Open mike 03/09/2020

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, September 3rd, 2020 - 239 comments
Categories: open mike - Tags:

Open mike is your post.

For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose.

The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy).

Step up to the mike …

239 comments on “Open mike 03/09/2020 ”

  1. Dennis Frank 1

    Tough being an msm journalist. Have to write stuff for the average cretin, yet make it seem intelligent in a semi-plausible manner. Stuff has this anonymous editorial: https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/opinion/122640502/election-2020-shaws-green-school-shambles-risks-his-partys-future

    As one left-wing blogger put it, if only Shaw had fought this hard for actual Green policy. Instead, he played hardball over funding that completely contradicted his own party’s education policy.

    To be genuinely intelligent, the writer would have had to find and specify `shovel-ready projects' eligible for the coalition's funding criteria that conformed to "actual Green policy." Doing so would make the critique valid: Shaw chose the Green School instead of them. Too hard! The writer would rather die.

    And it didn't "completely contradict" GP education policy, which merely said the Greens would phase out taxpayer funding of private schools. Didn't say when. Didn't make an exception for schools prioritising the teaching of sustainability – which are obviously essential. Crap policy is the point here. Writer too stupid to get it.

    it seems unlikely that Shaw will do the same, if only because there is no obvious contender to replace him. The party’s rules require it to have male and female co-leaders and although the party is blessed with an abundance of female talent, there are fewer viable options on the male side.

    A genuinely intelligent observation, to the writer's credit. The Greens have worked hard to avoid catering for pakeha kiwi males: their collective efforts are paying off. I trust we will get another pakeha male plus an ethnic male into parliament after the election, given their list positions, and both are potential co-leaders.

    • Ad 1.1

      Shaw's apology-grovel made the Green Party particularly shovel-ready.

    • Adrian Thornton 1.2

      Turns out ex PricewaterhouseCoopers consultant and free market liberal, James Shaw is not only a pretty inept politician he is also just another lying bullshitting politician, as the great I.F. Stone once said..

      "All governments lie, but disaster lies in wait for countries whose officials smoke the same hashish they give out."

      I seem to remember being quite battered on this site by many members only a few days ago for questioning Shaws credibility and and his shaky relationship with the truth…of course as usual no apologies will be forthcoming….

      ….That was before an email – obtained by Newshub – surfaced that went to Government ministers and the Treasury from Shaw's office last month.

      "Minister Shaw won't sign this briefing [of infrastructure projects] until the Green School in Taranaki is incorporated," the email dated August 7 said.

      "Sorry to be the spanner-in-the-works, but if we can get the project included, he'll sign everything this afternoon."

      https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12361614

      I wonder if Weka or robert guyton could enlighten the rest of us as to whether Shaw mentioned this part of his involvement with the project during the Green zoom call late last week?

      Shaw five days ago…

      He created an exclusions list of projects he didn’t want funded, like roading, irrigation, and private university halls – the school, he says, was something he missed.

      “To be honest with you, I missed it,” Shaw said.

      “We were thinking about it in terms of building and constructions, not education."

      https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/300093942/james-shaw-apologises-for-school-decision-saying-he-wouldnt-do-it-again

      • Dennis Frank 1.2.1

        Parts of the overall picture remain missing or fuzzy. I'd prefer him to be more forth-coming about the process & share your scepticism (but not your framing).

        Equally, I don't like the other Green parliamentarians keeping quiet on the situation. I see leftism as the problem: it imposes a belief system of mindless conformity. I'd rather they use their natural agency instead.

        The education policy spokesperson ought to point out that the GP education policy is no longer fit for purpose. Instead, we get a stance of moronic ignorance of that.

        The other co-leader could provide leadership too. Spell out due process, and explain how James acted in accord with coalition requirements and criteria.

        Eugenie Sage, as co-member of the funding decision-making committee, could clarify that and thereby defeat media spin. It would be a public service if she did.

        Instead of all that, we get a shrill chorus of sectarians trying to defeat our common interests. That's how ideology perverts human nature.

      • solkta 1.2.2

        What is your point? What is the lie that was told?

        Shaw has always been open that he backed the project. The "missed it" that you mention is in reference to missing the fact that it conflicted with Green Education policy. As well as creating an exclusion list his brief was also to create an inclusion list. This was clear from the start. There would not be any point in creating an inclusion list and then not insisting that those projects be included.

      • Ad 1.2.3

        Shaw's use of leverage was excellent and praiseworthy.

        Shaw was doing precisely what Peters and Jones have been doing within this government for three years.

        Shaw should do more of this leverage, not more.

        Apologising for it to the self-righteous moronic weakling fools in his own party was the crime he will be punished for at the polls.

        • Pat 1.2.3.1

          You would hope that if Shaw was going to adopt the denigrated tactics of Peters and Jones he'd chose a more worthy subject to die in a ditch over.

          • Ad 1.2.3.1.1

            Aye but it's great practise for getting out of this Green Party mentality of expecting their own pristine virtue to be rewarded, and instead realising that it's about exercising power to get what you want, making the right enemies, and facing down opposition both within and without their own party.

            Already, despite Shaw's grovelling, he's getting a better result than when the Progressives decided to chuck their toys over Iraq, after which many years of messy disaggregated and useless splintering of parties occurred.

            Love your scars, James, you'll get the cred from all for it.

            Just wait until the facility opens up, James is there cutting the ribbon with the Taranaki haute-bourgeoisie, and see who wants to be on the invite list.

            • Andre 1.2.3.1.1.1

              I'm sure the crystal garden will be very lovely. Redolent with harmonious ethereal vibrations.

            • weka 1.2.3.1.1.2

              the problem with this argument is that the Greens are a *member based party. There is no Shaw without the members. The members literally put him in the co-leadership position he is in. So if he goes against the members then the party loses.

              I'm really curious how Shaw's actions re leverage stack up against say Peters, but there's no way to know because Peters does everything behind a closed door, and the narrative around what Shaw did is still piecemeal. I have no way to judge whether Shaw did something wrong or right.

              • weka

                there's also a conflict here between the values in green politics and the values in the left. I agree there is some danger here of Shaw being perceived as weak because of how he apologises. But the danger exists because of macho politics and the brutality of the left and the MSM. Within green politics, what he is doing is on point: be willing to be held accountable when one fucks up, listen to what people are saying, acknowledge the mistake, apologise including to specific people most affected, commit to solutions, present solutions, make amends. That process is standard and works well at building collaboration and good working relationships. That large parts of the left perceive that as weakness is about those parts of the left.

                It's a fine line for Shaw, how to be true to the green values and how to be strong in what is essentially an abusive political culture. In the past he has managed that well imo, he looks more shaken this time (which I assume will in part be about covid stress, and the personal nature of the fuckup).

              • Mika

                I think some of the ructions arise from the ongoing culture wars within the Green Party. There is an emerging split between the old guard environmentalists and economic justice proponents and the younger identity politics ideologues, and Shaw has had a target on his back for a while. If I recall correctly the Left-Green network caucus within the party didn't even include him on their preferred candidate rankings during that process.

                He was clearly wrong about the funding of the green school, but all this blood-letting has got the sharks circling. I don't think his apology will ever appease the identity politics ideologues wing of his party. They will be planning to roll him after the election.

                • Robert Guyton

                  Once the party goes over 5% and returns to it's position alongside of Labour in Government, Shaw will be secure and all will be forgiven.

                  • weka

                    pretty sure the GLN will continue to agitate around their position, but I see that as healthy so long as the party maintains pragmatics alongside robust debate.

                • weka

                  not sure the Green Left Network has that much power? Also the caucus is light on experienced MPs after the loss of so many in 2017 and Hughes this year. Shaw is the only male MP in the top ten of this years list. Who would they propose? Not very well thought through.

                  Better strategy would be to continue the internal party work to pull the party more left (including Shaw). This appears to be working (eg the dropping of the BRRs, and the new welfare policy).

                  Whatever happens the Greens still need a working relationship with the business and political classes in NZ. I remain unconvinced that at this time in NZ a jump to the left by the Greens will somehow magically get lefties to vote for them, when they already have the most left wing policy of any party in parliament. What we need is strong extra-parliamentary movements that will pull all of the left parties more left, but the left is incapable of doing that atm, because it insists on purity politics and punching its allies.

                  • Andre

                    Shaw is the only male MP in the top ten of this years list.

                    Are there aspects of Green rainbow inclusivity and specifically Teanau Tuiono and Ricardo Menendez March I wasn't previously aware of?

                    • weka

                      those two men aren't MPs.

