It is likely the health and well-being of the baby will be improved the further he is removed from Sue Grey and Liz Gunn.
Indeed.
On 25 November 2022, having not heard back from Baby W’s parents
formally, another meeting was organised. Dr Finucane said this meeting was hijacked
by the parents’ support person who proceeded to pressurise the specialists with her
theory about conspiracies in New Zealand and even said that deaths in infants getting
transfusions were occurring in Starship Hospital. Dr Finucane said that after some
minutes, the specialists asked to leave and ended up walking out of the meeting with
the support person continuing to try to talk to them. As a result, they were unable to
explain their position to the parents.
Someone, somewhere criticised the medical team for failing to explain the tranfusion procedure to the parents. Can't locate where I saw it.
The medical team tried and were undermined by an anti-vaxxer at a meeting arranged to do just that. They had to walk out in the end with the anti-vaxxer haranguing them as they left.
The judgment issued by Justice Gault last night outlined how doctors tried to work with the parents but the relationship eventually broke down.
He referenced a meeting on 25 November between Starship Hospital's paediatric cardiac surgeon in chief and other specialists.
"Dr [Kirsten] Finucane said this meeting was hijacked by the parents' support person who proceeded to pressurise the specialists with her theory about conspiracies in New Zealand and even said that deaths in infants getting transfusions were occurring in Starship Hospital," Justice Gault said in the judgement.
Reading between the lines, it looks like the probable anti-vaxxer was the mad conspiracist, Liz Gunn.
They have tried to prevent the Drs from doing prep work for the baby's op tomorrow.
Justice Gault has had to make new rulings
"I extend the appointment of [the doctors] as agents of the Court for the purpose of enabling [the baby's] surgery to proceed, including enabling the necessary pre-operative procedures. The respondents are not to obstruct health staff in this regard."
Yes, I saw that. It seems the parents threatened the doctors that if they so much as touched the baby they would lay criminal charges against them. Unbelievable!
I find it impossible to hold this couple in anything but contempt. They are the ones playing Russian roulette with their baby's life.
1) No amount of excuses along the lines they are loving parents who believe they are right cuts it for me. They are out of their tiny minds and everybody bar a group of mad conspiracists knows it.
2) To treat two of NZ's top paediatricians like that is unforgivable. Who do they think they are?
As for the few dozen protesters outside. They are easily dealt with. Call in a fire truck to give em a good soaking. Give everyone a good laugh and we need as many laughs as we can get these days. 😉
Thomas Coughlan is a weasel. His column today is a copy of Luxon's lame attempt in QT yesterday, to crash the credibility of Ardern and Nahuta over the entrenchment clause. He avoids dealing with the facts of course.
Entrenchment was discussed in Labour Caucus and it was decided to not use it.
The Greens however inserted the 60% entrenchment into the Bill as an SOP. They all voted on it then discovered its existence after experts queried is suitability.
The Government decided to abandon/withdraw the entrenchment. What Coughlan and Luxon fail to say is that the entrenchment was not a Labour SOP. It was a Green SOP.
So how can Mahuta and or Ardern be held accountable for a Green SOP?
Coughlan is a small, obedient cog in a machine (business, private media, right-wing think-tanks, Nact) that has been determined, since their humiliation in 2020, to take down the government and rewrite the history of the pandemic. It has been an unprecedented effort and I would expect no less from them.. The goverment has given them far too much to work with.
The Greens however inserted the 60% entrenchment into the Bill as an SOP. They all voted on it then discovered its existence after experts queried is suitability.
It's been linked before from Hansard – the SOP voting was specifically identified as an entrenchment at 60%.
CHAIRPERSON (Greg O'Connor): Members, we're about to vote on an amendment which is a proposal for entrenchment requiring a 60 percent majority for repeal or amendment of the entrenched provision. Under Standing Order 270, this proposal must be carried by that majority. Therefore, this amendment must be agreed by a 60 percent majority, which would be 72 members. The question is that the Hon Eugenie Sage's amendment to insert new Subpart 4A into Part 6, set out on Supplementary Order Paper 285, be agreed to.
A party vote was called for on the question, That the amendment be agreed to.
The most charitable explanation is that the Government was just operating on autopilot in the House. But, you can't argue that they only discovered its existence later.
No one is blaming Mahuta, Ardern or Hipkins for the Greens putting up a SOP (good on the GP for having a go – and highlighting the issue).
The blame is being attributed because Labour then party-voted for the SOP entrenchment provision.
Really Hipkins (as leader of the House) and Mahuta (as the Minister responsible) carry the responsibility, here. It's Mahuta's job to liaise with Hipkins over any SOPs presented by other parties, and determine whether the Government should or should not support them.
In my view, the real culprit over this is dealing with a highly complex issue under Urgency – which limits the committee stages, and results in rushed legislation.
Does anyone know if Chris Hipkins was in the House at the time, I am just wondering as to who cast the Labour votes. O'Connor was Chair of the Committee, but it goes from there to the House when votes are cast. Is it, Mahuta as Minister?
I read that Te Maori Party also didn't vote for it.
It will be interesting to see the next poll results now that this bill has passed.
I am predicting that Three Waters is the hill Labour are willing to die on for, which is puzzling. Whatever one’s opinions are about Three Waters and whatever its merits or otherwise, there is very little support for it (no links Iam sorry, just my impression) and a significant number of voters are unhappy with it. Unhappy enough to desert Labour. Just my opinion.
It's much ado about nothing imo… a molehill turned into a mountain by NACT and their media acolytes in an effort to fool the voters into believing it is going to be detrimental to them. Its going to be nothing of the sort.
When you ask the nay sayers, they mumble something about… taking away the rights of the local people to determine what should be done, or that the government wants to control everything, or some other obtuse claim that makes little sense.
Look what happens when you rely on local councils. They sit on their chuffs and do nothing. Its the reason why the country's overall water problems has become urgent.
POLITICS12:56 pm today
Greens pull Three Waters support, citing lack of protection against privatisation
12:56 pm today
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Nanaia MahutaNanaia Mahuta, the minister driving the reforms. Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver
The Green Party has withdrawn its support for the Three Waters legislation at the third and final reading, saying there’s not enough protection against the water assets being sold.
“The bill has been passed by Parliament, but Labour was the only party to vote in support, using its majority to get it over the line.”
Sorry about the additional material POLITICS12.56etc. Can’t seem to remove it from the copy and paste
I might have read this wrong, but I interpreted it as being that it was only Labour who voted for the bill.
Belladonna, yes thats right. Green and Lab voted for the 60% entrenchment and how I read it the greens didn't support the overall bill because it didn't contain the entrenchment clause.
No. It was passed – being party-voted for by Greens and Labour. National and ACT opposed it.
I'm not quite sure what you mean by "What does that prove?"
It seems to me that it proves that Labour were either not paying attention to the business of the House; or that they actually were in favour of entrenchment, and back-pedalled when it became politically unpopular.
I don't think that I've seen any accusation that Mahuta broke Cabinet rules. In fact, she's specifically come out and said that she raised the entrenchment issue with Caucus – as she's required to do – and that it was discussed.
I do think that she had an obligation to raise the SOP (once it was presented by the Greens with the 60% entrenchment figure) with Hipkins – to ensure that Labour were voting according to agreed policy. I'm more on-the-fence about whether she should have spoken in favour of entrenchment – as her job is to present the Government's position (which was, according to Ardern, that entrenchment was a 'mistake')
Parliament can also wear some blame for not amending Standing Order 270 at some point to be clear about when entrenchment should be used. This is all it currently says:
270 Entrenched provisions
(1) A proposal for entrenchment must itself be carried in a committee of the whole House by the majority that it would require for the amendment or repeal of the provision to be entrenched.
(2) A proposal for entrenchment is any provision in a bill or amendment to a bill that would require that that provision or amendment or any other provision can be amended or repealed only by a majority of more than 50 percent plus one of all the members of the House.
Yes Shanreagh, ensuring water remains in public hands is a no-brainer, IMO.
