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).
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.
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.
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.
Mostly the delay isn't over counting the specials, but rather over all of the checks and balances which we (as a robust democracy) need to have in place to ensure that the election results are valid.
But there is no good reason why daily updates couldn't be released – giving some guidance to those in marginal seats.
Having said that – I'd be predicting that any seat with a less than 50-100 majority is going to have a re-count challenge. So even the 'final' result may not be final.
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.
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…”
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.
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.
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.
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…
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.
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.
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.
"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?
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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/
Right. Geddes just told Jack Tame that Henare will almost certainly go for a recount (lost by 4 votes). Celia Wade Brown may get in @ # 15 on the Greens list…
Not according to the LEC. That’s still what matters. And weren’t you complaining about the party being completely run by a professional class from Wellington?
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.
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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 changeDaily atmospheric carbon dioxide data from Hawaiian volcano more ...
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, ...
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 ...
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. ...
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 ...
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. ...
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. 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. ...
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 maintenanceBeehive.govt.nz is currently under maintenance. We will be back shortly. Thank you for your ...
Labour’s immigration spokesperson Phil Twyford is calling on the Government to follow the example of Australia and help New Zealanders’ close family members stuck in Gaza to escape and take shelter here. ...
The Green Party is urging the Government to recognise its commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi so our tamariki and mokopuna can grow up in an Aotearoa where their language is celebrated, their health is prioritised, and their whenua is protected. ...
By scrapping Aotearoa’s world-leading smokefree laws, this government is sacrificing Māori lives to fund tax cuts for the wealthy. Not only is this plan revolting, but it doesn’t add up. Treasury has estimated that the reversal of smokefree laws to pay for tax cuts will cost our health system $5.25bn, ...
Figures showing National needs to find another $900 million for landlords highlights the mess this coalition Government is in less than a week into the job. ...
Community organisations, mana whenua and the Greens have written to the incoming Minister of Oceans and Fisheries to call for the progression without delay of the Hauraki Gulf/Tīkapa Moana Marine Protection Bill. ...
"On behalf of the Labour Party I would like to congratulate Christopher Luxon on his appointment as Prime Minister,” Labour Party Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
NZ First has gotten their wish to ‘take our country back’ to the 1800s with a policy program that will white-wash Aotearoa and erase tangata whenua rights. By disestablishing the Māori Health Authority this Government has condemned Māori to die seven years earlier than Pākehā. By removing Treaty obligations from ...
Te Pāti Māori have called for the resignation of the Ministry of Foreign and Trade chief executive Chris Seed following his decision to erase te reo Māori from government communications. While the country still waits for a new government to be formed, Mr Seed took it upon himself to undermine ...
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. ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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. ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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. ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
A landmark Waitangi Tribunal report into injustices suffered by Ngāpuhi will strengthen the iwi's case as it looks to restart its stalled Treaty settlement negotiations, a hapū leader says. ...
In just 18 months, the Auckland-based YouTube channel has gone from working from home and out of cafes to a brand new multi-million dollar studio. Sam Brooks asks the trio how they pulled it off, and what they’re planning to do with it.On December 4, a video called “The ...
The Anika Moa Unleashed host unleashes her thoughts on After the Party, Paul Holmes, The Walking Dead, stalking celebrities and more. Anika Moa has a proud history of angering strangers online, whether it’s due to her tattoos, her love life, or something else entirely. When she sits down with The ...
Searching widely for ways to overcome deep opposition by fossil fuel nations to a phase-out of their products, the President of COP28 enlisted an ally while negotiators sought subtler language yesterday. “We have been asked by the UAE presidency to help find common language that will be acceptable ...
With a topic so universal, it’s almost always about something bigger. Consider the contents of your fridge. What kinds of fruits and vegetables are in your crisper drawer? How much did that block of cheese set you back? Where did you source most of this kai from? Are there ingredients ...
You can read the full story, plus see photographs from Craig McKenzie, in the November-December issue of New Zealand Geographic magazine, or on their website. The bittern’s eerie, booming call sounds like a lament, a tangi ringing across the marshes. Now, the birds themselves are in trouble. ...