                    • weka

                      The Greens have elected a non-MP co-leader before, Russell Norman. But he had years of experience in the party, holding key paid positions as a staffer, then campaign manager and party development. At the time of becoming coleader he was tenth on the party list.

                  • Sabine

                    maybe its time for two female co-leaders and it would be inline with inclusivity.

                    • weka

                      not sure that's technically possible.

                      edit: just checked, it says one male, one female.

                    • solkta

                      How would that be in line with "inclusivity"? The Greens have always had gender balanced cos in all leadership positions at every level of the party, and have always produced a party list that is as gender balanced as possible. This practice has been so successful at encouraging women to be involved that there is now a lack of men in the first band of ten of the Party List. Now that it is in fact men who need the benefit of the policy you think it should be axed because inclusivity?!

                    • weka

                      the identity parts of the party want the position to be at least one female. In which case it could end up being two females, or two males (one man, one trans woman) because the GP will consider trans women = female. There's a whole cluster of complications and contradictions there (esp if NZ adopts gender self ID) that I doubt the party is ready for and NZ certainly not.

                    • solkta

                      The Party already uses gender self ID for co elections. I could give examples but it would not be appropriate for me to discuss the gender identity of party office holders in public. The only contradiction is when someone sees themselves as not aligning with either gender but has to choose one in order to run for election. I can assure you also that there are plenty of "identity parts" of the membership who would not accept two women in a co position.

                • solkta

                  The Left Greens network represents only a minority of left identifying members. Can't see that this will be any threat to Shaw as co-leader.

            • Pat 1.2.3.1.1.3

              I expect that Shaw will be making sure hes out of town the day the ribbon is cut.

              Your exclamation of kudos is absurd when all he has done is demonstrated a complete lack of nous on multiple levels.

          • Gabby 1.2.3.1.2

            Like an organisation that needed the money.

        • weka 1.2.3.2

          Lefties: the Greens should man up and use their political leverage to get what they want

          Also lefties: how dare the Greens use their political leverage to get what they want

          Ad: The Greens are strong, but they are also weak. The Greens should be like Labour and NZF. The Greens need to Do Better so they are in parliament, but meh, who really cares if the Greens are in parliament.

          :mrgreen:

          • solkta 1.2.3.2.1

            yes my desk has some new dents in it.

          • Gabby 1.2.3.2.2

            But this wasn't 'what they want', was it.

            • weka 1.2.3.2.2.1

              doesn't matter whether it was or it wasn't, people that want to hate on the Greens would criticise them for using leverage.

          • Ad 1.2.3.2.3

            Got it in one!

          • Siobhan 1.2.3.2.4

            What on earth would make you..or James Shaw for that matter… think Lefties or the majority of Greenies have ever wanted private schools for the very wealthy crystal hugers of the world?

            "Shovels" would be better used creating actual physical structures for actual Green Education we can all access.

          • JohnSelway 1.2.3.2.5

            The problem I have with this 'green school' is its promotion of pseudoscience. Crystals and DNA activation or whatever the fuck it was

            [Please point to where on the Green School website they promote “[c]rystals and DNA activation” or withdraw and apologise for asserting a lie – Incognito]

            • Andre 1.2.3.2.5.1

              And that Shaw had met with the owners. So he should have been clued in to that problematic aspect of it. Or at least, picked up that a bit more due diligence was needed. Certainly the web info available about the school gave off the vibe that they might be into that kind of nonsense, even if it wasn't explicit about it.

              So that leaves me with the impression that Shaw himself may be into woo-woo stuff. Nothing in his statements since this blew up gives me any counter-impression.

              • solkta

                so do you think that funding should be cut from state schools that offer religeous instruction?

              • Dennis Frank

                he should have been clued in to that problematic aspect of it

                I saw nothing on their website to give him any reason to be concerned that it is anything other than as signalled to the public.

                Nothing wrong with alternative belief systems. I've been checking them out since the 1960s. Many have since become accepted as part of our culture. Fringe stuff is as likely as not to be dodgy (just like mainstream beliefs) but we judge on a case by case basis. Bias is human, but it ought to be owned.

            • Incognito 1.2.3.2.5.2

              See my Moderation note @ 1:03 PM.

            • JohnSelway 1.2.3.2.5.3

              I'm sorry – it wasn't a lie, perhaps a poor choice of words on my part.

              I was referring to the school parent who hosted the a ceremony which included bullshit crystal ceremonies etc.

              Relax Incognito – it was just poor wording on my part. No need for an embolism

              [You stated that the Green School were promoting something they had not and do not. That is a lie in my books. Please use your words more carefully next time because I’m allergic to dishonest bullshitters and poor language skills are no excuse – Incognito]

              • Incognito

                See my Moderation note @ 1:41 PM.

                • Dennis Frank

                  I bet they will be delighted that the Nats are open to the possibilities of crystal tech:

                  "Maybe it's the crystals that ensured this school miraculously got almost $12 million out of the Government," said National's education spokesperson Nicola Willis.

                • weka

                  Parents of one of the school's students were organising that. It's not the school and to characterise it as the school is highly misleading. Likewise to characterise the GP as abandoning science.

              • weka

                I also see it as a lie, and a political slur with some pretty deliberate intention behind it. You run slur lines in a highly charged political debate, expected to get moderated.

                The school has clarified its position on this. Here's one bit in the MSM talking to Green School Taranki chief executive Chris Edwards,

                Edwards also found himself distancing the school from parents of students there who have publicly expressed Covid-19 conspiracy theories and held something called a "lion's gate abundance and manifestation ceremony" on its grounds.

                Christof Melchizedek, who describes himself on his website as a "navigator, architect and guardian" in the service of the "Devine Plan" has been reported as saying in a now-deleted Facebook post that Covid-19 was a "manufactured natural disaster" and a "UN 2030 vision".

                Melchizedek and his partner Alaya had also planned to plant a sacred crystal grid on school property with students.

                Edwards said he would would not comment on any individual parent or student.

                He said many different groups used the campus but that did not necessarily mean the school endorsed their views.

                "I think any individual who makes comments that are not necessarily in line with the school is entitled to make them, but the point I have to make most stridently is that it is not reflective of the view of the school itself.

                "So when we teach health we would follow New Zealand Ministry of Health guidelines etc just as any school would and if any individual holds a different view and they express that view, fine, but it is not reflective of the school."

                https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/424989/green-school-at-centre-of-12m-funding-debacle-struggling-with-backlash?

                • JohnSelway

                  There was no deliberate attempt to lie or to slur.

                  • solkta

                    Perhaps it was one of those unintentional lies like National MPs are known to make.

                  • weka

                    I'm sure the lie was unintentional, but the slur looks deliberate to me (and it's not just you saying that the school is anti-science).

                    If it wasn't a slur then acknowledge the mistake and stop having a go at moderators. This kind of misleading in political debate is not tolerated on TS, over any issue.

                    • JohnSelway

                      No lie nor slur no go at the mods was intended.

                      Just a big misunderstanding due to my inelegant attempt at making comment

        • AB 1.2.3.3

          "Apologising for it … was the crime he will be punished for at the polls"

          True and excellent advice to the left. Never give your right wing enemies an apology to work you over with. And particularly not an abject one that sparks and fires up their in-built sadism. However instinctive it is for you to fess up, admit your mistakes and promise to do better next time, remember that your enemies have no such impulses, and despise them when they see them in others. At such times, summon up a mental image of John Key, and just say it's not a perfect outcome, but you are "pretty comfortable" with it.

          • weka 1.2.3.3.1

            except in this case it's been the left that's been putting the boot into the Greens/Shaw. Unless by right you meant lefties more to the centre of the political spectrum than the Greens, in which case your comments is a pointed one for Ad.

            • greywarshark 1.2.3.3.1.1

              That apology has a David Cunliffe shadow over it. I think it is seen as weak-kneed generally. Explain; the pros and cons, and expected outcomes, and strategical value – but don't be abject – it seems wet.

              • weka

                yep, but, men are humans, they have their own set of physiological responses to stress and abuse that in turn affects their mental health, cognition, resilience, ability to function highly (let's not forget that Shaw was involved in a govt that was making massive decisions very fast during a global and national crisis that will have long term effects and implications) and so on.

                I count the Key/Cunliffe election debate as a low point in NZ politics in my lifetime, where Key was high on something (maybe adrenaline) and Cunliffe looked like he was being repeatedly punched. That NZ considers this acceptable in choosing who to run the country for us tells us a lot about NZ. And the left isn't excluded by that, hence all the Labour hard man rhetoric that still reigns in many places.

