The panel agreed Winston was the loser. Seymour seemed a prat misbehaving, when he wasn't pretending to be a robot. James showed some spine in his style of interaction with the dork. Rawiri came across well.
Significantly, apart from one mention at the beginning, the panel didn't discuss Seymour at all.
Act have peaked at 9% IMO, and with the Natz in steady decline, and Winnie showing he's past his use-by date, there's everything to play for.
As Bomber says, it's not over until the fat blogger sings.
Also significantly, early voting totals are well below 2020. Which might suggest that people have not yet decided how to vote, whereas in 2020 they'd made up their minds early on.
Take heart, lefties, it ain't over until it's over!
Yeah, can't disagree Tony. On the face of it Labour being 10% behind National makes it seem a foregone conclusion but I think you're right to be optimistic.
This electorate is disenchanted with both, so floaters are likely to wash up anywhere and if they watched the minor leaders debate I doubt any undecided would go for the two rightists. That 10% will decide the outcome, I reckon.
Tony so correct. Apparently Chris Hipkins left isolation to some possible good poll news. I would not be surprised after Lux's mean comment the tax debacle plus Winston threatening Jack Tame, and icing on the cake of Act going down …. All good for the Left. Meantime we are working in step, looking like a Government in waiting.
The 'expert' panel afterwards were pathetic – not once did they discuss the actual content of what any of the leaders said. It was all ridiculous speculation about the impressions the leaders might have made and the motivations they might have had. They are courtiers, gossiping in the side halls of the palace about the powerful, who's in and who's out, calculating how to keep their careers alive. I had a sudden recall of what Walter Ralegh said about the Elizabethan courtiers: “Say to the court, it glows / and shines like rotten wood”.
In any case, Shaw was the only one with consistently sane responses across every topic that was discussed, though his reasonableness might seem dull to some. Waititi was pretty good on most topics, but I thought some of the things he said vaguely implied that he wanted parallel Maori political systems which would be hugely problematic constitutionally and in terms of getting public support. Seymour – a deluded, small state, leave it to the market libertarian straight out of the 1980's and personally just a bit weird. Peters is incoherent and irascible – very little of it makes any sense.
Re separatism, I've always seen that as feasible in principle. I recall standing up after Mat Rata did his thing at the Trades hall, telling the crowd about MM's justice policy stand in favour of a separate Maori justice system. I'd been running justice policy for the Greens a couple of years by then (early '93). Didn't tell him that, just told everyone I agreed with him. Was the only person to actually do that in the meeting. Wanted him to know at least one pakeha male was willing to go public in support!
Re constitutional status, I'm open-minded. I contributed to Sir Geoffrey's revision right from the start when he appealed for help. Was extremely critical: sent in around 50/60 delineations of exactly what he got wrong. Consequently never got included in his list of helpers – despite giving equal reporting to all his points of merit! But typical Labour turkey, always fos…
I thought three waters would be a topic for discussion. Only mentioned once in passing by Seymour. Not quite the terrible socialist trick it was formerly made out to be so it seems.
Good point! A primary issue of contention mentioned only indirectly. Seems like a lapse in programme design by the producers – shoulda showed up on Tame's list of questions.
Well, I never saw that coming. Absolutely hammering England last night with a bits and pieces team due to injury. We were missing Williamson, Southee, and Ferguson.
We bowled well to restrict them for 282. Then chased that down in 36 overs for the loss of only one wicket. Conway made 152 no and Ravindra 123 no. If anything qualifies as a complete spanking it has to be this result
Covid-19. Some (conspiracists, political candidates, et al) might like to forget this…
New Zealand's restrictions during the pandemic saved the lives of about 20,000 people, according to new research.
Lead author and Otago University public health professor Michael Baker said it was a "strange paradox" of preventative medicine that its success could work against it in people's minds.
More than 3000 New Zealanders have died from Covid-19, and it is on track to kill 1000 people this year, making it the country's most deadly infectious disease at the moment.
However, compared with other nations, New Zealand has got off extremely lightly.
Globally, there have been about 29 million deaths in the past three years, Baker said.
Covid -19 vaccination saved lives
Immunisation Advisory Centre medical director professor Nikki Turner said high vaccination rates helped keep the death toll low.
"New Zealand overall has done really well, but I think people now have got quite short memories and are forgetting how effective it was," Turner said.
"And we still have the impact ongoing effect of Covid and other respiratory viruses."
Te Whatu Ora has issued an alert for the whole country after a person with measles flew from Wellington to Auckland on Tuesday 3 October, after attending events in the capital.
Medical Officer of Health for the Northern Region Jay Harrower said the person, who lives in Northland, attended a week-long National Shakespeare Schools Production at Scots College.
The students they were in contact with then travelled to other parts of the country.
Measles was very contagious among people who were not immune, he said.
Vaccine hesitant? Anti vaxx? Maybe they should think..
Te Aka Whai Ora Māori Health Authority chief medical officer Dr Rawiri McKree Jansen said this was a "serious wake-up call about the high risk of measles, particularly to our pēpi, tamariki and rangatahi".
He said immunisation was the best protection against measles.
On the topic of Covid-19, Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman have been awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discoveries concerning nucleoside base modifications that enabled the development of effective mRNA vaccines against COVID-19.
It would be nice to go to your grave as a Nobel prize winner knowing millions of people who may have never heard of you are alive and going about their business because of your discoveries.
Katalin Karikos story is exceptional, born very poor she was a brilliant student and has apparently been working since university at 18 on mRNA technology, almost 50 years of dedication. A huge personal thank you to her for my friends and family who are alive today .
Achieved. Won over Mike Hosking. Survived Jenna and Jessica. Deflected attention away from Uffindell, Kuriger, the Collins years, wife's Tesla discount, owning seven homes and abortion belief. Stalemated the dissection of tax policies until well into the advance voting period. Lifted preferred PM ranking late in the piece to a salvageable level, helped by Chris Hipkins' failure to fire. Listened to Mary Lambie.