Opinion: You may have been there, waiting your turn, wearing an ill-fitting hospital gown, surrounded by a flurry of staff, the smell of disinfectant in the air. If you’ve ever undergone surgery, you probably know the nervous, stress-laden pre-op feeling. What may come as a surprise is that ...
1. In the evening and in the night, I sit on the balcony and think of you. I can’t see the water but I know it’s there, soft and slow. We bathed in it that last day, you and I, when the dusk hung heavy as cloth of gold ...
Alex Casey unearths the origin story of an New Zealand icon – featuring a surprise cameo from an international comedy megastar. At first glance, the Facebook post from a Waipu cafe reads like any other heartfelt change in ownership announcement. “George and Amber have reflected on their involvement in our ...
This week on Their house, my garden, why my spinach plant has grown suspiciously tall, and how to deal with your own over-eager plants. Beginner gardeners would be forgiven for thinking a plant growing tall is reason to celebrate. We are, after all, the kind of species who mark door ...
Luxon drove the crumbling SH2 with a handful of MPs on Friday morning to reach the small town, gauge progress of its recovery, and learn what it needs from the new government. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bianca Baggiarini, Lecturer, Australian National University Last week, reports emerged that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are using an artificial intelligence (AI) system called Habsora (Hebrew for “The Gospel”) to select targets in the war on Hamas in Gaza. The system has ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Johan Lidberg, Associate Professor, School of Media, Film and Journalism, Monash University The most significant recommendation in the Senate inquiry report on the functionality of the Commonwealth FOI system is this: move the federal Freedom of Information (FOI) function from the Office ...
Analysis: The government was under attack on multiple fronts during a week of relentless criticism and then faced its first Question Time in Parliament, Peter Wilson writes. ...
Well, it’s 4.30pm on a Friday which feels as appropriate time as ever to say goodbye. The Spinoff’s live updates have come to an end, almost four years after they were first switched on. If you missed my explainer this morning of what’s going on, here it is. In short: ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Di Winkler, Adjunct Associate Professor, La Trobe University Shutterstock A home – in the physical and emotional sense – is foundational to living an ordinary life with a feeling of inclusion. National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) participants with the highest ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Darren Roberts, Conjoint Associate Professor in clinical pharmacology and toxicology, St Vincent’s Healthcare Clinical Campus, UNSW Sydney Veronika Kunitsyna/Shutterstock Red imported fire ants are a particularly nasty type of ant because they are aggressive, and inflict painful stings that may ...
Christopher Luxon says the new government is going to continue everything that the previous one put into place to help with the recovery from Cyclone Gabrielle. ...
Te Whatu Ora is continuing to investigate after a data breach that saw vaccine-related information shared online last week. The agency is liaising with the Privacy Commissioner and said it will make “any appropriate notifications” if individuals were impacted by the breach. “Alongside the work to identify the material allegedly ...
Live - Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has been in Wairoa this morning to gauge progress of the town's recovery from Cyclone Gabrielle. Watch a media conference with him here. ...
Sam Brooks reviews a new immersive film experience at Auckland’s planetarium.Journalists get invited to review things all the time. Books, films, shows, exhibitions, all of it. I say yes to a lot of them and “no, sorry” to a bit more. Very rarely do I go, “Absolutely I need ...
Waka Kotahi has begun the process of re-adopting its former name, the New Zealand Transport Agency (or NZTA). It follows a directive from the new government that public agencies should have their primary name in English and not te reo. This came as part of the coalition deal between National ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alison Pavlovich, Senior lecturer in the School of Accounting and Commercial Law, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington The new coalition government has announced a suite of tax reforms, including reintroducing the ability for property investors to deduct the interest ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1The Bee Stingby Paul Murray (Hamish Hamilton, $37) The runner-up for the 2023 Booker Prize ...
A new poem by Ōtepoti poet Jasmine O M Taylor. a retreat if you find a chance before they’ve all melted into the air find time to get on a glacier and find a cave in the glacier and go inside the cave inside the glacier it will speak to ...
