Watched Winston responding to Ryan Bridge in interview just now on AM. Went well. Load of fun all around. He's totally on the ball at present. Bet it goes down a hoot with the yokels (if they can figure out how to get the re-run online). Kingmaker.
He even cited an instance of agreeing with Seymour to confound expectations. Doubt if the electorate wants to give him total control though – just enough to spoil the expectations of the two sprats he'll be having to teach a thing or two sometime eventually, after voters deliver murk on the day…
Winston thrives on 'Don't hate the player, hate the game.'
Support for NZ First is not an endorsement of Winston or anything he says but rather a protest at the whole nonsense….how large that protest ends up being will depend on how motivated the 'protesters' are to vote….I suspect a larger portion wont even bother to protest, they are resigned.
So Lux would have to prove his ability as a deal-maker. Only viable if Seymour refuses to do what Winston tells him. Lux needs to have an alternative to switch to, which means prior planning for Plan B, which means press the teal button on his option module.
National and Labour (MPs, if not wider party) could reach a minimalist but just about feasible agreement, if they really had to. Obviously they won't try, but that's for internal political reasons in both parties, not policy reasons.
National and the Greens are much further apart than that. A non-starter. Only brought up every 3 years by bored commentators.
Usually I'd agree with that. Currently it looms as a plausible outcome of negotiation failure. Realistic if the troika is dysfunctional. Since it has yet to function, it's easy to envisage the feasibility of that.
I suspect you mean leftists, but that's cool. I won't be the only non-partisan seeing it this way! I'm enjoying the discomfort on the right that the media are now generating.
The Greens and National did work together on the "Warm up New Zealand – Heat Smart programme in the earlier years of the John Key government but things have changed considerably; different leadership plus changed social and political environment.
Of course they can work together. They just won't be able to form a government in any way, unless National drastically changes its regressive policies. The GP could still vote in favour of good legislation, were Nat ever to put any forward.
Luxon was frustrated that the names of government entities were "Māori first and English second". He said he didn't mind having bilingual names but he thought English should be first, given it was the most commonly spoken language in New Zealand.
Was Luxon asked what the functional effect was of putting Maori names first? How does putting Maori names first affect the ability of the said government entities to fulfill their particular responsibilities?
Because the answer to this question is "it doesn't", the shameless opportunist should be laughed off the stage for not being a serious person, not being the heroic CEO with a remorseless focus on delivery*, but a shabby, half-hearted participant in the national cannibalism of culture wars.
*delivery. Luxon blathers on about delivery; but is never specific about what gets delivered. However, we all know that for 90% of us it's a sh…t sandwich.
the theory that human behaviour is determined by surrounding circumstances rather than by personal qualities.
a revolutionary political theory which regards modern industrial society as being inevitably oppressive and exploitative.
Makes sense that behaviour responds to situations but I doubt that discounting free will bv implication will ever work in practice, so cross out #1 as unrealistic. Inasmuch as being born into a capitalist society can be typically experienced as oppression and exploitation, fair to say many will rate #2 as realistic.
However the councillor mentioned it in a third sense: as a type of interactive relationship with another person, with mutually agreed terms. So looks like the meme is trending.
Excellent dv. In 29 years you'll have the $7k you need to make up for losing the clean car discount on that flash Tesla you have been eyeing up. Invest it wisely, and you could bring that time down by a year or two.
Among all Luxon/Williss's statements there are two that I can't understand. Willis is going to get beneficiaries into 'super' community jobs and Luxon is going to make many public servants redundant – replacing one lot of beneficiaries with another. Also in Luxon's first 100 days there doesn't seem to be any allowance for the days needed to negotiate with Winston.
Hmm. I doubt that "super community jobs" (if they existed at all) would be public servants as we normally understand the term. More likely exceptionally cheap, insecure, casual work allowing the private sector to lower wage costs. But who knows with these people. They are allowed to get away with so much nonsense they aren't even trying to be serious any more.
The election result is on Nov 3. Seat numbers usually change from election night. Then negotiations have to be concluded, then MPs are sworn in, then Parliament starts. So, next to nothing will be done before Xmas.
All this "first 100 days" talk is just part of the bluster … "I'm in charge, I'll hit the ground running". It sounds like action, and relies on the media lazily repeating empty claims instead of knowing how the process works.
If Nat+ACT have a guaranteed majority on election night (large enough to be immune from special votes, when Nats have historically lost seats) then negotiations between the 2 parties would take place while waiting for the result.
So they basically need 63, and even then they would want to talk to NZF, as insurance. The nightmare for National is that NZF are 4.9% on election night but get 5% in the final result, making the negotiations obsolete.
I suspect the media will start to focus on Winston's post-election track record sometime soon. That may force him to smarten up – but in physics the three-body orbital problem remains in the too-hard basket and I bet the analog applies to the right of politics here & now! They need time to converge.
For anybody who worked in the private sector during the 90s and was unfortunate enough to have American bosses parachuted in from a parent company, the 100-day thing sounds familiar. The Yanks loved to demand 30-day, 60-day, and 90-day plans and execution timelines. These times weren't even predicated on cobbling together a bogus, over-simplified Gantt chart based on estimates carefully garnered from the nether regions of middle management. No, they came in an unhygienically direct fashion straight from the nether regions of the boss. But all that misses the point – these 30, 60, 90-day fantasies weren't plans at all – they were assertions that "you are all lazy sods and you'll do as you are told". They were statements of absolute power.
For most of the people to whom this policy is pitched – the vision of currently highly-paid bureaucrats driving a bus for $30/hr – is not a down-side.
It's highly unlikely that many, if any, of the people who might be made redundant would be getting the unemployment benefit. Stand down, and mortgage/rent requirements will push them into getting another job (albeit with less salary and benefits) ASAP.
The long term beneficiaries are not those who've just lost a job, but rather those who have lots of other issues which make getting a job harder.
Just spent an evening with someone working in the education sector with several schools, some teachers have kids using their phs in class , to engage them with topics!
Redundant = redundancy payments = no savings = employment court backlog = more cost to taxpayer = court costs and penalty payments to plaintif = reinstment= full circle.
How about NZ adopt a federal constitution with our regions becoming Aussie/US style states, Canadian style provinces or Swiss style cantons? Central government would only look after immigration, trade, foreign affairs and defence.
Some examples could be Auckland could become a city-state province with very few trade restrictions, befitting its position as New Zealand’s major trading centre.
Wellington could become a federal capital like the ACT in Australia, or Washington DC in America, in which representatives of the provinces would meet to pass federal laws. It may or may not also have a government just for Wellington Province. This would ensure there was a minimum of disruption for Wellington and for the remaining central government in the transition to decentralisation.
Tuhoe, who have always claimed independence on the grounds that they did not sign the Treaty of Waitangi, could become a self-governing province. They would only be subject to federal law, and would otherwise have the freedom to set their own cultural agenda.
Nelson and Westland provinces could legalise cannabis and grow it on a wide scale, as well as legalise cannabis cafes that serviced both the local and the tourist markets.
Your design was envisaged in GP discussions & policy submissions just over 30 years ago – stuck in my memory. Grass-roots framing was used. Later, bio-regionalism became the focus (in the 1990s I think).
So I agree that enhanced local govt is feasible, with regions emerging for common -interest decision-making. It would have to be self-organising from the people though.
There's a way to blend that with top-down elitism if the elite are genuine in caring for the people. Negotiators could proceed on the basis of intelligent design.
Now that Chippy has covid, I wonder what will happen re the remaining leader's debates. The final debate is 12th of October. I think there is a Press debate this week.
