Ardern probably had to give him 30 minutes for a nap, while she read a book.
I am joking!!!!!!
I agree. Seems quite successful. While I disagree with a lot of her policy, you can't deny Ardern is a great ambassador for the country. She has done extremely well.
We have been a bit lucky that way with leaders tbf.
Yes Sacha – it has been noted in our household for some time: Ardern in photos looking wrinkled, exhausted and pleading, Luxon in photos looking energetic with hands up gesturing in a dynamic pose, wrinkle-free and top of photo sometimes cropped to remove shiny pate. It's a time-honoured tactic – remembering Ed Milliband and the bacon sandwich, countless pictures of Corbyn.
I guess it's only photos and not that important. But still a useful illustration of the sort of spiteful, far-right children controlling some of our media outlets, and a useful reminder of how private power operates.
John Key and that hotdog. Reuters cropping the images of people holding weapons during a protest blockade when Israeli forces boarded a ship. Don Brash and Judith Collins…all fodder and mirth for our Leftwing media.
Maybe the media is just the media. And if you are in power, you are going to get it because you are the tallest poppy.?
Persistent patterns are more than just random media noise. To pretend that media bias is just even-handed tall poppy cutting is delusional. Differences in degree matter.
In that case, I'm of the firm opinion our media is left leaning given the patterns I have noticed over the years especially around Maori, stale white males, rich pricks and bloody Pakehas.
How do I explain the hit job the media is doing on Ardern at the moment?
It's quite simple. Like many of us, the media are just over her. Simple minds like shiny objects, they become mesmerized and happy. When the shine wears off reality prevails. And that sucks.
There is a group of older white race, once left wing men, who oppose CGT on their property wealth and partnership with Maori and Chris represents them now.
Martin the awake bomber Bradbury (on right wing radio and pod cast independent free speech platforms) supports the narrative against "woke" "feminist" public media funding as some sort of a champion of working class manhood (but at least he is genuinely left wing on economic policy and not against partnership with Maori).
Clearly you didn't read the article, or the context in which I posted the excerpt. Chris is referring to the way in which the government has manipulated the media into supporting (or at least not questioning) the narrative around co-governance, and how co-governance is quasi constitutional change by stealth.
"The party did not campaign on the issue, and kept He Puapua, the controversial “road-map” to full implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples – i.e. co-governance – by 2040, under wraps. Similarly unheralded was the Government’s determination to establish a separate Māori Health Authority. And the application of co-governance principles to Mahuta’s deeply unpopular “Three Waters” project has done nothing to allay public fears that the country is being changed, in fundamental ways, without the electorate’s consent."
Clearly I understand his position very well, as your extra quote indicates he really does have a problem with partnership with Maori (and his concern about the media funding has to be seen in that context).
And fact introduction
National began partnership when they set up whanau ora. They had no mandate, it was part of a coalition deal with the MP.
Given the existence of this, and reform of health was signalled before the 2020 election …
“A central focus of a returned Labour Government will be the roll out of our plan to improve the public health system to deliver high quality services, fewer DHBs, an increased focus on equity, a Māori Health Authority that will focus on Māori health, an aged care commissioner and a Public Health Agency that will more closely link the country’s 12 public health units.
"indicates he really does have a problem with partnership with Maori (and his concern about the media funding has to be seen in that context)."
His concern with the media funding is that there were strings attached. Those strings restricted the media openly questioning the prevailing government view about treaty partnership. In a modern liberal democracy, this is unacceptable. Chris then makes the point that this has also led to a concerning restraint around questioning the apparent nepotism being exercised by a senior government minister. He continues by outlining how the government went to the last election having hidden it's co-governance agenda, and continued this undemocratic behaviour in the way it is forcing through the 3Waters reform.
Chris is fundamentally correct. You can try to dismiss his opinion by insinuating he is a racist or whatever, but all that does is prove his point.
Did Labour take the He Puapua document to the public? Did they even share it with their coalition partner? The answers are no. That is inherently dishonest, and amounts to consideration of significant constitutional change by stealth. Do you see Chris’s point?
" (but at least he is genuinely left wing on economic policy and not against partnership with Maori)."
You fundamentally misunderstand the narrative. There is a massive leap from 'partnership with Maori' to co-governance of strategic assets or to parallel systems based on race.
There is no evidence that the He Puapua report is government policy.
There is evidence of a partnership approach to land and water asset management, such as in Three Waters.
I am not surprised he fails to understand the difference when he gets facts so wrong – a Maori Health Authority was Labour policy pre 2020 election. As for “parallel systems” it was National who established whanau ora.
What are the alternatives to Three Waters that involve sufficient investment and continued public ownership?
There is no evidence that the He Puapua report is government policy.
Technically that might be correct, but when its provisions in health, water and conservation are directly implemented as public policy, then only the most obdurate fool would pretend that it is not defacto policy.
And when it's authors are appointed – in direct conflict with the Cabinet Manual – to positions of significant policy influence then you know what is coming down the road at us.
Then you are arguing that co-governance began when National agreed to whanau ora (and that was not based on He Puapua). There is no difference between it and a Maori Health Authority, so why would you claim that was (based on HP)?
As for Three Waters, Maori involvement in land and water management has been going on for years (you must have had some working knowledge of that) – long before HP.
The only kool aid on offer here is the idea that co-governance is compatible with representative democracy. And that there is no difference between consulting with a stakeholder group – and giving them veto power on the board of directors.
I am going to take the liberty of copying a particularly good comment from Odysseus in the comment thread under CTs post:
Whoa, careful Chris, you will be accused of spreading "disinformation" by the government's academic "experts". This seems to be the latest ploy to smear those who express concerns about "co-governance". Many New Zealanders have serious, well-founded reservations about "co-governance" as outlined for example in the 3 Waters project. It is not democratic and it demolishes accountability to those who actually fund the 3 Waters infrastructure.
Incidentally, the UN Declaration is not about co-governance as such; it proclaims the need to ensure the autonomy of "indigenous" communities. The Declaration arose in the first place from efforts to protect isolated "indigenous" communities in the Amazon Basin; diplomats from Cuba, whose indigenous people were largely wiped out a long time ago, seized on it as a stick with which to beat the "white settler" countries, particularly their arch-foe the United States. Helen Clark showed her wisdom in not having a bar of it; she appreciated the Declaration was thoroughly alien to New Zealand's experience as a nation.
It is very hard to see how democracy and co-governance can co-exist. Democracy recognizes the innate and equal worth of every person. Initially an idea that emerged in Athens in the 5th century BC, it is also a fundamentally Christian concept. The push for co-governance is being led by those who take the interests of their tribe as their point of reference. They are coming from a very different perspective where ancestry and birth determine one's place in the world. This government cannot reconcile these different worldviews and risks aggravating division every time they open their mouth. We are not in a good place.
The extraordinary contradiction going on here is your fearmongering around privatising water assets – while at the same time applauding their effective control by private Maori iwi corporations.
Are you now finally noticing that independence for indigenous peoples is not co-governance (such as whanau ora and MHA delivery to Maori via Maori) – about time.
I find it hard to understand why you think partnership with Maori in management of public land and water assets is a problem for democracy, when you think private sector ownership – corporate investment and profit making from services delivered is not?
Can you explain?
Unless of course you know of a way local councils can fund the huge amount of investment required in the Three Waters domain, National says nothing on the topic as if that would something sort itself by some sort of magic market solution/disaster capitalism/venture capital opportunism.
Are you now finally noticing that independence for indigenous peoples is not co-governance (such as whanau ora and MHA delivery to Maori via Maori)
I would have no objection if iwi decided to form a private corporation from their own funds and tendered alongside everyone else to deliver profit making services.
What I would object to is if the same tendering process was decided by iwi representatives on the BoD with an obvious conflict of interest. Assuming that iwi elites will have the same interests as the whole of NZ is a very faulty assumption.
There is a big difference between working with multiple stakeholders within the a system – and one race based group given preferential, parallel access to power by design.
Given whanau ora and MHA are not for profit services, I presume you are referring to Maori iwi involvement in ownership stake and business operation of water utility services for profit.
However I think you would find a large part of the Three Waters is monopoly business – not just water to users, but also wastewater and sewage. It is not an “industry” where two different providers can compete.
I note your dead social democratic hand applauding the alternative of private ownership to Maori role in management of public assets.