But this is something the left can hammer the Natz and Act on come election time. The public is firmly opposed to selling the family silver, and even more so something as essential to life as water.
Act won't budge – they're all for privatisation.
The Natz probably will, because all they care about is being in power. But their equivocal position will (I hope) be pounced on by Labour and the Greens.
If in 2023 Labour get back into power, Mahuta will be recognised as delivering the most substantive and nation-shaping reform of the last two terms.
If in 2023 Labour don't get in, Mahuta will be recognised as being white-anted by Labour's leadership on truly country-altering reform, and when it came to third reading decided to knife her.
Or, if Labour don’t get back in in 2023, and 3 waters is dumped, NZ will have dodged the biggest bullet in the history of big bullets, apart from the costs to date of implementing and trying to sell this dog of an idea.
Bryce bloody Edwards is the one who needs to go. Look who he quotes from:
Couglan, HdPA plus a couple of pot shots from the vengeful Peter Dunne whom nobody has missed.
The Herald describes Edwards as a "political analyst". He's a right wing shill who relies on third rate journalistic philistines for their contorted 'thinks'. He rarely produces an original thought himself.
And he thinks her can read the minds of the PM, her ministers and caucus members. Pfft… he's a sham.
How it's going; 1 in 10 Swedes have been ill for over 12 months and 1 in 100 Swedes have severely limited lives.
Yikes! 🇸🇪 Translation: Novus Corona status 1.1 million Swedes have a long-term illness that is not a confirmed chronic illness, of these 500,000 Swedes have been ill for over 12 months. 100,000 indicates severely limited life. . Read more here, we also look at the symptoms: https://t.co/k2wqLDot0y
— Lee Welton Croll PhD CPsych (ret) CPsychol (ret), (@Lee_CrollPhD) December 5, 2022
Those are staggering numbers, enough to severely disable their economy, go figure.
Let's not forget the mealy mouthed losers in National and Act doing everything they could to stop our world class response. The pressure on Ardern and the Government was ENORMOUS and they did not cave. How shrill were the calls to abolish MIQ. FFS!
Yet media dropkicks still try to portray the PM as 'weak' for listening to others genuine complaints on other issues.
She faced facts, dealt in facts, got attacked endlessly.
Shameful how we tolerate such dishonesty and viciousness in public discourse.
If we don't wake TF up we'll have a severely disabled economy of our own.
I went to check up on the Aussie tourist we gave Covid anti virals to on Saturday. He didnt ring the MOH to report his positive test. He didnt tell the motel owner he was Covid positive. He didnt isolate. He checked out on Sunday & continued his holiday. No wonder numbers are up.
I've seen a fair bit of nonsense tabled here for discussion. Some posters seem to be having culture wars all by themselves. It's idiocy is what it is, the reason many don't and won't play is you are just making twits of yourselves.
I don't know how you are using the term 'culture wars' (because you didn't say). But the obvious issue this week is gender identity vs sex in sport. Do you believe that male bodied people should be allowed to compete in women's sport against females where those sports involve physicality that usually separates male and female classes?
If you want to run the argument that there is no culture war, you'll be hard pressed to explain what is going on with the sex/gender wars.
I will totally make assumptions based on what I see here. Make your political argument, and don't complain if people point out the problems of you refusing to make your argument.
Not watching a random video if you can't be bothered explaining your thinking. We're not mind readers.
You both willingly or not emphasise the point exactly. I post a comedians take on culture wars being generated out of thin air and it's turned into a culture war out of thin air.
The word terf was a play on turf, the presence of puns was even emphasised.
Pathetic. Barking at passing cars, calling it commentary.
Wow. Post about people making much ado about nothing and you sure did make much ado. Now this Visubvera character's concerned if I might use the N word and you about the slide in women's rights.
What in the actual fuck is wrong with you?
Yes I slagged off some posters, the extremes of left and right bringing their imaginary wars that we see popping up here. As described in the video as described. You asshole. You are the one put your hand up to start shit over nothing – as described.
Find some more things to accuse me of, you fucking idiot.
It is not imaginary to those of us who have to deal with a homophobic and misogynistic ideology that is bent on capturing the levers of the state for it's promotion.
Mate, you're the one that started talking about culture wars on a political blog whose kaupapa is robust debate. This isn't your FB page, if you don't want an argument, don't make in your face comments.
DB Brown. "Wow. Post about people making much ado about nothing"
Except it wasn't that. It was pretty provocative and rude on your behalf "I've seen a fair bit of nonense tabled here".
"Its idiocy that's what it is"
"The anti woke aka the gullible tossers". So your statements don't indicate that you think it is much ado about nothing.
When people challenge you, you then respond "don't drag me into your terf wars".
and "You arsehole. you are the one put your hand up to start shit over nothing"
Um no. You put up a video clip, which actually to me seems to be more about the media using arguements as click bait and the cyclic nature of that, which is kept going by rage. Then a denial of what the actual issues are. I don't mind the guy doing this, cause he is a comedian. I wouldn't regard it as good social analysis.
But you posted it with some pretty provocative put downs of what you refer to as anti woke. Your entitled to have anti, anti woke sentiment, but I am won’t give it much time unless there are some reasonable arguements that go with it.
Wouldn't the people trying to force change upon the culture (often by authoritarian means like the brutal force of the state) be the ones guilty of starting culture wars not the ones pushing back against the forced change?
If the first group wasn't trying to force a culture war there'd be nothing for the second group to push back against.
Upper middle class identitarians who benefit from neoliberalism need to stop high jacking left wing movements and calling our voting bases and our activists names for wanting to debate issues before we use the brutal force of the state, upper middle class identitarians will support the most insanely radical vote losing social policy but then put the breaks on the most moderate socdem economic reform for being crazy because the bourgeois mofos don't care about the poor.
The left is about us.we.ours and we love debate
The right is about me.i. my and hates debate.
People focused on their singular identity (me, I, my) and social justice over class and economic justice and are economically upper middle class and don't want any wealth distribution policies only social policies aren't left wing.
It's time we called woke what it really is: militant authoritarian individualist neoliberalism masquerading as progressivism
Nailed it again Corey. Spot on. I would add that even without brutal force of the state, in the case of gender ideology, shutting down gender critical feminists public talks (leading to these women having to go to the high court to hold their meetings), accusing people of transphobia and writing them off as bigots has had a chilling effect. The gender ideology people won't engage in the arguements, i.e no debate.
I suspect the comedian that DH Brown posted is either randomly scrambling for any sort of angle on anything, or he is in denial, or trying to encourage others to be in denial
“The bill was opposed by National and ACT, both of which have promised to repeal the reforms. It was also opposed for the first time by the Green Party, as the public ownership of water assets would not be entrenched in law as the party hoped, and by the Māori Party as it fell short of proper “co-governance” “
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer said her party also opposed the bill, but primarily because it did not implement co-governance and ignored Māori self-determination, tino rangatiratanga.
“Public water infrastructure absolutely should not be sold off, but it also doesn’t need to be entrenched.
“It needs to be returned to its rightful kaitiaki—its owners; tangata whenua—who, as many hapū and iwi remind today, would have ensured that we could still drink, collect kai, and swim in the wai.”
Ngarewa-Packer said the “conservative race-baiting campaign run by right-wing extremists and misinformation” had whipped up opposition to the point people did not understand what the reforms proposed.
“They do not even guarantee Māori representation, let alone iwi representation, on the actual governance entities.
“While iwi and councils will both appoint a body that then appoints the entities, these degrees of separation are designed to limit Māori power through not creating precedents or co-governance.”
Ngarewa-Packer said they wanted negotiations to see between Government and hapū and iwi on Māori rights and interests in water.
“What we see now is reform that is weak. Our wai is in crisis, and we need transformation, not tinkering.”
So from what I am reading – the Greens didn't support because there is no protection from water being being privatised – and the MP didn't support because they say the water is all theirs.
I thought I was reading what Debbie Ngawara-Packer was saying:
“It needs to be returned to its rightful kaitiaki—its owners; tangata whenua
Of course this hinges on the meaning to the word kaitiaki; which translates to mean 'guardianship, trustee, caretaker'.