I doubt that Chippy will be able to participate in the debate this week. Technically Chippy will have got through the 7 day Covid isolation period by then. But, I imagine he still might be feeling quite under the weather by then.
My suggestion is that the leaders debates be replaced with deputy leaders debates. So, Willis vs Davis.
But, I guess it is a moot point. I know people who have still felt absolute crap weeks after, even though they have technically recovered from Covid. So, the key thing is how well that Chippy will feel for the last debate, and whether there should be contingency for that in case he doesn't feel up to it.
I guess it’s moot discussing your wishful thunking.
Maybe, for the final TVNZ debate next week. But, certainly not for the Press debate this week, where contingencies are already being considered. One contingency being considered is moving the date of the debate. I guess that would depend on whether Chippy will be well enough for that possibility, and whether it can be squeezed into the schedule.
The feeling in my bones is that people are wetting themselves with excitement at the prospect of another electrifying leader's debate. So they may be bitterly disappointed if there is no debate as per the schedule, and may find the prospect of a debate between the intellectual heavy-weights, Willis and Davis, an equally mouth watering prospect.
I think that Press debate is held live in Christchurch? If so, it may just be too hard to arrange around schedules, especially this close to the election.
Luxons bluster and apparent nervousness and grasping at straws, like the "who's on top language one " and NZF phonecalls, make me think that maybe he knows something that we dont and that their own polling is not as on-track as the media presume. Not by much mind, but just Nat/ Act nowhere near the neccessary. Anybody else get this hopeful feeling?
From the "Who'd have thunk that ? " Files… (but it is good to see the numbers !)
An RNZ analysis of political donations since 2021 shows people involved in the property industry are giving the most – and almost all of it is going to National, ACT and NZ First.
RNZ's analysis shows National has received more than $1.3m in donations from people involved in the property industry since the beginning of 2021. The party has made no secret of a series of policies it has that are favourable to the property sector
I enjoyed the TVNZ Sunday piece on the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study (aka "Dunedin Longitudinal Study" and "Dunedin Study") and the recent death death of its director, Richie Poulton. John Campbell's elegiac lyricism was exactly right for this topic (sometimes it's not). In line with the "nature loads the gun, nurture pulls the trigger" hypothesis, Poulton mentioned briefly that the biggest thing the study had taught him was that the childhood experience of poverty is extremely problematic, potentially pulling many triggers. It is hard not to believe that many of our social problems would in large part wash away in a couple of generations if we effectively ended poverty. Instead I have to listen to Mark Mitchell wanting to get tough on crime. Depressing.
Difficult to eradicate poverty if you arnt prepared to redistribute wealth.
Like you I think many of our social problems would in large part disappear if poverty were ended, however a couple of generations is about 40 years so what is to be done about the mess we have already created meantime…ignoring it is not an option.
"Ignoring it is not an option". Agree Pat. I do think that the short-term interventions (some balance of support and disapproval/punishment) should be influenced by our belief in the long-term approach – and that we might be surprised at how quickly poverty reduction starts to produce small incremental gains.
Nat (Willux) policies will (further) entrench poverty in Kiwi society – not just physically, but also in hearts and minds. Actually, NAct pollies are the real "bottom feeders", imho.
The Baron found himself repeating his words mindlessly
In a dull, trance-like state.
He began to perspire under the hot and fiery sun
And the silent watchful gaze of a crowd of bottom feeders
Who gathered by the roadside with their petitions and pleas.
“Tax cuts for everyone!” shouted the Baron with forced cheer
As he tried to escape through the throng of odorous peasants.
He edged around a giant hole in the road.
“Help,” he heard a voice cry from the bottomless pit,
“I fell down here looking for The Details.”
The Baron pretended not to hear Lady Nicola,
For there before him was the Magnificent Castle of State.
Why poverty in New Zealand is everyone’s concern
Liang describes poverty as a “heritable condition” that perpetuates and amplifies through generations: “It is also not hard to see how individual poverty flows into communities and society, with downstream effects on economics, crime and health, as well as many other systems. Loosen one strand and everything else unravels.”
Drivers asked to slow down after rare bitterns killed near Dargaville
Department of Conservation (DOC) senior biodiversity ranger Reuben Booth said it was likely the birds were catching skinks on the roadside when they were hit.
He pleaded with drivers to keep an eye out for the tall, brown-and-white speckled birds, especially where the road passes wetlands, their favoured habitat.
Booth said the bittern was so rare, the loss of even two birds could affect the species' chances of survival.
Colin French, a kaitiaki for local hapū Te Uri o Hau, said the matuku hūrepo was a rare taonga species.
"Slow down, they won't always run, as sometimes they will stand still like a stick as a defence mechanism to camouflage themselves from predators or threats," French said.
There are native skinks and then there are the Australian invaders (rainbow or plague skinks). They have invaded our place in Auckland and look a lot like native skinks. Kingfisher (kotare) round here seem to account for a few and even a lucky sparrow or two gets in on the act. . Bitterns probably lack either the knowledge or inclination to distinguish between the natives and the Aussies, but are probably eating mostly the latter. I remember seeing bittern in the swampy areas of farmland when camped at Kai-iwi lakes (also near Dargaville) in the mid '70's. The trout in the lakes were in their prime then – plenty in 2.5 to 3kg range and some of the few trout anywhere actually worth eating..
“Given the 100 days programme begins from when a coalition agreement is completed, will it start this year or next year”?
Follow up question, “are you confident of the coalition agreement holding for 100 days”?
“How can you guarantee to realise this programme in 100 days before a coalition agreement has been reached”?
“How many lies have you told about this before today”
What, if anything, you have said will you stand by, rather than make any changes to form a coalition agreement?
Do you know what a grifter is?
“And is the party you lead working for the landlord class, property developer, speculator, real estate industry, the employer class, the climate change denying farming lobby, – the people who donate money to your party”.
100 days plans are a form of right-wing virtue signalling. They mark the heroic determination to deliver, not be held back by bureaucrats, red tape and ultimately, reality. All we need is an art deco-style poster of Luxon with sleeves rolled up shaking his fist at the sky in defiance, and the historical antecedents will be clear.
Not forgetting Colonel Willis’ very secret blend of foreign buyer tax and rising house prices.
Pulling tax from one part of teetering Jenga tower to place it in another [updated 20 Sept 2023]
At its core, National’s tax plan is all about property.
It should be no surprise that the real estate sector, who stand to gain from an influx of affluent foreign buyers, have been the most vocal in their enthusiasm for National’s tax plan.
How was he going to debate Hipkins? Hipkins was unavailable.
This chicken stuff seems a bit below the belt.
Bishop, on RNZ this morning raised the possibility of Willis v Davis ( the deputies). My immediate thought was it would be a mismatch, considering what a low profile Davis has had and he doesn't strike me as much of a effective debater.
Edit, ahh I see, this is in the context of a future event.
Labour rejected that, according to media I saw or heard earlier. The prospect of her running rings around poor ole Kelvin spooked them. I don't see the point of having a party deputy leader if you're too scared to use him.
Does seem kinda strange that Lux would pass on the opportunity though. Maybe he's never heard of practice makes perfect? Does this debate get televised? I looked at freeview's guide but it wasn't there.
"Does seem kinda strange that Lux would pass on the opportunity though."
Hipkins needs the debate way, way more than Luxon does. Makes sense not to give him the opportunity. The desperation explains Labour's over reaction to the whole affair.
He's signaling that the election is a sideshow, he's already won and is calling the shots. Democratic niceties are just holding him back from 'delivering' now, the 100-day plan is on the table, it's all over, get the show on the road, the only game in town, the boss is on the phone, the natural order of things is resumed.
