Open mike 03/11/2023

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, November 3rd, 2023 - 63 comments
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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 …

63 comments on “Open mike 03/11/2023 ”

  1. kejo 1

    Had a flash of the new "business" way of government.

    This afternoon Lxn realises he has to phone Winnie.

    " All lines are busy at the moment. Your business is important to us. Current wait times are 2 hours 45 minutes. Please hold the line." (Continuous racing commentary plays).

    Anyone want to take it from there/

  2. Barfly 2

    "So you are sending Brownlee to the Pacific Islands Forum leaders meeting without consulting me?"

  3. Sanctuary 3

    And so today we get the final results of the election, 20 days after the closing of the polls.

    Unpopular take but the critics of the delay – and the overall competence of the way the election was conducted – have a point. The MSM political journalists seem to largely to be having a childish junkie's tantrum over being denied their fix, so as per usual they can't see the issue for their egos.

    But there were big issues that need answers from the electoral commission. The use of technology – in particular the reliance on an app that crashed – didn't scale particularly well, leading to delays – often long ones – as the election volunteers were insufficient in numbers and training to fill the gap. Why it was decided to adopt an app based approach at all (solution looking for a problem?) needs to be answered, especially when you consider the also online technology led fiasco that was the census.

    The running out of ballot papers in some South Auckland electorates is a basic competency scandal that, had it occurred in Herne Bay and Remuera, you'd have heard trumpeted on the front page of the Herald for weeks.

    The confusion over closing advanced voting places on election day – which common sense should have told the electoral commission people would have noticed leading up to polling day and filed away as a voting location – was an act of almost bovine stupidity.

    But the biggest concern has to be the delay over announcing the final result. Three weeks is an unacceptable delay in the transfer of power. People might think it inconsequential, but we've seen in the USA what happens when you dawdle over an immediate transfer of power. There is a reason the second old QEII breathed her last Charlie became King. What would stop an errant Trumpist right wing government deciding via a flurry of orders in council to abolish ministries, mass fire employees and stop civil service pay in the three weeks it takes to form a government now? Convention is well and good but as the USA demonstrates, it is actually a constraint on anyone. We have to come up with a quicker way of getting the final result.

    • AB 3.1

      We need to be a bit careful what we wish for. Luxon may well use the 3-week wait this time as an excuse for changing the rules and not allowing voters to enroll on the day. That would surely save some time. The right is always keen to shrink the franchise to people with stable, predictable lives.

      • Sanctuary 3.1.1

        They hate same day enrolment, they won't need an excuse to axe it if they want.

        • Bearded Git 3.1.1.1

          I think you are wrong in this case Sanc. By complaining about the 3 week delay you are helping Luxon and Seymour to stop same day enrolment, which is an important plus for democracy in NZ.

          The 3 week delay has little effect. We have a caretaker PM/government that consults with the PM elect. Government goes on in this period.

          Meanwhile Luxon has said that he has had meaningful (but secret) talks with ACT and NZF in these 3 weeks that will have already sorted out most of what will happen after we receive the final result at 2pm today.

          What's the problem?

          Having said that, if some of the accuracy checks, where they are extremely unlikely to affect the final result, could be done later, they might be able to get the results out more quickly.

      • Grey Area 3.1.2

        Rimmer was suggesting exactly that this morning on RNZ I think but Golriz Ghahraman was quoted in response saying something like people should be given as many opportunities to vote as possible.

    • Ad 3.2

      Agree. Do they really have to re-could the whole thing?

      • Sanctuary 3.2.1

        I think it plays to a wider and ultimately I think very damaging criticism of the last Labour government – lack of delivery despite copious funding and the frustrations that grew from that.

        Richard Harman notes today in Politik:

        “…The number of pure Public Servants has increased by 7255 from the number employed when National left office in 2017.That is an increase of 35.64 per cent to bring the total in the capital to 27,612. Over the same period, public sector education and health workers in Wellington have increased by only 16 per cent. They very slightly outnumber the bureaucrats with a total of 29,000. The Public Service Commission yesterday also released public service salary data, which showed the average public service pay was $97,200, which suggests that the Wellington increase since 2017 has added $705 million to the government’s annual wage bill…”

        Continue reading at https://www.politik.co.nz/public-servant-numbers-jump/ | Politik

        Now, nobody minds a big jump in bureaucrats if they deliver results. But the sinking feeling is the electoral commission went with an app because it created work for a project manager who they quite like and would rather not let go, for the Wellington based IT industry who need fat government contracts to survive, and it meant they could justify increasing head count in the IT delivery team. Ditto for the census. In other words, it isn’t hard to imagine a lot of the increased spending was just to create a giant middle class make work scheme designed mainly to enrich a mildly incompetent Wellington government feedback loop.