KPI Nine: Take out NZ First
Failed. Acted late in the piece to rule NZ First and Winston Peters out or in as a potential coalition partner – only to have made the 'in' message too positive and then had to walk back the level of warmth and interest in NZ First. Allowed that party to progress past the 5 percent threshold about three weeks from election day and could not eliminate them from contention, despite Peters' own best efforts. Needs further training from John Key Consultants.
Section 4: Employee leadership development needs?
Study the Dealing with Winston Manual, read How to End a Press Conference and Influence People, enrol David in puppy training.
Tim Murphy is co-editor of Newsroom. I liked his comprehensive description of the diverse role-plays Lux exhibited while out campaigning.
Read that and as expected Tim Murphy's National bias showed through. I knew before I read it given Murphy's Newsroom record. Such a review should have looked at the credibility issue which Luxon is so weak on.
If you listened to the the political commentators on RNZ's Morning Report just now you would have thought the election had already taken place and National had won.
No mention of National telling lies about its tax policy (its central policy) and getting badly caught out this week. Hardly a mention of the Greens fine polling or of TPM.
I would love the result to turn out Lab 29 Gr 15 TPM 4 just to see their smug faces drop. This is entirely possible.
Hi BG..I link this one? There was some comment about "coalition of chaos" sir Key's (imo plaintive…) call for true blue nat voting…Seymour/Peters belligerence/grudge fest and… other.
Thanks for putting the link up psyc. I thought when they mentioned "Coalition of Chaos" it was in refence to Lab/Gr/TPM, but whatever. The irony is the real chaos has turned out to be on the Right.
On another issue, I'm not sure that Chris Bishop going on about "you will get a Wealth Tax if Labour gets in" earlier this week is a good tactic given that a study reported last week (I think) said that many people supported this and/or a CGT.
Yes some real chicken coming to roost, there for sure !
Multi-party debate exposes lack of trust between David Seymour and Winston Peters
A debate tonight offered further evidence of the gap between the ACT and NZ First leaders who may soon be in coalition negotiations with the National Party to form a new government.
National leader Christopher Luxon should be "extremely worried".
"I think he should be thinking 'yikes, I've got a problem here' if he hasn't already started to think that. I think their antipathy was there for everybody to see."
RNZ journalist Guyon Espiner said Seymour saying he didn't trust Peters wasn't a great place to be going into a "three-way handshake".
And James Shaw…showing what we ..always knew.
As for a winner, the commentators gave it to Shaw.
Earlier this week a sign on my fence was defaced – it now reads “In it for youme”.
Every lie told incurs a debt to the truth, and sooner or later that debt is paid. But National's big donors won’t be paying, and you can take that to the (ANZ) bank.
So, some variations on a theme from the little blue book of National party ‘values’.
Get New ZealandUnearned Income Back on Track
Get New ZealandMega Landlords Back on Track
Get New ZealandForeign Buyers Back on Track
Potential Opportunities for Property Investors [6 October 2023]
A change in government could see more opportunities open up for property investors in New Zealand, with adjustments to the Brightline Test, removal of the foreign buyer ban, and a reinstatement of interest deductibility just some of the policies being considered. Find out how these possible changes could reshape the property market landscape and what the overall impact would be for property investors.
Sir seems to be salivating a little more than usual this morning…
Tax cuts of some kind by the NACTs were as predictable as night follows day. Never mind the seeds of discontent that started to sprout and firmly take root in 2020 leading to a more than usual widespread feeling for change. Certainly, Winston Peters tapped that vein well.
“It is well known that National has been for some time looking to US rightwing spin doctors for campaign guidance and narratives (crime! waste! taxes!), but now Winston First and ACT’s David Seymour have decided to go full US conspiracy theory (Winston: globalists! mandates!) and pseudo-libertarian racist (David: free speech! bureaucrats! Treaty separatists!). The tone of politics in NZ has gotten cruder (see: Chris Bishop, Judith Collins) and more personal (e.g. treatment of Kiri Allen). The corporate media has clearly decided to go full Murdoch in approach (with a few exceptions duly noted) by stirring partisan and racial division and polemics, focusing on personal foibles and conflicts rather than platforms/proposals and going for “gotcha” moments rather than offering dispassion analyses of the policy platforms of the respective parties.”
Last week various of the great and good of New Zealand economics and public policy trooped off to Hamilton (of all places) for the annual Waikato Economics Forum, one of the successful marketing drives of university’s Vice-Chancellor. My interest was in the speeches delivered by the Minister of Finance and ...
The Prime Minister says the Government would be open to sending peacekeepers to Ukraine if a ceasefire was reached. The government has announced a $30 million spend on tourism infrastructure and biodiversity projects, including $11m spent to improve popular visitor sites and further $19m towards biodiversity efforts. A New Zealand-born ...
This post by Nicolas Reid was originally published on Linked in. It is republished here with permission.In this article I look into data on how well the rail network serve New Zealanders, and how many people might be able to travel by train… if we ran more than a ...
Hi,Before we get into Hayden Donnell’s new column about how yes, Donald Trump is definitely the Antichrist, I wanted to touch on something feral that happened in New Zealand last week.Members of Destiny Church pushed and punched their way into an Auckland library, apparently angry it was part of Pride ...
Despite delays, logjams and overcrowding in our emergency departments, funding constraints are limiting the numbers of nurses and doctors being trained. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Tuesday, February 18 are:A NZ Herald investigation ...
Now that the US has ripped up the Atlantic alliance, Europe is more vulnerable now than at any time since the mid-1930s. Apparently, Europe and Ukraine itself will not have a seat at the table in the talks between US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin that will ...
Olivia and Noah and Hana are going to the library!It is fun to go to the library. It has books and songs and mat time and people who smile at you and say, Hello Olivia, what have you been doing this morning?The library is more fun than the mall. At ...