                I'll make direct connections between what I just said and the levels of domestic abuse in NZ, how we treat the environment, and rape culture.

                • Dennis Frank

                  It's a highly relevant angle. The four high-profile complainants are women. I expect he consulted his partner for her view – and his co-leader of course – and both his mothers (if they are still alive).

                  He may have a lack of males to support him. I mentioned the deficit in that respect elsewhere this morning. Given that overall context, biology can realistically determine behaviour, and judgment.

                  Doing what's right requires self-confidence (which he has aplenty) and inner conviction. In a complex situation with right on more than one side there's a tricky balance, plus learning from a shifting context.

                  Incidentally, you ought to check out the report on the RNZ midday news. Someone leaked a clip of James referring to Hipkins approving the funding proposal (from the Zoom call, I gathered) and it was played to air. Given that Hipkins explained he had no authority to formally approve it, I deduced he was endorsing the general plan.

            • AB 1.2.3.3.1.2

              I hadn't thought it through as precisely as that Weka. It was more a general comment that the things that make you a good person (which I believe Shaw is), don't necessarily help you become an effective politician (which I think Shaw mostly is). Ardern's special character is that this division doesn't seem to affect her – she just seamlessly manages to be both. Being a woman probably helps.

              • weka

                Green Party kaupapa includes accountability. If Shaw had done macho politics last week instead, the debate would still be raging, not just fragments driven by the MSM.

      • Robert Guyton 1.2.4

        Your comment makes little sense but your intent is clear. I believe you are confused about the point you are trying to articulate.

      • weka 1.2.5

        We don't have a clear narrative of what happened. A tova-ed MSM piece that selectively quotes a few lines from an email out of context gives us a few pieces of the puzzle but I suspect that they're not particularly clarifying pieces.

        Why lefties are suddenly willing to use Tova O'Brien as a good source of political information and analysis is worth examining.

        • Adrian Thornton 1.2.5.1

          OK so I take it Shaw did not inform Green members on the zoom meeting last Friday that he had told Government ministers and the Treasury that he wouldn't sign off on other infrastructure projects until the Green School funding was included.

          If this is the case, which it looks a lot like it is, then Shaw is in fact exactly what I said he was last Saturday…a lying bullshitter….it is also looking a lot like he bullshitted to both you and Guyton last Friday, right to your faces (well through the medium of a screen, but that's close enough for you both I expect).

          And by the way, don't use the argument that he was using the leverage that we (rightly) always complain they don't use…if he had used this type of 'leverage' for something that actually mattered and was righteous, then this would be a completely different story, and he wouldn't have had to resort to trying to lie his sad arse out of, because if you ( and I am sure you know this already) fight for the right things, then you stand by them proudly..not hide away ashamed like he is right now.

          • solkta 1.2.5.1.1

            What lie has he told? It has been all day with so many replies, you can tell us now.

            • Adrian Thornton 1.2.5.1.1.1

              Well seeming as you seem to need the obvious spelt out to you… I wasn't on the zoom call, but I am taking the ringing silence from people who were on that call as confirmation that Shaw did not inform those members to the extent of his part in this affair, and further made this statement aferward.“To be honest with you, I missed it,” ..that is him saying that he didn't really know what the school was or something to that effect…looks kind of like a lie from here…in light of this email from Shaw's office…

              "Minister Shaw won't sign this briefing [of infrastructure projects] until the Green School in Taranaki is incorporated," the email dated August 7 said.

              "Sorry to be the spanner-in-the-works, but if we can get the project included, he'll sign everything this afternoon."

              • McFlock

                Maybe the ringing silence is because you think everyone is a lying neoliberal.

                • Adrian Thornton

                  Well as a matter of fact at least 90- 95% of politicians in NZ are free market liberals..so whats your point.

                  • McFlock

                    The point is that you regard silence as an indication of your correctness, yet it could equally mean that people recognise the futility of bothering to have a serious political discussion, to work through why something was done and how the same people can avoid repeating it in the future.

                    You immediately leap to the worst conclusion, hear the silence, take that as vindication, assume something even worse, hear even more silence, etc etc etc.

                    An absence of information is not confirmation of your pessimistic bile.

                    Who are some of the 5% who meet your definition of not being neoliberal?

              • solkta

                To repeat myself from this morning:

                "Shaw has always been open that he backed the project. The "missed it" that you mention is in reference to missing the fact that it conflicted with Green Education policy. As well as creating an exclusion list his brief was also to create an inclusion list. This was clear from the start. There would not be any point in creating an inclusion list and then not insisting that those projects be included."

                So WHAT WAS the lie that was told?

                • Adrian Thornton

                  Well I don't read that statement like that, but even if I did, I would still consider Shaw not unpacking the depth of his personal involvement in this matter to his own party members during the zoom meeting last Friday tantamount to a lie.

                  "Shaw has always been open that he backed the project"…bit of an exaggeration there btw.

                  • solkta

                    It is not a fucking exaggeration. The press release that announced the acceptance of the project was made in HIS NAME. That is was got members all upset, remember?

                • weka

                  I'm not sure what the lie is meant to be either.

                  Obviously Shaw didn't tell us everything he knew in the zoom call about the process or we would have been there all night.

                  The issue of the email can't be addressed because we only have Tova O'Brien's spun version, which is hardly likely to be neutral or conducive to clear narrative.

                  I think there are still questions to be answered but I am utterly clear we will not get that from the approaches being used by TO or Adrian or many others.

                  • solkta

                    I can't see that the details of the mechanics of how he backed the project are relevant. If this had been something that was actually congruent with Green policy the membership would have said "nice one Stu" to hearing that Shaw had pushed hard. The issue is that he made a mistake in backing it, not how he backed it.

                    • weka

                      I tend to agree. On balance of probabilities it seems more likely to me that Shaw just did what is normal in such processes, rather than saying actually blackmailing the other parties. But it's really hard to know because the MSM have been so useless in making a clear story.

                    • solkta

                      It makes me wonder how people think these things get sorted.

                      Could you please include the items on my list. Yeh., nah. Oh ok then sorry for bothering you.

                    • weka

                      haha, quite.

              • weka

                "And by the way, don't use the argument that he was using the leverage that we (rightly) always complain they don't use…if he had used this type of 'leverage' for something that actually mattered and was righteous, then this would be a completely different story"

                Thanks for that. I'll now amend my previous comment.

                Lefties: the Greens should man up and use their political leverage to get what they want

                Also lefties: how dare the Greens use their political leverage to get what they want

                Also lefties: how dare the Greens use their political leverage for things we don't want (we the left who hate them and put the boot in every chance we get and think this will induce people to do what we want)

                • Adrian Thornton

                  OK, so who actually wants to see 12 million dollars spent on this school…you?

                  • weka

                    hard to say tbh. I'd need to see the list of the other options that were on the list.

                    you do get that the money couldn't go to state schools that didn't fit the funding criteria set by Labour and NZF right?

                    • weka

                      If you're asking me if I support any funding going to private schools, I would tell you a story about low income friends whose kids went to alternative schools like Steiner, because they couldn't cope with the state system. I don't have the same degree of antipathy towards private schools per se that others do, although obviously there are huge problems with class and private schools in NZ. There are better solutions to that than just banning funding to them.

                    • weka

                      I'm curious if you understand that most of the funding is a loan, and if that matters to your argument.

                  • Incognito

                    I do!

      • RedBaronCV 1.2.6

        This has been in the news cycle for days now far beyond most recent items. The MSM need to move on to more important things .

        FFS we appear to be talking about a government grant of $2.9 million (and a loan) – the wages subsidies for many firms topped that by a mile plus a lot of other substantial government hand outs.

        The greens have a small footprint both of MP's and back up paid staffers to keep up with all the nuances. They have apologised – it should now be over.

        • Pat 1.2.6.1

          Given all that why do you think it isnt?

          • Dennis Frank 1.2.6.1.1

            Because the media thinks rabid leftists knee-capping liberal leftists is fun, plus woo woo makes it even funnier? 🤨

            • Pat 1.2.6.1.1.1

              Dont doubt the MSM sees an opportunity to inject some controversy into a fairly cut and dried election …the woo woo? meh…..they still however need something to work with and Shaw has provided it in spades…the whole affair is so bizarre its almost inexplicable.

              And that makes for news and discussion

              As Incognito noted the other day if this had been NZ First the whole thing would have blown over in a day or two BECAUSE thats exactly what is expected of them, even by their supporters….not so the Greens.

