In every good disaster movie, we get to meet the easily dispensable character: someone who mixes just enough stupidity with just enough mediocrity to be cannon fodder for the impending calamity.
In the epic shipwreck of Donald Trump’s impeachment, that man is Gordon Sondland.
…To Trump himself, Sondland was once a Never Trumper who first globbed on to the low-energy Jeb before shifting his undying loyalty to little Marco. When neither of those Republican gods were able to confer any honor upon his wealthy shoulders, Sondland did what any principled conservative would do: he wrote a $1m check to Trump and asked for an ambassadorship.
…Sondland explained, in four painfully humiliating pages of new testimony, that on second thoughts there was about $400m of military aid that was entirely quid to the quo of Trump’s kooky obsession with smearing the Biden family.
“By the beginning of September 2019, and in the absence of any credible explanation for the suspension of aid, I presumed that the aid suspension had become linked to the proposed anti-corruption statement,” Sondland confessed.
For a second time in two days, newly released testimony in the impeachment inquiry against Donald Trump has produced a firsthand account of US officials negotiating a quid pro quo in Ukraine in which military aid would be used to pay for a political hit against Joe Biden, the president’s potential 2020 adversary.
Guess what in The High Court trial over the release of Peters confidential Social Welfare information.
National Ministers lawyers are saying they 'didnt disclose the information'
"Gray said: "They resist this. They say that neither of them disclosed the information."
Yet Tolley has testified her lawyer has said – she told her husband , her sister , the former Prime Minister's chief of staff, Wayne Eagleson, ….also told a senior staff member in her office.
But no her lips were sealed ! Tolley will testify today and be cross examined.
Bennett should be a hoot in witness box , acting grander than Dame Kiri !
All these very high profile trials all at once, is this a deliberate strategy by the Chief High Court Judge ?
I don't agree with pink. She wore that at last QT in the House. It will be a neutral dress in green or blue with a white jacket symbolising the innocence and purity of her natural personality. 👿
My lawyer and I went to the Human Rights Review Tribunal in August and argued that giving Police the powers of medieval feudal lords kinda flew in the face of about 800 years of legal jurisprudence and that allowing them to hold secret trials using secret evidence was so far out of the norm that there was no way this should even be contemplated.
It was important to me and my lawyer that the argument was made to dismantle this attempt to set a precedence of secret trials and secret evidence.
This formal apology, acknowledgment of the harm and settlement of my case is the end product of a very long fight, but we urge the HRRT to continue with a ruling.
Had a few days off eh DoU. Now back to being the Great Invigilator on every opinion passed for discussion. DoU the pop-up guillotine to freedom of reasonable opinion and discussion. And always with a conservative 20th century bias, with the aim of thinking about new ways to cope with the present and looming difficulties of this century.
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
Are you trying to say something of value or have just swallowed a wasp. Or are your written views so perfectly formed they cant pass scrutiny, or you have scooped up designer socialist views of the highest quality and wish to parade them around
I contribute far more to blogs unrelated completely to NZ or politics, so I only dip in and out here
Right maui I understand. I also see that you do not share my concern that there are not more people coming here to have discussions and learn from each other and not getting put down and being harassed and stalked by one or two RW people. Perhaps you know who DoU is or feel so aligned to what was done as normal in the 20th century that you can't accept there is a need for change of behaviour.
I am tired of trying to get some people here to accept that we need a wider acceptance of thought and people coming here. Instead it seems that some can't stand any criticism of their favourite people or ideas, including themselves. If DoU is an invigilator is he doing his job reasonably for the purpose of encouraging thought in NZ from the ordinary citizen? Is this blog to be a nice tea party for intelligent people and/or a place for people with a grievance can get sympathy. Or is it looking at our present and our future which is dire?
As we approach tragic outcomes and seem frozen in the headlines I would like to see people here encourage others to contribute and learn and then keep contributing and honing their thoughts about getting outcomes that enable our youngsters to have a life. I am sorry if you want to run a cosy little chatroom. Perhaps I am out of place here. I don't want to waste my time coming here if I am going to be criticised all the time by some cabal of cronies.
In my experience, changing the culture of online spaces takes persistence, and working with people or building what we want, as much as negating what we don't want.
I'm not sure what the wider context is here in this instance. I disagree with DoU a fair bit, and sometimes find his posting style annoying, but he does engage with the topic at hand, is willing to be part of robust debate, and doesn't run lines that are counter to the Policy.
The commenting on TS seems at a low point currently. I'm not happy about it either and am thinking about it a fair bit. Maybe the community should talk about it more. I think attacking commenters is not the way to go, so maybe think about sharing what you want here without the aggro* stuff, then it will be easier to see what you are trying to convey.
*the general rule here is if you are on topic and making a point then you can get away with a degree of rudeness. Comments that have nothing in them other than attacking another commenter will invariably get moderator attention.
Lately there has been a tendency for a few commenters to take offence at another commenter's contribution having misinterpreted the intent of their contribution. It is incumbent on all of us if we make such a mistake to own it and apologise. There has been a notable lack of apology on the part of one or two people in recent times and that does not augur well for morale.
A small point in the scheme of things but a good time to mention it. 🙂
Mandy Henk writes about how the NZ research industry gives away all (most of) it's output so that a few transnational companies can profit from it, and locals can't see it.
Universities and CRIs can't afford to see each other's work, business people and health professionals can;'t get the latest stuff.
Other countries are starting to say enough is enough – Germany, Sweden, California have all refused to pay their subscriptions until access is made more equitable. Should we do that here too?
"…profit-focused approach to academic publishing…" sounds like a Joyce legacy to me along with his brutal restructuring and 'refocusing' of Agresearch.
Recall AyaTolley struggling to get their agenda into higher ed….up stepped bovver boy Joyce.
There are some really good open-access journals available these days (e.g. https://www.plos.org/) – people should publish on open-access as much as possible.
Perhaps should be a condition of public funding that all resulting publications must use open access channels?
Very good point about the fees (Article Processing Charges). They are quite small compared to various government funded / part funded research programs I am familiar with (budgets in the millions), but could be prohibitive to a PhD candidate wanting to publish their findings, for example.
Good thing with PLOS is it is non-profit, so at least none of the fees are funneled to private investors.
Plus they have schemes to assist authors who cannot pay, and institutional /organisational funding schemes. It would not be a huge investment (and they would likely negotiate a bulk deal) for the NZ government to agree to fund all publications on PLOS from NZ authors – and thus solving access issues for all NZ-based research.
Like your idea of the government funding all publications in PLoS journals from NZ authors.
Trying to balance my previous comment, for most fields of research there will (hopefully) be free-to-publish open access journals. According to Wikipedia, these may be classified as 'Diamond' or 'Platinum' open access journals. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_access#Diamond/platinum_OA
Regrettably, there has been an astounding proliferation of potential/possible/probable predatory open access publishers. https://scholarlyoa.com/publishers/
We talk about wellbeing – it has come into the NZ political language. We might now go further and look at how we reach that. Is it being happy all the time? Is that what we are aiming for.
