Open mike 04/12/2013

Written By: - Date published: 6:49 am, December 4th, 2013 - 199 comments
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openmike

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For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose.

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Step right up to the mike …

199 comments on “Open mike 04/12/2013 ”

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  1. CC 1
    4 December 2013 at 7:04 am

    For the WTF column: http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/9472548/Trek-to-stop-benefit-cut-off. Time Paula Beneficiary-Basher had a bit of the same treatment.

    • bad12 1.1
      4 December 2013 at 7:39 am

      Such nastiness will not be confined to just the small South Waikato town of Putaruru either, beneficiaries all over the country will be suffering the same ‘punishment’ and it should be the duty of WINZ to send a case worker to these towns where there is no permanent office on one or two days a week so as to enable those in such towns to be able to fulfill their ‘obligations’ in a manner befitting human beings in the year 2014…

      • vto 1.1.1
        4 December 2013 at 8:22 am

        Yep, nasty nasty nasty

        nasty

        nasty

        nasty

        what a horrible nasty Minister.

        horrible and nasty

        mean

        compassionless

        welcome to New Zealand, National Party style…….. no thanks

      • Garbageman 1.1.2
        4 December 2013 at 3:07 pm

        So you are telling me 20yrs of welfare bludging should be applauded and Winz officers should now be runing to the welfare dependants, maybe they should pick up their ciggies,booze and groceries while they are at it
        To poor to afford the bus was she must be Paula Bennets fault as well

        • McFlock 1.1.2.1
          4 December 2013 at 3:20 pm

          I’m sure nobody could tell you a damned thing.

          Well, nothing that will get through the armour of stereotyping stupidity that you have placed between yourself and reality, anyway.

          • Garbageman 1.1.2.1.1
            4 December 2013 at 4:05 pm

            So she hasnt been on the dole for 20years and no buses run to Tokoroa,has no friends that own a car a bike etc, this is a bullshit media beatup, putting me down just shows you for the insulting idiot you are instead of contributing or debating you abuse me, my “reality” is based on the facts given to us btw

            • Rogue Trooper 1.1.2.1.1.1
              4 December 2013 at 4:10 pm

              grouch

            • greywarbler 1.1.2.1.1.2
              4 December 2013 at 4:26 pm

              Garbageman
              Look just stick to what you are good at. Picking up the garbage – and that is an important job and an admirable one. But don’t wear yourself out trying to think about social matters. You haven’t got a caring bone in your body or a real brain that can understand and assess a problem. So go with your strengths and go and lift something that isn’t living and therefore can’t get hurt.

            • framu 1.1.2.1.1.3
              4 December 2013 at 4:29 pm

              no your reality is based on your ignorance, prejudice and hypocrisy

              1) everyone, including the winz staff memebrs in tokoroa would know theres no bus service
              2) its the punitive one size fits all policy set by the govt that created this situation.
              3) perhaps she had other means of transport available to her, just not on the exact same day and time winz demanded she trun up
              4) you complain about people putting you down and abusing you – yet thats exactly what you opened with.

              maybe get over your hatred and holier than thou stance and understand that this woman was doing what was demanded of her – and it was a situation that could have easily been rectified with a bit of common sense and mutual organising. Thats the point

            • fender 1.1.2.1.1.4
              4 December 2013 at 4:40 pm

              Your disgusting attitude is “putting you down” plenty enough. There are beneficiaries isolated simply because they live on social security. You sound like the type to ditch friends should they become welfare dependant, although I wouldn’t be surprised if you have none except for some of those clones of you commenting on that Stuff article. ‘Garbage’, ‘Rubbish’, ‘Trash’.. certainly….’.Man’… not so much.

              • Garbgeman …
                4 December 2013 at 8:57 pm

                more of a man than you will ever be Fondler you just stick to slapping people on the back that agree with you and attacking people personally that dont agree with you, i have noticed its an ongoing theme on this site, try attacking the issue for a change, more than likely another dole bludger must be if you are happy to be paying taxes for 20 years to any welfare recipient it is supposed to be used for a helping hand to future employment not a lifestyle

                • fender …
                  4 December 2013 at 11:49 pm

                  The woman from that article doesn’t need garbage dump loiterers throwing trash at her, making judgements about her imagined habits and sobriety; she looked perfectly sober on the news. I applaud her for raising four children alone, that’s an admirable feat and something you seem unable to comprehend.

                  Love the way you attacked her then advocate only attacking the issue when your refuse gets returned, your wheelie-bin is overflowing.

                • framu …
                  5 December 2013 at 8:34 am

                  perhaps you should stop attacking people first

                  you little whine about people being totes mean to you rings rather hollow, its neither accurate or original

                  And you obviously havent noticed that the issues do get debated back and forth quite readily – just not with fools who think that manners is a one way street

                  • greywarbler …
                    5 December 2013 at 10:45 am

                    Garbageman
                    You say ‘ try attacking the issue for a change,’ because we criticise you. But you are part of the issue. You don’t see bringing children up as a job? You don’t think that children and teenagers are important and need good caring support as they grow up? Because you don’t appreciate or value what parenting you had, which may have been little, it doesn’t mean that others shouldn’t have better.

                    Good on you for walking 40 minutes to your job. I hope when you get home you don’t have to do the housework, cook, and get the children to do their homework and to bed ready to get up and go to school another day. Also pay the bills out of small resources, and try to find some work that fits in with the children’s needs. And the constant jobs, mending their clothes, trying to get second hand school uniforms, finding shoes they can wear for sports again because the last pair got stolen from their school locker, it goes on and on.

                    You apparently imagine that a good fairy does all that, or you never had that sort of care and have no memories of what is involved in doing a good job as a parent. You just like hating and criticising, and want to kick someone because your life is unhappy, so look enviously on someone who, in your imagine, is getting a better deal.

