I don't know the ins and outs of this Mani Dunlop & Kiri Allan brouhaha, but as a general rule for anyone working in a small, incestuous industry publicly quitting your job in a huff because you didn't get the promotion you thought you were entitled to and having your partner (who happens to be a prominent government politician) pile in on it as well is usually a hugely career limiting move.
Yes, Cabinet Ministers seem to think we need to know how they feel personally about these things despite warnings in Cabinet Manual.
Marama Davidson
Michael Wood
Chris Hipkins
Kiri Allen
I really don't give a toss about their personal opinions while they are Cabinet Ministers. I just want them to be doing their cabinet jobs efficiently and effectively which clearly they are not doing if they are making personal pronouncements.
The only time I want to know about personal opinions is when they are standing for parliament just so I can know that I am not voting for a climate change denier or anyone who is anti women.
The PM should be tapping into the good will of the country as PM Ardern did for the Chch Massacre, & PM Hipkins said for the victims of Cyclones Hale & Gabrielle. I don't mind that in the slightest, it is 'statesman' like. I also don't mind in the slightest when Pms adopt projects such as the Christchurch Call that will help people around the world from being exposed to frightening and frightful ideology.
But a PM dismissing women, 51% , of the population….nah.
I was talking about the concept of personal views vis a vis Cabinet Roles bearing in mind that the Cabinet Manual explicitly states to be careful.
I was making the point I could not care a less about someone's personal view/s especially when they are a Cabinet Minister.
I am intensely interested in the personal views of a candidate standing for election to parliament as I said and would not wittingly vote in a climate change denier or anti women or anti women's rights person. .
Please stop conflating sex and gender. You can get your assumed sex marker on both your passport and your driver's license. And yes. because of "self ID" any person can say that they are the sex that they are not. They don't have to do anything – just open their mouths and say the magic words "I identify as". Ans most of society has no idea that is happening because of the institutional capture and the demand for "no debate". But the debate is happening and the more that violent and dangerous men are described as women and people realise that allows men like them to enter any women's space or service, the unhappier people get.
And most women in fact recognise this. Which is why there is greater support from women for gender ID.
What's the evidence base for that please?
It's not straight forward. Most women in NZ don't realise that self ID means any man can enter women's spaces. Or that most TW haven't surgically transitioned. I'd be interested in any research that looks at that.
I haven't seen NZ stats, but the UK research is clear. While women are more likely than men to support gender ideology rights eg access by TW to women's toilets and changing rooms, support drops in the whole population if they are asked about TW who haven't had surgery.
If you add the dismissal of women to Marama Davidson's dismissal of straight white men, you end up with 90 plus percent of the population that these folk don't want voting for them.
All this malarkey is funny until the votes are counted.
What concerns me is that I feel that the Govt/Ministers are tired and therefore not firing on all cylinders.
Thus the numbers of unforced errors and wierd reckons.
If they abided by the good sense of the Cabinet Manual in not making personal comments while Cabinet Mintser a number of the errors would drop.
Perhaps they feel it makes them one of the boys/close to the people, a debatable concept.
When they make the errors like the Ministers I've mentioned, where it is questionable if they have achieved the aim of being of the people, the people just go whaaaat?
Abraham Lincoln
Quote – Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt.
I'm not suggesting remaining silent in matters to do with their portfolios. But please don't do off the cuff stuff where the info you are giving ia incorrect (Marama Davidson)
I fee doubtful about Michael Wood, the Minister of Immigration making personal comments about KJM when his Department had a decision making/or expertise role to do with this.
By the sounds of it, the issue is a Cabinet Minister is always a Cabinet Minister, regardless of any preamble offered clarifying that you are speaking in a private capacity.
I am more intrigued by the assertion "…publicly quitting your job in a huff…"
Kiri opining at her partner's farewell is a non issue with me. Of more concern is a switched on Maori woman in position of power casually claiming racism against a government institution without offering proof. I would have thought diversity and fairness would be the hallmark of RNZ. If a Maori reporter can't make it at RNZ, they may as well go home. That leaves me wondering how other Maori working for different legacy media managed to obtain jobs?
Of course racism is in the eye of the beholder. In this link Kiri shares some hateful comments she (undeservedly) received when she was undergoing cancer treatment. She must have left out the more obnoxious comments??
Looks hateful to me. What kind of person talks to someone with cancer like that? At this point in history the denial of institutional racism to this extent is also nasty.
btw, re the Māori women should stop being sluts comment, the risk for cervical cancer via HPV increases with multiple sexual partners, but also increases if having sex with someone who has had multiple sexual partners. In other words, if a woman marries a man who is her only sexual partner but he has had lots of sex with different people, then her risk increases.
It’s not actually connected to lots of sex, it’s just that the more people someone sleeps with the greater the statistical chance of coming into contact with HPV.
Quite apart from the ‘wisdom’ of the Kiri Allan's comments, in her position as a Minister, my view lines up a bit with yours Blade.
It was not too long ago that we had the idea about diversity and reflecting back diversity to NZ's communities in our corporate staffing, particularly in Govt funded entities.
So I would have thought that, if we have a competent Maori presenter we would retain them, or try very hard to, as a taonga, an example for others to aspire to. I am not saying hold onto mediocre people.
I wish Mani Dunlop well and hope she finds a place that appreciates her talents.
The comments on SM about Kiri Allan are a reflection of the troll world of SM, especially relating to females, especially females who break the troll-determined norms. In the examples these trolls seem to be mainly male, judging by their names. Hmmmm.
Mmmm. Maybe.
We don't know what RNZ did to attempt to retain Mani Dunlop – what radio slots she was offered, or which programs.
It's pretty clear that they felt that she did not yet have the experience to present on the Morning Report flagship – being, as yet, a relatively young journalist.
The actual appointment, Ingrid Hipkiss, has double Dunlop's experience – and clearly RNZ felt she was an outstanding candidate.
It sounds to me as though Dunlop's self-evaluation is greater than that shared (at this stage) by her employer.
Having heard her on RNZ in various programmes, I'd rate her as OK – but she's no Kim Hill or Lisa Owen. [I've not yet heard Hipkiss, so I can't comment on how she compares]
I've been in that situation – beaten out for a top job, by someone with greater experience – and it hurts. However, the best thing to do is outlive them….