New World Orders: The challenge facing Christopher Luxon and Chris Hipkins is how to keep their small and vulnerable nation safe and stable in a world whose economic and political climate the forty-seventh American president is changing so profoundly.IT IS, SURELY, the ultimate Millennial revenge fantasy. Calling senior Baby-Boomer and Gen-X ...
“This might surprise you, Laurie, but I reckon Trump’s putting on a bloody impressive performance.”“GOODNESS ME, HANNAH, just look at all those Valentine’s Day cards!”“Occupational hazard, Laurie, the more beer I serve, the more my customers declare their undying love!”“Crikey! I had no idea business was so good.” Laurie squinted ...
In 2005, Labour repealed the long-standing principle of birthright citizenship in Aotearoa. Why? As with everything else Labour does, it all came down to austerity: "foreign mothers" were supposedly "coming to this country to give birth", and this was "put[ting] pressure on hospitals". Then-Immigration Minister George Hawkins explicitly gave this ...
And I just hope that you can forgive usBut everything must goAnd if you need an explanation, nationThen everything must goSongwriters: James Dean Bradfield / Sean Anthony Moore / Nicholas Allen Jones.Today, I’d like to talk about a couple of things that happened over the weekend:Brian Tamaki’s Library Invasion and ...
New reporting highlights how Brooke van Velden refuses to meet with the CTU but is happy to meet with fringe Australian-based unions. Van Velden is pursuing reckless changes to undermine the personal grievance system against the advice of her own officials. Engineering New Zealand are saying that hundreds of engineers ...
The NZCTU strongly supports the Employment Relations (Employee Remuneration Disclosure) Amendment Bill. This Bill represents a positive step towards addressing serious issues around unlawful disparities in pay by protecting workers’ rights to discuss their pay and conditions. This Bill also provides welcome support for helping tackle the prevalent gender and ...
Years of hard work finally paid off last week as the country’s biggest and most important transport project, the City Rail Link reached a major milestone with the first test train making its way slowly though the tunnels for the first time. This is a fantastic achievement and it is ...
Engineers are pleading for the Government to free up funds to restart stalled projects. File Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Monday, February 17 are:Engineering New Zealand CEO Richard Templer said yesterday hundreds of ...
It’s one of New Zealand’s great sustaining myths: the spirit of ANZAC, our mates across the ditch, the spirit of Earl’s Court, Antipodeans united against the world. It is also a myth; it is not reality. That much was clear from a series of speakers, including a former Australian Prime ...
Many people have been unsatisfied for years that things have not improved for them, some as individuals, many more however because their families are clearly putting in more work, for less money – and certainly far less purchase on society. This general discontent has grown exponentially since the GFC. ...
A listing of 34 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, February 9, 2025 thru Sat, February 15, 2025. This week's roundup is again published soleley by category. We are still interested in feedback to hone the categorization, so if ...
The Salvation Army’s State of the Nation report shows worsening food poverty and housing shortages mean more than 400,000 people now need welfare support, the highest level since the 1990s. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate and ...
You're just too too obscure for meOh you don't really get through to meAnd there's no need for you to talk that wayIs there any less pessimistic things to say?Songwriters: Graeme DownesToday, I thought we’d take a look at some of the most cringe-inducing moments from last week, but don’t ...
Please note: I’ve delayed my “What can we do?” article for this video.The video above shows Destiny Church members assaulting staff and librarians as they pushed through to a room of terrified parents and young children.It was posted to social media last night.But if you read Sinead Boucher’s Stuff, you ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is sea level rise exaggerated? Sea levels are rising at an accelerating rate, not stagnating or decreasing. Warming global temperatures cause land ice ...
Here is a scenario, but first a historical parallel. Hitler and the Nazis could well have accomplished everything that they wanted to do within German borders, including exterminating Jews, so long as they confined their ambitious to Germany itself. After all, the world pretty much sat and watched as the ...
I’ve spent the last couple of days in Hamilton covering Waikato University’s annual NZ Economics Forum, where (arguably) three of the most influential people in our political economy right now laid out their thinking in major speeches about the size and role of Government, their views on for spending, tax ...
Simeon Brown’s Ideology BentSimeon Brown once told Kiwis he tries to represent his deep sense of faith by interacting “with integrity”.“It’s important that there’s Christians in Parliament…and from my perspective, it’s great to be a Christian in Parliament and to bring that perspective to [laws, conversations and policies].”And with ...
Severe geological and financial earthquakes are inevitable. We just don’t know how soon and how they will play out. Are we putting the right effort into preparing for them?Every decade or so the international economy has a major financial crisis. We cannot predict exactly when or exactly how it will ...
Questions1. How did Old Mate Grabaseat describe his soon-to-be-Deputy-PM’s letter to police advocating for Philip Polkinghorne?a.Ill-advisedb.A perfect letterc.A letter that will live in infamyd.He had me at hello2. What did Seymour say in response?a.What’s ill-advised is commenting when you don’t know all the facts and ...
NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi President Richard Wagstaff has called on OJI Fibre Solutions to work with the government, unions, and the community before closing the Kinleith Paper Mill. “OJI has today announced 230 job losses in what will be a devastating blow for the community. OJI needs to work with ...
NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi President Richard Wagstaff is sounding the alarm about the latest attack on workers from Minister of Workplace Relations and Safety Brooke van Velden, who is ignoring her own officials to pursue reckless changes that would completely undermine the personal grievance system. “Brooke van Velden’s changes will ...
Hi,When I started writing Webworm in 2020, I wrote a lot about the conspiracy theories that were suddenly invading our Twitter timelines and Facebook feeds. Four years ago a reader, John, left this feedback under one of my essays:It’s a never ending labyrinth of lunacy which, as you have pointed ...