        • Murray Olsen 1.1.2.2
          4 December 2013 at 9:21 pm

          Could you walk that far in the time she does? I’m impressed by the effort she puts in to meet some stupid bureaucratic requirement. I’m not impressed by your repetition of the same shit garbage that you fools come out with all the time. Garbage is right.

          • Garbageman 1.1.2.2.1
            4 December 2013 at 9:31 pm

            Actually i walk 40 mins to and from work every day,so you are impressed thats nice i personally would be more impressed if this lady put as much effort over the last 20 years into getting a job and yes Garbage is right thanks

            • lprent 1.1.2.2.1.1
              4 December 2013 at 11:09 pm

              I’d be impressed if your 20 minutes each way amounted to a marathon distance. However it was more like what? 2-3kms

              • Garbage man …
                5 December 2013 at 8:34 am

                Actually its 40 mins each way every day to work which i guess isnt really relevant just clearing that up thanks

            • framu 1.1.2.2.1.2
              5 December 2013 at 8:37 am

              so you cant do 25k down a main highway? – what a patheitc wimp! There i was thinking you were a randian superman – im somewhat disappointed

              • Garbage man …
                5 December 2013 at 8:45 am

                LOL actually i would jump in my car or on my bike maybe get the bus if i had to or cadge a ride from someone and to show im not the heartless prick you lot seem to be trying to make me out to be im very happy she has had many offers of support and rides if needed but like i said initially its still just a bullshit media beat up

                • framu …
                  5 December 2013 at 9:22 am

                  You arent her – your abilities, resources and opportunities (as well as mine) are irrelevant to the issue of someone with out any form of transport at that time, (other than walking) being required to travel a round trip of 25k over a state highway to get to an appointment that could have been rescheduled!

                  i would believe your not a heartless prick if you went back to your previous heartless comments, apologised for them and comprehended exactly why you got the reaction you did.

                  Few here would actually know each other in real life – so all anyone has to go on is what is written.

                  You started by attacking the person, spouted a whole lot of ignorant stereotypes, complained about people being mean right back at you and ignored the actual substance of any reply to you that attempted to examine or refute your claims

                  now youve got what?, Bragging about how far you walk to work and “LOL”?!

              • Murray Olsen …
                5 December 2013 at 10:17 pm

                He should be able to make the road as he walks on it, and all without slowing down.

  2. Paul 2
    4 December 2013 at 7:23 am

    Did anyone hear Simon Mercep’s weak interview with Hekia Parata over declining international standing of NZ in education?
    I felt he failed to ask her any of the key tricky questions?
    Deliberate or incompetent?

    • logie97 2.1
      4 December 2013 at 7:47 am

      We cannot blame National Standards for this one.

      However, the next report will almost certainly show a further decline for which the Standards should be implicated. It’s the paperwork, paperwork, …
      Teachers have had to change their focus to produce a heap of “irrelevant” paper in the last decade to satisfy the statisticians at the expense of focusing on the children in front of them.

      There has also been a significant increase in the number of children arriving at the school gates, tired and under-nourished – hardly in a fit state to learn.

    • Morrissey 2.2
      4 December 2013 at 8:15 am

      Deliberate or incompetent?

      Timid and incompetent.

      • greywarbler 2.2.1
        4 December 2013 at 4:29 pm

        Morrisey
        Unlike your good self. You could be a good guy on a panel. There could be a guest spot available on Radio Live or wherever JT and WJ usually hang out. You could get people going for sure. With the right amount of irritation to produce some lively talk.

        • Morrissey 2.2.1.1
          4 December 2013 at 6:13 pm

          Thank you, greywarbler, but I’d be a dud. I’m absolutely sure I’d end up bending over backwards to be polite to the likes of Hekia Parata. I excoriate Simon Mercep for it, but I know I wouldn’t be any better than he is.

          • greywarbler 2.2.1.1.1
            5 December 2013 at 10:26 am

            Morrissey
            Good point. Striking the right balance – neither sycophantic (which makes the rest feel sick) or incisive and attacking (which results in drawn knives and cries of foul from the other side) is a hard thing. I didn’t realise that Maggie Barry was such a right wing gal till after she had left – she covered up so well from my perspective.

            But don’t talk yourself down, you could have a role in stirring what can be a festering murky brew on some talkback, to mix some sunlight in. Or even add different colours to change the hue, some spilt blood red for instance. Then a touch of blue blood. Spin that colour wheel like a pizza cutter. wheee!

  3. Flip 3
    4 December 2013 at 7:26 am

    ‘Mr Dunn is a serial leaker’ Winston Peters, RNZ.

    Pot and Kettle.

  4. Draco T Bastard 4
    4 December 2013 at 7:35 am

    If you were still thinking that GMO was a good idea then think again:

    “If this silences the same gene in us that it silences in the wheat — well, children who are born with this enzyme not working tend to die by the age of about five,” stated Professor Carman.

  5. wyndham 5
    4 December 2013 at 7:49 am

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11166500

    Split in Destiny church.

    god will be really upset about this.

    • Draco T Bastard 5.1
      4 December 2013 at 8:06 am

      Just another person following the advice that, supposedly, L. Ron Hubbard got: If you want to become rich, start your own church. And why not? It obviously worked for Hubbard and for Brian Tamaki.

      • Not a PS Staffer 5.1.1
        4 December 2013 at 8:33 am

        …and Henry VIII. However the Tudors had the smarts to make their under-lords rich also. Brian is failing to share out the filthy lucre that his gang is pilfering from the poor.

  6. greywarbler 6
    4 December 2013 at 8:54 am

    We hear that chartered accountants are attracted to all sort of figures but at the end of the day they don’t add up to much.

