Open Mike 07/11/2017

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, November 7th, 2017 - 95 comments
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95 comments on “Open Mike 07/11/2017 ”

  1. Gristle 1

    Thinking about lost causes, what’s happening with the the prosecution of Kim Dotcom?

    We have had:
    ~ Search warrants found to be defective and then reinterpreted to be constructive.
    ~ The GSCB shown to have acted unlawfully by spying on him.
    ~ illegal bugging of him after his arrest that was said to have stopped, and then latter it was reavealed not to have stopped and continued for another month.
    ~ The then-police commissioner Peter Marshall sign an Agreement which would allow Dotcom to sue New Zealand if it emerged the FBI case against him was unfair and unfounded. (Dotcom has claimed the loss of Megaupload cost him more than $2 billion although others have argued the impact is far less…)
    ~ Dotcom has spent at least $10m on his legal defence so far, and the NZ Police will probably have spent at least $15m.
    ~ 5 days ago the NZ Police have backed down and reached a confidential settlement with Dotcom over their use of excessive force in undertaking the arrest, paying a six figure sum as settlement to him.
    ~ His arrest occurred in 2012: it’s now nearly 2018.

    And remember, this is all about deporting him for a crime that is not a crime in NZ. (Whereas the USA will not deport a US citizen Dean Fletcher to Tonga for a very real crime. Fletcher is the murder suspect for the killing of his wife on his yacht there. It stinks of being a case of “him white ‘merican, them not white and foreigners.”)

    Dotcom may not be the most likeable of people, but at what stage does the Government say to the NZ Police that there is a budget cap on this particular little cluster fuck. Is it time to say “Find a deal and get it done?”

    • Wayne 1.1

      This case has its own life, essentially independent of politics.

      I can’t imagine the Attorney General interfering in the case at this stage. That would be a blatant political interference in the independence of the police and the courts. Besides New Zealand, as a state party to an extradition treaty with the US, has formal obligations under the treaty to do everything to facilitate extraditions. Not the reverse, which is what you are proposing.

      The Court of Appeal is currently considering KDC’s appeal against his extradition, which was ordered by the District Court and which decision was approved in the High Court when KDC appealed.

      Whoever loses in the Court of Appeal is likely to go to the Supreme Court.

      If ultimately KDC’s extradition is confirmed, say around 2020, then the Minister of Justice has to actually decide to extradite. He/she, I am sure, will just go along with the court decision.

      But that ministerial decision is also judicially reviewable. So another round of proceedings, High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court (if the SC agrees to take the case). So lets say another 3 to 5 five years beyond 2020.

      However, it is not appropriate to give a particularly well heeled litigant the advantage of them spending money and getting hearings at every possible point on every single arguable issue, to be able to say, “stop the proceedings, it has taken too long”. That would be justice for sale.

      So no-one is going to give up now. Both parties, being KDC and NZ/US, have way too much invested in the case. And for the US, it is a case of “the FBI always gets its man” (even though they often don’t).

      The case will simply go through to its final end, even though it is likely to be a 12 to 13 year long legal saga.

      The benefits of unlimited resources (on both sides)!

      • Gristle 1.1.1

        Jennens v Jennens is not a situation that should be encouraged: 117 years of litigation before a draw was declared (due to insufficient funds.)

        NZ’s big investment in this case is in the political relationship with US. Having a new Government does create the opportunity to reset the situation.

        As to having a formal obligation to do “everything possible” to facilitate an extradition, this obviously does not mean everything. Anticipating this type of objection I had pointed to a very recent situation where the USA didn’t do go anywhere doing enough to to facilitate an extradition.

        Sooner or later this becomes a political decision in that the Minister has sign off on the extradition. Discretion is available at this point.

        • Wayne 1.1.1.1

          It would be very inappropriate for a Minister to cut across a decision of the Supreme Court (because if KDC is to be extradited it will be the result of a SC decision) and effectively block a extradition on political grounds.

          The only legitimate question for the Minister would be whether a person will get a fair trial. I can’t see a Minister suggesting US Federal courts are not independent courts applying the rule of law.

          So I would be amazed (and frankly appalled) if a Minister of Justice exercising an extradition authority acted in such a manner. It would make a mockery of his/her duty to uphold the law.