And if you said this life ain't good enoughI would give my world to lift you upI could change my life to better suit your moodBecause you're so smoothAnd it's just like the ocean under the moonOh, it's the same as the emotion that I get from youYou got the ...
Aotearoa remains the minority’s birthright, New Zealand the majority’s possession. WAITANGI DAY commentary see-saws manically between the warmly positive and the coldly negative. Many New Zealanders consider this a good thing. They point to the unexamined patriotism of July Fourth and Bastille Day celebrations, and applaud the fact that the ...
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts & talking about the week’s news with regular and special guests, including: and on the week in geopolitics, including the latest from Donald Trump’s administration over Gaza and Ukraine; on the ...
Up until now, the prevailing coalition view of public servants was that there were simply too many of them. But yesterday the new Public Service Commissioner, handpicked by the Luxon Government, said it was not so much numbers but what they did and the value they produced that mattered. Sir ...
In a moment we explore the question: What is Andrew Bayly wanting to tell ACC, and will it involve enjoying a small wine tasting and then telling someone to fuck off? But first, for context, a broader one: What do we look for in a government?Imagine for a moment, you ...
As expected, Donald Trump just threw Ukraine under the bus, demanding that it accept Russia's illegal theft of land, while ruling out any future membership of NATO. Its a colossal betrayal, which effectively legitimises Russia's invasion, while laying the groundwork for the next one. But Trump is apparently fine with ...
A ballot for a single member's bill was held today, and the following bill was drawn: Employment Relations (Collective Agreements in Triangular Relationships) Amendment Bill (Adrian Rurawhe) The bill would extend union rights to employees in triangular relationships, where they are (nominally) employed by one party, but ...
This is a guest post by George Weeks, reviewing a book called ‘How to Fly a Horse’ by Kevin AshtonBook review: ‘How to Fly a Horse’ by Kevin Ashton (2015) – and what it means for Auckland. The title of this article might unnerve any Greater Auckland ...
This story was originally published by Capital & Main and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. Within just a week, the sheer devastation of the Los Angeles wildfires has pushed to the fore fundamental questions about the impact of the climate crisis that have been ...
In this world, it's just usYou know it's not the same as it wasSongwriters: Harry Edward Styles / Thomas Edward Percy Hull / Tyler Sam JohnsonYesterday, I received a lovely message from Caty, a reader of Nick’s Kōrero, that got me thinking. So I thought I’d share it with you, ...
In past times a person was considered “unserious” or “not a serious” person if they failed to grasp, behave and speak according to the solemnity of the context in which they were located. For example a serious person does not audibly pass gas at Church, or yell “gun” at a ...
Long stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Thursday, February 13 are:The coalition Government’s early 2024 ‘fiscal emergency’ freeze on funding, planning and building houses, schools, local roads and hospitals helped extend and deepen the economic and jobs recession through calendar ...
For obvious reasons, people feel uneasy when the right to be a citizen is sold off to wealthy foreigners. Even selling the right to residency seems a bit dubious, when so many migrants who are not millionaires get turned away or are made to jump through innumerable hoops – simply ...
A new season of White Lotus is nearly upon us: more murder mystery, more sumptuous surroundings, more rich people behaving badly.Once more we get to identify with the experience of the pampered tourist or perhaps the poorly paid help; there's something in White Lotus for all New Zealanders.And unlike the ...
In 2016, Aotearoa shockingly plunged to fourth place in the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index. Nine years later, and we're back there again: New Zealand has seen a further slip in its global ranking in the latest Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI). [...] In the latest CPI New Zealand's score ...
1. You’ve started ranking your politicians on how much they respect the rule of law2. You’ve stopped paying attention to those news publications3. You’ve developed a sudden interest in a particular period of history4. More and more people are sounding like your racist, conspiracist uncle.5. Someone just pulled a Nazi ...
Transforming New Zealand: Brian EastonBrian Easton will discuss the above topic at 2/57 Willis Street, Wellington at 5:30pm on Tuesday 26 February at 2/57 Willis Street, WellingtonThe sub-title to the above is "Why is the Left failing?" Brian Easton's analysis is based on his view that while the ...
Salvation Army’s State of the Nation 2025 report highlights falling living standards, the highest unemployment rates since the 1990s and half of all Pacific children going without food. There are reports of hundreds if not thousands of people are applying for the same jobs in the wake of last year’s ...
Mountain Tui is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Correction: On the article The Condundrum of David Seymour, Luke Malpass conducted joint reviews with Bryce Wilkinson, the architect of the Regulatory Standards Bill - not Bryce Edwards. The article ...
Tomorrow the council’s Transport, Resilience and Infrastructure Committee meet and agenda has a few interesting papers. Council’s Letter of Expectation to Auckland Transport Every year the council provide a Letter of Expectation to Auckland Transport which is part of the process for informing AT of the council’s priorities and ...
All around in my home townThey're trying to track me down, yeahThey say they want to bring me in guiltyFor the killing of a deputyFor the life of a deputySongwriter: Robert Nesta Marley.Support Nick’s Kōrero today with a 20% discount on a paid subscription to receive all my newsletters directly ...
Hi,I think all of us have probably experienced the power of music — that strange, transformative thing that gets under our skin and helps us experience this whole life thing with some kind of sanity.Listening and experiencing music has always been such a huge part of my life, and has ...
Business frustration over the stalled economy is growing, and only 34% of voters are confidentNicola Willis can deliver. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Wednesday, February 12 are:Business frustration is growing about a ...
I have now lived long enough to see a cabinet minister go both barrels on their Prime Minister and not get sacked.It used to be that the PM would have a drawer full of resignations signed by ministers on the day of their appointment, ready for such an occasion. But ...
This session will feature Simon McCallum, Senior Lecturer in Engineering and Computer Science (VUW) and recent Labour Party candidate in the Southland Electorate talking about some of the issues around AI and how this should inform Labour Party policy. Simon is an excellent speaker with a comprehensive command of AI ...