You know, that's not a completely stupid tactic if the Nats were up to it.
It would be pretty risky, and annoy a few people (debate ticket holders etc), but it may enhance the idea they're trying to create that "the contest was over a long time ago".
Dunno about Luxon, but Slippery John would have thought he could get away with it.
I've heard Big Lux say multiple time that he is not going to be lectured by Hipkins, or take advice from him, or be given lessons on economics by him. The language is suggestive of an imperial mindset – of an authority that comes from some place other than a democratic mandate of the people. That other place might be the heroic status of being a mighty CEO, or (freakily) it might be God.
It could be a mix of both. Although I have my doubts about his so-called Christianity. Its starting to look more like it was means to an end and nothing more than that. His archaic views on social issues such as abortion, women's rights generally and the quip “bottom feeders” are far more concerning.
Taking the country backwards needs to be spelt out in detail by Labour and the Greens because I don't think many people comprehend what it will mean for them.
Have we not just continued with the protection of privilege since the 1984 market reforms? Merely moved from import licensing, tariffs and subsidy to a pampering of the landlord class (mortgage deductability against rent income, no real CGT, no estate or wealth taxation, no stamp duties – there is nothing like it in the rest of the world), the employer class (ECA and no FPA industry awards easy hire of migrants etc – little like it in the rest of the world, or its scale – because holding down wages results in loss to Oz) and otherwise pandering to the industrial scale dairying by volume business.
The results are in, overpriced land, unafforable homes for underpaid workers and an insufferable party of grifters who work them (National Party).
Chippy said he'd reschedule any other date, provide another debater or even do it via zoom, and Lux still declined. Man, that's as much of a sook out as you can get.
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Among the many other problems associated with Musk/DOGE sending a fleet of teenage and twenty-something cultists to remove, copy and appropriate federal records like social security, medicaid and other supposedly protected data is the fact that the youngsters doing the data-removal, copying and security protocol and filter code over-writing have ...
Jokerman dance to the nightingale tuneBird fly high by the light of the moonOh, oh, oh, JokermanSong by Bob Dylan.Morena folks, I hope this fine morning of the 7th of February finds you well. We're still close to Paihia, just a short drive out of town. Below is the view ...
It’s been an eventful week as always, so here’s a few things that we have found interesting. We also hope everyone had a happy and relaxing Waitangi Day! This week in Greater Auckland We’re still running on summer time, but provided two chewy posts: On Tuesday, a guest ...
Queuing on Queen St: the Government is set to announce another apparently splashy growth policy on Sunday of offering residence visas to wealthy migrants. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Friday, February 7:PM Christopher ...
The fact that Waitangi ended up being such a low-key affair may mark it out as one of the most significant Waitangi Days in recent years. A group of women draped in “Toitu Te Tiriti” banners who turned their backs on the politicians’ powhiri was about as rough as it ...
Hi,This week’s Flightless Bird episode was about “fake seizure guy” — a Melbourne man who fakes seizures in order to get members of the public to sit on him.The audio documentary (which I have included in this newsletter in case you don’t listen to Flightless Bird) built on reporting first ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Karin Kirk The 119th Congress comes with a price tag. The oil and gas industry gave about $24 million in campaign contributions to the members of the U.S. House and Senate expected to be sworn in January 3, 2025, according to a ...
Early morning, the shadows still long, but you can already feel the warmth building. Our motel was across the road from the historic homestead where Henry Williams' family lived. The evening before, we wandered around the gardens, reading the plaques and enjoying the close proximity to the history of the ...
Thanks folks for your feedback, votes and comments this week. I’ll be making the changes soon. Appreciate all your emails, comments and subscriptions too. I know your time is valuable - muchas gracias.A lot is happening both here and around the world - so I want to provide a snippets ...
Data released today by Statistics NZ shows that unemployment rose to 5.1%, with 33,000 more people out of work than last year said NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi Economist Craig Renney. “The latest data shows that employment fell in Aotearoa at its fastest rate since the GFC. Unemployment rose in 8 ...
The December labour market statistics have been released, showing yet another increase in unemployment. There are now 156,000 unemployed - 34,000 more than when National took office. And having thrown all these people out of work, National is doubling down on cruelty. Because being vicious will somehow magically create the ...
Boarded up homes in Kilbirnie, where work on a planned development was halted. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Wednesday, February 5 are;Housing Minister Chris Bishop yesterday announcedKāinga Ora would be stripped of ...
This week Kiwirail and Auckland Transport were celebrating the completion of the summer rail works that had the network shut or for over a month and the start of electric trains to Pukekohe. First up, here’s parts of the press release about the shutdown works. Passengers boarding trains in Auckland ...
Through its austerity measures, the coalition government has engineered a rise in unemployment in order to reduce inflation while – simultaneously – cracking down harder and harder on the people thrown out of work by its own policies. To that end, Social Development Minister Louise Upston this week added two ...
This year, we've seen a radical, white supremacist government ignoring its Tiriti obligations, refusing to consult with Māori, and even trying to legislatively abrogate te Tiriti o Waitangi. When it was criticised by the Waitangi Tribunal, the government sabotaged that body, replacing its legal and historical experts with corporate shills, ...
Poor old democracy, it really is in a sorry state. It would be easy to put all the blame on the vandals and tyrants presently trashing the White House, but this has been years in the making. It begins with Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan and the spirit of Gordon ...
The new school lunches came in this week, and they were absolutely scrumptious.I had some, and even though Connor said his tasted like “stodge” and gave him a sore tummy, I myself loved it!Look at the photos - I knew Mr Seymour wouldn’t lie when he told us last year:"It ...
The tighter sanctions are modelled on ones used in Britain, which did push people off ‘the dole’, but didn’t increase the number of workers, and which evidence has repeatedly shown don’t work. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, ...
Catching you up on the morning’s global news and a quick look at the parallels -GLOBALTariffs are backSharemarkets in the US, UK and Europe have “plunged” in response to Trump’s tariffs. And while Mexico has won a one month reprieve, Canada and China will see their respective 25% and 10% ...
This post by Nicolas Reid was originally published on Linked in. It is republished here with permission. Gondolas are often in the news, with manufacturers of ropeway systems proposing them as a modern option for mass transit systems in New Zealand. However, like every next big thing in transport, it’s hard ...
The Whangarei District Council being forced to fluoridate their local water supply is facing a despotic Soviet-era disgrace. This is not a matter of being pro-fluoride or anti-fluoride. It is a matter of what New Zealanders see and value as democracy in our country. Individual democratically elected Councillors are not ...
Nicola Willis’ latest supermarket announcement is painfully weak with no new ideas, no real plan, and no relief for Kiwis struggling with rising grocery costs. ...
Half of Pacific children sometimes going without food is just one of many heartbreaking lowlights in the Salvation Army’s annual State of the Nation report. ...
The Salvation Army’s State of the Nation report is a bleak indictment on the failure of Government to take steps to end poverty, with those on benefits, including their children, hit hardest. ...
New Zealand First has today introduced a Member’s Bill which would restore decision-making power to local communities regarding the fluoridation of drinking water. The ‘Fluoridation (Referendum) Legislation Bill’ seeks to repeal the Health (Fluoridation of Drinking Water) Amendment Act 2021 that granted centralised authority to the Direct General of Health ...
New Zealand First has introduced a Member’s Bill aimed at preventing banks from refusing their services to businesses because of the current “Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Framework”. “This Bill ensures fairness and prevents ESG standards from perpetuating woke ideology in the banking sector being driven by unelected, globalist, climate ...