Given that the 3W legislation gives local Maori exclusive rights to issue Te Mana o Te Wai statements that confer exactly this guardianship role – then it seems Ngawara-Packer must have a quite different meaning of the word kaitiaki in mind. Something a lot closer to full control or ownership it would seem.
Oddly enough though, maybe she has a point. Checking out the Three Waters website I found this page that was quite explicit about the role of iwi in Three Waters management – has now been deleted:
I think the obvious point that has been made here, is along with pat's reference to MP policy below at 8.3.1.2.1, that at least some Maori activists regard all water as belonging to them – in an undiluted proprietorial private ownership sense.
"The Māori Party position is to honour the rangatira and kaitiaki rights and interests of mana whenua over freshwater. In a Western rights framework, this can be expressed as proprietary rights, customary rights, and decision-making rights, or put more simply, ownership. The whakapapa connection between tangata whenua and wai Māori is intrinsic and inextricable."
Thanks Pat. I'm never entirely comfortable when Māori feel the need to explain these concepts in 'western' terms, particularly as my understanding is Māori did not have any concept of 'ownership' in a western sense in pre-European times. That’s what I meant by ‘nuanced’.
I made the mistake of visiting TheDailytelegraph.co.nz this morning.
It would appear to be the voice of the conspiracy theorists/voices for freedom. The link was via something outrageous that Liz Gunn said last year. It should not come as a surprise though that Winston Peters has gone in to bat for the parents of the child who are demanding unvaccinated blood.
Now Peters needs 5% to get back into parliament. Given that the anti vaccination group numbers at least 5% then, added to his usual hangers on, Peters romps in.
Newshub is like the source of conspiracy theories.
Bridges and Green spent their time ridiculing the facts presented by Kiri who yesterday, by the use of a graph, showed the facts of falling crime rates from the time of National to the present time. (Saw the replay of Bridge/Green's ridiculous theories reactions onTwitter.)
Their consensus was that the facts don't matter. If people feel scared on the streets and in their homes, the fact that the trend of crime is downward is trumped by perception.
Wonder if the endless media fear-mongering by the over reporting of crime/violence, has an effect on the people? I despise Bridges and Newshub.
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In 2005, then-National Party leader based his entire election campaign on racism, with his infamous racist Orewa speech and racist iwi/kiwi billboards. Now, Christopher Luxon seems to want to do it all again: Fresh off using his platform at this week's Rātana celebrations to criticise the government's approach to ...
It’s a big day for New Zealand; our 41st Prime Minister has taken office and the new, “Chippy” era of politics is underway. Or, on the other hand, the Labour Party continues to govern with an overall majority and much the same leadership team in place. Life goes on and ...
NewsHub has a poll on the cost-of-living crisis, which has an interesting finding: the vast majority of kiwis prefer wage rises to tax cuts: When asked whether income has kept up with the cost of living, 54.8 percent of people surveyed said no and according to 58.6 percent of ...
Labour has begun 2023 with the centre-left bloc behind in the polls and losing ground. That being so, did his colleagues choose Chris Hipkins as the replacement for Jacinda Ardern because they think he has a realistic shot at leading them to victory this year, or because he‘s the best ...
This is a re-post from the Citizens' Climate Lobby blogIn last year’s passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), Congress included about $20 billion earmarked for natural climate solutions. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is responsible for deciding how those funds should be allocated to meet the climate ...
Two Flags, Two Masters? Just as it required a full-scale military effort to destroy the first attempt at Māori self-government in the 1850s and 60s (an effort that divided Maoridom itself into supporters and opponents of the Crown) any second attempt to establish tino rangatiratanga, based on the confiscatory policies ...
You’ve really got to wonder at the introspection, or lack thereof, from much of the mainstream media post Jacinda Ardern stepping down. Some so-called journalists haven’t even taken a breath before once again putting the boot in, which clearly shows their inherent bias and lack of any misgivings about fueling ...
Over the weekend I was interviewed by a media outlet about the threats that Jacinda Ardern and her family have received while she has been PM and what can be […] ...
A Different Kind Of Vibe: In the days and weeks ahead, as the Hipkins ministry takes shape, the only question that matters is whether New Zealand’s new prime minister possesses both the wisdom and the courage to correct his party’s currently suicidal political course. If Chris “Chippy” Hipkins is able to steer ...
Going to try to get into the blogging thing again (ha!) what with anew PM, an election coming up and all that.So today I thought I'd start small and simple, by merely tackling the world's (second) richest man.I am not suggesting Elon Musk literally light this fire. But he is ...
Well, that was a disappointment. As of today, the New Zealand Labour Caucus opted for Chris Hipkins as our new Prime Minister, and I cannot help but let loose a cynical cackle. ...
Things have gone sideways… and it’s only the third week of January? It was political earthquake time. For some the Prime Minister made a truly significant announcement. For others – did you have this on your bingo card? – a body double did so (sit tight, you’ll understand later, ...
People complain about their jobs being meaningless. Does it matter?David Graeber, author of Bullshit Jobs: The Rise of Pointless Work and What We Can Do About It, would have smiled at Elon Musk’s sacking half the Twitter workforce. Musk seems to be confirming the main thesis of the book, that ...
I warned about the trap of virtue signaling in my article Virtue signaling over Ukraine. This video is still relevant – but have we moved on since then? The Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 was universally condemned at the time. Or was it? Certainly, the political atmosphere ...
Open access notables Bad news delivered by an all-star cast of familiar researchers: Another Year of Record Heat for the Oceans. From the abstract: In 2022, the world’s oceans, as given by OHC, were again the hottest in the historical record and exceeded the previous 2021 record maximum. According to IAP/CAS data, ...
One of my earliest political memories is the resignation of Prime Minister David Lange in August 1989. I remember this because of a brown felt-tipped pen drawing I did of the Beehive, the building that houses the Executive of the New Zealand Government. More than thirty years later, we ...
She gave it her all. No New Zealand Prime Minister has ever dominated the political scene at home as she has done, or has established an international profile to match hers. No New Zealand Prime Minister has had to confront such a sequence of domestic and international catastrophes – from ...
Jacinda Ardern's shock resignation announcement today has left a lot of us with a lot of complicated feelings. In my case, while I've been highly critical of Ardern's government, I'm still sorry to see her go. We've had far too many terrible things happen during her term as Prime Minister ...
The decision by Jacinda Ardern to end her term as Prime Minister on February 7 has come as a stunning surprise. It turns the task of a centre-left government winning re-election this year from difficult to nigh on impossible. No-one else among the Labour caucus has Ardern’s ability to explain ...
Jacinda Ardern’s first press conference as Labour leader in August 2017 was a defining moment in the past decade of New Zealand politics. A young woman (by the standards of politics) who had long been tipped for higher office, she had underperformed as a shadow minister and Andrew Little’s noble ...
An Astonishing Rapport: Jacinda Ardern's "Politics of Kindness" raised so many progressive possibilities. Her own tragedy, and New Zealand's, is that so few of them were realised.MUCH WILL BE WRITTEN in the coming days about "The Ardern Years", some of it sympathetic and insightful, most of it spiteful and wrong.For ...
The Herald this morning reports on the rich's efforts to buy this year's election. And you'll never guess who their chosen vehicle is: The National Party may start election year with a $2.3 million war chest raised from 24 big donors in 2022, while Labour has declared just $150,000 ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Sarah Wesseler You walk into your kitchen to make pasta. After filling a pot with water, you place a small silicone mat in the middle of your counter, then set the pot above it and open a stovetop app on your phone. ...
You know it as well as I, the famous Ring Verse from The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien: Three Rings for the Elven Kings under the sky Seven for the Dwarf Lords in their halls of stone Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die One ...
Kia ora e te whānau. Today, we mark the anniversary of the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi - and our commitment to working in partnership with Māori to deliver better outcomes and tackle the big issues, together. ...