The Greeks thought about this, in ancient times they came up with delineating the word 'love'. If we want to live in a planet with people who care about it, about each other, and not just their own interests and connections perhaps we should check out the other forms that love can take instead of erotic and narcissistic.
Susan Krumdiek is someone to watch and listen to very closely and regularly, Pat. That interview is a valuable one. I'm planning to invite Susan to speak to our council as part of our climate emergency readiness planning
sometimes I read the mournful – "we don't want Asians here, they will change us" – and I remember the truth
Moana Jackson's research has involved a comparative study of the imprisonment of indigenous peoples in Canada, the United States and Australia – all countries with similar high incarceration rates.
In New Zealand, Māori men make up 62 percent of the prison population and Māori women 64 percent.
Mr Jackson said the common thread was they all followed the same trajectory of colonisation, with its similar ideologies and practices.
"It's my considered view that the abuse of Māori children in care also arises from the same context as indeed does the abuse of all children – colonisation is an inherently abusive process."
Mr Jackson said colonisation dispossessed people of their lands, lives and power and was a brutal process.
He said the taking of Māori children from their whānau by the state had been both personal and political.
"The presumed right to do so was derived from the same racist presumptions of European superiority that marked colonisation as a whole and the attendant belief that indigenous children needed to be civilised and protected from themselves."
Pākehā who find that implication troubling (that we weren't wanted here, that we changed things for the worse), might find it helpful to understand that redressing the *current wrongs would go a long way to making our presence here legitimate. As would thinking what a decolonised NZ might look like.
Love Moana Jackson, he has deep knowledge about the ways out of our predicaments.
Mike Joy came to Golden Bay yesterday and gave a great talk on the future of food .
This man is hugely impressive, in his modest demeanour and plain talking. As an academic he could have played it strictly by the book, been careful, not ruffled feathers, and ended up high on the hog(insofar as academics can) but at any rate, led a comfortable, safe life. Instead of which, like Nicky Hager, he bravely opted to speak out and tell his scientific truth.
His talk was not comfortable, particularly if you'd watched Thomas Piketty's doco recently Capital in the 21st century, done by our own Kiwi film maker Justin Pemberton
He stressed the imminence of catastrophic change
Mike does not point to science for a quick fix.He has a simple message .Live simply, live well, the party's over , get back to the basics of life, ditch the damaging trimmings.Keep things local, develop community, grow food using such workable models as permaculture
I agree. Also I think what we need is a radical evolutionary change in consciousness, the next step , where we shift from competitive to co operative.Preferably before war or climate disaster forces the issue
He's not anti science, or EVs or growing trees, or solar panels, but warns they are not a silver bullet that will enable BAU.
If you can get this guy to come to your home town and give a talk, he's well worth it, very down to earth, very approachable, not in an ivory tower
"what we need is a radical evolutionary change in consciousness, the next step , where we shift from competitive to co operative"
Indeed.
But we cannot rely on the government to institute such changes. Their raison d'être is not to serve us as individuals but to serve large, mostly foreign owned corporations.
Change will only come about from the ground up.
The Internet is making this possible where goods can be swapped or given freely via social media, produce sold or donated locally etc.
Humankind, that is; not independent of the non-human world, interdependent with it. Of course, we are anyway, we just don't see it or behave that way. The time’s approaching when we must.
Another thing that Mike brought up was that we've (humanity) proved we can set aside our individual wants and aspirations for the common good …as in civilians selflessly helping each other in time of war.But why does it have to be so extreme?
I have the idea that war /disaster and economic depression are great levellers .We're all in the moment, impacted, in need, the notion of "we just have each other" and "we're all in this together" is prevalent.So many people of my mother's generation,who'd been through the Depression said "We were poor, but we were happy and we had such friendships"
After 30 years of neoliberalism we've been trained to be individual consumers rather than citizens
Maybe when the insurance companies stop paying out on climate disasters we'll look to each other again .In fact I have heard of insurance companies broaching the idea that "no , this is not a natural disaster, this is caused by humans who have been in full knowledge of the consequences of their actions"
I'm rambling now , but which Susan ..St John? Kedgley?
As a legal matter, Pence is the one and only person whose employment in the executive branch that Tinyfingers Tantrump can't terminate. Because he was elected to the position, not appointed.
As a practical matter, I'm curious about your opinion that appointing a liberal VP would protect America's prolapsed rectum from impeachment.
Seems to me that's one of the very few things that might actually cause him to be convicted in the senate and booted out of office after impeachment in the House. Because it would enrage his base, possibly to the point of weakening their cultish devotion. And if he no longer commands an army of blindly devoted Drumpfkins ready to primary anyone that squeaks against Glorious Dear Leader, then Repug senators might take some calcium pills, regrow their vestigial spines and principles, and vote to convict.
Trump is not the republicans. The Senate has a choice, get the base angry and get a Christian right president pence, or leave Trump unfettered second term… …and likely impeachment again, as he is just that much of a walking disaster. Trump has been reigned in for now, and so what if a few Republician Senators who were resigning, or unelectable, go out on principle. So a rump of the senate can feed off the anger from trump base, saying they stood their ground. Pence then has momentum for the republican convention.
Former National Party minister Anne Tolley says she shared confidential details of Winston Peters' pension overpayments with family members and staff.
She also says one of her senior advisors passed the information to other staff members in her office – despite her strictly advising him not to.
Giving evidence in the High Court in Auckland today, the former Social Development Minister said she was not responsible for the information making its way into the media a month before the 2017 general election.
Tolley also had no reason to believe her staff had leaked the information.
Gosh, why wouldn't you trust an office with her as a role model?
The National Party mind has been attacked and corrupted by its own dogwhistle – namely that "Maori = benefit fraudster". As Tolley blabbed away over the clinking glasses of rosé , her assumption of wrongdoing by Peters was inevitable and natural.
James Shaw in his opening speech (of 12 speeches scheduled in the 3rd Reading), has just acknowledged the presence of Kennedy Graham as the originator of the Bill in the House, and also the many other contributors to its passage etc through the House.
FFS Joe, what alternate reality were you inhabiting from 2008 to 2016? And now, for that matter?
“With Donald Trump out of the way, you’re going to see a number of my Republican colleagues have an epiphany. Mark my words. Mark my words,” Biden said.
On the same day Biden made his remarks, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) was just a few blocks away at the White House, boasting about how he blocked Merrick Garland from getting a seat on the Supreme Court.
James Shaw's introduction to the Zero Carbon Bill was superb and he earned a standing ovation from all on the Left. Bridges is speaking now, holding back saying that his party will support the Bill….
James Shaw's introduction to the Zero Carbon Bill was superb and he earned a standing ovation from all on the Left. Bridges is speaking now, holding back saying that his party will support the Bill….but now he's declared, "Mr Speaker, National will support this Bill!