Erica Stanford has reached peak shortsightedness if today’s announcement is anything to go by, picking apart immigration settings piece by piece to the detriment of the New Zealand economy. ...
Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. The intention was to establish a colony with the cession of sovereignty to the Crown, ...
Te Whatu Ora Chief Executive Margie Apa leaving her job four months early is another symptom of this government’s failure to deliver healthcare for New Zealanders. ...
The Green Party is calling for the Prime Minister to show leadership and be unequivocal about Aotearoa New Zealand’s opposition to a proposal by the US President to remove Palestinians from Gaza. ...
The latest unemployment figures reveal that job losses are hitting Māori and Pacific people especially hard, with Māori unemployment reaching a staggering 9.7% for the December 2024 quarter and Pasifika unemployment reaching 10.5%. ...
Waitangi 2025: Waitangi Day must be community and not politically driven - Shane Jones Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. ...
Despite being confronted every day with people in genuine need being stopped from accessing emergency housing – National still won’t commit to building more public houses. ...
The Green Party says the Government is giving up on growing the country’s public housing stock, despite overwhelming evidence that we need more affordable houses to solve the housing crisis. ...
Before any thoughts of the New Year and what lies ahead could even be contemplated, New Zealand reeled with the tragedy of Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming losing her life. For over 38 years she had faithfully served as a front-line Police officer. Working alongside her was Senior Sergeant Adam Ramsay ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson will return to politics at Waitangi on Monday the 3rd of February where she will hold a stand up with fellow co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick. ...
Te Pāti Māori is appalled by the government's blatant mishandling of the school lunch programme. David Seymour’s ‘cost-saving’ measures have left tamariki across Aotearoa with unidentifiable meals, causing distress and outrage among parents and communities alike. “What’s the difference between providing inedible food, and providing no food at all?” Said ...
The Government is doubling down on outdated and volatile fossil fuels, showing how shortsighted and destructive their policies are for working New Zealanders. ...
Green Party MP Steve Abel this morning joined Coromandel locals in Waihi to condemn new mining plans announced by Shane Jones in the pit of the town’s Australian-owned Gold mine. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to strengthen its just-announced 2030-2035 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement and address its woeful lack of commitment to climate security. ...
Today marks a historic moment for Taranaki iwi with the passing of the Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill in Parliament. "Today, we stand together as descendants of Taranaki, and our tūpuna, Taranaki Maunga, is now formally acknowledged by the law as a living tūpuna. ...
Labour is relieved to see Children’s Minister Karen Chhour has woken up to reality and reversed her government’s terrible decisions to cut funding from frontline service providers – temporarily. ...
It is the first week of David Seymour’s school lunch programme and already social media reports are circulating of revolting meals, late deliveries, and mislabelled packaging. ...
The Green Party says that with no-cause evictions returning from today, the move to allow landlords to end tenancies without reason plunges renters, and particularly families who rent, into insecurity and stress. ...
The Government’s move to increase speed limits substantially on dozens of stretches of rural and often undivided highways will result in more serious harm. ...
In her first announcement as Economic Growth Minister, Nicola Willis chose to loosen restrictions for digital nomads from other countries, rather than focus on everyday Kiwis. ...
The Government’s commitment to get New Zealand’s roads back on track is delivering strong results, with around 98 per cent of potholes on state highways repaired within 24 hours of identification every month since targets were introduced, Transport Minister Chris Bishop says. “Increasing productivity to help rebuild our economy is ...
The former Cadbury factory will be the site of the Inpatient Building for the new Dunedin Hospital and Health Minister Simeon Brown says actions have been taken to get the cost overruns under control. “Today I am giving the people of Dunedin certainty that we will build the new Dunedin ...
From today, Plunket in Whāngarei will be offering childhood immunisations – the first of up to 27 sites nationwide, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. The investment of $1 million into the pilot, announced in October 2024, was made possible due to the Government’s record $16.68 billion investment in health. It ...
New Zealand’s strong commitment to the rights of disabled people has continued with the response to an important United Nations report, Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston has announced. Of the 63 concluding observations of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), 47 will be progressed ...
Resources Minister Shane Jones has launched New Zealand’s national Minerals Strategy and Critical Minerals List, documents that lay a strategic and enduring path for the mineral sector, with the aim of doubling exports to $3 billion by 2035. Mr Jones released the documents, which present the Coalition Government’s transformative vision ...
Firstly I want to thank OceanaGold for hosting our event today. Your operation at Waihi is impressive. I want to acknowledge local MP Scott Simpson, local government dignitaries, community stakeholders and all of you who have gathered here today. It’s a privilege to welcome you to the launch of the ...
Racing Minister, Winston Peters has announced the Government is preparing public consultation on GST policy proposals which would make the New Zealand racing industry more competitive. “The racing industry makes an important economic contribution. New Zealand thoroughbreds are in demand overseas as racehorses and for breeding. The domestic thoroughbred industry ...
Business confidence remains very high and shows the economy is on track to improve, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis says. “The latest ANZ Business Outlook survey, released yesterday, shows business confidence and expected own activity are ‘still both very high’.” The survey reports business confidence fell eight points to +54 ...
Enabling works have begun this week on an expanded radiology unit at Hawke’s Bay Fallen Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital which will double CT scanning capacity in Hawke’s Bay to ensure more locals can benefit from access to timely, quality healthcare, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. This investment of $29.3m in the ...
The Government has today announced New Zealand’s second international climate target under the Paris Agreement, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand will reduce emissions by 51 to 55 per cent compared to 2005 levels, by 2035. “We have worked hard to set a target that is both ambitious ...
Nine years of negotiations between the Crown and iwi of Taranaki have concluded following Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/the Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill passing its third reading in Parliament today, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “This Bill addresses the historical grievances endured by the eight iwi ...
As schools start back for 2025, there will be a relentless focus on teaching the basics brilliantly so all Kiwi kids grow up with the knowledge, skills and competencies needed to grow the New Zealand of the future, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “A world-leading education system is a key ...
Housing Minister Chris Bishop and Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson have welcomed Kāinga Ora’s decision to re-open its tender for carpets to allow wool carpet suppliers to bid. “In 2024 Kāinga Ora issued requests for tender (RFTs) seeking bids from suppliers to carpet their properties,” Mr Bishop says. “As part ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today visited Otahuhu College where the new school lunch programme has served up healthy lunches to students in the first days of the school year. “As schools open in 2025, the programme will deliver nutritious meals to around 242,000 students, every school day. On ...
Minister for Children Karen Chhour has intervened in Oranga Tamariki’s review of social service provider contracts to ensure Barnardos can continue to deliver its 0800 What’s Up hotline. “When I found out about the potential impact to this service, I asked Oranga Tamariki for an explanation. Based on the information ...
A bill to make revenue collection on imported and exported goods fairer and more effective had its first reading in Parliament, Customs Minister Casey Costello said today. “The Customs (Levies and Other Matters) Amendment Bill modernises the way in which Customs can recover the costs of services that are needed ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Department of Internal Affairs [the Department] has achieved significant progress in completing applications for New Zealand citizenship. “December 2024 saw the Department complete 5,661 citizenship applications, the most for any month in 2024. This is a 54 per cent increase compared ...
Reversals to Labour’s blanket speed limit reductions begin tonight and will be in place by 1 July, says Minister of Transport Chris Bishop. “The previous government was obsessed with slowing New Zealanders down by imposing illogical and untargeted speed limit reductions on state highways and local roads. “National campaigned on ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis has announced Budget 2025 – the Growth Budget - will be delivered on Thursday 22 May. “This year’s Budget will drive forward the Government’s plan to grow our economy to improve the incomes of New Zealanders now and in the years ahead. “Budget 2025 will build ...
