …… not if you want to win elections, keep power and do as you please. Fooling most of the people most of the time appears to be an outrageous success for National.

        • Pascals bookie 1.1.1.1
          5 March 2015 at 7:56 am

          Can assure you my name wasn’t on the voting paper. I’m a citizen. I’m not looking to be elected, but to elect.

          Horse race journalism has fucked how we think.

          It should make no difference to you what others think. Think for yourself.

      • tinfoilhat 1.1.2
        5 March 2015 at 8:47 am

        Don’t know what you’re so uppity about.

        I was just making comment as to what my perception is of the likely public response to this revelation.

        • Colonial Rawshark 1.1.2.1
          5 March 2015 at 9:59 am

          Ahhhh, but we don’t need most members of the public to care today. This is a process of shifting opinion which will take a few years. And it is well underway.

          Just like the thousands of people who turned up to the Auckland Town Hall to hear Glenn Greenwald and Edward Snowden speak, we only need to have the small percentage of awake, active people care enough to wake up the people closest to them.

          • Chooky 1.1.2.1.1
            5 March 2015 at 10:01 am

            +100 CR

          • Molly 1.1.2.1.2
            6 March 2015 at 8:11 am

            This is true. Over the last few years, a few of the non-political acquaintances and family have started reading alternative news sources, and conversations and discussions are much more political and current.

            This discourse continues to grow.

    • saveNZ 1.2
      5 March 2015 at 1:07 pm

      @Tinfoilhat
      Yep actually people do care. Love that line ‘no one cares’ discourse gets trotted out every five minutes with each expose of Keys lies. Even if MSM does print a lie, they tend to end with, but the public doesn’t care.

      One day there will be a dossier of Brand Key’s lies. They are so plentiful.

      If the public don’t care, why was only 48 hrs given for public consultation on the surveillance bill and why, even in that time frame many members of the public submitted submissions?

      Why is there no parliamentary vote on sending troops to Iraq?

      Actually people care, there is just erosion of democracy in this country under our noses.

  2. Whateva next? 2
    5 March 2015 at 7:05 am

    “…his interests are his own self serving interests, not the rest of the country…..”
    Bit ironic

  3. wyndham 3
    5 March 2015 at 7:15 am

    Why has Ian Fletcher resigned from his position as head of the GCSB ?

    • Anne 3.1
      5 March 2015 at 8:35 am

      Because he knew what was coming? Hager spoke of… he and a colleague spending months going through all the documents… so that probably means the GCSB has known about it since well before Xmas. Fletcher announces he’s resigning just before Xmas. He left exactly one week ago today.

      • Chooky 3.1.1
        5 March 2015 at 9:50 am

        +100 Anne…but Fletcher probably knew other things too and couldn’t stomach them

    • One Anonymous Bloke 3.2
      5 March 2015 at 8:41 am

      Pure conjecture: he was forced out because the Gwynn inquiry found out what he’d been up to. Consideration was given to the timing.

  4. Pasupial 4
    5 March 2015 at 7:45 am

    John Key’s crimes against Journalism

    Killing off Public Broadcasting TV by shutting down TVNZ7 and having Minister’s lie about how many people watched the station.
    Raiding newspapers and broadcasters to stop them publishing the tea pot tapes.
    Defaming investigative journalist Jon Stephenson who questioned if NZs SAS had committed war crimes in Afghanistan by handing civilians over to known torture units.
    Defaming investigative Journalist Nicky Hager by calling him a communist conspiracy theorist when Hager opened up the Dirty Politics black ops team working within Key’s office.
    Calling award winning Journalist Glenn Greenwald and whistle blowers Julian Assange and Edward Snowden ‘Henchmen’ when they revealed the truth of Key’s mass surveillance plans.
    Having all of Andrea Vance’s emails and phone records taken.
    Using far right hate speech merchant and Fascist Cameron Slater to smear public servants the Government didn’t like.
    Falsifying SIS information and working with the state spy service to smear Phil Goff in the media months before the 2011 election.

    http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2015/03/05/the-hypocrisy-of-key-on-freedom-of-speech/#sthash.uwDHXaQg.dpuf

    • framu 4.1
      5 March 2015 at 8:55 am

      and he dropped another clanger today saying that the last time nikki hagar made claims it all turned out to be lies

      shame that JKs stories kept changing on a day to day basis during that time

      and frankly – media shouldnt be able to broadcast blatant lies from our MPs without some sort of context or further facts added. (im not saying they should tell us what to think gosman)

      • SHG 4.1.1
        5 March 2015 at 12:56 pm

        Well then, all Nicky Hager has to do is prove that the claims in his book are true. That’s called “journalism”.

        • framu 4.1.1.1
          6 March 2015 at 8:05 am

          so nicky hagar presents the news now and/or gets right of reply every time the MSM lets JK spread lies?

          Is Hagar the subject of all JKs lies?

          Is Hagar employed as the media’;s fact checker?

          its about the MSM repeating things they know arent true – is that clear?

        • Tracey 4.1.1.2
          6 March 2015 at 8:07 am

          did not the release of the hacked emails by the hacker put evidence to the claims?

        • Naturesong 4.1.1.3
          6 March 2015 at 8:27 am

          Proof as in, confirmation of authenticity from the person whose emails they were?

          Like that time that the oily one confirmed that the emails were true when he went to court to try and get them suppressed.

          Is that the sort of proof you were after?

    • Chooky 4.2
      5 March 2015 at 9:53 am

      +100….good points Pasupial

  5. vto 5
    5 March 2015 at 8:03 am

    John Key is a bare-faced liar yet again

    liar
    liar
    liar

    john key is a liar

  6. Gosman 6
    5 March 2015 at 8:32 am

    Isn’t this what a foreign intelligence agency is meant to do?

    • mickysavage 6.1
      5 March 2015 at 8:34 am

      How would you feel if the Russians were collecting all of our digital data?

      • Roflcopter 6.1.1
        5 March 2015 at 8:39 am

        Of course they do, as well as every other nation with capability to do so, but I don’t see you making a big song and dance about it.

      • Naturesong 6.1.2
        5 March 2015 at 8:41 am

        I think the analogy is “what if the Australians were collecting all of our digital data?”

        But of course that isn’t necessary since we hand it all over to them anyway.

      • Gosman 6.1.3
        5 March 2015 at 8:42 am

        I’m pretty confident that is exactly what the Russians attempt to do.

        • Once was Tim 6.1.3.1
          5 March 2015 at 9:39 am

          @ Gosman ….
          There is an article on Stuff which no doubt you’ve read by Michael Field.
          The headline doesn’t do it justice and is a little at odds with the content because the point he is making is that although we’re hoovering up all communications (i.e. hearing), we’re not actually ‘listening’.
          It’s all a bit pointless and driven more by political paranoia than anything – which begs the question WHY do it in the first place? All that’s being achieved is we’re pissing off our neighbours from whom we then expect ‘loyalty’ (when we go for things like Security Council seats). We seem to get it wrong every time.
          All that’s quite apart from issues of the State warehousing personal information for ‘future use’ (just as the Stasi did).
          No doubt you’re fine with that but don’t expect cooperation from the spied on when there’s a need to go groveling to them.

        • wtl 6.1.3.2
          5 March 2015 at 11:43 am

          Yes, and it is STOPPING the Russians and Chinese from collecting this data is exactly what the GCSB is meant to be doing, not collecting the data themselves.

          • Gosman 6.1.3.2.1
            6 March 2015 at 8:22 am

            No its not
            That is the role of counter intelligence. The GCSB’s main focus us on intelligence gathering.

            • tricledrown 6.1.3.2.1.1
              18 March 2015 at 12:16 pm

              Knowing the Russians and Chinese they won’t need to collect any thing as the Yanks will do it for them the Yanks have never been able to keep any secrets.So the GSCB handing info to the US will probably be seen in China first as it still requires huge manpower to desciminate vast volumes of Data.
              The US claims to have better technology to keep its secrets when its made in China.
              While New Zealand’s National party had signed up Huawei to set up its broadband .
              Huawei have been caught many times doing espionage stealing state and coporate secrets.
              So Goose man.
              As per usual you are full of it.

      • nadis 6.1.4
        5 March 2015 at 11:27 am

        The russians and the chinese are , or at least attempting to. The state surveillance mechanism within Russia and China are way more intrusive than 5 eyes. We just don’t hear about them via Snowden, wikileaks or similar.

        Russia’s system has been described as “Prism on steroids”. Google “Sorm” for more details.

        Ron Deibert, a professor at the University of Toronto and director of Citizen Lab, which co-operated with the Sochi research, describes the Sorm amendments as “Prism on steroids”, referring to the programme used by the NSA in the US and revealed to the Guardian by the whistleblower Edward Snowden. “The scope and scale of Russian surveillance are similar to the disclosures about the US programme but there are subtle differences to the regulations,” says Deibert. “We know from Snowden’s disclosures that many of the checks were weak or sidestepped in the US, but in the Russian system permanent access for Sorm is a requirement of building the infrastructure.”

