I’m writing this in response to Ollie Neas’s excellent piece The Greens’ Labour problem, in which he questioned whether the Green Party was the right focal point for leftwing political energy in New Zealand… it’s an intelligent and cogent contribution to the debate and honestly, I’m just relieved it wasn’t another Blue-Green take.
Youngsters still in the keen phase, yet to go through burn-out…
And as usual, your commentary is nothing but snide remarks about the messenger(s).
You are obviously too lazy, unable, and unwilling to come up with “an intelligent and cogent contribution to the debate” and your attempt at a Yoda impersonation causes cracks in the Force.
David Williams is Newsroom's environment editor & South Island correspondent. He does a thoughtful appraisal of the Green electorate victory trend extending southward.
The Greens now have two list MPs from Christchurch – Carter and Lan Pham – as well as Otago’s Scott Willis, boosting its South Island representation. Across Banks Peninsula, Christchurch Central, Christchurch East, Ilam, and Wigram, the Greens gained almost 11,500 raw party votes on the 2020 election results. https://www.newsroom.co.nz/seeds-planted-for-a-green-win-in-christchurch
Pham, a former Environment Canterbury councillor, got 8325 votes in Banks Peninsula… a big gain on outgoing list MP Eugenie Sage’s 2020 result of 6222. Party vote for the Greens was 19.6 percent in Banks Peninsula, and 19.4 percent in Christchurch Central, well up on 2020’s proportions of 14.3 percent and 12.8 percent, respectively.
Dunne, the former United Future leader, says the Greens will be reviewing its overall strategy – and he suspects it’ll go "all out" for two-tick campaigns at the next election in a bid to win more electorate seats.
Yeah that makes sense. No more being nice to Labour. Ride the wave.
The natural Greens target would be Dunedin where the Greens got 11,500 Party vote and Labour 13,000. That's now very reversible in 2026.
Brooking was 9,000 votes ahead of the Green candidate, but frankly after Mt Albert and Auckland Central that's do-able. I’m sure Greens’ Scott Willis has figured this out already.
I shouldn't be surprised but disgraced former ministers pop up as a lobbyists.
"Since then, Kiri Allan resigned as Justice Minister and has started her own consultancy and lobbying firm. Stuart Nash also quit as a Cabinet Minister and now has a role which includes lobbying for global recruitment firm Robert Walters."
There is a lot of talk about lobbyists and MPs. This still doesn't go far enough, contact with officials, advisors or any in the public service should be bought under any reforms.
We live in an age where trust in institutions is at an all time low, it is disheartening to hear that the Commerce Commission had to pay more $ on top of the $1.7million they pay their own comms staff.
The arrangement has been condemned from across the political spectrum. Writer and analyst Max Rashbrooke is quoted by Espiner explaining why this is a problem: “If you’ve got a lobbying firm – whose job it is to get government decisions changed in favour of its clients – embedded right in the heart of government, then I think that’s totally inappropriate.”
Similarly, the Taxpayers’ Union has called for an investigation, saying “the Commission has effectively allowed a lobbying firm to infiltrate and potentially manipulate regulatory processes. This is a blatant conflict of interest, undermining the Commission’s role as an unbiased regulator and betraying public trust.”
When lobbyists get attacked from both left & right simultaneously, do they respond "Hey you guys, commercial democracy is where it's at!"? Yes, if they have a sense of humour. Can always follow up with a history lesson on how the establishment parties have legislated for it for half a century. Teach youngsters a thing or two…
Rather than focussing on Edwards’ hypocrisy and arrogance, perceived or not, and his disclosed and undisclosed funding sources, perhaps you could try to address the content of his piece?
Agreed. National's rhetoric about Labour's failure to "deliver" over-simplified a complicated reality. There were indeed failures to deliver (tax reform), and there were also cases such as this, where National hated the fact that Labour delivered stuff for the 'wrong' social class.
There was a major wordpress update last night. You may have caching issues.
I’ll try resetting all of the caches. But you might need to force a reload on your browser on at least one TS page to get it fixed in the short-term. Can’t tell you what that is in your browser/OS without knowing what you are on. Common ones are in this line.
You're not alone, my Android has the weird format as of today too. couldn't figure out a Hard Refresh being a "Dinosaur" myself, so only back to the computer to read The Standard for now.
Perhaps the biggest pre-2024 barometer was Virginia, where the Republican governor, Glenn Youngkin, who has assailed voting rights, poured tens of millions of dollars into an effort to gain full control of the statehouse and impose a 15-week abortion ban.