            • Adrian Thornton 1.2.6.1.1.2

              No, it is still in the news cycle because it looks a lot like Shaw has been less than truthful with both the public and by the looks of it his own Green party members…so in effect is is still a live story.

              If this were happening to National I am sure you would be all good with the news coverage.

              • Drowsy M. Kram

                "Shaw has since apologised profusely to a range of people and organisations. Officials and the school are working on what will likely end up as a Government loan."
                https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12361935

                Shaw is a decent politician – intelligent and principled, unlike Barclay, Ross, Falloon, Walker and any number of National party ratbags, but there's literally nothing like a Covid election to bring out the worst in pundits and politicians.

                This sort of (bought and paid for) sustained MSM coverage would never happen to a National MP. The extensive ongoing coverage is because a mistake was made by a Green MP, and it will continue until the election or until they have their Green scalp – disappointing on so many levels.

                "National Party leader Judith Collins says Green Party co-leader James Shaw should resign over his mistake approving a $11.7 million grant for Taranaki Green School."
                https://nz.bfn.today/green-school-st_185667/news/judith-collins-calls-for-james-shaws-resignation-over-green-school-blunder-sn_1324775/

                No surprise given Collins was the main beneficiary the last time the leader of a major NZ political party resigned.

                Is it to late for that $11.7 million to be reallocated for roadworks?

        • McFlock 1.2.6.2

          I'm fascinated at how much oxygen this is getting well after Shaw apologised. The journos are frantically doing CPR on a patient that died days ago.

          Still, we've all been there – it sucks when your favoured team is under 30%.

    • Gabby 1.3

      When you know you're in the wrong you get pretty sneery don't you. You don't even bother hiding your contempt for the peasants who overpopulate your playground.

      • Dennis Frank 1.3.1

        Dunno what you think I got wrong. Spell it out. And I only allocate contempt when behaviour deserves it. Why do you believe leftists are peasants?

    • RedLogix 1.4

      Didn't make an exception for schools prioritising the teaching of sustainability – which are obviously essential. Crap policy is the point here.

      Yup. There is a broad church of independent schools in NZ, catering to a broad range of family interests, some of which we might judge more worthy than others. That the party policy is a blunt club lacking nuance to tell the difference is hardly Shaw's fault.

      Still it has served a useful purpose in flushing out the party deadwood … and right before an election too!

  2. tc 2

    Anonymous pieces in the editorial are where the DP linen gets aired.

    Of course it always appears reasonable.

  3. Bazza64 3

    I guess you can admit that the green school is a “shovel ready project” as you would need a shovel for planting crystals. Those nasty oil & gas people will be converted to new ageisms & we can all be at one with the universe.

  4. PsyclingLeft.Always 4

    pol pots chief executioner Kaing Guek Eav… of the Cambodia genocide…has died (in pain? Certainly not remorseful : (.

    A born again christian to boot. slime bag

    https://www.npr.org/2020/09/02/908773333/comrade-duch-infamous-commander-of-khmer-rouge-prison-dies-in-cambodia

    • Ad 4.1

      He was a Maoist Marxist for decades, and committed his crimes as a Maoist.

      But top work for the Christian slur.

      • PsyclingLeft.Always 4.1.1

        awww….sting you? You obviously must have been to not get the context…

        He was a MURDERER…and found christianity…at the end.

        • Ad 4.1.1.1

          If you'd attributed his crime to Maoist Marxism, I'd have no problem.

          That's not what you did.

          You just rely on the slurs of (…) to make actual logic from statements.

          • RedLogix 4.1.1.1.1

            Yes. Psycling.Left has entirely missed the entire notion of redemption via the transcendent act of spiritual rebirth.

            To the materialists it's nothing but a hoax.

            • Sabine 4.1.1.1.1.1

              the thing as a roman catholic i always like the best was confession time

              i can murder

              i can maim

              i can bring misery to a whole nation

              but then i repent and i am saved, and fuck all those that i killed cause Jesus.

              • RedLogix

                Yeah I know, forgiveness and redemption are not permissible. Show no mercy in your heart.

                As for the crimes you mention, it is up to the state to administer the accepted punishment … personally I’m incredibly grateful to the people who undertake this difficult and soul corrosive work.

                • aj

                  The only forgiveness that counts is from the VICTIMS. The confessional, a one man tribunal, doesn't cut it.

                  • RedLogix

                    It is the role of the state to administer justice, and for individual to be compassionate. Materialists usually get this exactly arse about face.

                • Sabine

                  i have mercy for those that he killed.

                  He however will have purgatory to look for and deservedly so. I do object to the 'Jesus is my saviour' as a get out of jail card. I really do and any other believer should also.

                  As for the rest of your comment, can't be bothered as it has nothing to do with the discussion at hand, namely the abuse of a believe system by some of the worst humans to have wondered this planet in order to 'wash themselves of the sin they committed'.

                  • RedLogix

                    It was the attempt to smear Christianity by association is what is being objected to here, as Ad said, the crimes he committed were in the name of marxism. That as a man he later chose a different path speaks to the power of faith to transform.

                    Meanwhile still the left gives safe harbour to those who openly espouse a failed political philosophy that murdered tens of millions in the last century.

                    • Stuart Munro

                      a failed political philosophy that murdered tens of millions

                      Are you referring to Marxism, or totalitarianism?

                      Dictators and despots existed long before Marx – it's a pretty desperate argument to blame him for them.

                    • Adrian

                      Pretty much all the arsehole jailers and tormentors of the last millennia or so were born Christian, even the Marxists.

                      Whatever they were born they would still have ended up being arsehole jailers and tormentors.

                      the potential is in all of us.

                    • RedLogix

                      Given that every attempt at marxism has rapidly degenerated into totalitarianism, there is a good argument that the two are inseparable.

                      The core problem as I see it is this. The idea that all humans are of equal worth and innate dignity makes sense in religious terms; it is not hard to understand that regardless of talent, rank or wealth, all people are equal before the divine.

                      But in material terms this is clearly not true, we are all born with many innate differences race, sex, personality and a range of physical and intellectual capacities. Combine this with the fickle workings of luck (or what our ancestors called 'fate') and this means that the outcomes during the passage of our life here on earth will be different. Inevitably in material terms people are not equal.

                      Marxism is a philosophy that sees these differences and then demands they must be eliminated. It conflates what is true in a spiritual dimension with what is not true in a material one, and then uses a totalitarian social systems to impose equal outcomes in the vain expectation this will produce just outcomes. It never does.

                      Of course this never implies that gross differences are justified; no-one is for poverty, suffering and humiliation. But the spiritual approach to this question is to demand of each one of us, what is your choice? Are you, in your heart, pointing toward suffering or away from it?

                      This is the nature of the sanctified society, one that educates, supports and inculcates the desire in each one of us to choose good over evil.

                    • Stuart Munro

                      Given that every attempt at marxism has rapidly degenerated into totalitarianism, there is a good argument that the two are inseparable.

                      On the contrary – there is a bad argument to that effect – a simplistic one that is not predictive of the particular causes and outcomes of regimes that claimed to be communist.

                      If I were sufficiently insincere I might blame religion for sectarian violence in Palestine or Northern Ireland and ignore the colonization and abiding sense of injustice that drove those conflicts.

                      By all means discuss Cambodia, but if we are to do so it would be better to get at root causes than to apply a one-size-fits-all condemnation of any attempt to move toward a fairer society.

                    • AB

                      Marxism (on my admittedly limited reading) looks to me like an economic theory on how 19th century industrial capitalism actually works. It seems intended as a more empirical counterpoint to the idealising myths of Adam Smith's butcher and baker. To suggest that it can be in any way 'implemented' is sort of nonsensical. People influenced by it may do all sorts of nasty things, but they would probably have done nasty things whoever or whatever influenced them. As a fairly superficial example – why can we trace a tradition of totalitarian political violence that is present in Tsarist Russia, continues through the 70 years of Bolshevism, and remains in the state-oligarchic capitalism of Putin's Russia? Murderous autocrats are gonna murder, whatever their bedside reading. And to circle back ironically, that is one of the reservations I have about the materialist focus of Marxism – however many insights it provides about how capitalism functions, it has no notion of sin.

                    • In Vino

                      Excellent comment AB. If we look closer at history, the fact is that no country with a tradition of liberal democracy has ever tried Marxism.

