Yep, continuing trouble for Key, steady improvement for Labour and the Greens. The next election can’t come too soon, especially with Granny echoing the Tory decline in this morning’s poll result.
The real problem for National is the lack of mates. They only lead the Government because of the dirty deals in Epsom and Ohariu and the backing of the Maori party. Lose any of those seats and it is Labour with the best chance of forming a coalition.
Good news for Shearer in the Herald poll, too. NZ seems to be warming to him.
“Good news for Shearer in the Herald poll, too. NZ seems to be warming to him”
–Wonder what will happen if Shearer becomes PM, and gets exposed as the plant that he also is, just like Key…
Obama comes to mind, and the “hope” that came with him, violently crushed in front of the eyes of those who were fooled by their desperation for “change”
What will happen? Shearer will prove himself and competent and capable leader of a progressive, environmentally savvy Government and the good times will come back. However, a small minority of confused NWO conspiriacy theorists will continue to be frustrated when there is no sign that Goldfinger, Dr Evil or KAOS are immimently planning to use death rays from Mars to take over the world.
Voice if you are right about Shearer and the NZ government going forward, not only will I personally be very happy about it, but I will also be very surprised!
Your reference to silly characters from movies is childish, and does nothing to cover up the obvious truth that there are entities which control the planet…here are a couple of blatant ones for you to relate to.
1: The war machine
2: The banking system
Nothing hiding in the shadows with those two, and very real global control, between them they have the majority of the world by the throat!
Both are capable of committing genocide, and currently are doing just that. If you want to ignore that, then so be it, but, by pretending that the elephant, is not in the room, you are endorsing the status quo, and the progressively worse off everyone will become!
Putake, don’t tell me you are one of these people that doesn’t believe conspiring is part of the human condition and, even more, that conspiring doesn’t exist in the world of politics and power?
I’m all for a good conspiracy theory, VTO, but I know that its objective truth that collusion goes on at the highest levels, sometimes for good, sometimes for not so good. But I refuse to put aside the day to day struggles to make NZ and the world a better place just because some people think the fix is in.
“But I refuse to put aside the day to day struggles to make NZ and the world a better place just because some people think the fix is in”
–Voice, that is fine and well, and I agree!
The problem is that people are flying blind in the way that they are trying to make the world a “better place”, we are being robbed of the better place, or the way to go about achieving it, because the “fix is in”.
In order that people can have the best chance to achieve a positive outcome, like a sports team, you have to understand your opposition, otherwise how is the positive result expected to be achieved. Hit and hope is all it becomes, and defeat is the only outcome!
Thats is why, to me at least, it is important that people have some awareness of what we are all up against, see it for what it is, and when that happens, we will have the best chance of impacting the “genuine change”, which only collective understanding can achieve.
Labour at 32% is still behind the 33% when it LOST the 2008 election. Labour is NOT improving its position. 4 years of mushy pathetic leadership continues. They replaced Goff with Sherarer and achhieved what? What?
Remember these things,(polls),have a margin of error of around 3.5%, if you consider that they might be being deliberately or otherwise mistakenly being read from the high end of the margin in the case of the present Government and having what could be considered the other option Labour/Green/NZFirst continually attributed the % from the low end of the margin if you then reverse that an entirely different picture emerges,
Consider recently what we have seen of the Prime Minister, smile’n’wave seems to have deserted the Slippery one and in the last month we have been able to catch glimpses of out-right sniveling from Key,
This has degenerated into the Prime Minister rightly or wrongly feeling under attack from the media beginning to react with anger when pressed by media interviewers on sensitive issues, this hasn’t as yet manifested in our-right abuse from the PM but i can see the point coming where unable to match it with one interviewer or another on an intellectual level Slippery will descend into His form of condescending abuse on one of the national TV channels,
He ain’t in the sort of ugly little grump of a hissy fit mood recently because everything is going swimmingly for National in the polls and by that i mean National’s own internal polling,
To understand the point i am making just consider NZFirst for a moment, in that party’s darkest hour, racked by National’s allegations of scandalous behaviour at the 2008 election NZFirst gained 4% of the vote,
Since that point in time not 1 of the polls broadcast in the mainstream media has put the NZFirst support at more then 3 odd %, yet at the 2011 election NZFirst polled over 6% and there is no logical reason, (except for using the lower % of the margin of error), why NZFirst would be polling less than 5% and i put there support at 5-6%,
If i reverse the margin of error on the 3 main opposition party’s i can attribute 51% of the vote between them with NZFirst a definite 5%+,
I have National polling at 43-47% and that is definitely in the realm of being kind to dumb animals as the Tories little gambling site/poll has National tracking far lower,
Winston probably already knows this but the ‘wild-card’ at and after the next election will probably be for NZFirst dealt off the pack with the name Horan attached, the wannbe next leader of NZFirst with the fake smile switched on and off for the TV cameras has all the attributes of a toy tosser should in the future He not get His way and the opportunity to further Himself via a palace coup present itself…
Today’s New Zealand Roy Morgan Poll shows a rise in support for Prime Minister John Key’s National Party 47.5% (up 1.5% since May 28 — June 7, 2012). Support for Key’s Coalition partners has barely changed with the Maori Party 1.5% (unchanged), United Future 0.5% (unchanged) and ACT NZ 0.5% (up 0.5%).
Draco, you left out the bit where Labour’s vote increased and Shearer continued his rise as preferred PM. This is the sixth Roy Morgan in a row to have a Labour/Green Government as just as likely, or more likely, than another Tory term.
Kim Dotcom is the gift that keeps on giving. The Herald has obtained emails suggesting that “[t]he Prime Minister’s office was involved in shutting down information showing one government department tipping off another over FBI interest in internet magnate Kim Dotcom long before he was arrested.”
It appears that the action occurred after Kim was arrested.
I suspect there is a killer punch somewhere, some evidence that suggests that Key knew about Kimdotcom since well before the day before the arrest as has been reported.
After all the application was significant enough for the FBI to leak information to the DOL and was then used by Simon Power to decline Dotcom’s application to buy sensitive land.
Are they really suggesting that the PM and Minister in charge of the SIS would not have been told about Kimmy at the same time?
Considering everything the Nats have been doing I would have thought that Labour should be streets ahead in the polls. I am still not confident about Shearer’s ability to lead Labour.
I still hear the same thing I heard from people before the last election. They don’t like Key and National but they feel there is no one else to vote for.