Instead Democrats secured both chambers, simultaneously killing off rumours of a last-minute Youngkin presidential bid.
Joe Scarborough, a cable news TV host and former Republican congressman, commented on Wednesday: “The overturning of Roe has got to be the most devastating single event for the Republican party since Watergate.”
One man who understands this is Trump himself. Although he likes to remind religious conservatives that his supreme court appointments made the overturning of Roe v Wade possible, he has also used 2024 election campaign speeches to urge pragmatism and warn his base that abortion bans are a vote loser.
Reproductive rights supporters won big in an Ohio ballot measure. The Democratic governor, Andy Beshear, was re-elected in Kentucky by campaigning on reproductive rights while his challenger, the state attorney general, Daniel Cameron, touted his endorsement by former president Donald Trump. A Democrat won an open seat on the Pennsylvania supreme court after campaigning on his pledge to uphold abortion rights.
Chris Christie, who is challenging Trump for the nomination, cited Tuesday’s result in deep-red Kentucky. “Cameron was a rising star in the Republican party until he decided to throw his lot in with Donald Trump,” he told CNN. “Let’s face it, Donald Trump is political and electoral poison down ballot.”
Looks like an ebb tide going out on Trump & Republicans.
Cases like this wouldn't be an issue if the full plan for health and accident compensation as recommended in the Woodhouse Report had been put in place instead of only half of it, which is what we have today, the other half being axed by Muldoon in 1975. Luxon says he’s gonna fix everything. Maybe the prick can fix this?
in addition to letting things slide like NZ has, we're now in a mess from the pandemic and ongoing staff shortages, system break downs, and general sub par performance. We really need to be shifting into transition and adaptation thinking instead of expecting someone to return us to previous normal.
Something I find really annoying about our democratic process is the amount of money wasted when governments change. One government may have spent millions or even billions on some projects or another only for a new government to scrap said projects because they don't align with their own priorities, or they see things a different way.
I think there needs to be some sort of cross party strategic committee that makes decisions about strategic projects. A good example would have been Three Waters. It appears that both Labour and National realise there are problems that need to be solved. It would have been good if that issue could have been put to a cross-party strategic committee so that a solution that all sides can agree on could be implimented.
Such a process would likely result in much more sustainable and better solutions to significant problems.
From National's perspective, it makes sense to leave the problem to Councils whose only tools are to increase rates or borrow. Higher rates, along with rising insurance costs due to CC, will see a number of people who own houses but have lower incomes (e.g. the retired) having to sell up. If you simultaneously inflate asset prices through foreign buyers and re-incentivising domestic investors, then it becomes harder for first home buyers as well. Like a beautiful pincer movement, these two forces will accelerate the concentration of home ownership into the hands of mega landlords. The new feudalism beckons.
Mucked up formatting the link to David Hargreaves analysis of the electricity company asset sales – this one works.
Almost a year after the last (official) state asset sale, David Hargreaves has a look at how the investors – and the taxpayers – have fared [Feb 2015]
It is still much too early to judge the success or failure of the asset sales programme – but worth having a look at where we are right now anyway in terms of dollars and cents.
The early signs are that the investors are doing okay, thanks very much, while the taxpayer – maybe not so much.
In the end the number of people investing in the asset sales was only in the low hundreds of thousands (hard to come up with exact figures because there will undoubtedly be double-ups).
In 1991 the Nats introduced the Energy Sector Reform Bill (later split to become five separate acts, including the Energy Companies Act 1992 and the Electricity Act 1992), containing provisions facilitating the corporatisation of electricity supply authorities and a wide range of regulatory measures.
It's just the way Nat pollies and there backers think and plan (long term) – how can the wealthy maximise their extraction of unearned income from publicly-funded services and infrastructure. It has little-to-nothing to do with the wider public good – NZ is just a cash cow being milked dry by already wealthy Kiwis, imho.
Imho, many Kiwi politicians are more tribal and partisan than most commentators here, and most "bottom feeders", so yes, "no show" as the effects of inequality and overshoot play out. Aotearoa NZ could do with a bit more of "He Waka Eke Noa", but Mammon demands absolute loyality.
For National, that means getting farmers back onside, so they're kicking the emissions can down the paddock by five years.
…
The Government's aiming for an agricultural emissions scheme by 2025 but that's looking unlikely given the stalemate on He Waka Eke Noa, a plan it designed with 14 sector groups.
"There was a plan produced a year ago by the sector. The Government blew it up, shot it to bits and killed it," Luxon said.