          • Wayne 1.1.1.1.1

            I would also note that KDC might win in the Supreme Court. In that case it is the end of the matter, and he gets to stay in New Zealand.

            So that is how the issue should be resolved; in the Supreme Court. If he wins in the SC he stays. If he loses he goes. A simple resolution to the case.

          • Gristle 1.1.1.1.2

            Spoken as a Law Commissioner. Just looking back at Parihaka and the actions of the Judiciary to accommodate political outcomes.

      • Wayne 1.1.2

        I would also note that it would be much harder in the US for a litigant as well heeled as KDC to delay the main proceedings by the number of interlocutory matters that KDC had. In the KDC case the various procedural hearings and associated appeals delayed the actual extradition hearing held in the District Court for 5 years.

        In the US the judge has much more control over what happens in the court, and unhappy parties just can’t go and appeal procedural decisions of the judge they don’t like. They have to accept the trial judges decision on such matters, and proceed with the substantive hearing. Only after that has happened can they appeal.

        I think that is because the US system is much more accustomed to dealing with very rich defendants, and doesn’t really let them game the system. That is why the the various criminal trials in New York following the GFC were all dealt within a year or so after the GFC. And most of the people charged were convicted and did jail time. As with New Zealand once convicted you immediately start your time, and have to appeal from inside the prison.

        In NZ the cases arising from GFC issues typically took a at least one or more years longer than in the US before they happened.

        • Gristle 1.1.2.1

          Enron collapsed in 2001. Ten years on US prosecutions were still being litigated.

          Other cases of well heeled defendants pushing cases out are easy to find with a Google search.

  2. Carolyn_nth 3

    Excellent news from Carmel Sepuloni – reported on RNZ:

    The government has confirmed it is dumping National’s controversial data-for-funding plan that would have forced groups like Women’s Refuge to hand over personal client details.

    Minister for Social Development Carmel Sepuloni said she was scrapping the plan because it was dangerous and unnecessary.

    Under the policy, which was meant to be in place from July, the National government made it a contractual requirement for providers to hand over the personal details – such as the names, birth dates and ethnicities of their clients.

    • Kay 3.1

      Excellent indeed. All small steps to overturn dangerous and petty (well it is petty, and just plain nasty) Natz policy are more than welcome. Keep at it!

  3. Carolyn_nth 4

    I submitted a comment under weka’s “Guns don’t shoot people…” post. It disappeared into the ether. Are comments under that post being fully moderated?

    • Carolyn_nth 4.1

      Oh. A second attempt to post a comment under that post went straight through. Don’t know what happened to the first one.

      • Bill 4.1.1

        Did the lost comment begin “Thanks, weka. I think there have been one or two women killing multiple people. But when I looked …”

        I just newly found it sitting in “trash”. I can’t send it back to Weka’s post, but can cut and paste it there if you want. (Don’t know why it would have gone to the “trash” folder btw)

        • lprent 4.1.1.1

          Probably got bumped in auto-moderation because Carolyn has a login as a subscriber on TS. Any comment that she writes when not logged in shows up as a probable attempt to impersonate a author and goes into auto-moderation

          Can I reiterate. If you have a login to the site, then please login. It causes issues for moderators if you don’t as they have to release all your comments. If you don’t know your password, then slip me a email with your handle and a valid email, and I’ll reset and send you a new password via email.

          Otherwise create a new identity

  4. odysseus 5

    If you have a bucket nearby , you could try this…

    https://youtu.be/zotdxQGCM0s

  5. eco maori 6

    In my view the best gift the world should give all Our small Island nations
    Is renewable energy and with this energy they will be able to have safe drinking water they could grow vegetables hydroponicly there are many low costs systems out there this could miter gate salt water leaching there land. And give them the research information to survive climate change humanly. With the education thing with OUR Australian cousins well the cost of living is so high here and the lack of houseing In my view coming here won’t be attractive.
    Ka pai

  6. Ed 8

    Kim Hill had English on the ropes this morning…..

    • One Anonymous Bloke 8.1

      Looks like he makes her skin crawl. Or something.

      Still skewered the lying scumbag though.