                      Russia, China, Albania, etc – all countries with a tradition of cruel, despotic, totalitarian rulers whenever they were strong. Marxist rulers in those countries simply remained true to the style of all their totalitarian predecessors. Stalin used Marxism just like a religion – as a means of social control, just as the cruel Tsars like Ivan the Terrible, Catherine the Great, etc., used Greek Orthodox Christianity. Not much difference. In fact, I suggest Marxism should be viewed as a religion, just like Christianity. Never put into perfect practice.

                      I suspect that people who have developed deep religious beliefs are terrified by Marx’s calling religion the ‘Opiate of the Masses’ implying that social control by the ruling class is its main function.

                      For that reason alone, Marxism must be viewed as an atheistic, evil doctrine associated with every evil ever perpetrated by any Communist ruler. (A pity Hitler wasn’t an atheistic Communist !)

                      A much broader understanding of history is needed.

              • Gabby

                That's not really how it works.

                • McFlock

                  Yeah, even as a lapsed catholic that always pisses me off. It's not a rubber stamp, the remorse has to be visceral and genuine for that particular get out of jail free card.

                  That having been said, I don’t think nearly so many perpetrators of serious crimes genuinely have theirroads to damascus moments as are claimed. Besides, that’s between them and any afterlife that exists. My love ain’t infinite.

            • greywarshark 4.1.1.1.1.2

              edited
              Getting religion when you have committed heinous crimes is the only possible move towards regaining some semblance of soul for someone who has stepped so far away from the poor attempts we have made to form a 'civilised' world. It was a good move for him for whatever reason he underwent the appearance of change.

              And Stuart Munro makes a good point. Connecting Khmer Rouge with Marxism is unfair to Marx. A form of behaviour using something Marx wrote as the seed guiding idea, can’t be laid at Marx’s feet. In fact he noticed this tendency before he died prompting him to announce – “I’m not a Marxist”.
              Guesde was the inspiration for a famous quotation by Karl Marx. … This exchange is the source of Marx’s remark, reported by Friedrich Engels: “ce qu’il y a de certain c’est que moi, je ne suis pas marxiste” (“what is certain is that [if they are Marxists], [then] I myself am not a Marxist”). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jules_Guesde

              • RedLogix

                It was a good move for him for whatever reason he underwent the appearance of change.

                All people are capable of good and evil. Most people have never lived through times when we had to make a serious life-changing moral choice at this level of significance. Most of us have never been in a situation where we could commit an act of great evil and think we might get away with it.

                Most of us imagine we are good people, but in reality we have been just lucky not to have been truly tested by war, famine and chaos. Most of us have no real idea of what we'd actually do when face to face with the four horsemen.

                For this reason, I am quick to judge the marxist political philosophy that he justified his evil with, but I leave it to the divine to judge the contents of his heart. To paraphrase the old saying, 'there but for the grace of God goes any of us'.

                • In Vino

                  "For this reason, I am quick to judge the marxist political philosophy that he justified his evil with, .."

                  What on Earth do you mean by that?? He had no idea of what future history would be – he was doing his best to undersatnd human society, and add to the debate about it.

                  I assume you think his evil was atheism. Is that so?

            • PsyclingLeft.Always 4.1.1.1.1.3

              lol No Hoax. Its actually a Flying Spaghetti Monster………..Interesting the responses from the Believers. Who actually ignored what I had commented. The slime murdered…as a murderer.

      • swordfish 4.1.2

        .
        Khmer Rouge's Year Zero – its wholesale purges & attempted destruction of all existing culture, traditions & norms – continues to be an enormous inspiration to the power-hungry little cabal of Upper-Middle Class Woke. I presume Intersectional Cult members will be in mourning for the foreseeable future ?. Black armbands de rigueur in Jan Logie's office ?

        • Ad 4.1.2.1

          Jan Logie?

          Green MP Keith Locke was taken to task for supportive articles he wrote while editor of the New Zealand Socialist Action newspaper about the Khmer Rouge regime under the headline; Cambodia liberated: victory for humanity. Locke claimed his initial support for the Khmer Rouge was because "…many people thought the Khmer Rouge were an adjunct of the Vietnamese communist forces" and that he thought they "…would be better than the regimes they replaced".

          He also responded in Parliamentary debates about it that he renounced his support after hearing of their atrocities, while the New Zealand Government of the time continued to express support for the regime.

          • Morrissey 4.1.2.1.1

            Under the cloak of parliamentary privilege, Phil Goff, Michael Cullen, and Winston Peters, who all obeyed the U.S. policy of supporting the Khmer Rouge, brutally slandered Keith Locke, who (after that first ill-judged support in 1975) was opposed to it.

            Page 1
            New Zealand Journal of History, 33,2 (1999)
            The Devil You Know: NEW ZEALAND’S RECOGNITION POLICY TOWARDS CAMBODIA FROM 1978-1990

            by ANTHONY SMITH

            THIS ARTICLE looks at New Zealand’s policy of recognition towards Cambodia (or Kampuchea) between 1978 and 1990. New Zealand policymakers had to make the difficult decision as to which political entity to recognize, if any at all, after the Vietnamese invaded and installed a puppet government in Kampuchea in 1978. The Vietnamese army’s removal of the genocidal Khmer Rouge, or Democratic Kampuchea (DK), led by Pol Pot, provoked mixed reactions from the international community. There was universal relief at Pol Pot’s removal, but the Association of South East AsianNations (ASEAN), China and the United States expressed the concern that a Soviet-sponsored Vietnam was attempting to achieve sub-regional hegemony. These nations all supported the anti-Vietnamese resistance forces. Controversially, New Zealand also opted to give diplomatic recognition to the ousted Khmer Rouge regime-in-exile as the legitimate representatives of the Cambodian people.

            What emerges about New Zealand foreign-policy decision-making over this issue is that it contained a great deal of ambivalence. ……

            Read the rest of this apologetic and biased, but revealing, article HERE…
            http://www.nzjh.auckland.ac.nz/docs/1999/NZJH_33_2_05.pdf

        • RedLogix 4.1.2.2

          Very droll. But yes; the left needs to stop giving safe harbour to these neo-marxists.

  5. Dennis Frank 5

    Ben Thomas is a public relations consultant. He is a former National government press secretary and political editor of the National Business Review.

    The Infrastructure Industry Reference Group (IIRG), established in April to receive applications for funding, had lofty goals. It was particularly interested in investments that “modernise the economy” and set it up to “enhance sustainable productivity into the future” rather than projects that “replicate the current economic arrangements”.

    So you can see why James thought the Green School fit those criteria perfectly, eh? Can't expect Delahunty, Bradford et al to get their heads around that big picture though. They're merely leftists.

    The guidelines for applicants referenced the government’s Living Standards Framework (remember the wellbeing budget?), saying that consideration would be given to the social and environmental value that projects brought to a region, as well as economic benefits.

    https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/02-09-2020/james-and-the-giant-shovel/

    As I cited here yesterday, the Labour/NZF ministers involved couldn't see that value and those benefits despite the region's leaders acknowledging both.

    In May, finance minister Grant Robertson used the analogy of a burned down house to describe the economy – you wouldn’t, he said, rebuild it exactly as it was before. There was a hesitating sense that the careful and cautious Labour-New Zealand First-Green government might just be about to be – transformative.

    But living up to the PM's rhetoric turned out to be too hard. If they had supported James it would have been dire evidence of authenticity. Don't go there!

    The only piece missing from the puzzle was – what was it for? Other than crystal planting, and meditation for students whose parents paid $24,000 a year for them to fly internationally to learn about lowering carbon emissions, that is. What was the vision, and could anyone outside a meditation trance at the Green School see it?

    To answer his questions, Ben would have had to use google. Can't expect someone like him to be that competent! If he had, here's what he would have found:

    The Green School way allows young people to thrive by learning in a purposeful manner. Learning how to be a changemaker and have a positive impact on the world … We empower young people to become happy, excited, lifelong learners within a future-focused curriculum that advocates sustainable impact.

    Beyond mastering mathematics and literacy, our students will learn to think like innovative and creative entrepreneurs and changemakers, through student-guided, hands-on projects… students will also be exposed to Māori history and cultural values that will be intertwined into the spirit of the school. https://greenschool.nz/

    We educate for sustainability through community-integrated, entrepreneurial learning, in a natural environment.

    https://greenschool.nz/philosophy/

    I get that Ben feels obliged to misrepresent the truth, in solidarity with the National Party ethos. But why not try to create a basis for the Nats to embrace sustainability instead? A propagandist really ought to provide a viable path to the future for his tribe.

  6. Muttonbird 6

    Real Estate.

    That's all this incompetent spanner is good for. Yet she somehow snorted and troughed her way to Deputy PM!