I believe that the National Party was swamped with messages from business leaders to stop stalling and join in. Bridges waited till the end of his speech before announcing agreement. Petty little boy.
EDITOR'S NOTE: An earlier version of this story accurately quoted the book as describing "PC" as standing for "politically correct" in characterizing certain Obama administration meetings. The author has since informed Fox News this was due to a misunderstanding between him and his source and that the initials referred to "Principals Committee."
The Principals Committee of the National Security Council is the Cabinet-level senior interagency forum for consideration of national security policy issues.
So, basically, the complaint is that there were too many meetings about national security policy issues.
"SHANE JONES may just have come up with a sure-fire MMP threshold-busting election strategy. He has committed NZ First to formulating a comprehensive “population policy”. If handled adroitly, this exercise will likely evoke a strong electoral response from “native” New Zealanders. Almost certainly powerful enough to guarantee the party’s return to Parliament."
It's not just going forward they need to worry about – NZF made promises prior to the last election in respect of immigration – if they give them up without a visible fight they'll shed a lot of support.
An unremarkable, moderate, 1970's-style social democrat is actually intent on mass murder. The derangement of elites is hugely funny, but dangerous too.
A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 21, 2024 thru Sat, April 27, 2024. Story of the week Anthropogenic climate change may be the ultimate shaggy dog story— but with a twist, because here ...
Hi,I spent about a year on Webworm reporting on an abusive megachurch called Arise, and it made me want to stab my eyes out with a fork.I don’t regret that reporting in 2022 and 2023 — I am proud of it — but it made me angry.Over three main stories ...
The new Victoria University Vice-Chancellor decided to have a forum at the university about free speech and academic freedom as it is obviously a topical issue, and the Government is looking at legislating some carrots or sticks for universities to uphold their obligations under the Education and Training Act. They ...
Do you remember when Melania Trump got caught out using a speech that sounded awfully like one Michelle Obama had given? Uncannily so.Well it turns out that Abraham Lincoln is to Winston Peters as Michelle was to Melania. With the ANZAC speech Uncle Winston gave at Gallipoli having much in ...
She was born 25 years ago today in North Shore hospital. Her eyes were closed tightly shut, her mouth was silently moving. The whole theatre was all quiet intensity as they marked her a 2 on the APGAR test. A one-minute eternity later, she was an 8. The universe was ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park in collaboration with members from our Skeptical Science team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is Antarctica gaining land ice? ...
Images of US students (and others) protesting and setting up tent cities on US university campuses have been broadcast world wide and clearly demonstrate the growing rifts in US society caused by US policy toward Israel and Israel’s prosecution of … Continue reading → ...
Barrie Saunders writes – Dear Paul As the new Minister of Media and Communications, you will be inundated with heaps of free advice and special pleading, all in the national interest of course. For what it’s worth here is my assessment: Traditional broadcasting free to air content through ...
Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its arguments for such a bold reform. ...
Peter Dunne writes – The great nineteenth British Prime Minister, William Gladstone, once observed that “the first essential for a Prime Minister is to be a good butcher.” When a later British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, sacked a third of his Cabinet in July 1962, in what became ...
Ele Ludemann writes – New Zealanders had the OECD’s second highest tax increase last year: New Zealanders faced the second-biggest tax raises in the developed world last year, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) says. The intergovernmental agency said the average change in personal income tax ...
We all know something’s not right with our elections. The spread of misinformation, people being targeted with soundbites and emotional triggers that ignore the facts, even the truth, and influence their votes.The use of technology to produce deep fakes. How can you tell if something is real or not? Can ...
This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Simon Clark. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). This year you will be lied to! Simon Clark helps prebunk some misleading statements you'll hear about climate. The video includes ...
It is all very well cutting the backrooms of public agencies but it may compromise the frontlines. One of the frustrations of the Productivity Commission’s 2017 review of universities is that while it observed that their non-academic staff were increasing faster than their academic staff, it did not bother to ...
Buzz from the Beehive Two speeches delivered by Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters at Anzac Day ceremonies in Turkey are the only new posts on the government’s official website since the PM announced his Cabinet shake-up. In one of the speeches, Peters stated the obvious: we live in a troubled ...
1. Which of these would you not expect to read in The Waikato Invader?a. Luxon is here to do business, don’t you worry about thatb. Mr KPI expects results, and you better believe itc. This decisive man of action is getting me all hot and excitedd. Melissa Lee is how ...
…it has a restricted jurisdiction which must not be abused: it is not an inquisitionNOTE – this article was published before the High Court ruled that Karen Chhour does not have to appear before the Waitangi Tribunal Gary Judd writes – The High Court ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – One of reasons Oranga Tamariki exists is to prevent child neglect. But could the organisation itself be guilty of the same?Oranga Tamariki’s statistics show a decrease in the number and age of children in care. “There are less children ...
David Farrar writes: Graeme Edgeler wrote in 2017: In the first five years after three strikes came into effect 5248 offenders received a ‘first strike’ (that is, a “stage-1 conviction” under the three strikes sentencing regime), and 68 offenders received a ‘second strike’. In the five years prior to ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in politics. That’s refreshing and will be extremely ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the two days to 6:06am on Thursday, April 25:Politics: PM Christopher Luxon has set up a dual standard for ministerial competence by demoting two National Cabinet ministers while leaving also-struggling ...
Hi,Today I mainly want to share some of your thoughts about the recent piece I wrote about success and failure, and the forces that seemingly guide our lives. But first, a quick bit of housekeeping: I am doing a Webworm popup in Los Angeles on Saturday May 11 at 2pm. ...
It is hard to see what Melissa Lee might have done to “save” the media. National went into the election with no public media policy and appears not to have developed one subsequently. Lee claimed that she had prepared a policy paper before the election but it had been decided ...
Open access notablesIce acceleration and rotation in the Greenland Ice Sheet interior in recent decades, Løkkegaard et al., Communications Earth & Environment:In the past two decades, mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet has accelerated, partly due to the speedup of glaciers. However, uncertainty in speed derived from satellite products ...
Buzz from the Beehive A statement from Children’s Minister Karen Chhour – yet to be posted on the Government’s official website – arrived in Point of Order’s email in-tray last night. It welcomes the High Court ruling on whether the Waitangi Tribunal can demand she appear before it. It does ...
Mr Bombastic:Ironically, the media the academic experts wanted is, in many ways, the media they got. In place of the tyrannical editors of yesteryear, advancing without fear or favour the interests of the ruling class; the New Zealand news media of today boasts a troop of enlightened journalists dedicated to ...
It's hard times try to make a livingYou wake up every morning in the unforgivingOut there somewhere in the cityThere's people living lives without mercy or pityI feel good, yeah I'm feeling fineI feel better then I have for the longest timeI think these pills have been good for meI ...
In 1974, the US Supreme Court issued its decision in United States v. Nixon, finding that the President was not a King, but was subject to the law and was required to turn over the evidence of his wrongdoing to the courts. It was a landmark decision for the rule ...