  7. veutoviper 9

    Today is a Big Day …

    1. It is the Commission Opening of Parliament starting at 11am (with the State opening tomorrow at 10.30am – could be fun seeing Trevor Mallard being ‘reluctantly’ dragged to the Speaker’s Chair.

    “The opening of Parliament consists of two ceremonies – the Commission Opening on Tuesday 7 November and the State Opening on Wednesday 8 November.

    The Commission Opening will take place at 11.00am on Tuesday 7 November. The Chief Justice, acting as a Royal Commissioner, will open Parliament so that members can be sworn in and a Speaker elected.

    The formal State Opening will be on the next day, Wednesday 8 November at 10.30am.

    The Speech from the Throne takes place at the State Opening when the Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy sets out the Labour-led Government’s intentions for the next three years.

    The public can watch both ceremonies in Parliament grounds or live on Parliament TV and RNZ.”
    http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1710/S00072/state-opening-of-the-52nd-parliament.htm

    2. Then the Melbourne Cup at 5pm – Jacinda is apparently having a bet according to Morning Report …

    3, If you have not had enough, then Jacinda Ardern on TVNZ1 at 8.30pm in The DNA Detectives finding her ancestors.

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11939688

  8. veutoviper 10

    Manus Island Update

    On a much more serious note, than my earlier comments here today, it is also a Big Day for the Manus Island refugees.

    The PNG Supreme Court (which in March this year ordered the closing of the Centre) is to rule today on the resumption of supplying power, food, water, medicines etc to the men remaining in the Centre. An application filed by a lawyer last week was heard by the Supreme Court yesterday. More here:

    http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/pacific/343232/court-decision-on-manus-detention-centre-services-due

    In the meantime the health of the men is deteriorating badly
    http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/343217/emergency-exposes-manus-island-healthcare-deficit

    http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/afternoons/audio/2018620560/the-health-of-the-manus-island-detainees

    RNZ is doing a good job of keeping up to date with the situation IMHO.

    Yesterday, I also found a regularly updated resource on Facebook for “from the horse’s mouth” reporting well worth reading – somewhat surprisingly the PNG Govt Today site.

    https://www.facebook.com/PNG-Govt-Today-1974657442816433/?ref=nf&hc_ref=ARTQH9l6DNb_R7OSY9bhIVhmGjs–Ud_lY49K7qKVxop5LDi-JSYneZy4ZOTmvHO9tI

    This contains a number of local PNG media reports yesterday on the situation – eg

    http://www.thenational.com.pg/asylum-seekers-claim-situation-worsening-manus/

    http://postcourier.com.pg/refugees-application-go-sir-salamo/

    It also contains this PNG govt photo and statement that did not give me much comfort re the refugee’s safety …

    https://www.facebook.com/1974657442816433/photos/a.1981407718808072.1073741828.1974657442816433/2008672982748212/?type=3&theater

    IMHO this is a disaster in waiting which needs to be sorted urgently – regardless of ideologies, rights and wrongs etc.

    • james 10.1

      “cause international embarrassment” to Australia if they do not accept an offer for New Zealand to take up to 150 people a year from offshore detention centres, Labour leader Andrew Little says.

      “If the Australians aren’t going to cooperate and allow New Zealand’s offer to assist – which is the right thing to do – then John Key should cause international embarrassment to Australia,” Little said today.

      “This is a time to step up and say, in an age of world wide humanitarian crises, one that is on our doorstep, one that involves our nearest neighbour physically and diplomatically then we need to be applying a bit of a stiff arm on it and say, ‘we can help.”

      So where is Labour on this now.

      Seems like Jacinda just rolled over and said “OK” – there certainly (as far as I have seen) been anything else she has done.

      Where is Andrew Little on this now? Kelvin Davis? nothing from them – do they find this acceptable now Jacinda is leaving the government.

      http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11730987

      • Johan 10.1.1

        James you are an idiot for making up stuff. Get your facts straight, what Ardern said about the Aussie rejection, was ” our offer is still on the table”.
        I do realize you are not a fond Labour supporter, but stop lying.

        • James 10.1.1.1

          Where have I lied. Where is the fight that labour had before on this issue ?

          Are they doing anything about it?

          • Johan 10.1.1.1.1

            “Seems like Jacinda just rolled over and said “OK” – there certainly (as far as I have seen) been anything else she has done.” As I said Ardern did not roll-over, the offer is still on the table. Australia don’t wan’t any detainees in New Zealand simply because they may end up across the ditch, some time in the future.