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12361696

    • Alan 6.1

      Why are you so disparaging of the Real Estate industry?

      • Ad 6.1.1

        Because they are valueless, lying, fee-sucking scum.

        • mac1 6.1.1.1

          Ad, above you wrote, "But top work for the Christian slur."

          Can you square that statement about a Christian slur with your blanket condemnatory generalisation about real estate agents to this father of a principled, ethical and caring real estate agent daughter?

          • Morrissey 6.1.1.1.1

            I'm sure your daughter is principled, ethical and caring. However, the fact that Paula Bennett has been allowed to become one shows clearly that principles, ethics and caring are not a sine qua non for real estate agents.

          • Ad 6.1.1.1.2

            Yes. With pleasure.

            Go have a read of Jane Kelsey's FIRE Economy.

            Jesus would have kicked their asses out of town.

            • mac1 6.1.1.1.2.1

              Ad, you made a blanket condemnatory generalisation of real estate agents. You quote Kelsey in support. You quote me the passage where Kelsey says what you said. Telling me to read a book is not enough.

          • Muttonbird 6.1.1.1.3

            Your daughter hasn't been masquerading as a government minister though, has she?

            • mac1 6.1.1.1.3.1

              It might be a more reasonable argument, (and we are interested in that aren't we?), to say that Paula Bennett is 'xyz' in terms of her reliability, credibility, honesty, and then say that working in an industry such as real estate, that deals with large amounts of cash and assets, needs a different set of values and practice.

              Blanket condemnation of a group pf people because of the dislike of a particular politician is several steps too far.

              It's like saying that all politicians are rogues. We all know that's not true………… seriously!

        • aj 6.1.1.2

          . . . . valueless, lying, fee-sucking scum

          That may be the most correct comment today.

      • Stuart Munro 6.1.2

        It's part of the FIRE economy – inflation disguised as growth. It has grown to be a massive deadweight cost on the NZ economy, sucking up wealth without even offering to cover any of their societal impositions by paying tax.

        • greywarshark 6.1.2.1

          Every word in that comment SM hits a nail dead centre. Real estate agency is the way to go out of the few jobs available that pay decent money. Paula B has all the attributes to be a good earner; I rip their brochures up, and throw their glossy magazine in the recycling, as I have little respect for the trade in general, they seem like predators on the body of the nation.

          They are like lawyers, good to have a good, ethical one when they are needed, and those good at their job making a good swag as long as they aren't working for the needy ones who really need them. I

    • Pataua4life 6.2

      Please tell what do you do for job MB

    • Sabine 6.3

      so no one in NZ wanted to employ her? poor thing.

  7. Ad 7

    Massive loss of business to campervans, then massive fire breaks out at the Tourism Holdings campervan yard.

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12361725

    Looking forward to the insurers running the ruler over that one.

  8. garibaldi 8

    Living off commission brings out the worst in people. Paula is well qualified for that way of life!

  9. Treetop 9

    I think the government needs to step up and plan for more postal voting than election day voting in person.

    The whole country needs to be at 2.5 for the next month and no travel in or out of Auckland.

    Auckland has had it hard. It could be anywhere that a travel restriction in or out of a region could occur.

    It is 50/50 that another level 4 lockdown will occur around election time.

  10. Anne 10

    So, they've been at it again:

    https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-54002880

    Hard to know whether Putin was directly involved because the politician in question apparently had many enemies.

    I note Angela Merkel is equally as vociferous in her condemnation as Theresa May was a few years ago. And rightly so.

    • Andre 10.1

      Posts and comments from the usual suspects calling this war-mongering McCarthyist propaganda in 3 … 2 … 1 …

    • mauī 10.2

      In reality Navalny is an under <1% candidate and a professional protestor. Of course the BBC won't tell you that though…

      https://www.dw.com/en/alexei-navalny-most-russians-dont-care-about-his-work-poll-shows/a-51114579

    • Brigid 10.3

      "The Russian doctors who treated Navalny said there was no evidence of poisonous substance found in his body. They said his seizure may have been caused by a fatal drop in blood sugar levels. He is reportedly diabetic. So, from what we can tell, the Russian doctors appear to have saved Navalny’s life by their rapid response, but they were unable to make a precise diagnosis. What then merits Western demands for an investigation by the Russian authorities?"

      https://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2020/08/27/uks-johnson-reprises-skripal-saga-for-navalny-poisoning/

      • Andre 10.3.1

        How likely are they to find poisonous substances if it is very likely their livelihoods and maybe even their lives depend on their not finding poisonous substances?

        • Brigid 10.3.1.1

          If you're so sure the Russian doctors were instructed to not find poisonous substances, why did they let Navalny leave the hospital for a private hospital in Germany?

          You didn't read the article did you.

          "By merely detecting the presence of cholinesterase inhibitors and while not detecting any specific chemical that then does not permit a conclusion of “poisoning”, which the Russian doctors refrained from."

          Do something useful and prove Navalny wasn't prescribed any drug that contained cholinesterase inhibitors or where cholinesterase inhibitors are a result of the metabolizing of some other substance that he took willingly

          • Andre 10.3.1.1.1

            Why'd they let Navalny go? Who knows what amuses Poots? He may quite like the idea of Germany spending huge sums on saving Navalny, all the while giving tankies just enough plausible deniability to try to stir up more dissent in western countries.

            Pootee may be just as happy with a dissident spending the rest of his life dealing with severe medical issues in a foreign country, as he is with one deceased on russian soil. The deterrent effect internally is the same, and apart from shitstirring, he don't give a fuck what other countries think.

            As for me producing a counter to some scenario you're just making up – it's not me claiming to know what ails him.

        • francesca 10.3.1.2

          And yet Putin was so unperturbed, on request from Navalny's wife, he gave the go ahead for Navalny to be shifted to a Berlin hospital where he would have no power to manipulate the doctors

          I would think the German military hospital could be subject to pressure from the US military, still there after all these years

          Geopolitical shenanigans, Nord Stream 2, leverage

  11. Treetop 12

    Reply to @7

    Maybe the owner of the camper vans are hoping they can sell off or rent the camper vans to the government to house people in over the warmer months. Other people would be interested in purchasing or renting a camper van.

    I could do with one out the back as I live in a subdivided house with thin walls. I can hear a creaking bed, footsteps, people talking, shower water against my wall, banging doors, a range hood and extractor fan, people using the toilet etc. Odd, I live with people who have a separate tenancy agreement which I do not see.

    • Sabine 12.1

      we looked into that here locally for my MiL's paddock of paradise as hers is slowly rotting and falling apart., and frankly the prices are way beyond reasonable for the crap you get to buy.

      You might as well go get a nice cabin build new – which is what we am considering now.

  12. joe90 13

    shudders

    Donald Trump told Sarah Sanders she would have to “go to North Korea and take one for the team”, after Kim Jong-un winked at the then White House press secretary during a summit in Singapore in June 2018.

    “Kim Jong-un hit on you!” a delighted Trump joked, according to Sanders’ new memoir. “He did! He fucking hit on you!”

    https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/sep/01/donald-trump-sarah-sanders-take-one-for-the-team-kim-jong-un-wink-book

  13. Matiri 14

    Horrible news today about a livestock carrier ex Napier with nearly 6000 cows on their way to China, missing in a typhoon. There are at least two more carriers waiting to load in NZ ports as dairy farmers are getting crazy money for yearlings at the moment.

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/425115/ship-carrying-two-nz-crew-members-and-live-export-missing-in-east-china-sea

    Meanwhile, even more dairy farms in the Tasman district are converting to hops.

    • greywarshark 14.1

      I send out over 5000 wishes for good news to those passengers as well as the crew.

      Maritime New Zealand says it will be involved in an investigation only if the New Zealanders on board were employed by a local company or government body. The cows were NZs employed in production. What agency takes an interest in their welfare? Recent Country matters speakers on Radionz have said how patient and kind the cows are – we should aim to be the same.

      The end of the news item – Minister of Agriculture and Min. of Primary Industry are looking at the trade. I can’t see Damien O’Connor doing much.
      Cattle export industry under review
      The incident comes as the government is reviewing the practice – a move triggered last year when New Zealand and Australian cattle being exported to Sri Lanka died.

      Options being considered range from improving current systems to a total ban on livestock exports.
      As part of a nine-week consultation period, more than 3500 submissions were made.
      The Ministry for Primary Industries is now preparing advice for the minister of agriculture about the feedback.