However I think you would find a large part of the Three Waters is monopoly business
Given I worked in said industry for eight years – the answer is no. There is a wide range of entities delivering services. Typically the owner of the asset – at present usually council owned entities – will have a core department responsible for managing the operation, but many services are contracted out. This can range from pipeline R&M, electrical and control systems, mapping and GIS services, chemical and energy inputs and so on. Some smaller councils will fully tender out their entire operation, while the larger ones will have enough in-house expertise to run a large fraction of it.
So while the service is a natural monopoly in that the end user has no direct choice – the asset owner has a wide choice of entities it can involve.
Also, Watercare’s position as a monopoly service provider in the Auckland region obliges the company to retain stakeholders’ confidence that it is performing optimally.
Is not the area that needs the investment the basic infrastructure that which the council itself cannot afford – replacement, not repair and maintenance, and in some areas extra wastewater and sewage capacity because of urban intensification etc?
Great article, Gypsy. I was aware of the funding but not the full ramifications. I thought jurnos on the ground wouldn't notice any management manipulations simply because their sentiments are similar to the narrative the government wants implemented.
I bring your attention to this part of the article:
''The guilty parties would be an unholy alliance of Pakeha and Māori elites determined to keep public money flowing upwards into protected private hands. In this super-narrative, the structures set forth in He Puapua to secure tino rangatiratanga, will actually ensure the exclusion of the vast majority of New Zealanders from the key locations of power. The only positive consequence of which will be a common struggle for political and economic equality in which non-elite Māori and Pakeha will have every incentive to involve themselves.''
The New Zealand public would be shocked if they knew how many professional Pakeha are already on the gravy train. Some firms have Maori only sections dealing with all legal things pertaining to Maori. That's how big this industry is.
''The guilty parties would be an unholy alliance of Pakeha and Māori elites determined to keep public money flowing upwards into protected private hands. In this super-narrative, the structures set forth in He Puapua to secure tino rangatiratanga, will actually ensure the exclusion of the vast majority of New Zealanders from the key locations of power.
And given the alternative is new investment in water utility (given local government debt and incapacity) coming from global corporations – signed off by NACT, this argument may well age very badly in the eyes of future generations.
Obviously the need for more communications staff over covid.
The cognitive dissonance of right Wing media simultaneously whinging about "Lack of information for the public", and the growth in information staff required by covid.
We wouldn't need so many, if Media "did their fucking job" instead of blindly repeating National party bullshit.
Governance of large public utilities (and large private ones, has been and still is) is a massive gravy train for elites. And families of elites. (Especially ex National MP' s and their mates).
Photos can generate emotions and perceptions and reinforce pre-existing ones. It is reasonable to assume that this has some downstream effects on behaviour & actions.
I think China is quite happy with their first major foray into the Pacific. China plays a long game. They know Island economies won't be improving under the present global situation, and regardless of how much money we give in aid. China has forced added pressure on Australia and New Zealand regarding our relationship with pacific nations. The Chinese will continue to chip away at the Pacific. And that cookie jar China holds up to our Pacific cuzzies, may at a later date become too tempting.
I can't help you regarding National and it's supporters. Maybe they misjudged. Remember Helen Clark? ''We live in a benign part of the world.'' Yet, just up the road in Fiji?
I became interested in China, mid 2000s when Ian Wishart wrote some excellent articles on China and its future roll in our region. We even had Chinese military training here if I remember correctly.
We need to partner up with the EU and USA and assist with development.
China wants to
get access to ports for their fishing fleet and first island chain "coast guard" vessels (security). They will then offer port capability development assistance to get access to the 200 mile economic zone of the island.
they will offer telecommunications aid (including their own infrastructure, so they can reduce Five Eyes surveillance)
they will train and resource police (cultivate informers who will provide intel – the local “ambassador attache will feed this back to Beijing via these secure networks so they can offer political support against any opposition – thus claim they are owed and then will own the politicians).
provide, as in the Solomon Islands Chinese police on the ground to protect “ethnic Chinese property” in capital cities and also investment in regions/islands hostile to Chinese presence.
Yes, and the danger is China can bankroll all this, and a whole heap more, without breaking a sweat. We can't, we need to partner up like you say.
I believe one indicator pointing towards China preparing to attack Taiwan will be a change in behaviour of Chinese communities in the Pacific. That's one thing I would be looking out for.
With all the speculation regarding China in the Pacific and it's intentions with Taiwan, I thought I would take a different tack and find out more about our possible future enemies – the Chinese people. But I wanted the talkback version regarding Chinese people, not MSM narratives.
Enter this guy who I've found very interesting. Winston Sterzel is a South African who lived in China during its great push to modernise. His clips have some fascinating insights. For example, marriage in China is nothing like Western marriages. China has huge ghost cities no one lives in. And when Russia attacked Ukraine, Chinese expats were told to roll out the Chinese flag and welcome Russian troops. A few days later China told them to take their flags down and lay low.
Now, everyone likes taking a crack at American gun culture, especially liberals. Some criticisms are justified. Critics talk of other major countries where nothing approaching the level of gun crime America experiences ever happen.
In this clip Winston talks about knife crime in China – mass stabbings that never make global headlines. I can only remember one such incident being reported in NZ. The clip shows police and security even use a special device looking like a shepherd's crook to tackle such crime. BTW, apparently Chinese crazies attack kindergartens. That's one step lower than American crazies. But let's not quibble.
What an excellent letter! I really appreciate well researched and referenced work such as this. Thanks for the link joe90!
(Especially like the reminder of how Uncle Ashley declared that Omicron escapes the Pfizer product, back in January…the point at which all mandates should have been lifted. Yet here we are. )
Not exactly, first they had to identify the level of risk to the health system/hospitalisation from omicron infection before moving on from workplace and location mandates.
The letters claim that the vaccination does not reduce serious outcomes is simply untrue.
Nope – not concerned that libertarian psychos don't approve of WHO doing its job properly. Not even concerned when they invoke the name of the tyrannical Helen Clark(e) whom, we might remember, nearly ended western civilisation with low-energy lightbulbs, until she was mercifully removed in 2008 by the heroic, freedom-loving saint from Merrill Lynch.
"The proposed amendments to the International Health Regulations ("IHR") and the Pandemic Prevention and Preparedness Treaty ("the Treaty") will galvanise the World Health Organisation ("WHO") as the singular controlling authority and architect of global health. Individual nations will surrender their sovereignty to unelected bureaucrats with discretionary powers to lockdown their citizens and economy for any potential or actual public health emergency of international concern. We will be at the hands of a Director-General who was indicted before the International Criminal Court for war crimes and at the mercy of an advisory panel led by Helen Clarke."
What a load of deranged piffle! The WHO is the global health entity which pulls all the threads pertaining to health matters together for the betterment of mankind as a whole. The WTO (world trade), the WMO (meteorological science) and others do the same. Almost all countries have their representatives based in Geneva assisting the parent body. Are you therefore claiming all these countries are complicit in some wacko conspiracy?
The author can't even spell Helen Clark's surname correctly.
I wish I could tell & help you. I rarely use the front-end to comment, and in the back-end the text editor is different. Only Lprent will be able to explain these sorts of things. That said, I’d have thought the font tool should have worked, so that’s odd, to me too 😉
I am not concerned by this heap of bull kaka espoused by Voices for Freedom…..full of conspiracy theories etc and we have had enough of CTs from people like VFF to last us a lifetime I would have thought.
On a baking hot Washington DC morning (about 33C), Jacinda Ardern came to meet with the leader of the free world.
The next time I hear this phrase I might puke. As this failed democracy fades what does this term beloved by lazy journalists even mean?
More than though is the hypocrisy of describing a country that has interfered in the running of so many sovereign states in this way.
I guess the US would say it's contributing to the overthrow of many legitimate governments over many decades is "freeing" them from the yoke of communism, socialism or whatever.
The USA doesn't defend democracy. It defends its own interests and its own world view.
No not curious Pat. As the Maori land is communally owned it can not be used as a security, only the building, which has to be removable …quirk of Law. So no security until build is signed off. That needs to change.
Who demands the security of the land Patricia?….the lending bank (or financial institution)….if the financial institution is the owner of the land the problem is moot.