For the Government, 2025 will bring a relentless focus on unleashing the growth we need to lift incomes, strengthen local businesses and create opportunity. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today laid out the Government’s growth agenda in his Statement to Parliament. “Just over a year ago this Government was elected by ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour welcomes students back to school with a call to raise attendance from last year. “The Government encourages all students to attend school every day because there is a clear connection between being present at school and setting yourself up for a bright future,” says Mr ...
The Government is relaxing visitor visa requirements to allow tourists to work remotely while visiting New Zealand, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis, Immigration Minister Erica Stanford and Tourism Minister Louise Upston say. “The change is part of the Government’s plan to unlock New Zealand’s potential by shifting the country onto ...
The opening of Kāinga Ora’s development of 134 homes in Epuni, Lower Hutt will provide much-needed social housing for Hutt families, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I’ve been a strong advocate for social housing on Kāinga Ora’s Epuni site ever since the old earthquake-prone housing was demolished in 2015. I ...
Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay will travel to Australia today for meetings with Australian Trade Minister, Senator Don Farrell, and the Australia New Zealand Leadership Forum (ANZLF). Mr McClay recently hosted Minister Farrell in Rotorua for the annual Closer Economic Relations (CER) Trade Ministers’ meeting, where ANZLF presented on ...
A new monthly podiatry clinic has been launched today in Wairoa and will bring a much-needed service closer to home for the Wairoa community, Health Minister Simeon Brown says.“Health New Zealand has been successful in securing a podiatrist until the end of June this year to meet the needs of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra When parliamentarians left Canberra on Thursday after the fortnight sitting, federal politics had the air of an uneasy waiting game. Waiting for the election date, although the campaign has been running for months. ...
The Health Committee has heard from both the Minister for Mental Health, and from members of the public offering their own lived experience of mental health treatment. ...
The regional imperialist powers, including Australia, New Zealand and France have maintained neo-colonial control over the Southwest Pacific for more than a century, keeping the fragile island nations in a state of dependency with conditions of poverty ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Milad Haghani, Associate Professor & Principal Fellow in Urban Risk & Resilience, The University of Melbourne Public transport in Queensland now costs just 50 cents. Yet in the first six months of the trial, it’s been revealed that thousands of commuters were ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Susan Harris Rimmer, Professor, Griffith Law School, Griffith University Two federal politicians from opposing camps reached across the aisle this week to promote a valuable cause – the wellbeing of future Australian generations. Independent MP Sophie Scamps tabled the Wellbeing of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jane Younger, Lecturer in Southern Ocean Vertebrate Ecology, Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania Australia’s Antarctic territory represents the largest sliver of the ice continent. For decades, Australian scientists have headed to one of our three bases – Mawson, ...
A Māori Purposes Bill is an omnibus bill that enables minor, technical, and non-controversial amendments to legislation relating to Māori affairs. This Māori Purposes Bill aims to modernise some legislation relating to Māori Affairs. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Catherine Campbell, Lecturer, Performing Arts, UniSA Creative, University of South Australia Matt Byrne/STCSA Housework, a new play by Emily Steel, lifts the rock off politics to expose its crawling, ruthless, yet undeniably comic underside. The result is masterful, hilarious and deeply ...
After two years of major damage from storms, a key government unit has made an abrupt change to focus on cyber security over and above natural disasters. ...
Pacific Media Watch Papua New Guinea’s civic space has been rated as “obstructed” by the Civicus Monitor and the country has been criticised for pushing forward with a controversial media law in spite of strong opposition. Among concerns previously documented by the civil rights watchdog are harassment and threats against ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jane Younger, Lecturer in Southern Ocean Vertebrate Ecology, Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania Australia’s Antarctic territory represents the largest sliver of the ice continent. For decades, Australian scientists have headed to one of our three bases – Mawson, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Scott Dwyer, Research Director, Energy Futures, University of Technology Sydney 24K-Productions Our cars sit unused most of the time. If you have an electric vehicle, you might leave it charging at home or work after driving it. But there’s another step ...
Everything you missed from day four of the Treaty principles bill hearings, when the Justice Committee heard two hours of submissions.Read our recaps of the previous hearings here.Parliament’s Room 3 was the same old, same old on Thursday morning for the fourth Treaty principles bill hearing – brown ...
By Melina Etches of the Cook Islands News A motion of no confidence has been filed against the Prime Minister and his Cabinet following the recent fiasco involving the now-abandoned Cook Islands passport proposal and the comprehensive strategic partnership the country will sign with China this week. Cook Islands United ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Scott Dwyer, Research Director, Energy Futures, University of Technology Sydney 24K-Productions Our cars sit unused most of the time. If you have an electric vehicle, you might leave it charging at home or work after driving it. But there’s another step ...
The December results are reported against forecasts based on the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update 2024 (HYEFU 2024), published on 17 December 2024, and the results for the same period for the previous year. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ajay Narendra, Associate Professor of Insect Neuroethology, Macquarie University Pranav Joshi Jumping spiders – one of the largest spider families – get their name from the extraordinary jumps they make to hunt prey, to navigate and also to evade predators. Male ...
Both ministers have confirm they shared a phone call on Thursday morning, with the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement due to expire next month. ...
The final designs for the long-awaited Courtenay Place revamp have been released. Joel MacManus takes a closer look at the details. At an embargoed media briefing on Wednesday, Wellington mayor Tory Whanau and a team of council staff showed journalists a 3D-printed model of Courtenay Place. For about an hour, ...
The Economic Growth Minister is targeting increasing competition in the banking, grocery, and electricity sectors for the government to address this year. ...
Ecomatters Bike Hub has helped 30,000 Aucklanders start cycling. Shanti Mathias rides over to understand the impact of these community bike workshops.When An Na moved with her husband and two kids to Auckland in 2022, it took a while to start learning their way around. “We started taking our ...
Echo Chamber is The Spinoff’s dispatch from the press gallery, recapping sessions in the House. Columns are written by politics reporter Lyric Waiwiri-Smith and Wellington editor Joel MacManus. Labour leader Chris Hipkins is on the war path – the path being the overthrowing of Act leader David Seymour, and hopefully ...
Callaghan Innovation told 63 workers their roles were being made redundant, including 16 commercialisation roles, 14 scientists and engineers, 6 Māori Innovation roles, and others working in data, digital, product design, risk and audit, marketing, government ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elizabeth Sheedy, Professor – Risk governance, culture, remuneration, Macquarie University This week the corporate regulator is taking on executives and directors of Star Entertainment in the Federal Court, in a landmark case for Australian corporate governance. ASIC will allege that despite multiple ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cameron Allen, Senior Research Fellow, Monash University Shutterstock It’s hard to remember a time the United States seemed as tense and divided as it does today. That should serve as a stark reminder of just how important it is to monitor ...
I’m a proud atheist who outgrew my religious upbringing. So why am I getting antsy about the rapture all of a sudden? Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nz Dear Hera,I’m a proud atheist and since I managed to move past the childhood trauma of my religious upbringing ...
Analysis: A couple of hours ago, Cook Islands prime minister Mark Brown posted a Facebook picture from a visit to China’s National Deep Sea Centre in Qingdao, 700km north of Shanghai. The centre’s crewed submarine ‘Jiaolong’ has just been given a major upgrade and is set for sea trials in March. This is no ...