  7. greywarbler 7
    4 December 2013 at 8:55 am

    We hear that chartered accountants are attracted to all sorts of figures but at the end of the day they don’t add up to much.

  8. Morrissey 8
    4 December 2013 at 9:02 am

    “This is where I STOP being a liberal!”
    “After a comedy show, one is often mobbed by the ladies…”
    Mediocrity Watch No. 9: ANDREW CLAY

    On yesterday’s Open Mike, our friend and colleague Murray Olsen asked: “Who is Andrew Clay and should I be worried?”…
    http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-03122013-2/#comment-738655

    Well, Murray, have a gander at an appearance he made on Jim Mora’s show earlier this year…

    “After a comedy show, one is often mobbed by the ladies”
    Angry boyfriends target Tall Poppy Andrew Clay
    The Panel, Radio NZ National, Thursday 28 April 2013
    Jim Mora, Andrew Clay, Lisa Scott

    Andrew Clay is a comedian, who a couple of years ago was paid to go to Afghanistan, ostensibly to entertain New Zealand’s occupation troops, but in fact to ensure he never again uttered a critical word about government policy. His comedic comrade MIKE KING was similarly co-opted, and even made a ridiculous television program about his trip. Clay likes to say he is a liberal, but every time he appears on The Panel he manages to froth and rave against such irritating trivialities as prisoners’ rights, or even human rights in general. Maybe he’s been out drinking with soldiers too often….

    JIM MORA: We start with the very sad story of Jesse Ryder, who is in an induced coma after a very bad assault in Christchurch early this morning.

    ANDREW CLAY: This is where I STOP being a liberal! I don’t CARE about the human rights of people who do this! Part of me just wants to HURT the people who did this to Jesse Ryder! Now I know I shouldn’t say that, but that’s the way I feel.

    MORA: Mmmm, mmmm.

    LISA SCOTT: Mmmmm.

    ANDREW CLAY: We shouldn’t talk like that about people but….

    LISA SCOTT: It’s okay for scum.

    JIM MORA: Hmmmmmm…. We have this ugly thing in the New Zealand male psyche that makes us pick fights with sports stars, don’t we.

    LISA SCOTT: It’s the Tall Poppy syndrome isn’t it.

    ANDREW CLAY: It sure is. I’ve experienced it myself. After a comedy show, one is often mobbed by the ladies, and I have more than once felt the angry looks of male punters. Although I’ve never actually been assaulted, I’ve felt in imminent danger on several occasions and had to walk away. It’s the Tall Poppy syndrome.

    JIM MORA: [politely dubious] Hmmmmmm….

    LISA SCOTT: [skeptical] Mmmmmmm…

    Read more about Andrew Clay, including an extraordinarily embarrassing overshare about his ignorance of the Khmer Rouge….
    http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-28032013/#comment-611053

    Mediocrity Watch aims to keep you informed of—or, to quote the epically mediocre Simon Dallow, to be “right across”—the shoddiest, least professional, most insulting journalism and taxpayer-subsidised-sensitive-singer-songwriting from all over the world, but especially New Zealand. It is produced by DeakerWatch®, a division of Daisycutter Sports Inc.

    More mediocrities….
    No. 8: Ed Sheeran “I See Dire”
    http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-071113/#comment-723312
    No. 7: Paul Little: [Russell Brand] is “petulant, ungracious and unfunny” and a “cut-rate Chomsky”.

    No. 6: David Farrar: “Things were generally very relaxed in this area.”

    
No. 5: Jordan Williams: ““Capping rents seems like a recipe for disaster.”


    No. 4: Prof. Robert Patman: “Hezbollah is totally a creature of the Iranian regime.”

    No. 3: Jeremy Wells: “What evidence is there that secondhand smoking does any harm? Where is the evidence? WHERE IS THE EVIDENCE?”
    

No. 2: Gavin Gray: “…never been any problems associated with the name King George.”
    

No. 1: Susie Ferguson: “If, as you say, this has all been done before, why do it all again?”

    • Murray Olsen 8.1
      5 December 2013 at 10:14 pm

      I remember seeing Mike King in Timor Leste, teaching young kids to say “Aussie wanker”. It was cringeworthy stuff.

  9. phillip ure 9
    4 December 2013 at 9:02 am

    on my rounds this morn..i found this tasty musical-treat..

    “..Everyone knows Police and Thieves – but there was more to Junior Murvin than that one song.

    Here’s the proof..”

    http://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2013/dec/03/junior-murvin-five-great-performances-police-and-thieves

    (hope that rocks yr morn..

    phillip ure..

  10. greywarbler 10
    4 December 2013 at 9:03 am

    My experience with ts this morning. I wrote a comment and submitted with an involuntary double click and got duplicate message. Went back to my comment and it was back in editing mode, so I did that, and submitted again and got the closed sign. Then I went back and refreshed with Home and there it was in the Comments list.

  11. phillip ure 11
    4 December 2013 at 9:04 am

    on my rounds this morn..i found this tasty musical-treat..

    “..Everyone knows Police and Thieves – but there was more to Junior Murvin than that one song.

    Here’s the proof..”

    http://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2013/dec/03/junior-murvin-five-great-performances-police-and-thieves

    (hope that rocks yr morn..)

    phillip ure..

  12. greywarbler 12
    4 December 2013 at 9:05 am

    My experience with ts this morning. I wrote a comment and submitted with an involuntary double click and got duplicate message. Went back to my comment and it was back in editing mode, so I did that, and submitted again and got the Connection closed by remote server page. Then I checked if I was still under submitting control. Then I went back and refreshed with Home and there it was in the Comments list.

  13. greywarbler 13
    4 December 2013 at 9:12 am

    Now I have double comments in moderation about the moves I had to make to get on ts this morning. Sigh. Bye for now. I’ll get on with my day.