We’ve just announced a massive infrastructure investment to kick-start new housing developments across New Zealand. Through our Infrastructure Acceleration Fund, we’re making sure that critical infrastructure - like pipes, roads and wastewater connections - is in place, so thousands more homes can be built. ...
The Green Party is joining more than 20 community organisations to call for an immediate rent freeze in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, after reports of landlords intending to hike rents after flooding. ...
When Chris Hipkins took on the job of Prime Minister, he said bread and butter issues like the cost of living would be the Government’s top priority – and this week, we’ve set out extra support for families and businesses. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to provide direct support to low-income households and to stop subsidising fossil fuels during a climate crisis. ...
The tools exist to help families with surging costs – and as costs continue to rise it is more urgent than ever that we use them, the Green Party says. ...
Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta departs for India tomorrow as she continues to reconnect Aotearoa New Zealand to the world. The visit will begin in New Delhi where the Foreign Minister will meet with the Vice President Hon Jagdeep Dhankar and her Indian Government counterparts, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and ...
Over $10 million infrastructure funding to unlock housing in Whangārei The purchase of a 3.279 hectare site in Kerikeri to enable 56 new homes Northland becomes eligible for $100 million scheme for affordable rentals Multiple Northland communities will benefit from multiple Government housing investments, delivering thousands of new homes for ...
A memorial event at a key battle site in the New Zealand land wars is an important event to mark the progress in relations between Māori and the Crown as we head towards Waitangi Day, Minister for Te Arawhiti Kelvin Davis said. The Battle of Ohaeawai in June 1845 saw ...
More Police officers are being deployed to the frontline with the graduation of 54 new constables from the Royal New Zealand Police College today. The graduation ceremony for Recruit Wing 362 at Te Rauparaha Arena in Porirua was the first official event for Stuart Nash since his reappointment as Police ...
The Government is unlocking an additional $700,000 in support for regions that have been badly hit by the recent flooding and storm damage in the upper North Island. “We’re supporting the response and recovery of Auckland, Waikato, Coromandel, Northland, and Bay of Plenty regions, through activating Enhanced Taskforce Green to ...
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has welcomed the announcement that Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, Princess Anne, will visit New Zealand this month. “Princess Anne is travelling to Aotearoa at the request of the NZ Army’s Royal New Zealand Corps of Signals, of which she is Colonel in Chief, to ...
A new Government and industry strategy launched today has its sights on growing the value of New Zealand’s horticultural production to $12 billion by 2035, Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor said. “Our food and fibre exports are vital to New Zealand’s economic security. We’re focussed on long-term strategies that build on ...
25 cents per litre petrol excise duty cut extended to 30 June 2023 – reducing an average 60 litre tank of petrol by $17.25 Road User Charge discount will be re-introduced and continue through until 30 June Half price public transport fares extended to the end of June 2023 saving ...
The strong economy has attracted more people into the workforce, with a record number of New Zealanders in paid work and wages rising to help with cost of living pressures. “The Government’s economic plan is delivering on more better-paid jobs, growing wages and creating more opportunities for more New Zealanders,” ...
The Government is providing a further $1 million to the Mayoral Relief Fund to help communities in Auckland following flooding, Minister for Emergency Management Kieran McAnulty announced today. “Cabinet today agreed that, given the severity of the event, a further $1 million contribution be made. Cabinet wishes to be proactive ...
The new Cabinet will be focused on core bread and butter issues like the cost of living, education, health, housing and keeping communities and businesses safe, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has announced. “We need a greater focus on what’s in front of New Zealanders right now. The new Cabinet line ...
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins will travel to Canberra next week for an in person meeting with Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese. “The trans-Tasman relationship is New Zealand’s closest and most important, and it was crucial to me that my first overseas trip as Prime Minister was to Australia,” Chris Hipkins ...
The Government is providing establishment funding of $100,000 to the Mayoral Relief Fund to help communities in Auckland following flooding, Minister for Emergency Management Kieran McAnulty announced. “We moved quickly to make available this funding to support Aucklanders while the full extent of the damage is being assessed,” Kieran McAnulty ...
As the Mayor of Auckland has announced a state of emergency, the Government, through NEMA, is able to step up support for those affected by flooding in Auckland. “I’d urge people to follow the advice of authorities and check Auckland Emergency Management for the latest information. As always, the Government ...
Ka papā te whatitiri, Hikohiko ana te uira, wāhi rua mai ana rā runga mai o Huruiki maunga Kua hinga te māreikura o te Nota, a Titewhai Harawira Nā reira, e te kahurangi, takoto, e moe Ka mōwai koa a Whakapara, kua uhia te Tai Tokerau e te kapua pōuri ...
Carmel Sepuloni, Minister for Social Development and Employment, has activated Enhanced Taskforce Green (ETFG) in response to flooding and damaged caused by Cyclone Hale in the Tairāwhiti region. Up to $500,000 will be made available to employ job seekers to support the clean-up. We are still investigating whether other parts ...
The 2023 General Election will be held on Saturday 14 October 2023, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced today. “Announcing the election date early in the year provides New Zealanders with certainty and has become the practice of this Government and the previous one, and I believe is best practice,” Jacinda ...
Jacinda Ardern has announced she will step down as Prime Minister and Leader of the Labour Party. Her resignation will take effect on the appointment of a new Prime Minister. A caucus vote to elect a new Party Leader will occur in 3 days’ time on Sunday the 22nd of ...
Sure, Scotty Morrison’s Māori At Work is a wonderful resource for Aotearoa’s collective te reo Māori journey. But is it judgemental enough for the modern office environment?First published September 12 2019 The growing strength of te reo is palpable across Aotearoa, with record numbers of people participating in Mahuru ...
Screenwriter Dana Leaming’s debut comedy series Not Even is out now on Prime and Neon. This is the out the gate story of how it got there.Kia ora, Hi, What up? Up to? U up? …I’m Dana. I wrote and co-directed (with Ainsley Gardiner) the TV show Not Even ...
The Human Rights Commission, Te Kāhui Tika Tangata, last week released two reports on racism and the impact of colonialism in Aotearoa. Among their many insights was the necessity of a wider understanding of how racism manifests itself. I was honoured to accept an invitation by Te Kāhui Tika Tangata ...
Vincent O’Malley reviews a history of the battle of Gate Pā.First published February 5, 2019 Head up Cameron Road, one of Tauranga’s main arterial routes, a few kilometres out of the city centre and you drive over one of New Zealand’s most important historical sites. The road, named after ...
For nine years he steered the ship he built, but last week Duncan Greive announced his surprise resignation as CEO of The Spinoff. He joins guest host, Jane Yee, to discuss how doing things differently took The Spinoff from an irreverent TV blog to a respected online magazine, and why ...
Three decades ago one of the giants of New Zealand thinking and writing, Ranginui Walker, published Ka Whawhai Tonu Mātou, Struggle Without End. The book, originally released in 1990 and revised in 2004, is a history of Aotearoa from a Māori perspective. It had a profound influence and today remains ...
THE (new) Prime Minister said nobody understands what co-governance means, later modified to that there were so many varying interpretations that there was no common understanding. BRIAN EASTON writes: Co-governance cannot be derived from the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. It does not use the word. It ...
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has described this morning's Waitangi dawn service as moving and says he welcomes the shift away from a focus on politics. ...
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 Mick Tsikas/AAP A federal Newspoll, conducted February 1-4 from a sample of 1,512, gave Labor a 55-45 lead, unchanged on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Murray Goot, Emeritus Professor of Politics and International Relations, Macquarie University Support for embedding an Indigenous Voice to parliament in the Constitution has fallen. The polls provide good evidence once you work out how to find it. However, the voters who have ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Doug Drury, Professor/Head of Aviation, CQUniversity Australia Shutterstock When booking a flight, do you ever think about which seat will protect you the most in an emergency? Probably not. Most people book seats for comfort, such as leg room, or ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Libby Rumpff, Senior Research Fellow, The University of Melbourne David Crosling/AAP The Black Summer bushfires of 2019-20 were cataclysmic: a landmark in Australia’s environmental history. They burnt more than 10 million hectares, mostly forests in southeast Australia. Many of our most ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christine Grové, Fulbright Scholar and Adjunct Senior Lecturer, Monash University Anete Lusina/Pexels School attendance levels in Australia are a massive issue according to Education Minister Jason Clare. As he told reporters last week, he hopes to talk to state colleagues ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Marion Terrill, Transport and Cities Program Director, Grattan Institute Revising the generous fuel tax credits given to businesses should be a priority for the Albanese government, because keeping them would conflict with two other pressing priorities: reducing carbon emissions and repairing the ...