Watched Winston responding to Ryan Bridge in interview just now on AM. Went well. Load of fun all around. He's totally on the ball at present. Bet it goes down a hoot with the yokels (if they can figure out how to get the re-run online). Kingmaker.
He even cited an instance of agreeing with Seymour to confound expectations. Doubt if the electorate wants to give him total control though – just enough to spoil the expectations of the two sprats he'll be having to teach a thing or two sometime eventually, after voters deliver murk on the day…
Winston thrives on 'Don't hate the player, hate the game.'
Support for NZ First is not an endorsement of Winston or anything he says but rather a protest at the whole nonsense….how large that protest ends up being will depend on how motivated the 'protesters' are to vote….I suspect a larger portion wont even bother to protest, they are resigned.
James explains Luxon's fall-back option:
So Lux would have to prove his ability as a deal-maker. Only viable if Seymour refuses to do what Winston tells him. Lux needs to have an alternative to switch to, which means prior planning for Plan B, which means press the teal button on his option module.
Are you still pushing that blue/Green BS ? Do you honestly think that would fly? Beside the fact that the Nats arent even..a "teal" Environment group.
Give it a rest aye?
No I'm not pushing it. I'm a bystander commenting on what the media are exploring for our election outcome.
"what the media are exploring for our election outcome."
nah
"what the media are
exploringclick baiting for our election outcome."FIFY![devil devil](https://cdn2.thestandard.org.nz/wp-content/plugins/ark-wysiwyg-comment-editor/ckeditor/plugins/smiley/images/devil_smile.png?x42494)
Oh, the Teal Fantasy again.
National and Labour (MPs, if not wider party) could reach a minimalist but just about feasible agreement, if they really had to. Obviously they won't try, but that's for internal political reasons in both parties, not policy reasons.
National and the Greens are much further apart than that. A non-starter. Only brought up every 3 years by bored commentators.
Usually I'd agree with that. Currently it looms as a plausible outcome of negotiation failure. Realistic if the troika is dysfunctional. Since it has yet to function, it's easy to envisage the feasibility of that.
It might be an option in your mind Dennis, but nobody else with any credibility takes it seriously.
If the troika Nat/ACT/NZF gains 60+ seats but is dysfunctional we are in for another election.
I suspect you mean leftists, but that's cool. I won't be the only non-partisan seeing it this way! I'm enjoying the discomfort on the right that the media are now generating.![angel angel](https://cdn2.thestandard.org.nz/wp-content/plugins/ark-wysiwyg-comment-editor/ckeditor/plugins/smiley/images/angel_smile.png?x42494)
The Greens and National did work together on the "Warm up New Zealand – Heat Smart programme in the earlier years of the John Key government but things have changed considerably; different leadership plus changed social and political environment.
Of course they can work together. They just won't be able to form a government in any way, unless National drastically changes its regressive policies. The GP could still vote in favour of good legislation, were Nat ever to put any forward.
Luxon is all over the place this morning (like most mornings). Open mouth, make it up. He can't even answer basic questions:
Election 2023: Watch live – National’s Christopher Luxon faces Newstalk ZB’s Leaders Breakfast – NZ Herald
He's focused on the big issues …
Luxon was frustrated that the names of government entities were "Māori first and English second". He said he didn't mind having bilingual names but he thought English should be first, given it was the most commonly spoken language in New Zealand.
Was Luxon asked what the functional effect was of putting Maori names first? How does putting Maori names first affect the ability of the said government entities to fulfill their particular responsibilities?
Because the answer to this question is "it doesn't", the shameless opportunist should be laughed off the stage for not being a serious person, not being the heroic CEO with a remorseless focus on delivery*, but a shabby, half-hearted participant in the national cannibalism of culture wars.
*delivery. Luxon blathers on about delivery; but is never specific about what gets delivered. However, we all know that for 90% of us it's a sh…t sandwich.
And the National Party’s greatest failing?
They didn't even get bread for their shit sandwich
Let them eat cake!
Wales and Ireland would say differently.
"Researchers in Wales found that motorists’ reading comprehension time saw no increase when English was displayed above Welsh on bilingual signage."
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/132174311/what-happened-when-ireland-got-bilingual-road-signs
Ir's Luxon dog-whistling to the likes of the pakeha Auckland woman who came into our NZLP electorate HQ who said; "I'm not a racist, but….."
Yes observer. I struggled to watch the whole shambles. Very few questions answered. Usual bluster. Heaven help us.
https://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/on-air/mike-hosking-breakfast/audio/christopher-luxon-listen-to-full-leaders-breakfast-with-national-leader-talking-economy-tax-plan-education-healthcare-and-crime/
I'd never heard of it but an Auckland councillor mentioned it on the AM show:
Makes sense that behaviour responds to situations but I doubt that discounting free will bv implication will ever work in practice, so cross out #1 as unrealistic. Inasmuch as being born into a capitalist society can be typically experienced as oppression and exploitation, fair to say many will rate #2 as realistic.
However the councillor mentioned it in a third sense: as a type of interactive relationship with another person, with mutually agreed terms. So looks like the meme is trending.
Did Natz calc on tax relief
We get $4.60 A WEEK WOW.
Excellent dv. In 29 years you'll have the $7k you need to make up for losing the clean car discount on that flash Tesla you have been eyeing up. Invest it wisely, and you could bring that time down by a year or two.
How many ice creams is that?
One
No money for a DVD rental then!!! Willis lied to us!!!
I could save for that BW
Are there DVDs to rent still? I haven't seen a video rental place for at least a decade.
Think of it by the month as a minimal Netflix account.
Among all Luxon/Williss's statements there are two that I can't understand. Willis is going to get beneficiaries into 'super' community jobs and Luxon is going to make many public servants redundant – replacing one lot of beneficiaries with another. Also in Luxon's first 100 days there doesn't seem to be any allowance for the days needed to negotiate with Winston.
Hmm. I doubt that "super community jobs" (if they existed at all) would be public servants as we normally understand the term. More likely exceptionally cheap, insecure, casual work allowing the private sector to lower wage costs. But who knows with these people. They are allowed to get away with so much nonsense they aren't even trying to be serious any more.
The election result is on Nov 3. Seat numbers usually change from election night. Then negotiations have to be concluded, then MPs are sworn in, then Parliament starts. So, next to nothing will be done before Xmas.
All this "first 100 days" talk is just part of the bluster … "I'm in charge, I'll hit the ground running". It sounds like action, and relies on the media lazily repeating empty claims instead of knowing how the process works.
AND 'negotiations" will take how long?
1 day 2 days 7 days 20 days ………. 50 days
If Nat+ACT have a guaranteed majority on election night (large enough to be immune from special votes, when Nats have historically lost seats) then negotiations between the 2 parties would take place while waiting for the result.
So they basically need 63, and even then they would want to talk to NZF, as insurance. The nightmare for National is that NZF are 4.9% on election night but get 5% in the final result, making the negotiations obsolete.
Not an impossible outcome, at all.
I suspect the media will start to focus on Winston's post-election track record sometime soon. That may force him to smarten up – but in physics the three-body orbital problem remains in the too-hard basket and I bet the analog applies to the right of politics here & now! They need time to converge.
For anybody who worked in the private sector during the 90s and was unfortunate enough to have American bosses parachuted in from a parent company, the 100-day thing sounds familiar. The Yanks loved to demand 30-day, 60-day, and 90-day plans and execution timelines. These times weren't even predicated on cobbling together a bogus, over-simplified Gantt chart based on estimates carefully garnered from the nether regions of middle management. No, they came in an unhygienically direct fashion straight from the nether regions of the boss. But all that misses the point – these 30, 60, 90-day fantasies weren't plans at all – they were assertions that "you are all lazy sods and you'll do as you are told". They were statements of absolute power.