They ignore Labour as an alternative. If they are left they mutter about the Greens, if they are conservative they mutter about NZ First, and if they hate both Winston and the Greens they go back to National as a default position.
National are shooting themselves in the foot right now, but unless Labour steps up, National will win 2014.
People like many Labour policies, they don’t like Labour.
If Labour MPs face that fact, then we could start addressing it (not least by replacing some of the MPs). But it’s an easier ride in caucus to do nothing. So nothing changes.
What do you know we don’t – that Labour has some policy – please let us in on this.
They should have – the Greens have and its in the open.
Shearer will make a good PM but do Labour have the expertise needed to support him. So few Labour MPs (and Greens) have any outside experience away from the professional politician experience.
Show me a Finance Minister who has any serious experience. Cullen grew into it after many years, and then stuffed it.
It is worrying Belladonna. And I get very frustrated with the inhabitants of “The Standard” who think that we should rejoice because the joint opposition has a one seat advantage on the polls!
Think back to the various trip-ups there were during Clark’s last term. Then the Natz hammered the bejaysus out of Labour and inflicted fatal body blows. They managed to convince people that Helen lacked integrity!
Is the current Leadership duo connecting with the people of NZ and inflicting injuries on Key? Given the magnitude of the series of GUBU moments (Grotesque, Unbelievable, Bizarre and Unprecedented), the Nats are having a filed day.
What do we have to do?
What do we have to do? Keep the faith, keep connected with our communities and stop mithering. The next Government is going to be Labour led, unless we talk ourselves out of it.
It’s the leadership who are “mithering” (great word!).
The next Government should not just be Labour-led, but Labour/Green. It’s quite achievable, with 40/10, or 35/15, or whatever combo you prefer.
So when Winston Peters attacks Chinese immigrants, should the Labour leader respond:
1) You’re wrong, Winston.
2) I like Winston.
I want to hear 1). But Shearer says 2). That is Labour’s problem, right there. Hoping to cobble something together, with anyone who’s available, rather than saying … “This is US. These are OUR values.”
To coin a phrase, Hope and Change. Not “ooh, let’s see”.
A week’s ban for a particularly lame bit of self promotion. I expect he’ll be counting down the minutes till he can start waffling again on the place on earth where he gets taken anywhere near seriously.
TRP I think it’s a mistake to label it as “belated common sense”. It’s more a deliberate positioning strategy.
All the ambiguity around his position on asset sales, and his absence from parliament during all the debates and votes, was designed to allow him to later position himself whichever way the wind happens to be blowing at the time and with a minimal media trail to avoid being bitten in the arse by his own soundbites.
Having (more or less, outside of political circles) succeeded at this, the strategy now is to make lots of noise about TV7 (something National couldn’t give a fuck about either way) so in the buildup to 2014 he’s positioned as ‘the guy who spoke out against National a couple of years ago when they started selling everything’.
It seems an absurdly transparent and impossibly hopeful strategy, relying as it does on the perfect storm of an uninformed public, a bland featureless forgettable public figure and a lazy fourth estate, but 28 consecutive years in parliament does learn you a bit of meteorology.
Felix – You have such a way with words! 😀 And so has UnFrocked Dunne, the spoken ones that is. He has a very nice delivery in a semi-bass tone and sounds So Sincere and Authoritative. I thought Russel Norman was beginning to sound a bit stretched and high the other day. If he wants to get on he could do worse than study what St Peter Dunne.
@ prism
Felix not only has a way with words, his insight is remarkable.
Meteorology is the art of observing the pros and cons of the atmosphere, and figuring out how it might apply to the actual weather. Its not easy, and relies on many years of practise. But in the end, Nature will always prevail. A weather forecaster’s best hope is that they agree with Nature more often than they disagree.
Peter Dunne has learnt to apply the same technique to parliament and politics. He’s been very successful thus far, but will it suffice him into old age? I think not.
To be satisfied with an outcome is to know you have made a difference in whatever field of activity you choose to operate. Peter Dunne will have no such satisfaction. He has not contributed one iota to the betterment of his compatriots. Rather, as Te Reo Putake says (below) he has no ambition beyond the personal. As long as he’s financially rewarded and gets thrown a few political crumbs that his dreary support base can laud as acheivements, he”ll never be caught playing hardball.
Quite right, felix. There’s a cynical element to Dunne that I overlooked completely. He has always had the power to save TVNZ7. If he’d said his asset sales vote depended on it, there would be no need for this post. The thing is, he has no ambition beyond the personal. As long as he’s financially rewarded and gets thrown a few political crumbs that his dreary support base can laud as acheivements, he”ll never be caught playing hardball.
Actually Dunne has spoken in support of TV7 several times that I’ve noticed, most recently on the final Backbenches.
BUT – and it’s a huge but – it’s all bullshit and lip service. He still voted for the budget and he still backs National to shut down any TV channel they wish to.
His one-and-a-half supporters (Pete and Monique) might think it’s nice that he says nice things about TV7 but he’s part of the government that killed it, which, just like all the times he spoke about keeping our water assets before he voted to sell them, renders his words entirely hollow.
I see Nick Smith has finally and probably inadvertantly blurted out the true reason for sacking Ecan.
At a federated farmers meeting in the weekend in commenting on proposed new structures for Ecan he said that going back to the past model of purely elected members would lead to the previous urban-rural division which was to blame for the problems.
So there we have it. The sacking was not because Ecan hadn’t sorted out its water plan it was because the water plan did not suit the rural irrigators. Ecan was sacked because the poor farmers weren’t getting their way with water. Once again the National Party and farmers are proved to have lied and deceived to line their greedy pockets with more money.
(B) oppose asset sales, but wouldn’t let that get in the way of a coalition with National if it meant keeping the centre-right in power?
-NBR Staff: “Conservative Party’s Craig willing to stand in Epsom, ally with National” National Business Review: 07.05.2012.
-”Colin Craig determined to keep National in power” 3 News: 07.05.2012.
(C) opposes asset sales, and backs the Labour/Green CIR petition against asset sales, even given that that’s the core of National’s social spending and government finance policies?
-Colin Craig: “Binding Referenda can’t come soon enough” Scoop: 27.06.2012.
Apparently, all three. That is, depending on which month it is, and whether its core objective of binding citizens referenda can be advanced to support its primary aim,, which is the enforcment of sectarian fundamentalist religious social conservatism… and nothing else matters.