The proposed Waimate garbage incinerator is dead: The company behind a highly-controversial proposal to build a waste-to-energy plant in the Waimate District no longer has the land. [...] However, SIRRL director Paul Taylor said the sales and purchase agreement to purchase land from Murphy Farms, near Glenavy, lapsed at ...
The US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act has been a vital tool in combatting international corruption. It forbids US companies and citizens from bribing foreign public officials anywhere in the world. And its actually enforced: some of the world's biggest companies - Siemens, Hewlett Packard, and Bristol Myers Squibb - have ...
December 2024 photo - with UK Tory Boris Johnson (Source: Facebook)Those PollsFor hours, political poll results have resounded across political hallways and commentary.According to the 1News Verizon poll, 50% of the country believe we are heading in the “wrong direction”, while 39% believe we are “on the right track”.The left ...
A Tai Rāwhiti mill that ran for 30 years before it was shut down in late 2023 is set to re-open in the coming months, which will eventually see nearly 300 new jobs in the region. A new report from Massey University shows that pensioners are struggling with rising costs. ...
As support continues to fall, Luxon also now faces his biggest internal ructions within the coalition since the election, with David Seymour reacting badly to being criticised by the PM. File photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate ...
Not since 1988 when Richard Prebble openly criticised David Lange have we seen such a challenge to a Prime Minister as that of David Seymour to Christopher Luxon last night. Prebble suggested Lange had mental health issues during a TV interview and was almost immediately fired. Seymour hasn’t gone quite ...
Three weeks in, and the 24/7 news cycle is not helping anyone feel calm and informed about the second Trump presidency. One day, the US is threatening 25% trade tariffs on its friends and neighbours. The reasons offered by the White House are absurd, such as stopping fentanyl coming in ...
This video includes personal musings and conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). Wherever you look, you'll hear headlines claiming we've passed 1.5 degrees of global warming. And while 2024 saw ...
Photo by Heather M. Edwards on UnsplashHere’s the key news, commentary, reports and debate around Aotearoa’s politics and economy in the week to Feb 10 below. That’s ahead of live chats on the Substack App and The Kākā’s front page on Substack at 5pm with: on his column in The ...
Is there anyone in the world the National Party loves more than a campaign donor? Why yes, there is! They will always have the warmest hello and would you like to slip into something more comfortable for that great god of our age, the High Net Worth Individual.The words the ...
Waste and fraud certainly exist in foreign aid programs, but rightwing celebration of USAID’s dismantling shows profound ignorance of the value of soft power (as opposed to hard power) in projecting US influence and interests abroad by non-military/coercive means (think of “hearts and minds,” “hugs, not bullets,” “honey versus vinegar,” ...
Health New Zealand is proposing to cut almost half of its data and digital positions – more than 1000 of them. The PSA has called on the Privacy Commissioner to urgently investigate the cuts due to the potential for serious consequences for patients. NZNO is calling for an urgent increase ...
We may see a few more luxury cars on Queen Street, but a loosening of rules to entice rich foreigners to invest more here is unlikely to “turbocharge our economic growth”. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate ...
Let us not dance daintily around the elephant in the room. Our politicians who serve us in the present are not honest, certainly not as honest as they should be, and while the right are taking out most of the trophies for warping narratives and literally redefining “facts”, the kiwi ...
The Government’s newly announced funding for biodiversity and tourism of $30-million over three years is a small fraction of what is required for conservation in this country. ...
The Government's sudden cancellation of the tertiary education funding increase is a reckless move that risks widespread job losses and service reductions across New Zealand's universities. ...
National’s cuts to disability support funding and freezing of new residential placements has resulted in significant mental health decline for intellectually disabled people. ...
The hundreds of jobs lost needlessly as a result of the Kinleith Mill paper production closure will have a devastating impact on the Tokoroa community - something that could have easily been avoided. ...
Today Te Pāti Māori MP for Te Tai Tokerau, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi, released her members bill that will see the return of tamariki and mokopuna Māori from state care back to te iwi Māori. This bill will establish an independent authority that asserts and protects the rights promised in He Whakaputanga ...
The Whangarei District Council being forced to fluoridate their local water supply is facing a despotic Soviet-era disgrace. This is not a matter of being pro-fluoride or anti-fluoride. It is a matter of what New Zealanders see and value as democracy in our country. Individual democratically elected Councillors are not ...
Nicola Willis’ latest supermarket announcement is painfully weak with no new ideas, no real plan, and no relief for Kiwis struggling with rising grocery costs. ...
Half of Pacific children sometimes going without food is just one of many heartbreaking lowlights in the Salvation Army’s annual State of the Nation report. ...
The Salvation Army’s State of the Nation report is a bleak indictment on the failure of Government to take steps to end poverty, with those on benefits, including their children, hit hardest. ...
New Zealand First has today introduced a Member’s Bill which would restore decision-making power to local communities regarding the fluoridation of drinking water. The ‘Fluoridation (Referendum) Legislation Bill’ seeks to repeal the Health (Fluoridation of Drinking Water) Amendment Act 2021 that granted centralised authority to the Direct General of Health ...
New Zealand First has introduced a Member’s Bill aimed at preventing banks from refusing their services to businesses because of the current “Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Framework”. “This Bill ensures fairness and prevents ESG standards from perpetuating woke ideology in the banking sector being driven by unelected, globalist, climate ...
Erica Stanford has reached peak shortsightedness if today’s announcement is anything to go by, picking apart immigration settings piece by piece to the detriment of the New Zealand economy. ...
Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. The intention was to establish a colony with the cession of sovereignty to the Crown, ...
Te Whatu Ora Chief Executive Margie Apa leaving her job four months early is another symptom of this government’s failure to deliver healthcare for New Zealanders. ...
The Green Party is calling for the Prime Minister to show leadership and be unequivocal about Aotearoa New Zealand’s opposition to a proposal by the US President to remove Palestinians from Gaza. ...