A good first step would be the independent costings unit, as proposed previously, and as practised in other democracies. Test policies against financial reality, and tell the public before they vote.
A mainstream media channel window on IDF butchers going about their work. I just hope that international solidarity keeps building to the point where Israel has to stop the slaughter and destruction, and that somehow a negotiated settlement will begin.
Cultural and economic boycotts bought South Africa’s apartheid state to account, and BDS can do that now, and provide a way from this distance to help the Palestinian cause. Check that Tahini jar label, and don’t buy a new Sodastream or Puma shoes.
"I just hope that international solidarity keeps building to the point where Israel has to stop the slaughter and destruction, and that somehow a negotiated settlement will begin"
Israeli Zionists have never wanted to negotiate, and they won't stop their slaughter because they are doing what they have always wanted to do, and have the full protection of the USA to carry out their ethnic cleansing….
This is The Western Rules Based Order in all it's glory is on display for the entire world to witness… impotently doing nothing..it is a fucking disgrace.
It is like watching a twisted version of the Warsaw uprising being played out right in front of us in 2023.
Notice how all the Ra RA Never Negotiate Ukraine war crowd on this site have been almost silent on this Ethnic Cleansing… I doubt if many of those idiots have had an original thought pass through their lazy brains for decades…not told to be outraged and support the people of Gaza…so they aren’t…it is as simple as that.
A misrepresentation surely – given the 1947 UN partition plan was based on the League of Nations mandate, which was based on the Balfour Declaration (1917).
I should have thought that the complete ethnic cleansing of Jews from the surrounding Arab countries would be a relevant factor, in Israeli trust (or otherwise) of Arab intentions.
In total, around six million Ukrainian refugees were registered across Europe and 6.2 million worldwide as of September 2023. Most of them fled the country by crossing the border with Poland.
After over a decade of conflict, Syria remains the world’s largest refugee crisis. Since 2011, more than 14 million Syrians have been forced to flee their homes in search of safety. More than 6.8 million Syrians remain internally displaced in their own country where 70 percent of the population is in need of humanitarian assistance and 90 percent of the population live below the poverty line.
War results in refugees. An oppressive regime results in refugees not wanting to return, even when the war is over.
how many people of Gaza have left the area of Gaza?
Given you cannot answer – what is known is that Egypt is only allowing nationals not of Gaza across the border.
War results in deaths – 600,000 in Syria. Recent resumption of urban bombing in Syria and Ukraine has caused more deaths.
Why are deaths of civilians called ethnic cleansing in Gaza, but not those in Ukraine or Syria?
What is also known is that Israel wanted the population of Gaza City to move to southern Gaza so it could then move in the IDF to fight Hamas (who have underground bases there) in that area.
What in Syria is called displaced persons.
Israel can be accused of killing civilians in Gaza (because of an acceptance of deaths within a zone of a target), but not of ethnic cleansing.
You know what, I am not going to engage with you..anyone whose moral compass is so broken that they can sit there and play down (so in essence defend) the war savage crimes that the degenerate, apartheid state of Israel is commiting on civilians in Gaza and the West Bank as we speak, is not someone I want to have anything at all to do with, so please don't engage with me on this site in the future please…Get It.
I do not think so Gabby. The IDF will pull its head in as the international BDS takes stronger effect, and pressure on the US ruling class is too much for them. Southern hemisphere countries in the main do not like Israel one little bit.
@Gabby
"I imagine the slaughter may stop when hamas no longer exists"……..Israel and the USA has ensured that Hamas will become bigger and more extreme and dangerous than we can possibly imagine….how many Muslim men and woman around the world do you imagine have become prepared to Martyr themselves for this cause now?
I would imagine the slaughter would stop a lot quicker if the Terrorist IDF would stop doing the slaughtering.
Hipkins was confirmed as the Party’s leader this Tuesday and said he would fight on to the 2023 election. However the party has shown signs of instability in the days that followed the vote.
by Thomas Coughlan
So writes a miserable rat who can't stop with the slurs and innuendoes. This in his column about a complaint about Ginny Anderson who yelled at a helper. Go back to sleep Coughlin!
When the Party General Secretary confirms that a complaint has been made and that it is being investigated his story certainly isn't what you are saying. It certainly isn't innuendo is it?
Should he have simply ignored the story? Are we not to be allowed to know about the behaviour of the people who want the right to rule us?
"Imho, the primary role of all MP's should be to serve (all) Kiwis, rather than "rule us"."
On that point I am totally in agreement with you. I'm not sure that most of the MPs would agree with us though. Particularly the ones who make it into the leadership jobs in a party or the front benches in the House.