      In the meantime, live exports are able to continue under the existing regulations.
      The number of live cattle shipped overseas has already surpassed last year's total.
      Cattle shipments to China make up the majority of the live export trade – in 2019 nearly 32,300 cows were shipped to the country.
      That has already been surpassed this year, by the end of last month live cattle exports to China reached 39,700.

      Figures from Stats NZ show the value of the 2020 cattle exports is $141 million.

    • McFlock 14.2

      Screw the cows.
      43 sailors were on board.

      • greywarshark 14.2.1

        Provocative McFlock.

        • McFlock 14.2.1.1

          People are more important than cows.

          The merchant marine runs in my family. Lamenting the cows with not a thought for the crew is an insult to everyone lost at sea.

          • Patricia Bremner 14.2.1.1.1

            Yes McFlock, those men work hard and spend long periods separated from family/whanau. This is a tragic event for those families.

            Shipping live cattle is another problem.

            Storms which sink ships will become more common with climate change. Sad all round.

          • Gabby 14.2.1.1.2

            Well if the cows weren't there the crew wouldn't have been.

  14. Andre 15

    Shaw really needs to have a fkn good explanation about why he wasn't pushing for funding for this. A public institute looking to expand its facilities to train people for a sector benefiting all NZers that we're desperately short of. That's completely compatible with Green ideals and policies.

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/122636864/taranaki-polytech-boss-optimistic-despite-shovelready-cold-shoulder

    • Dennis Frank 15.1

      But Andre, you don't know if he ticked that line item or not, do you? The govt haven't told us whether they have approved it. Let's wait & see, huh?

      • Andre 15.1.1

        On what's come out so far, we can be fairly confident Shaw didn't hold the entire process to ransom for WITT funding the way he held the entire process to ransom for the Green School funding.

        Newshub has obtained an email that went to Government ministers and the Treasury from Shaw's office and it included a stark ultimatum.

        "Minister Shaw won't sign this briefing until the Green School in Taranaki is incorporated."

        https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2020/09/green-co-leader-james-shaw-refused-to-sign-off-on-3bn-of-infrastructure-projects-unless-green-school-was-included.html

        • Dennis Frank 15.1.1.1

          Are you aware that you've adopted media framing?? I see no point in recycling melodrama. We know he had been given the decision-making prerogative by the govt. Just because the media are too lazy to acknowledge his right to decide, doesn't mean anyone here ought to tag along behind, eh?

          The guts is that the coalition included the Greens in this decision-making process. James had the right to represent the Greens due to being associate minister of finance. He had every right to make his approval conditional, because the protocol allowed him to. If that weren't the case, either of Jacinda/Grant/Winston would have said so!

          • Andre 15.1.1.1.1

            Yep, it was Shaw's decision to make. And he made the decision to put it all on the line for an elitist private school.

            That goes directly against Green principles and policies.

            While another project in the area that appears to meet a significant current societal need and meets all Green principles and policies also applied, and didn't get supported.

            Shaw needs to have a fkn good explanation for that to retain credibility.

            • Dennis Frank 15.1.1.1.1.1

              I see it differently. As I've said before, state schools don't prioritise sustainability. I've seen no evidence the establishment has included it in the national syllabus, which would be the elementary first step, evident in the early 1980s if not earlier to anyone paying attention.

              Funding a school that is doing the right thing is against a single clause in the GP education policy. Nobody has claimed anything else, except you. Your framing is therefore invalid.

              • McFlock

                The school's reason for existence is not "doing the right thing", it is profit (like all private schools).

                But this is what we get when people insist that the Greens stick to the environment: crystals and mung beans while perpetuating the exploitative system that permeates society.

                The same crowd who thought Turei should have shut up are the crowd who think guitars in a field can make private schooling a net positive for society.

    • weka 15.2

      That project and the other thousand or so that didn't make it through the selection process. Have you looked at what the funding process was? Do you know where the confidentiality clauses fall? I can think of two: Shaw wasn't allowed to talk with the GP caucus as the process was for the budget ministers only. And there are commercial interests that mean the public will never see some of what was presented or the process of decision making. Shaw has said that the process itself was problematic from his point of view. I would guess he would have preferred more transparency.

  15. weka 16

    Oh great, RNZ have a copy of the vid from the GP zoom last week where Shaw explained what had happened with the covid funding process and decisions. Drip feeding, today's installment is about how Shaw said Hipkins okayed the project.

    All that's going to happen now is people's nervous systems will go on alert again, another round of blame, the left punching sideways, and even more messy and confusing narrative of the funding process. Thanks MSM.

    (nope, not linking. It's easy to find if you want to).

    • Dennis Frank 16.1

      Ah, didn't see that you had posted this, when I replied to you further up. So the saga still has legs. I assume the party insider who leaked was motivated by natural justice. Didn't like Labour's distancing ploy, eh? Fair enough.

      • weka 16.1.1

        400 people in the call, pretty easy for a non-party person to have done this.

        • Dennis Frank 16.1.1.1

          Only members were allowed to connect. Do you mean partners of members? Possible, I suppose. I didn't even know Zoom calls are recordable!

          • weka 16.1.1.1.1

            anyone can join the GP so long as they are not a member of another party, I fully expect there to be members who are members so they can feed information to Nat and ACT, and those that supply the MSM. I would think this is true of every party.

            Members were emailed a link to join the zoom. Membership wasn't checked at the door.

            • Dennis Frank 16.1.1.1.1.1

              Ah, the old double-agent thingy. Thought it went out with the end of the Cold War. Perhaps I was naive. 😊

              • mango

                Definitely a dirty tricks campaign going on.

                • Agreed Mango. This has the characteristics of a carefully orchestrated campaign to nail Shaw and push the Greens to 4.9%.

                  But why are RadioNZ buying into it?

                  • Patricia Bremner

                    RNZ failed to correct the incorrect covid message for 30 to 40 min.

                    RNZ have a header up which emphasises the old UNICEF stats as though they are current.

                    RNZ is trying to make James Shaw look as bad as possible.

                    Nothing new here…it is how they operate!!!

                    Take their news with salt!!

                    • Yes I heard the UNICEF report this morning-RadioNZ blaming Labour for historical failures mostly under Key/Double Dipton….and RadioNZ just repeated the UNICEF accusation at 5.33pm without mentioning the time period.

                      WTF?

              • garibaldi

                James Shaw is definitely naive, or stupid, or both. I’m picking the last option because of the way he keeps digging. This is such an insult to the Party. What he did was no momentary lapse of reason.

                • McFlock

                  No, he saw "Green" and didn't think "private education policy".

                  But he apologised, and I'm not sure how he's still digging a hole?

                  • Incognito

                    Usually, it is the gravediggers who do the digging, not the corpse itself. There is no shortage of gravediggers in NZ, it seems.

                    • McFlock

                      Well, enthusiastic shovellers, at any rate 🙂

                      If they haven't found a real teeth-worthy scandal by now, I'm not sure it'll happen.

                    • Incognito []

                      Heh! When a scandal is not quite yet ‘shovel-ready’ keep digging and sooner or later you will ‘strike gold’.

                    • weka

                      MoH mistake with the covid testing announcement was a damp squib too.

                      Expect withdrawal symptoms any moment now.

  16. Gabby 17

    Verbal sign-off? Okay..

  17. The issue that decides my vote–child poverty. A big fail from this Government (again)

    https://twitter.com/rnz_news/status/1301282521334734848?s=20

    • greywarshark 18.1

      OH do show us your logic in how you have come to realise that this is a problem. It definitely is a big fail for this government. And you pick governments like you would pick racehorses do you? Past form, condition of track, what competitors? What is your logic in your decision to vote for …? Party. I wouldn't pledge my house on any of them. So what now?

      • roblogic 18.1.1

        Gonna vote Green. I vote on the basis of Matthew 25:35,36

        For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was ill and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.

      • In Vino 18.1.2

        Old news… Jacinda has pointed out that the figures for that survey are old, and from the time of the National Govt. No measures taken since then are included, so it is actually the National party on the hook, not this Govt. Commentator agreed, too.

    • Adrian 18.2

      The other 34 were lying. Remember how we were taken to task for child welfare by God knows how many despotic regimes representatives on a UN committee the last time one of these surveys came out.

    • Patricia Bremner 18.3

      We tried to find the time frame of this UNICEF report. It mentions the first decade of the 20s and 2013 to 2016. So John Key and c/o??

      Followed by 2016 to—– 2018?? Really hard to pin it down.

      The next one might show some changes. ???

      Watch the false equivalence reporting on this.

    • Chris T 18.4

      Since when is 35th out of 190 near bottom?.