Unless Dunlop has another position already lined up – she would have been better advised to go to RNZ, and ask them to facilitate broadening her experience base. Her relationship with Kiri Allen makes this more problematic – she would almost certainly be accused of bias if she were reporting on politics – and, in Wellington, what else is there? However, this is not impossible to overcome, cf Jane Clifton & Trevor Mallard.
Tl;dr: Marin and her party did better than what the headlines would have you believe and forming the next government won't be easy for the election winners.
Agreed Joe90. The international press's reporting of the result has been abysmal.The results are:
Right 20.8 Seats 48
Far Right 20.1 Seats 46
SDP(Marin) 19.9 Seats 43 (which was more than the last election)
You need 101 seats to form a coalition in the 200 seat parliament and nobody wants to go with the racist far right, which means that the National Coalition (Right) will almost certainly have to form a coalition with the SDP (Left), so Marin will still be in power, albeit with less influence.
Finland generally switches PM's with each election and party leaders more popular than their parties have the option of remaining in politics. And in this case, there is only a coalition led by Orpo Right and including Marin SDP, or one led by Marin and excluding Right and Far Right.
Good point SPC. The SDP may, just, be able to form a coalition out of the 106 seats excluding the Right and Far Right. The Greens got 13 seats and the Left 11 seats, so she would need 34 seats from the other small parties to do this.
But under the rules the National Coalition gets the first chance to form a coalition as it won the most seats.
It seems she will be an ordinary MP during the next term in parliament, and have a new SDP leader be deputy in an Orpo led coalition (she will be leader during coalition talks though).
The laws of nature seem to have it that the prime purpose of media is to be a vehicle for politics. Murders and major disasters like earthquakes and national sports losses occasionally intrude to disrupt the order. Until a politician reclaims the right way of things, earth-shatteringly, by saying some triviality or having been found to have broken their sibling's toys when they were eight years old.
For a smile about the former leader of the 'greatest country in the history of the world' I've added another post below.
Agreed Rosie Lee. He is a washed up 76 year old that even many Republicans would like to go away. RNZ is obsessed with news from the USA however banal.
For instance there have been more than a 100 mass shootings in the USA this year alone yet when 6 people get shot over there is is headline stuff.
Not according to Mr nobody David Seymour trying to invoke his far right mysognist,racist, fascist base with his dogwhistle.Seymour is Trying to mirror Trump by saying Jacinda Adern wasn't up to the job.Maybe if he was getting the death threats Jacinda was getting by the conspiracy theorists that the Hollow Man (hologram) that Seymour is dog whistling just shows how much of a grovelling coward he really is.
I guess the only thing I would say about Jacinda Ardern's legacy is the statistics don't lie – thousands are alive due to her decisions during the pandemic. Forget about delivery this or the spiteful little men of the right that or the crazy cookers. Worrying about that would be like going to Christopher Wren's masterpiece of St Pauls Cathedral and keeping your eyes downcast upon the floor, complaining about the chewing gum or the state of the tiles. Instead, raise your eyes and go for a walk down a busy street. Look at all the elderly, or immune compromised, or those otherwise vulnerable to a novel virus and imagine those of them who might not be here but for the covid response. And recall Wren's epitaph on his tomb in St Pauls:
“Si monumentum requiris circumspice" – If you seek her monument, look around.
Luxon gave her no credit at all for the way she handled Covid on RNZ's Morning Report this morning, instead carping on about how she failed to deliver on policies. He is simply too negative to become PM.
That's the MO from here till the GE from national….. negative, hope noone can see through their rinse repeat austerity/tax cuts/national standards v2.0 etc more negativity and keep the really scary ones away from the media like mitchell etc
Ad, thank you for suggesting a post about Jacinda. She more than deserves this site's recognition for being PM during a very difficult five years. On reflection it was unprecedented what she had to deal with. From her pregnancy right at the start of her first term, and then having a young baby to nurture and see into a toddler and pre-schooler. It must have been challenging having Winston Peters to mollify and persuade, just like a toddler. Then the terrorist's shocking crimes, White Island, and Covid. I am appalled she had also to contend with social media vitriol and recently David Seymour's nasty podcast with Max Key.
It is no surprise she had nothing left in the tank. I wish her and her family all the best for the future.
I think the problem for Jacinda is incapsulated quite well from this quote:
Tall poppy syndrome is where there is a tendency to discredit or disparage those who are considered to be too successful or prominent (cutting the tall poppies down to size). It is similar to begrudgery, the resentment or envy. This is effectively the opposite of congratulating someone. Instead others find fault in how they achieved success or simply believe that they don’t deserve it.
From my experience: jealousy, begrudgement and an inability to accept her as a politician (and a woman) who really was genuine and selfless, So they spread falsehoods about her which in the end gained so much traction, it entered the realms of insanity.
Yes, the nastiness likely went deeper than the public appreciated. 55 death threats? Such people are ‘not right in the head’ as Mike Williams might say. The NZSIS and GCSB should earn their money and help drag a few more of such cowards before the courts.
The NZ Police even made an exception to their usual procedure and issued a public statement on Jacinda’s partner Clarke–that he was not of interest to them on any matter!–thanks to Slater Oil and his like there had been an online campaign against Mr Gayford as well.
Helen Clark pointed out that a key difference between her period in office and Jacinda Ardern's was the rise of social media and the numbers using it.
There was demonstrably a large misogynistic component to the keyboard attacks on Jacinda. Some people just could not handle a contemporary woman being in charge.
The NZSIS and GCSB should earn their money and help drag a few more of such cowards before the courts.
I know of a couple of past "cowards" who were never brought to justice for their behaviour despite the turmoil they succeeded in achieving on several occasions. It also included a lack of action by the police.
It was before the advent of social media so their methods were different in nature.
Umm OK.I sort of assumed the way people were talking about things that it was a massive amount. but 55. for a Prime Minister of a country (i.e a huge public profile) seems not that many. I guess I figured Prime Ministers and Presidents of countries probably receive death threats on a daily basis?
Before I get jumped on let me say that obviously 1 death threat to anyone is 1 too many. But look at someone like JK Rowling who literally has never said anything transphobic whatsoever, yet has received probably too many to count..
"I’ve now received so many death threats I could paper the house with them"
Further, the death threats are probably not even quite as scary as the thousands of absolutely shocking graphic descriptions of sexual violence people have threatened to carry out against her and her children. You'll have to find some examples for yourself if you want to see what I mean. I'm really not easily shocked by much but some of these threats are so unbelievably appalling that you have to wonder how a sane mind could come up with such things.