        For instance Russian internet and telephone providers have to pay for and install a system that records all information (not jhust meta but also content) and make it available to 7 different government agencies without warrant or notification to the customer.

        http://www.themoscowtimes.com/opinion/article/nsa-is-no-match-for-the-fsb/481913.html

        • Colonial Rawshark 6.1.4.1
          5 March 2015 at 11:37 am

          I think you are correct and the Russian spy systems are far more intrusive and overt within their own borders. However they do not have anywhere near the access to western telcos and fibre optic networks terminating on US territory as the NSA and FVEY nations have.

          What this tells me is that our intelligence agencies are far more interested in mass surveillance of their own citizens, probably for the purposes of political control.

          I am pretty sure that Snowden’s offices in Hawaii will have had direct access to all data travelling on NZ’s Southern Cross cable. The Ruskies wouldn’t have that.

          Another example is how the NSA sets up interception rooms in the middle of telco switch centres. In these rooms, beam splitters are used to take a full copy of a fibre optic cable’s contents. We’re talking many gigabits per second taken and stored. These facilities were installed across the USA.

          One difference to the Russian scenario you mention is that I understand that the NSA pays telcos handsomely to have NSA facilities on site. All part of the money go round intrinsic in the heart of the Security Surveillance Industrial Congressional Complex.

          http://www.wired.com/2013/06/nsa-whistleblower-klein/

          • nadis 6.1.4.1.1
            5 March 2015 at 12:20 pm

            I’m not sure your making a logical point here – you might want to re-read what you have written.

            The two sentences in para 1 are logically inconsistent with each other for instance.

            Yes I’m sure the americans have access to to the southern cross cable terminating on their terrotiry and the Russains probably don’t. But the russians do have access to cables terminating in Russia or their satellites. So again the point you are making is logically inconsistent.

            The only point you make that makes sense is that NSA pays telcos for access, whereas the FSB charges the telcos for giving access.

            Heres how I’d summarise:

            – Hagars revelations today are a big yawn and nothing new – shades of Dotcoms big reveal. Oversold and under-delivered. Where is the promised proof of domestic surveillance?
            – Every major government does this or aspires to do so. It’s just easy to point fingers at the USA because more information flies around
            – There appears to no suggestion the Governments of the Pacific nations are being spied on by 5 eyes – that would be at least a little bit explosive. (BTW I think they probably are being spied on especially in their dealings with China).
            – What Snowden released probably undersells what NSA is capable of and does

            • Colonial Rawshark 6.1.4.1.1.1
              5 March 2015 at 12:33 pm

              Every major government does this or aspires to do so

              Mass surveillance is directly against the US Fourth Amendment. And until the last decade and a half, only Soviet police states have aspired to conduct mass surveillance on their own citizens.

              – There appears to no suggestion the Governments of the Pacific nations are being spied on by 5 eyes – that would be at least a little bit explosive. (BTW I think they probably are being spied on especially in their dealings with China).

              As one of the FVEY nations NZ is passing their data on to other FVEY nations. That is clear in Fisher’s write up.

              – Hagars revelations today are a big yawn and nothing new – shades of Dotcoms big reveal. Oversold and under-delivered. Where is the promised proof of domestic surveillance?

              Remember that there are a series of Herald articles coming out. Also this is not about the hype – this is about the reality of mass surveillance on ordinary people and the gradual undermining of democratic institutions.

              • nadis …
                5 March 2015 at 12:58 pm

                I think the technical position of the US government is that they do not engage in mass surveillance of US citizens, and therefore the actions of the NSA are within US law. (The reality may or may not be different).

                US constitutional protections do not apply to non-citizens.

                • Colonial Rawshark …
                  5 March 2015 at 1:23 pm

                  Given that the US intelligence services is building hundreds of thousands of square metres worth of data storage facilities eg. at Bluffdale, Utah (and there are several more facilities), they’re definitely spying on a very, very large number of people re: both metadata and content.

            • Murray Rawshark 6.1.4.1.1.2
              7 March 2015 at 4:37 pm

              “– There appears to no suggestion the Governments of the Pacific nations are being spied on by 5 eyes”

              You mean apart from the fact that they collect everything?

    • One Anonymous Bloke 6.2
      5 March 2015 at 8:37 am

      Never mind that deploying military personnel against civilians is a war crime.

      • Gosman 6.2.1
        5 March 2015 at 8:43 am

        So spying is now a war crime is it?

        • One Anonymous Bloke 6.2.1.1
          5 March 2015 at 8:46 am

          Did you twist my words because you don’t understand them or because you agree with them?

          • Roflcopter 6.2.1.1.1
            5 March 2015 at 8:48 am

            What’s this got to do with spying?

            • One Anonymous Bloke 6.2.1.1.1.1
              5 March 2015 at 9:12 am

              Roflcopter, spying is a military activity. Like any military activity it has legitimate targets. Targeting civilians is outlawed by the Geneva conventions.

              When there are grounds to spy on civilians, that is carried out by the civilian authorities as part of a court ordered procedure.

              Or is that just lip service you Righties pay to your Lawnorder idol?

              • Gosman …
                5 March 2015 at 9:23 am

                A question for you on that. If I read a newspaper in a foreign country and gather intelligence from that to be used by intelligence services here or in a third country would you regard that as a war crime?

                • One Anonymous Bloke …
                  5 March 2015 at 9:39 am

                  I’m not playing your stupid twenty questions game Gosman. if you’ve got something to say, say it.

                  • Gosman …
                    5 March 2015 at 9:57 am

                    My point is that your attempt to claim that gathering intelligence from non military sources somehow breeches the Geneva convention is not grounded in reality as that is how Intelligence agencies have always operated.

                    • One Anonymous Bloke …
                      5 March 2015 at 12:39 pm

                      Yes, because reading newspapers is exactly the same as intercepting people’s phone calls.

                    • felix …
                      5 March 2015 at 12:45 pm

                      What if Gosman ate a cake while on holiday, and it remained with him all the way home. Would that be the same as stealing the recipe or is he just full of shit?

                    • emergency mike …
                      5 March 2015 at 1:06 pm

                      Gosman thinks reading a newspaper is ‘intelligence gathering’. Go home, you’re stupid.

                • DoublePlusGood …
                  5 March 2015 at 12:45 pm

                  How exactly is publicly available information like a newspaper in any way similar to hacked personal communications?
                  I mean really, please think before you write.

                  • Gosman …
                    6 March 2015 at 8:27 am

                    I didn’t state is was the same. I pointed out trying to claim spying on civilians is against the Geneva convention is not based in reality as Spy agencies have done this since they were first set up.

                • Murray Rawshark …
                  7 March 2015 at 4:39 pm

                  “A question for you on that. If I read a newspaper in a foreign country and gather intelligence from that to be used by intelligence services here or in a third country would you regard that as a war crime?”

                  No Goosemann, if you gathered anything intelligent I’d regard it as a miracle.

              • Jones …
                5 March 2015 at 11:31 am

                Spying is also a commercial activity.

                • One Anonymous Bloke …
                  5 March 2015 at 12:40 pm

                  Not when military personnel do it.

                  • Murray Rawshark …
                    7 March 2015 at 4:41 pm

                    It probably is actually a mixture of both, OAB. The Pentagon basically works on behalf of US corporates and has since the days of Smedley Butler. I don’t think there is a real distinction between military and commercial any more.

          • Gosman 6.2.1.1.2
            5 March 2015 at 8:53 am

            Have you ever read or heard about WWII publicity campaigns such as ‘Loose lips sink ships’ ? What do you think they were about? Perhaps they were about spies gathering important intelligence from civilian members of the public. In fact I’m pretty sure spies have always gained valuable intel from general (i.e. civilian) sources.

            • framu 6.2.1.1.2.1
              5 March 2015 at 8:57 am

              so you favor a stasi like approach to how the govt treats its citizens?

              that does appear to be what you are providing semantic cover for – maybe you could clear up any confusion in a clear and concise manner?

              • Gosman …
                5 March 2015 at 9:03 am

                Massive leap there. The Stasi kept dossiers on most of the citizens of that poor communist dictatorship. That is not the same as sifting through data to identify potential threats.

                If you have evidence that the security services have individual dossiers on all or even a significant portion of us then you have my 100 percent support to overthrow the brutal dictatorial regime we obviously live in as a result.

                • framu …
                  5 March 2015 at 9:10 am

                  so you disagree that the NSA keeps all the data we send it?

                  your being quite obvious on this one gos – we all know your not this thick so just stop it ok

                  but as usual – your avoiding. Can you clear up what exactly you mean in a clear and concise manner without the side steps and goal post shifting?

                  • Gosman …
                    5 March 2015 at 9:19 am

                    I work in IT and have experience with data collection and storage. The idea that there is a system in place that collects and stores all our individual communication in a manner that could be easily accessed from a single location is fanciful. For one it would likely require Servers more powerful that what Google uses. For another it wouldn’t really help intelligence agencies having so much information. They want relevant detail not everything. Of course you can construct a giant conspiratorial fanstasy world where we are all secretly being manipulated and controlled by dark sinister forces. I believe they are shape shifting reptillian aliens last time I looked.

                    • One Anonymous Bloke …
                      5 March 2015 at 9:26 am

                      The fact that they boast about it doesn’t register with Gosman. That they outline the hardware by which it is achieved doesn’t raise a ripple. The fact that it’s a war crime doesn’t either.