  14. phil 14
    4 December 2013 at 9:14 am

    Re Simon Merceps interview of Parata. Simon’s first question was, paraphrasing, “isn’t Labour just as much to blame?” He repeated this point in the same interview. It would appear he could be an apologist for the governments line. I have noticed Geof Robinson do the same thing when a government minister declined to be interviewed and he, by default, found himself taking the government line. Bizarre really.

    • phillip ure 14.1
      4 December 2013 at 9:58 am

      @phil..

      ..if you accept..as i seem to be hearing..that much of this rankings-slump is down to poverty/inequality..

      ..that it is an outcome/symptom from the dickensian-horrors that is a life of grinding/abject-poverty..

      ..with no end in sight..

      ..then the rogernomics/clark labour govts most certainly are ‘as much to blame’..

      ..as the current band of tory opportunists/class-warriors/asset-looters..

      ..how can they not be..?

      ..(‘working for (some) families’..?..anyone..?..)

      ..phillip ure..

  15. Morrissey 15
    4 December 2013 at 9:21 am

    Chomsky not impressed by Bob Dylan’s incoherent rambling
    June, 1994

    Just the other day I was sitting in a radio studio waiting for a satellite arrangement abroad to be set up. The engineers were putting together interviews with Bob Dylan from about 1966-7 or so (judging by the references), and I was listening (I’d never heard him talk before — if you can call that talking). He sounded as though he was so drugged he was barely coherent, but the message got through clearly enough through the haze. He said over and over that he’d been through all of this protest thing, realized it was nonsense, and that the only thing that was important was to live his own life happily and freely, not to “mess around with other people’s lives” by working for civil and human rights, ending war and poverty, etc. He was asked what he thought about the Berkeley “free speech movement” and said that he didn’t understand it. He said something like: “I have free speech, I can do what I want, so it has nothing to do with me. Period.” If the capitalist PR machine wanted to invent someone for their purposes, they couldn’t have made a better choice.

    http://www.chomsky.info/letters/199406–.htm

    • phillip ure 15.1
      4 December 2013 at 10:05 am

      ok..a stoned-rant in/from 1966..

      ..got anything else..?

      phillip ure..

      • Rogue Trooper 15.1.1
        4 December 2013 at 10:18 am

        a stoned rant from 2013 suffice?

      • Morrissey 15.1.2
        4 December 2013 at 12:03 pm

        Stoned or not, Dylan’s political naïveté and the lack of intelligence is a sad fact of life for too many pampered American musicians. Here’s another fool who doesn’t seem to have much idea about anything….

        • Rogue Trooper 15.1.2.1
          4 December 2013 at 2:44 pm

          certainly not The Ghost of Tom Joad and a long way back to The River .

        • fender 15.1.2.2
          4 December 2013 at 2:57 pm

          It’s true that the wonderful word play, various interpretations/ meanings of a Dylan song outshine his ability to make sense with his spoken word more often than not. Many artists are better off letting their art do the talking.

          • Jokerman 15.1.2.2.1
            4 December 2013 at 3:00 pm

            Talk Talk

          • Morrissey 15.1.2.2.2
            4 December 2013 at 6:22 pm

            You could have a valid point there. Perhaps Shakespeare was an indolent thinker and an incoherent dolt in his everyday discourse. Certainly Martin Amis is. As was his father Kingsley. And Bruce Springsteen.

            In fact, it’s hard to think of a singer or a writer who does have the ability to express him/herself coherently, and who has actually done some serious reading and thinking.

          • Morrissey 15.1.2.2.3
            4 December 2013 at 6:33 pm

            It’s true that the wonderful word play, various interpretations/ meanings of a Dylan song outshine his ability to make sense with his spoken word more often than not.

            Dylan made perfect sense, even though, as Chomsky observed, he was clearly under the influence of drugs at the time. The problem is not that his thinking was so muddled; the problem is that it is so threadbare, so irresponsible, and so contemptuous of people who did actually care about something other than themselves. Dylan was not stupid, he was indolent. Judging by some of his recent utterances, nothing has changed in forty-seven years.

            • fender 15.1.2.2.3.1
              4 December 2013 at 7:29 pm

              He seemingly hasn’t moved on from trying to shock and offend the way he did in the ’60’s when he wanted to shake off the “voice of a generation”, “prophet” etc. labels people tried to pigeonhole him with. He’s the quintessential troubadour and would be best to keep to that field of expertise. i.e. Blind Willie McTell

    • joe90 15.2
      4 December 2013 at 1:22 pm

      Bob and John incoherent, – pissed or stoned.

      edit: Bob’s been busy too.

  16. X 16
    4 December 2013 at 9:33 am

    http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2013/12/04/colin-craig-now-denies-moon-landing/

    I cannot figure what strategy Colin Craig has in mind in making non-committal statements about science. Attention seeking? Is he simply reflecting his constituency?

    I hope there are not too many people out there which the education system has failed given that we live in a democracy.

    Maybe it is all part of a master plan to not educate people well so the powers that be can rule with impunity.

  17. Draco T Bastard 17
    4 December 2013 at 10:04 am

    the Minimum We Can Do

    In my work with T. William Lester and Michael Reich, we use nearly two decades’ worth of data and compare all bordering areas in the United States to show that while higher minimum wages raise earnings of low-wage workers, they do not have a detectable impact on employment. Our estimates — published in 2010 in the Review of Economics and Statistics — suggest that a hypothetical 10 percent increase in the minimum wage affects employment in the restaurant or retail industries, by much less than 1 percent; the change is in fact statistically indistinguishable from zero.

    More research coming out showing that raising the minimum wage has no effect upon employment.

  18. Te Reo Putake 18
    4 December 2013 at 10:10 am

    Banks has called a press conference for 11am. Boscowan in attendance.