There is every opportunity for Iwi organisations to create a banking mechanism to provide capital for Iwi development and they have a natural support base. The restriction of Maori land is self imposed , which is the Iwi's right but the difficulty it creates is also theirs to solve….it is not insoluble, but like all investment it carries risk.
It IS curious that the risk is perceived too great.
May 28 (Reuters) – A ship has entered the Ukrainian port of Mariupol for the first time since Russia completed its capture of the city to load metal and ship it east to Russia, TASS news agency reported on Saturday, in a move that Kyiv decried as looting.
[…]
Ukraine's Human Rights Ombudsman Lyudmyla Denisova said the shipment amounted to looting by Russia.
"Looting in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine continues," she wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
"Following the theft of Ukrainian grain, the occupiers resorted to exporting metal products from Mariupol."
Ukraine's largest steelmaker Metinvest on Friday said it was concerned that Russia may use several ships stranded in Mariupol to "steal and smuggle metallurgical products" belonging to the group. It accused Russia of piracy.
Complete and utter propaganda joe …well done , for starters i doubt the " mayor " even said that last time i looked back in early may they just seemed to be getting on with it
I seriously doubt the death toll was anything like the figures you so gullibly quote but concerning the dead in a war generally what would be your alternative to a mass grave ?leave them lying around to rot ? give them all individual funerals ??
failure to use her powers to organize humanitarian corridors, protect and exchange prisoners, counteract the deportation of adults and children from the occupied territories, which “Iryna Vereshchuk was forced to do”;
an incomprehensible fixation of the Ombudsman's media work on the numerous details of "sexual crimes committed in an unnatural way" and "child rape" in the occupied territories, which could not be substantiated by evidence;
the prolonged period of time after Feb. 24 that Denisova spent abroad "in Davos, Vienna, Warsaw and other warm, peaceful western European countries," according to Frolov
"Rising costs have created a “ticking timebomb” for UK small business owners, the chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has warned, with almost half a million firms at risk of going bust within weeks without a fresh wave of government support."
While Jacinda basks in the glory of meeting Joe Biden ,Andrew Little releases the Pharmac report that I believe sat on his desk waiting for and appropriate moment. A moment when our media had better things to do.
As usual, Pharmac, like everyone else, has been found to have failed Maori. And disabled people. Trans folk aren't mentioned, so we are sailing blind in that regard.
Quote:
''The panel found Pharmac’s model has delivered significant benefits, but to achieve its purpose these benefits need to be shared more equitably across our communities, especially for Māori and Pacific peoples.''
I'm wondering about this inequality in relation to Maori.
All of the comments I can find in the report are around Maori having less access to the existing drugs (e.g. less often disagnosed, or prescribed existing drugs) – which really has nothing to do with Pharmac.
[I mean, yeah, it needs to be addressed – but doesn't come within the areas that Pharmac control]
Pharmac was also caned for the reduced number of Maori employed (which may well have to do with the fact that medically qualified Maori can write their own ticket in any of the healthcare professions – and Pharmac isn't perhaps where they see they can make the most difference).
There was some speculation that diseases which predominantly affect Maori aren't getting the drug funding – but no concrete examples given in the report (though 2 drugs which do treat diseases more commonly experienced by Maori, were specifically mentioned as being funded by Pharmac in response to lobbying by Maori health groups – i.e. Pharmac is already doing it.)
Expenditure is more highly focused on the older age bracket. Which would be no surprise, since many of the drugs are life extenders (heart, blood pressure, cancer medication, etc.).
I do have some grave concerns over Little's stated policy
“The days of the Independent Republic of Pharmac are over. Pharmac is part of our health administration, and needs to be working appropriately with the rest of the health administration,” Little said in the Beehive on Wednesday.
If this is just about integrating drug decision-making alongside other medical interventions – then that's one thing (and a highly desirable outcome). [Thinking here of prioritizing surgical interventions to reduce the drug costs for symptom management]
If it's opening the pathway to politicising Pharmac decisions – when, inevitably, the loudest voices with the best PR have the greatest weight – then that's quite another.
The best outcome from this report would be for Pharmac's decisions to be more open and transparent, and for them to be made in a much more timely fashion (and revisited if/when more information becomes available). However, the down-side of this, is that unless there is more money available, funding one drug means de-funding something else. TAANSTAFL
Sadly, for many of the special interest groups – NZ basically can't afford the 1st world standard of medical care that they would like to aspire to. Unless Pharmac's budget is increased very substantially (which I don't see as on the cards, given the economic climate), drug-treatment for rare and expensive treatments is simply not going to be publicly funded in NZ.
Refining how you slice the pie, doesn't change the size of it.
I agree. I see this announcement from Little as a move away from a fact-based triage model, to a more political one.
That's not to say that I don't think Pharmac could do a better job about making their decision making explicit and clear (because I think they've been poor in this area).
But we will never have enough money to fund everything – and the hard decisions about which communities will be helped and which won't, have to be made…
Put it this way as an example. Pharmac has $1000 to spend on a certain drug. That equates to 10 Pakeha and 3 Maori who qualify for such expenditure. Now, under the revised system that's more focus on Maori, Maori will have 6 seats( deserved or not) at the funding table while Pakeha drop to seven places. Why? Simple racism.
You may remember the DHB that prioritised Maori getting treatment first?
After the journalist wrote his story based on a "possibly" comment. They are predictable in their flimsy proof and out of context slants. Often a "gotcha" type relationship with reality.
Further a large photo of Luxon with a heading implying we are not engaging with other countries.
Since we opened up the PM has visited Singapore and Japan followed by a friendly call to congratulate Albanese on his Election win plus lead a delegation Trade Mission and meet the President of the USA. Right so "not doing anything?"
William Burr the AG for President Trump was supposed to find the real sticky dirt on Hillary's campaign and hired special counsel John Durham to go get it.
Durham went after Hillary's lawyer Michael Sussman and prosecuted.
It's a nice big setback against the filth of Trump's legacy. This was the investigation that was supposed to show bias by law enforcement investigating President Trump. Obviously it's the usual witch-hunt by Republican elected officials and their crony staff, when it is the Republicans who on the facts of massive prosecutions are the corrupt ones.
And once Navarro is done singing, Trump is going to try to plead the 5th and just get trashed. Can't wait.
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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 ...
Buzz from the Beehive China has loomed large in Beehive considerations over the past 24 hours, largely because of that country’s mischief-making in the cyber espionage department. Two media statements emerged on that subject hard on the heels of the PM baulking at questions put to him on RNZ’s Morning ...
Chris Trotter writes – WHY IS THE NATIONAL PARTY doing so much for landlords, property developers, trucking, and construction companies, and so little for everybody who isn’t already pretty well-off? It’s as if protecting landlords’ investments and building apartments and roads now constitute the whole of National’s ...
Bryce Edwards writes – When she was campaigning to be Minister of Finance last year, Nicola Willis pledged that she would resign from the job if she failed to deliver tax cuts in her first Budget. Now, it’s that pledge, along with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s ...
Robert MacCulloch writes – The Reserve Bank has doubled staff numbers in five years to 510, with personnel costs rising to $80 million in 2023 from $32 million in 2018 – up by a whopping 150%. I guess when you print $50 billion and flood markets with liquidity, ...
The furore. In case you didn’t notice there was a controversy in the weekend involving dolphins in a little town off the South Island. Don’t panic, they haven’t declared independence and resumed whaling, this was simply a sailing event.The problem began when racing was cancelled on the opening day of ...
For 20 years or more, the case for a meaningful capital tax gains has been mulled over and analysed to death, including by the tax working group chaired by Sir Michael Cullen. More than once, the International Monetary Fund has said a CGT would be a good idea for New ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: The Public Health Communications Centre (PHCC) call for urgent preventive action and a risk assessment survey of long covid in this briefing noteLocal scoop: NZ road deaths surpass OECD rates, so why is the govt reversing safety plans? ...
This story was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. This story is part of a collaboration with Grist and WABE to demystify the Georgia Public Service Commission, the small but powerful state-elected board that makes critical decisions about everything from raising ...
This is a guest post from Robert McLachlan Global warming is accelerating; 2023 was off the charts. We need to stop burning fossil fuels. In New Zealand, transport accounts for half of all fossil fuels burnt. In the Emissions Reduction Plan, transport emissions fall 41% by 2035. As the ...