Every day now just seems to bring in more fresh meat for the grinder.In their relentlessly ideological drive to cut back on the “excessive bloat” (as they see it) of the previous Labour-led government, on the mountains of evidence accumulated in such a short period of time do not ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Megan Valére SosouMarket gardening site of the Itchèléré de Itagui agricultural cooperative in Dassa-Zoumè (Image credit: Megan Valère Sossou) For the residents of Dassa-Zoumè, a city in the West African country of Benin, choosing between drinking water and having enough ...
Buzz from the Beehive Melissa Lee – as may be discerned from the screenshot above – has not been demoted for doing something seriously wrong as Minister of ...
Morning in London Mother hugs beloved daughter outside the converted shoe factory in which she is living.Afternoon in London Travelling writer takes himself and his wrist down to A&E, just to be sure. Read more ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – The recent announcement of the University Advisory Group, chaired by Sir Peter Gluckman, makes very clear where the Government’s focus and priorities lie. The remit of the Advisory Group is that Group members will consider challenges and opportunities for improvement in the university sector including: ...
Eric Crampton writes – The Reserve Bank of New Zealand desperately wants to find reasons to have workstreams in climate change. It makes little sense. They’ve run another stress test on the banks looking to see if they could find a prudential regulation case. They couldn’t. They ...
Rob MacCullough writes – Pundits from the left and the right are arguing that National’s Fast Track Bill that is designed to speed up infrastructure decisions could end up becoming mired in a cesspool of corruption. Political commentator ...
Looking at the headlines this morning it’s hard to feel anything other than pessimistic about the future of humanity.Note that I’m not speaking about the future of mankind, but the survival of our humanity. The values that we believe in seem to be ebbing away, by the day.Perhaps every generation ...
Swabbing mixed breed baby chicks to test for avian influenzaUh oh. Bird flu – often deadly to humans – is not only being transmitted from infected birds to dairy cows, but is now travelling between dairy cows. As of last Friday, Bloomberg News reports, there were 32 American dairy herds ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
What is it with the mining industry? Its not enough for them to pillage the earth - they apparently can't even be bothered getting resource consent to do so: The proponent behind a major mine near the Clutha River had already been undertaking activity in the area without a ...
Photo # 1 I am a huge fan of Singapore’s approach to housing, as described here two years ago by copying and pasting from The ConversationWhat Singapore has that Australia does not is a public housing developer, the Housing Development Board, which puts new dwellings on public and reclaimed land, ...
Buzz from the Beehive Reactions to news of the government’s readiness to make urgent changes to “the resource management system” through a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) suggest a balanced approach is being taken. The Taxpayers’ Union says the proposed changes don’t go far enough. Greenpeace says ...
I’m starting to wonder if Anna Burns-Francis might be the best political interviewer we’ve got. That might sound unlikely to you, it came as a bit of a surprise to me.Jack Tame can be excellent, but has some pretty average days. I like Rebecca Wright on Newshub, she asks good ...
Chris Trotter writes – Willie Jackson is said to be planning a “media summit” to discuss “the state of the media and how to protect Fourth Estate Journalism”. Not only does the Editor of The Daily Blog, Martyn Bradbury, think this is a good idea, but he has also ...
Graeme Edgeler writes – This morning [April 21], the Wellington High Court is hearing a judicial review brought by Hon. Karen Chhour, the Minister for Children, against a decision of the Waitangi Tribunal. This is unusual, judicial reviews are much more likely to brought against ministers, rather than ...
Both of Parliament’s watchdogs have now ripped into the Government’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s political economy and beyond on the morning of Tuesday, April 23 are:The Lead: The Auditor General,John Ryan, has joined the ...
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The infrastructure industry yesterday issued a “hurry up” message to the Government, telling it to get cracking on developing a pipeline of infrastructure projects.The hiatus around the change of Government has seen some major projects cancelled and others delayed, and there is uncertainty about what will happen with the new ...
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Buzz from the Beehive The 180 or so recipients of letters from the Government telling them how to submit infrastructure projects for “fast track” consideration includes some whose project applications previously have been rejected by the courts. News media were quick to feature these in their reports after RMA Reform Minister Chris ...
It would not be a desirable way to start your holiday by breaking your back, your head, or your wrist, but on our first hour in Singapore I gave it a try.We were chatting, last week, before we started a meeting of Hazel’s Enviro Trust, about the things that can ...
Calling all journalists, academics, planners, lawyers, political activists, environmentalists, and other members of the public who believe that the relationships between vested interests and politicians need to be scrutinised. We need to work together to make sure that the new Fast-Track Approvals Bill – currently being pushed through by the ...
Feel worried. Shane Jones and a couple of his Cabinet colleagues are about to be granted the power to override any and all objections to projects like dams, mines, roads etc even if: said projects will harm biodiversity, increase global warming and cause other environmental harms, and even if ...
Bryce Edwards writes- The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. ...
Michael Bassett writes – If you think there is a move afoot by the radical Maori fringe of New Zealand society to create a parallel system of government to the one that we elect at our triennial elections, you aren’t wrong. Over the last few days we have ...
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Sunday was a lazy day. I started watching Jack Tame on Q&A, the interviews are usually good for something to write about. Saying the things that the politicians won’t, but are quite possibly thinking. Things that are true and need to be extracted from between the lines.As you might know ...
In our Weekly Roundup last week we covered news from Auckland Transport that the WX1 Western Express is going to get an upgrade next year with double decker electric buses. As part of the announcement, AT also said “Since we introduced the WX1 Western Express last November we have seen ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 29 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Stats NZ releases its statutory report on Census 2023 tomorrow.Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivers a pre-Budget speech at ...
A listing of 29 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 14, 2024 thru Sat, April 20, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week hinges on these words from the abstract of a fresh academic ...
The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. The Government says this will ...
This is a column to say thank you. So many of have been in touch since Mum died to say so many kind and thoughtful things. You’re wonderful, all of you. You’ve asked how we’re doing, how Dad’s doing. A little more realisation each day, of the irretrievable finality of ...
Identifying the engine type in your car is crucial for various reasons, including maintenance, repairs, and performance upgrades. Knowing the specific engine model allows you to access detailed technical information, locate compatible parts, and make informed decisions about modifications. This comprehensive guide will provide you with a step-by-step approach to ...
Introduction: The allure of racing is undeniable. The thrill of speed, the roar of engines, and the exhilaration of competition all contribute to the allure of this adrenaline-driven sport. For those who yearn to experience the pinnacle of racing, becoming a race car driver is the ultimate dream. However, the ...
Introduction Automobiles have become ubiquitous in modern society, serving as a primary mode of transportation and a symbol of economic growth and personal mobility. With countless vehicles traversing roads and highways worldwide, it begs the question: how many cars are there in the world? Determining the precise number is a ...