This isn’t serious politics, it’s the mythical Tudor “Vicar of Wakefield“, who changed his denominational affiliation every successive reign- from Catholicism (Henry VII) to Anglicanism (Henry VIII and Edward VI) to Catholicism (Mary I) and back to Anglicanism again (Elizabeth I).
Well Colin Craig should know that business people don’t like you and give you the cold shoulder if they think you might have difficulties at certain times of the month. He had better get himself sorted if he wants to be seated in the member’s stand.
There is nothing impressive about Labour’s result in the Herald poll. Looking at the details (such as we have), Labour are still well behind even among women voters. When you consider that National’s message for the past few months has been “Women, fuck off” (I paraphrase!), on everything from parental leave to class sizes to ECE to the environment, it takes remarkable incompetence not to attract more of their votes away from the government. How many more free gifts do Labour want?
But why would we be surprised? David Shearer has had several chances to make a speech setting out his vision, to connect with actual voters (not caucus hacks), and when he made such a speech, his big headline was … (drum roll) …
to agree with National on suspending payments to the Cullen find.
The strategy is Mallard/Pagani, therefore a proven failure. The leader is nice, but so far a failure, and he has squandered his best asset – the freshness of the outsider. He is mouthing other people’s words, so he is not convincing, so the voters are not convinced. This is entirely predictable.
Yes, Key and National will probably lose the next election. But who to?
The Labour leader needs to stand for something, or stand aside.
“The Labour leader needs to stand for something, or stand aside.”
Or maybe he should just front up and talk the words: “I stand before you as an aside.” And then we can all speculate on who’s thoughts are being conveyed to us…
Gobsmacked, is it really disappointing that Labour has not cut it among women. Perhaps Jacinda Ardern needs to be “augmented” by Lianne Dalziel, an electorate MP?
How mant more opportunities does Jacinda need to make take a role in the minds of the public as the defender of things that are important to women?
If I remember correctly Jacinda was taking a swipe at beneficiaries during the last election campaign,
not the sort of person I want in the Labour Party at all. Methinks it is her good looks that appeal to males rather than any sort of appeal to women.
I do not lie. I am fairly sure I heard her have a crack at beneficiaries during the election campaign and how disappointed I was. I would rather be wrong than right in this instance though.
I think I also heard David Shearer having a crack at them also during the same campaign.
You did not hear correctly then. David Shearer was not the leader of the Labour Party at the time of the election campaign and he was not the spokesperson for Social Welfare issues. He was the shadow minister for the Sciences, Research and Development. As for Jacinda, whatever you heard her say, you must have misunderstood her words. There is no way she would have a crack at beneficiaries
The LIBOR stand for the basic interest rate on which the entire global banking system is based and it appears that not only Barclay’s bank but the Bank of England and the entire to big to fail system banking system has been rigging them for several decades and not just between 2005 and 2009.
This means that every country, Corporation and second tier bank in the world has been ripped off and fleeced for trillions of dollars. I would have thought that a banker such as John Key who now presides over one of those countries would want to get to the bottom of this?
Here are some questions I would like to ask John Key about the LIBOR rigging scandal?
And since when is what an owner of a newspaper says news, anyway? If there’s any news in it at all it should be the irony in the fact Murdoch’s calling somebody else “evil”.
read todays dimpost.
half the the op-ed page is about tom cruise and his spouse and the real news about asian mudflats gets tucked away in Bob Brockies column.
thats where the newspapers are at these days.
Yep, saw a huge herald article the other day about a rugby player doing up his home. Shit that just isn’t worth reporting is getting greater and greater coverage.
With the announcement that beneficiaries will have to take drug tests and if the refuse they will loose their benefits and if they fail the will loose them too I thought I’d put in proposal what I think the tests our public servants should undergo before being allowed in the political arena!
hey Ev, what is really freaky is it might be that the ‘only’ way banks can make a profit is to rig the market.
If that is the case then the world is really in sh*t street.
No, the banks are up shit creek and the sooner we understand that the sooner we can get rid of them, Total jubilee and no more interest on loans created out of thin air.
Aha to both those hypothesis, up the creek without a paddle as far as the Global free market goes and in most entities where ‘manufacturing production’ has been farmed out to ‘other economies’ profit has simply been exhibited by either the outright fraud of Ponzi-scams or by including what is owed as actual money in the bank…
Hmmm… complications for the government’s asset sales agenda….. but I’m not sure a tug-of-war between some Iwi and power companies will benefit the average Kiwi tax payer, Maori or Pakeha.
Maori party co-leader Tariana Turia is calling on iwi to investigate claiming the ownership of riverbeds around the country.
[..]
Her call follows a ruling the Supreme Court made last week about a stretch of the Waikato River at Pouakani, near Mangakino. The ruling declared Crown ownership of the riverbed was null and void, which means ownership could be open to claims by Whanganui tribes.
Law professor David Williams says the ruling could set a precedent for other rivers.
“The Supreme Court has essentially blown out of the water the crown’s unambiguous claim to title to the riverbed,” he says.
[…]
Mighty River Power is the first asset for sale and has eight dams and nine power stations along the Waikato River, three dams of which are within the area of the current claim. Genesis energy is next up, and relies on water from the Whanganui River.
Such uncertainty about the ownership of the riverbeds critical to the first two asset sales could not have possibly come at a more inconvenient time for the government.
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Graeme Edgeler writes – This morning [April 21], the Wellington High Court is hearing a judicial review brought by Hon. Karen Chhour, the Minister for Children, against a decision of the Waitangi Tribunal. This is unusual, judicial reviews are much more likely to brought against ministers, rather than ...
Both of Parliament’s watchdogs have now ripped into the Government’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s political economy and beyond on the morning of Tuesday, April 23 are:The Lead: The Auditor General,John Ryan, has joined the ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Sarah SpengemanPeople wait to board an electric bus in Pune, India. (Image credit: courtesy of ITDP) Public transportation riders in Pune, India, love the city’s new electric buses so much they will actually skip an older diesel bus that ...
The infrastructure industry yesterday issued a “hurry up” message to the Government, telling it to get cracking on developing a pipeline of infrastructure projects.The hiatus around the change of Government has seen some major projects cancelled and others delayed, and there is uncertainty about what will happen with the new ...
Hi,Over the weekend I revisited a podcast I really adore, Dead Eyes. It’s about a guy who got fired from Band of Brothers over two decades ago because Tom Hanks said he had “dead eyes”.If you don’t recall — 2001’s Band of Brothers was part of the emerging trend of ...