Labour productivity has been receding rapidly over the past two years, reversing a post-lockdown rise. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy as at 6:26am on Tuesday, March 26 include:Workers have been treading water in output per hour worked for 12 years, ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 2 include:Today, Parliament resumes sitting at 2pm for the second week of a two-week session. Officials for SIS and GCSB report their annual reviews in public to the Intelligence and Security Select Committee from 5.10pm.Tomorrow, ...
Faced with a barrage of criticism over the promised tax cuts from usually supportive commentators, Finance Minister Nicola Willis yesterday reaffirmed her intention to include them in this year’s Budget. The Government is up against it over the cuts just about every way it turns. Commentators like Fran O’Sullivan, Matthew ...
Here’s my pick of today’s substack posts as of 6:26pm on Monday, March 25: writes via his substack that Market-rate housing will make your city cheaper writes via his substack about the problems talking to double-cab ute (truck) drivers about their vehicles. today about moments of radicalisation in ...
Buzz from the Beehive Just before Christmas, Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivered something that was pitched as a mini-budget and brayed about the decisive action being taken to repair the Government books and support income tax relief in Budget 2024. In a statement headed Fiscal repair job underway. she introduced ...
My sister Belinda asked Dad yesterday what one word would describe Mum best. He said: vivacious.If you only knew her from the photos on the slideshow we've made for today,you might wonder about that, because the camera tended to lie with Mum.If ever she saw a camera pointed at her, she ...
There are two major public consultations closing in the next week, Auckland Council’s Long Term Plan (LTP), and the draft Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS). Closing dates and times: LTP closes Thursday 28 February, at 11.59pm – a minute to midnight! GPS closes Tuesday 2 April, at 12pm noon – note that’s ...
From Kiwiblog’s David Farrar – Bryce Wilkinson writes: Senior Fellow Bryce Wilkinson’s analysis reveals that since March 2009, New Zealand has spent $158 billion more overseas than it has earned, but its NIIP has only fallen by $32 billion.Statistics New Zealand shows that receipts from overseas reinsurers have ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition? Brian Easton writes – The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could ...
Dear Nicola Willis,Right now you’ve probably got lots of competing demands coming at you. Ministers who’ve inherited quite a mess, or so you’ve told us, looking for money in the budget to improve things. I imagine that’s why they came to parliament - to make things better.You’ll have to make ...
The Local Government, Transport and Auckland Minister hasthreatened councils with intervention if they don’t merge water assets to take them off balance sheet, just as the now-repealed Three Waters plan directed. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things of note this morning for Monday, March 25 include:Simeon ...
A listing of 36 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 17, 2024 thru Sat, March 23, 2024. Story of the week Thanks to John Mason having the stamina to sit down to watch "Climate - the Movie" ...
This morning the Q&A programme had Simeon Brown on to talk about National’s replacement for Three Waters. In case anyone’s forgotten the three are - drinking water, waste water, and sewerage. It’s quite important not to get them mixed up. In much the same way that you wouldn’t want to ...
Today’s newsletter comes with a mini-podcast conversation between me and my buddy Liv Tennet, talking about her time as a child actor in Lord of the Rings. It’s a conversation with a lot of giggles as she talks about falling off a horse, and becoming a meme. Read ...
The Desmog Climate Disinformation Database documents, "individuals and organisations that have helped to delay and distract the public and our elected leaders from taking needed action to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and fight global warming." It's a who's who of the organised climate change denial movement, in other words. In ...
Bob Edlin writes – A High Court judge has decided miscreants who have mana – or who claim to have mana – should be treated differently from miscreants who have none. It’s a ruling that suggests indigenous law-breakers have a better chance of securing a discharge without conviction ...
Welcome to the first, and possibly last, edition of Brickbats, Bouquets and Bull’s Wool. In which I’ll take a look at the events of the last week or so, and rate them.In such ratings the numbers usually have more to do with the opinions of the reviewer, than the actual ...
Roger Partridge writes – My earlier column this month, New Zealand’s highest court could be facing a turning point, prompted a flood of feedback from business readers and lawyers alike. A common query was what Parliament can do to restrain an overreaching judiciary. This week I discuss two steps Parliament ...
TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.16pm on Friday, March 22: writes about New Zealand's Building Boom—And What the World Must Learn From It over at his substack. challenges the Auckland Council’s use of a 3.8 degrees of warming forecast to oppose a wave-park and data centre project ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition?The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could deliver her promised income tax cuts. Appointed minister, she ...
Buzz from the Beehive Ministers of the Crown have drawn attention to one sector of the science sector which is unlikely to be subjected to heavy spending cuts, a state-funded broadcaster which is doing nicely, thank you, and a sporting event that had $5.4 million from the public purse puffed ...
Abbott’s Freestyle Libre sensors allow continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). The sensor is applied to the back of the patient’s arm, with a thin filament under the skin measuring glucose levels constantly. But it costs around $100 per sensor and must be replaced once every 14 days. Photo by BSIP/Universal Images ...
The Inspector General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) recently released a report in which he exposes the existence of a foreign intelligence partner-controlled technological “capability” inside the headquarters of the GCSB, NZ’s 5 Eyes-affiliated signals intelligence collection and analysis agency. … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – Nearly three decades after the introduction of MMP and multiparty governments there should be a greater level of understanding about their finer points than often appears to be the case. The reaction to the despicable outburst from the Deputy Prime Minister at the weekend highlights ...
The sweet kisses from fruit of summerHave slowly been turning dullerYou say, "those times"And "remember the daysWhen we went outside and there still was the shade?"Taking no reason into play…Autumn. Clear, blue days shortening to longer nights, growing colder. Aotearoa.That’s us. The temperature dropping, the looming car crash - so ...
Bryce Edwards writes – “It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April ...
David Farrar writes – The Electoral Commission has published the expense returns for political parties for the 2023 election. I’ve put them in a table with how many votes a party got so we can see the spend per vote. National only spent $3.34 for every vote they got, almost ...
Winston Peters’ headline-making actions over the past week may have been a show of political power intended to strengthen his hand in Budget negotiations. It was no accident that his State of the Nation speech was as it was. He made it as New Zealand First Leader, not as Deputy ...
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:Former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson bowed out of politics this week, giving a series of exit ...
Graham Adams writes — If you love the law or sausages, as the saying goes, best not to look too closely at how they are made. And after watching the orgy of self-pity when Newshub’s closure was announced on February 28, television journalism should definitely be added to the list of those ...
Venerable New Zealand political commentator, Chris Trotter (https://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/), is a sad creature these days. Once one of the most reliable Leftist writers out there – Economic Left at that – Trotter seems to have absorbed the worldview of Auckland culture-war obsessives. It is not for me to categorise what he ...
The cruelty of short-term memory loss is that each time you ask where she is, you get the fresh shock and grief of the news. That was Dad's day yesterday.Comfortingly, it seems to be less so today. Last night he looked crumpled, today he seems more settled. There's a card ...
Photo by Alvan Nee on UnsplashIt’s that new day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when and I co-host our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm. Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news ...
Buzz from the Beehive One minister is talking tough while a colleague – whose ministry had acted tough and drawn a barrage of flak – has shown an official softening. Some ministers are doing what Labour was good at, which is distributing public funds to causes regarded as worthy or ...
The Coalition Government’s plan to ‘get Auckland moving’ is a cuts cover-up that will ultimately cost Aucklanders more to move around the city, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Slashing the Ministry of Pacific Peoples by 40% will have a devastating impact on pacific communities and further highlights how little this government cares about anything other than cutting taxes for the wealthiest few. ...
Labour has proposed an urgent inquiry to investigate the ever-increasing profits of supermarkets, aiming to lower costs for shoppers and food producers alike, says Labour Spokesperson for Commerce and Consumer Affairs Arena Williams and Primary Production Spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel. ...
With 14% of jobs on the line at the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, the responsible Minister Melissa Lee is failing to stand up for the very communities she’s meant to be representing. ...
COURT OF APPEAL: TRIFECTA OF VICTORY FOR NZ FIRST, TRIFECTA OF FAILURE FOR OPPONENTS For the third time since April 2020, New Zealand First has defeated the Serious Fraud Office and all those complicit in a malicious attack against a political party going about its lawful business in a lawful ...
The Green Party stands with people who live in public housing, people in dire housing need, experts and advocates in demanding better than the Government’s archaic approach to housing those who need our support the most. ...