The Thomas Coughlan article is about allegations of verbal abuse of two teenagers.
At the end, there are these unrelated comments which are not enlarged upon or substantiated.
"Hipkins was confirmed as the Party’s leader this Tuesday and said he would fight on to the 2023 election. However the party has shown signs of instability in the days that followed the vote."
What connection is Coughlan making between Hipkins as leader for the 2023 election (does he mean 2026?) and signs of instability? The two sentences are in the same paragraph and therefore must be linked.
Perhaps it is in the same well constructed and researched vein as his 2023 error…….
Recently I read of an Israeli spokesman who originated the idea of "river to the sea." He did so in a speech about 10 years+ ago. So not new and could be interpreted as a call for Israel to take over the whole region.
Would be useful to be quoted exactly esp in defence of Chloe. Anyone?
Thanks Francesca. That is a reasonable expression of peaceful option. And it also shows how a phrase "river to the sea" has been used to create anger against people such as Chloe. And used by many people on all sides of the "debate."
Imagine the group of Israelis discussing options for peace with say, Chloe. Makes me wonder if the outrage is organised to distract?
Political groups have employed the slogan since the 1960s to advocate for Palestinian liberation, with origins in the Palestinian National Council's initial charters, which demanded a Palestinian state geographically encompassing the historic boundaries of Mandatory Palestine, and a removal of a majority of its Jewish population
From 1964 in accord with the original Arab position of a unitary state (many of the Jewish population left Arab nations in the late 1940's).
Likud did their 1977 statement after that.
Then the Hamas Charter in support of the 1964 position in 1988.
The PNC position changed with the Oslo Accords and founding of the PA – when the PLO moved to justice of Arabs in Israel, right of return for refugees and a Palestine state on 67 borders.
Hamas under pressure from Egypt in 2017 agreed with this as an interim step before a later move to a unitary state (thus without any recognition of an Israeli state).
Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, which describes itself as conservative and nationalist, has been a staunch promoter of the concept of “Eretz Israel”, or the Bible-given right of the Jewish people to the land of Israel.
According to the Jewish Virtual Library, the party’s original party manifesto in 1977 stated that “between the Sea and the Jordan there will only be Israeli sovereignty”. It also argued that the establishment of a Palestinian state “jeopardises the security of the Jewish population” and “endangers the existence of the state of Israel”.
This is because this increase in possession is of consequence not only in itself, but because through it we increase our strength, and every increase in strength helps in the possession of the land as a whole. The establishment of a state, even if only on a portion of the land, is the maximal reinforcement of our strength at the present time and a powerful boost to our historical endeavors to liberate the entire country.[2][3][4]
The same sentiment was recorded by Ben-Gurion on other occasions, such as at a meeting of the Jewish Agency executive in June 1938,[5] as well as by Chaim Weizmann.[4][6] Ben Gurion said:
We shall smash these frontiers which are being forced upon us, and not necessarily by war…."
That was in the 1930s Israel's intention to 'acquire land' was well stated decades before it's multiple wars of conquest in 1967
I suggest you read the original question, which was about the origin of the phrase "river to the sea"
There is no question that extremists on both sides want sole occupation of Israel/Palestine – and have done since the 19th century.
However, Israel has citizenship and democratic participation by Palestinian Arabs in the Knesset. Care to take up the challenge to name a Middle Eastern country which extends the same privilege to Jews?
I suggest you learn the geographical area covering Ben-Gurions statement – it is the area the river to the sea – If you consider that Zionist leadrers clearly stating they planned to 'ACQUIRE' it all in the 1930's Is of no importance then that says an awful about your motivations. If you want simply to be pissy about a phrase well it's interesting that in english it rhymes but it doesn't in Arabic – perhaps suggesting it was coind by english speaking individual.
1. the decision of the UN to partition the area into two states
2. from 1949 acquisition of territory war is no longer recognised by the UN (so the relative share is stuck at the 1949-1967 border).
Thus only two states, via a peace settlement, can change the 1949-1967 international status quo.
Israeli negotiators might want to retain some WB settlements (usually those near Jerusalem) within Israel – Palestinian negotiators might want a transport corridor (road and rail) between WB and Gaza etc.