Paul Diamond’s book about the 1920s scandal that shocked Whanganui is on the longlist for the Ockhams (in the hotly contested General Non-Fiction category). Victor Rodger reviews. A closeted mayor with huge ambitions. A handsome, young, returned soldier with ambiguous motivations.A scandalous shooting that leads to a spectacular ...
It is hard to separate the politics from Waitangi, but the day party leaders were welcomed on to Te Whare Rūnanga was largely free of inflammatory rhetoric and political point scoring. ...
An easy, low sugar jam that tastes even better than the sickly-sweet stuff. Often jam recipes call for much more sugar that I think is necessary, resulting in a cloyingly sweet jam whose flavour sadly becomes lost. Where some recipes will call for equal measures of fruit and sugar, this ...
Rheive Grey pays tribute to one political party’s unapologetic commitment to markers of Māori identity, from hei tiki to waiata to tikitiki. I’m proud to be Māori. If you’re like me, it’s hard to read that sentence without singing it in your head. That’s either the power of good campaigning, ...
When I was a man my dick was only average size, but learning how to tuck it out of sight is a steep learning curve for a girl on a budget. The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.Illustrations: Sloane Hong The dick ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Wes Mountain/The Conversation, CC BY-ND Australia’s Reserve Bank is set to push up rates once again at its first meeting for the year on Tuesday, according to all but ...
By David Robie When Papuan journalist Victor Mambor visited New Zealand almost nine years ago, he impressed student journalists from the Pacific Media Centre and community activists with his refreshing candour and courage. As the founder of the Jubi news media group, he remained defiant that he would tell the ...
Today, Te Pāti Māori officially announced Mariameno Kapa-Kingi as their candidate for the Te Tai Tokerau electorate in this year’s General Election. The announcement was part of the pōwhiri for MPs at Te Whare Rūnanga o Waitangi. “Making the announcement ...
Time To Call A Halt: Chris Hipkins knows that iwi leaders possess the means to make life very difficult for his government. Notwithstanding their objections, however, the Prime Minister’s direction of travel – already clearly signalled by his very public demotion of Nanaia Mahuta – must be confirmed by an emphatic and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Enshrining a constitutional Voice to parliament will bring better practical outcomes and give the best chance for Closing the Gap, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will say in a major address on the referendum on Sunday. ...
It’s been exactly a decade since Seven Sharp first appeared on our screens. Remember the first episode? We’ve unearthed the tapes. On this day in 2013, a bombshell was thrown into the New Zealand television landscape. “Time for us to make way, because you’re here to see what everyone’s talking ...
MetService meteorologist Lewis Ferris has fronted endless media requests and live crosses this week. Is he getting it right? Lewis Ferris is trying to find his weather map. “This week’s been so insane” he mutters as he closes multiple tabs on the three screens across his Wellington desk. He’s ...
By Jamie Tahana, RNZ News Te Ao Māori journalist at Waitangi, and Russell Palmer, digital political journalist Iwi leaders in Aotearoa New Zealand have accused opposition parties National and ACT of “fanning the flames of racism”, urging the prime minister to be brave and not walk away from partnership on Three ...
After four years, executive director Max Tweedie has stepped down from Auckland Pride. He tells Sam Brooks about shepherding the festival through a tumultuous few years, and where he’s going from here.This year’s Auckland Pride Festival is set to be the biggest one yet. Over the course of more ...
A flailing mayor was only the public face of a multifaceted flooding communications failure. Duncan Greive examines the mess, and asks what can be done to improve it.It’s a chilling timeline. Stuff’s Kelly Dennett catalogued, beat-by-beat, the 12 hours in which Auckland was pummelled by a catastrophic deluge, interspersing ...
Labour's position has alternated over the past few days: first Prime Minister Chris Hipkins would speak, then he wouldn't, and then he would again. ...
Te Pāti Māori Co-leaders Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer are announcing a transformative defence and foreign affairs policy which asserts the Mana Māori Motuhake and Tino Rangatiratanga of tangata whenua in Aotearoa at their Party’s ...
The Green Party calls on the Government to end perpetual leases over Māori land so that Māori landowners can directly control their lands. “Māori landowners continue to be locked out of their own whenua by perpetual leases that allow others ...
Buzz from the Beehive Politicians keen to curry favour with Māori tribal leaders have headed north for Waitangi weekend. More than a few million dollars of public funding are headed north, too. Not all of this money is being trumpeted on the Beehive website, the Government’s official website. ...
The Dunedin branch of the Green Party has selected Francisco Hernandez as its candidate for the Dunedin electorate in this year’s general election. Francisco Hernandez was the Otago University Students Association President in 2013. He has held a number ...
About this time last week it had become apparent that Auckland was in for a bit more than just a wet Friday. While the state of emergency remains in place for another seven days, it appears the worst should now be behind us. Last night, Niwa shared a fascinating thread ...
Viewers across the United States were today shown a slice of New Zealand, with a reporter for Good Morning America broadcasting live from Rotorua. Robin Roberts, a co-anchor for the popular morning TV show, has been touring the country this week. During her visit to Rotorua’s Te Puia centre, she ...
They can be environmentally unsound and are a symbol used to shame millennials, but everyone still loves an avo. I love avocados, always have, always will. The buttery golden-green flesh from a perfectly ripe avocado is a culinary blessing. Today I’d love to simply wax poetic about twisting open a ...
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.AUCKLAND1The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin (Penguin Press, $50) The beautiful ...
A new poem by Robin Peace. To the kahikatea I see from my bed Thinking inside the square, the ellipse, the round of what life is, I only see the trees. Not only as if that were the only thing I see, but only as if the tree matters more. ...
A week ago, Elton John’s first Auckland show was called off at the last minute. What was it like getting there, being there, and trying to return home afterwards?Elton John has long been a blessing for our ears, but in recent years his Auckland shows have been cursed. His ...
Auckland mayor Wayne Brown has conceded he “dropped the ball” during last Friday’s major flooding event. The state of emergency in the super city has today been extended for a further seven days, though Brown said he expects it will be lifted early. After a week of defensiveness over his ...
As the reality TV juggernaut returns for a new season, Tara Ward steps into the minds of the show’s relationship experts to assess the compatibility of this year’s brides and grooms. Married at First Sight: Australia returns on Monday night, and by season ten, you’d think the show’s relationship experts ...
Auckland’s state of emergency is expected to be extended for another seven days, according to the Herald. It was due to expire overnight after being declared a week ago, the day of the worst flooding in the super city. While weather conditions have improved, the city is continuing to experience ...
Iwi leaders have accused National and ACT of "fanning the flames of racism", urging the prime minister to be brave and not walk away from partnership on three waters. ...
The government has confirmed the money will be spent in Northland, including unlocking greenfields land and transport upgrades like a new bridge in Kamo. ...
Ours Not Mines is cautiously excited about reporting that the Government is drafting legislation to ban new mines on conservation land. The anti-mining group's spokesperson, Morgan Donoghue says: "The Government has been promising us some action for ...
People who enjoy the outdoors for recreation, fishing and hunting will lose rights under the Natural and Built Environments Bill. Fish & Game New Zealand chief executive Corina Jordan says the proposed replacement for the Resource Management ...
Proposed pay equity claim settlements for school librarians and science technicians have been reached between the Ministry of Education and NZEI Te Riu Roa, Secretary for Education, Iona Holsted and NZEI Te Riu Roa president, Mark Potter, announced ...