New Zealand has recently lost the hosting rights of some major international sporting events including the America’s Cup, the Rugby Championship, Netball World Cup, and the Wellington Sevens. We are now at a huge risk of losing SailGP as well. And it won’t stop there. The recent issues with SailGP ...
A Member’s Bill drawn this week would modernise insurance law and make things fairer and more transparent for consumers, Christchurch Central MP Duncan Webb said. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues has confirmed she was aware of funding issues in mid-December and did nothing to stop it. On 14 March, she signed off on changes that were announced and implemented on 18 March without any consultation with disability communities. ...
Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter says her members' bill is an opportunity for the coalition government to plug the gap in electric vehicle incentives. ...
The National Government continues to talk about irresponsible tax cuts that will only drive up inflation, despite the country entering a technical recession. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues must act urgently to reinstate flexibility around the funding for disability support and apologise to disabled carers. ...
This story has been initiated by a leftie shill reporter who proactively sought to call a member of a former band, which disbanded twelve years ago, give their biased appraisal of what was said in my speech, and concocted a ham-fisted attempt at a story that does nothing but show ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Many in the mainstream media have taken what was said in New Zealand First’s State of the Nation Speech in Palmerston North on Sunday and deliberately, deceitfully, and ignorantly misrepresented what I said and why I said it. The headlines and commentary on the news stated that I compared ‘co-governance ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
Good afternoon. Thank you for, in your very busy lives, turning up to this meeting today. On October 14th last year New Zealanders overwhelmingly voted for change. That is exactly what this new government is bringing. New Zealand First campaigned to ‘take back our country’ and stop the disastrous economic ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April. “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates. Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend. “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says. Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track. “Dam safety regulations ...
The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says. “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says. “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009. ...
The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function. The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union. “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says. “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
Good morning, it’s great to be here. First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning. I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed. “Northland has faced a number ...
New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Keith Rankin, trained as an economic historian, is a retired lecturer in Economics and Statistics. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand. My earlier article – Can ‘Good’ be the Greater Evil? – looked at the issue of how wars should end, and how Good versus Evil ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 AMMA by Saraid de Silva (Moa Press, $38)A stunning debut novel reviewed by Brannavan ...
From Steve Martin to Ricky Stanicky, a pick’n’mix of things worth watching and listening to this long weekend. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. If you’re at a loss for something to occupy yourself with this Easter, don’t panic: The Spinoff’s got ...
Jesus had dinner with his 12 disciples right before he died. Noted historian Madeleine Chapman finds out who really deserved to be there.First published in 2018 but let’s be honest, the subject is timeless. As you sit on your couch this Easter Sunday, eating a chocolate egg you know ...
The newly-promoted Northern League club is on a mission to return to the National League for the first time in two decades. Plenty about domestic football in New Zealand has changed in that time – but the sense that this amateur competition is not an entirely level playing field remains. ...
Comment: Every year on February 2, a dozen men in tuxedos and top hats approach the burrow of a groundhog in Gobbler’s Knob, Pennsylvania and entice the beaver-like rodent to emerge and predict the weather. If the groundhog, named Punxsutawney Phil, sees its own shadow when it is summoned, legend ...
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Auckland Council has put a deadline on new weather-impacted property owners applying for categorisation as government funding looks set to run out. Councillors have voted to support a deadline of September 30 for property owners who haven’t accessed support to come forward and engage with the council’s recovery office. It ...
NONFICTION 1 BBQ Economics by Liam Dann (Penguin Random House, $40) “It’s official,” wrote Dann nine days ago in the Herald, where he works as business editor at large, “we’re in recession.” Yeah, great. He delivered the bad stats: “GDP fell 0.1 percent in the December 2023 quarter, compared with ...
By Anneke Smith, RNZ News political reporter A petition urging the New Zealand government to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people has been tabled in the House. More than 200 people gathered on Parliament’s forecourt today and they were met by MPs from Labour, the Greens and Te ...
Pacific Media Watch The Paris-based global media freedom watchdog RSF (Reporters Without Borders) has appealed for information about the “disappearance” of Palestinian journalist Bayan Abusultan. She was reportedly last seen on March 19 among people “sequestered” in this week’s raid and siege of Al Shifa hospital by Israeli troops in ...
EDITORIAL:The Jakarta Post It happens again and again; indigenous Papuans fall victim to Indonesian soldiers. This time, we have photographic evidence for the brutality, with videos on social media showing a Papuan man being tortured by a group of plainclothes men alleged to be the Indonesian Military (TNI) members. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn J. Whitaker, Director of the Wesley Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Policy & Associate Professor, New Testament, Pilgrim Theological College, University of Divinity A strange and eclectic range of activities takes place across these few weeks of the year. Some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University It’s Easter weekend, which means many of us will be kicking back with the greatest hits on repeat. But whether you’re a boomer, or an ‘80s or ’90s kid, you might be ...
RNZ Pacific Fiji’s Acting Public Prosecutor has filed an appeal against the sentences of former prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama and suspended police chief Sitiveni Qiliho in their corruption case. Bainimarama was granted an absolute discharge for attempting to pervert the course of justice while Qiliho received a conditional discharge with ...
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Sounds like the Biden meeting went very well. I believe it even ran over time by around 30 minutes which is a positive sign.
Joe Biden praises Jacinda Ardern's leadership during meeting at the White House | Stuff.co.nz
Ardern probably had to give him 30 minutes for a nap, while she read a book.
I am joking!!!!!!
I agree. Seems quite successful. While I disagree with a lot of her policy, you can't deny Ardern is a great ambassador for the country. She has done extremely well.
We have been a bit lucky that way with leaders tbf.
The whole Key/Obama thing, and now Ardern/Biden.
Dirty media
https://twitter.com/realrogerboyce/status/1531415515331080193
How foreign media show it
https://twitter.com/NZedAUS/status/1531738217266876416
Interesting. Sensitive content warning must be because the headline includes the word 'shootings'.
Yes Sacha – it has been noted in our household for some time: Ardern in photos looking wrinkled, exhausted and pleading, Luxon in photos looking energetic with hands up gesturing in a dynamic pose, wrinkle-free and top of photo sometimes cropped to remove shiny pate. It's a time-honoured tactic – remembering Ed Milliband and the bacon sandwich, countless pictures of Corbyn.
I guess it's only photos and not that important. But still a useful illustration of the sort of spiteful, far-right children controlling some of our media outlets, and a useful reminder of how private power operates.
John Key and that hotdog. Reuters cropping the images of people holding weapons during a protest blockade when Israeli forces boarded a ship. Don Brash and Judith Collins…all fodder and mirth for our Leftwing media.
Maybe the media is just the media. And if you are in power, you are going to get it because you are the tallest poppy.?
No.
The answer is always sexism.
Bigotry of some kind to be sure.
Probably not racism, in this case.
Persistent patterns are more than just random media noise. To pretend that media bias is just even-handed tall poppy cutting is delusional. Differences in degree matter.
In that case, I'm of the firm opinion our media is left leaning given the patterns I have noticed over the years especially around Maori, stale white males, rich pricks and bloody Pakehas.
How do I explain the hit job the media is doing on Ardern at the moment?
It's quite simple. Like many of us, the media are just over her. Simple minds like shiny objects, they become mesmerized and happy. When the shine wears off reality prevails. And that sucks.
The apparent failure of the mainstream news media to follow up on the story is being attributed to the extraordinary conditions attached to the Public Interest Journalism Fund administered by New Zealand On Air. In essence, these conditions require media outlets in receipt of the Fund’s largesse to subscribe in advance to a highly contentious series of propositions concerning the Treaty of Waitangi – most particularly to the Waitangi Tribunal’s claim the Māori never ceded sovereignty to the British Crown, and that this “fact” requires the Fund’s recipients to accept and support the “partnership” model of Crown-Māori relations. The fear expressed by independent journalists is that the net effect of these conditions will be unquestioning mainstream media support for co-governance."
I recommend you read all of Chris Trotter’s article. It’s alarming and illuminating.
There is a group of older white race, once left wing men, who oppose CGT on their property wealth and partnership with Maori and Chris represents them now.
Martin the awake bomber Bradbury (on right wing radio and pod cast independent free speech platforms) supports the narrative against "woke" "feminist" public media funding as some sort of a champion of working class manhood (but at least he is genuinely left wing on economic policy and not against partnership with Maori).