Our award-winning podcast assesses the opening stanza of the Luxon-led government. After the long, serene political gap as coalition talks went on, politics has roared back with plenty of shouting and not so much rizz. Toby Manhire, Ben Thomas and Annabelle Lee-Mather assess the early exchanges, including Winston Peters’ ...
“The new government has a clear choice to make before Christmas. Do they live up to their stated intention of governing for all New Zealanders, or do they dash the hopes of tens of thousands of kiwi workers by unilaterally abolishing Fair Pay ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kimberley Reid, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Atmospheric Sciences, Monash University titoOnz, Shutterstock You’ve probably heard El Niño brings hot and dry weather to the eastern states, but what about the rest of Australia? Are we all in for a scorcher ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jane Currie, Professor of Nursing, Queensland University of Technology Shutterstock Heatwaves are a major public health hazard. Socially disadvantaged people are especially exposed to extreme heat and other impacts of climate change. Many people experiencing homelessness – more than 120,000 ...
The Free Speech Union has sent 14 Cabinet Ministers a comprehensive Briefing to the Incoming Government, outlining five key areas of policy that the Government must address in order to protect and expand Kiwis’ speech rights. We look forward to ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis says she has already met twice with KiwiRail bosses over a "major cost blowout" in the project to replace the Interislander ferries. ...
With the new government gaining international infamy for its climate policy, for rangatahi Māori like Kaeden Watts, attending climate conferences is more important than ever. Every year world leaders meet for the annual Conference of the Parties (Cop), the world’s most powerful climate crisis conference. Despite Cop being criticised for ...
Accidental Partridge is one of my favourite Twitter (I am never going to call it X) accounts, and given today is the last day of live updates I think it’s absolutely fair I include a video from it. If you don’t know why it’s called Accidental Partridge, go watch all ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is calling on the National Party to front up to consumers who will face 15% higher prices for some services from the likes of Uber, Airbnb and food delivery apps after their app tax U-turn rather than trying to erase all ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hunter Fujak, Lecturer in Sport Management, Deakin University While 2023 was a watershed year for Australian women’s sport due to the Matildas’ stirring run at the Women’s World Cup, netball is going through its worst period ever. Netball Australia and the ...
The prime minister is spending the day out of Wellington, touring parts of cyclone-damaged Hawke’s Bay and meeting with senior leaders in the community. Christopher Luxon began the day in Wairoa, where he met with mayor Craig Little. Later, he’ll head to Napier for a meeting with regional council members. ...
How will the new government look at our television? Duncan Greive reflects on this year’s awards ceremony. This is an excerpt from The Spinoff’s weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. The NZ TV Awards took place in downtown Auckland on Tuesday, which coincided with Te Pāti Māori’s National Māori ...
Responding to news that Wellington City Councillors have voted down a proposal to reduce business rates in the capital, Taxpayers’ Union Policy Adviser, James Ross, said: “When Mayor Tory Whanau comes out with a line like ‘I couldn’t in good ...
The new tertiary education minister says Te Pūkenga will be replaced with eight to 10 individual institutions, and hopes legislation will be in place within eight months. ...
Te Kāhui Tika Tangata Human Rights Commission has today launched a short film calling for the public and government to champion and protect human rights ahead of the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. “Seventy-five years on, ...
The parliamentary motion passed today , a full two months after Israel’s slaughter of Palestinian civilians began, says: "Express grave concern at the ongoing violence in Israel and the occupied Palestinian Territories, unequivocally condemn ...
To replace $700 million a year of revenues lost from a foreign buyers tax, the new coalition government is dumping the previous government’s smokefree 2025 goal. This relaxing of policies will keep more people smoking for longer, costing thousands of lives per year and at least $10 billion is extra ...
London has always been a hard place to live, but in 2023, it’s almost impossible. Charlotte Doyle, a New Zealander currently living in London, explores why we keep heading there. “You’re dreaming,” the letting agent tells me impatiently over the phone. “A one-bedroom for £1,500 per month is a needle ...