Members of NZEI Te Riu Roa negotiating on behalf of school librarians, library assistants and science technicians are excited to announce that proposed pay equity settlements are ready to be voted on by their colleagues. They include pay increases of up to ...
The Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) is calling for Michael Wood, the Minister of Transport, and now Auckland, to cancel the light rail project immediately. Auckland Light Rail was never going to happen, as our group has repeatedly said dozens of ...
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has been asked to intervene following confirmation today that the Government plans to implement a ban on all extractive sector activities on the conservation estate. Wayne Scott, CEO of the Aggregate and Quarry Association, ...
Buzz from the Beehive Two fresh press releases had been posted when we checked the Beehive website at noon, both of them posted yesterday. In one statement, in the runup to Waitangi Day, Maori Crown Relations Minister Kelvin Davis drew attention to happenings on a Northland battle site in 1845. ...
I am delighted to announce the appointment of John Price ONZM as the new Director Civil Defence Emergency Management and Deputy Chief Executive Emergency Management for the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA). John has been a member of the ...
Coromandel Watchdog of Hauraki are calling on the new Prime Minister and new Minister of Conservation Willow Jean Prime to immediately implement the 2017 promise to ban new mining activity on conservation lands. “ The mining industry group Straterra ...
Analysis - Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has had a dream start with polls showing Labour ahead of National, but now he has to prove himself in Parliament and quickly deliver on his promises. ...
The Bus and Coach Association supports the Government’s decision to continue half-price fares on public transport services. The fare reduction was set to expire on 31 March 2023, but will now continue to 30 June 2023. “Half-price fares have cost ten-times ...
“The decision by the Reserve Bank of Australia to not replace the late Queen with Charles on the Aussie $5 note should indicate to our Reserve Bank that it’s time to change the NZ $20 note” said Lewis Holden, campaign chair of New ...
Establishing a Truth, Reconciliation and Justice Commission and recognising Māori tino rangatiratanga are among several recommendations in two pivotal reports released today (Friday 3 February) by Te Kāhui Tika Tangata Human Rights Commission. The ...
The decision turns Wellington into a 2023 battleground, with three brand new faces set to contest the electorate - and Shaw has already thrown his support behind Tamatha Paul. ...
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has undergone a stern baptisim of fire in his first week in his new job, but it doesn’t get any easier. Next week, he has a vital meeting in Canberra with his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese, where he has to establish ...
Continuing fuel subsidies despite official and expert advice urging otherwise is focused on helping New Zealanders in the here and now, the finance minister says. ...
Buzz from the Beehive Cost-of-living pressures loomed large in Beehive announcements over the past 24 hours. The PM was obviously keen to announce further measures to keep those costs in check and demonstrate he means business when he talks of focusing his government on bread-and-butter issues. His statement was headed ...
Chris Hipkins says Aotearoa has "some tough calls to make as a country" regarding the future of communities in places vulnerable to extreme weather events. ...
A new Prime Minister, a revitalised Cabinet, and possibly revised priorities – but is the political and, importantly, economic landscape much different? Certainly some within the news media were excited by the changes which Chris Hipkins announced yesterday or – before the announcement – by the prospect of changes in ...
Analysis - Jacinda Ardern is one of New Zealand's most historically significant leaders. But she did not achieve the grand vision for Aotearoa her outsized rhetoric promised. ...
The parents of the baby in the blood donor case have said they won't appeal the court decision from yesterday. (Through their lawyer.)
It is likely the health and well-being of the baby will be improved the further he is removed from Sue Grey and Liz Gunn.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/donor-blood-battle-lawyer-for-the-parents-of-baby-w-announces-no-appeal-in-guardianship-case/NH5DHZRRUFB65I7RWLMSXPTEAA/
Indeed.
On 25 November 2022, having not heard back from Baby W’s parents
formally, another meeting was organised. Dr Finucane said this meeting was hijacked
by the parents’ support person who proceeded to pressurise the specialists with her
theory about conspiracies in New Zealand and even said that deaths in infants getting
transfusions were occurring in Starship Hospital. Dr Finucane said that after some
minutes, the specialists asked to leave and ended up walking out of the meeting with
the support person continuing to try to talk to them. As a result, they were unable to
explain their position to the parents.
https://www.courtsofnz.govt.nz/assets/cases/2022/2022-NZHC-3283.pdf
Someone, somewhere criticised the medical team for failing to explain the tranfusion procedure to the parents. Can't locate where I saw it.
The medical team tried and were undermined by an anti-vaxxer at a meeting arranged to do just that. They had to walk out in the end with the anti-vaxxer haranguing them as they left.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/480317/vaccinated-donor-blood-parents-meeting-with-doctors-hijacked-by-anti-vax-support-person
Reading between the lines, it looks like the probable anti-vaxxer was the mad conspiracist, Liz Gunn.
There have been new developments
https://www.1news.co.nz/2022/12/08/baby-blood-case-parents-no-longer-agree-to-surgery/
They have tried to prevent the Drs from doing prep work for the baby's op tomorrow.
Justice Gault has had to make new rulings
"I extend the appointment of [the doctors] as agents of the Court for the purpose of enabling [the baby's] surgery to proceed, including enabling the necessary pre-operative procedures. The respondents are not to obstruct health staff in this regard."
Yes, I saw that. It seems the parents threatened the doctors that if they so much as touched the baby they would lay criminal charges against them. Unbelievable!
I find it impossible to hold this couple in anything but contempt. They are the ones playing Russian roulette with their baby's life.
1) No amount of excuses along the lines they are loving parents who believe they are right cuts it for me. They are out of their tiny minds and everybody bar a group of mad conspiracists knows it.
2) To treat two of NZ's top paediatricians like that is unforgivable. Who do they think they are?
As for the few dozen protesters outside. They are easily dealt with. Call in a fire truck to give em a good soaking. Give everyone a good laugh and we need as many laughs as we can get these days. 😉
Thomas Coughlan is a weasel. His column today is a copy of Luxon's lame attempt in QT yesterday, to crash the credibility of Ardern and Nahuta over the entrenchment clause. He avoids dealing with the facts of course.
Entrenchment was discussed in Labour Caucus and it was decided to not use it.
The Greens however inserted the 60% entrenchment into the Bill as an SOP. They all voted on it then discovered its existence after experts queried is suitability.
The Government decided to abandon/withdraw the entrenchment. What Coughlan and Luxon fail to say is that the entrenchment was not a Labour SOP. It was a Green SOP.
So how can Mahuta and or Ardern be held accountable for a Green SOP?
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/thomas-coughlan-how-nanaia-mahuta-lost-control-of-three-waters-and-jacinda-ardern-lost-control-of-nanaia-mahuta/OU4BSRCFJJBZLGUW73RXLFH3LI/
Coughlan is a small, obedient cog in a machine (business, private media, right-wing think-tanks, Nact) that has been determined, since their humiliation in 2020, to take down the government and rewrite the history of the pandemic. It has been an unprecedented effort and I would expect no less from them.. The goverment has given them far too much to work with.
Coughlan is just another national party poodle, the herald is awash with his kind.
It's been linked before from Hansard – the SOP voting was specifically identified as an entrenchment at 60%.
https://www.parliament.nz/en/pb/hansard-debates/rhr/combined/HansD_20221122_20221123
The most charitable explanation is that the Government was just operating on autopilot in the House. But, you can't argue that they only discovered its existence later.
No one is blaming Mahuta, Ardern or Hipkins for the Greens putting up a SOP (good on the GP for having a go – and highlighting the issue).
The blame is being attributed because Labour then party-voted for the SOP entrenchment provision.
Really Hipkins (as leader of the House) and Mahuta (as the Minister responsible) carry the responsibility, here. It's Mahuta's job to liaise with Hipkins over any SOPs presented by other parties, and determine whether the Government should or should not support them.
In my view, the real culprit over this is dealing with a highly complex issue under Urgency – which limits the committee stages, and results in rushed legislation.
Does anyone know if Chris Hipkins was in the House at the time, I am just wondering as to who cast the Labour votes. O'Connor was Chair of the Committee, but it goes from there to the House when votes are cast. Is it, Mahuta as Minister?