The latest unemployment figures reveal that job losses are hitting Māori and Pacific people especially hard, with Māori unemployment reaching a staggering 9.7% for the December 2024 quarter and Pasifika unemployment reaching 10.5%. ...
Waitangi 2025: Waitangi Day must be community and not politically driven - Shane Jones Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. ...
Despite being confronted every day with people in genuine need being stopped from accessing emergency housing – National still won’t commit to building more public houses. ...
The Green Party says the Government is giving up on growing the country’s public housing stock, despite overwhelming evidence that we need more affordable houses to solve the housing crisis. ...
Before any thoughts of the New Year and what lies ahead could even be contemplated, New Zealand reeled with the tragedy of Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming losing her life. For over 38 years she had faithfully served as a front-line Police officer. Working alongside her was Senior Sergeant Adam Ramsay ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson will return to politics at Waitangi on Monday the 3rd of February where she will hold a stand up with fellow co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick. ...
Te Pāti Māori is appalled by the government's blatant mishandling of the school lunch programme. David Seymour’s ‘cost-saving’ measures have left tamariki across Aotearoa with unidentifiable meals, causing distress and outrage among parents and communities alike. “What’s the difference between providing inedible food, and providing no food at all?” Said ...
The Government is doubling down on outdated and volatile fossil fuels, showing how shortsighted and destructive their policies are for working New Zealanders. ...
Green Party MP Steve Abel this morning joined Coromandel locals in Waihi to condemn new mining plans announced by Shane Jones in the pit of the town’s Australian-owned Gold mine. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to strengthen its just-announced 2030-2035 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement and address its woeful lack of commitment to climate security. ...
Today marks a historic moment for Taranaki iwi with the passing of the Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill in Parliament. "Today, we stand together as descendants of Taranaki, and our tūpuna, Taranaki Maunga, is now formally acknowledged by the law as a living tūpuna. ...
The Government’s commitment to get New Zealand’s roads back on track is delivering strong results, with around 98 per cent of potholes on state highways repaired within 24 hours of identification every month since targets were introduced, Transport Minister Chris Bishop says. “Increasing productivity to help rebuild our economy is ...
The former Cadbury factory will be the site of the Inpatient Building for the new Dunedin Hospital and Health Minister Simeon Brown says actions have been taken to get the cost overruns under control. “Today I am giving the people of Dunedin certainty that we will build the new Dunedin ...
From today, Plunket in Whāngarei will be offering childhood immunisations – the first of up to 27 sites nationwide, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. The investment of $1 million into the pilot, announced in October 2024, was made possible due to the Government’s record $16.68 billion investment in health. It ...
New Zealand’s strong commitment to the rights of disabled people has continued with the response to an important United Nations report, Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston has announced. Of the 63 concluding observations of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), 47 will be progressed ...
Resources Minister Shane Jones has launched New Zealand’s national Minerals Strategy and Critical Minerals List, documents that lay a strategic and enduring path for the mineral sector, with the aim of doubling exports to $3 billion by 2035. Mr Jones released the documents, which present the Coalition Government’s transformative vision ...
Firstly I want to thank OceanaGold for hosting our event today. Your operation at Waihi is impressive. I want to acknowledge local MP Scott Simpson, local government dignitaries, community stakeholders and all of you who have gathered here today. It’s a privilege to welcome you to the launch of the ...
Racing Minister, Winston Peters has announced the Government is preparing public consultation on GST policy proposals which would make the New Zealand racing industry more competitive. “The racing industry makes an important economic contribution. New Zealand thoroughbreds are in demand overseas as racehorses and for breeding. The domestic thoroughbred industry ...
Business confidence remains very high and shows the economy is on track to improve, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis says. “The latest ANZ Business Outlook survey, released yesterday, shows business confidence and expected own activity are ‘still both very high’.” The survey reports business confidence fell eight points to +54 ...
Enabling works have begun this week on an expanded radiology unit at Hawke’s Bay Fallen Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital which will double CT scanning capacity in Hawke’s Bay to ensure more locals can benefit from access to timely, quality healthcare, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. This investment of $29.3m in the ...
The Government has today announced New Zealand’s second international climate target under the Paris Agreement, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand will reduce emissions by 51 to 55 per cent compared to 2005 levels, by 2035. “We have worked hard to set a target that is both ambitious ...
Nine years of negotiations between the Crown and iwi of Taranaki have concluded following Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/the Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill passing its third reading in Parliament today, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “This Bill addresses the historical grievances endured by the eight iwi ...
As schools start back for 2025, there will be a relentless focus on teaching the basics brilliantly so all Kiwi kids grow up with the knowledge, skills and competencies needed to grow the New Zealand of the future, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “A world-leading education system is a key ...
Housing Minister Chris Bishop and Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson have welcomed Kāinga Ora’s decision to re-open its tender for carpets to allow wool carpet suppliers to bid. “In 2024 Kāinga Ora issued requests for tender (RFTs) seeking bids from suppliers to carpet their properties,” Mr Bishop says. “As part ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today visited Otahuhu College where the new school lunch programme has served up healthy lunches to students in the first days of the school year. “As schools open in 2025, the programme will deliver nutritious meals to around 242,000 students, every school day. On ...
Minister for Children Karen Chhour has intervened in Oranga Tamariki’s review of social service provider contracts to ensure Barnardos can continue to deliver its 0800 What’s Up hotline. “When I found out about the potential impact to this service, I asked Oranga Tamariki for an explanation. Based on the information ...
A bill to make revenue collection on imported and exported goods fairer and more effective had its first reading in Parliament, Customs Minister Casey Costello said today. “The Customs (Levies and Other Matters) Amendment Bill modernises the way in which Customs can recover the costs of services that are needed ...