With The Project wrapping up last week (you can read Duncan Greive’s excellent reflections on that here), Warner Bros Discovery has announced broadcaster Ryan Bridge will host a brand new current affairs show for Three. The currently unnamed show will focus on live news and interviews and is a return ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Matthew H. Holden, Lecturer, School of Mathematics and Physics, The University of Queensland Dot-underwing moth (_Eudocima materna_) found in the researchers’ yard.Matthew Holden, CC BY-NC We are biodiversity researchers – an ecologist, a mathematician and a taxonomist – who were locked ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sam Bennett, Disability Program Director, Grattan Institute The long-awaited NDIS review has looked far beyond the National Disability Insurance Scheme, taking a bird’s eye view of disability services in Australia. Critical to the future of the NDIS are services for people with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rebecca J McLeod, Senior Research Fellow in Marine Ecology, University of Otago Climate change might not be high on its immediate agenda, but New Zealand’s new government does have one potentially significant and innovative policy. Recognising the marine environment’s ability to remove ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Samantha Happé, Graduate researcher in art history and material culture studies, The University of Melbourne Shutterstock As we get closer to Christmas, your family will probably have some kind of gathering. You will reunite with people who you might not ...
Te Whatu Ora IT worker Barry Young had a “relatively muted” digital presence prior to his arrest last week over a massive Covid data breach, Stuff reports. Young has since become something of a cause celebre among vacccine sceptics, appearing on online shows hosted by local conspiracy theorist Liz Gunn and ...
After an 11 year hiatus, legendary Aotearoa hip-hop group Home Brew are back today with their first new album in over a decade, Run it Back, and will continue that reunion at Laneway Festival in February. Breaking their indefinite hiatus, Run it Back comes off the back off the 2023 ...
There may be less than a fortnight left in the political year, but politicians seem determined to make the final days count, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. Question time is ...
Labour's leader says O'Connor is "incredibly passionate" about the issue but party policy is that relevant international bodies will determine whether Israel's actions are lawful. ...
The Spinoff’s live updates editor reflects on three-and-a-half years in the role, and looks forward to what’s next. Today marks the final day of live updates on The Spinoff. It’s a big day for me given I have been editing the live updates since mid-2020, but it’s also a big ...
On a quiet morning before the first parliamentary question time of the new term, Chris Hipkins and Christopher Luxon took a moment to analyse and reflect on their election campaigns. When Chris Hipkins was sworn in as prime minister on January 21, 2023, he had a feeling of optimism and ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[quiz],DIV[quiz],A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Friday 8 December appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Opinion: Courts are halls of justice, but they are also well-financed institutional purchasers of goods and services, outsourcing much of their work to private consultants and contractors, including lawyers, advocates, psychologists, social workers, and drug counsellors who earn their living from court contracts. Though there is nothing inherently wrong ...
Analysis: The United Nations’ COP28 climate negotiations have begun their final phase with only five days or so left to agree a wide range of measures designed to accelerate nations’ climate responses in coming years. While the draft text prepared by government officials over the past week has some ...
Liv McGoverne has just returned from an enjoyable season playing rugby in England, but playing there in a Black Ferns jersey, on the sport’s biggest stage, remains the ultimate goal. McGoverne, 26, played the 2022-23 campaign for Exeter Chiefs in the Premier 15s competition. Coached by former England half-back ...
FICTION 1 The Girl from London by Olivia Spooner (Hachette, $37.99) An ideal Xmas present for the commercial fiction reader who would relish a wartime story of a shipboard romance. 2 The Axeman’s Carnival by Catherine Chidgey (Te Herenga Waka University Press, $35) An ideal Xmas present for the ...
After most of a billion dollars and six years’ work, the Puhoi to Warkworth section of State Highway 1 has been warmly received by long-distance motorists no longer slowed down by small town traffic lights. Where once cars would back bumper to bumper on a Sunday evening, now the ...
The first regular sitting day of the new Parliament took place on Thursday and the country got a peek at what Question Time will look like over the next three years. The sitting started with a rare moment of cross-party unity, when the Government adopted Labour MP Phil Twyford’s ...