      • patricia bremner 10.1.2

        Bit of a “tell’ there James. Now Jacinda is leaving ? (leading)? government.

    • McFlock 10.2

      fingers crossed for them.

  9. eco maori 12

    Yep that pissed them off LOL you no what they can go and do

  10. And with that I’d say that you’re talking out your arse.

    [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.]

    • Puckish Rogue 13.1

      You, of course, have a much better idea than I so as such your opinion must be more valid than mine

      • Well, you’re the one who made the assertion in the first place – now you need to back it up.

        And, as always, No, you’re not entitled to your opinion:

        Secondly, I say something like this: “I’m sure you’ve heard the expression ‘everyone is entitled to their opinion.’ Perhaps you’ve even said it yourself, maybe to head off an argument or bring one to a close. Well, as soon as you walk into this room, it’s no longer true. You are not entitled to your opinion. You are only entitled to what you can argue for.”

        A bit harsh? Perhaps, but philosophy teachers owe it to our students to teach them how to construct and defend an argument – and to recognize when a belief has become indefensible.

        You may be right, I don’t know, but mere conjecture isn’t good enough.

  11. ScottGN 14

    Radio NZ reporting in the news that the government didn’t have enough MPs in the House today to ensure the election of Trevor Mallard as Speaker? A deal had to be cut with National, trading off the number of Select Committee places from 96 to 108. Pretty messy stuff.

      • Pete 14.1.1

        I was watching and guessed what was unfolding.

        It wasn’t just pretty messy stuff. I wasn’t just a big whoopsie. It was diabolical, inexcusable, it was beyond amateurish. The fact that so many weren’t there was inexcusable. Nothing at all should have had precedence over being in the House, anywhere in the world.

        They were expecting to kick the conversion when they hadn’t even scored the try.

        If the level of awareness is so low of what is likely to happen with that Opposition they may as well resign now.

        • weka 14.1.1.1

          wtaf?

          Was that Hipkin’s fault? Or the MPs who weren’t present?

        • Robert Guyton 14.1.1.2

          Mallard’s Speaker…but the Government has crow for dinner tonight.

        • ScottGN 14.1.1.3

          I’m trying to figure it out. Reports say the government was down 5 MPs (from 63 to 58) and Opposition was down 1 (from 58 to 57? So technically the government still had a majority?

          • veutoviper 14.1.1.3.1

            You are right – see my comment at 14.2.

          • Freddo 14.1.1.3.2

            That’s right Scott. I hate to say it but Bridges and the Nats bluffed and it worked. Jacinda and Hipkins were quite simply panicked possums in the headlights. They are going to have to do about 1000 percent better than that from tomorrow onwards or we are all in for some miserable times when parliament is sitting. Talk about amateur hour. And the Nats got the select committee MP numbers increased to 108 from 97 in the on-the-spot deal they talked Hipkins and Jacinda into on the floor of the house as a result of their bluff.

        • McFlock 14.1.1.4

          geez, chill, dude.

          Yeah, the whip screwed up. But it’s not like it was budget day or something.

          • weka 14.1.1.4.1

            You don’t think the numbers on select committees is very important? How come?

            • McFlock 14.1.1.4.1.1

              Did I say that?

              • weka

                I thought you implied that it wasn’t such a big deal, which is why I asked for clarification.

                • McFlock

                  It’s not a deal that was diabolical, double-inexcuseable, yadda yadda, no.

                  It was a fuckup that might make things more difficult in a select committee or two, but everything needs to go through the House anyway, ministers will still be able to regulate, and if the committee is particularly obstructive then urgency still exists.

                  It’s not the end of the government, and frankly I doubt it will particularly affect the government’s agenda.

                  On the flipside, if it had been a vote on welfare reform, or getting rid of the fire at will act or hobbit law, that would have been a major blow, delaying any reintroduction of that bill for the remainder of the year.

              • veutoviper

                No you did not say that! However, in fact, the small increase in select committee numbers from 96 to 108 will not make much difference as National are not the sole beneficiary of the 12 places. The increase is split almost evenly between National on the one hand, and Labour, NZF and the Greens on the other hand.