Clearly you didn't read the article, or the context in which I posted the excerpt. Chris is referring to the way in which the government has manipulated the media into supporting (or at least not questioning) the narrative around co-governance, and how co-governance is quasi constitutional change by stealth.
"The party did not campaign on the issue, and kept He Puapua, the controversial “road-map” to full implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples – i.e. co-governance – by 2040, under wraps. Similarly unheralded was the Government’s determination to establish a separate Māori Health Authority. And the application of co-governance principles to Mahuta’s deeply unpopular “Three Waters” project has done nothing to allay public fears that the country is being changed, in fundamental ways, without the electorate’s consent."
Clearly I understand his position very well, as your extra quote indicates he really does have a problem with partnership with Maori (and his concern about the media funding has to be seen in that context).
And fact introduction
National began partnership when they set up whanau ora. They had no mandate, it was part of a coalition deal with the MP.
Given the existence of this, and reform of health was signalled before the 2020 election …
https://www.labour.org.nz/release-next-steps-in-rebuilding-our-health-system
"indicates he really does have a problem with partnership with Maori (and his concern about the media funding has to be seen in that context)."
His concern with the media funding is that there were strings attached. Those strings restricted the media openly questioning the prevailing government view about treaty partnership. In a modern liberal democracy, this is unacceptable. Chris then makes the point that this has also led to a concerning restraint around questioning the apparent nepotism being exercised by a senior government minister. He continues by outlining how the government went to the last election having hidden it's co-governance agenda, and continued this undemocratic behaviour in the way it is forcing through the 3Waters reform.
Chris is fundamentally correct. You can try to dismiss his opinion by insinuating he is a racist or whatever, but all that does is prove his point.
Factually inaccurate as I demonstrated.
"Factually inaccurate as I demonstrated."
Did Labour take the He Puapua document to the public? Did they even share it with their coalition partner? The answers are no. That is inherently dishonest, and amounts to consideration of significant constitutional change by stealth. Do you see Chris’s point?
"And given the alternative is new investment in water utility (given local government debt and incapacity) coming from global corporations "
There are alternatives to 3Waters that are far more cost effective. But of course they wouldn't provide jobs to ministerial family members.
" (but at least he is genuinely left wing on economic policy and not against partnership with Maori)."
You fundamentally misunderstand the narrative. There is a massive leap from 'partnership with Maori' to co-governance of strategic assets or to parallel systems based on race.
There is no evidence that the He Puapua report is government policy.
There is evidence of a partnership approach to land and water asset management, such as in Three Waters.
I am not surprised he fails to understand the difference when he gets facts so wrong – a Maori Health Authority was Labour policy pre 2020 election. As for “parallel systems” it was National who established whanau ora.
What are the alternatives to Three Waters that involve sufficient investment and continued public ownership?
There is no evidence that the He Puapua report is government policy.
Technically that might be correct, but when its provisions in health, water and conservation are directly implemented as public policy, then only the most obdurate fool would pretend that it is not defacto policy.
And when it's authors are appointed – in direct conflict with the Cabinet Manual – to positions of significant policy influence then you know what is coming down the road at us.
Then you are arguing that co-governance began when National agreed to whanau ora (and that was not based on He Puapua). There is no difference between it and a Maori Health Authority, so why would you claim that was (based on HP)?
As for Three Waters, Maori involvement in land and water management has been going on for years (you must have had some working knowledge of that) – long before HP.
You're drinking the Kool Aid.
Indeed, one could say the water reforms started in 2017, but probably ‘murmurs’ go back even further. It was also in Labour’s 2020 Election Manifest.
There’s no excuse for being ill-informed aka ignorant and Chris Trotter is acting as a useful idiot (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Useful_idiot).
The only kool aid on offer here is the idea that co-governance is compatible with representative democracy. And that there is no difference between consulting with a stakeholder group – and giving them veto power on the board of directors.
I am going to take the liberty of copying a particularly good comment from Odysseus in the comment thread under CTs post:
The extraordinary contradiction going on here is your fearmongering around privatising water assets – while at the same time applauding their effective control by private Maori iwi corporations.
Are you now finally noticing that independence for indigenous peoples is not co-governance (such as whanau ora and MHA delivery to Maori via Maori) – about time.
I find it hard to understand why you think partnership with Maori in management of public land and water assets is a problem for democracy, when you think private sector ownership – corporate investment and profit making from services delivered is not?
Can you explain?
Unless of course you know of a way local councils can fund the huge amount of investment required in the Three Waters domain, National says nothing on the topic as if that would something sort itself by some sort of magic market solution/disaster capitalism/venture capital opportunism.
Are you now finally noticing that independence for indigenous peoples is not co-governance (such as whanau ora and MHA delivery to Maori via Maori)
I would have no objection if iwi decided to form a private corporation from their own funds and tendered alongside everyone else to deliver profit making services.
What I would object to is if the same tendering process was decided by iwi representatives on the BoD with an obvious conflict of interest. Assuming that iwi elites will have the same interests as the whole of NZ is a very faulty assumption.
There is a big difference between working with multiple stakeholders within the a system – and one race based group given preferential, parallel access to power by design.
Given whanau ora and MHA are not for profit services, I presume you are referring to Maori iwi involvement in ownership stake and business operation of water utility services for profit.
However I think you would find a large part of the Three Waters is monopoly business – not just water to users, but also wastewater and sewage. It is not an “industry” where two different providers can compete.
I note your dead social democratic hand applauding the alternative of private ownership to Maori role in management of public assets.
However I think you would find a large part of the Three Waters is monopoly business
Given I worked in said industry for eight years – the answer is no. There is a wide range of entities delivering services. Typically the owner of the asset – at present usually council owned entities – will have a core department responsible for managing the operation, but many services are contracted out. This can range from pipeline R&M, electrical and control systems, mapping and GIS services, chemical and energy inputs and so on. Some smaller councils will fully tender out their entire operation, while the larger ones will have enough in-house expertise to run a large fraction of it.
So while the service is a natural monopoly in that the end user has no direct choice – the asset owner has a wide choice of entities it can involve.
https://www.watercare.co.nz/CMSPages/GetAzureFile.aspx?path=~%5Cwatercarepublicweb%5Cmedia%5Cwatercare-media-library%5Creports-and-publications%5Cstatement-corporate-intent-2010.pdf&hash=4b0ccc3ac704b68e978ea49c9ba86c81a613bf3b66782f66bd7c83e2cc96828a
No democratic accountability either.
Is not the area that needs the investment the basic infrastructure that which the council itself cannot afford – replacement, not repair and maintenance, and in some areas extra wastewater and sewage capacity because of urban intensification etc?
Great article, Gypsy. I was aware of the funding but not the full ramifications. I thought jurnos on the ground wouldn't notice any management manipulations simply because their sentiments are similar to the narrative the government wants implemented.
I bring your attention to this part of the article:
''The guilty parties would be an unholy alliance of Pakeha and Māori elites determined to keep public money flowing upwards into protected private hands. In this super-narrative, the structures set forth in He Puapua to secure tino rangatiratanga, will actually ensure the exclusion of the vast majority of New Zealanders from the key locations of power. The only positive consequence of which will be a common struggle for political and economic equality in which non-elite Māori and Pakeha will have every incentive to involve themselves.''
The New Zealand public would be shocked if they knew how many professional Pakeha are already on the gravy train. Some firms have Maori only sections dealing with all legal things pertaining to Maori. That's how big this industry is.
Co-governance of large public utilities is a massive gravy train for elites. And families of elites.
''The guilty parties would be an unholy alliance of Pakeha and Māori elites determined to keep public money flowing upwards into protected private hands. In this super-narrative, the structures set forth in He Puapua to secure tino rangatiratanga, will actually ensure the exclusion of the vast majority of New Zealanders from the key locations of power.
And given the alternative is new investment in water utility (given local government debt and incapacity) coming from global corporations – signed off by NACT, this argument may well age very badly in the eyes of future generations.
Not very sharp, Blade.
Trotter sometimes gets it right.
Unfortunately, like you, he is prone to flights of delusional fantasy.
The media, far from being seduced by Government funding, has been unrelentingly hostile to the Government from day one.
This Facebook headline for example. "Spinning out of control".
Government blames COVID-19 for 46 percent increase in communications staff | Newshub
Obviously the need for more communications staff over covid.