        • Ad 3.2.1.1

          There's sure plenty of those kinds of dead or dying expensive i.t. projects across a whole bunch of Departments. Just wait for the health one to metastasize.

          I find it hard to believe National+Act can make massive financial cuts without bringing consultants in to assist. Will make for a fascinating 100 Day Plan, since Labour forgot to do one in 2017.

          Wellington is going to be a bloodbath of thousands of woke carcasses. They can occupy parliament grounds and see if the opposition will come out to rally them.

          • Rolling-on-Gravel 3.2.1.1.1

            "Woke carcasses"?

            That's just disgusting language tbh.

            Stop demonising people in public service, these are usually people who are trying to keep government going smoothly and we don't know who or which jobs or organisations will be axed under the incoming government that will affect the functioning of the country or not.

            I don't like the disdain and dismissiveness of that language.

            Public service is an important aspect of governance and the idea of the language that they're all airy-fairy angers me because a lot of them are behind the scenes trying their best and they are usually part of many a health/disability community advocacy push.

            We need many people who are willing to work for the best of New Zealand/Aotearoa and we cannot afford to play silly buggers with what may happen in the future.

            Smh. Sometimes I just hate reading this blog.

            • newsense 3.2.1.1.1.1

              Ad is the best and asking Ad, the brightest the Labour Party has to offer…

              I don’t actually know if he’s (sorry I’m actually not sure on Ad’s gender or if the posters under the handle are many) a Labour voter and supporter. Or if he’s the only one left.

              Seeing he’s an author he rarely seems to get censured for his extravagant style. It’s Cullen-lite. Large attempts at wit, but much less knowing everything despite all that!

              Not in the best vein this morning, old chap. Too much partying with your other undead rogernome buddies for Halloween…

    • mikesh 3.3

      We have to come up with a quicker way of getting the final result.

      That's the problem with this world. It's rush, rush, rush; everything has got to be done 'yesterday'. Everybody's too bloody impatient.

      • Incognito 3.3.1

        Agreed! Checking and accuracy come second to expediency – the vibe matters more than the fact.

      • Ad 3.3.2

        Yes let's bring back candlewick snuffers tripping through the rooms at midnight, paper bus tickets on trolley buses, nightcart soil pullers, handwritten receipts from the smiling butcher, looped cursive cheque writing, A0 newspapers stretched across the breakfast table as Dad puffs his pipe, wringer washing machines for Mum to stay busy, milkmen whistling the milk of human kindness to your door, dial phones attached to your wall, and of course a basement of bright yellow preserved peaches.

        • Sanctuary 3.3.2.1

          Sounds like Timaru, the place where the inhabitants are flattered when they come to Auckland and discover MOTAT has an entire exhibit dedicated to their town.

        • Belladonna 3.3.2.2

          I'm gonna agree with the last one. Home bottled peaches…..Yummmmm

          • newsense 3.3.2.2.1

            Need the climate to grow the trees and have those that are there already not to die off…

        • Adrian 3.3.2.3

          At least all that shit worked and did the job it was supposed to.

      • Hunter Thompson II 3.3.3

        Correct.

        Some things, such as counting votes in a general election, must always be done properly. There is no other way unless you want to live in a corrupt nation.

    • Peter 3.4

      "We've seen in the USA what happens when you dawdle over an immediate transfer of power?"

      Do you mean we've seen what happens in the USA when you expect the traditional (over a couple of hundred years) transfer of power when the loser in the election is a narcissistic megalomaniac with a cult following roused to be violent?

      • Sanctuary 3.4.1

        The 1984 constitutional crisis occurred over four days when a narcissistic megalomaniac with a cult following refused to devalue the NZ dollar. Imagine if that had been dragged on for almost three weeks, it would have wrecked the economy.

        • mikesh 3.4.1.1

          it would have wrecked the economy.

          How do you know? There are some who said that, but it may have just been propaganda. Douglas, in one of his books, said that he favoured devaluation, but that may just have given rise to a sort of self-fulfilling prophesy. There were no doubt people in the economy who figured to make money from a devaluation.

    • tsmithfield 3.5

      I agree with you with respect to the delay. If 1,000,000 plus votes cast on election day can be counted that day, then why on earth should we have to wait three weeks for approx half that amount?

      • Grey Area 3.5.1

        As I tried to point out to you mid last month processing special votes is a more complicated and time-consuming process than counting the votes of people who cast an ordinary vote on the day. For ordinary votes there is a preliminary count on the night and they are re-counted later for the official result.