Anne, agree with you absolutely about the tall poppy syndrome. There was a sector of the population that was so jealous and couldn't stand Jacinda's popularity, hence the vicious lies and venom. The media played a part in that they liked negative headlines. Hosking always was in criticism mode with her in comparison with his soft treatment of National's many and varied blunders, and missteps.
Interesting report. It backs up the claims so many of us have made about the rapidly increasing violence – verbal and physical – which has beset this nation in recent times and created serious divisions among communities and individual groups.
If PT is to work there needs to more than bus lanes (half fares), but sufficient drivers and a re-write of the PTOM.
The record of decline in pay for bus drivers (66% over MW in 1990) to closer to the MW over decades.
1. the ECA
2. The Public Transport Operating Model, introduced by the National-led government in 2013
The recovery getting the bus award to $30 to allow migrant workers to qualify and improved working conditions (more flexible hours of work – for those over 65 etc)
History will record that, after we went into a recession (yet to be confirmed by the March quarter GDP figures) the RBG increased the OCR by 0.5% to 5.25% in April.
The government really does need to place a windfall tax on banks and use the money to create a supply of (affordable) funding to business.
Luxon as PM? Besides frequently having to clarify what he meant to say (no doubt after his minders rushed to instruct him on what he should have said), he is extremely boring and dull. No obvious personality has shown through after over a year as opposition leader. Then rather a lot of ultra conservative types becoming candidates. As well as the various others with questionable histories such as Uffindell etc.
If Ardern had focused on building State capacity and addressing core structural productivity and employment challenges, she would have been a truly outstanding PM. And without question there a decent list of achievements have been made. Unlike many critics of this govt I am reasonably happy with much of the unsung work they have pushed through, often under tough circumstances.
Not to mention her adroit handling of various crisis that overtook the nation. In all of this we can broadly say the left and NZ has been fortunate for her tenure.
Step outside the confines of The Standard and you will hear a different story. It boils down to two crucial mistakes. The COVID response was going well enough right up to the point where her govt introduced the Vaccine Passports and forcing people out of their jobs.
The other was of course the decolonisation and co-governance agenda that has been imposed onto our institutions by stealth. John Key at least had the decency to hold two referendums over something as relatively ephemeral as the national flag – Ardern's govt has set in motion a dramatic constitutional reshaping with not so much as a single debate in the House, much less serious democratic engagement.
Both of these policies have been since undone. Once Omicron came along it was obvious vaccines were barely useful in preventing transmission, which was the only possible justification for making them mandatory. And of course the first and most urgent action of Hipkins was to unceremoniously yank co-governance off the table at least until after this election. On these forums we tend to focus on the noisy passionate extremists, such as the Parliament protests – but what we tend not to see are the largely unspoken views of middle NZ who quietly shifted against what they saw as unreasonable govt over-reach in both instances.
If Ardern has sidestepped these two largely unforced errors, the Labour govt she led would be serenely sailing on to a third comfortable win.
Without the vaccine passports/mandates NZ would have had a chronically low level of vaccination….Covid would have let rip as it did in other countries.
The people who opposed the mandates were anti-science weirdos. Are you saying that we should have pandered to them?
SPC, apparently, nobody or very few want to borrow money so the banks have not actually raised lending rates as much as the Reserve Bank expected. So the thrashings will continue until morale improves.
With the current publicity surrounding the whole Trans / Gender ideology I had been struggling with what I saw as a really strange aspect to all this. It has astonished me how big corporations. organisations and governments have all seemed to jump on board with Gender Ideology really really quickly and I was trying to figure out why? What is it about this stuff that these groups are benefitting from? Because they don't jump on board with such issues unless they are getting tangible benefits from doing so.
Especially politicians as I have mentioned in other posts I can't understand why MP's seem to be siding with a tiny minority rather than the majority. Assuming that when taking a side, the important thing for an MP is surely votes. then things just aren't adding up. Otherwise logic would suggest that an MP would align with the majority.
I'd wager plenty of people on TS may have been thinking similar things.
Then i just came across the following video of an investigative journalist speaking to Gender / Trans ideology and WOW !… This is very interesting and very informative. For me personally it has joined many of the dots that I was really having trouble with.
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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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
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 Orderimage, ...
Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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. ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 PSAannounced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
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 ...
Open access notablesImproving 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 ...
A late change to charter school legislation will cheat educators out of fair pay and negotiating power proving charter schools are just a vehicle to make profit out of our education system. ...
In 2004 te iwi Māori rallied against the Crown’s attempt to confiscate our coastlines and moana with the Foreshore and Seabed Act. This led to the largest hīkoi of a generation and the birth of Te Pāti Māori. 20 years later, history is repeating itself. Today the government has announced ...
It has been five and a half years since the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care was established to investigate the abuse of children, young people, and vulnerable adults within state and faith-based institutions. Yesterday, the final report - Whanaketia through pain and trauma, from darkness to light ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to take action off the back of the International Court of Justice ruling on Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine. ...
On Friday the International Court of Justice reaffirmed what Palestinian’s have been telling us for decades: that the occupation and colonisation of Palestinian lands by Israel is illegal and must end immediately. They also called for reparations for Palestinian’s who have lived under Israeli occupation since it began in 1967. ...
Labour calls on the Government to act after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian Territories is illegal. ...
The 53.7 percent rise in benefit sanctions over the last year is more proof of this Government’s disdain for our communities most in need of support. ...
Aotearoa could be a country where every child grows up feeling safe, loved and with a sense of belonging in their whānau and community. But for some of our children, this is far from reality. Instead, they are trapped in a maze of intergenerational harm that they can’t escape on ...
Te Pāti Māori are calling for David Seymour to resign as Associate Health Minister in response to his call for Pharmac to ignore the Treaty of Waitangi. “This announcement is just another example of the government’s anti-Tiriti, anti-Māori agenda.” Said Co-leader and spokesperson for health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. “Seymour thinks it ...
The soaring price of renting is driving the rise of inflation in this country - with latest figures from Stats NZ showing rents are up 4.8 per cent on average while annual inflation is at 3.3 per cent. ...
National’s Emissions Reduction Plan will take New Zealand further from the economy we need to ensure the next generation has a stable climate and secure livelihoods. ...