                      Then there’s the ridiculous notion that collecting everyone’s data means you have to read all of it.

                      Look! A cycleway!

                    • framu …
                      5 March 2015 at 9:32 am

                      so your calling the the US senate/congress, nsa, greenwald, hagar, JK and numerous other insiders and commentators liars now?

                      all of these people/groups have admitted/exposed/acknowledged that mass meta data collection and storage happens.

                      unless your making some cute little distinction between meta data and message contents of course

                    • Gosman …
                      5 March 2015 at 9:32 am

                      “Then there’s the ridiculous notion that collecting everyone’s data means you have to read all of it.”

                      That is my point. If you don’t read it you are wasting your money if you then store it. They sift through a massive amount of data to identify the bits that are relevant and then likely dump the rest.

                    • Skinny …
                      5 March 2015 at 9:49 am

                      Oh I see now, “your in IT” and an expert in spying by the sounds of it.

                      I thought someone was watching me if I take my phone into the bathroom when I shower ‘,’ you flithy little animal. Thought you would have a complex by now Gosman.

                    • Kaplan …
                      5 March 2015 at 9:56 am

                      Gosman. You may claim to work in IT but you have had nothing to do with big data if you believe what you have typed here. Storing and reporting on massive amounts of data is not hard in the slightest.

                      In terms a layman can understand:
                      Google continuously crawl and index the entire internet. Most content is crawled and indexed with twelve hours of creation, usually much quicker.
                      Once the data is indexed user searches can return relevant data in a few milliseconds To do this with communication data is a formality, with the added bonus that it’d be totally acceptable to have the operator batch queue their searches and return data in minutes rather than seconds.

                      You can say what you like about the morals and consequences of storing communication data but trying to argue the job is ‘too hard’ is factually incorrect.

                    • Gosman …
                      5 March 2015 at 10:02 am

                      Google has massive server farms which cost hundreds if not billions of dollars to set up and operate. They manage to do this because the generate billions in revenue. The US Military is well resourced it is true but I doubt even they could justify the huge expenditures required to maintain a Google size infrastructure especially if most of the data is never used and therefore useless.

                    • Pascals bookie …
                      5 March 2015 at 10:11 am

                      “but I doubt even they could justify the huge expenditures required to maintain a Google size infrastructure especially if most of the data is never used and therefore useless”

                      lol

                      This would cost more or less then the f-35?

                      And they prob use this for getting an edge in MoH

                      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utah_Data_Center

                    • thatguynz …
                      5 March 2015 at 10:14 am

                      I suggest you get into some googling about the NSA datacentres then Gos – you may be surprised.

                    • tricledrown …
                      5 March 2015 at 11:32 am

                      Go StasSIS man.
                      Spinning your pathetic web of lies cynicism and deceit.
                      So we have example of those who expose the Truth.
                      Private Manning totured held in solitary confinement locked up for the rest of his life.
                      His whole life ruined for exposing a multiple murder by US marines.
                      Those perpetrators muderers have never been brought to justice.
                      Now we complain when the enemy retaliate in just as gruesome manner.
                      A 13 year old Arab boy non combatent is kidnapped by Jewish fundamentalists and burned alive in a similar manner to Jordanian pilot combatent.
                      Key uses one example but not equally horific other example.
                      Go goostepper.

                    • Colonial Rawshark …
                      5 March 2015 at 11:49 am

                      The FVEY citizen surveillance system is orders of magnitude more powerful than what the Stasi could even dream of.

                      I laughed at Gossie’s use of the word “dossiers” as that is a weasel word that Clapper, Hayden and other head spooks sometimes use to confuse the issue.

                      Of course the FVEY agencies don’t keep “dossiers” or “folders” on individual citizens like the Stasi did. These things are now generated instantaneously via automated database queries, including transcripts of all your phone conversations. (ahhh, Dragon naturally speaking dictation software, how you have fallen).

                      Just another BS Gossie distraction in other words.

                    • nadis …
                      5 March 2015 at 11:49 am

                      I’m pretty sure the NSA isn’t struggling for budget, though it is pretty hared to tell becuase much of its’ budget is secret.

                      Recent spending:

                      http://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2013/07/24/blueprints-of-nsa-data-center-in-utah-suggest-its-storage-capacity-is-less-impressive-than-thought/

                    • Colonial Rawshark …
                      5 March 2015 at 11:54 am

                      Worth remembering that Snowden was a Booz Allen consultant. The security and surveillance state has been throwing massive amounts of money to the private sector.

                      Where former NSA chief Gen Keith Alexander has just gone to work for millions, incidentally, as a consultant helping high tech corporates get NSA and Pentagon contracts.

                    • Tracey …
                      6 March 2015 at 8:12 am

                      I am sorry you work in IT, it makes me nervous to think of someone with your lack of ethics and understanding of privacy in charge of anything.

            • tricledrown 6.2.1.1.2.2
              5 March 2015 at 11:43 am

              Goostepper they haven’t gained any intelligence from you.

              • Colonial Rawshark …
                5 March 2015 at 11:50 am

                Unfortunately though we have found out that Gosman appears to enjoy being watched.

              • tricledrown …
                5 March 2015 at 12:17 pm

                Booze Allen is a CIA fronting company only set up to give the appearance of a private contractor.most likely funded by CIA clandestine money laundering through drug trade corruption clandestine activities (like the disappearance of US billions in Iraqis )etc tto o avoid oversight by govt agencies.

        • Sabine 6.2.1.2
          5 March 2015 at 9:22 am

          The Gestapo and the Stasi and the KGB said all the same thing 🙂

          • Gosman 6.2.1.2.1
            5 March 2015 at 9:26 am

            Have you just Godwin’d this thread?

            I have already explained why there is a difference between what the Stasi did and what is suggested happens here.

            Another question for you. What level of Spying is acceptable to you/

            • framu 6.2.1.2.1.1
              5 March 2015 at 9:33 am

              actually buddy – if your going to play godwin i think that was me (unless godwin only applies to gestapo and not stasi)

            • DoublePlusGood 6.2.1.2.1.2
              6 March 2015 at 10:10 am

              It’s not actually a Godwin if mention of Nazis is relevant to the discussion, as it is here with reference to a historical example of a totalitarian surveillance state.
              I mean, otherwise World War II History scholarship just wouldn’t work, as peer review would consist of “I disagree with the author here, as I do not consider Godwinning during a discussion of occupied Belgium to be appropriate”

      • nadis 6.2.2
        5 March 2015 at 12:54 pm

        Selective reading of the Geneva convention. It is not a war crime to “deploy military personnel against civilians”. It’s a war crime to use military force against non-combatants (which includes surrendered combatants), use torture, deny them medical aid, use summary justice. But the mere fact that a soldier interacts with a civilian is not a war crime.

        I’m also not sure whether the NSA is military or civilian. It is part of the DoD, but has mostly civilian employees, although the head has always had a rank of at least General. The CIA is certainly a civilian organisation.

        • One Anonymous Bloke 6.2.2.1
          5 March 2015 at 12:57 pm

          “Interacts with” is exactly the same as illegal surveillance is it? The distinction between the GCSB and SIS is military.

    • framu 6.3
      5 March 2015 at 8:52 am

      i dont think “spy on everyone” is what an intelligence agency is meant to do – do you?

      • Gosman 6.3.1
        5 March 2015 at 8:55 am

        I don’t believe they have such restrictions placed on their activities overseas. Their remit is to gather intelligence from foreign sources. This they seem to be doing.

        • framu 6.3.1.1
          5 March 2015 at 8:58 am

          aww look – hes pretending he doesnt understand how five eyes operates vis a vis info sharing and spying on behalf

          • Gosman 6.3.1.1.1
            5 March 2015 at 9:00 am

            Your point ?

            • framu 6.3.1.1.1.1
              5 March 2015 at 9:09 am

              your playing your role here on purpose

            • Tiger Mountain 6.3.1.1.1.2
              5 March 2015 at 9:30 am

              “GCSB is just doing their expected job” according to resident snout Gosman; well dear leader has previously offered to resign if mass surveillance of ‘noo zilundas’ was revealed and it appears that it has been.

              Lots of Pasifika people and Pacific tourists and business people are NZ citizens so the GCSB has undie sniffed beyond the brief, no pun etc.

              Nat HQ and Crosby Textor took a while to cough up todays line that the Penguin and others are now regurgitating online.

    • fisiani 6.4
      5 March 2015 at 9:43 am

      Foreign intelligence is about ….wait for it……getting intelligence about foreigners. Quelle surprise!
      This is a storm in a D-cup. What a tit.

      • Bill 6.4.1
        5 March 2015 at 9:51 am

        And NZ is playing the role of faithful lieutenant for the US….why?

        Gathering info on individual foreigners who are ‘of interest’ is a bit different to monitoring Pacific government ministers and senior officials, government agencies, international organisations and non-government organisations, no?

        http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11411759

        And it’s a bit different to collecting economic info. And it’s a bit different to collecting all communications that are interceptable and passing it all to the US, no?

      • Tracey 6.4.2
        6 March 2015 at 8:16 am

        foreign intelligence

        This is what intelligence and independent thinking is to Fisi.