By Caleb Fotheringham, RNZ Pacific journalist, in Avarua, Rarotonga More than 400 people have taken to the streets to protest against Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown’s recent decisions, which have led to a diplomatic spat with New Zealand. The protest, led by Opposition MP and Cook Islands United Party ...
In the second episode, Brynley Stent and Kura Forrester unearth some truths about dating on a dance floor in South Canterbury. Bryn & Ku’s Singles Club is a brand new documentary series for The Spinoff following award-winning comedians and friends Brynley Stent and Kura Forrester as they embark ...
The first half of a billion-dollar pipe that will drastically reduce wastewater overflows in the Auckland isthmus is now in operation. As I biked south, I thought about all the poo sloshing beneath my wheels. Tubes of it disgorging from U-bends, into wastewater pipes laid under our streets that become ...
🚐 The vulnerability continues as the pair head to the Hunt Ball in South Canterbury in search of a rich farmer, before getting some sage relationship advice from Brynley’s Dad and Oma. ❣️ Bryn & Ku’s Singles Club follows comedians Brynley Stent and Kura Forrester as they head out on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joel Garrett, Lecturer in Exercise Science and Physiology, Griffith University Australia’s love affair with the major football codes – the Australian Football League (AFL) and National Rugby League (NRL) – is well documented. However, one aspect that stands out to many observers, ...
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Founder, journalist and author Tim Burrowes joins Duncan Greive to discuss a torrid decade in Australian media and whether there are reasons to be optimistic amid the carnage. Tim Burrowes is the author of a book and a Substack called Unmade, which are truly essential guides to media in ...
The self-appointed apostle says he could be to Christopher Luxon what Elon Musk is to Donald Trump, and his track record speaks for itself.Who is New Zealand’s answer to Elon Musk? The Herald’s tech insider, Chris Keall, put the question to his LinkedIn acolytes the other day. “If Luxon ...
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It’s important to respect people’s right to free speech and peaceful assembly, but how much political deference is due when it isn’t peaceful? Commenting on Destiny Church members storming a children’s event at the Te Atatū library and community centre on Saturday, prime minister Christopher Luxon said it’s important to ...
The panel after the minor party leaders debate was interesting in their analysis, but this reviewer felt the debate itself was unsatisfactory. Unfair, I reckon – nothing obviously wrong with the format. https://www.1news.co.nz/2023/10/06/felix-desmarais-whos-the-loser-in-minor-parties-debate/
The panel agreed Winston was the loser. Seymour seemed a prat misbehaving, when he wasn't pretending to be a robot. James showed some spine in his style of interaction with the dork. Rawiri came across well.
Significantly, apart from one mention at the beginning, the panel didn't discuss Seymour at all.
Act have peaked at 9% IMO, and with the Natz in steady decline, and Winnie showing he's past his use-by date, there's everything to play for.
As Bomber says, it's not over until the fat blogger sings.
Also significantly, early voting totals are well below 2020. Which might suggest that people have not yet decided how to vote, whereas in 2020 they'd made up their minds early on.
Take heart, lefties, it ain't over until it's over!
Yeah, can't disagree Tony. On the face of it Labour being 10% behind National makes it seem a foregone conclusion but I think you're right to be optimistic.
This electorate is disenchanted with both, so floaters are likely to wash up anywhere and if they watched the minor leaders debate I doubt any undecided would go for the two rightists. That 10% will decide the outcome, I reckon.
Tony so correct
. Apparently Chris Hipkins left isolation to some possible good poll news. I would not be surprised after Lux's mean comment the tax debacle plus Winston threatening Jack Tame, and icing on the cake of Act going down …. All good for the Left. Meantime we are working in step, looking like a Government in waiting.
The 'expert' panel afterwards were pathetic – not once did they discuss the actual content of what any of the leaders said. It was all ridiculous speculation about the impressions the leaders might have made and the motivations they might have had. They are courtiers, gossiping in the side halls of the palace about the powerful, who's in and who's out, calculating how to keep their careers alive. I had a sudden recall of what Walter Ralegh said about the Elizabethan courtiers: “Say to the court, it glows / and shines like rotten wood”.
In any case, Shaw was the only one with consistently sane responses across every topic that was discussed, though his reasonableness might seem dull to some. Waititi was pretty good on most topics, but I thought some of the things he said vaguely implied that he wanted parallel Maori political systems which would be hugely problematic constitutionally and in terms of getting public support. Seymour – a deluded, small state, leave it to the market libertarian straight out of the 1980's and personally just a bit weird. Peters is incoherent and irascible – very little of it makes any sense.
I get your angle on the thing. It was indeed displaying an aversion to substance & focus on style. Check out what these two younger gen folk thought: https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/06-10-2023/last-nights-multi-party-debate-was-all-chaos-no-conviction
Re separatism, I've always seen that as feasible in principle. I recall standing up after Mat Rata did his thing at the Trades hall, telling the crowd about MM's justice policy stand in favour of a separate Maori justice system. I'd been running justice policy for the Greens a couple of years by then (early '93). Didn't tell him that, just told everyone I agreed with him. Was the only person to actually do that in the meeting. Wanted him to know at least one pakeha male was willing to go public in support!
Re constitutional status, I'm open-minded. I contributed to Sir Geoffrey's revision right from the start when he appealed for help. Was extremely critical: sent in around 50/60 delineations of exactly what he got wrong. Consequently never got included in his list of helpers – despite giving equal reporting to all his points of merit! But typical Labour turkey, always fos…
I thought three waters would be a topic for discussion. Only mentioned once in passing by Seymour. Not quite the terrible socialist trick it was formerly made out to be so it seems.
Good point! A primary issue of contention mentioned only indirectly. Seems like a lapse in programme design by the producers – shoulda showed up on Tame's list of questions.
I hope that viewers noted that Seymour's first speech was to say that he didn't trust his probable coalition partner.
Luxon must have had his head in his hands most of the debate.