        Each person who makes a special vote has to make a special vote declaration to the returning officer in the electorate they believe they are entitled to vote in. The declaration is checked and witnessed by the issuing officer in the voting place who issues them a ballot paper which goes into an envelope with two pockets along with the declaration and is returned to the home electorate. If someone is enrolling and voting their enrolment form is processed separately post voting day. There are seven options as to why someone is making a special vote.

        From what I understand (as we just did the declaration checking and witnessing and ballot issuing) the specials are returned to the home electorate where each one has be be checked to confirm it is a valid special vote. I think this is what takes the time. The counting is the easy bit at the end.

        Of course one way to speed it up would be to employ more people to do the job but that would obviously cost more which would probably stick in the throat of small government proponents.

      • Craig H 3.5.2

        There are a lot more people available to be hired for one Saturday (the public service encourages public servants to do it) plus some people for advance voting, than people for 2-3 weeks.

    • SPC 3.6

      The running out of ballot papers in some South Auckland electorates is a basic competency scandal that, had it occurred in Herne Bay and Remuera, you'd have heard trumpeted on the front page of the Herald for weeks.

      Thus it is fortunate in a way that National got a mandate to form a government, but will be still be denied a NACT majority – otherwise this would be a much bigger issue.

    • Incognito 3.7

      I enjoyed the break after the pre-election madness. The relatively quiet time of this 3-week interregnum allowed for some much-needed reflection and introspection without the usual cacophony from the bread & circuses from and through MSM & SM. It felt like the calm after and before the next shitstorm. To some people the result and sub-sequent wait may have felt like an anti-climax but to me it felt cathartic.

  4. Ad 4

    Sorry to see Redline folding. Sometimes it's good to be annoyed.

    BTW could sure do with more writers here people.

    • Sanctuary 4.1

      They seem to have got sucked into the culture war thing over trans rights and having brought into that narrative they eventually exploded.

  5. Ad 5

    If anyone wonders why Egypt and Saudia Arabia or frankly any arab country isn't offering to take in Palestinian refugees, here's a few of their excuses set out here:

    https://apnews.com/article/palestinian-jordan-egypt-israel-refugee-502c06d004767d4b64848d878b66bd3d

    • AB 5.1

      Their primary reason for not accepting Palestinians will be because of the economic and political effects in their own countries. But the reasons they give here are not silly – knowing that fleeing to neighbouring countries is an option would simply embolden the Israeli government to complete the eviction process started in 1948. And as the Israeli government doesn't care, they will try to push and push until the international pressure on the Arab states makes them cave in.

  6. Mike the Lefty 6

    The last "new song" we will ever hear from The Beatles called "Now and Then" has been officially released.

    Warning – if you are a Beatles nut like me you may get tears in your eyes.

    • Peter 6.2

      Just last week I found a new version of an oldie which had me reflecting on the variety of their songs.

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YJZkTh53KU

      • pat 6.2.1

        great find.

      • Descendant Of Smith 6.2.2

        The live Cavern Club album recorded by someone in the audience and found years later has some great unexpected covers. Some Ray Charles in there….

        It's low-fi and the quality isn't great but does give some insight into that early part of their career. I quite like putting it on now and then.

        I Saw Her Standing There
        Roll Over Beethoven
        Hippy Hippy Shake
        Sweet Little Sixteen
        Lend Me Your Comb
        Your Feet's Too Big
        Twist And Shout
        Mr. Moonlight
        A Taste Of Honey
        Besame Mucho
        Reminiscing
        Kansas City
        Ain't Nothing Shakin' Like The Leaves On A Tree
        To Know Her Is To Love Her
        Little Queenie
        Falling In Love Again
        Ask Me Why
        Be-Bop-A-Lula
        Halleluja, I Love Her So
        Red Sails In The Sunset
        Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby
        Matchbox
        Talkin' 'Bout You
        Shimmy Shake
        Long Tall Sally
        Remember You

    • Descendant Of Smith 6.3

      I had tears in my eyes all right.

      Felt and sounded like a funeral dirge with lyrics as silly as Fat Mattress's Petrol Pump Assistant.

      Can see why it was never finished. They should have left it alone.

      Though it could go well as a lament for the Labour Party to it's voting base who only now and then seem to need its poor and working class.

      Now (Now) and then (And then)
      I miss you (I miss you)
      Oh, now (Now) and then (And then)
      I want you to return to me
      Now (Now) and then (And then)
      I miss you (I miss you)
      Oh, now (Now) and then (And then)
      I want you to return to me
      Now (Now) and then (And then)

      Sad cause some post John Lennon stuff has been really good. The stripped back version of Woman was brilliant.