    • Colonial Rawshark 6.5
      5 March 2015 at 10:04 am

      Isn’t this what a foreign intelligence agency is meant to do?

      Mass surveillance is a totalitarian activity which puts all of us in danger. It does that by disempowering elected officials and subverting democratic processes. A ‘secret government’ (usually made up of a few men in various closed committee meetings) ends up with excess power, making all key decisions, with only a veneer of democratic legitimacy placed as a cherry on top as an after thought.

      Make no mistake – all the metadata AND content related to NZers is being captured as well.

      • Gosman 6.5.1
        5 March 2015 at 10:26 am

        Do you think Andrew Little or anyone in Labour will make the case that we should change what is happening?

        [ Congratulations on hitting moderation. Your comments may or may not be released as and when a moderator gets around to clearing out the queue – Bill]

    • Tracey 6.6
      6 March 2015 at 8:08 am

      Hi John, thanks for commenting on The Standard. Just yesterday you said you weren’t doing this, that the claims are lies.

    • Murray Rawshark 6.7
      7 March 2015 at 4:32 pm

      No, it’s not what an intelligence agency is supposed to do. It would be akin to the police interrogating every citizen on a random basis because they may have committed some crime. Nothing to hide, nothing to fear, eh? It’s not even intelligent and it’s done on behalf of the seppos. FJK.

  7. Sabine 7
    5 March 2015 at 9:24 am

    Maybe we could – and that includes me – just ignore the one that is just here to ejaculate over his keyboard.

    It makes for better discussions.

  8. Gosman 8
    5 March 2015 at 9:39 am

    They just had a Pacific Islands correspondant (I presume for Radio NZ) on Nine to Noon. He mentioned that this sort of thing is pretty standard. China for example has had a major spy base on Kiribati which has been doing similar activities. What do people think a external intelligence organisation should do if not gather intelligence on other countries?

    • Bill 8.1
      5 March 2015 at 9:57 am

      Okay Gosman, I’ll attempt to make this simple for you. The NZ Government isn’t collecting ‘intelligence’ – it’s collecting everything.

      • Colonial Rawshark 8.1.1
        5 March 2015 at 10:34 am

        Yep including piles of dross producing far too much data for their analysts to wade through. Which is why the much vaunted security services keep missing terrorist plans until after they occur.

        As Bill Binney (former NSA Technical Director ‘of the world’, a rank equivalent to a 1 star or 2 star General within the NSA) has repeatedly said – they keep the problem going in order to keep the funding flowing.

        TL:DR they use “terrorism” to gain budget and power, but create a system which targets everyone, not terrorists.

        • Tracey 8.1.1.1
          6 March 2015 at 8:18 am

          this point requires major highlighting and repetition. it is part of the crux, that and the feeding of information received/gathered for the benefit of the kinds of corporates who are “advisors” to the USA TPP team.

    • Once was Tim 8.2
      5 March 2015 at 10:05 am

      You actually missed the point he has been trying to make – i.e. we’re gathering and hearing but NOT actually listening.
      The spooks are all very chuffed at their ability to gather and keep for future use, but they fuck it up in its interpretation EVERY time!
      What’s the point in being able to prove Frank is unfaithful to Mere (say for example) – only for effective future blackmailing in the future. I mean we know the answer to that already (or rather the diplomatic corps do, or SHOULD do).
      And what is the point of being able to do that on NZ citizens visiting the Pacific other than being in a position to blackmail them or kick them into line sometime in the future. Of course, you’re utterly perfect without any human failings, so it won’t affect you. The intent is ‘compliance’, but as we see elsewhere in the world – the exact opposite is more often the case.

    • One Anonymous Bloke 8.3
      6 March 2015 at 8:26 am

      All you have to do to see the wrong in this is turn the tables. A frigate from Iceland docks in Wellington. Sailors from that frigate, once they’ve ticked all the customs boxes, can come and go as they please.

      If they come and go as they please while systematically tapping our phones and opening our letters, they’re criminals. If they were tourists they’d get arrested. So the police arrest them.

      “Ah,” they argue, “we were only following orders.”

      War crimes, just like other crimes, come in different degrees of severity. This isn’t as bad as murdering people at weddings, and it’s still a war crime.

  9. framu 9
    5 March 2015 at 9:43 am

    In the 1970s the government realised that more crimes were being committed than was technically possible. This was partly due to the fact that 31% of crimes were fabricated by the government to keep citizens in a constant state of anxiety. To maintain its own credibility, the government banned the use of contraceptives for 3 months per year in the hope that the population would rise and thus generate the citizens required to meet the implausible high crime figures.

    The scheme backfired when the new population proved to comprise largely blameless, model citizens. However, the government was not convinced of their apparent virtue and created a special, combined investigation & prosecution squad. It invested birds, insects and other animals with the full power of a law court and trained them to spy on citizens, assuming that guilt would inevitably be detected.

    In addition to pigeons (see below), there were crack teams of sparrows, cats, butterflies, stoats and tuna, but there were also ‘lone wolf’ operatives, the most infamous of which was a ladybird who everyone knew as Two-Spots Bailey, though his real identity remains a mystery to this day.

    • Gosman 9.1
      5 March 2015 at 9:47 am

      This has just gone to prove the fact that 76.4% of statistics are made up to try and influence an argument.

      • framu 9.1.1
        5 March 2015 at 9:48 am

        i see what you did there – look gosman ive told you a million times – stop exaggerating 🙂

        • Gosman 9.1.1.1
          5 March 2015 at 10:11 am

          Have you got a link to your 31% of crimes being fabricated by the government claim?

          • framu 9.1.1.1.1
            5 March 2015 at 11:19 am

            yes – but its not what you think it is

          • Once was Tim 9.1.1.1.2
            6 March 2015 at 1:48 pm

            I do – I’ll put it up on Wiki and get a couple of mates to peer review just as soon as I can translate the BS-speak (going forward)

            Just as an aside Gozzzz-boi

            Do you ekshly have an ego the size of a bus, or are you more a kind of Jamie-Lee Ross type fella.
            I’m just a little curious after that claim above about your IT creds and database knowledge (or rather ‘knowism’).

            If you don;t want to answer, fair cop. It’s just that you are one of the reasons I don’t ‘engage’ with The Standard other than to read and occasionally comment (i.e. you’re one the reasons I flick to ‘elsewhere’ and I suppose that’s mission successful for you.
            (Don’t think it’ll add an inch to the length or girth tho’ Goz – I ain;t the meat – it’s the motion ….. something I reckon you’d even have to check with your masters before even attempting)

    • David 9.2
      5 March 2015 at 12:36 pm

      Best lolz of the day, Two-Spots Bailey?

      • framu 9.2.1
        6 March 2015 at 8:08 am

        go to the scarfolk link – sure its really just one big add for a freelance graphic designer – but its damn funny in a douglas adams/monty python esque sort of way

  10. Bill 10
    5 March 2015 at 9:46 am

    From an accompanying Herald article that appears a wee bit more informative…

    Leaked Snowden files show most of GCSB’s targets are not security threats to New Zealand, as Government suggests.

    And the countries include Tuvalu, Nauru, Kiribati and Samoa, Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands, New Caledonia, Fiji, Tonga and French Polynesia.

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11411759

    • Gosman 10.1
      5 March 2015 at 9:48 am

      You don’t think the French are a potential threat to NZ?

      • Bill 10.1.1
        5 March 2015 at 10:02 am

        I think you’re being a threat to my good will and patience. Up your game, engage intelligently and stop with the mostly irrelevant and potentially derailing one-liners or risk being neutralised (ie, copping a ban on this post), yes?

        • Gosman 10.1.1.1
          5 March 2015 at 10:09 am

          There has been only one act of State sponsored terrorism carried out in New Zealand and it was perfomed by the French. I’m not sure why pointing this out would incur a ban when you posted a list of countries that included territories controlled by France with the implied assumption being why should we target these nations. I merely asked why would the French not be a threat.

          • Bill 10.1.1.1.1
            5 March 2015 at 10:25 am

            It wouldn’t. The “mostly irrelevant and potentially derailing one-liners” in conjunction with what I pointed out in my previous comment and compounded by wasting my fucking time will though.

          • tricledrown 10.1.1.1.2
            5 March 2015 at 11:47 am

            Goostepper is now frog marching this discussion.

            [ Nope. All comments he attempts to make on this thread have been hitting (and staying in) moderation since about 10.30.] – Bill

  11. Sable 11
    5 March 2015 at 9:46 am

    First of all its Edward Snowden not Eric. As to the rest, well I’ve said it before but Ill go on saying it because it needs to be said; this government are “traitors” selling us all out to US interests.

    • Colonial Rawshark 11.1
      5 March 2015 at 10:38 am

      Apparently most of our leadership class are too keen to get in bed with the 0.1% to really worry about looking after the rest of our interests.

      Make no mistake, this mass collection of data and metadata will have been occurring (or prepared for) during Helen Clark’s time. (The NSA started mass collection of American citizens’ data in October 2001, and gradually gave their tools to the rest of the FVEY nations.)

      • Murray Rawshark 11.1.1
        7 March 2015 at 4:57 pm

        I’m willing to be charitable and think that the squirrels may have done it behind Helen’s back. Goff, Jones, and Mallard may have been the only government members who knew.