Buzz from the Beehive The 180 or so recipients of letters from the Government telling them how to submit infrastructure projects for “fast track” consideration includes some whose project applications previously have been rejected by the courts. News media were quick to feature these in their reports after RMA Reform Minister Chris ...
It would not be a desirable way to start your holiday by breaking your back, your head, or your wrist, but on our first hour in Singapore I gave it a try.We were chatting, last week, before we started a meeting of Hazel’s Enviro Trust, about the things that can ...
Calling all journalists, academics, planners, lawyers, political activists, environmentalists, and other members of the public who believe that the relationships between vested interests and politicians need to be scrutinised. We need to work together to make sure that the new Fast-Track Approvals Bill – currently being pushed through by the ...
Feel worried. Shane Jones and a couple of his Cabinet colleagues are about to be granted the power to override any and all objections to projects like dams, mines, roads etc even if: said projects will harm biodiversity, increase global warming and cause other environmental harms, and even if ...
Bryce Edwards writes- The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. ...
Michael Bassett writes – If you think there is a move afoot by the radical Maori fringe of New Zealand society to create a parallel system of government to the one that we elect at our triennial elections, you aren’t wrong. Over the last few days we have ...
Without a corresponding drop in interest rates, it’s doubtful any changes to the CCCFA will unleash a massive rush of home buyers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate on Monday, April 22 included:The Government making a ...
Sunday was a lazy day. I started watching Jack Tame on Q&A, the interviews are usually good for something to write about. Saying the things that the politicians won’t, but are quite possibly thinking. Things that are true and need to be extracted from between the lines.As you might know ...
In our Weekly Roundup last week we covered news from Auckland Transport that the WX1 Western Express is going to get an upgrade next year with double decker electric buses. As part of the announcement, AT also said “Since we introduced the WX1 Western Express last November we have seen ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 29 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Stats NZ releases its statutory report on Census 2023 tomorrow.Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivers a pre-Budget speech at ...
A listing of 29 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 14, 2024 thru Sat, April 20, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week hinges on these words from the abstract of a fresh academic ...
The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. The Government says this will ...
This is a column to say thank you. So many of have been in touch since Mum died to say so many kind and thoughtful things. You’re wonderful, all of you. You’ve asked how we’re doing, how Dad’s doing. A little more realisation each day, of the irretrievable finality of ...
Identifying the engine type in your car is crucial for various reasons, including maintenance, repairs, and performance upgrades. Knowing the specific engine model allows you to access detailed technical information, locate compatible parts, and make informed decisions about modifications. This comprehensive guide will provide you with a step-by-step approach to ...
Introduction: The allure of racing is undeniable. The thrill of speed, the roar of engines, and the exhilaration of competition all contribute to the allure of this adrenaline-driven sport. For those who yearn to experience the pinnacle of racing, becoming a race car driver is the ultimate dream. However, the ...
Introduction Automobiles have become ubiquitous in modern society, serving as a primary mode of transportation and a symbol of economic growth and personal mobility. With countless vehicles traversing roads and highways worldwide, it begs the question: how many cars are there in the world? Determining the precise number is a ...
Maintaining a safe and reliable vehicle requires regular inspections. Whether it’s a routine maintenance checkup or a safety inspection, knowing how long the process will take can help you plan your day accordingly. This article delves into the factors that influence the duration of a car inspection and provides an ...
Mazda Motor Corporation, commonly known as Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automaker headquartered in Fuchu, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The company was founded in 1920 as the Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd., and began producing vehicles in 1931. Mazda is primarily known for its production of passenger cars, but ...
Your car battery is an essential component that provides power to start your engine, operate your electrical systems, and store energy. Over time, batteries can weaken and lose their ability to hold a charge, which can lead to starting problems, power failures, and other issues. Replacing your battery before it ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
The protest outside the White House correspondents’ dinner hotel. Image: Anatolu video screenshot APR More than two dozen Palestinian journalists had called for a boycott of the dinner, writing an open letter urging their American colleagues not to attend. “You have a unique responsibility to speak truth to power and ...
“Our exporters should, therefore, be deeply concerned that the Fast-track Approvals Bill was not assessed for consistency with any of our free trade commitments prior to being introduced to the House,” says Gary Taylor, Chief Executive of the Environmental ...
NZCTU President Richard Wagstaff is calling on all political parties to support the new Member’s Bill from Labour’s workplace relations and safety spokesperson Camilla Belich MP that would ensure negligent companies are held accountable when their employees ...
A historian with an uncanny track record of predicting US election winners tells RNZ's Sunday Morning that President Biden looks to be on track for another term, but things could still go very wrong for him. ...
A historian with a track record of predicting US election winners tells RNZ's Sunday Morning that President Biden looks to be on track for another term, but things could still go wrong for him. ...
Ngaio Marsh House is one of Christchurch’s best kept secrets – and contains more than a few mysteries of its own.Trust Ngaio Marsh to leave more than a few mysteries scattered through her house long after her departure. For a start, there’s the curious concrete portal in the garden, ...
Appointment viewing has been lost to the mists of time, but memories of Montana Sunday Theatre can still be conjured by hitting play on a particular piece of classical music. “You’re not going to be able to sell it.” Over 30 years on, Karen Bieleski still recalls how the task ...
Performance Review King Luxon sat behind His massive polished oak desk. It is Performance Review time. There is a knock on the door. “Enter!” says the King. In steps Minister of Disabilities and Carer Pedicures, Penny Simmonds. “I can explain everything …” she begins. “Fine,” says King Luxon, pressing the ...
The pair opened their first fully collaborative exhibition, Nina for Flowers, last Saturday. Gabi Lardies visited their studio to find out who Nina is and what working together was like.‘It didn’t start out like, ‘This is a show about Nina,’” says Josephine Jelicich, gripping a thermos of peppermint tea. ...
Thank you, Dr Maximilian Oskar Bircher-Benner, for your brilliant invention. I’m another mid-20s Kiwi who had an OE last year. I hopped on my bicycle where France meets the Atlantic and cycled east. I pedalled through the Loire Valley, down rivers lined with willows and ancient wisteria-draped chateaus. I relished ...
Asia Pacific Report From France to Australia, university pro-Palestine protests in the United States have now spread to several countries with students pitching on-campus camps. And students at Columbia and other US universities remain defiant as campuses have witnessed the biggest protests since the anti-Vietnam war and anti-apartheid eras in ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)New Zealand Government’s Fast Track legislation. Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government ...