      Fat Mattress’s Petrol Pump Assistant.

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUkLC5GsUnU

  7. adam 7

    6 seat for Te Pāti Māori and overhang baby!

    • Dennis Frank 7.1

      Yeah…

      Te Pati Māori has increased from four seats to six, after their candidates defeated two seasoned Labour candidates. The Green Party also gained one seat, up from 14 on election night.

      Takutai Kemp won the Māori electorate seat, Tāmaki Makaurau by four votes over Peeni Henare while Mariameo Kapa-Kingi won Te Tai Tokerau with a majority of 517 votes over Labour Party deputy leader Kelvin Davis. As a result, there will be overhang in Parliament by two seats because Te Pati Māori won more electorate seats than it would otherwise have from its share of the party vote.

      https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/301001429/live-final-election-results-imminent

  8. Dennis Frank 8

    NZF in control:

    National lost two electorate seats. Labour’s Rachel Boyack took Nelson, and Phil Twyford, has won Te Atatū in Auckland, overtaking the National candidates by 29 and 131 votes, respectively.

    This leaves National with 48 seats in Parliament – down from 50 on election night. Even combined with the ACT Party’s 11 seats, which were unchanged from election night, this is short of the majority needed for the parties to form a coalition government.

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/301001429/live-final-election-results-imminent

    Dunno where Stuff got it from: I was watching this:
    The Electoral Commission will have the official results for the 2023 General Election published here on Friday 3 November 2023. https://www.electionresults.govt.nz/

    Finals still not posted @ 2.11pm…

  9. Sanctuary 9

    So who made it in for Labour?

  10. adam 10

    Trump the complete ass he was, has enabled another dick waving ass to play dangerous games.

    https://www.1news.co.nz/2023/11/03/putin-revokes-russias-ratification-of-nuclear-test-ban-treaty/

  11. Sanctuary 11

    Here I was waiting for Sue Grey to be catapulted into the Beehive!

  12. observer 12

    In 3 years time the lessons we learn every 3 years will be forgotten once again, and it will be the same misleading picture.

    Election night is not the election result. It never is. Learn, forget … Rinse, repeat, rinse, repeat.

    Around 8 pm on election night National were on 42%. So a lot of people in TV studios said silly things and kept on saying them. National plus ACT were 65 seats, and then 64,63, 62 … and finally 59 (which will be 60 after the by-election).

    I suppose nobody wants to say "let's wait, let's wait", coz it's boring telly. But it is accurate reporting.

    • lprent 12.1

      My on the night guesses at midnight for the final were

      Nat ~38% (close) they kept going down as the bigger booths gave results Just slipped below 40% when I was going to bed.

      Lab ~28% (not close) obviously not as much as I expected

      Greens ~11.5% + from specials

      NZF ~6% – never move much on specials

      I expected Act to fall a little bit and TPM to remain the same (outside of electorate seats).

  13. Rolling-on-Gravel 13

    The results thus so far:

    26 – Labour

    11 – Greens

    3 – Te Patī Māori

    (40% seats)

    38 (soon to be 39) – National

    8 – Act

    6 – NZ First

    (52-3% seats)

    The highest non-overhang seat percentage is:

    2 – The Opportunities Party

    My source?

    https://elections.nz/media-and-news/2023/official-results-for-the-2023-general-election/