  19. Rogue Trooper 19
    4 December 2013 at 10:16 am

    Dr Doom (no, not Victor) -Nouriel Roubini
    on NZ and other international Housing Bubbles:
    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11166353
    “policy-makers will not have the tools of 2008 to cushion the fall”. (just a little pin-prick…there will be some aaargh ) 😎

    • phillip ure 19.1
      4 December 2013 at 2:38 pm

      i will claim to have possibly been the first in nz to predict the g.f.c…and the reasons for it..(in sept ’06 @ whoar..)

      ..and i was relying on the words/predictions of roubini..in making that call..

      ..so..if roubini sez we have an about to burst housing bubble..

      ..i’d tend to believe him..

      ..eh..?

      ..he has quite the record for being accurate..

      http://whoar.co.nz/?s=roubini

      phillip ure..

  21. gobsmacked 21
    4 December 2013 at 10:34 am

    Cunliffe on Radio Live with Plunket just now: 10.20-10.30 (audio on their website 1 hour later).

    Really strong and clear. And Plunket is no pussy cat.

    Tweet – owns it, no waffle, no BS.

    Craig – will not be a coalition partner, period. And asked the same Qs (moon landings, chem trails etc) Cunliffe’s answers are unequivocal and – thank goodness – sane.

    Banks – toast.

    Anyone who has any lingering doubts about Cunliffe vs Key (or Shearer, or whoever) should listen.

  22. andy (the other one) 22
    4 December 2013 at 10:37 am

    Banks to hold Press conference at 11am this morning.

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11166756

  23. The Gormless Fool formerly known as Oleolebiscuitbarrell 23
    4 December 2013 at 10:48 am

    Travellerev may have to vote for Colin Craig, if he keeps this up.

    • ghostrider888 23.1
      4 December 2013 at 11:09 am

      funny, yet unlikely.Craig would be more supportive of the AQ thesis

      • The Gormless Fool formerly known as Oleolebiscuitbarrell 23.1.1
        4 December 2013 at 11:19 am

        I hear Colin Craig is not sure if gravity exists, although he is inclined to believe it.

        He has not investigated whether electricity is real, either.

        • Rogue Trooper 23.1.1.1
          4 December 2013 at 2:54 pm

          shocking revelation as credibility plummets to Hades;
          Styx and stones may break our bones, yet fools leave us in stitches. 😉

        • framu 23.1.1.2
          4 December 2013 at 4:33 pm

          those two are rather good 🙂 – have you taken up a post at the civilian?

        • Rogue Trooper 23.1.1.3
          4 December 2013 at 5:03 pm

          maybe someone could provide him with a chair (ok, that’s two ‘contexts’ for the price of one) 🙂

      • felix 23.1.2
        4 December 2013 at 6:55 pm

        “funny, yet unlikely.Craig would be more supportive of the AQ thesis”

        He was asked about this just the other day by Sean Plunket. He reckons “probably terrorists but who knows” or words to that effect.

  24. ianmac 24
    4 December 2013 at 10:49 am

    Ho Ho! Mr Banks will not seek re-election in 2014. Wow! Surprise. But it seems he will not resign. So he will continue to be a thorn in Key’s side?

  25. ianmac 25
    4 December 2013 at 10:50 am

    Ho Ho! Mr Banks will not seek re-election in 2014. Wow! Surprise. But it seems he will not resign. So he will continue to be a thorn in Key’s side?

  26. ianmac 26
    4 December 2013 at 10:56 am

    Crikey. Reply getting carried away – twice- again!

  27. Tracey 27
    4 December 2013 at 11:12 am

    Read this link. It’s why we are in the state we are because almost all out pollies try to do the opposite

    http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_1P83hd_hvX8/SbnUWo7nxCI/AAAAAAAAAG4/-jpyXk1XPIQ/S240/Jefferson_believed.jpg

    • Draco T Bastard 27.1
      4 December 2013 at 1:08 pm

      And as long as we continue with representative democracy we will have politicians continuing to try and prevent the people from having a say in their own governance. First they will continue to ensure that the people don’t have enough information (TPPA) and then they’ll ignore what the people say anyway (Asset sales).

      • Flip 27.1.1
        4 December 2013 at 1:29 pm

        Bring on an informed participatory citizen democracy.

      • greywarbler 27.1.2
        4 December 2013 at 4:20 pm

        I’m wondering if we could cut out some of the middlemen and put our names down to be on a panel for our locality interviewing the operational head of a department who would travel the country to be interviewed by a stratified random panel, with others in as observers. They would then have to follow a job description made up by we the peeps with input from them.

        The politicians don’t seem to be interested in their electors and they don’t want to have any control over their workers, saying to any queries ‘Oh I couldn’t comment, it is an operational matter’. They are worse than useless because they will take a functioning system and discard it, or replace it. So something better is required.

        As far as running things by referendum is concerned as another way, I don’t really like the It becomes another tax evasion system where people will go for the cheapest option unless it’s urgently necessary to have something done in their own neighbourhood.

    • QoT 27.2
      4 December 2013 at 7:27 pm

      They missed the word “owning” before “the people”.

  28. lprent 28
    4 December 2013 at 1:17 pm

    Testing comment bouncer.

    That worked…

    • lprent 28.1
      4 December 2013 at 2:05 pm

      Test it again..

    • lprent 28.2
      4 December 2013 at 2:08 pm

      Ok, due to a neat little trick in .htaccess, I’m now reflecting any attempt to leave comments without a referrer back to the Ip that it is calling from.

      The effect is to block stupid spambots.

      A few more of those and the current deluge of spam might stop clogging the servers.

      • Draco T Bastard 28.2.1
        4 December 2013 at 8:16 pm

        Back to being slow and getting lost when commenting.