  12. Anne 12
    5 March 2015 at 9:50 am

    While the GCSB has always had a role carrying out surveillance on the Pacific, the Snowden documents show it grew massively from 2009.

    If my memory is right, the head of the GCSB was Sir Bruce Ferguson in 2009. He had been appointed by Helen Clark some 3 years sooner, and his term was due for renewal that same year. To everyone’s surprise his position was not renewed by the new govt. (or he was advised it would not be renewed) and he was forced to go into premature retirement. At the time I assumed his ‘crime’ had been that he was elevated to the position by the Labour govt. so therefore he had to go. It is now more likely to have been the proposed increases in surveillance activity, and they assumed – correctly I’m sure – that Sir Bruce would not tolerate such massive increases.

    It also suggests to me that given all this happened within months of Key becoming PM, he had been having private discussions with the Americans when he was still the Leader of the Opposition? Now, that scenario, if correct, would raise some very interesting questions indeed!

    • Chooky 12.1
      5 March 2015 at 9:59 am

      +100 Anne…good points…New Zealand is rapidly losing its sovereignty and becoming an instrument to outside interests ….under John Key

      ….and I hope Little Labour is not party to this

      • Tautoko Mangō Mata 12.1.1
        5 March 2015 at 10:06 am

        Taking this line of thought further, what incentives have been given to John Key if he implemented the US plan? I am thinking aloud on hidden campaign funding as well as string pulling.

        • Anne 12.1.1.1
          5 March 2015 at 10:15 am

          That was my line of thought too. It would also account for his gaining access to Obama with such remarkable ease virtually from Day One. A very, very, very, very good friend indeed!

          When you think about it, he always came across as slightly uneasy whenever he was questioned about his (and NZ’s) sudden increase in ties to the US. It was almost as if he was wary of questions in case he let something slip.

        • Colonial Rawshark 12.1.1.2
          5 March 2015 at 10:41 am

          I am thinking aloud on hidden campaign funding as well as string pulling.

          Possibly – although these days the “bribe” of choice is a plum multi-million dollar private sector “consulting” position after leaving public office.

          • Anne 12.1.1.2.1
            5 March 2015 at 10:52 am

            I have always been suspicious of Key’s decision not to delay his departure to Los Angeles (for a matter of some 12 hours or so) at the time of the memorial service for the 3 soldiers killed in combat in Afghanistan. The son’s baseball match was crap because it transpired it took place 4 days after the event. We also learnt later that on his way to the baseball he had a pre-arranged dinner in LA… purportedly at the invitation of the Warner Bros. moguls. Who else was present I wonder…?

    • Gosman 12.2
      5 March 2015 at 10:06 am

      Why don’t you, or someone else, go and ask him? He has been interviewed on matters of security on numerous times since 2009 so he isn’t shy giving his opinion.

      • Tautoko Mangō Mata 12.2.1
        5 March 2015 at 10:08 am

        He was shy this morning- no interview on RNZ

        • tricledrown 12.2.1.1
          5 March 2015 at 12:00 pm

          Key wouldn’t have had his spin doctors briefing from Cosby trickster the Aussie Lizard bellied low life lying company who will not be taking advice from goostepper.

      • miravox 12.2.2
        5 March 2015 at 10:12 am

        Yep, clearly it would be for

        really, really good reasons.

      • marty mars 12.2.3
        5 March 2015 at 11:42 am

        He’d just lie like he always does

      • tricledrown 12.2.4
        5 March 2015 at 12:03 pm

        Cosby tricksters make Rolf Harris look good.

      • Tracey 12.2.5
        6 March 2015 at 8:21 am

        he is very shy on giving facts and truth though

      • Murray Rawshark 12.2.6
        7 March 2015 at 5:00 pm

        It’s not worth asking Key anything because he lies. He may not be shy about giving an opinion, but it’s not guaranteed to be his, nor to be honest. This is why we need people like Snowden and Hager. It’s the only way we find out what our government is doing.

        • Colonial Rawshark 12.2.6.1
          7 March 2015 at 5:39 pm

          How can an uninformed and misled electorate participate in democracy? Of course, it cannot, so all we have left really are the superficial trappings of democracy while all the ‘serious decisions’ are made by the in-crowd in the back rooms well out of sight.

    • Tracey 12.3
      6 March 2015 at 8:20 am

      Interesting timeline, thanks

  13. Dont worry. Be happy 13
    5 March 2015 at 10:38 am

    Do we have free and fair elections in this country? Or do we have so much money swilling around that in effect we have “bought and paid for ” elections?

    And does some or most of that money come in from the large corperations that want to own this country?

    Was the ‘economic coup’ of Roger Douglas a one off or the beginning of a trend?

    Why NZ?

    We have resources, many of them under our sea bed.

    Many of the 1% consider NZ to be a type of life boat for when their policies have completely stuffed the rest of the Planet.

    And we have form…we once showed the World, that a small aware population can give the Empires a two fingered salute.

    Spying of the type revelaed already is not for the security of the State, unless the State is now defined as the 1%. The “sniff it all” spying we are now paying for instead of fixing leaky hospitals say is to get info to blackmail people …to add another tool to the control kit.

    Why else would the SIS have people behind the scenes in the casinos?

    • Colonial Rawshark 13.1
      5 March 2015 at 10:43 am

      Do we have free and fair elections in this country? Or do we have so much money swilling around that in effect we have “bought and paid for ” elections?

      I think our elections are free and fair, but I also think that we must NEVER go to online or electronic voting.

      It’s the “dirty politics” before the election which is definitely not free and fair. For instance, any MP in Parliament who is having an extra-marital affair – if you’ve used txt or email to arrange an illicit meet up, or had a smart phone on you when you went to that meet up – you are already compromised to the intelligence services.

      The suspicion is that they screwed General Patreaus in exactly this way. No one is safe once you get off side.

      This is how actual democracy ends and a surveillance and security state which appears like a democracy is quietly installed in place.

      • nadis 13.1.1
        5 March 2015 at 12:04 pm

        What happened with Petraeus? What did he do to get offside with “them? He was so integral to the development of the US approach to intelligence and counter-terrorism I can’t imagine he is offside withthe US establishment. In fact the clamour from reppublicans and democrats for his pardon and reinstatement is notable. It is actually the US army who (publicly at least) has said see you later.

        I thought the simple story was that he got led astray by his dick, his mistress went psycho at another women she was jealous of and the cyber stalking of that women led to the mistresses email account being investigated by the FBI which led to the discovery of classified information sent to her by Petraeus. If anything the initial response of the FBI and the US Army – victimising Jill Kelley, looks like an attempt to protect Petraeus rather than hang him out.

        Looks like Petraeus has just reached a plea bargain: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/03/03/david-petraeus-paula-broadwell/24312109/

        My bet is that he will be pardoned by Obama next year, and will be back as a special adviser and eventuaqlly as a politician.

      • saveNZ 13.1.2
        6 March 2015 at 9:51 am

        Totally agree. Electronic voting is not safe under any circumstances.

        I don’t think the last election was free and fair. 3 prominent sports people tweeting for National when they had been given funding. Not acceptable!

        Everyone has a private life that should be private unless it involves some sort of corruption.

        Democracy has been eroded in this country and just like other measures, often freedoms won, have to be fought for again and again.

    • thatguynz 13.2
      5 March 2015 at 10:58 am

      I’m truly interested in knowing more about “Why else would the SIS have people behind the scenes in the casinos?”. Do you have more details?

    • Colonial Rawshark 13.3
      5 March 2015 at 11:15 am

      Many of the 1% consider NZ to be a type of life boat for when their policies have completely stuffed the rest of the Planet.

      Bear in mind that most of the 1% are unremarkable, though successful professionals and small business people. If you like, they are the (disposable) enablers of the true multi-millionaire and billionaire class.

      It’s the 0.01% and especially the 0.001% that we need to watch out for.

  14. ankerawshark 14
    5 March 2015 at 10:54 am

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11412186

    And this from my hero at the Herald, David Fisher. One of the few journalist’s there with integrity.

    • Tautoko Mangō Mata 14.1
      5 March 2015 at 11:16 am

      +1 Great job David Fisher.

      It is clear that NZ is simply an outpost of the US as regards surveillance.
      The signing of the TPPA would virtually complete the takeover. Look for the stars and stripes as a flag option!

    • Colonial Rawshark 14.2
      5 March 2015 at 11:20 am

      The one point that Fisher doesn’t quite get around to mentioning is that mass surveillance *weakens* anti-terrorism efforts by burying intelligence agencies in so much data that their analysts are simply overwhelmed. That is why things like the Boston Bombing, the Fort Hood shootings, the Charlie Hebdo killings and the UK school girls running away to Syria after talking to a known terrorist on FaceBook still occur and will keep occurring.

      Mass surveillance is great for targeting problem people you already know about or after the fact, though.

      • Tracey 14.2.1
        6 March 2015 at 8:22 am

        ^^^^^^ this

        scattergun is wasting time and energy and defeating the alleged purpose

  15. Tautoko Mangō Mata 15
    5 March 2015 at 11:40 am

    It would appear that trying to save your own country from exploitation both environmentally and politically is now considered potentially treasonous by an agency, (GCSB) which we, the public, fund. We are the enemy and need to surveilled!