Tim Gurner ..Australian "CEO" and entitled jerk ..ripped out for that here..by Americans who know full well how those assholes are.
Could make Guy Fawkes night more interesting.
For most of the people to whom this policy is pitched – the vision of currently highly-paid bureaucrats driving a bus for $30/hr – is not a down-side.
It's highly unlikely that many, if any, of the people who might be made redundant would be getting the unemployment benefit. Stand down, and mortgage/rent requirements will push them into getting another job (albeit with less salary and benefits) ASAP.
The long term beneficiaries are not those who've just lost a job, but rather those who have lots of other issues which make getting a job harder.
Don't forget the biggies. From their announcements.
"National will ban cell phone use at school.
The presumption is cell phones are off and away all day, including during breaks between class,
The ban will be implemented via regulations the Government can establish."
Maybe Act will get some of the gurus from their 'Getting rid of Regulations' team to formulate the necessary regulations.
Just spent an evening with someone working in the education sector with several schools, some teachers have kids using their phs in class , to engage them with topics!
Redundant = redundancy payments = no savings = employment court backlog = more cost to taxpayer = court costs and penalty payments to plaintif = reinstment= full circle.
I seem to remember an ACT statement about removing reinstatements as an employment dispute remedy
I have an idea.
How about NZ adopt a federal constitution with our regions becoming Aussie/US style states, Canadian style provinces or Swiss style cantons? Central government would only look after immigration, trade, foreign affairs and defence.
Some examples could be Auckland could become a city-state province with very few trade restrictions, befitting its position as New Zealand’s major trading centre.
Wellington could become a federal capital like the ACT in Australia, or Washington DC in America, in which representatives of the provinces would meet to pass federal laws. It may or may not also have a government just for Wellington Province. This would ensure there was a minimum of disruption for Wellington and for the remaining central government in the transition to decentralisation.
Tuhoe, who have always claimed independence on the grounds that they did not sign the Treaty of Waitangi, could become a self-governing province. They would only be subject to federal law, and would otherwise have the freedom to set their own cultural agenda.
Nelson and Westland provinces could legalise cannabis and grow it on a wide scale, as well as legalise cannabis cafes that serviced both the local and the tourist markets.
What do you reckon?
Nelson and the Coast couldnt organise a toke-up in a dope factory, ffs they cant even get water to go where they want it.
Your design was envisaged in GP discussions & policy submissions just over 30 years ago – stuck in my memory. Grass-roots framing was used. Later, bio-regionalism became the focus (in the 1990s I think).
So I agree that enhanced local govt is feasible, with regions emerging for common -interest decision-making. It would have to be self-organising from the people though.
There's a way to blend that with top-down elitism if the elite are genuine in caring for the people. Negotiators could proceed on the basis of intelligent design.
Come on acting PM Carmel–make a Cap’n’s Call!
Announce a Wealth Tax & Basic Income…and win this election…
Now that Chippy has covid, I wonder what will happen re the remaining leader's debates. The final debate is 12th of October. I think there is a Press debate this week.
I doubt that Chippy will be able to participate in the debate this week. Technically Chippy will have got through the 7 day Covid isolation period by then. But, I imagine he still might be feeling quite under the weather by then.
My suggestion is that the leaders debates be replaced with deputy leaders debates. So, Willis vs Davis.
My suggestion smithy is at #8.
Nope, that’s incorrect, actually.
I guess you are right, given that the mandatory isolation period no longer applies. And it is now recommended to isolate for five days. So, point taken.
But, I guess it is a moot point. I know people who have still felt absolute crap weeks after, even though they have technically recovered from Covid. So, the key thing is how well that Chippy will feel for the last debate, and whether there should be contingency for that in case he doesn't feel up to it.
Actually, I guess I’m right too.
I guess it’s moot discussing your wishful thunking.
Maybe, for the final TVNZ debate next week. But, certainly not for the Press debate this week, where contingencies are already being considered. One contingency being considered is moving the date of the debate. I guess that would depend on whether Chippy will be well enough for that possibility, and whether it can be squeezed into the schedule.
The feeling in my bones is that people are wetting themselves with excitement at the prospect of another electrifying leader's debate. So they may be bitterly disappointed if there is no debate as per the schedule, and may find the prospect of a debate between the intellectual heavy-weights, Willis and Davis, an equally mouth watering prospect.
Chris chickened out.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2023/10/election-2023-christopher-luxon-pulls-out-of-major-leaders-debate-national.html
My suggested option looks fairly good then, lol.
I think that Press debate is held live in Christchurch? If so, it may just be too hard to arrange around schedules, especially this close to the election.
Which suggestion? The ice cream lady vs. the orator?
@tsmithfield Deputy leaders would be Willis vs Sepuloni.
Carmel Sepuloni has been Labour Deputy since January in case you hadn't heard.
Apology for my confusion. Sepuloni is Deputy Prime Minister and a Labour MP, but Davis is Deputy Leader of the Labour Party.
Luxons bluster and apparent nervousness and grasping at straws, like the "who's on top language one " and NZF phonecalls, make me think that maybe he knows something that we dont and that their own polling is not as on-track as the media presume. Not by much mind, but just Nat/ Act nowhere near the neccessary. Anybody else get this hopeful feeling?
Yes. It's by no means a fait accompli, far from it.
With Catherine this morning, Sue Maroney said a 4% shift would get LGM in power.
From the "Who'd have thunk that ? " Files… (but it is good to see the numbers !)
We know who are the beneficiaries of NAct policy.
There will be no ‘trickle down’ for the “bottom feeders“.
The National Party – for the best laws you can buy. Enquire now about their easy payment plans.
And a tax break ice cream ! (however DVD not necessarily incl )
Post up now about Winston Peters and that Jack Tame interview, and why Peters is dangerous.
https://thestandard.org.nz/why-wont-winston-peters-answer-straight-forward-questions-about-nz-first-policy/
Weird. The RSS feeds have almost died. Another task to look at after I get past my current work log jam.
Ummm. looks like either a data query problem, or a render issue.
Looks like it must have just happened.
Fixed. Looks like a very bad RSS feed from realclimate.
I enjoyed the TVNZ Sunday piece on the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study (aka "Dunedin Longitudinal Study" and "Dunedin Study") and the recent death death of its director, Richie Poulton. John Campbell's elegiac lyricism was exactly right for this topic (sometimes it's not). In line with the "nature loads the gun, nurture pulls the trigger" hypothesis, Poulton mentioned briefly that the biggest thing the study had taught him was that the childhood experience of poverty is extremely problematic, potentially pulling many triggers. It is hard not to believe that many of our social problems would in large part wash away in a couple of generations if we effectively ended poverty. Instead I have to listen to Mark Mitchell wanting to get tough on crime. Depressing.
Difficult to eradicate poverty if you arnt prepared to redistribute wealth.
Like you I think many of our social problems would in large part disappear if poverty were ended, however a couple of generations is about 40 years so what is to be done about the mess we have already created meantime…ignoring it is not an option.
"Ignoring it is not an option". Agree Pat. I do think that the short-term interventions (some balance of support and disapproval/punishment) should be influenced by our belief in the long-term approach – and that we might be surprised at how quickly poverty reduction starts to produce small incremental gains.
https://vote.nz/enrolling/enrol-or-update/enrol-or-update-online/
Plenty of wisdom from Poulton in that TVNZ Sunday programme.