It could be the most consequential international climate change conference yet, but it’s being held in the United Arab Emirates, one of the world’s major oil producers and led by one of the country’s top oil bosses. Newsroom journalist Rod Oram is attending COP28 and joins The Detail from ...
Phasing out fossil fuels is the subject of much negotiation at Cop28 this week. But the wording will be fiercely debated, and the presence of fossil fuel lobbyists looms large.This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof, brought to you by AMP. Sign up here. The government’s plans ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Wesley Morgan, Research Fellow, Griffith Asia Institute, Griffith University Fiji was flooded by a severe cyclone in 2016.ChameleonsEye/Shutterstock The federal government has announced an extra A$150 million for climate finance – including $100 million for the Pacific to help protect its ...
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/
Maybe Winston could be playing this song from Aftermath, the 1966 album by the Rolling Stones.
"I Am Waiting"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMNEozyzpZI
Maybe Abba's "Ring Ring"?
"Ring, ring, why don't give me a call……."
Boots?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbyAZQ45uww
"So you are sending Brownlee to the Pacific Islands Forum leaders meeting without consulting me?"
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.
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.
They hate same day enrolment, they won't need an excuse to axe it if they want.
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.
Mostly the delay isn't over counting the specials, but rather over all of the checks and balances which we (as a robust democracy) need to have in place to ensure that the election results are valid.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/501459/final-vote-delay-criticisms-not-fair-but-daily-updates-could-work-edgeler
But there is no good reason why daily updates couldn't be released – giving some guidance to those in marginal seats.
Having said that – I'd be predicting that any seat with a less than 50-100 majority is going to have a re-count challenge. So even the 'final' result may not be final.
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.
Agree. Do they really have to re-could the whole thing?
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.
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.
"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.
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…
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.
Agreed! Checking and accuracy come second to expediency – the vibe matters more than the fact.
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.
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.
I'm gonna agree with the last one. Home bottled peaches…..Yummmmm
Need the climate to grow the trees and have those that are there already not to die off…
At least all that shit worked and did the job it was supposed to.
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.
"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?
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
Sorry to see Redline folding. Sometimes it's good to be annoyed.
BTW could sure do with more writers here people.
They seem to have got sucked into the culture war thing over trans rights and having brought into that narrative they eventually exploded.
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
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.
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.
😎
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
great find.
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
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
6 seat for Te Pāti Māori and overhang baby!
Yeah…
NZF in control:
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…
National will go to 49 with the by election.
Greens an extra seat to 15
TPM 6
Labour stay 34
68-55
Right. Geddes just told Jack Tame that Henare will almost certainly go for a recount (lost by 4 votes). Celia Wade Brown may get in @ # 15 on the Greens list…
These are the MP's at this point – because of the 3 electorate seats CWB is next (16th).
https://elections.nz/assets/2023-General-Election/Attachment-A-successful-candidates-2023.pdf
Andrew Little has packed it in, I wonder who the lucky punter next off the rank is?
Camille Bellich – no 26.
https://www.labour.org.nz/ourteam
Bellich should haave got Mt. Albert over that waste of space Helen White.
Not according to the LEC. That’s still what matters. And weren’t you complaining about the party being completely run by a professional class from Wellington?
Helen White is only 20 votes ahead in Mt Albert, which is the number Geddes said is viable for a recount.
https://www.electionresults.govt.nz/electionresults_2023/electorate-status.html
So who made it in for Labour?
Twitty and Boyack
See #8…
The number 26 on the Labour list is Camille Bellich – she comes in when Little goes.
122 of our MP's plus one off the National list when "someone" moves on to become PW MP.
https://elections.nz/assets/2023-General-Election/Attachment-A-successful-candidates-2023.pdf
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/
Here I was waiting for Sue Grey to be catapulted into the Beehive!
I don't believe that she wanted to un-ban catapults. A trebuchet or a ballista perhaps.
Or perhaps a slingshot.
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.
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).
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/