The cognitive dissonance of right Wing media simultaneously whinging about "Lack of information for the public", and the growth in information staff required by covid.
We wouldn't need so many, if Media "did their fucking job" instead of blindly repeating National party bullshit.
Gipsy.
Governance of large public utilities (and large private ones, has been and still is) is a massive gravy train for elites. And families of elites. (Especially ex National MP' s and their mates).
Fixed it for you.
She is no gaudy trinket. You do expose your bile at times.
Photos can generate emotions and perceptions and reinforce pre-existing ones. It is reasonable to assume that this has some downstream effects on behaviour & actions.
Newshub
Tall poppy syndrome and jealousy with ageism and misogyny thrown in.
Sydney morning Herald
Taking the woke thing to a whole new level.
Where's Dennis these days?
He was here a week-ish ago.
Small Countries snub China.
Some discussion here concerning China and their recent offers in the Pacific
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIkGpP4n6vM
I think China is quite happy with their first major foray into the Pacific. China plays a long game. They know Island economies won't be improving under the present global situation, and regardless of how much money we give in aid. China has forced added pressure on Australia and New Zealand regarding our relationship with pacific nations. The Chinese will continue to chip away at the Pacific. And that cookie jar China holds up to our Pacific cuzzies, may at a later date become too tempting.
Over to you, Nanaia…Nanaia! Are you there?
Am loving the sudden concern for the Pacific Islands among the opposition and its supporters.
It was just a short time ago this National Party supporter described the Pacific Islands thus:
– Heather Duplicity Allan
Why the change of heart? Must be political…
I can't help you regarding National and it's supporters. Maybe they misjudged. Remember Helen Clark? ''We live in a benign part of the world.'' Yet, just up the road in Fiji?
I became interested in China, mid 2000s when Ian Wishart wrote some excellent articles on China and its future roll in our region. We even had Chinese military training here if I remember correctly.
Political? You bet.
We need to partner up with the EU and USA and assist with development.
China wants to
Yes, and the danger is China can bankroll all this, and a whole heap more, without breaking a sweat. We can't, we need to partner up like you say.
I believe one indicator pointing towards China preparing to attack Taiwan will be a change in behaviour of Chinese communities in the Pacific. That's one thing I would be looking out for.
Didn't you see her Chiefly adornment?
No?— too busy with your preconceived notions.
With all the speculation regarding China in the Pacific and it's intentions with Taiwan, I thought I would take a different tack and find out more about our possible future enemies – the Chinese people. But I wanted the talkback version regarding Chinese people, not MSM narratives.
Enter this guy who I've found very interesting. Winston Sterzel is a South African who lived in China during its great push to modernise. His clips have some fascinating insights. For example, marriage in China is nothing like Western marriages. China has huge ghost cities no one lives in. And when Russia attacked Ukraine, Chinese expats were told to roll out the Chinese flag and welcome Russian troops. A few days later China told them to take their flags down and lay low.
Now, everyone likes taking a crack at American gun culture, especially liberals. Some criticisms are justified. Critics talk of other major countries where nothing approaching the level of gun crime America experiences ever happen.
In this clip Winston talks about knife crime in China – mass stabbings that never make global headlines. I can only remember one such incident being reported in NZ. The clip shows police and security even use a special device looking like a shepherd's crook to tackle such crime. BTW, apparently Chinese crazies attack kindergartens. That's one step lower than American crazies. But let's not quibble.
At 14.30
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLK9I6V1BGY
Something concerning no matter what your political views are.
https://www.voicesforfreedom.co.nz/blog/post/who-trust
we have another Chris here, so I’ve changed your username. Next time you comment please use that, or pick a unique one and stick to it. Thanks.
Murfitt is the clown who reckons the Covid response has been used to destroy liberty in New Zealand.
snort
What an excellent letter! I really appreciate well researched and referenced work such as this. Thanks for the link joe90!
(Especially like the reminder of how Uncle Ashley declared that Omicron escapes the Pfizer product, back in January…the point at which all mandates should have been lifted. Yet here we are. )
Thanks again joe90!
Not exactly, first they had to identify the level of risk to the health system/hospitalisation from omicron infection before moving on from workplace and location mandates.
The letters claim that the vaccination does not reduce serious outcomes is simply untrue.
Nope – not concerned that libertarian psychos don't approve of WHO doing its job properly. Not even concerned when they invoke the name of the tyrannical Helen Clark(e) whom, we might remember, nearly ended western civilisation with low-energy lightbulbs, until she was mercifully removed in 2008 by the heroic, freedom-loving saint from Merrill Lynch.
Funny because its true. Great wit and post : )
What a load of deranged piffle! The WHO is the global health entity which pulls all the threads pertaining to health matters together for the betterment of mankind as a whole. The WTO (world trade), the WMO (meteorological science) and others do the same. Almost all countries have their representatives based in Geneva assisting the parent body. Are you therefore claiming all these countries are complicit in some wacko conspiracy?
The author can't even spell Helen Clark's surname correctly.
All in bold. Sorry. Tried to change. Won't work. 🙁
All fixed 🙂
Thanks Incog. How did you do it for future reference? Font wouldn't work.
I wish I could tell & help you. I rarely use the front-end to comment, and in the back-end the text editor is different. Only Lprent will be able to explain these sorts of things. That said, I’d have thought the font tool should have worked, so that’s odd, to me too 😉
I am not concerned by this heap of bull kaka espoused by Voices for Freedom…..full of conspiracy theories etc and we have had enough of CTs from people like VFF to last us a lifetime I would have thought.
Agreed, but they just keep on with their rubbish.
On a baking hot Washington DC morning (about 33C), Jacinda Ardern came to meet with the leader of the free world.
The next time I hear this phrase I might puke. As this failed democracy fades what does this term beloved by lazy journalists even mean?
More than though is the hypocrisy of describing a country that has interfered in the running of so many sovereign states in this way.
I guess the US would say it's contributing to the overthrow of many legitimate governments over many decades is "freeing" them from the yoke of communism, socialism or whatever.
The USA doesn't defend democracy. It defends its own interests and its own world view.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/128821564/the-white-house-meet-a-study-in-security-contrasts-and-personal-rapport
https://www.stuff.co.nz/pou-tiaki/300601784/mori-party-backs-calls-for-establishment-of-iwiled-bank-to-finance-building-on-mori-land
Would be useful to just help even up the playing field for ordinary mortgages, too.
There was once a upon a time a Government organisation called the Maori Housing Corporation that built houses for the Maori's.
Which also provided training for them as well at all levels of construction & at housing/ contract management etc
Curiously the Iwi organisations say its too risky to invest in.
No not curious Pat. As the Maori land is communally owned it can not be used as a security, only the building, which has to be removable …quirk of Law. So no security until build is signed off. That needs to change.
Who demands the security of the land Patricia?….the lending bank (or financial institution)….if the financial institution is the owner of the land the problem is moot.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Co-operative_Bank_(New_Zealand)
There is every opportunity for Iwi organisations to create a banking mechanism to provide capital for Iwi development and they have a natural support base. The restriction of Maori land is self imposed , which is the Iwi's right but the difficulty it creates is also theirs to solve….it is not insoluble, but like all investment it carries risk.
It IS curious that the risk is perceived too great.
The nation of rapists, thieves and murderers weren't content with looting toilets and household appliances.
https://twitter.com/lapatina_/status/1531195913888227328
May 28 (Reuters) – A ship has entered the Ukrainian port of Mariupol for the first time since Russia completed its capture of the city to load metal and ship it east to Russia, TASS news agency reported on Saturday, in a move that Kyiv decried as looting.
[…]
Ukraine's Human Rights Ombudsman Lyudmyla Denisova said the shipment amounted to looting by Russia.
"Looting in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine continues," she wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
"Following the theft of Ukrainian grain, the occupiers resorted to exporting metal products from Mariupol."
Ukraine's largest steelmaker Metinvest on Friday said it was concerned that Russia may use several ships stranded in Mariupol to "steal and smuggle metallurgical products" belonging to the group. It accused Russia of piracy.