      And it is probably Ardern's fault (Just threw that in for a laugh)

    • Patricia Bremner 18.5

      These stats are mainly 2013 to 2016/17 This Government's term Oct 2017-Oct 2020.

      • Chris T 18.5.1

        TBF, you have to admit the emergency housing figures aren't exactly rosey since Labour got in

  18. Fireblade 19

    By Rod Emmerson.

  19. calltoaccount 20

    Only one issue in town, re the election… Covid. And only one issue counts there, and that’s the numbers. Today it’s just the one in the community (linked with existing) and one at the border. Effectively zero. Keep that up, and it’s Labour by a country mile. Maybe the virus waiting to make it’s move post lockdown relaxation, maybe not. An election unlike any other. Go Labour!

    • AB 20.1

      Elimination of this Auckland cluster (a string of zero new community cases) and no new incursion of the virus into the community – that's the goal for the next 6 weeks. To beat it back twice when most countries haven't achieved it once. And to do so through impeccable strategy and decision-making (go hard & early) accompanied by pretty solid and only occasionally ropey execution. Fingers crossed for that – to get through this irritating election decisively and then look hard at what's needed next.

    • karol121 20.2

      Sure, New Zealand seems to have dodged a human catastrophe bullet this time around and people will likely be able to move to and from the polling stations in about 2 weeks and then off to recreation, work, food, beverage and maybe even church for those inclined in that direction.

      Meanwhile, the economy almost screwed, people hot under the collar for whatever precautions have been taken, or have not been taken.

      And how about another larger wave, or even a more damaging strain of Covid_2 type virus?

      Maybe we are just looking at a reprieve in an environment which was more open to lock down measures due to the size of NZ, it's isolation and the fact that there were no viable tourist or student options open to the country while the emergency existed, and where it still exists despite thoughts of all good now.

      We probably live in the most interesting times ever in the history of humankind, but far from the safest times.

      Please, please, please, freaking WAKE UP!

      At least in part, I have.

  20. McFlock 21

    hmmm. Now they're trying to spin a cheap office rental as a massive scandal.

    Whereabouts is subletting a peppercorn rental on the Double-Dipton Scale, I wonder?

    • Andre 21.1

      That is quite an impressive shell game of transactions between different parties.

      But it seems pretty clear taxpayers are not getting diddled, but are in fact paying well below market rates for legitimate MP office expenses. At worst, somehow some below-market rentals should be getting reported as donations, and aren't.

      • McFlock 21.1.1

        Yeah that would be the main argument, except that if they sold it to the union at a cheap price in exchange for the cheap rent, it's difficult to demonstrate a donation as opposed to a reasonable commercial arrangement.

        I suspect it was sold to the union in the "early 1990s" as a way to protect the asset from the ACToids who remained in Labour post-Lab4.

        • Andre 21.1.1.1

          Staving off the kind of jiggery-pokery that an actoid tried on the Onehunga branch that mickysavage had a hand in fighting off?

          • McFlock 21.1.1.1.1

            Not familiar with that particular jiggery-pokery, but they jiggery-poked the party as much as they jiggery-poked the nation.

            • Anne 21.1.1.1.1.1

              A small group of ex Labour activists (who ended up in ACT) 'stole' a property from the Onehunga Labour Party. It took the L.P. years and at least one court case to get the property returned to them.

              Very nasty stuff indeed.

    • Anne 21.2

      Talking of cheap office rentals:

      Back in the 1990s ACT rented space in the Finance Plaza, Auckland (owned then by Micheal Fay) for the princely sum of $1 per week.

  21. Andre 22

    Vote early, vote often!

    Oranga bin Frauden is now encouraging his supporters to vote twice. He says it's to test the integrity of the voting system.

    https://edition.cnn.com/2020/09/02/politics/donald-trump-north-carolina-voter-fraud/index.html

    (Just quietly, it's a felony. In fact, even just inducing someone else to do it is a felony)

  22. Reality 23

    Wonderful Jim Hubbard cartoon in Stuff today. Reminding us of Judith Collins' hypocrisy (remember Dirty Politics and Oravida) in view of her attacks on James Shaw.

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • Misremembering Justinian’s Taxes.
    Tax Lawyer Barbara Edmonds vs Emperor Justinian I - Nolo Contendere: False historical explanations of pivotal events are very far from being inconsequential.WHEN BARBARA EDMONDS made reference to the Roman Empire, my ears pricked up. It is, lamentably, very rare to hear a politician admit to any kind of familiarity ...
    58 mins ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Scoring 4.6 out of 10, the new Government is struggling in the polls
    It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support for the various parties in ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    2 hours ago
  • Bishop scores headlines with crackdown on unwelcome tenants – but Peters scores, too, as tub-thump...
    Buzz from the Beehive Housing Minister Chris Bishop delivered news – packed with the ingredients to enflame political passions – worthy of supplanting Winston Peters in headline writers’ priorities. He popped up at the post-Cabinet press conference to promise a crackdown on unruly and antisocial state housing tenants. His ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 hours ago
  • Will it make the boat go faster?
    Ele Ludemann writes – The Reserve Bank is advertising for a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion advisor. The Bank has one mandate – to keep inflation between one and three percent. It has failed in that and is only slowly getting inflation back down to the upper limit. Will it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 hours ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi The fact that a ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    6 hours ago
  • Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Bryce Edwards writes – Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 hours ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' at 10:10am on Tuesday, March 19
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Gavin Jacobson talks to Thomas Piketty 10 years on from Capital in the 21st Century The SalvoLocal scoop: Green MP’s business being investigated over migrant exploitation claims Stuff Steve KilgallonLocal deep-dive: The commercial contractors making money from School ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 hours ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things on Tuesday, March 19
    It’s a home - but Kāinga Ora tenants accused of “abusing the privilege” may lose it. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government announced a crackdown on Kāinga Ora tenants who were unruly and/or behind on their rent, with Housing Minister Chris Bishop saying a place in a state ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    7 hours ago
  • New Life for Light Rail
    This is a guest post by Connor Sharp of Surface Light Rail  Light rail in Auckland: A way forward sooner than you think With the coup de grâce of Auckland Light Rail (ALR) earlier this year, and the shift of the government’s priorities to roads, roads, and more roads, it ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    8 hours ago
  • Why Are Bosses Nearly All Buffoons?
    Note: As a paid-up Webworm member, I’ve recorded this Webworm as a mini-podcast for you as well. Some of you said you liked this option - so I aim to provide it when I get a chance to record! Read more ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    11 hours ago
  • Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6.06 pm on March 18
    TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    22 hours ago
  • Peters holds his ground on co-governance, but Willis wriggles on those tax cuts and SNA suspension l...
    Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago
  • Labour’s final report card
    David Farrar writes –  We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how  went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promise The result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • “Drunk Uncle at a Wedding”
    I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on Dune 2, and images of Islam
    Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
    1 day ago
  • New Rail Operations Centre Promises Better Train Services
    Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
    1 day ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things at 6.36am on Monday, March 18
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    1 day ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to March 25 and beyond
    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 day ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    1 day ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    1 day ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    4 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    5 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    5 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    5 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • There’s a name for this
    Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • Echoes of 1968 in 2024?  Pocock on the repetitive problems of the New Left
    Mike Grimshaw writes – Recent events in American universities point to an underlying crisis of coherent thinking, an issue that increasingly affects the progressive left across the Western world. This of course is nothing new as anyone who can either remember or has read of the late ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Two bar blues
    The thing about life’s little victories is that they can be followed by a defeat.Reader Darryl told me on Monday night:Test again Dave. My “head cold” last week became COVID within 24 hours, and is still with me. I hear the new variants take a bit longer to show up ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 13
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Angus Deaton on rethinking his economics IMFLocal scoop: The people behind Tamarind, the firm that left a $500m cleanup bill for taxpayers at Taranaki’s Tui oil well, are back operating in Taranaki under a different company name. Jonathan ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • AT Need To Lift Their Game
    Normally when we talk about accessing public transport it’s about improving how easy it is to get to, such as how easy is it to cross roads in a station/stop’s walking catchment, is it possible to cycle to safely, do bus connections work, or even if are there new routes/connections ...
    6 days ago
  • Christopher's Whopper.
    Politicians are not renowned for telling the truth. Some tell us things that are verifiably not true. They offer statements that omit critical pieces of information. Gloss over risks, preferring to offer the best case scenario.Some not truths are quite small, others amusing in their transparency. There are those repeated ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago

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

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2024-03-19T03:21:28+00:00