Maintaining a safe and reliable vehicle requires regular inspections. Whether it’s a routine maintenance checkup or a safety inspection, knowing how long the process will take can help you plan your day accordingly. This article delves into the factors that influence the duration of a car inspection and provides an ...
Mazda Motor Corporation, commonly known as Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automaker headquartered in Fuchu, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The company was founded in 1920 as the Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd., and began producing vehicles in 1931. Mazda is primarily known for its production of passenger cars, but ...
Your car battery is an essential component that provides power to start your engine, operate your electrical systems, and store energy. Over time, batteries can weaken and lose their ability to hold a charge, which can lead to starting problems, power failures, and other issues. Replacing your battery before it ...
In most states, you cannot register a car without a valid driver’s license. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. Exceptions to the RuleIf you are under 18 years old: In some states, you can register a car in your name even if you do not ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
The protest outside the White House correspondents’ dinner hotel. Image: Anatolu video screenshot APR More than two dozen Palestinian journalists had called for a boycott of the dinner, writing an open letter urging their American colleagues not to attend. “You have a unique responsibility to speak truth to power and ...
“Our exporters should, therefore, be deeply concerned that the Fast-track Approvals Bill was not assessed for consistency with any of our free trade commitments prior to being introduced to the House,” says Gary Taylor, Chief Executive of the Environmental ...
NZCTU President Richard Wagstaff is calling on all political parties to support the new Member’s Bill from Labour’s workplace relations and safety spokesperson Camilla Belich MP that would ensure negligent companies are held accountable when their employees ...
A historian with an uncanny track record of predicting US election winners tells RNZ's Sunday Morning that President Biden looks to be on track for another term, but things could still go very wrong for him. ...
A historian with a track record of predicting US election winners tells RNZ's Sunday Morning that President Biden looks to be on track for another term, but things could still go wrong for him. ...
Ngaio Marsh House is one of Christchurch’s best kept secrets – and contains more than a few mysteries of its own.Trust Ngaio Marsh to leave more than a few mysteries scattered through her house long after her departure. For a start, there’s the curious concrete portal in the garden, ...
Appointment viewing has been lost to the mists of time, but memories of Montana Sunday Theatre can still be conjured by hitting play on a particular piece of classical music. “You’re not going to be able to sell it.” Over 30 years on, Karen Bieleski still recalls how the task ...
Performance Review King Luxon sat behind His massive polished oak desk. It is Performance Review time. There is a knock on the door. “Enter!” says the King. In steps Minister of Disabilities and Carer Pedicures, Penny Simmonds. “I can explain everything …” she begins. “Fine,” says King Luxon, pressing the ...
The pair opened their first fully collaborative exhibition, Nina for Flowers, last Saturday. Gabi Lardies visited their studio to find out who Nina is and what working together was like.‘It didn’t start out like, ‘This is a show about Nina,’” says Josephine Jelicich, gripping a thermos of peppermint tea. ...
Thank you, Dr Maximilian Oskar Bircher-Benner, for your brilliant invention. I’m another mid-20s Kiwi who had an OE last year. I hopped on my bicycle where France meets the Atlantic and cycled east. I pedalled through the Loire Valley, down rivers lined with willows and ancient wisteria-draped chateaus. I relished ...
Asia Pacific Report From France to Australia, university pro-Palestine protests in the United States have now spread to several countries with students pitching on-campus camps. And students at Columbia and other US universities remain defiant as campuses have witnessed the biggest protests since the anti-Vietnam war and anti-apartheid eras in ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)New Zealand Government’s Fast Track legislation. Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government ...
Tara Ward talks to presenter Naomi Toilalo about the new TV show that turns food waste into a three course feast. Naomi Toilalo is standing in the warehouse at Good Neighbour Tauranga, helping unpack the two-and-a-half tonnes of rejected food that will arrive at the community support hub that day. ...
Scout is our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Scout’s human, Avril, for her support. Dog name: Scout (named after the little girl in To Kill a Mockingbird – she inherited the independent spirit ...
Megan Alatini takes us through her life in TV, including ‘terrible’ daytime TV, the class of Carol Hirschfeld and her most embarrassing TrueBliss moment. When she responded to a vague newspaper ad asking “do you have what it takes to be a popstar?” 25 years ago, Megan Alatini never guessed ...
A new exhibition in Wellington showcases the faces behind your local goods and services. Back in 1977, when I was a fine arts student at the University of Canterbury, I took a series of photographs of Christchurch shopkeepers. The photos were for a calendar – a project for my end ...
Toomaj and his resistance to tyranny through his songs have become an icon for the youth of Iran, so his sentence has hit the nation hard. Toomaj Salehi is not the first artist to pay the price for standing with the people. ...
My cousin Dylan and I spotted these big eels under the bridge that summer. We watched them lounging under the dark weed, facing into the flow of water, their mouths frozen open. Dylan and I couldn’t stop thinking about those eels. The night we went down to the creek, we ...
Newsroom, home of satire. My long-running weekly satirical series The Secret Diary has moved to Newsroom and will appear every Saturday, with Victor Billot’s wildly popular satirical Odes continuing to appear every Sunday. Diaries, Odes – while serious political columnists toil at meaningful opinions and stroke their chins to an ...
Tara Ward unravels the many nuanced layers of a cartoon about talking dogs.This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. It’s not often an episode of a children’s cartoon has adults sobbing into their sleeves, but that’s exactly what happened this week when ...
Working as a doctor in developing countries to help communities achieve better health outcomes is nothing short of a life goal for Jessica Tater. The University of Otago medical student has her sights firmly set on joining the international humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) when she qualifies ...
There’s an island in the far reaches of Auckland’s territory, sitting off the tip of the Coromandel Peninsula, 30 minutes by air from the city or four hours on the slow boat. Aotea Great Barrier is off-grid, it has a population of fewer than a thousand people … and most ...
Asia Pacific Report An Australian author and advocate, Jim Aubrey, today led a national symbolic one minute’s silence to mark the “blood debt” owed to Papuan allies during the Second World War indigenous resistance against the invading Japanese forces. “A promise to most people is a promise,” Aubrey said in ...
Asia Pacific Report The Freedom Flotilla is ready to sail to Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. All the required paperwork has been submitted to the port authority, and the cargo has been loaded and prepared for the humanitarian trip to the besieged enclave. However, organisers received word of an “administrative ...
Pacific Media Watch Palestine solidarity protesters today demonstrated at the Auckland headquarters of Television New Zealand, accusing the country’s major TV network of broadcasting “propaganda” backing Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. About 50 protesters targeted the main entrance to the TVNZ building near Sky Tower and also picketed a side ...
Opinion by Lynley Hood. Forty years on from my 1985 Fulbright Grant, my disquiet over the war in Gaza evoked some troubling questions. The answer to my first question – What is the primary purpose of the Fulbright Programme? – was on the Fulbright NZ website. It says: US Senator, ...