The whips usually actually cast the party votes, not the ministers. Hipkins says he was out of Parliament at the time.
"A party vote was called for on the question, That the amendment be agreed to."
OK. So it was passed by all including Nat/Act. What does that prove?
The accusation is that Mahuta broke Cabinet rules and should be sacked. Really?
I read that Te Maori Party also didn't vote for it.
It will be interesting to see the next poll results now that this bill has passed.
I am predicting that Three Waters is the hill Labour are willing to die on for, which is puzzling. Whatever one’s opinions are about Three Waters and whatever its merits or otherwise, there is very little support for it (no links Iam sorry, just my impression) and a significant number of voters are unhappy with it. Unhappy enough to desert Labour. Just my opinion.
It's much ado about nothing imo… a molehill turned into a mountain by NACT and their media acolytes in an effort to fool the voters into believing it is going to be detrimental to them. Its going to be nothing of the sort.
When you ask the nay sayers, they mumble something about… taking away the rights of the local people to determine what should be done, or that the government wants to control everything, or some other obtuse claim that makes little sense.
Look what happens when you rely on local councils. They sit on their chuffs and do nothing. Its the reason why the country's overall water problems has become urgent.
Time will tell Anne. And of course likely to be voted out if NACT win next election, or rolled back anyway.
TPM didn't seem to vote either way. Perhaps the MPs were not in the house when it was being debated.
They did vote, just not for that amendment.
Thanks Incognito – I clearly didn't look far enough in Hansard.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/480346/greens-pull-three-waters-support-citing-lack-of-protection-against-privatisation
POLITICS12:56 pm today
Greens pull Three Waters support, citing lack of protection against privatisation
12:56 pm today
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Nanaia MahutaNanaia Mahuta, the minister driving the reforms. Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver
The Green Party has withdrawn its support for the Three Waters legislation at the third and final reading, saying there’s not enough protection against the water assets being sold.
“The bill has been passed by Parliament, but Labour was the only party to vote in support, using its majority to get it over the line.”
Sorry about the additional material POLITICS12.56etc. Can’t seem to remove it from the copy and paste
I might have read this wrong, but I interpreted it as being that it was only Labour who voted for the bill.
Yes. That's the overall bill, which was voted on today. Only Labour voted in support (using their outright majority to pass the legislation).
However, in the SOP voting over the 60% entrenchment last week, the Green party (who put up the SOP) voted in favour, as did Labour.
Belladonna, yes thats right. Green and Lab voted for the 60% entrenchment and how I read it the greens didn't support the overall bill because it didn't contain the entrenchment clause.
Ayes 74
New Zealand Labour 64; Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand 10.
Noes 43
New Zealand National 33; ACT New Zealand 10.
Amendment agreed to.
No. It was passed – being party-voted for by Greens and Labour. National and ACT opposed it.
I'm not quite sure what you mean by "What does that prove?"
It seems to me that it proves that Labour were either not paying attention to the business of the House; or that they actually were in favour of entrenchment, and back-pedalled when it became politically unpopular.
I don't think that I've seen any accusation that Mahuta broke Cabinet rules. In fact, she's specifically come out and said that she raised the entrenchment issue with Caucus – as she's required to do – and that it was discussed.
I do think that she had an obligation to raise the SOP (once it was presented by the Greens with the 60% entrenchment figure) with Hipkins – to ensure that Labour were voting according to agreed policy. I'm more on-the-fence about whether she should have spoken in favour of entrenchment – as her job is to present the Government's position (which was, according to Ardern, that entrenchment was a 'mistake')
Interesting to see the dance inside caucus on this, even only dimly from a distance.
Parliament can also wear some blame for not amending Standing Order 270 at some point to be clear about when entrenchment should be used. This is all it currently says:
Yes the 'constitutional' lawyers have applied a gloss that isn't in the Standing Orders.
I fail to see what the damage would be though to have an entrenchment provision in hugely important to life aspects such as water.
Yes Shanreagh, ensuring water remains in public hands is a no-brainer, IMO.
But this is something the left can hammer the Natz and Act on come election time. The public is firmly opposed to selling the family silver, and even more so something as essential to life as water.
Act won't budge – they're all for privatisation.
The Natz probably will, because all they care about is being in power. But their equivocal position will (I hope) be pounced on by Labour and the Greens.
This could cost Natz the election!
https://democracyproject.nz/2022/12/08/bryce-edwards-labour-needs-mahutu-to-go-but-shes-too-powerful/
This sums it up nicely, what a shambles, Labour need Helen Clark back in charge
If in 2023 Labour get back into power, Mahuta will be recognised as delivering the most substantive and nation-shaping reform of the last two terms.
If in 2023 Labour don't get in, Mahuta will be recognised as being white-anted by Labour's leadership on truly country-altering reform, and when it came to third reading decided to knife her.
Or, if Labour don’t get back in in 2023, and 3 waters is dumped, NZ will have dodged the biggest bullet in the history of big bullets, apart from the costs to date of implementing and trying to sell this dog of an idea.
Bryce bloody Edwards is the one who needs to go. Look who he quotes from:
Couglan, HdPA plus a couple of pot shots from the vengeful Peter Dunne whom nobody has missed.
The Herald describes Edwards as a "political analyst". He's a right wing shill who relies on third rate journalistic philistines for their contorted 'thinks'. He rarely produces an original thought himself.
And he thinks her can read the minds of the PM, her ministers and caucus members. Pfft… he's a sham.
Absolutely right Anne.
When a RWNJ has to bend so low as to quote Edwards to make a point, we know they're really scraping the bottom of the barrel.
All power to Mahutu and her Three Waters reforms!
I heard on the radio just now, that the Bill has passed but that the Greens withdrew its support because of the lack of protection from privatisation.
How it's going; 1 in 10 Swedes have been ill for over 12 months and 1 in 100 Swedes have severely limited lives.
https://novus.se/egnaundersokningar-arkiv/coronastatus-langtidscovid/
google translate
Those are staggering numbers, enough to severely disable their economy, go figure.
Let's not forget the mealy mouthed losers in National and Act doing everything they could to stop our world class response. The pressure on Ardern and the Government was ENORMOUS and they did not cave. How shrill were the calls to abolish MIQ. FFS!
Yet media dropkicks still try to portray the PM as 'weak' for listening to others genuine complaints on other issues.
She faced facts, dealt in facts, got attacked endlessly.
Shameful how we tolerate such dishonesty and viciousness in public discourse.
If we don't wake TF up we'll have a severely disabled economy of our own.
(Graeme is a pharmacist in Picton)
I've seen a fair bit of nonsense tabled here for discussion. Some posters seem to be having culture wars all by themselves. It's idiocy is what it is, the reason many don't and won't play is you are just making twits of yourselves.
The anti-woke, aka gullible tossers.
I don't know how you are using the term 'culture wars' (because you didn't say). But the obvious issue this week is gender identity vs sex in sport. Do you believe that male bodied people should be allowed to compete in women's sport against females where those sports involve physicality that usually separates male and female classes?
If you want to run the argument that there is no culture war, you'll be hard pressed to explain what is going on with the sex/gender wars.
Don't drag me into your terf wars (puns intended).
ok, so you have no political argument to your assertion that the culture wars don't exist. Good to know.
Don't make assumptions about me. Watch the video to see what it's specifics are if you're THAT interested.
The post was not about you, you made it about you.
I will totally make assumptions based on what I see here. Make your political argument, and don't complain if people point out the problems of you refusing to make your argument.
Not watching a random video if you can't be bothered explaining your thinking. We're not mind readers.
Terf is a slur and is usually accompanied by threats of sexual violence. You don't want to be associated with these people. https://terfisaslur.com/
You both willingly or not emphasise the point exactly. I post a comedians take on culture wars being generated out of thin air and it's turned into a culture war out of thin air.
The word terf was a play on turf, the presence of puns was even emphasised.
Pathetic. Barking at passing cars, calling it commentary.
You would not chuck the "N" word around for comedic effect.
exactly. But as we know, women's rights are on a downward slide in some quarters.