                As you said it was not like a vote on the Budget, or vote of confidence, and Mallard was still elected to Speaker unopposed. But several lessons learnt today, for example:

                1. The Labour, NZF and Green whips need to work very closely together to avoid a repeat.

                2. Check everything National says before accepting it.

    • veutoviper 14.2

      Yes, that certainly was messy.
      http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11941362

      The MPs not present were David Parker (L) , Winston Peters (NZF) , Poto Williams (L) , Priyanca Radhakrishanan (L), and Gareth Hughes (G).

      I wonder whether Parker (as Trade Minister) and Winston Peters (as Foreign Minister) were tied up with MFAT on TPP negotiation matters; or have already left for the APEC meetings which start in Vietnam tomorrow (8 Nov) with TPP negotiations happening on the sidelines. They were due to fly out with the PM either tomorrow night or Thursday morning.

      English and Co may have won that small concession on select committee numbers; but good ole Peters has today filed legal action against English, several other National Ministers, a couple of beaurocrats, and two journalists re the leak of information on his having been overpaid his superannuation.

      http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11941372

      UPDATE – RNZ is now reporting that Labour DID have the numbers to elect Mallard as Speaker but fell for National telling them that they did not have the numbers…. Dirty Politics anyone?

      • McFlock 14.2.1

        lol nah, fair cop. Someone’s in the schtuck.

        My guess is that the whips were looking to their own parties, and not too closely with their colleagues.

      • Whispering Kate 14.2.2

        If the Government carry on like this they won’t last to the end of their first term. They deserve this – Winston and Parker were valid absentees – where the hell were the other two that supposedly were missing – if they did have the correct numbers then surely they can tell National to get stuffed over the 108 select committee members they had to negotiate over – lying in the House surely is against the parliamentary laws.

        Cringe making – sorry folks but it just won’t cut it if they think they’re going to be able to combat the evil bastards on the other side of the House. They will be mincemeat.

        • James 14.2.2.1

          They didn’t lie – read the news reports. Labour just didn’t count their people.

          It’s hilarious.

        • Robert Guyton 14.2.2.2

          Gee, Whispering, you’re quick to doom-monger! Does getting caught out by National’s sneakiness really bode so ill? Mincemeat Nah!

          • McFlock 14.2.2.2.1

            Well, Kate is right, and so are you. It’s one of those “if these trends continue…” things.

            Unlike AGW, we have little reason to assume that these trends will continue. But then… Trump. So who knows?

            I suspect it was Hipkins who made the fuckup, because Hipkins seemed to do the negotiating. But maybe Hipkins wasn’t the one supposed to count. Either way, someone needs to stand up and take a rap across the knuckles, and smarten up. They’re in government now, they need to get up to speed quickly.

            I doubt it was habitual incompentence, probably more a change in pace that caught them wrong-footed. But still…

      • James 14.2.3

        That’s not dirty politics- it just labour cannot count. By god it’s laughable.

        • Robert Guyton 14.2.3.1

          It’s a passing giggle compared to the belly-laugh the election brought.
          Did Bridges play sneaky today?
          Or was it a genuine mistake on his part, claiming Labour had too few MPs in the House?
          Ummmm… I’d say, sneaky going by a number of indicators.

          • james 14.2.3.1.1

            “Or was it a genuine mistake on his part, claiming Labour had too few MPs in the House?”

            citation that he made that claim Robert?

            “However, in what is an embarrassing oversight for the new Government, at least five of its MPs were absent and things threatened to go pear-shaped when National MP and shadow leader of the House Simon Bridges raised a point of order, querying whether MPs who weren’t sworn-in could participate in the vote.”

            I cannot see anywhere that he made the claim you stated?

  12. Peroxide Blonde 15

    Disgusting.
    Demeaning.
    Embarrassing.
    Humiliating.
    And incorrect…*

    “I, Jacinda Kate Laurell Ardern, solemnly, sincerely, and truly declare and affirm that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth the Second, Her heirs and successors, according to law.”

    Did we campaign and vote for our Labour PM to swear allegiance to a foreign monarch rather than than The People of New Zealand?

    When can we stop this trite insulting infuriating shite?