Following consultation with named parties and thorough consideration of privacy interests, the Green Party is in a position to release the Executive Summary of the final report from the independent investigation into Darleen Tana. ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon should be asking serious questions of his Minister for Resources Shane Jones now it’s been revealed he misled the public about a dinner with mining companies that he didn’t declare and said wasn’t pre-arranged. ...
Te Pāti Māori have submitted to the Justice Select Committee against the Sentencing (Reinstating Three Strikes) Amendment Bill. The bill will further entrench racism in our justice system and fails to focus on rehabilitation. “Reinstating Three Strikes will empower a systematically racist system and exacerbate the overrepresentation of Māori in ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee is set to make a determination on the Residential Tenancies Amendment (RTA) Bill in the coming weeks. “This legislation will give landlords the power to kick our whānau out onto the street for no reason” said Housing spokesperson, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “Their solution to the housing ...
“National’s campaign was about tackling crime and the best they can do is a two-year long Ministerial Advisory Group,” Labour justice spokesperson Duncan Webb said. ...
“There are more examples of charter schools failing their students than there are success stories. The coalition Government is driving to dismantle our public school system and instead promote a privatised, competitive structure that puts profits before kids,” Jan Tinetti said. ...
“This government is choosing to deliberately mislead and withhold information, keeping our people in the dark about this government’s agenda and the future of our mokopuna,” said co-leader and spokesperson for Health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. The call comes after the demand from the Chief Ombudsman that Associate Minister of Health, Casey ...
“Today’s climate announcement by Simon Watts makes clear the National Government is simply paying lip service to meeting its climate change targets,” Megan Woods said. ...
National is choosing to make life harder for workers by taking away the rights our communities have fought hard for. Here's how they’re taking workers backwards. ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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. ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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. ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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. ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
Last summer when Matairangi burned, Ginny and Tom stood at the window of their lounge, watching kākā shoot skyward from the burning trees. From the distance, they looked to Ginny like pages torn from books and thrown into a bonfire. It was Tom, voice tight, who told her it was ...
Opinion: The Canadian short story writer Alice Munro – winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2013 – died in May at the age of 92. Her work was about “the damage people inflict on one another in the name of love”, Deborah Treisman wrote in the New Yorker. ...
This month marks two years since the most powerful telescope ever built sent its first pictures back to earth. From its lofty vantage point, beyond the moon in orbit around the sun, the James Webb Space Telescope was tuned to observe the first stars and galaxies being born soon after ...
Comment: After Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ preview several weeks ago, I had some optimism about the Government’s emissions reduction plan. Now I’ve read the discussion document, that hope has been dashed. How can the Government propose a plan that wants to take New Zealand taxpayers’ hard-earned money, and spend ...
Christopher Luxon: hurdles The little man from National jumps hurdles in his sleep. He’s quite good at it in his dreams and even though the reality doesn’t quite match up you have to give him credit for getting up every morning and crashing into the very first hurdle of the ...
Comment: It was a good two hours into the conversation when Tyrone Marks raised the most basic of questions when I first spoke to him in 2017. “They didn’t explain the things they did to me. They never told me why. And they still haven’t. There’s no explanation for it. ...
Madeleine Chapman rounds out Death Week on The Spinoff with a final recommendation. You can read all of our Death Week coverage here. Nothing forces you to reflect on your life and relationships quite like proximity to death. For those whose nearest and dearest have died, there are reasonably obvious ...
Whitney Greene takes us through her life in television, including the TV character she’d like to plan a funeral for and her cow lung catastrophe on The Traitors NZ. “If the phone rings, I have to answer it,” Whitney Greene from The Traitors NZ warns as we begin our My ...
Maddie Ballard reviews the debut essay collection of Pōneke writer Flora Feltham.In ‘The Raw Material’, the longest essay in Flora Feltham’s dazzling debut collection, the author heads out for a run after hours of weaving and sees the world turn to textile. “Pounding along the Parade, I saw the ...
Andy Christiansen, one half of the experimental rock-pop duo TRiPS, shares the tunes inspiring the band’s perfect weekend and new release. “Good speakers, good food, good music, no distractions”: that’s all you need to enjoy the psychedelic stylings of TRiPS, a new band formed by Fly My Pretties’ Barnaby Weir ...
Celebrating our quadrennial opportunity to become experts in a bunch of sports we never normally watch.The games of the XXXIII Olympiad are upon us. Paris will host this year’s showcase of sporting and athletic prowess, which means some late-night and early-morning viewing for us in Aotearoa.But what sports ...
The photograph is striking and beautiful, but also disturbing – a reminder that my love for John was often entangled in shame.The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.In the spring of 1980, in Dunedin, shortly before his death, someone took a photograph ...
Get to know Babushka, our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Babu’s humans, Jo and Isabel, for their support. Dog name: Babushka (Babu for short) Age: 2Breed: Border Collie X poodleIf rescued, ...
Pacific Media Watch A Lebanese photojournalist who was severely wounded during an Israeli air strike in south Lebanon carried the Olympic torch in Paris this week in honour of her peers who have been wounded and killed in the field — especially in Gaza and Lebanon. Christina Assi of Agence ...
The first report in a five-part web series focused on the 15th Triennial Conference of Pacific Women taking place in the Marshall Islands this week.SPECIAL REPORT:By Netani Rika in Majuro Women continue to fight for justice 70 years after the first nuclear tests by the United States caused ...
Christopher Luxon has joined with Australia and Canada's leaders in voicing support for US President Joe Biden's ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The 2022 election brought the “teal wave” into parliament. The next election will test whether teals, who occupy what were Liberal seats, and other independents can maintain their momentum. Joining us on the Podcast ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Musgrave, Senior lecturer in Pharmacology, University of Adelaide Pixavri/Shutterstock A major Federal Court class action has been dismissed this week after Justice Michael Lee ruled there was not enough evidence to prove the weedkiller Roundup causes cancer. Plaintiff Kelvin ...