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ship-take-metal-mariupol-russia-kyiv-decries-looting-2022-05-28/
Complete and utter propaganda joe …well done , for starters i doubt the " mayor " even said that last time i looked back in early may they just seemed to be getting on with it
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1I8SZeXGFo
I seriously doubt the death toll was anything like the figures you so gullibly quote but concerning the dead in a war generally what would be your alternative to a mass grave ?leave them lying around to rot ? give them all individual funerals ??
The ombudsman has been fired
Apparently for
A Ukrainian refugee in the UK says she recognises items apparently looted from her house sitting on top of a Russian tank in a recent photo.
Alina Koreniuk says the box in the photo contains a new boiler she planned to install before the war started.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-61643533
So, the social media platform of choice for the (former) Human Rights Ombudsman of Ukraine is:
Telegram.
The Russian occupation should be the least of Ukraine’s worries.
It's the social media platform of choice.
Sometimes maligned, Telegram becomes essential during Ukraine invasion
Ukrainian officials have leaned on the messaging app in recent weeks as a reliable way to disseminate information.
https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/sometimes-maligned-telegram-becomes-essential-ukraine-invasion-rcna18495
https://www.lawfareblog.com/telegrams-embrace-contradiction
Cool, cool. They're all using it. Hardly helps dispell the Russian claim Ukraine is full of Nazis.
forsan spoliae victoribus
But it's a special military operation, not a war.
"Rising costs have created a “ticking timebomb” for UK small business owners, the chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has warned, with almost half a million firms at risk of going bust within weeks without a fresh wave of government support."
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/may/30/almost-500000-uk-small-businesses-at-risk-of-going-bust-within-weeks
While Jacinda basks in the glory of meeting Joe Biden ,Andrew Little releases the Pharmac report that I believe sat on his desk waiting for and appropriate moment. A moment when our media had better things to do.
As usual, Pharmac, like everyone else, has been found to have failed Maori. And disabled people. Trans folk aren't mentioned, so we are sailing blind in that regard.
Quote:
''The panel found Pharmac’s model has delivered significant benefits, but to achieve its purpose these benefits need to be shared more equitably across our communities, especially for Māori and Pacific peoples.''
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/128823378/independent-review-finds-pharmac-needs-to-substantially-improve
RNZ story is a good summary: https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/468276/health-minister-urges-pharmac-to-focus-on-equity-and-collaboration
That's a good summary. Let's see how TV news handles this issue tonight.
Misleadingly
I've read the interim report, released last year – and the content of the final one, doesn’t seem to have changed much.
https://pharmacreview.health.govt.nz/assets/Uploads/final-report/Pharmac-Review-Final-Report.pdf
I'm wondering about this inequality in relation to Maori.
All of the comments I can find in the report are around Maori having less access to the existing drugs (e.g. less often disagnosed, or prescribed existing drugs) – which really has nothing to do with Pharmac.
[I mean, yeah, it needs to be addressed – but doesn't come within the areas that Pharmac control]
Pharmac was also caned for the reduced number of Maori employed (which may well have to do with the fact that medically qualified Maori can write their own ticket in any of the healthcare professions – and Pharmac isn't perhaps where they see they can make the most difference).
There was some speculation that diseases which predominantly affect Maori aren't getting the drug funding – but no concrete examples given in the report (though 2 drugs which do treat diseases more commonly experienced by Maori, were specifically mentioned as being funded by Pharmac in response to lobbying by Maori health groups – i.e. Pharmac is already doing it.)
Expenditure is more highly focused on the older age bracket. Which would be no surprise, since many of the drugs are life extenders (heart, blood pressure, cancer medication, etc.).
I do have some grave concerns over Little's stated policy
If this is just about integrating drug decision-making alongside other medical interventions – then that's one thing (and a highly desirable outcome). [Thinking here of prioritizing surgical interventions to reduce the drug costs for symptom management]
If it's opening the pathway to politicising Pharmac decisions – when, inevitably, the loudest voices with the best PR have the greatest weight – then that's quite another.
The best outcome from this report would be for Pharmac's decisions to be more open and transparent, and for them to be made in a much more timely fashion (and revisited if/when more information becomes available). However, the down-side of this, is that unless there is more money available, funding one drug means de-funding something else. TAANSTAFL
Sadly, for many of the special interest groups – NZ basically can't afford the 1st world standard of medical care that they would like to aspire to. Unless Pharmac's budget is increased very substantially (which I don't see as on the cards, given the economic climate), drug-treatment for rare and expensive treatments is simply not going to be publicly funded in NZ.
Refining how you slice the pie, doesn't change the size of it.
Politicising Pharmac decisions has been going on forever….the sooner we accept our health system operates on a triage methodology the better for all.
I agree. I see this announcement from Little as a move away from a fact-based triage model, to a more political one.
That's not to say that I don't think Pharmac could do a better job about making their decision making explicit and clear (because I think they've been poor in this area).
But we will never have enough money to fund everything – and the hard decisions about which communities will be helped and which won't, have to be made…
Put it this way as an example. Pharmac has $1000 to spend on a certain drug. That equates to 10 Pakeha and 3 Maori who qualify for such expenditure. Now, under the revised system that's more focus on Maori, Maori will have 6 seats( deserved or not) at the funding table while Pakeha drop to seven places. Why? Simple racism.
You may remember the DHB that prioritised Maori getting treatment first?
https://www.ccdhb.org.nz/news-publications/news-and-media-releases/2020-05-28-planned-surgery-maori-and-pacific-patients/
''Pharmac was also caned for the reduced number of Maori employed.''
I say, WhyTF is an issue like that in this report. Who cares?
Is Grant Robertson a bumbling fool, or just lying?
"We've got interest from a number of other players", he said on Tuesday, noting German discount supermarket Aldi as one of the "players in the Australian market that people can take a look at".
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/supermarket-giant-aldi-eyes-new-zealand-joining-costco-to-shake-up-duopoly/25M5FSB65PBR4PGLOTALAHBXAU/
A spokesperson for the chain has since confirmed it has "no current plans to expand into New Zealand".
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/468280/supermarket-giant-aldi-has-no-current-plans-to-enter-nz-market
Sometimes it pays to actually check with the company before saying they may do something when the next day they confirm they have no intention.
After the journalist wrote his story based on a "possibly" comment. They are predictable in their flimsy proof and out of context slants. Often a "gotcha" type relationship with reality.
Further a large photo of Luxon with a heading implying we are not engaging with other countries.
Since we opened up the PM has visited Singapore and Japan followed by a friendly call to congratulate Albanese on his Election win plus lead a delegation Trade Mission and meet the President of the USA. Right so "not doing anything?"
Maintaining an NZ companies registration for 20 years and then saying they have no current plans sounds like they're keeping their cards close.
One for all the Hillary Haters out there:
William Burr the AG for President Trump was supposed to find the real sticky dirt on Hillary's campaign and hired special counsel John Durham to go get it.
Durham went after Hillary's lawyer Michael Sussman and prosecuted.
Result:
Resounding loss against John Durham.
https://edition.cnn.com/2022/05/31/politics/trump-michael-sussman-election-conspiracy/index.html
And so how many have been required to give evidence from the Trump camp:
61 officials and advisers. Several jailed already, on Contempt.
LIST: Who the January 6 committee has subpoenaed or requested to appear – CNNPolitics
That's on top of the 34 indictments and guilty pleas for Trump officials and advisers that have already gone down:
Mueller indictments: everyone charged in the Russia investigation – Vox
It's a nice big setback against the filth of Trump's legacy. This was the investigation that was supposed to show bias by law enforcement investigating President Trump. Obviously it's the usual witch-hunt by Republican elected officials and their crony staff, when it is the Republicans who on the facts of massive prosecutions are the corrupt ones.
And once Navarro is done singing, Trump is going to try to plead the 5th and just get trashed. Can't wait.
Oh dear, how sad, never mind.
https://twitter.com/RonFilipkowski/status/1531715234175537153
The jury forewoman, who did not give her name, told reporters outside the courthouse that "I think we could have spent our time more wisely."
https://www.npr.org/2022/05/31/1102150260/special-counsel-durham-fails-first-courtroom-test-in-his-three-year-probe?
Swing and a miss
A lawyer with ties to the US Democratic party has been cleared of lying to the FBI during the frenzied final days of the 2016 presidential campaign. Michael Sussman, 58, had been charged with lying to investigators and concealing his ties to Hillary Clinton's campaign.
I just covered that above
You did indeed, just as I was making sure I had the link correct.
Good work, Ace.