    I look forward to Labour immediately scrapping the knight and dame garbage that the Natz reintroduced.
    I look forward to Labour declaring Aotearoa an Independent republic with an elected Head of State.

    *NZs current head of state is the monarch of the UK. There was no Queen Elizabeth the First of the United Kingdom. There was one for England and Ireland from 1558 to 1603.

    • Enough is Enough 15.1

      “I look forward to Labour declaring Aotearoa an Independent republic with an elected Head of State”

      Yeah because Labour has the mandate for that tiny constitutional change???

      Are you going to consult one of the two signatories to the treaty before doing so. I think Maori may have a fairly strong view on your republican opinion.

  13. This is what happens when vaccination levels aren’t good enough:

    A runaway mumps outbreak in the Auckland region is likely to continue into next year, as plans are put in place for a nationwide response.

    Low vaccination rates, particularly among 10-29 year olds is fuelling the sky rocketing numbers.

    This is a good article on the added costs of measles:

    On that FB thread about dropping vaccination rates in New Zealand, one commenter proudly proclaimed that she and her four children had all had measles. Over in a week, no problems, stop yer whining.

    Well, lovely for her – and if the illness indeed lasted only a week per person then they were lucky; 7-10 days is the norm for uncomplicated measles. But measles infection carries a range of costs and risks, about which she seemed blissfully ignorant. Or couldn’t care less; on that thread, it was hard to tell sometimes.

    It then goes on to detail all the added costs of having the measles.

    • Stunned Mullet 16.1

      All still fall out from that fraud Wakefield.

      • Andre 16.1.1

        There was a pretty hard core of anti-vax kooks long before Wakefield’s lies. But fuck me, Wakefield certainly managed to inflate it from a minor lunatic fringe nuisance into a full-blown public-health problem.

  14. James 17

    NZ Herald on how the new government looked today.

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11941411

    Guess the news tonight will be the new government looking stupid on day 1.

    • McFlock 17.1

      once bitten, twice shy.

    • Robert Guyton 17.2

      Or National looking sneaky. Either way, it’s unbecoming. Minor glitch though, like getting stung by one hornet and noticing the nest you were about to step on. I guess we should thank Sneaky Simon 🙂

      • james 17.2.1

        Its not looking sneaky – its just shows when there is such a large opposition how they can make life difficult for the government, and that they really intend to.

        • blueyed1 17.2.1.1

          maybe it’s about time James the national party grew up and realize they are not in high school anymore, they are a party of has been’s so desperate to cling to power, it is not about people at all but there own ego’s and what they get out of it, Collins and Bennett people loath those two, I personally loath the whole party actually, none of them of them have any scruples

          • james 17.2.1.1.1

            No – not in high school – agreed.

            However if Labour was smart enough to count to a high school level – then they wouldn’t have made this stupid mistake.

            Now National have the majority in 7 of the 12 select committees.

        • Sacha 17.2.1.2

          It is not a “large opposition” – actually one seat smaller than in the last term. However a govt that cannot count looks foolish, yes.

      • blueyed1 17.2.2

        simple simon met a pieman

        • james 17.2.2.1

          “Simple Simon met a pieman”,
          trying to elect a speaker;
          Says Simple Simon to the pieman,
          Ill take all the select committee seats we want”

          It dosnt rhyme, but its the end result.

  15. Morrissey 18

    Ten Reasons We Got Rid of National
    No. 3: Dr. Jian Yang

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11937380

  16. mary_a 19

    Being a strong opposition for Natz, is playing dirty politics. It’s all it knows.

    As it is now a proven fact government did actually after all have the numbers over Natz for the Speaker vote, why isn’t it possible to withdraw the select committees deal?

    Today’s events I’m sure will be a wake up call for the government to be even more alert for the expected Natz cesspit of murk and filth to raise its odorous stench to score points.

    Sore losers Natz obviously still stinging badly about being sent to the opposition benches!

    • james 19.1

      So Mary_A – nobody said that they didnt have the numbers, so nobody has ever disputed the fact you are pointing out.

      Bridges asked if people who were not sworn in could vote.

      Labour are bumbling idiots, who couldn’t count and panicked. But at no point in this did Bridges tell a lie.

      So no dirty politics – its incompetence.

      But a great result on the select committee seats !