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    Buzz from the Beehive The biggest buzz we bring you from the Beehive today is that the government’s official website is up and going after being out of action for more than a week. The latest press statement came  from  Education Minister  Eric Stanford, who seized on the 2022 PISA ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Climate Change: Failed again
    There was another ETS auction this morning. and like all the other ones this year, it failed to clear - meaning that 23 million tons of carbon (15 million ordinary units plus 8 million in the cost containment reserve) went up in smoke. Or rather, they didn't. Being unsold at ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell On The Government’s Assault On Maori
    This isn’t news, but the National-led coalition is mounting a sustained assault on Treaty rights and obligations. Even so, Christopher Luxon has described yesterday’s nationwide protests by Maori as “pretty unfair.” Poor thing. In the NZ Herald, Audrey Young has compiled a useful list of the many, many ways that ...
    3 days ago
  • Rising costs hit farmers hard, but  there’s more  positive news  for  them this  week 
    New Zealand’s dairy industry, the mainstay of the country’s export trade, has  been under  pressure  from rising  costs. Down on the  farm, this  has  been  hitting  hard. But there  was more positive news this week,  first   from the latest Fonterra GDT auction where  prices  rose,  and  then from  a  report ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    4 days ago
  • ROB MacCULLOCH:  Newshub and NZ Herald report misleading garbage about ACT’s van Veldon not follo...
    Rob MacCulloch writes –  In their rush to discredit the new government (which our MainStream Media regard as illegitimate and having no right to enact the democratic will of voters) the NZ Herald and Newshub are arguing ACT’s Deputy Leader Brooke van Veldon is not following Treasury advice ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Top 10 for Wednesday, December 6
    Even many young people who smoke support smokefree policies, fitting in with previous research showing the large majority of people who smoke regret starting and most want to quit. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere on the morning of Wednesday, December ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Eleven years of work.
    Well it didn’t take six months, but the leaks have begun. Yes the good ship Coalition has inadvertently released a confidential cabinet paper into the public domain, discussing their axing of Fair Pay Agreements (FPAs).Oops.Just when you were admiring how smoothly things were going for the new government, they’ve had ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • Why we're missing out on sharply lower inflation
    A wave of new and higher fees, rates and charges will ripple out over the economy in the next 18 months as mayors, councillors, heads of department and price-setters for utilities such as gas, electricity, water and parking ramp up charges. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Just when most ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • How Did We Get Here?
    Hi,Kiwis — keep the evening of December 22nd free. I have a meetup planned, and will send out an invite over the next day or so. This sounds sort of crazy to write, but today will be Tony Stamp’s final Totally Normal column of 2023. Somehow we’ve made it to ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    4 days ago
  • At a glance – Has the greenhouse effect been falsified?
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    4 days ago
  • New Zealaders  have  high expectations of  new  government:  now let’s see if it can deliver?
    The electorate has high expectations of the  new  government.  The question is: can  it  deliver?    Some  might  say  the  signs are not  promising. Protestors   are  already marching in the streets. The  new  Prime Minister has had  little experience of managing  very diverse politicians  in coalition. The economy he  ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    4 days ago
  • You won't believe some of the numbers you have to pull when you're a Finance Minister
    Nicola of Marsden:Yo, normies! We will fix your cost of living worries by giving you a tax cut of 150 dollars. 150! Cash money! Vote National.Various people who can read and count:Actually that's 150 over a fortnight. Not a week, which is how you usually express these things.And actually, it looks ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago
  • Pushback
    When this government came to power, it did so on an explicitly white supremacist platform. Undermining the Waitangi Tribunal, removing Māori representation in local government, over-riding the courts which had tried to make their foreshore and seabed legislation work, eradicating te reo from public life, and ultimately trying to repudiate ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Defence ministerial meeting meant Collins missed the Maori Party’s mischief-making capers in Parli...
    Buzz from the Beehive Maybe this is not the best time for our Minister of Defence to have gone overseas. Not when the Maori Party is inviting (or should that be inciting?) its followers to join a revolution in a post which promoted its protest plans with a picture of ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • Threats of war have been followed by an invitation to join the revolution – now let’s see how th...
     A Maori Party post on Instagram invited party followers to ….  Tangata Whenua, Tangata Tiriti, Join the REVOLUTION! & make a stand!  Nationwide Action Day, All details in tiles swipe to see locations.  • This is our 1st hit out and tomorrow Tuesday the 5th is the opening ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Top 10 for Tuesday, December 4