In The Week in Politics: politicians have to decide what to do about child abuse, Health NZ is booked in for major surgery and Darleen Tana returns. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Corbould, Associate Professor, Contemporary Histories Research Group, Deakin University Mainstream media are surprisingly muted at the prospect of the world’s most powerful nation being led for the first time by a woman – specifically a woman of colour, Vice President Kamala ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rebecca Bennett, PhD Student, Associate Research Fellow, Deakin University Last week, a drone delivery company called Wing (owned by Google’s parent company, Alphabet) started operating in Melbourne. Some 250,000 residents in parts of the city’s eastern suburbs can now order food from ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonathan Foo, Lecturer, Physiotherapy, Monash University pikselstock/Shutterstock In the next 40 years in Australia, it’s predicted the number of Australians aged 65 and over will more than double, while the number of people aged 85 and over will more than triple. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katrina Grant, Research Associate, Power Institute for Arts and Visual Culture, University of Sydney Jonas Åkerström’s 1790 work, Session of the Accademia dell’Arcadia on August 17 1788.Nationalmuseum/Cecilia Heisser Ever wondered whether you’d have a better chance at winning an Olympic gold ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexandra Jones, Program Lead, Food Governance, George Institute for Global Health wavebreakmedia/Shutterstock On Thursday, Australian and New Zealand food ministers at state, federal and national levels met to thrash out what’s next for health star ratings on packaged foods. Now, after ...
The Abuse in Care report found many Pacific survivors lost their connections to their culture and language, resulting in trauma that has been carried from generation to generation. ...
In the regulatory review, ECC intends to suggest that ERO focus on curriculum delivery reviews rather than the Ministry, because it’s not efficient or effective to have two agencies with radically different approaches climbing over each other. ...
Te Rūnanga Nui o Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori invites the current government to work in partnership with them to develop a pathway forward, including the development of a parallel pathway and meaningful policy and strategy for Kura Kaupapa Māori ...
If you haven’t started watching yet, Tara Ward begs you to reconsider. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. In the world of New Zealand reality television, we have many gems in our crown. There’s the delicious second season of the Celebrity Treasure ...
A new poem by Fiona Kidman. The clothes of the dead I did not keep my mother’s furry red beret for long nor the stringy scarves that adorned the necks of my aunts, although I have kept tag ends of gold, the rings and trinkets they wore, the brooches no ...
The government’s announcement that it will re-open the foreshore and seabed controversy by changing the rules on recognising centuries-old Māori customary title for a third time goes against the rule of law and New Zealand values,” Mr Tipa says. ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Lioness by Emily Perkins (Bloomsbury, $25) Roarrrr! Perkins’ brilliant, award-winning, Marian-Keyes anointed, darkly funny, long ...
The 2004 Act vested ownership of the foreshore and seabed in the Crown, extinguishing any Māori claims to ownership and causing widespread outrage and protests among Māori communities. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Antje Deckert, Associate Professor (Criminology), Auckland University of Technology Getty Images Despite the connection between institutional harm and gang membership made clear in this week’s mammoth royal commission abuse-in care report, the government seems unlikely to soften its “get tough on ...
From Lewis Clareburt in the swimming to the start of the rowing – the first seven days of Paris 2024 promise to be big for New Zealand. There are few events that bring the country together quite like an Olympic Games. Nothing quite matches the excitement of getting up in ...
Groundbreaking local science just showed up in the most surprising of places: the season finale of The Kardashians. In the season five finale of The Kardashians last night, several members of the family gathered together in one of their signature empty, cream-coloured rooms to hear test results that had been ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Saikal, Emeritus professor of Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies, Australian National University The Middle East is on the brink of a possibly devastating regional war, with hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah reaching an extremely dangerous level. Washington has engaged in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laura Elizabeth Eades, Rheumatologist, Monash University Lupus is an inflammatory autoimmune illness, where the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks itself. Lupus can affect virtually any part of the body, although it most commonly affects the skin, joints and kidneys. The symptoms ...
A law firm that specialises in working with survivors of abuse in State care is disappointed that the Government fails to recognise that its boot camps can be directly compared to previous boot camps from the 1990s and 2000s. ...
Dying is a natural part of life, like updating your Wof or seeing your hairdresser, but without the word-of-mouth recs that help guarantee a good service. What if we changed that? Dying Reviews received by The Spinoff have had the names of organisations redacted while Hospice NZ collects further data. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonti Horner, Professor (Astrophysics), University of Southern Queensland Mike Lewinski/Flickr, CC BY On any clear night, if you gaze skywards long enough, chances are you’ll see a meteor streaking through the sky. Some nights, however, are better than others. At ...
Despite having no bars or other designated spaces for lesbians, Auckland boasts a small but mighty lesbian museum. So how did it get here? The past 18 months has brought increasing hostility towards the queer community across Aotearoa. Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull’s anti-trans rally in Tamaki Makaurau last March led to a ...
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I don't know the ins and outs of this Mani Dunlop & Kiri Allan brouhaha, but as a general rule for anyone working in a small, incestuous industry publicly quitting your job in a huff because you didn't get the promotion you thought you were entitled to and having your partner (who happens to be a prominent government politician) pile in on it as well is usually a hugely career limiting move.
Potentially for both parties…
christ is that what happened? Did Kiri Allen join a pile on about her partner not getting a job?
Yes, Cabinet Ministers seem to think we need to know how they feel personally about these things despite warnings in Cabinet Manual.
Marama Davidson
Michael Wood
Chris Hipkins
Kiri Allen
I really don't give a toss about their personal opinions while they are Cabinet Ministers. I just want them to be doing their cabinet jobs efficiently and effectively which clearly they are not doing if they are making personal pronouncements.
The only time I want to know about personal opinions is when they are standing for parliament just so I can know that I am not voting for a climate change denier or anyone who is anti women.
The PM should be tapping into the good will of the country as PM Ardern did for the Chch Massacre, & PM Hipkins said for the victims of Cyclones Hale & Gabrielle. I don't mind that in the slightest, it is 'statesman' like. I also don't mind in the slightest when Pms adopt projects such as the Christchurch Call that will help people around the world from being exposed to frightening and frightful ideology.
But a PM dismissing women, 51% , of the population….nah.
That's capture not statesman-like.
The PM also represents the people who were born male or female and now identify with a different gender on their DL or passport.
And most women in fact recognise this. Which is why there is greater support from women for gender ID.
Sure there is cause for concern about the safety of women's spaces … but society recognition of gender ID has already happened.
Zoom SPC.
I was talking about the concept of personal views vis a vis Cabinet Roles bearing in mind that the Cabinet Manual explicitly states to be careful.