I see Newshub is still operating from the Septic Tank. A teenage girl got yelled at supposedly. Why does that warrant an allegation of bullying? And headline in the news? Because it was a Labour MP. If it had been Nat member it wouldn’t rate a mention. Just the same as they wouldn’t have followed up on the Uffindull saga which was outright assault on a teenager. Potential police charge but daddy got him off. Now they’re going full on into Chris H doing an U turn on taxes. Which he can do if he so wishes. John Key was the king of Uturns.He set the precedent. ‘ No,we will never raise GST, golly gosh’… nek minnit GST 15%! 3% raise! Chris Hipkins should get a small department dedicated to dealing with these allegations the minute they are published. Hit them back immediately with their side the story. This smacks of what seems to be going to be a three year long onslaught by Newshub.
So it's OK for a Labour politician to yell at teenage volunteers, and blame them because she lost her seat.
Really?
Andersen is the person with the position of power here. It's outright bullying.
And before you get into the "whaddabout". Uffindell was absolutely wrong. I don't think there is any debate about this. He admits it, and has apologized. However, he was also a teenager at the time (16) – and certainly not in Parliament.
The two cases are not at all comparable.
The closest parallel is Meka Whaitiri (who was stood down as a Minister by Ardern, for bullying a staffer). You could also list Mallard, who made allegations in Parliament about a staffer committing 'rape' which were completely unfounded – an abuse of his power/authority as Speaker. But received no consequences from the Labour party or PM for his error of judgement.
The most recent National MP accused of bullying was Tim van de Molen – accused of stand-over tactics and bullying towards Shanan Halbert.
It was widely covered in the media – and Van de Molen was stood down from his portfolios by Luxon, and apologised both to the House and to Halbert.
We don't know the circumstances around the incident yet. It is possible the MP was provoked – not necessarily by the teenagers concerned. It is also possible a mountain is being made out of a molehill. My advice is for people to shut up until the facts are known.
Ah, the media doing what it does best – policing the opposition once National is back in government. We are going to get three years of a TPU-fed forensic focus on Labour while Luxon (like Key) gets a free ride.
Mark Mitchell the ex mercenary soldier is not liked by a lot of people. I have no doubt National members included. Do we hear a peep out of the media about that? Nah.
Maggie Barry had a reputation for being a bully. The media treated her pretty kindly even after staff attested to the fact.
Top Nat Party figures were in the spotlight from time to time but none of them subjected to the kind of 'forensic analysis' applied to Labour miscreants. Unless they commit offences of a serious nature, the spotlight does not shine anything like as fiercely on the Nats.
Doesn't sound to me like this was a serious case of bullying. Anyone who has been to a political party election night function knows there is usually a lot of noise – TVs blaring and people reacting to the outcomes. Its not a place for calm, considered conversations:
In a letter of complaint, which was leaked to media outlets yesterday, the mother alleges poor behaviour over a period of three years, but particularly on election night this year.
I wonder why the teenager hung in there for 3 years?
Why the mother didn't intervene earlier?
I've been yelled at in all kinds of circumstances .Paid employment .But if this had been regular and I had been volunteering, you wouldn't see me for dust .
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It’s been an eventful week as always, so here’s a few things that we have found interesting. We also hope everyone had a happy and relaxing Waitangi Day! This week in Greater Auckland We’re still running on summer time, but provided two chewy posts: On Tuesday, a guest ...
Queuing on Queen St: the Government is set to announce another apparently splashy growth policy on Sunday of offering residence visas to wealthy migrants. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Friday, February 7:PM Christopher ...
The fact that Waitangi ended up being such a low-key affair may mark it out as one of the most significant Waitangi Days in recent years. A group of women draped in “Toitu Te Tiriti” banners who turned their backs on the politicians’ powhiri was about as rough as it ...
Hi,This week’s Flightless Bird episode was about “fake seizure guy” — a Melbourne man who fakes seizures in order to get members of the public to sit on him.The audio documentary (which I have included in this newsletter in case you don’t listen to Flightless Bird) built on reporting first ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Karin Kirk The 119th Congress comes with a price tag. The oil and gas industry gave about $24 million in campaign contributions to the members of the U.S. House and Senate expected to be sworn in January 3, 2025, according to a ...
Early morning, the shadows still long, but you can already feel the warmth building. Our motel was across the road from the historic homestead where Henry Williams' family lived. The evening before, we wandered around the gardens, reading the plaques and enjoying the close proximity to the history of the ...
Thanks folks for your feedback, votes and comments this week. I’ll be making the changes soon. Appreciate all your emails, comments and subscriptions too. I know your time is valuable - muchas gracias.A lot is happening both here and around the world - so I want to provide a snippets ...