The ministers responsible for green-lighting major projects need to be open about potential conflicts of interest, says Transparency International. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Powell, Professor, Family and Sexual Violence, RMIT University It has been a particularly distressing start to the year. There is little that can ease the current grief of individuals, families and communities who have needlessly lost a loved one to men’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Lichen, the first described example of symbiosis.AdeJ Artventure/Shutterstock Once known only to those studying biology, the word symbiosis is now widely used. Symbiosis is the intimate ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kim Hemsley, Head, Childhood Dementia Research Group, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University Olena Ivanova/Shutterstock “Childhood” and “dementia” are two words we wish we didn’t have to use together. But sadly, around 1,400 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Whiteford, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The government’s Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee has just published its second report. It was set up by Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth in 2022 to provide: ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne The Queensland state election will be held in October. A YouGov poll for The Courier Mail, conducted April 9–17 from a sample ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Naeni, PhD candidate at Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University There’s been much talk in recent months about what a possible second Donald Trump presidency in the United States could mean for Europe, Russia’s war in Ukraine, the ...
A brief round-up of submissions on the controversial proposed law. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week, submissions on the controversial Fast-track Approvals Bill closed just hours after the government released a list of stakeholder organisations who were sent letters advising how they could ...
A poem from Robin Peace’s new collection Detritus of Empire: feather / grass / rock. Cereal giving I see a woman’s hands, see her curious hands break a stalk as she walks through the tall prairie, the savannah, the steppe, wherever it was. See her idly bite the grass that ...
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 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)A handsomely produced (debossed cover, lovely ...
The Commissioner's decision validates the longstanding efforts of the local community and ensures that Awataha Marae will be managed to serve the needs of the local community, particularly for hosting tangihanga. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tristan Salles, Associate professor, University of Sydney Examples of Australian landscapes.Unsplash Seventy thousand years ago, the sea level was much lower than today. Australia, along with New Guinea and Tasmania, formed a connected landmass known as Sahul. Around this time – ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Felicity Castagna, Lecturer, Creative Writing, Western Sydney University Day Day Market, ParramattaPhoto: Garry Trinh I live on the edge of Parramatta, Australia’s fastest-growing city, on the kind of old-fashioned suburban street that has 1950s fibros constructed in the post-war housing boom, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Ryan, Teaching Fellow in Economics, University of Waikato GettyImagesfatido/Getty Images There is an ongoing global debate over whether the high inflation seen in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic can be lowered without a recession. New Zealand is not ...
The ‘Wicked Game’ heartthrob is in his late 60s now. That didn’t stop him putting on a lively, goofy and very sparkly show. Apart from ‘Wicked Game’, which graces a sultry playlist of mine simply called 💋, my last sustained Chris Isaak listening session took place when I was about ...
Analysis - Two ministers were stripped of portfolios in a warning to Cabinet, drama broke out at the Waitangi Tribunal, and the gang patch ban bill ran into opposition. ...
Tara Ward makes an impassioned plea for some vital pop culture merch. In April 1999, I became obsessed with a new reality television show called Popstars. Every Tuesday night, five strangers transformed into music royalty before my very eyes as Joe, Keri, Carly, Erika and Megan were chosen to form ...
PNG Post-Courier In the early hours of ANZAC Day, aerial photographs captured an impressive gathering of Australians and Papua New Guineans at Isurava in the Northern (Oro) Province. The solemn dawn service yesterday was held at a site steeped in history, where some of the fiercest battles of World War ...
The PSA is shocked that Oranga Tamariki has used the cost cutting drive to downgrade its commitment to Te Ao Māori and remove many specialist Māori roles. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Kemish, Adjunct Professor, School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, The University of Queensland There can be no more powerful symbol of the relationship between Australia and Papua New Guinea than the prime ministers of these neighbouring countries walking together on the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sharon Robinson, Distinguished Professor and Deputy Director of ARC Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future (SAEF), University of Wollongong, University of Wollongong Andrew Netherwood Over the last 25 years, the ozone hole which forming over Antarctica each spring has started to shrink. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Viktoria Kahui, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Economics, University of Otago Getty Images/Amy Toensing Biodiversity is declining at rates unprecedented in human history. This suggests the ways we currently use to manage our natural environment are failing. One emerging concept focuses on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Colin Bednall, Associate Professor in Management, Swinburne University of Technology marvent/Shutterstock Finding the best person to fill a position can be tough, from drafting a job ad to producing a shortlist of top interview candidates. Employers typically consider information from ...
Wondering where to host your next BYO? Whether its a small gathering or a massive party, we’ve got some recommendations. I was first introduced to the concept of BYOs at Dunedin’s India Gardens, a legendary but sadly defunct establishment, which purveyed enormous quantities of mango chicken to Aotearoa’s drunkest future ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julien Cooper, Honorary Lecturer, Department of History and Archaeology, Macquarie University Julien Cooper The hyper-arid desert of Eastern Sudan, the Atbai Desert, seems like an unlikely place to find evidence of ancient cattle herders. But in this dry environment, my new ...
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True and funny
True – the house of sharts begins to fall
Guess what in The High Court trial over the release of Peters confidential Social Welfare information.
National Ministers lawyers are saying they 'didnt disclose the information'
"Gray said: "They resist this. They say that neither of them disclosed the information."
Yet Tolley has
testifiedher lawyer has said – she told her husband , her sister , the former Prime Minister's chief of staff, Wayne Eagleson, ….also told a senior staff member in her office.But no her lips were sealed ! Tolley will testify today and be cross examined.
Bennett should be a hoot in witness box , acting grander than Dame Kiri !
All these very high profile trials all at once, is this a deliberate strategy by the Chief High Court Judge ?
So, no leopard print but a more demure pink perhaps and still loads of hairspray?
I don't agree with pink. She wore that at last QT in the House. It will be a neutral dress in green or blue with a white jacket symbolising the innocence and purity of her natural personality. 👿
Martyn Bradbury wins settlement over spying on him in wake of Rawshark: https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2019/11/06/breaking-5-years-and-finally-justice-nz-police-formally-apologise-settle-for-breaching-my-civil-rights/
Had a few days off eh DoU. Now back to being the Great Invigilator on every opinion passed for discussion. DoU the pop-up guillotine to freedom of reasonable opinion and discussion. And always with a conservative 20th century bias, with the aim of thinking about new ways to cope with the present and looming difficulties of this century.
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
Are you trying to say something of value or have just swallowed a wasp. Or are your written views so perfectly formed they cant pass scrutiny, or you have scooped up designer socialist views of the highest quality and wish to parade them around
I contribute far more to blogs unrelated completely to NZ or politics, so I only dip in and out here
Grey that is a horrible thing to say! Duke does not need this… and I frankly would rather not see this kind of attack on Invigilators.
Right maui I understand. I also see that you do not share my concern that there are not more people coming here to have discussions and learn from each other and not getting put down and being harassed and stalked by one or two RW people. Perhaps you know who DoU is or feel so aligned to what was done as normal in the 20th century that you can't accept there is a need for change of behaviour.