    The RBNZ governor is citing high net migration and profit-led inflation as factors in the bank’s hawkish stance. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere on the morning of Tuesday, December 5, including:Reserve Bank Governor Adrian Orr says high net migration and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Nicola Willis' 'show me the money' moment
    Willis has accused labour of “economic vandalism’, while Robertson described her comments as a “desperate diversion from somebody who can't make their tax package add up”. There will now be an intense focus on December 20 to see whether her hyperbole is backed up by true surprises. Photo montage: Lynn ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • CRL costs money but also provides huge benefits
    The City Rail Link has been in the headlines a bit recently so I thought I’d look at some of them. First up, yesterday the NZ Herald ran this piece about the ongoing costs of the CRL. Auckland ratepayers will be saddled with an estimated bill of $220 million each ...
    5 days ago
  • And I don't want the world to see us.
    Is this the most shambolic government in the history of New Zealand? Given that parliament hasn’t even opened they’ve managed quite a list of achievements to date.The Smokefree debacle trading lives for tax cuts, the Trumpian claims of bribery in the Media, an International award for indifference, and today the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Cooking the books
    Finance Minister Nicola Willis late yesterday stopped only slightly short of accusing her predecessor Grant Robertson of cooking the books. She complained that the Half Yearly Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU), due to be made public on December 20, would show “fiscal cliffs” that would amount to “billions of ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Most people don’t realize how much progress we’ve made on climate change
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections The year was 2015. ‘Uptown Funk’ with Bruno Mars was at the top of the music charts. Jurassic World was the most popular new movie in theaters. And decades of futility in international climate negotiations was about to come to an end in ...
    5 days ago
  • Of Parliamentary Oaths and Clive Boonham
    As a heads-up, I am not one of those people who stay awake at night thinking about weird Culture War nonsense. At least so far as the current Maori/Constitutional arrangements go. In fact, I actually consider it the least important issue facing the day to day lives of New ...
    5 days ago
  • Bearing True Allegiance?
    Strong Words: “We do not consent, we do not surrender, we do not cede, we do not submit; we, the indigenous, are rising. We do not buy into the colonial fictions this House is built upon. Te Pāti Māori pledges allegiance to our mokopuna, our whenua, and Te Tiriti o ...
    5 days ago
  • You cannot be serious
    Some days it feels like the only thing to say is: Seriously? No, really. Seriously?OneSomeone has used their health department access to share data about vaccinations and patients, and inform the world that New Zealanders have been dying in their hundreds of thousands from the evil vaccine. This of course is pure ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago
  • A promise kept: govt pulls the plug on Lake Onslow scheme – but this saving of $16bn is denounced...
    Buzz from the Beehive After $21.8 million was spent on investigations, the plug has been pulled on the Lake Onslow pumped-hydro electricity scheme, The scheme –  that technically could have solved New Zealand’s looming energy shortage, according to its champions – was a key part of the defeated Labour government’s ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • CHRIS TROTTER: The Maori Party and Oath of Allegiance
    If those elected to the Māori Seats refuse to take them, then what possible reason could the country have for retaining them?   Chris Trotter writes – Christmas is fast approaching, which, as it does every year, means gearing up for an abstruse general knowledge question. “Who was ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • BRIAN EASTON:  Forward to 2017
    The coalition party agreements are mainly about returning to 2017 when National lost power. They show commonalities but also some serious divergencies. Brian Easton writes The two coalition agreements – one National and ACT, the other National and New Zealand First – are more than policy documents. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Climate Change: Fossils
    When the new government promised to allow new offshore oil and gas exploration, they were warned that there would be international criticism and reputational damage. Naturally, they arrogantly denied any possibility that that would happen. And then they finally turned up at COP, to criticism from Palau, and a "fossil ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • GEOFFREY MILLER:  NZ’s foreign policy resets on AUKUS, Gaza and Ukraine
    Geoffrey Miller writes – New Zealand’s international relations are under new management. And Winston Peters, the new foreign minister, is already setting a change agenda. As expected, this includes a more pro-US positioning when it comes to the Pacific – where Peters will be picking up where he ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on the government’s smokefree laws debacle
    The most charitable explanation for National’s behaviour over the smokefree legislation is that they have dutifully fulfilled the wishes of the Big Tobacco lobby and then cast around – incompetently, as it turns out – for excuses that might sell this health policy U-turn to the public. The less charitable ...
    6 days ago
  • Top 10 links at 10 am for Monday, December 4