Data released today by Statistics NZ shows that unemployment rose to 5.1%, with 33,000 more people out of work than last year said NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi Economist Craig Renney. “The latest data shows that employment fell in Aotearoa at its fastest rate since the GFC. Unemployment rose in 8 ...
The December labour market statistics have been released, showing yet another increase in unemployment. There are now 156,000 unemployed - 34,000 more than when National took office. And having thrown all these people out of work, National is doubling down on cruelty. Because being vicious will somehow magically create the ...
Boarded up homes in Kilbirnie, where work on a planned development was halted. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Wednesday, February 5 are;Housing Minister Chris Bishop yesterday announcedKāinga Ora would be stripped of ...
This week Kiwirail and Auckland Transport were celebrating the completion of the summer rail works that had the network shut or for over a month and the start of electric trains to Pukekohe. First up, here’s parts of the press release about the shutdown works. Passengers boarding trains in Auckland ...
Through its austerity measures, the coalition government has engineered a rise in unemployment in order to reduce inflation while – simultaneously – cracking down harder and harder on the people thrown out of work by its own policies. To that end, Social Development Minister Louise Upston this week added two ...
This year, we've seen a radical, white supremacist government ignoring its Tiriti obligations, refusing to consult with Māori, and even trying to legislatively abrogate te Tiriti o Waitangi. When it was criticised by the Waitangi Tribunal, the government sabotaged that body, replacing its legal and historical experts with corporate shills, ...
Poor old democracy, it really is in a sorry state. It would be easy to put all the blame on the vandals and tyrants presently trashing the White House, but this has been years in the making. It begins with Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan and the spirit of Gordon ...
The new school lunches came in this week, and they were absolutely scrumptious.I had some, and even though Connor said his tasted like “stodge” and gave him a sore tummy, I myself loved it!Look at the photos - I knew Mr Seymour wouldn’t lie when he told us last year:"It ...
The tighter sanctions are modelled on ones used in Britain, which did push people off ‘the dole’, but didn’t increase the number of workers, and which evidence has repeatedly shown don’t work. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, ...
Catching you up on the morning’s global news and a quick look at the parallels -GLOBALTariffs are backSharemarkets in the US, UK and Europe have “plunged” in response to Trump’s tariffs. And while Mexico has won a one month reprieve, Canada and China will see their respective 25% and 10% ...
This post by Nicolas Reid was originally published on Linked in. It is republished here with permission. Gondolas are often in the news, with manufacturers of ropeway systems proposing them as a modern option for mass transit systems in New Zealand. However, like every next big thing in transport, it’s hard ...
This is a re-post from The Climate BrinkBoth 2023 and 2024 were exceptionally warm years, at just below and above 1.5C relative to preindustrial in the WMO composite of surface temperature records, respectively. While we are still working to assess the full set of drivers of this warmth, it is clear that ...
Hi,I woke up feeling nervous this morning, realising that this weekend Flightless Bird is going to do it’s first ever live show. We’re heading to a sold out (!) show in Seattle to test the format out in front of an audience. If it works, we’ll do more. I want ...
From the United-For-Now States of America comes the thrilling news that a New Zealander may be at the very heart of the current coup. Punching above our weight on the world stage once more! Wait, you may be asking, what New Zealander? I speak of Peter Thiel, made street legal ...
Even Stevens: Over the 33 years between 1990 and 2023 (and allowing for the aberrant 2020 result) the average level of support enjoyed by the Left and Right blocs, at roughly 44.5 percent each, turns out to be, as near as dammit, identical.WORLDWIDE, THE PARTIES of the Left are presented ...
Back in 2023, a "prominent political figure" went on trial for historic sex offences. But we weren't allowed to know who they were or what political party they were "prominent" in, because it might affect the way we voted. At the time, I said that this was untenable; it was ...
I'm going, I'm goingWhere the water tastes like wineI'm going where the water tastes like wineWe can jump in the waterStay drunk all the timeI'm gonna leave this city, got to get awayI'm gonna leave this city, got to get awayAll this fussing and fighting, man, you know I sure ...
Waitangi Day is a time to honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi and stand together for a just and fair Aotearoa. Across the motu, communities are gathering to reflect, kōrero, and take action for a future built on equity and tino rangatiratanga. From dawn ceremonies to whānau-friendly events, there are ...
Subscribe to Mountain Tūī ! Where you too can learn about exciting things from a flying bird! Tweet.Yes - I absolutely suck at marketing. It’s a fact.But first -My question to all readers is:How should I set up the Substack model?It’s been something I’ve been meaning to ask since November ...