        • lprent 28.2.1.1
          5 December 2013 at 1:06 am

          Working on it now. Unfortunately I really have to do this stuff when the number of users online is low..

        • lprent 28.2.1.2
          5 December 2013 at 4:50 am

          Ok. Partially a problem with akismet, and it looks like a routing problem on a server to the database.

          I’m going to try a more passive anti-spam system that doesn’t involve squirting message data around the world.

          Off to bed.

  29. Flip 29
    4 December 2013 at 1:30 pm

    Colin Craig provides further evidence for falling educational standards

  30. greywarbler 30
    4 December 2013 at 2:08 pm

    Bouncer? You getting heavy lprent?

  31. amirite 31
    4 December 2013 at 2:32 pm

    This site is awfully slow to load lately, why?

    • greywarbler 31.1
      4 December 2013 at 4:10 pm

      amirite
      You could try searching for lprent and all the things that are being done to the site and for it will come up. Which helps to keep up with the latest. Lynn said recently that there was a lot of spam coming through and overwhelming the system. I’m having some problems and think it possible that its partly my phone connections and/or my hardware.

    • infused 31.2
      4 December 2013 at 4:55 pm

      hosted overseas

  32. amirite 32
    4 December 2013 at 5:06 pm

    I’m still laughing: Colin Craig said he had “no idea” whether moa are still alive in remote parts of New Zealand but some people might believe that.

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11166736

    Key trying to prove that his potential coalition partner is not just a joke.

    • Ake ake ake 32.1
      4 December 2013 at 5:44 pm

      Key is getting more desperate for Crazy’s support.
      So, coming to you all next – Key providing cover, excuses and apologies for Crazy.

    • chris73 32.2
      4 December 2013 at 6:16 pm

      Its possible but extremely unlikely, the Takahe was also thought to be extinct until it was rediscovered in the late 40s, but it seems to me his big problem seems to be with answering questions too honestly

      I wouldn’t mind betting that some (most?) of the MPs we have now probably have some extremely bat-shit crazy views but are smart enough to keep them to themselves

      Although it seems to me that those with religious views almost seem to want to be ridiculed as it reinforces their views…almost like they’re martyrs or something so they’re probably cheering CC on

      (I apologize to those on here who are religious but arn’t bat-shit crazy for lumping them all in together)

      • fender 32.2.1
        4 December 2013 at 6:28 pm

        Nah mate, the bat-shit crazy lot in power at present have been turning their warped views into law/policy, ffs .

      • felix 32.2.2
        4 December 2013 at 6:48 pm

        Nah, it’s deliberate and there’s nothing honest about it. Craig is targeting his secondary market, plain and simple.

      • North 32.2.3
        4 December 2013 at 9:26 pm

        Piss73. “Batshit” was never a word. Please.

  34. Brett Dale 34
    4 December 2013 at 6:06 pm

    Even that writer moi, knows you dont campaign on a election day. Perhaps Cunliffe can share a cell with Banks.

    • chris73 34.1
      4 December 2013 at 6:23 pm

      https://twitter.com/katieabradford

      – While I don’t think what he did is all that bad but it really does just illustrate politicians lax views towards electoral rules (left and right), surely hes telling fibs that he didn’t know yet he knows he can quite clearly get away with doing it because the police probably won’t do anything about it

      • Colonial Viper 34.1.1
        4 December 2013 at 6:32 pm

        Thanks for an insight into the way you think.

        • chris73 34.1.1.1
          4 December 2013 at 6:41 pm

          Well theres not going to be any repercussions for him are their so theres no need for him or anyone else to be bothered with the electoral commission

      • Pascal's bookie 34.1.2
        4 December 2013 at 6:38 pm

        surely hes telling fibs that he didn’t know yet he knows he can quite clearly get away with doing it

        Fair enough trying make a deal out of it, but honestly, doesn’t the fact he deleted it quick enough that hardly anyone even got a screen grab, and then informed on himself about it, kind of indicate that it was more cock up than intent to ‘get away with it’?

        What was the plan? I’ll tweet something, delete it real quick so hardly anyone sees it, turn myself in, aah, win?

        • chris73 34.1.2.1
          4 December 2013 at 6:50 pm

          Its more concerning that he and everyone else involved apparently didn’t know it wasn’t allowed, I mean its pretty basic stuff that isn’t it?

          • karol 34.1.2.1.1
            4 December 2013 at 7:03 pm

            Curious to see the desperation of some righties – a 10 second tweet is all you’ve got?

            • chris73 34.1.2.1.1.1
              4 December 2013 at 7:16 pm

              http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/9192790/Cunliffe-to-refresh-online-CV

              “Refreshing” is such a nicer term then got out telling porkies isn’t it

              “Mr Cunliffe alleged Ms Adams went to “great lengths” to keep the information from the public, telling Parliament there was a “very low” risk of a large scale oil spill occurring.”

              – Turned out the report was on-line the whole time

              Anytime Cunliffe pledged support to Goff or Shearer and the exaggeration over the extent of his work on the formation of Fonterra

              • Pascal's bookie …
                4 December 2013 at 7:40 pm

                Yeah, that’s the sort of thing karol was talking about I guess.

                • karol …
                  4 December 2013 at 7:48 pm

                  Jesus complex from the righties, Pb. Trying to turn water into wine; a few loaves and fishes into food for the thousands.

                  They seem to think if they endlessly repeat trivia, with or without embellishments, it’ll somehow become a major crime against humanity.

                  Painful to keep reading such desperation.

              • karol …
                4 December 2013 at 7:57 pm

                When did Cunliffe break his promise to support Goff or Shearer?