Tara Ward talks to presenter Naomi Toilalo about the new TV show that turns food waste into a three course feast. Naomi Toilalo is standing in the warehouse at Good Neighbour Tauranga, helping unpack the two-and-a-half tonnes of rejected food that will arrive at the community support hub that day. ...
Scout is our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Scout’s human, Avril, for her support. Dog name: Scout (named after the little girl in To Kill a Mockingbird – she inherited the independent spirit ...
Megan Alatini takes us through her life in TV, including ‘terrible’ daytime TV, the class of Carol Hirschfeld and her most embarrassing TrueBliss moment. When she responded to a vague newspaper ad asking “do you have what it takes to be a popstar?” 25 years ago, Megan Alatini never guessed ...
A new exhibition in Wellington showcases the faces behind your local goods and services. Back in 1977, when I was a fine arts student at the University of Canterbury, I took a series of photographs of Christchurch shopkeepers. The photos were for a calendar – a project for my end ...
Toomaj and his resistance to tyranny through his songs have become an icon for the youth of Iran, so his sentence has hit the nation hard. Toomaj Salehi is not the first artist to pay the price for standing with the people. ...
My cousin Dylan and I spotted these big eels under the bridge that summer. We watched them lounging under the dark weed, facing into the flow of water, their mouths frozen open. Dylan and I couldn’t stop thinking about those eels. The night we went down to the creek, we ...
Newsroom, home of satire. My long-running weekly satirical series The Secret Diary has moved to Newsroom and will appear every Saturday, with Victor Billot’s wildly popular satirical Odes continuing to appear every Sunday. Diaries, Odes – while serious political columnists toil at meaningful opinions and stroke their chins to an ...
Tara Ward unravels the many nuanced layers of a cartoon about talking dogs.This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. It’s not often an episode of a children’s cartoon has adults sobbing into their sleeves, but that’s exactly what happened this week when ...
Working as a doctor in developing countries to help communities achieve better health outcomes is nothing short of a life goal for Jessica Tater. The University of Otago medical student has her sights firmly set on joining the international humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) when she qualifies ...
There’s an island in the far reaches of Auckland’s territory, sitting off the tip of the Coromandel Peninsula, 30 minutes by air from the city or four hours on the slow boat. Aotea Great Barrier is off-grid, it has a population of fewer than a thousand people … and most ...
Asia Pacific Report An Australian author and advocate, Jim Aubrey, today led a national symbolic one minute’s silence to mark the “blood debt” owed to Papuan allies during the Second World War indigenous resistance against the invading Japanese forces. “A promise to most people is a promise,” Aubrey said in ...
Asia Pacific Report The Freedom Flotilla is ready to sail to Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. All the required paperwork has been submitted to the port authority, and the cargo has been loaded and prepared for the humanitarian trip to the besieged enclave. However, organisers received word of an “administrative ...
Pacific Media Watch Palestine solidarity protesters today demonstrated at the Auckland headquarters of Television New Zealand, accusing the country’s major TV network of broadcasting “propaganda” backing Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. About 50 protesters targeted the main entrance to the TVNZ building near Sky Tower and also picketed a side ...
Opinion by Lynley Hood. Forty years on from my 1985 Fulbright Grant, my disquiet over the war in Gaza evoked some troubling questions. The answer to my first question – What is the primary purpose of the Fulbright Programme? – was on the Fulbright NZ website. It says: US Senator, ...
The ministers responsible for green-lighting major projects need to be open about potential conflicts of interest, says Transparency International. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Powell, Professor, Family and Sexual Violence, RMIT University It has been a particularly distressing start to the year. There is little that can ease the current grief of individuals, families and communities who have needlessly lost a loved one to men’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Lichen, the first described example of symbiosis.AdeJ Artventure/Shutterstock Once known only to those studying biology, the word symbiosis is now widely used. Symbiosis is the intimate ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kim Hemsley, Head, Childhood Dementia Research Group, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University Olena Ivanova/Shutterstock “Childhood” and “dementia” are two words we wish we didn’t have to use together. But sadly, around 1,400 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Whiteford, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The government’s Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee has just published its second report. It was set up by Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth in 2022 to provide: ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne The Queensland state election will be held in October. A YouGov poll for The Courier Mail, conducted April 9–17 from a sample ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Naeni, PhD candidate at Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University There’s been much talk in recent months about what a possible second Donald Trump presidency in the United States could mean for Europe, Russia’s war in Ukraine, the ...
A brief round-up of submissions on the controversial proposed law. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week, submissions on the controversial Fast-track Approvals Bill closed just hours after the government released a list of stakeholder organisations who were sent letters advising how they could ...
A poem from Robin Peace’s new collection Detritus of Empire: feather / grass / rock. Cereal giving I see a woman’s hands, see her curious hands break a stalk as she walks through the tall prairie, the savannah, the steppe, wherever it was. See her idly bite the grass that ...
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 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)A handsomely produced (debossed cover, lovely ...
The Commissioner's decision validates the longstanding efforts of the local community and ensures that Awataha Marae will be managed to serve the needs of the local community, particularly for hosting tangihanga. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tristan Salles, Associate professor, University of Sydney Examples of Australian landscapes.Unsplash Seventy thousand years ago, the sea level was much lower than today. Australia, along with New Guinea and Tasmania, formed a connected landmass known as Sahul. Around this time – ...
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Just in case anyone’s interested:
https://curiablog.wordpress.com/2012/07/01/roy-morgan-poll-late-june-2012/
Yep, continuing trouble for Key, steady improvement for Labour and the Greens. The next election can’t come too soon, especially with Granny echoing the Tory decline in this morning’s poll result.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10816761
Well the poll put National up more then Labour and Greens combined but I agree National would like to be higher (mind you so would every party)
The real problem for National is the lack of mates. They only lead the Government because of the dirty deals in Epsom and Ohariu and the backing of the Maori party. Lose any of those seats and it is Labour with the best chance of forming a coalition.
Good news for Shearer in the Herald poll, too. NZ seems to be warming to him.
“Good news for Shearer in the Herald poll, too. NZ seems to be warming to him”
–Wonder what will happen if Shearer becomes PM, and gets exposed as the plant that he also is, just like Key…
Obama comes to mind, and the “hope” that came with him, violently crushed in front of the eyes of those who were fooled by their desperation for “change”
Didn’t work out too well did it!