  17. mauī 20

    Mediaz having a poor property investor moment saying they might not be able to afford to stuff some basic insulation in a house and provide just one source of heating for their tenants.

    No talk of how a family could be freezing to death in there, no just how the investor could shock horror lose everything with these additional costs and how the bastard investors would make the tenants pay for it.

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/homed/houses/98628647/proposed-changes-spell-trouble-for-young-landlord

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    Buzz from the Beehive Housing Minister Chris Bishop delivered news – packed with the ingredients to enflame political passions – worthy of supplanting Winston Peters in headline writers’ priorities. He popped up at the post-Cabinet press conference to promise a crackdown on unruly and antisocial state housing tenants. His ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 hours ago
  • Will it make the boat go faster?
    Ele Ludemann writes – The Reserve Bank is advertising for a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion advisor. The Bank has one mandate – to keep inflation between one and three percent. It has failed in that and is only slowly getting inflation back down to the upper limit. Will it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 hours ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi The fact that a ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    6 hours ago
  • Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Bryce Edwards writes – Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 hours ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' at 10:10am on Tuesday, March 19
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Gavin Jacobson talks to Thomas Piketty 10 years on from Capital in the 21st Century The SalvoLocal scoop: Green MP’s business being investigated over migrant exploitation claims Stuff Steve KilgallonLocal deep-dive: The commercial contractors making money from School ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 hours ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things on Tuesday, March 19
    It’s a home - but Kāinga Ora tenants accused of “abusing the privilege” may lose it. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government announced a crackdown on Kāinga Ora tenants who were unruly and/or behind on their rent, with Housing Minister Chris Bishop saying a place in a state ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    7 hours ago
  • New Life for Light Rail
    This is a guest post by Connor Sharp of Surface Light Rail  Light rail in Auckland: A way forward sooner than you think With the coup de grâce of Auckland Light Rail (ALR) earlier this year, and the shift of the government’s priorities to roads, roads, and more roads, it ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    8 hours ago
  • Why Are Bosses Nearly All Buffoons?
    Note: As a paid-up Webworm member, I’ve recorded this Webworm as a mini-podcast for you as well. Some of you said you liked this option - so I aim to provide it when I get a chance to record! Read more ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    10 hours ago
  • Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6.06 pm on March 18
    TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    22 hours ago
  • Peters holds his ground on co-governance, but Willis wriggles on those tax cuts and SNA suspension l...
    Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago
  • Labour’s final report card
    David Farrar writes –  We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how  went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promise The result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • “Drunk Uncle at a Wedding”
    I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on Dune 2, and images of Islam
    Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
    1 day ago
  • New Rail Operations Centre Promises Better Train Services
    Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
    1 day ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things at 6.36am on Monday, March 18
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    1 day ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to March 25 and beyond
    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 day ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    1 day ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    1 day ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    4 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    5 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    5 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    5 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • There’s a name for this
    Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • Echoes of 1968 in 2024?  Pocock on the repetitive problems of the New Left
    Mike Grimshaw writes – Recent events in American universities point to an underlying crisis of coherent thinking, an issue that increasingly affects the progressive left across the Western world. This of course is nothing new as anyone who can either remember or has read of the late ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Two bar blues
    The thing about life’s little victories is that they can be followed by a defeat.Reader Darryl told me on Monday night:Test again Dave. My “head cold” last week became COVID within 24 hours, and is still with me. I hear the new variants take a bit longer to show up ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 13
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Angus Deaton on rethinking his economics IMFLocal scoop: The people behind Tamarind, the firm that left a $500m cleanup bill for taxpayers at Taranaki’s Tui oil well, are back operating in Taranaki under a different company name. Jonathan ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • AT Need To Lift Their Game
    Normally when we talk about accessing public transport it’s about improving how easy it is to get to, such as how easy is it to cross roads in a station/stop’s walking catchment, is it possible to cycle to safely, do bus connections work, or even if are there new routes/connections ...
    6 days ago
  • Christopher's Whopper.
    Politicians are not renowned for telling the truth. Some tell us things that are verifiably not true. They offer statements that omit critical pieces of information. Gloss over risks, preferring to offer the best case scenario.Some not truths are quite small, others amusing in their transparency. There are those repeated ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago

  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    24 hours ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
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