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/shows/sunday/episodes/s2023-e31
Nat (Willux) policies will (further) entrench poverty in Kiwi society – not just physically, but also in hearts and minds. Actually, NAct pollies are the real "bottom feeders", imho.
POVERTY The Dunedin study shows evidence that about 70-80% of children are in future heading to prison or crime or unemployment come from poverty.
Sign up here. Be in the poverty team and stay on path. Vote NAct to speed up your future prospects.
Not Politics..Just sad…
Its like Pukeko…and Kahu (Hawk) some people either dont care..or want ..to hit them ?
Geez I always hit the horn button even when I was a truck driver..
Hawks take a little while to react..(Raptor claws)
But the Bitterns esp..running them over…just wrong.
Surely it is far more important to save the skinks?
Why do you think that it is OK for bitterns to murder those friendly little skinks?
Why? Genuine question.
A bittern's (“Conservation status: Nationally Critical“) gotta eat – or is meat murder?
Phew – no reason then for us non-skinks to fear being bittern![wink wink](https://cdn2.thestandard.org.nz/wp-content/plugins/ark-wysiwyg-comment-editor/ckeditor/plugins/smiley/images/wink_smile.png?x42494)
I suppose there is something sadder…a puerile right wing troll who briefly emerges from under his bridge…before scuttling back there.
There are native skinks and then there are the Australian invaders (rainbow or plague skinks). They have invaded our place in Auckland and look a lot like native skinks. Kingfisher (kotare) round here seem to account for a few and even a lucky sparrow or two gets in on the act. . Bitterns probably lack either the knowledge or inclination to distinguish between the natives and the Aussies, but are probably eating mostly the latter. I remember seeing bittern in the swampy areas of farmland when camped at Kai-iwi lakes (also near Dargaville) in the mid '70's. The trout in the lakes were in their prime then – plenty in 2.5 to 3kg range and some of the few trout anywhere actually worth eating..
Journalists are welcome to borrow these questions
“Given the 100 days programme begins from when a coalition agreement is completed, will it start this year or next year”?
Follow up question, “are you confident of the coalition agreement holding for 100 days”?
“How can you guarantee to realise this programme in 100 days before a coalition agreement has been reached”?
“How many lies have you told about this before today”
What, if anything, you have said will you stand by, rather than make any changes to form a coalition agreement?
Do you know what a grifter is?
“And is the party you lead working for the landlord class, property developer, speculator, real estate industry, the employer class, the climate change denying farming lobby, – the people who donate money to your party”.
100 days plans are a form of right-wing virtue signalling. They mark the heroic determination to deliver, not be held back by bureaucrats, red tape and ultimately, reality. All we need is an art deco-style poster of Luxon with sleeves rolled up shaking his fist at the sky in defiance, and the historical antecedents will be clear.
What could possibly be in it for Nat to pull out of the Press debate? Surely Luxon isn’t that much of a sook?
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/133039988/live-christopher-luxon-pulls-out-of-press-leaders-debate
It is feeble, but in character.
He is simply not up to the job he's applying for. As PM you face far more scrutiny than he has ever faced.
No opposition leader (Nat or Lab) in the MMP era has run away as much as Luxon 2023. Not one.
He's a coward! An excuse to pull out of having to debate Hipkins again. I hope Labour has the gumption to scream [metaphorically speaking]:
“coward, coward coward”
every day until Election day.
LOVE IT.![laugh laugh](https://cdn2.thestandard.org.nz/wp-content/plugins/ark-wysiwyg-comment-editor/ckeditor/plugins/smiley/images/teeth_smile.png?x42494)
"Labour's new ad depicting Luxon in a chicken suit."
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/election-2023-advance-voting-begins-as-labours-chris-hipkins-curtailed-by-covid/U26QBPYFN5C3ZKSDXTDY4JYIMU/
Maybe someone knows how to transfer the image to this site? I don't.
From now until Election day, all Labour candidates should refer to him as:
"chicken lickin luxon".
Not forgetting Colonel Willis’ very secret blend of foreign buyer tax and rising house prices.
Why did the chicken cross the road?
Because it was running away and couldn’t fly.
Nah, a Chicken uses a Chauffeured driven Mercedes-Benz Limousine to cross the road.
Thank you Anne. That has gone straight on facebook.
How was he going to debate Hipkins? Hipkins was unavailable.
This chicken stuff seems a bit below the belt.
Bishop, on RNZ this morning raised the possibility of Willis v Davis ( the deputies). My immediate thought was it would be a mismatch, considering what a low profile Davis has had and he doesn't strike me as much of a effective debater.
Edit, ahh I see, this is in the context of a future event.
Labour rejected that, according to media I saw or heard earlier. The prospect of her running rings around poor ole Kelvin spooked them. I don't see the point of having a party deputy leader if you're too scared to use him.
Does seem kinda strange that Lux would pass on the opportunity though. Maybe he's never heard of practice makes perfect? Does this debate get televised? I looked at freeview's guide but it wasn't there.
"Does seem kinda strange that Lux would pass on the opportunity though."
Hipkins needs the debate way, way more than Luxon does. Makes sense not to give him the opportunity. The desperation explains Labour's over reaction to the whole affair.
Don't buy into this National crap Dennis-that is exactly what they want. It is a LEADERS debate. The clue is in the word “leader”.
Labour has said it will reschedule when Hipkins is well. Luxon has run like the feeble chicken he is.
It must have hurt being well beaten in the last debate.
Some examples please?
(Not because I need proof, just for the schadenfreude
)
For example …
Election 2023: National's Christopher Luxon walks off again amid more questions over tax plan | Newshub
Note: "again"
Luxon has mastered the moonwalk.
He's signaling that the election is a sideshow, he's already won and is calling the shots. Democratic niceties are just holding him back from 'delivering' now, the 100-day plan is on the table, it's all over, get the show on the road, the only game in town, the boss is on the phone, the natural order of things is resumed.
You know, that's not a completely stupid tactic if the Nats were up to it.
It would be pretty risky, and annoy a few people (debate ticket holders etc), but it may enhance the idea they're trying to create that "the contest was over a long time ago".
Dunno about Luxon, but Slippery John would have thought he could get away with it.
I've heard Big Lux say multiple time that he is not going to be lectured by Hipkins, or take advice from him, or be given lessons on economics by him. The language is suggestive of an imperial mindset – of an authority that comes from some place other than a democratic mandate of the people. That other place might be the heroic status of being a mighty CEO, or (freakily) it might be God.
It could be a mix of both. Although I have my doubts about his so-called Christianity. Its starting to look more like it was means to an end and nothing more than that. His archaic views on social issues such as abortion, women's rights generally and the quip “bottom feeders” are far more concerning.
Taking the country backwards needs to be spelt out in detail by Labour and the Greens because I don't think many people comprehend what it will mean for them.
Have we not just continued with the protection of privilege since the 1984 market reforms? Merely moved from import licensing, tariffs and subsidy to a pampering of the landlord class (mortgage deductability against rent income, no real CGT, no estate or wealth taxation, no stamp duties – there is nothing like it in the rest of the world), the employer class (ECA and no FPA industry awards easy hire of migrants etc – little like it in the rest of the world, or its scale – because holding down wages results in loss to Oz) and otherwise pandering to the industrial scale dairying by volume business.
The results are in, overpriced land, unafforable homes for underpaid workers and an insufferable party of grifters who work them (National Party).
Hes Running Scared, ( wish I could link the sound track) . Nothing worse than being bested by a crook bloke on his sickbed , yes he is a gutless sook.
Chippy said he'd reschedule any other date, provide another debater or even do it via zoom, and Lux still declined. Man, that's as much of a sook out as you can get.