What will happen? Shearer will prove himself and competent and capable leader of a progressive, environmentally savvy Government and the good times will come back. However, a small minority of confused NWO conspiriacy theorists will continue to be frustrated when there is no sign that Goldfinger, Dr Evil or KAOS are immimently planning to use death rays from Mars to take over the world.
Voice if you are right about Shearer and the NZ government going forward, not only will I personally be very happy about it, but I will also be very surprised!
Your reference to silly characters from movies is childish, and does nothing to cover up the obvious truth that there are entities which control the planet…here are a couple of blatant ones for you to relate to.
1: The war machine
2: The banking system
Nothing hiding in the shadows with those two, and very real global control, between them they have the majority of the world by the throat!
Both are capable of committing genocide, and currently are doing just that. If you want to ignore that, then so be it, but, by pretending that the elephant, is not in the room, you are endorsing the status quo, and the progressively worse off everyone will become!
Thanks!
Putake, don’t tell me you are one of these people that doesn’t believe conspiring is part of the human condition and, even more, that conspiring doesn’t exist in the world of politics and power?
I’m all for a good conspiracy theory, VTO, but I know that its objective truth that collusion goes on at the highest levels, sometimes for good, sometimes for not so good. But I refuse to put aside the day to day struggles to make NZ and the world a better place just because some people think the fix is in.
“But I refuse to put aside the day to day struggles to make NZ and the world a better place just because some people think the fix is in”
–Voice, that is fine and well, and I agree!
The problem is that people are flying blind in the way that they are trying to make the world a “better place”, we are being robbed of the better place, or the way to go about achieving it, because the “fix is in”.
In order that people can have the best chance to achieve a positive outcome, like a sports team, you have to understand your opposition, otherwise how is the positive result expected to be achieved. Hit and hope is all it becomes, and defeat is the only outcome!
Thats is why, to me at least, it is important that people have some awareness of what we are all up against, see it for what it is, and when that happens, we will have the best chance of impacting the “genuine change”, which only collective understanding can achieve.
Labour at 32% is still behind the 33% when it LOST the 2008 election. Labour is NOT improving its position. 4 years of mushy pathetic leadership continues. They replaced Goff with Sherarer and achhieved what? What?
Give Shearer more time, he has not offended anyone.
If the ratings are still below the 38% level by mid 2013 then it will be time for clean-out of the whole top-tier and their “strategists”!
Remember these things,(polls),have a margin of error of around 3.5%, if you consider that they might be being deliberately or otherwise mistakenly being read from the high end of the margin in the case of the present Government and having what could be considered the other option Labour/Green/NZFirst continually attributed the % from the low end of the margin if you then reverse that an entirely different picture emerges,
Consider recently what we have seen of the Prime Minister, smile’n’wave seems to have deserted the Slippery one and in the last month we have been able to catch glimpses of out-right sniveling from Key,
This has degenerated into the Prime Minister rightly or wrongly feeling under attack from the media beginning to react with anger when pressed by media interviewers on sensitive issues, this hasn’t as yet manifested in our-right abuse from the PM but i can see the point coming where unable to match it with one interviewer or another on an intellectual level Slippery will descend into His form of condescending abuse on one of the national TV channels,
He ain’t in the sort of ugly little grump of a hissy fit mood recently because everything is going swimmingly for National in the polls and by that i mean National’s own internal polling,
To understand the point i am making just consider NZFirst for a moment, in that party’s darkest hour, racked by National’s allegations of scandalous behaviour at the 2008 election NZFirst gained 4% of the vote,
Since that point in time not 1 of the polls broadcast in the mainstream media has put the NZFirst support at more then 3 odd %, yet at the 2011 election NZFirst polled over 6% and there is no logical reason, (except for using the lower % of the margin of error), why NZFirst would be polling less than 5% and i put there support at 5-6%,
If i reverse the margin of error on the 3 main opposition party’s i can attribute 51% of the vote between them with NZFirst a definite 5%+,
I have National polling at 43-47% and that is definitely in the realm of being kind to dumb animals as the Tories little gambling site/poll has National tracking far lower,
Winston probably already knows this but the ‘wild-card’ at and after the next election will probably be for NZFirst dealt off the pack with the name Horan attached, the wannbe next leader of NZFirst with the fake smile switched on and off for the TV cameras has all the attributes of a toy tosser should in the future He not get His way and the opportunity to further Himself via a palace coup present itself…
Roy Morgan results.
Draco, you left out the bit where Labour’s vote increased and Shearer continued his rise as preferred PM. This is the sixth Roy Morgan in a row to have a Labour/Green Government as just as likely, or more likely, than another Tory term.
Kim Dotcom is the gift that keeps on giving. The Herald has obtained emails suggesting that “[t]he Prime Minister’s office was involved in shutting down information showing one government department tipping off another over FBI interest in internet magnate Kim Dotcom long before he was arrested.”
It appears that the action occurred after Kim was arrested.
I suspect there is a killer punch somewhere, some evidence that suggests that Key knew about Kimdotcom since well before the day before the arrest as has been reported.
After all the application was significant enough for the FBI to leak information to the DOL and was then used by Simon Power to decline Dotcom’s application to buy sensitive land.
Are they really suggesting that the PM and Minister in charge of the SIS would not have been told about Kimmy at the same time?
Considering everything the Nats have been doing I would have thought that Labour should be streets ahead in the polls. I am still not confident about Shearer’s ability to lead Labour.
I still hear the same thing I heard from people before the last election. They don’t like Key and National but they feel there is no one else to vote for.
They ignore Labour as an alternative. If they are left they mutter about the Greens, if they are conservative they mutter about NZ First, and if they hate both Winston and the Greens they go back to National as a default position.
National are shooting themselves in the foot right now, but unless Labour steps up, National will win 2014.
+1
People like many Labour policies, they don’t like Labour.
If Labour MPs face that fact, then we could start addressing it (not least by replacing some of the MPs). But it’s an easier ride in caucus to do nothing. So nothing changes.
gobsmacked
What do you know we don’t – that Labour has some policy – please let us in on this.
They should have – the Greens have and its in the open.
Shearer will make a good PM but do Labour have the expertise needed to support him. So few Labour MPs (and Greens) have any outside experience away from the professional politician experience.
Show me a Finance Minister who has any serious experience. Cullen grew into it after many years, and then stuffed it.