I was making the point I could not care a less about someone's personal view/s especially when they are a Cabinet Minister.
I am intensely interested in the personal views of a candidate standing for election to parliament as I said and would not wittingly vote in a climate change denier or anti women or anti women's rights person. .
Please stop conflating sex and gender. You can get your assumed sex marker on both your passport and your driver's license. And yes. because of "self ID" any person can say that they are the sex that they are not. They don't have to do anything – just open their mouths and say the magic words "I identify as". Ans most of society has no idea that is happening because of the institutional capture and the demand for "no debate". But the debate is happening and the more that violent and dangerous men are described as women and people realise that allows men like them to enter any women's space or service, the unhappier people get.
What's the evidence base for that please?
It's not straight forward. Most women in NZ don't realise that self ID means any man can enter women's spaces. Or that most TW haven't surgically transitioned. I'd be interested in any research that looks at that.
I haven't seen NZ stats, but the UK research is clear. While women are more likely than men to support gender ideology rights eg access by TW to women's toilets and changing rooms, support drops in the whole population if they are asked about TW who haven't had surgery.
.https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-13-01-2023/#comment-1930267
Scroll down to the Facilities question https://yougov.co.uk/topics/society/articles-reports/2022/07/20/where-does-british-public-stand-transgender-rights
Hard to be anti women if ypu don't know what one is !!
Yes this is true. This difficulty is long standing I think.
The clue is in the name,
Woman =womb
Not according to the pre televison British radio comedy "Take It From Here." They ran a series about a Cave family called Ig, Ug and Og.
Ig was the cave man.
Ug was the cave woo-man.
Og – was their son who wasn't very bright.
Nope, these two words have different etymologies, which you can look up [for] yourself if you wish.
If you add the dismissal of women to Marama Davidson's dismissal of straight white men, you end up with 90 plus percent of the population that these folk don't want voting for them.
All this malarkey is funny until the votes are counted.
Yes that is true.
What concerns me is that I feel that the Govt/Ministers are tired and therefore not firing on all cylinders.
Thus the numbers of unforced errors and wierd reckons.
If they abided by the good sense of the Cabinet Manual in not making personal comments while Cabinet Mintser a number of the errors would drop.
Perhaps they feel it makes them one of the boys/close to the people, a debatable concept.
When they make the errors like the Ministers I've mentioned, where it is questionable if they have achieved the aim of being of the people, the people just go whaaaat?
Abraham Lincoln
Quote – Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt.
I'm not suggesting remaining silent in matters to do with their portfolios. But please don't do off the cuff stuff where the info you are giving ia incorrect (Marama Davidson)
I fee doubtful about Michael Wood, the Minister of Immigration making personal comments about KJM when his Department had a decision making/or expertise role to do with this.
From Checkpoint yesty evening, Kiri Allen was at the farewell, at RNZ and was asked to say a few words on behalf of Dunlop and her family.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/checkpoint/audio/2018884637/minister-kiri-allan-apologises-for-comments-at-rnz-event
By the sounds of it, the issue is a Cabinet Minister is always a Cabinet Minister, regardless of any preamble offered clarifying that you are speaking in a private capacity.
I am more intrigued by the assertion "…publicly quitting your job in a huff…"
From here, I think
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/rnz-presenter-mani-dunlop-tells-listeners-when-you-dont-get-the-top-job-its-time-to-go-elsewhere/ZIKEZVUQRRBJVKLYUPURW55DXQ/
Thanks.
Kiri opining at her partner's farewell is a non issue with me. Of more concern is a switched on Maori woman in position of power casually claiming racism against a government institution without offering proof. I would have thought diversity and fairness would be the hallmark of RNZ. If a Maori reporter can't make it at RNZ, they may as well go home. That leaves me wondering how other Maori working for different legacy media managed to obtain jobs?
Of course racism is in the eye of the beholder. In this link Kiri shares some hateful comments she (undeservedly) received when she was undergoing cancer treatment. She must have left out the more obnoxious comments??
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2021/05/kiri-allan-shares-hateful-social-media-comments-she-received-after-cancer-diagnosis.html
Looks hateful to me. What kind of person talks to someone with cancer like that? At this point in history the denial of institutional racism to this extent is also nasty.
btw, re the Māori women should stop being sluts comment, the risk for cervical cancer via HPV increases with multiple sexual partners, but also increases if having sex with someone who has had multiple sexual partners. In other words, if a woman marries a man who is her only sexual partner but he has had lots of sex with different people, then her risk increases.
It’s not actually connected to lots of sex, it’s just that the more people someone sleeps with the greater the statistical chance of coming into contact with HPV.
Quite apart from the ‘wisdom’ of the Kiri Allan's comments, in her position as a Minister, my view lines up a bit with yours Blade.
It was not too long ago that we had the idea about diversity and reflecting back diversity to NZ's communities in our corporate staffing, particularly in Govt funded entities.
So I would have thought that, if we have a competent Maori presenter we would retain them, or try very hard to, as a taonga, an example for others to aspire to. I am not saying hold onto mediocre people.
I wish Mani Dunlop well and hope she finds a place that appreciates her talents.
The comments on SM about Kiri Allan are a reflection of the troll world of SM, especially relating to females, especially females who break the troll-determined norms. In the examples these trolls seem to be mainly male, judging by their names. Hmmmm.
Mmmm. Maybe.
We don't know what RNZ did to attempt to retain Mani Dunlop – what radio slots she was offered, or which programs.
It's pretty clear that they felt that she did not yet have the experience to present on the Morning Report flagship – being, as yet, a relatively young journalist.
The actual appointment, Ingrid Hipkiss, has double Dunlop's experience – and clearly RNZ felt she was an outstanding candidate.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/482697/morning-report-reveals-television-presenter-ingrid-hipkiss-as-new-co-host
It sounds to me as though Dunlop's self-evaluation is greater than that shared (at this stage) by her employer.
Having heard her on RNZ in various programmes, I'd rate her as OK – but she's no Kim Hill or Lisa Owen. [I've not yet heard Hipkiss, so I can't comment on how she compares]
I've been in that situation – beaten out for a top job, by someone with greater experience – and it hurts. However, the best thing to do is outlive them….
Unless Dunlop has another position already lined up – she would have been better advised to go to RNZ, and ask them to facilitate broadening her experience base. Her relationship with Kiri Allen makes this more problematic – she would almost certainly be accused of bias if she were reporting on politics – and, in Wellington, what else is there? However, this is not impossible to overcome, cf Jane Clifton & Trevor Mallard.