It's not commentary though. You did two things:
Wow. Post about people making much ado about nothing and you sure did make much ado. Now this Visubvera character's concerned if I might use the N word and you about the slide in women's rights.
What in the actual fuck is wrong with you?
Yes I slagged off some posters, the extremes of left and right bringing their imaginary wars that we see popping up here. As described in the video as described. You asshole. You are the one put your hand up to start shit over nothing – as described.
Find some more things to accuse me of, you fucking idiot.
It is not imaginary to those of us who have to deal with a homophobic and misogynistic ideology that is bent on capturing the levers of the state for it's promotion.
Mate, you're the one that started talking about culture wars on a political blog whose kaupapa is robust debate. This isn't your FB page, if you don't want an argument, don't make in your face comments.
DB Brown. "Wow. Post about people making much ado about nothing"
Except it wasn't that. It was pretty provocative and rude on your behalf "I've seen a fair bit of nonense tabled here".
"Its idiocy that's what it is"
"The anti woke aka the gullible tossers". So your statements don't indicate that you think it is much ado about nothing.
When people challenge you, you then respond "don't drag me into your terf wars".
and "You arsehole. you are the one put your hand up to start shit over nothing"
Um no. You put up a video clip, which actually to me seems to be more about the media using arguements as click bait and the cyclic nature of that, which is kept going by rage. Then a denial of what the actual issues are. I don't mind the guy doing this, cause he is a comedian. I wouldn't regard it as good social analysis.
But you posted it with some pretty provocative put downs of what you refer to as anti woke. Your entitled to have anti, anti woke sentiment, but I am won’t give it much time unless there are some reasonable arguements that go with it.
It'd be worthwhile if you offered some commentary and salient points along with your video link.
Else, you are expecting people to spend seven minutes watching a comedian they just might not find punny…
Wouldn't the people trying to force change upon the culture (often by authoritarian means like the brutal force of the state) be the ones guilty of starting culture wars not the ones pushing back against the forced change?
If the first group wasn't trying to force a culture war there'd be nothing for the second group to push back against.
Upper middle class identitarians who benefit from neoliberalism need to stop high jacking left wing movements and calling our voting bases and our activists names for wanting to debate issues before we use the brutal force of the state, upper middle class identitarians will support the most insanely radical vote losing social policy but then put the breaks on the most moderate socdem economic reform for being crazy because the bourgeois mofos don't care about the poor.
The left is about us.we.ours and we love debate
The right is about me.i. my and hates debate.
People focused on their singular identity (me, I, my) and social justice over class and economic justice and are economically upper middle class and don't want any wealth distribution policies only social policies aren't left wing.
It's time we called woke what it really is: militant authoritarian individualist neoliberalism masquerading as progressivism
Nailed it again Corey. Spot on. I would add that even without brutal force of the state, in the case of gender ideology, shutting down gender critical feminists public talks (leading to these women having to go to the high court to hold their meetings), accusing people of transphobia and writing them off as bigots has had a chilling effect. The gender ideology people won't engage in the arguements, i.e no debate.
I suspect the comedian that DH Brown posted is either randomly scrambling for any sort of angle on anything, or he is in denial, or trying to encourage others to be in denial
Huge congratulations to Minister Mahuta on the passage of her water reform legislation today.
For the next year or so anyway…
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/464935/national-pledges-to-repeal-three-waters-legislation-if-elected
Have national said what they would replace it with, back to leaks in every street and no action possible??
Does anyone know why the Greens and Maori Party both voted against the Water Reform 3rd Reading today?
They have been in full support right to the second reading and beyond into the SOPs.
According to Stuff (https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/130704446/labour-alone-in-support-of-three-waters-bill-as-it-passes-into-law):
“The bill was opposed by National and ACT, both of which have promised to repeal the reforms. It was also opposed for the first time by the Green Party, as the public ownership of water assets would not be entrenched in law as the party hoped, and by the Māori Party as it fell short of proper “co-governance” “
Loss of entrenchment?
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/three-waters-law-to-reform-storm-waste-and-drinking-water-infrastructure-passes-amid-fiery-parliament-debate/CKPAKUJK3ZC6PHCJU6V3ZVB75U/
So from what I am reading – the Greens didn't support because there is no protection from water being being privatised – and the MP didn't support because they say the water is all theirs.
Oh well, hard to please everyone I guess.
Based on your comment it looks what you’ve been reading is RW BS.
I thought I was reading what Debbie Ngawara-Packer was saying:
Of course this hinges on the meaning to the word kaitiaki; which translates to mean 'guardianship, trustee, caretaker'.
Given that the 3W legislation gives local Maori exclusive rights to issue Te Mana o Te Wai statements that confer exactly this guardianship role – then it seems Ngawara-Packer must have a quite different meaning of the word kaitiaki in mind. Something a lot closer to full control or ownership it would seem.
Oddly enough though, maybe she has a point. Checking out the Three Waters website I found this page that was quite explicit about the role of iwi in Three Waters management – has now been deleted:
https://web.archive.org/web/20220812034810/https://www.threewaters.govt.nz/how-will-three-waters-affect-me/iwi/three-waters-for-iwi/
and and now links to something a lot less prescriptive:
https://www.taumataarowai.govt.nz/te-mana-o-te-wai/
I see.
I thought that tangata whenua meant people of the land and not land (and presumably water) of the people.
Secondly, is tangata whenua identical to tāngata māori, i.e., does it exclude all non-[M]āori?
Deleted and updated/replaced webpages are useful how?
I think the obvious point that has been made here, is along with pat's reference to MP policy below at 8.3.1.2.1, that at least some Maori activists regard all water as belonging to them – in an undiluted proprietorial private ownership sense.
I’m sure that that is true because there are always some. I just don’t buy into the narrative, unlike some.
Well it does seem to be less ‘RW BS’ and more ‘MP belief and policy’.
Those are not mutually exclusive.
QED
On the Greens, correct. On the MP, I’d say it’s a bit more nuanced.
"The Māori Party position is to honour the rangatira and kaitiaki rights and interests of mana whenua over freshwater. In a Western rights framework, this can be expressed as proprietary rights, customary rights, and decision-making rights, or put more simply, ownership. The whakapapa connection between tangata whenua and wai Māori is intrinsic and inextricable."
https://www.maoriparty.org.nz/fresh_water
I'd say Redlogix's assessment is accurate.
Thanks Pat. I'm never entirely comfortable when Māori feel the need to explain these concepts in 'western' terms, particularly as my understanding is Māori did not have any concept of 'ownership' in a western sense in pre-European times. That’s what I meant by ‘nuanced’.
Think the distinction needs to be made….this is Maori Party policy position..not necessarily the view of Maori en masse.
You need proof that the far right are crazy, here you go
I made the mistake of visiting TheDailytelegraph.co.nz this morning.
It would appear to be the voice of the conspiracy theorists/voices for freedom. The link was via something outrageous that Liz Gunn said last year. It should not come as a surprise though that Winston Peters has gone in to bat for the parents of the child who are demanding unvaccinated blood.
Now Peters needs 5% to get back into parliament. Given that the anti vaccination group numbers at least 5% then, added to his usual hangers on, Peters romps in.
I think you have mistaken the 5%, that is their IQ, not their numbers.
Newshub is like the source of conspiracy theories.
Bridges and Green spent their time ridiculing the facts presented by Kiri who yesterday, by the use of a graph, showed the facts of falling crime rates from the time of National to the present time. (Saw the replay of Bridge/Green's ridiculous theories reactions onTwitter.)
Their consensus was that the facts don't matter. If people feel scared on the streets and in their homes, the fact that the trend of crime is downward is trumped by perception.
Wonder if the endless media fear-mongering by the over reporting of crime/violence, has an effect on the people? I despise Bridges and Newshub.
The predictable outcome of selling Z to Ampol and dismantling the Marsden Renfinery,.
Who would have thought it would take months not years to reveal such a momentous clusterfuck.
Bad aviation fuel batch: Where does it leave NZ? | RNZ