    As Deb Te Kawa writes in an op-ed, the new Government seems to have immediately bought itself fights with just about everyone. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere as of 10 am on Monday December 4, including:Palau’s President ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • Be Honest.
    Let’s begin today by thinking about job interviews.During my career in Software Development I must have interviewed hundreds of people, hired at least a hundred, but few stick in the memory.I remember one guy who was so laid back he was practically horizontal, leaning back in his chair until his ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: New Zealand’s foreign policy resets on AUKUS, Gaza and Ukraine
    New Zealand’s international relations are under new management. And Winston Peters, the new foreign minister, is already setting a change agenda. As expected, this includes a more pro-US positioning when it comes to the Pacific – where Peters will be picking up where he left off. Peters sought to align ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    6 days ago
  • Auckland rail tunnel the world’s most expensive
    Auckland’s city rail link is the most expensive rail project in the world per km, and the CRL boss has described the cost of infrastructure construction in Aotearoa as a crisis. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The 3.5 km City Rail Link (CRL) tunnel under Auckland’s CBD has cost ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • First big test coming
    The first big test of the new Government’s approach to Treaty matters is likely to be seen in the return of the Resource Management Act. RMA Minister Chris Bishop has confirmed that he intends to introduce legislation to repeal Labour’s recently passed Natural and Built Environments Act and its ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    6 days ago
  • The Song of Saqua: Volume III
    Time to revisit something I haven’t covered in a while: the D&D campaign, with Saqua the aquatic half-vampire. Last seen in July: https://phuulishfellow.wordpress.com/2023/07/27/the-song-of-saqua-volume-ii/ The delay is understandable, once one realises that the interim saw our DM come down with a life-threatening medical situation. They have since survived to make ...
    6 days ago
  • Chris Bishop: Smokin’
    Yes. Correct. It was an election result. And now we are the elected government. ...
    My ThinksBy boonman
    7 days ago
  • 2023 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #48
    A chronological listing of news and opinion articles posted on the Skeptical Science  Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Nov 26, 2023 thru Dec 2, 2023. Story of the Week CO2 readings from Mauna Loa show failure to combat climate change Daily atmospheric carbon dioxide data from Hawaiian volcano more ...
    7 days ago
  • Affirmative Action.
    Affirmative Action was a key theme at this election, although I don’t recall anyone using those particular words during the campaign.They’re positive words, and the way the topic was talked about was anything but. It certainly wasn’t a campaign of saying that Affirmative Action was a good thing, but that, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    7 days ago
  • 100 days of something
    It was at the end of the Foxton straights, at the end of 1978, at 100km/h, that someone tried to grab me from behind on my Yamaha.They seemed to be yanking my backpack. My first thought was outrage. My second was: but how? Where have they come from? And my ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    7 days ago
  • Look who’s stepped up to champion Winston
    There’s no news to be gleaned from the government’s official website today  – it contains nothing more than the message about the site being under maintenance. The time this maintenance job is taking and the costs being incurred have us musing on the government’s commitment to an assault on inflation. ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 week ago
  • What's The Story?
    Don’t you sometimes wish they’d just tell the truth? No matter how abhorrent or ugly, just straight up tell us the truth?C’mon guys, what you’re doing is bad enough anyway, pretending you’re not is only adding insult to injury.Instead of all this bollocks about the Smokefree changes being to do ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • The longest of weeks
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.Friday Under New Management Week in review, quiz style1. Which of these best describes Aotearoa?a. Progressive nation, proud of its egalitarian spirit and belief in a fair go b. Best little country on the planet c. ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago
  • Suggested sessions of EGU24 to submit abstracts to
    Like earlier this year, members from our team will be involved with next year's General Assembly of the European Geosciences Union (EGU). The conference will take place on premise in Vienna as well as online from April 14 to 19, 2024. The session catalog has been available since November 1 ...
    1 week ago
  • Under New Management
    1. Which of these best describes Aotearoa?a. Progressive nation, proud of its egalitarian spirit and belief in a fair go b. Best little country on the planet c. Under New Management 2. Which of these best describes the 100 days of action announced this week by the new government?a. Petulantb. Simplistic and wrongheaded c. ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago
  • While we wait patiently, our new Minister of Education is up and going with a 100-day action plan
    Sorry to say, the government’s official website is still out of action. When Point of Order paid its daily visit, the message was the same as it has been for the past week: Site under maintenance Beehive.govt.nz is currently under maintenance. We will be back shortly. Thank you for your ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 week ago