Tl;dr: Marin and her party did better than what the headlines would have you believe and forming the next government won't be easy for the election winners.
https://twitter.com/jmkorhonen/status/1642778804371193856
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1642778804371193856.html
Agreed Joe90. The international press's reporting of the result has been abysmal.The results are:
Right 20.8 Seats 48
Far Right 20.1 Seats 46
SDP(Marin) 19.9 Seats 43 (which was more than the last election)
You need 101 seats to form a coalition in the 200 seat parliament and nobody wants to go with the racist far right, which means that the National Coalition (Right) will almost certainly have to form a coalition with the SDP (Left), so Marin will still be in power, albeit with less influence.
Finland generally switches PM's with each election and party leaders more popular than their parties have the option of remaining in politics. And in this case, there is only a coalition led by Orpo Right and including Marin SDP, or one led by Marin and excluding Right and Far Right.
Good point SPC. The SDP may, just, be able to form a coalition out of the 106 seats excluding the Right and Far Right. The Greens got 13 seats and the Left 11 seats, so she would need 34 seats from the other small parties to do this.
But under the rules the National Coalition gets the first chance to form a coalition as it won the most seats.
It seems she will be an ordinary MP during the next term in parliament, and have a new SDP leader be deputy in an Orpo led coalition (she will be leader during coalition talks though).
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/finlands-prime-minister-sanna-marin-steps-down-as-party-leader/76EXUONIY5D6FIE7U7KGQF5JQU/
I am fed up to the back teeth with all the hooha on Trump every 5 minutes on National radio. Enough already.
The laws of nature seem to have it that the prime purpose of media is to be a vehicle for politics. Murders and major disasters like earthquakes and national sports losses occasionally intrude to disrupt the order. Until a politician reclaims the right way of things, earth-shatteringly, by saying some triviality or having been found to have broken their sibling's toys when they were eight years old.
For a smile about the former leader of the 'greatest country in the history of the world' I've added another post below.
Agreed Rosie Lee. He is a washed up 76 year old that even many Republicans would like to go away. RNZ is obsessed with news from the USA however banal.
For instance there have been more than a 100 mass shootings in the USA this year alone yet when 6 people get shot over there is is headline stuff.
https://www.wbay.com/2023/03/29/us-surpasses-125-mass-shootings-2023-heres-every-event-mapped/
RNZ is a joke these days….a taxpayer funded one.
Could someone put up a post about Jacinda Ardern since she's off today?
She should be thanked for the hard work she did for New Zealand.
Not according to Mr nobody David Seymour trying to invoke his far right mysognist,racist, fascist base with his dogwhistle.Seymour is Trying to mirror Trump by saying Jacinda Adern wasn't up to the job.Maybe if he was getting the death threats Jacinda was getting by the conspiracy theorists that the Hollow Man (hologram) that Seymour is dog whistling just shows how much of a grovelling coward he really is.
Seymour achieved exactly what he wanted – headlines about him, rather than ones about Ardern.
Can't do a post, but I thank Jacinda for her hard work.
Ad, Darien Fenton has penned a lovely tribute to Jacinda Ardern. IIRC it's on her Facebook page.
I guess the only thing I would say about Jacinda Ardern's legacy is the statistics don't lie – thousands are alive due to her decisions during the pandemic. Forget about delivery this or the spiteful little men of the right that or the crazy cookers. Worrying about that would be like going to Christopher Wren's masterpiece of St Pauls Cathedral and keeping your eyes downcast upon the floor, complaining about the chewing gum or the state of the tiles. Instead, raise your eyes and go for a walk down a busy street. Look at all the elderly, or immune compromised, or those otherwise vulnerable to a novel virus and imagine those of them who might not be here but for the covid response. And recall Wren's epitaph on his tomb in St Pauls:
“Si monumentum requiris circumspice" – If you seek her monument, look around.
Luxon gave her no credit at all for the way she handled Covid on RNZ's Morning Report this morning, instead carping on about how she failed to deliver on policies. He is simply too negative to become PM.
That's the MO from here till the GE from national….. negative, hope noone can see through their rinse repeat austerity/tax cuts/national standards v2.0 etc more negativity and keep the really scary ones away from the media like mitchell etc
True…Luxon scares me. People seem to forget that he is a weird Christian fundamentalist.
There are stern-faced photos Trump today. How about putting smiles on faces?
Trumpy will be Grumpy if he ever views this little ditty!
Ad, thank you for suggesting a post about Jacinda. She more than deserves this site's recognition for being PM during a very difficult five years. On reflection it was unprecedented what she had to deal with. From her pregnancy right at the start of her first term, and then having a young baby to nurture and see into a toddler and pre-schooler. It must have been challenging having Winston Peters to mollify and persuade, just like a toddler. Then the terrorist's shocking crimes, White Island, and Covid. I am appalled she had also to contend with social media vitriol and recently David Seymour's nasty podcast with Max Key.
It is no surprise she had nothing left in the tank. I wish her and her family all the best for the future.
I think the problem for Jacinda is incapsulated quite well from this quote:
https://www.socialcapitalresearch.com/valuing-success-in-the-organisation
From my experience: jealousy, begrudgement and an inability to accept her as a politician (and a woman) who really was genuine and selfless, So they spread falsehoods about her which in the end gained so much traction, it entered the realms of insanity.
Yes, the nastiness likely went deeper than the public appreciated. 55 death threats? Such people are ‘not right in the head’ as Mike Williams might say. The NZSIS and GCSB should earn their money and help drag a few more of such cowards before the courts.
The NZ Police even made an exception to their usual procedure and issued a public statement on Jacinda’s partner Clarke–that he was not of interest to them on any matter!–thanks to Slater Oil and his like there had been an online campaign against Mr Gayford as well.
Helen Clark pointed out that a key difference between her period in office and Jacinda Ardern's was the rise of social media and the numbers using it.
There was demonstrably a large misogynistic component to the keyboard attacks on Jacinda. Some people just could not handle a contemporary woman being in charge.
I know of a couple of past "cowards" who were never brought to justice for their behaviour despite the turmoil they succeeded in achieving on several occasions. It also included a lack of action by the police.
It was before the advent of social media so their methods were different in nature.