Here’s the key news, commentary, reports and debate around Aotearoa’s political economy on politics and in the week to Feb 3:PM Christopher Luxon began 2025’s first day of Parliament last Tuesday by carrying on where left off in 2024, letting National’s junior coalition partner set the political agenda and dragging ...
The PSA have released a survey of 4000 public service workers showing that budget cuts are taking a toll on the wellbeing of public servants and risking the delivery of essential services to New Zealanders. Economists predict that figures released this week will show continued increases in unemployment, potentially reaching ...
The Prime Minister’s speech 10 days or so ago kicked off a flurry of commentary. No one much anywhere near the mainstream (ie excluding Greens supporters) questioned the rhetoric. New Zealand has done woefully poorly on productivity for a long time and we really need better outcomes, and the sorts ...
President Trump on the day he announced tariffs against Mexico, Canada and China, unleashing a shock to supply chains globally that is expected to slow economic growth and increase inflation for most large economies. Photo: Getty ImagesLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate ...
Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on UnsplashHere’s what we’re watching in the week to February 9 and beyond in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty:Monday, February 3Politics: New Zealand Government cabinet meeting usually held early afternoon with post-cabinet news conference possible at 4 pm, although they have not been ...
Trump being Trump, it won’t come as a shock to find that he regards a strong US currency (bolstered by high tariffs on everything made by foreigners) as a sign of America’s virility, and its ability to kick sand in the face of the world. Reality is a tad more ...
A listing of 24 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, January 26, 2025 thru Sat, February 1, 2025. This week's roundup is again published soleley by category. We are still interested in feedback to hone the categorization, so if ...
What seems to be the common theme in the US, NZ, Argentina and places like Italy under their respective rightwing governments is what I think of as “the politics of cruelty.” Hate-mongering, callous indifference in social policy-making, corporate toadying, political bullying, intimidation and punching down on the most vulnerable with ...
If you are confused, check with the sunCarry a compass to help you alongYour feet are going to be on the groundYour head is there to move you aroundSo, stand in the place where you liveSongwriters: Bill Berry / Michael Mills / Michael Stipe / Peter Buck.Hot in the CityYesterday, ...
New Zealand First has today introduced a Member’s Bill which would restore decision-making power to local communities regarding the fluoridation of drinking water. The ‘Fluoridation (Referendum) Legislation Bill’ seeks to repeal the Health (Fluoridation of Drinking Water) Amendment Act 2021 that granted centralised authority to the Direct General of Health ...
New Zealand First has introduced a Member’s Bill aimed at preventing banks from refusing their services to businesses because of the current “Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Framework”. “This Bill ensures fairness and prevents ESG standards from perpetuating woke ideology in the banking sector being driven by unelected, globalist, climate ...
Erica Stanford has reached peak shortsightedness if today’s announcement is anything to go by, picking apart immigration settings piece by piece to the detriment of the New Zealand economy. ...
Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. The intention was to establish a colony with the cession of sovereignty to the Crown, ...
Te Whatu Ora Chief Executive Margie Apa leaving her job four months early is another symptom of this government’s failure to deliver healthcare for New Zealanders. ...
The Green Party is calling for the Prime Minister to show leadership and be unequivocal about Aotearoa New Zealand’s opposition to a proposal by the US President to remove Palestinians from Gaza. ...
The latest unemployment figures reveal that job losses are hitting Māori and Pacific people especially hard, with Māori unemployment reaching a staggering 9.7% for the December 2024 quarter and Pasifika unemployment reaching 10.5%. ...
Waitangi 2025: Waitangi Day must be community and not politically driven - Shane Jones Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. ...
Despite being confronted every day with people in genuine need being stopped from accessing emergency housing – National still won’t commit to building more public houses. ...
The Green Party says the Government is giving up on growing the country’s public housing stock, despite overwhelming evidence that we need more affordable houses to solve the housing crisis. ...
Before any thoughts of the New Year and what lies ahead could even be contemplated, New Zealand reeled with the tragedy of Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming losing her life. For over 38 years she had faithfully served as a front-line Police officer. Working alongside her was Senior Sergeant Adam Ramsay ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson will return to politics at Waitangi on Monday the 3rd of February where she will hold a stand up with fellow co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick. ...
Te Pāti Māori is appalled by the government's blatant mishandling of the school lunch programme. David Seymour’s ‘cost-saving’ measures have left tamariki across Aotearoa with unidentifiable meals, causing distress and outrage among parents and communities alike. “What’s the difference between providing inedible food, and providing no food at all?” Said ...
The Government is doubling down on outdated and volatile fossil fuels, showing how shortsighted and destructive their policies are for working New Zealanders. ...