  • Ministers visit Hawke’s Bay to grasp recovery needs
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon joined Cyclone Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell and Transport and Local Government Minister Simeon Brown, to meet leaders of cyclone and flood-affected regions in the Hawke’s Bay. The visit reinforced the coalition Government’s commitment to support the region and better understand its ongoing requirements, Mr Mitchell says.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • New Zealand condemns malicious cyber activity
    New Zealand has joined the UK and other partners in condemning malicious cyber activity conducted by the Russian Government, Minister Responsible for the Government Communications Security Bureau Judith Collins says. The statement follows the UK’s attribution today of malicious cyber activity impacting its domestic democratic institutions and processes, as well ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Disestablishment of Te Pūkenga begins
    The Government has begun the process of disestablishing Te Pūkenga as part of its 100-day plan, Minister for Tertiary Education and Skills Penny Simmonds says.  “I have started putting that plan into action and have met with the chair and chief Executive of Te Pūkenga to advise them of my ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Climate Change Minister to attend COP28 in Dubai
    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will be leaving for Dubai today to attend COP28, the 28th annual UN climate summit, this week. Simon Watts says he will push for accelerated action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement, deliver New Zealand’s national statement and connect with partner countries, private sector leaders ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • New Zealand to host 2024 Pacific defence meeting
    Defence Minister Judith Collins yesterday announced New Zealand will host next year’s South Pacific Defence Ministers’ Meeting (SPDMM). “Having just returned from this year’s meeting in Nouméa, I witnessed first-hand the value of meeting with my Pacific counterparts to discuss regional security and defence matters. I welcome the opportunity to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Study shows need to remove distractions in class
    The Government is committed to lifting school achievement in the basics and that starts with removing distractions so young people can focus on their learning, Education Minister Erica Stanford says.   The 2022 PISA results released this week found that Kiwi kids ranked 5th in the world for being distracted ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Minister sets expectations of Commissioner
    Today I met with Police Commissioner Andrew Coster to set out my expectations, which he has agreed to, says Police Minister Mark Mitchell. Under section 16(1) of the Policing Act 2008, the Minister can expect the Police Commissioner to deliver on the Government’s direction and priorities, as now outlined in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • New Zealand needs a strong and stable ETS
    New Zealand needs a strong and stable Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) that is well placed for the future, after emission units failed to sell for the fourth and final auction of the year, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says.  At today’s auction, 15 million New Zealand units (NZUs) – each ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • PISA results show urgent need to teach the basics
    With 2022 PISA results showing a decline in achievement, Education Minister Erica Stanford is confident that the Coalition Government’s 100-day plan for education will improve outcomes for Kiwi kids.  The 2022 PISA results show a significant decline in the performance of 15-year-old students in maths compared to 2018 and confirms ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Collins leaves for Pacific defence meeting
    Defence Minister Judith Collins today departed for New Caledonia to attend the 8th annual South Pacific Defence Ministers’ meeting (SPDMM). “This meeting is an excellent opportunity to meet face-to-face with my Pacific counterparts to discuss regional security matters and to demonstrate our ongoing commitment to the Pacific,” Judith Collins says. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Working for Families gets cost of living boost
    Putting more money in the pockets of hard-working families is a priority of this Coalition Government, starting with an increase to Working for Families, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says. “We are starting our 100-day plan with a laser focus on bringing down the cost of living, because that is what ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Post-Cabinet press conference
    Most weeks, following Cabinet, the Prime Minister holds a press conference for members of the Parliamentary Press Gallery. This page contains the transcripts from those press conferences, which are supplied by Hansard to the Office of the Prime Minister. It is important to note that the transcripts have not been edited ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme scrapped
    The Government has axed the $16 billion Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme championed by the previous government, Energy Minister Simeon Brown says. “This hugely wasteful project was pouring money down the drain at a time when we need to be reining in spending and focussing on rebuilding the economy and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • NZ welcomes further pause in fighting in Gaza
    New Zealand welcomes the further one-day extension of the pause in fighting, which will allow the delivery of more urgently-needed humanitarian aid into Gaza and the release of more hostages, Foreign Minister Winston Peters said. “The human cost of the conflict is horrific, and New Zealand wants to see the violence ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Condolences on passing of Henry Kissinger
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters today expressed on behalf of the New Zealand Government his condolences to the family of former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who has passed away at the age of 100 at his home in Connecticut. “While opinions on his legacy are varied, Secretary Kissinger was ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Backing our kids to learn the basics
    Every child deserves a world-leading education, and the Coalition Government is making that a priority as part of its 100-day plan. Education Minister Erica Stanford says that will start with banning cellphone use at school and ensuring all primary students spend one hour on reading, writing, and maths each day. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • US Business Summit Speech – Regional stability through trade
    I would like to begin by echoing the Prime Minister’s thanks to the organisers of this Summit, Fran O’Sullivan and the Auckland Business Chamber.  I want to also acknowledge the many leading exporters, sector representatives, diplomats, and other leaders we have joining us in the room. In particular, I would like ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Keynote Address to the United States Business Summit, Auckland
    Good morning. Thank you, Rosemary, for your warm introduction, and to Fran and Simon for this opportunity to make some brief comments about New Zealand’s relationship with the United States.  This is also a chance to acknowledge my colleague, Minister for Trade Todd McClay, Ambassador Tom Udall, Secretary of Foreign ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • India New Zealand Business Council Speech, India as a Strategic Priority
    Good morning, tēnā koutou and namaskar. Many thanks, Michael, for your warm welcome. I would like to acknowledge the work of the India New Zealand Business Council in facilitating today’s event and for the Council’s broader work in supporting a coordinated approach for lifting New Zealand-India relations. I want to also ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Coalition Government unveils 100-day plan
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has laid out the Coalition Government’s plan for its first 100 days from today. “The last few years have been incredibly tough for so many New Zealanders. People have put their trust in National, ACT and NZ First to steer them towards a better, more prosperous ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • New Zealand welcomes European Parliament vote on the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement
    A significant milestone in ratifying the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) was reached last night, with 524 of the 705 member European Parliament voting in favour to approve the agreement. “I’m delighted to hear of the successful vote to approve the NZ-EU FTA in the European Parliament overnight. This is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

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