Clark was excellent on RNZ;s Morning Report today.
'55 death threats'
Umm OK.I sort of assumed the way people were talking about things that it was a massive amount. but 55. for a Prime Minister of a country (i.e a huge public profile) seems not that many. I guess I figured Prime Ministers and Presidents of countries probably receive death threats on a daily basis?
Before I get jumped on let me say that obviously 1 death threat to anyone is 1 too many. But look at someone like JK Rowling who literally has never said anything transphobic whatsoever, yet has received probably too many to count..
"I’ve now received so many death threats I could paper the house with them"
https://twitter.com/Adrian_Hilton/status/1462773980801257474
Further, the death threats are probably not even quite as scary as the thousands of absolutely shocking graphic descriptions of sexual violence people have threatened to carry out against her and her children. You'll have to find some examples for yourself if you want to see what I mean. I'm really not easily shocked by much but some of these threats are so unbelievably appalling that you have to wonder how a sane mind could come up with such things.
To be disliked by Max Key is a badge of honour – and courage. It's some small reassurance that what she did had a moral foundation.
Max key and rimmer have a podcast! The entitled white right show.
What a shower that must be.
Anne, agree with you absolutely about the tall poppy syndrome. There was a sector of the population that was so jealous and couldn't stand Jacinda's popularity, hence the vicious lies and venom. The media played a part in that they liked negative headlines. Hosking always was in criticism mode with her in comparison with his soft treatment of National's many and varied blunders, and missteps.
Interesting report. It backs up the claims so many of us have made about the rapidly increasing violence – verbal and physical – which has beset this nation in recent times and created serious divisions among communities and individual groups.
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/sis-identifies-several-spies-in-nz
If PT is to work there needs to more than bus lanes (half fares), but sufficient drivers and a re-write of the PTOM.
The record of decline in pay for bus drivers (66% over MW in 1990) to closer to the MW over decades.
1. the ECA
2. The Public Transport Operating Model, introduced by the National-led government in 2013
The recovery getting the bus award to $30 to allow migrant workers to qualify and improved working conditions (more flexible hours of work – for those over 65 etc)
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2023/04/improving-pay-and-conditions-not-enough-to-stop-bus-divers-quitting.html
The face.
https://twitter.com/SholaMos1/status/1643321127312211968
History will record that, after we went into a recession (yet to be confirmed by the March quarter GDP figures) the RBG increased the OCR by 0.5% to 5.25% in April.
The government really does need to place a windfall tax on banks and use the money to create a supply of (affordable) funding to business.
Luxon as PM? Besides frequently having to clarify what he meant to say (no doubt after his minders rushed to instruct him on what he should have said), he is extremely boring and dull. No obvious personality has shown through after over a year as opposition leader. Then rather a lot of ultra conservative types becoming candidates. As well as the various others with questionable histories such as Uffindell etc.
If Ardern had focused on building State capacity and addressing core structural productivity and employment challenges, she would have been a truly outstanding PM. And without question there a decent list of achievements have been made. Unlike many critics of this govt I am reasonably happy with much of the unsung work they have pushed through, often under tough circumstances.
Not to mention her adroit handling of various crisis that overtook the nation. In all of this we can broadly say the left and NZ has been fortunate for her tenure.
Step outside the confines of The Standard and you will hear a different story. It boils down to two crucial mistakes. The COVID response was going well enough right up to the point where her govt introduced the Vaccine Passports and forcing people out of their jobs.
The other was of course the decolonisation and co-governance agenda that has been imposed onto our institutions by stealth. John Key at least had the decency to hold two referendums over something as relatively ephemeral as the national flag – Ardern's govt has set in motion a dramatic constitutional reshaping with not so much as a single debate in the House, much less serious democratic engagement.
Both of these policies have been since undone. Once Omicron came along it was obvious vaccines were barely useful in preventing transmission, which was the only possible justification for making them mandatory. And of course the first and most urgent action of Hipkins was to unceremoniously yank co-governance off the table at least until after this election. On these forums we tend to focus on the noisy passionate extremists, such as the Parliament protests – but what we tend not to see are the largely unspoken views of middle NZ who quietly shifted against what they saw as unreasonable govt over-reach in both instances.
If Ardern has sidestepped these two largely unforced errors, the Labour govt she led would be serenely sailing on to a third comfortable win.
Good points RL plus the handling of a single health authority (debatable it's even a single authority) and the RNZ/TVNZ merger nobody voted for.
The right idea but the execution is/was shambolic with out to lunch ministers responsible.
well stated RL
Hmm – John Key's decency (sic) proved too flaccid to prevent him ignoring the referendum over the sale of power assets – for which consumers are still paying excessive charges.
Without the vaccine passports/mandates NZ would have had a chronically low level of vaccination….Covid would have let rip as it did in other countries.
The people who opposed the mandates were anti-science weirdos. Are you saying that we should have pandered to them?
Thanks Red, well said.
SPC, apparently, nobody or very few want to borrow money so the banks have not actually raised lending rates as much as the Reserve Bank expected. So the thrashings will continue until morale improves.
With the current publicity surrounding the whole Trans / Gender ideology I had been struggling with what I saw as a really strange aspect to all this. It has astonished me how big corporations. organisations and governments have all seemed to jump on board with Gender Ideology really really quickly and I was trying to figure out why? What is it about this stuff that these groups are benefitting from? Because they don't jump on board with such issues unless they are getting tangible benefits from doing so.
Especially politicians as I have mentioned in other posts I can't understand why MP's seem to be siding with a tiny minority rather than the majority. Assuming that when taking a side, the important thing for an MP is surely votes. then things just aren't adding up. Otherwise logic would suggest that an MP would align with the majority.
I'd wager plenty of people on TS may have been thinking similar things.
Then i just came across the following video of an investigative journalist speaking to Gender / Trans ideology and WOW !… This is very interesting and very informative. For me personally it has joined many of the dots that I was really having trouble with.
Well worth a watch I reckon.
Yes Michael. Thank you.
I did give some references to Robert Guyton a couple of days ago.
I fear though that unless it has the imprimatur of Kim Hill or NZ MSM it will fall on deaf ears.
Shanreagh…
4 April 2023 at 9:57 pm
Another link
Link to Jenifer Bilek on Pritzker family
https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/billionaire-family-pushing-synthetic-sex-identities-ssi-pritzkers