                CV embellishment – if you are soooo concerned about such things, when/if Hooton announces he’s standing for parliament, I expect to see your full outrage against the CV embellishment that has long been in his work website. (after Bradbury tweeted about Hooton potentially standing for ACT leader, Hooton tweeted a couple of hours ago,

                MatthewHootonNZ’s avatar
                Matthew Hooton @MatthewHootonNZ

                I may have more to say on the @actparty issue on Friday

                )

                Now that point about Adams report is just extreme total desperation.

          • Pascal's bookie 34.1.2.1.2
            4 December 2013 at 7:06 pm

            Very concerning yes. Deeply, terribly concerning. #concerned

          • Draco T Bastard 34.1.2.1.3
            4 December 2013 at 8:12 pm

            There’s a difference between purposefully breaking the law and trying to get away with it and making a mistake and owning up to it within minutes.

        • QoT 34.1.2.2
          4 December 2013 at 7:30 pm

          What was the plan?

          Oh, it’s a dastardly one, PB. He’s going to convince us all that he’s upfront and trustworthy, even when he makes mistakes, by acting in an upfront and trustworthy way after he makes a mistake. Fuckin’ Machiavellian, that.

      • North 34.1.3
        4 December 2013 at 9:22 pm

        Piss73 – they (the upper echelons of the Police) actually might prosecute Cunliffe……..having learned their lesson about playing sucky politics – right wing sucky as it happens. McCready humiliated them. Ups to him.

        Let’s suppose they do prosecute Pisso. An artful law student could probably word up a diversion submission before second appearance. Botox is headed for a jury Piss. That’s the diff’.

        Piss attempt at painting moral equivalence there Piss.

    • Morrissey 34.2
      4 December 2013 at 6:28 pm

      Banks is on trial for electoral fraud. The other fellow tweeted a straightforward message, and didn’t try to lie about it.

      Yet another lamentable lapse of judgement by you.

    • karol 34.3
      4 December 2013 at 6:34 pm

      Perhaps Cunliffe can share a cell with Banks.

      Cunliffe’s “crime” would only get a fine – up to $20,000.

    • Zorr 34.4
      4 December 2013 at 9:30 pm

      I am starting to believe that the RWNJs are seeing the act in this light because even they are not blind to the writing on the wall for John Key. With their beloved hero, back against the wall, appealing to NZ not to vote him out next year and to vote in his only chances for electoral victory in the forms of Colin “Chemtrails” Craig and an as yet unnamed ACT representative (showing just how likely *that* is) – their only hope is that Cunliffe is removed.

      Expect to see every single misstep from him represented in these preposterous terms all the way until election day – and the more they repeat it, the less the electorate will listen because it will become a continuing narrative of irrelevance from the Right as they focus on non-issues.

  35. Lionel 35
    4 December 2013 at 6:07 pm

    When I saw that Key called Banks a thoroughly honest guy I are you freaking serious thought do you believe what you are saying he’s got to go

  36. gobsmacked 36
    4 December 2013 at 9:19 pm

    Radio Live is now broadcasting The Conspiracy Hour. No, I am not making this up!

    Callers are invited to outline their conspiracy theory in 90 seconds. There’s a prize for the “best” (craziest).

    First up – 9/11.

    Second caller – Johnny, says by 2024 there will be a One World Government. Something to do with UFB and digital TV. “Connect the dots” says Johnny.

    More soon.

    • gobsmacked 36.1
      4 December 2013 at 9:29 pm

      Billy says something about a rocket going to Venus, but he may have been taking the piss (or on it).

      Next. Tracey, she believes in lots of them … Twin Towers, something about the Titanic not really sinking, a couple more, but – she emphasises – she does like Colin Craig.

      Next guy also lists all of them. Must be heavy sarcasm. Well, maybe.

      Mike says all the victims of 9/11 were paid to destroy the buildings from the inside. Plus something about Marilyn Monroe.

      Who needs Rush Limbaugh, we got Radio Live!

      • gobsmacked 36.1.1
        4 December 2013 at 9:38 pm

        More conspiracies …

        The next caller links the Christchurch earthquake(s) and Israel. Because Bob Parker went to Israel. Obviously.

        Mark – 6,000 years ago there were the floods of Noah. The dinosaurs were killed off. Dragons survived in Wales and Loch Ness, but most were killed. The Bible is right, basically.

      • gobsmacked 36.1.2
        4 December 2013 at 9:46 pm

        Next one – not enough fuel to get to Moon and back. So there.

        Tim has a law degree. Believe in the Bible, Jesus is Lord, and a whole lot more.

        OK, now they’re coming thick and fast. Illuminati, the anti-Christ is behind everything bad.

        Common theme so far: God.

    • Ake ake ake 36.2
      4 December 2013 at 10:14 pm

      Is Radio Live helping compile a long list of candidates for Crazy’s party list as well as assisting with policy development for the Crazy party?

    • Zorr 36.3
      4 December 2013 at 10:34 pm

      WHERE ARE THE LIZARD PEOPLE!

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    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announced the Board of Te Whatu Ora- Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • HealthNZ and Luxon at cross purposes over budget blowout

    Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • 2500-3000 more healthcare staff expected to be fired, as Shane Reti blames Labour for a budget defic...

    Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    4 days ago
  • Might Kamala Harris be about to get a 'stardust' moment like Jacinda Ardern?

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    PunditBy Tim Watkin
    5 days ago
  • Solutions Interview: Steven Hail on MMT & ecological economics

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    The KakaBy Steven Hail
    5 days ago
  • Reported back

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    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Vandrad the Viking, Christopher Coombes, and Literary Archaeology

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    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell On The Biden Withdrawal

    History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    5 days ago
  • Joe Biden's withdrawal puts the spotlight back on Kamala and the USA's complicated relatio...

    This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    5 days ago
  • Why we have to challenge our national fiscal assumptions

    A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Existential Crisis and Damaged Brains

    What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • A speed limit is not a target, and yet…

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    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #29

    A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago
  • I'd like to share what I did this weekend

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    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • For the children – Why mere sentiment can be a misleading force in our lives, and lead to unex...