I am tired of trying to get some people here to accept that we need a wider acceptance of thought and people coming here. Instead it seems that some can't stand any criticism of their favourite people or ideas, including themselves. If DoU is an invigilator is he doing his job reasonably for the purpose of encouraging thought in NZ from the ordinary citizen? Is this blog to be a nice tea party for intelligent people and/or a place for people with a grievance can get sympathy. Or is it looking at our present and our future which is dire?
As we approach tragic outcomes and seem frozen in the headlines I would like to see people here encourage others to contribute and learn and then keep contributing and honing their thoughts about getting outcomes that enable our youngsters to have a life. I am sorry if you want to run a cosy little chatroom. Perhaps I am out of place here. I don't want to waste my time coming here if I am going to be criticised all the time by some cabal of cronies.
In my experience, changing the culture of online spaces takes persistence, and working with people or building what we want, as much as negating what we don't want.
I'm not sure what the wider context is here in this instance. I disagree with DoU a fair bit, and sometimes find his posting style annoying, but he does engage with the topic at hand, is willing to be part of robust debate, and doesn't run lines that are counter to the Policy.
The commenting on TS seems at a low point currently. I'm not happy about it either and am thinking about it a fair bit. Maybe the community should talk about it more. I think attacking commenters is not the way to go, so maybe think about sharing what you want here without the aggro* stuff, then it will be easier to see what you are trying to convey.
*the general rule here is if you are on topic and making a point then you can get away with a degree of rudeness. Comments that have nothing in them other than attacking another commenter will invariably get moderator attention.
Lately there has been a tendency for a few commenters to take offence at another commenter's contribution having misinterpreted the intent of their contribution. It is incumbent on all of us if we make such a mistake to own it and apologise. There has been a notable lack of apology on the part of one or two people in recent times and that does not augur well for morale.
A small point in the scheme of things but a good time to mention it. 🙂
thanks Anne.
Best news of the day/week/month. Tom Watson is gone. Pelosi and Schumer slinging their hooks would top it I guess 🙂
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/nov/06/tom-watson-to-quit-as-labour-deputy-leader-and-stand-down-as-mp
Mandy Henk writes about how the NZ research industry gives away all (most of) it's output so that a few transnational companies can profit from it, and locals can't see it.
Universities and CRIs can't afford to see each other's work, business people and health professionals can;'t get the latest stuff.
Other countries are starting to say enough is enough – Germany, Sweden, California have all refused to pay their subscriptions until access is made more equitable. Should we do that here too?
https://thespinoff.co.nz/science/07-11-2019/how-paywalls-are-poisoning-public-interest-research/
"…profit-focused approach to academic publishing…" sounds like a Joyce legacy to me along with his brutal restructuring and 'refocusing' of Agresearch.
Recall AyaTolley struggling to get their agenda into higher ed….up stepped bovver boy Joyce.
There are some really good open-access journals available these days (e.g. https://www.plos.org/) – people should publish on open-access as much as possible.
Perhaps should be a condition of public funding that all resulting publications must use open access channels?
Agreed, as long as funders are OK with allocating a small proportion of funding to cover the publication/page fees/charges of open access journals.
Much research in NZ is done on the smell of an oily rag, making free-to-publish, pay-to-view journals an attractive option.
https://www.plos.org/publication-fees
Very good point about the fees (Article Processing Charges). They are quite small compared to various government funded / part funded research programs I am familiar with (budgets in the millions), but could be prohibitive to a PhD candidate wanting to publish their findings, for example.
Good thing with PLOS is it is non-profit, so at least none of the fees are funneled to private investors.
Plus they have schemes to assist authors who cannot pay, and institutional /organisational funding schemes. It would not be a huge investment (and they would likely negotiate a bulk deal) for the NZ government to agree to fund all publications on PLOS from NZ authors – and thus solving access issues for all NZ-based research.
Like your idea of the government funding all publications in PLoS journals from NZ authors.
Trying to balance my previous comment, for most fields of research there will (hopefully) be free-to-publish open access journals. According to Wikipedia, these may be classified as 'Diamond' or 'Platinum' open access journals.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_access#Diamond/platinum_OA
Regrettably, there has been an astounding proliferation of potential/possible/probable predatory open access publishers. https://scholarlyoa.com/publishers/
We talk about wellbeing – it has come into the NZ political language. We might now go further and look at how we reach that. Is it being happy all the time? Is that what we are aiming for.
The Greeks thought about this, in ancient times they came up with delineating the word 'love'. If we want to live in a planet with people who care about it, about each other, and not just their own interests and connections perhaps we should check out the other forms that love can take instead of erotic and narcissistic.
https://www.e-counseling.com/relationships/what-are-the-7-types-of-love/
The all you can eat buffet is almost out of food…what we going to eat then?
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/nights/audio/2018721039/transition-engineering
Susan Krumdiek is someone to watch and listen to very closely and regularly, Pat. That interview is a valuable one. I'm planning to invite Susan to speak to our council as part of our climate emergency readiness planning
I wish she would be invited to speak to Cabinet (and Treasury for that matter)….but then as she says, politicians arnt going to solve this
Heres an introduction piece for your How to get there series
https://www.the-possible.com/energy-transition-climate-change/
sometimes I read the mournful – "we don't want Asians here, they will change us" – and I remember the truth
Pākehā who find that implication troubling (that we weren't wanted here, that we changed things for the worse), might find it helpful to understand that redressing the *current wrongs would go a long way to making our presence here legitimate. As would thinking what a decolonised NZ might look like.
Love Moana Jackson, he has deep knowledge about the ways out of our predicaments.
Personally I find Moana's brand of sugar coated inflammatory racist speech deeply offensive.
Ha – his style of telling the truth does infuriate some people – I rate him very highly.
that does not surprise me
Funny video worth 9 minutes of your time. Explaining that capitalism did not make tech – but explains who did.
Excellent!!
Re Current Affairs: National is all supportive of Capitalism. Maybe that is why they fail to create or innovate? Wrong mindsets?
Oh Yeah Bernie!!
Mike Joy came to Golden Bay yesterday and gave a great talk on the future of food .
This man is hugely impressive, in his modest demeanour and plain talking. As an academic he could have played it strictly by the book, been careful, not ruffled feathers, and ended up high on the hog(insofar as academics can) but at any rate, led a comfortable, safe life. Instead of which, like Nicky Hager, he bravely opted to speak out and tell his scientific truth.
His talk was not comfortable, particularly if you'd watched Thomas Piketty's doco recently Capital in the 21st century, done by our own Kiwi film maker Justin Pemberton
He stressed the imminence of catastrophic change
Mike does not point to science for a quick fix.He has a simple message .Live simply, live well, the party's over , get back to the basics of life, ditch the damaging trimmings.Keep things local, develop community, grow food using such workable models as permaculture
I agree. Also I think what we need is a radical evolutionary change in consciousness, the next step , where we shift from competitive to co operative.Preferably before war or climate disaster forces the issue
He's not anti science, or EVs or growing trees, or solar panels, but warns they are not a silver bullet that will enable BAU.