    If you are incensed by the scope of the surveillance exposed today and realise that John Key has allowed this to occur, then you need to seriously consider the fact that signing the TPPA will even further reduce our ability to make our own laws in NZ as additional pressure can be applied by large multicorporations which have largely taken over USA. We don’t want to give away any more rights. We need to take back the rights to privacy that have been secretly stolen from us with the help of John Key in exchange for who knows what?

    Please join in the anti TPPA protest marches on Saturday, 7 March.

    Auckland – http://www.itsourfuture.org.nz/th_event/7-march-auckland/
    Hamilton – http://www.itsourfuture.org.nz/th_event/tppa-no-deal-hamilton/
    Whitianga – http://www.itsourfuture.org.nz/th_event/tppa-no-deal-whitianga/
    Tauranga – http://www.itsourfuture.org.nz/th_event/7-march-tauranga/
    Rotorua – http://www.itsourfuture.org.nz/th_event/7-march-rotorua/
    Napier – http://www.itsourfuture.org.nz/th_event/7-march-napier/
    Gisborne – http://www.itsourfuture.org.nz/th_event/7-march-gisborne/
    Palmerston North – http://www.itsourfuture.org.nz/th_event/7-march-palmerston-north/
    Whanganui – http://www.itsourfuture.org.nz/th_event/7-march-whanganui/
    Levin – http://www.itsourfuture.org.nz/th_event/7-march-levin/
    Wellington – http://www.itsourfuture.org.nz/th_event/7-march-wellington/
    Nelson – http://www.itsourfuture.org.nz/th_event/7-march-nelson/
    Hokitika – http://www.itsourfuture.org.nz/th_event/tppa-no-deal-hokitika-2/
    Christchurch – http://www.itsourfuture.org.nz/th_event/7-march-christchurch/
    Timaru – http://www.itsourfuture.org.nz/th_event/7-march-timaru/
    Dunedin – http://www.itsourfuture.org.nz/th_event/7-march-dunedin/
    Invercargill – http://www.itsourfuture.org.nz/th_event/tppa-no-deal-invercargill/

    • Gosman 15.1
      6 March 2015 at 8:57 am

      Massively off topic i would suggest as spying on people in the Pacific has nowt to do with the TPPA.

      • Murray Rawshark 15.1.1
        7 March 2015 at 5:18 pm

        Wrong Goosemann. Both tie us more firmly to the American empire, although I’m not surprised that you can’t see it. Or more likely, see it and celebrate the tendency.

    • saveNZ 15.2
      6 March 2015 at 9:35 am

      +1
      For those of all political creeds, unite as TPP will be the sale of NZ on a massive scale.

      Even the right wingers in the US don’t agree with it.

      So if both right and left don’t agree, and the public don’t agree, and nobody is allowed to know what is being agreed, why are governments thinking of signing it?

  16. Ian H 16
    5 March 2015 at 11:43 am

    There is a byelection on and … oh look. It’s Nicky Hager trying to screw the political scrum. What a surprise.

    • vto 16.1
      5 March 2015 at 11:46 am

      John Key is talking and … oh look, nothing but bullshit and absolute lies. What a surprise.

      Good on Hager for getting all required information into the public arena so people can make informed decisions, rather than uninformed knee-jerks

    • Colonial Rawshark 16.2
      5 March 2015 at 11:52 am

      There is a byelection on and … oh look. It’s Nicky Hager trying to screw the political scrum. What a surprise.

      Please explain how you think telling the truth about mass surveillance on our friends affects the Northland by-election.

      Take your time to go into detail.

    • tricledrown 16.3
      5 March 2015 at 11:53 am

      Surprise all the right wingers are screwing John Keys bum.

    • Tracey 16.4
      6 March 2015 at 8:25 am

      Surprise, a Key supporter has no idea what is really important to Northlanders and doesnt care that Key and the National party screwed Northlanders by keeping a VERY big secret about their candidate prior to and after the election. What a surprise.

  17. Chooky 17
    5 March 2015 at 1:30 pm

    This puts it all quite well i think…NZ spies for USA ..and USA is beholden to whom?

    …as some of the comments indicate….not necessarily the American people

    http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2015/03/05/so-we-spy-on-the-pacific-for-america/

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  • Labour still protecting the status quo
    Aotearoa has a cost of living crisis. And one of the major drivers of this crisis is the supermarket duopoly, who gouge every dollar they can out of us. Last year, the Commerce Commission found that the duopoly was in fact anti-competititve, giving the government social licence to fix the ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 hours ago

  • Gordon Campbell on National’s myths about the desolated state of the economy
    Familiarity breeds consent. If you repeat the line “six years of economic mis-management” about 10,000 times, it sounds like the received wisdom, whatever the evidence to the contrary. Yes, the global pandemic and the global surge in inflation that came in its wake occurred here as well – but if ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    4 hours ago

  • MICHAEL BASSETT: Hapless Hipkins and his racism
    Michael Bassett writes – Without so much as batting an eyelid, Chris Hipkins told an audience on Saturday that there had been “more racism” in this election campaign than ever before. And he blamed it on the opposition parties, National, Act and New Zealand First. In those ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 hours ago

  • BRIAN EASTON: The ‘recession’ has been called off, but some households are still struggling
    While the economy is not doing too badly in output terms, external circumstances are not favourable, and there is probably a sizeable group of households struggling because of rising interest rates. Brian Easton writes – Last week’s announcement of a 0.9 percent increase in volume GDP for ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 hours ago

  • Monday’s Chorus: Richie Poulton's lament
    “You can't really undo what happens during childhood”, said the director of the Dunedin longitudinal study. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Richie Poulton, the director of the world-leading Dunedin longitudinal study showing how devastating poverty in early life is, died yesterday. With his final words, he lamented the lack ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    10 hours ago

  • North-western downgrades
    This is a guest post from reader Peter N As many of us know, Auckland Transport and Waka Kotahi are well into progressing works on the northwestern interim “busway” with services to kick off in just over a month from now on Sunday 12th November 2023. Some of the ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    10 hours ago

  • Has Webworm Found New Zealand’s Weirdest School?
    Hi,Before we talk about weird schools people choose to send their kids to, a few things on my mind. I adored the Ask Me Anything we did last week. Thanks for taking part. I love answering your weird and nosy questions, even questions about beans.I am excited and scared as Mister ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    11 hours ago

  • Another mother of a budget
    A National government would make spending cuts on a scale not seen since the 1990 – 96 Bolger government.That much was confirmed with the release of their Fiscal Plan on Friday.Government spending is currently high as a percentage of GDP — as high as it was during the Muldoon ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    13 hours ago

  • A crucial week starts as early voting opens in the NZ Elections … it’s been a ride so far. Are y...
    Chris Hipkins down with Covid, at least for 5 days isolation, National continue to obfuscate, ACT continues to double-down on the poor and Winston… well, he’s being Winston really. Voters beware: this week could be even more infuriating than the last. No Party is what they used to be ...
    exhALANtBy exhalantblog
    21 hours ago

  • 2023 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #39
    A chronological listing of news and opinion articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Sep 24, 2023 thru Sat, Sep 30, 2023. Story of the Week We’re not doomed yet’: climate scientist Michael Mann on our last chance to save human civilisation The renowned US ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 day ago

  • Clusterf**ck of Chaos.
    On the 11th of April 1945 advancing US forces liberated the Nazi concentration camp of Buchenwald near Weimar in Germany. In the coming days, under the order of General Patton, a thousand nearby residents were forced to march to the camp to see the atrocities that had been committed in ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago

  • The party of business deals with the future by pretending it isn’t coming
    Years and years ago, when Helen Clark was Prime Minister and John Key was gunning for her job, I had a conversation with a mate, a trader who knew John Key well enough to paint a helpful picture.It was many drinks ago so it’s not a complete one. But there’s ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago

  • 2023 More Reading: September (+ Old Phuul update)
    Completed reads for September: The Lost Continent, by C.J. Cutcliffe Hyne Flatland, by Edwin Abbott All Quiet on the Western Front, by Erich Maria Remarque The Country of the Blind, by H.G. Wells The Day of the Triffids, by John Wyndham A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    2 days ago

  • Losing The Left.
    Descending Into The Dark: The ideological cadres currently controlling both Labour and the Greens are forcing “justice”, “participation” and “democracy” to make way for what is “appropriate” and “responsible”. But, where does that leave the people who, for most of their adult lives, have voted for left-wing parties, precisely to ...
    Bowalley Road
    2 days ago

  • The New “Emperor’s New Clothes”.
    “‘BUT HE HASN’T GOT ANYTHING ON,’ a little boy said ….. ‘But he hasn’t got anything on!’ the whole town cried out at last.”On this optimistic note, Hans Christian Andersen brings his cautionary tale of “The Emperor’s New Clothes” to an end.Andersen’s children’s story was written nearly two centuries ago, ...
    Bowalley Road
    2 days ago