    National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Order image, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • A friend in uncertain times

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    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • The Chaotic World of Male Diet Influencers

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    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • It's Starting To Look A Lot Like… Y2K

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    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Bernard’s Saturday Soliloquy for the week to July 20

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    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Pharmac Director, Climate Change Commissioner, Health NZ Directors – The latest to quit this m...

    Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 week ago
  • Flooding Housing Policy

    The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 week ago
  • A Voyage Among the Vandals: Accepted (Again!)

    As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā's Chorus for Friday, July 19

    An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Roundup 19-July-2024

    Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
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    1 week ago
  • Weekly Climate Wrap: A market-led plan for failure

    TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Tobacco First

    Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Trump’s Adopted Son.

    Waiting In The Wings: For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
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    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSA announced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The Hoon around the week to July 19

    TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent talking about the National-ACT-NZ First Government’s release of its first Emissions Reduction Plan;University of Otago Foreign Relations Professor and special guest Dr Karin von ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #29 2024

    Open access notables Improving global temperature datasets to better account for non-uniform warming, Calvert, Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society: To better account for spatial non-uniform trends in warming, a new GITD [global instrumental temperature dataset] was created that used maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) to combine the land surface ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

  • Joint statement from the Prime Ministers of Canada, Australia and New Zealand

    Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue.  We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    16 hours ago
  • AG reminds institutions of legal obligations

    Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago
  • More young people learning about digital safety

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views.  “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago
  • Speech to the Conference for General Practice 2024

    Tēnā tātou katoa,  Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago
  • Employers and payroll providers ready for tax changes

    New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts.  “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    23 hours ago
  • Experimental vineyard futureproofs wine industry

    An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Funding confirmed for regions affected by North Island Weather Events

    The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Indonesian Foreign Minister to visit

    Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.   “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Strengthening partnership with Ngāti Maniapoto

    He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Transport Minister thanks outgoing CAA Chair

    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Test for Customary Marine Title being restored

    The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says.  “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Opposition united in bad faith over ECE sector review

    Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet.  “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Kiwis having their say on first regulatory review

    After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks.  “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government upgrading Lower North Island commuter rail

    The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government moves to ensure flood protection for Wairoa

    Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • PM speech to Parliament – Royal Commission of Inquiry’s Report into Abuse in Care

    Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care.  At the heart of this report are the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government acknowledges torture at Lake Alice

    For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government acknowledges courageous abuse survivors

    The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Half a million people use tax calculator

    With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis.  “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Paid Parental Leave improvements pass first reading

    Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Rebuilding the economy through better regulation

    Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • ‘Open banking’ and ‘open electricity’ on the way

    New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Charity lotteries to be permitted to operate online

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Accelerating Northland Expressway

    The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Sir Don to travel to Viet Nam as special envoy

    Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.    “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Grant Illingworth KC appointed as transitional Commissioner to Royal Commission

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024.  “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ to advance relationships with ASEAN partners

    Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane.    “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says.   “This will be our third visit to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Backing mental health services on the West Coast

    Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ support for sustainable Pacific fisheries

    New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...
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    4 days ago
  • Students’ needs at centre of new charter school adjustments

    Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Commissioner replaces Health NZ Board

    In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today.  “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister to speak at Australian Space Forum

    Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum.  While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation.  “New Zealand has a thriving space ...
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    5 days ago
  • Climate Change Minister to attend climate action meeting in China

    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will travel to China on Saturday to attend the Ministerial on Climate Action meeting held in Wuhan.  “Attending the Ministerial on Climate Action is an opportunity to advocate for New Zealand climate priorities and engage with our key partners on climate action,” Mr Watts says. ...
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    5 days ago
  • Oceans and Fisheries Minister to Solomons

    Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is travelling to the Solomon Islands tomorrow for meetings with his counterparts from around the Pacific supporting collective management of the region’s fisheries. The 23rd Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee and the 5th Regional Fisheries Ministers’ Meeting in Honiara from 23 to 26 July ...
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    7 days ago
  • Government launches Military Style Academy Pilot

    The Government today launched the Military Style Academy Pilot at Te Au rere a te Tonga Youth Justice residence in Palmerston North, an important part of the Government’s plan to crackdown on youth crime and getting youth offenders back on track, Minister for Children, Karen Chhour said today. “On the ...
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    7 days ago
  • Nine priority bridge replacements to get underway

    The Government has welcomed news the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has begun work to replace nine priority bridges across the country to ensure our state highway network remains resilient, reliable, and efficient for road users, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“Increasing productivity and economic growth is a key priority for the ...
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    1 week ago
  • Update on global IT outage

    Acting Prime Minister David Seymour has been in contact throughout the evening with senior officials who have coordinated a whole of government response to the global IT outage and can provide an update. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has designated the National Emergency Management Agency as the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • New Zealand, Japan renew Pacific partnership

    New Zealand and Japan will continue to step up their shared engagement with the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.    “New Zealand and Japan have a strong, shared interest in a free, open and stable Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says.    “We are pleased to be finding more ways ...
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    1 week ago
  • New infrastructure energises BOP forestry towns

    New developments in the heart of North Island forestry country will reinvigorate their communities and boost economic development, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones visited Kaingaroa and Kawerau in Bay of Plenty today to open a landmark community centre in the former and a new connecting road in ...
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    1 week ago
  • 'Pacific Futures'

    President Adeang, fellow Ministers, honourable Diet Member Horii, Ambassadors, distinguished guests.    Minasama, konnichiwa, and good afternoon, everyone.    Distinguished guests, it’s a pleasure to be here with you today to talk about New Zealand’s foreign policy reset, the reasons for it, the values that underpin it, and how it ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

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