Well, I never saw that coming. Absolutely hammering England last night with a bits and pieces team due to injury. We were missing Williamson, Southee, and Ferguson.
We bowled well to restrict them for 282. Then chased that down in 36 overs for the loss of only one wicket. Conway made 152 no and Ravindra 123 no. If anything qualifies as a complete spanking it has to be this result
Yes, a comprehensive victory. Now – keep it up for the rest of the tournament!
Some recompense for the final that we drew but was stolen from us 4 years ago.
I still haven't got over it.
Henry bowled well.
We Cricket Tragics enjoyed that.
Has helped us through a bad coughing bug.
Looks like Ravindra can bat – at least in the subcontinent. Not sure whether he can bowl yet. Conway is class – a gift from the South African diaspora
Covid-19. Some (conspiracists, political candidates, et al) might like to forget this…
Covid -19 vaccination saved lives
Winston First and his Covid-19
trialsInquiry….would be an insult and a travesty. But we have already seen his response to Science/Facts.Vote Left !
And…Measles again.
Vaccine hesitant? Anti vaxx? Maybe they should think..
On the topic of Covid-19, Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman have been awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discoveries concerning nucleoside base modifications that enabled the development of effective mRNA vaccines against COVID-19.
https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/2023/press-release/
Truly..Life saving. Thanks for that link.
Don't forget the terrific reception we get with the 5g implants!!!
It would be nice to go to your grave as a Nobel prize winner knowing millions of people who may have never heard of you are alive and going about their business because of your discoveries.
Katalin Karikos story is exceptional, born very poor she was a brilliant student and has apparently been working since university at 18 on mRNA technology, almost 50 years of dedication. A huge personal thank you to her for my friends and family who are alive today .
We all try to do our little bit, whatever it is, to make a difference for others, don’t we?
If anyone missed last night's debate there's a useful summary here: https://www.newsroom.co.nz/minor-parties-face-off-for-tvnz-debate
Good to see James declared the winner by a bunch of non-Greens on that panel!
Luxon's performance review now online: https://www.newsroom.co.nz/performance-review-for-cm-luxon
Tim Murphy is co-editor of Newsroom. I liked his comprehensive description of the diverse role-plays Lux exhibited while out campaigning.
Read that and as expected Tim Murphy's National bias showed through. I knew before I read it given Murphy's Newsroom record. Such a review should have looked at the credibility issue which Luxon is so weak on.
I get the sense that Murphy's enchantment with neoliberal politics has suffered a Damascus moment in recent times.
Damascene?
If you listened to the the political commentators on RNZ's Morning Report just now you would have thought the election had already taken place and National had won.
No mention of National telling lies about its tax policy (its central policy) and getting badly caught out this week. Hardly a mention of the Greens fine polling or of TPM.
I would love the result to turn out Lab 29 Gr 15 TPM 4 just to see their smug faces drop. This is entirely possible.
Hi BG..I link this one? There was some comment about "coalition of chaos" sir Key's (imo plaintive…) call for true blue nat voting…Seymour/Peters belligerence/grudge fest and… other.
sir Key…
lol..so what the fuck does he know ?! Just a creep.
Anyway BG..I too look for the Left win.
Edit….ACT…oh yea, there fall has has been very satisfying. Not anywhere near where they were a month ago…Good : )
Oh and Chris Hipkins..out of Covid isolation. Cmon Chris !
Thanks for putting the link up psyc. I thought when they mentioned "Coalition of Chaos" it was in refence to Lab/Gr/TPM, but whatever. The irony is the real chaos has turned out to be on the Right.
On another issue, I'm not sure that Chris Bishop going on about "you will get a Wealth Tax if Labour gets in" earlier this week is a good tactic given that a study reported last week (I think) said that many people supported this and/or a CGT.
Yes some real chicken coming to roost, there for sure !
And James Shaw…showing what we ..always knew.
Cmon the Left !
RNZ national is the voice of the National Party .
1News is the voice of the National Party
1ZB is the voice of the National Party
That's how it folks, and there are plenty more like it in the media
Earlier this week a sign on my fence was defaced – it now reads “In it for
youme”.Every lie told incurs a debt to the truth, and sooner or later that debt is paid. But National's big donors won’t be paying, and you can take that to the (ANZ) bank.
So, some variations on a theme from the little blue book of National party ‘values’.
Get
New ZealandUnearned Income Back on TrackGet
New ZealandMega Landlords Back on TrackGet
New ZealandForeign Buyers Back on TrackSir seems to be salivating a little more than usual this morning…
And – it's gone.
Great post Drowsy.
Labour losing the campaign because of National tax policy has got to go down as one of the most predictable tragedies of our entire political economy.
Tax cuts of some kind by the NACTs were as predictable as night follows day. Never mind the seeds of discontent that started to sprout and firmly take root in 2020 leading to a more than usual widespread feeling for change. Certainly, Winston Peters tapped that vein well.
How low can Luxo limboooo…..Im sure the Limbo in the link is slightly different but IMO Christopher Luxon is getting limbo-lower: )
Pablo interesting as ever on the nasty in politics
https://www.kiwipolitico.com/2023/10/bully-pulpits-and-the-politics-of-nastiness/
“It is well known that National has been for some time looking to US rightwing spin doctors for campaign guidance and narratives (crime! waste! taxes!), but now Winston First and ACT’s David Seymour have decided to go full US conspiracy theory (Winston: globalists! mandates!) and pseudo-libertarian racist (David: free speech! bureaucrats! Treaty separatists!). The tone of politics in NZ has gotten cruder (see: Chris Bishop, Judith Collins) and more personal (e.g. treatment of Kiri Allen). The corporate media has clearly decided to go full Murdoch in approach (with a few exceptions duly noted) by stirring partisan and racial division and polemics, focusing on personal foibles and conflicts rather than platforms/proposals and going for “gotcha” moments rather than offering dispassion analyses of the policy platforms of the respective parties.”