If you can get this guy to come to your home town and give a talk, he's well worth it, very down to earth, very approachable, not in an ivory tower
Cool – good guy and nice report.
We do have some great speakers of recent times in the bay – julie Anne Genter coming up but I fear I'll get angry so doubt I'll get to the muss.
wow, that sounds great. I will go look up and see if he has a video online.
"He's not anti science, or EVs or growing trees, or solar panels, but warns they are not a silver bullet that will enable BAU."
This is so the conversation that we need to be having right now.
"what we need is a radical evolutionary change in consciousness, the next step , where we shift from competitive to co operative"
Indeed.
But we cannot rely on the government to institute such changes. Their raison d'être is not to serve us as individuals but to serve large, mostly foreign owned corporations.
Change will only come about from the ground up.
The Internet is making this possible where goods can be swapped or given freely via social media, produce sold or donated locally etc.
Farcebook does have its uses.
Not independent, instead interdependent.
Humankind, that is; not independent of the non-human world, interdependent with it. Of course, we are anyway, we just don't see it or behave that way. The time’s approaching when we must.
Have Mike and Susan shared a stage yet? I wish they would. I'd MC
Susan who Robert?
Another thing that Mike brought up was that we've (humanity) proved we can set aside our individual wants and aspirations for the common good …as in civilians selflessly helping each other in time of war.But why does it have to be so extreme?
I have the idea that war /disaster and economic depression are great levellers .We're all in the moment, impacted, in need, the notion of "we just have each other" and "we're all in this together" is prevalent.So many people of my mother's generation,who'd been through the Depression said "We were poor, but we were happy and we had such friendships"
After 30 years of neoliberalism we've been trained to be individual consumers rather than citizens
Maybe when the insurance companies stop paying out on climate disasters we'll look to each other again .In fact I have heard of insurance companies broaching the idea that "no , this is not a natural disaster, this is caused by humans who have been in full knowledge of the consequences of their actions"
I'm rambling now , but which Susan ..St John? Kedgley?
Susan Krumdiek?
Yes, indeed; she's one of the front-runners. Listen to her radio interview and you'll hear what I mean.
Yep
Missed the earlier post from Robert
Thanks for that
Trump needs to fire Pense, put in a liberal vp so the senate doesn't impeach him.
As a legal matter, Pence is the one and only person whose employment in the executive branch that Tinyfingers Tantrump can't terminate. Because he was elected to the position, not appointed.
As a practical matter, I'm curious about your opinion that appointing a liberal VP would protect America's prolapsed rectum from impeachment.
Seems to me that's one of the very few things that might actually cause him to be convicted in the senate and booted out of office after impeachment in the House. Because it would enrage his base, possibly to the point of weakening their cultish devotion. And if he no longer commands an army of blindly devoted Drumpfkins ready to primary anyone that squeaks against Glorious Dear Leader, then Repug senators might take some calcium pills, regrow their vestigial spines and principles, and vote to convict.
Trump is not the republicans. The Senate has a choice, get the base angry and get a Christian right president pence, or leave Trump unfettered second term… …and likely impeachment again, as he is just that much of a walking disaster. Trump has been reigned in for now, and so what if a few Republician Senators who were resigning, or unelectable, go out on principle. So a rump of the senate can feed off the anger from trump base, saying they stood their ground. Pence then has momentum for the republican convention.
Uh, so far there's only three sitting senate repugs that are retiring: Pat Roberts of Kansas, Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, and Mike Enzi of Wyoming.
Those Repugs listed in that CNN piece are House Representatives.
Um, yeah.
Andre – yeah, my bad
(think I broke the thread, too)
All good.
Tolley quite the gossip, it seems: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12283097
Gosh, why wouldn't you trust an office with her as a role model?
I have always thought that if National did leak it, it was more likely to be Tolley than Bennett. Just a hunch.
The National Party mind has been attacked and corrupted by its own dogwhistle – namely that "Maori = benefit fraudster". As Tolley blabbed away over the clinking glasses of rosé , her assumption of wrongdoing by Peters was inevitable and natural.
wow – I hope she is never given any responsibility again. Even in sievey street confidentiality is a basic concept.
[headdesk]
To recycle an old line: the three "Tees" of Twentieth Century telecommunications: Telegraph, Telephone, and Tell Tolley.
Ha!
Third Reading of the Climate Change Response (Zero Carbon) Bill
3rd Reading is currently underway in Parliament and live streaming available on the Parliament website.
https://www.parliament.nz/en/watch-parliament/
James Shaw in his opening speech (of 12 speeches scheduled in the 3rd Reading), has just acknowledged the presence of Kennedy Graham as the originator of the Bill in the House, and also the many other contributors to its passage etc through the House.
FFS Joe, what alternate reality were you inhabiting from 2008 to 2016? And now, for that matter?
James Shaw's introduction to the Zero Carbon Bill was superb and he earned a standing ovation from all on the Left. Bridges is speaking now, holding back saying that his party will support the Bill….
Channel 31
James Shaw's introduction to the Zero Carbon Bill was superb and he earned a standing ovation from all on the Left. Bridges is speaking now, holding back saying that his party will support the Bill….but now he's declared, "Mr Speaker, National will support this Bill!
Fan-bloody-tastic!
The nat's supporting it is such a win for the planet and for the government because, national voters are losing their shite about it. It's a win win 🙂
I believe that the National Party was swamped with messages from business leaders to stop stalling and join in. Bridges waited till the end of his speech before announcing agreement. Petty little boy.
PC gone mad.
https://twitter.com/RobbieGramer/status/1192046877497348097
EDITOR'S NOTE: An earlier version of this story accurately quoted the book as describing "PC" as standing for "politically correct" in characterizing certain Obama administration meetings. The author has since informed Fox News this was due to a misunderstanding between him and his source and that the initials referred to "Principals Committee."
https://www.foxnews.com/media/book-cia-staff-obama-white-house
From Wikipedia:
So, basically, the complaint is that there were too many meetings about national security policy issues.
"SHANE JONES may just have come up with a sure-fire MMP threshold-busting election strategy. He has committed NZ First to formulating a comprehensive “population policy”. If handled adroitly, this exercise will likely evoke a strong electoral response from “native” New Zealanders. Almost certainly powerful enough to guarantee the party’s return to Parliament."
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2019/11/07/has-shane-jones-just-saved-nz-first/
IF handled adroitly it may indeed do just that
It's not just going forward they need to worry about – NZF made promises prior to the last election in respect of immigration – if they give them up without a visible fight they'll shed a lot of support.
An unremarkable, moderate, 1970's-style social democrat is actually intent on mass murder. The derangement of elites is hugely funny, but dangerous too.