  • BRYCE EDWARDS: The vested interests shaping National Party policies
      Bryce Edwards writes – As the National Party gets closer to government, lobbyists and business interests will be lining up for influence and to get policies adopted. It’s therefore in the public interest to have much more scrutiny and transparency about potential conflicts of interests that ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • LINDSAY MITCHELL: A conundrum for those pushing racist dogma
    Lindsay Mitchell writes – The heavily promoted narrative, which has ramped up over the last six years, is that Maori somehow have special vulnerabilities which arise from outside forces they cannot control; that contemporary society fails to meet their needs. They are not receptive to messages and ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • CHRIS TROTTER:  The greater of two evils
    Not Labour: If you’re out to punish the government you once loved, then the last thing you need is to be shown evidence that the opposition parties are much, much worse.   Chris Trotter writes – THE GREATEST VIRTUE of being the Opposition is not being the Government. Only very ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • The Hoon around the week to Sept 30
    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:Labour presented a climate manifesto that aimed to claim the high ground on climate action vs National, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Litanies, articles of faith, and being a beneficiary
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past two weeks.Friday 29Play it, ElvisElection Hell special!! This week’s quiz is a bumper edition featuring a few of the more popular questions from last weekend’s show, as well as a few we didn’t ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago

  • Litanies, articles of faith, and being a beneficiary
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past two weeks.Friday 29Play it, ElvisElection Hell special!! This week’s quiz is a bumper edition featuring a few of the more popular questions from last weekend’s show, as well as a few we didn’t ...
    More than a fieldingBy David Slack
    2 days ago

  • The ‘Recession’ Has Been Called Off, But Some Households Are Still Struggling
    While the economy is not doing too badly in output terms, external circumstances are not favourable, and there is probably a sizeable group of households struggling because of rising interest rates.Last week’s announcement of a 0.9 percent increase in volume GDP for the June quarter had the commentariat backing down ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    3 days ago

  • Climate Change: The wrong direction
    This week the International Energy Association released its Net Zero Roadmap, intended to guide us towards a liveable climate. The report demanded huge increases in renewable generation, no new gas or oil, and massive cuts to methane emissions. It was positive about our current path, but recommended that countries with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago

  • “Racism” becomes a buzz word on the campaign trail – but our media watchdogs stay muzzled when...
    Buzz from the Beehive  Oh, dear.  We have nothing to report from the Beehive. At least, we have nothing to report from the government’s official website. But the drones have not gone silent.  They are out on the election campaign trail, busy buzzing about this and that in the hope ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • Play it, Elvis
    Election Hell special!! This week’s quiz is a bumper edition featuring a few of the more popular questions from last weekend’s show, as well as a few we didn’t have time for. You’re welcome, etc. Let us press on, etc. 1.  What did Christopher Luxon use to his advantage in ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago

  • Pure class warfare
    National unveiled its fiscal policy today, announcing all the usual things which business cares about and I don't. But it did finally tell us how National plans to pay for its handouts to landlords: by effectively cutting benefits: The biggest saving announced on Friday was $2b cut from the ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago

  • Ask Me Anything about the week to Sept 29
    Photo by Anna Ogiienko on UnsplashIt’s that time of the week for an ‘Ask Me Anything’ session for paying subscribers about the week that was for an hour, including:duelling fiscal plans from National and Labour;Labour cutting cycling spending while accusing National of being weak on climate;Research showing the need for ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Weekly Roundup 29-September-2023
    Welcome to Friday and the last one for September. This week in Greater Auckland On Monday, Matt highlighted at the latest with the City Rail Link. On Tuesday, Matt covered the interesting items from Auckland Transport’s latest board meeting agendas. On Thursday, a guest post from Darren Davis ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    3 days ago

  • Protest at Parliament: The Reunion.
    Brian’s god spoke to him. He, for of course the Lord in Tamaki’s mind was a male god, with a mighty rod, and probably some black leathers. He, told Brian - “you must put a stop to all this love, hope, and kindness”. And it did please the Brian.He said ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • Labour cuts $50m from cycleway spending
    Labour is cutting spending on cycling infrastructure while still trying to claim the higher ground on climate. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Labour Government released a climate manifesto this week to try to claim the high ground against National, despite having ignored the Climate Commission’s advice to toughen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • The Greater Of Two Evils.
    Not Labour: If you’re out to punish the government you once loved, then the last thing you need is to be shown evidence that the opposition parties are much, much worse.THE GREATEST VIRTUE of being the Opposition is not being the Government. Only very rarely is an opposition party elected ...
    Bowalley Road
    4 days ago

  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #39 2023
    Open access notables "Net zero is only a distraction— we just have to end fossil fuel emissions." The latter is true but the former isn't, or  not in the real world as it's likely to be in the immediate future. And "just" just doesn't enter into it; we don't have ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago

  • Chris Trotter: Losing the Left
    IN THE CURRENT MIX of electoral alternatives, there is no longer a credible left-wing party. Not when “a credible left-wing party” is defined as: a class-oriented, mass-based, democratically-structured political organisation; dedicated to promoting ideas sharply critical of laissez-faire capitalism; and committed to advancing democratic, egalitarian and emancipatory ideals across the ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago

  • Road rage at Kia Kaha Primary School
    It is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha Primary School!It can be any time when you are telling a story.Telling stories about things that happened in the past is how we learn from our mistakes.If we want to.Anyway, it is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • Road rage at Kia Kaha Primary School
    It is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha Primary School!It can be any time when you are telling a story.Telling stories about things that happened in the past is how we learn from our mistakes.If we want to.Anyway, it is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • Road rage at Kia Kaha Primary School
    It is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha Primary School!It can be any time when you are telling a story.Telling stories about things that happened in the past is how we learn from our mistakes.If we want to.Anyway, it is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha ...
    More than a fieldingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • Hipkins fires up in leaders’ debate, but has the curtain already fallen on the Labour-led coalitio...
    Labour’s  Chris Hipkins came out firing, in the  leaders’ debate  on Newshub’s evening programme, and most of  the pundits  rated  him the winner against National’s  Christopher Luxon. But will this make any difference when New  Zealanders  start casting their ballots? The problem  for  Hipkins is  that  voters are  all too ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    4 days ago

  • Govt is energising housing projects with solar power – and fuelling the public’s concept of a di...
    Buzz from the Beehive  Not long after Point of Order published data which show the substantial number of New Zealanders (77%) who believe NZ is becoming more divided, government ministers were braying about a programme which distributes some money to “the public” and some to “Maori”. The ministers were dishing ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago

  • MIKE GRIMSHAW: Election 2023 – a totemic & charisma failure?
    The D&W analysis Michael Grimshaw writes –  Given the apathy, disengagement, disillusionment, and all-round ennui of this year’s general election, it was considered time to bring in those noted political operatives and spin doctors D&W, the long-established consultancy firm run by Emile Durkheim and Max Weber. Known for ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • FROM BFD: Will Winston be the spectre we think?
    Kissy kissy. Cartoon credit BoomSlang. The BFD. JC writes-  Allow me to preface this contribution with the following statement: If I were asked to express a preference between a National/ACT coalition or a National/ACT/NZF coalition then it would be the former. This week Luxon declared his position, ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • California’s climate disclosure bill could have a huge impact across the U.S.
    This re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Andy Furillo was originally published by Capital & Main and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. The California Legislature took a step last week that has the potential to accelerate the fight against climate ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago

  • Untangling South East Queensland’s Public Transport
    This is a cross post Adventures in Transitland by Darren Davis. I recently visited Brisbane and South East Queensland and came away both impressed while also pondering some key changes to make public transport even better in the region. Here goes with my take on things. A bit of ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    4 days ago

  • Try A Little Kindness.
    My daughter arrived home from the supermarket yesterday and she seemed a bit worried about something. It turned out she wanted to know if someone could get her bank number from a receipt.We wound the story back.She was in the store and there was a man there who was distressed, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • What makes NZFirst tick
    New Zealand’s longest-running political roadshow rolled into Opotiki yesterday, with New Zealand First leader Winston Peters knowing another poll last night showed he would make it back to Parliament and National would need him and his party if they wanted to form a government. The Newshub Reid Research poll ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago

  • September AMA
    Hi,As September draws to a close — I feel it’s probably time to do an Ask Me Anything. You know how it goes: If you have any burning questions, fire away in the comments and I will do my best to answer. You might have questions about Webworm, or podcast ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    5 days ago

  • Bludgers lying in the scratcher making fools of us all
    The mediocrity who stands to be a Prime Minister has a litany.He uses it a bit like a Koru Lounge card. He will brandish it to say: these people are eligible. And more than that, too: These people are deserving. They have earned this policy.They have a right to this policy. What ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago

  • More “partnerships” (by the look of it) and redress of over $30 million in Treaty settlement wit...
    Buzz from the Beehive Point of Order has waited until now – 3.45pm – for today’s officially posted government announcements.  There have been none. The only addition to the news on the Beehive’s website was posted later yesterday, after we had published our September 26 Buzz report. It came from ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago

  • ALEX HOLLAND: Labour’s spending
    Alex Holland writes –  In 2017 when Labour came to power, crown spending was $76 billion per year. Now in 2023 it is $139 billion per year, which equates to a $63 billion annual increase (over $1 billion extra spend every week!) In 2017, New Zealand’s government debt ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • If not now, then when?
    Labour released its fiscal plan today, promising the same old, same old: "responsibility", balanced books, and of course no new taxes: "Labour will maintain income tax settings to provide consistency and certainty in these volatile times. Now is not the time for additional taxes or to promise billions of ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago

  • THE FACTS:  77% of Kiwis believe NZ is becoming more divided
    The Facts has posted –        KEY INSIGHTSOf New Zealander’s polled: Social unity/division 77%believe NZ is becoming more divided (42% ‘much more’ + 35% ‘a little more’) 3%believe NZ is becoming less divided (1% ‘much less’ + 2% ‘a little less’) ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on the cynical brutality of the centre-right’s welfare policies
    The centre-right’s enthusiasm for forcing people off the benefit and into paid work is matched only by the enthusiasm (shared by Treasury and the Reserve Bank) for throwing people out of paid work to curb inflation, and achieve the optimal balance of workers to job seekers deemed to be desirable ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    5 days ago

  • Wednesday’s Chorus: Arthur Grimes on why building many, many more social houses is so critical
    New research shows that tenants in social housing - such as these Wellington apartments - are just as happy as home owners and much happier than private tenants. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The election campaign took an ugly turn yesterday, and in completely the wrong direction. All three ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago

  • Bennie Bashing.
    If there’s one thing the mob loves more than keeping Māori in their place, more than getting tough on the gangs, maybe even more than tax cuts. It’s a good old round of beneficiary bashing.Are those meanies in the ACT party stealing your votes because they think David Seymour is ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • The kindest cuts
    Labour kicks off the fiscal credibility battle today with the release of its fiscal plan. National is expected to follow, possibly as soon as Thursday, with its own plan, which may (or may not) address the large hole that the problems with its foreign buyers’ ban might open up. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    6 days ago

  • Green right turn in Britain? Well, a start
    While it may be unlikely to register in New Zealand’s general election, Britain’s PM Rishi Sunak has done something which might just be important in the long run. He’s announced a far-reaching change in his Conservative government’s approach to environmental, and particularly net zero, policy. The starting point – ...
    Point of OrderBy xtrdnry
    6 days ago

  • At a glance – How do human CO2 emissions compare to natural CO2 emissions?
    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
    6 days ago

  • How could this happen?
    Canada is in uproar after the exposure that its parliament on September 22 provided a standing ovation to a Nazi veteran who had been invited into the chamber to participate in the parliamentary welcome to Ukrainian President Zelensky. Yaroslav Hunka, 98, a Ukrainian man who volunteered for service in ...
    Open ParachuteBy Ken
    6 days ago

  • Always Be Campaigning
    The big screen is a great place to lay out the ways of the salesman. He comes ready-made for Panto, ripe for lampooning.This is not to disparage that life. I have known many good people of that kind. But there is a type, brazen as all get out. The camera ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago

  • STEPHEN FRANKS: Press seek to publicly shame doctor – we must push back
    The following is a message sent yesterday from lawyer Stephen Franks on behalf of the Free Speech Union. I don’t like to interrupt first thing Monday morning, but we’ve just become aware of a case where we think immediate and overwhelming attention could help turn the tide. It involves someone ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Competing on cruelty
    The right-wing message calendar is clearly reading "cruelty" today, because both National and NZ First have released beneficiary-bashing policies. National is promising a "traffic light" system to police and kick beneficiaries, which will no doubt be accompanied by arbitrary internal targets to classify people as "orange" or "red" to keep ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago

  • Further funding for Pharmac (forgotten in the Budget?) looks like a $1bn appeal from a PM in need of...
    Buzz from the Beehive One Labour plan  – for 3000 more public homes by 2025 – is the most recent to be posted on the government’s official website. Another – a prime ministerial promise of more funding for Pharmac – has been released as a Labour Party press statement. Who ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: The Vested interests shaping National Party policies
    As the National Party gets closer to government, lobbyists and business interests will be lining up for influence and to get policies adopted. It’s therefore in the public interest to have much more scrutiny and transparency about potential conflicts of interests that might arise. One of the key individuals of ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    6 days ago

  • Labour may be on way out of power and NZ First back in – but will Peters go into coalition with Na...
    Voters  are deserting Labour in droves, despite Chris  Hipkins’  valiant  rearguard  action.  So  where  are they  heading?  Clearly  not all of them are going to vote National, which concedes that  the  outcome  will be “close”. To the Right of National, the ACT party just a  few weeks  ago  was ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    6 days ago

  • GRAHAM ADAMS: Will the racists please stand up?
    Accusations of racism by journalists and MPs are being called out. Graham Adams writes –    With the election less than three weeks away, what co-governance means in practice — including in water management, education, planning law and local government — remains largely obscure. Which is hardly ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on whether Winston Peters can be a moderating influence
    As the centre-right has (finally!) been subjected to media interrogation, the polls are indicating that some voters may be starting to have second thoughts about the wisdom of giving National and ACT the power to govern alone. That’s why yesterday’s Newshub/Reid Research poll had the National/ACT combo dropping to 60 ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    6 days ago

  • Tuesday’s Chorus: RBNZ set to rain on National's victory parade
    ANZ has increased its forecast for house inflation later this year on signs of growing momentum in the market ahead of the election. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: National has campaigned against the Labour Government’s record on inflation and mortgage rates, but there’s now a growing chance the Reserve ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

  • After a Pittsburgh coal processing plant closed, ER visits plummeted
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Katie Myers. This story was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. Pittsburgh, in its founding, was blessed and cursed with two abundant natural resources: free-flowing rivers and a nearby coal seam. ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago

  • September-23 AT Board Meeting
    Today the AT board meet again and once again I’ve taken a look at what’s on the agenda to find the most interesting items. Closed Agenda Interestingly when I first looked at the agendas this paper was there but at the time of writing this post it had been ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    6 days ago

  • Electorate Watch: West Coast-Tasman
    Continuing my series on interesting electorates, today it’s West Coast-Tasman.A long thin electorate running down the northern half of the west coast of the South Island. Think sand flies, beautiful landscapes, lots of rain, Pike River, alternative lifestylers, whitebaiting, and the spiritual home of the Labour Party. A brief word ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago

  • Big money brings Winston back
    National leader Christopher Luxon yesterday morning conceded it and last night’s Newshub poll confirmed it; Winston Peters and NZ First are not only back but highly likely to be part of the next government. It is a remarkable comeback for a party that was tossed out of Parliament in ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    7 days ago

  • 20 days until Election Day, 7 until early voting begins… but what changes will we really see here?
    As this blogger, alongside many others, has already posited in another forum: we all know the National Party’s “budget” (meaning this concept of even adding up numbers properly is doing a lot of heavy, heavy lifting right now) is utter and complete bunk (read hung, drawn and quartered and ...
    exhALANtBy exhalantblog
    7 days ago

  • A night out
    Everyone was asking, Are you nervous? and my response was various forms of God, yes.I've written more speeches than I can count; not much surprises me when the speaker gets to their feet and the room goes quiet.But a play? Never.YOU CAME! THANK YOU! Read more ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago

  • New Zealand resumes peacekeeping force leadership
    New Zealand will again contribute to the leadership of the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) in the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt, with a senior New Zealand Defence Force officer returning as Interim Force Commander. Defence Minister Andrew Little and Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta have announced the deployment of New Zealand ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 hour ago

  • New national direction provides clarity for development and the environment
    The Government has taken an important step in implementing the new resource management system, by issuing a draft National Planning Framework (NPF) document under the new legislation, Environment Minister David Parker said today. “The NPF consolidates existing national direction, bringing together around 20 existing instruments including policy statements, standards, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 hours ago

  • Government shows further commitment to pay equity for healthcare workers
    The Government welcomes the proposed pay equity settlement that will see significant pay increases for around 18,000 Te Whatu Ora Allied, Scientific, and Technical employees, if accepted said Health Minister Ayesha Verrall. The proposal reached between Te Whatu Ora, the New Zealand Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 hours ago

  • 100 new public EV chargers to be added to national network
    The public EV charging network has received a significant boost with government co-funding announced today for over 100 EV chargers – with over 200 charging ports altogether – across New Zealand, and many planned to be up and running on key holiday routes by Christmas this year. Minister of Energy ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Safeguarding Tuvalu language and identity
    Tuvalu is in the spotlight this week as communities across New Zealand celebrate Vaiaso o te Gagana Tuvalu – Tuvalu Language Week. “The Government has a proven record of supporting Pacific communities and ensuring more of our languages are spoken, heard and celebrated,” Pacific Peoples Minister Barbara Edmonds said. “Many ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • New community-level energy projects to support more than 800 Māori households
    Seven more innovative community-scale energy projects will receive government funding through the Māori and Public Housing Renewable Energy Fund to bring more affordable, locally generated clean energy to more than 800 Māori households, Energy and Resources Minister Dr Megan Woods says. “We’ve already funded 42 small-scale clean energy projects that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Huge boost to Te Tai Tokerau flood resilience
    The Government has approved new funding that will boost resilience and greatly reduce the risk of major flood damage across Te Tai Tokerau. Significant weather events this year caused severe flooding and damage across the region. The $8.9m will be used to provide some of the smaller communities and maraes ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Napier’s largest public housing development comes with solar
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