Fortran: two Names; Cullen and Cunliffe
1.Cullen
John Shewan, the out-going head of PWC, rates him as the best Finance Minister. One of the last big projects Shewan completed at PWC was to review New Zealand’s last 34 government Budgets.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/politics/7198688/Examining-the-best-and-worst-of-Budgets
2. Cunliffe
Read any speech when he was Finance Spokesperson in the Goff opposition. Read his recent speeches as Economic Development Spokesperson for Shearer.
http://www.labour.org.nz/news/speech-the-dolphin-and-the-dole-queue
http://www.labour.org.nz/news/speech-learning-the-lessons-of-history
http://www.facebook.com/#!/notes/david-cunliffe/get-your-invisible-hand-off-our-assets/10150721718297798
fartrain sounds like you have a PHd in economics with honors like doctor Cullen.
It is worrying Belladonna. And I get very frustrated with the inhabitants of “The Standard” who think that we should rejoice because the joint opposition has a one seat advantage on the polls!
Think back to the various trip-ups there were during Clark’s last term. Then the Natz hammered the bejaysus out of Labour and inflicted fatal body blows. They managed to convince people that Helen lacked integrity!
Is the current Leadership duo connecting with the people of NZ and inflicting injuries on Key? Given the magnitude of the series of GUBU moments (Grotesque, Unbelievable, Bizarre and Unprecedented), the Nats are having a filed day.
What do we have to do?
What do we have to do? Keep the faith, keep connected with our communities and stop mithering. The next Government is going to be Labour led, unless we talk ourselves out of it.
It’s the leadership who are “mithering” (great word!).
The next Government should not just be Labour-led, but Labour/Green. It’s quite achievable, with 40/10, or 35/15, or whatever combo you prefer.
So when Winston Peters attacks Chinese immigrants, should the Labour leader respond:
1) You’re wrong, Winston.
2) I like Winston.
I want to hear 1). But Shearer says 2). That is Labour’s problem, right there. Hoping to cobble something together, with anyone who’s available, rather than saying … “This is US. These are OUR values.”
To coin a phrase, Hope and Change. Not “ooh, let’s see”.
Show me exactly where Peters “attacked” Chinese migrants? Really?
The coiffured one grows a pair and comes out calling the decision to shut down TVNZ 7 “short sighted”. Shame it did not happen a week earlier.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/109651/commercial-station-contract-extended
Crikey. If only there was someone on teh blogs willing to take credit for Dunne’s occasional flashes of belated common sense 😉
Come back Petey all is forgiven!!
No, no, no ….. please, no
has he gone, really ??
A week’s ban for a particularly lame bit of self promotion. I expect he’ll be counting down the minutes till he can start waffling again on the place on earth where he gets taken anywhere near seriously.
TRP I think it’s a mistake to label it as “belated common sense”. It’s more a deliberate positioning strategy.
All the ambiguity around his position on asset sales, and his absence from parliament during all the debates and votes, was designed to allow him to later position himself whichever way the wind happens to be blowing at the time and with a minimal media trail to avoid being bitten in the arse by his own soundbites.
Having (more or less, outside of political circles) succeeded at this, the strategy now is to make lots of noise about TV7 (something National couldn’t give a fuck about either way) so in the buildup to 2014 he’s positioned as ‘the guy who spoke out against National a couple of years ago when they started selling everything’.
It seems an absurdly transparent and impossibly hopeful strategy, relying as it does on the perfect storm of an uninformed public, a bland featureless forgettable public figure and a lazy fourth estate, but 28 consecutive years in parliament does learn you a bit of meteorology.
Felix – You have such a way with words! 😀 And so has UnFrocked Dunne, the spoken ones that is. He has a very nice delivery in a semi-bass tone and sounds So Sincere and Authoritative. I thought Russel Norman was beginning to sound a bit stretched and high the other day. If he wants to get on he could do worse than study what St Peter Dunne.
Yes he definitely has his “Serious Important Person Voice” down pat.
@ prism
Felix not only has a way with words, his insight is remarkable.
Meteorology is the art of observing the pros and cons of the atmosphere, and figuring out how it might apply to the actual weather. Its not easy, and relies on many years of practise. But in the end, Nature will always prevail. A weather forecaster’s best hope is that they agree with Nature more often than they disagree.
Peter Dunne has learnt to apply the same technique to parliament and politics. He’s been very successful thus far, but will it suffice him into old age? I think not.
To be satisfied with an outcome is to know you have made a difference in whatever field of activity you choose to operate. Peter Dunne will have no such satisfaction. He has not contributed one iota to the betterment of his compatriots. Rather, as Te Reo Putake says (below) he has no ambition beyond the personal. As long as he’s financially rewarded and gets thrown a few political crumbs that his dreary support base can laud as acheivements, he”ll never be caught playing hardball.
History will very quickly forget he ever existed!
H’ell remembered for be a Wig for the Tories
Quite right, felix. There’s a cynical element to Dunne that I overlooked completely. He has always had the power to save TVNZ7. If he’d said his asset sales vote depended on it, there would be no need for this post. The thing is, he has no ambition beyond the personal. As long as he’s financially rewarded and gets thrown a few political crumbs that his dreary support base can laud as acheivements, he”ll never be caught playing hardball.
Actually Dunne has spoken in support of TV7 several times that I’ve noticed, most recently on the final Backbenches.
BUT – and it’s a huge but – it’s all bullshit and lip service. He still voted for the budget and he still backs National to shut down any TV channel they wish to.
His one-and-a-half supporters (Pete and Monique) might think it’s nice that he says nice things about TV7 but he’s part of the government that killed it, which, just like all the times he spoke about keeping our water assets before he voted to sell them, renders his words entirely hollow.
Actions speak louder than words.
And now they’re off to the Ombudsman. That’s really socking it to them. TVNZ must be shitting itself.
“a plan, I don’t need a plan, I have confidence!” Who said this, John Key or the king from Penguins of Madasgar?
I see Nick Smith has finally and probably inadvertantly blurted out the true reason for sacking Ecan.
At a federated farmers meeting in the weekend in commenting on proposed new structures for Ecan he said that going back to the past model of purely elected members would lead to the previous urban-rural division which was to blame for the problems.
So there we have it. The sacking was not because Ecan hadn’t sorted out its water plan it was because the water plan did not suit the rural irrigators. Ecan was sacked because the poor farmers weren’t getting their way with water. Once again the National Party and farmers are proved to have lied and deceived to line their greedy pockets with more money.
Did they upset Bill English’s brother?
And Nick Smith’s brother.
What is Colin Craig’s stance on asset sales? Does the Conservative Party leader…
(A) oppose asset sales, as it states on his party website:
-Conservative Party: http://www.conservativeparty.org.nz
(B) oppose asset sales, but wouldn’t let that get in the way of a coalition with National if it meant keeping the centre-right in power?
-NBR Staff: “Conservative Party’s Craig willing to stand in Epsom, ally with National” National Business Review: 07.05.2012.
-”Colin Craig determined to keep National in power” 3 News: 07.05.2012.
(C) opposes asset sales, and backs the Labour/Green CIR petition against asset sales, even given that that’s the core of National’s social spending and government finance policies?
-Colin Craig: “Binding Referenda can’t come soon enough” Scoop: 27.06.2012.
Apparently, all three. That is, depending on which month it is, and whether its core objective of binding citizens referenda can be advanced to support its primary aim,, which is the enforcment of sectarian fundamentalist religious social conservatism… and nothing else matters.
This isn’t serious politics, it’s the mythical Tudor “Vicar of Wakefield“, who changed his denominational affiliation every successive reign- from Catholicism (Henry VII) to Anglicanism (Henry VIII and Edward VI) to Catholicism (Mary I) and back to Anglicanism again (Elizabeth I).
Well Colin Craig should know that business people don’t like you and give you the cold shoulder if they think you might have difficulties at certain times of the month. He had better get himself sorted if he wants to be seated in the member’s stand.
There is nothing impressive about Labour’s result in the Herald poll. Looking at the details (such as we have), Labour are still well behind even among women voters. When you consider that National’s message for the past few months has been “Women, fuck off” (I paraphrase!), on everything from parental leave to class sizes to ECE to the environment, it takes remarkable incompetence not to attract more of their votes away from the government. How many more free gifts do Labour want?
But why would we be surprised? David Shearer has had several chances to make a speech setting out his vision, to connect with actual voters (not caucus hacks), and when he made such a speech, his big headline was … (drum roll) …
to agree with National on suspending payments to the Cullen find.
The strategy is Mallard/Pagani, therefore a proven failure. The leader is nice, but so far a failure, and he has squandered his best asset – the freshness of the outsider. He is mouthing other people’s words, so he is not convincing, so the voters are not convinced. This is entirely predictable.
Yes, Key and National will probably lose the next election. But who to?
The Labour leader needs to stand for something, or stand aside.
gobsmacked
Good line The Labour leader needs to stand for something, or stand aside
“The Labour leader needs to stand for something, or stand aside.”
Or maybe he should just front up and talk the words: “I stand before you as an aside.” And then we can all speculate on who’s thoughts are being conveyed to us…
Gobsmacked, is it really disappointing that Labour has not cut it among women. Perhaps Jacinda Ardern needs to be “augmented” by Lianne Dalziel, an electorate MP?
How mant more opportunities does Jacinda need to make take a role in the minds of the public as the defender of things that are important to women?
If I remember correctly Jacinda was taking a swipe at beneficiaries during the last election campaign,
not the sort of person I want in the Labour Party at all. Methinks it is her good looks that appeal to males rather than any sort of appeal to women.
You do not remember correctly! There is no way Jacinda would do such a thing. Either you lie belladonna or you have been badly misinformed.
I do not lie. I am fairly sure I heard her have a crack at beneficiaries during the election campaign and how disappointed I was. I would rather be wrong than right in this instance though.
I think I also heard David Shearer having a crack at them also during the same campaign.
You did not hear correctly then. David Shearer was not the leader of the Labour Party at the time of the election campaign and he was not the spokesperson for Social Welfare issues. He was the shadow minister for the Sciences, Research and Development. As for Jacinda, whatever you heard her say, you must have misunderstood her words. There is no way she would have a crack at beneficiaries
The LIBOR stand for the basic interest rate on which the entire global banking system is based and it appears that not only Barclay’s bank but the Bank of England and the entire to big to fail system banking system has been rigging them for several decades and not just between 2005 and 2009.
This means that every country, Corporation and second tier bank in the world has been ripped off and fleeced for trillions of dollars. I would have thought that a banker such as John Key who now presides over one of those countries would want to get to the bottom of this?
Here are some questions I would like to ask John Key about the LIBOR rigging scandal?
Murdoch’s calling somebody else “evil”:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/7204857/Murdoch-attacks-Cruise-creepy-Scientology
And since when is what an owner of a newspaper says news, anyway? If there’s any news in it at all it should be the irony in the fact Murdoch’s calling somebody else “evil”.
read todays dimpost.
half the the op-ed page is about tom cruise and his spouse and the real news about asian mudflats gets tucked away in Bob Brockies column.
thats where the newspapers are at these days.
Yep, saw a huge herald article the other day about a rugby player doing up his home. Shit that just isn’t worth reporting is getting greater and greater coverage.
With the announcement that beneficiaries will have to take drug tests and if the refuse they will loose their benefits and if they fail the will loose them too I thought I’d put in proposal what I think the tests our public servants should undergo before being allowed in the political arena!
hey Ev, what is really freaky is it might be that the ‘only’ way banks can make a profit is to rig the market.
If that is the case then the world is really in sh*t street.
No, the banks are up shit creek and the sooner we understand that the sooner we can get rid of them, Total jubilee and no more interest on loans created out of thin air.
Aha to both those hypothesis, up the creek without a paddle as far as the Global free market goes and in most entities where ‘manufacturing production’ has been farmed out to ‘other economies’ profit has simply been exhibited by either the outright fraud of Ponzi-scams or by including what is owed as actual money in the bank…
The only way to make a profit is to rig the market.
Hmmm… complications for the government’s asset sales agenda….. but I’m not sure a tug-of-war between some Iwi and power companies will benefit the average Kiwi tax payer, Maori or Pakeha.
http://www.3news.co.nz/Iwi-should-claim-ownership-of-riverbeds—Turia/tabid/1607/articleID/259865/Default.aspx
Cool, the good old kiwi tradition of a swim down at the swimming hole — gone by lunchtime.
Conclusive proof that “green” and sustainable business works. Chasing fossil fuels will only lead us down a dead end road, the future for Aotearoa is elsewhere Mr Key!
http://localbodies-bsprout.blogspot.co.nz/2012/07/two-business-stories-about-sustainable.html