Green Party MP Steve Abel this morning joined Coromandel locals in Waihi to condemn new mining plans announced by Shane Jones in the pit of the town’s Australian-owned Gold mine. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to strengthen its just-announced 2030-2035 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement and address its woeful lack of commitment to climate security. ...
Today marks a historic moment for Taranaki iwi with the passing of the Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill in Parliament. "Today, we stand together as descendants of Taranaki, and our tūpuna, Taranaki Maunga, is now formally acknowledged by the law as a living tūpuna. ...
Labour is relieved to see Children’s Minister Karen Chhour has woken up to reality and reversed her government’s terrible decisions to cut funding from frontline service providers – temporarily. ...
It is the first week of David Seymour’s school lunch programme and already social media reports are circulating of revolting meals, late deliveries, and mislabelled packaging. ...
The Green Party says that with no-cause evictions returning from today, the move to allow landlords to end tenancies without reason plunges renters, and particularly families who rent, into insecurity and stress. ...
The Government’s move to increase speed limits substantially on dozens of stretches of rural and often undivided highways will result in more serious harm. ...
In her first announcement as Economic Growth Minister, Nicola Willis chose to loosen restrictions for digital nomads from other countries, rather than focus on everyday Kiwis. ...
The Government’s commitment to get New Zealand’s roads back on track is delivering strong results, with around 98 per cent of potholes on state highways repaired within 24 hours of identification every month since targets were introduced, Transport Minister Chris Bishop says. “Increasing productivity to help rebuild our economy is ...
The former Cadbury factory will be the site of the Inpatient Building for the new Dunedin Hospital and Health Minister Simeon Brown says actions have been taken to get the cost overruns under control. “Today I am giving the people of Dunedin certainty that we will build the new Dunedin ...
From today, Plunket in Whāngarei will be offering childhood immunisations – the first of up to 27 sites nationwide, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. The investment of $1 million into the pilot, announced in October 2024, was made possible due to the Government’s record $16.68 billion investment in health. It ...
New Zealand’s strong commitment to the rights of disabled people has continued with the response to an important United Nations report, Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston has announced. Of the 63 concluding observations of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), 47 will be progressed ...
Resources Minister Shane Jones has launched New Zealand’s national Minerals Strategy and Critical Minerals List, documents that lay a strategic and enduring path for the mineral sector, with the aim of doubling exports to $3 billion by 2035. Mr Jones released the documents, which present the Coalition Government’s transformative vision ...
Firstly I want to thank OceanaGold for hosting our event today. Your operation at Waihi is impressive. I want to acknowledge local MP Scott Simpson, local government dignitaries, community stakeholders and all of you who have gathered here today. It’s a privilege to welcome you to the launch of the ...
Racing Minister, Winston Peters has announced the Government is preparing public consultation on GST policy proposals which would make the New Zealand racing industry more competitive. “The racing industry makes an important economic contribution. New Zealand thoroughbreds are in demand overseas as racehorses and for breeding. The domestic thoroughbred industry ...
Business confidence remains very high and shows the economy is on track to improve, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis says. “The latest ANZ Business Outlook survey, released yesterday, shows business confidence and expected own activity are ‘still both very high’.” The survey reports business confidence fell eight points to +54 ...
Enabling works have begun this week on an expanded radiology unit at Hawke’s Bay Fallen Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital which will double CT scanning capacity in Hawke’s Bay to ensure more locals can benefit from access to timely, quality healthcare, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. This investment of $29.3m in the ...
The Government has today announced New Zealand’s second international climate target under the Paris Agreement, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand will reduce emissions by 51 to 55 per cent compared to 2005 levels, by 2035. “We have worked hard to set a target that is both ambitious ...
Nine years of negotiations between the Crown and iwi of Taranaki have concluded following Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/the Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill passing its third reading in Parliament today, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “This Bill addresses the historical grievances endured by the eight iwi ...
As schools start back for 2025, there will be a relentless focus on teaching the basics brilliantly so all Kiwi kids grow up with the knowledge, skills and competencies needed to grow the New Zealand of the future, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “A world-leading education system is a key ...
Housing Minister Chris Bishop and Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson have welcomed Kāinga Ora’s decision to re-open its tender for carpets to allow wool carpet suppliers to bid. “In 2024 Kāinga Ora issued requests for tender (RFTs) seeking bids from suppliers to carpet their properties,” Mr Bishop says. “As part ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today visited Otahuhu College where the new school lunch programme has served up healthy lunches to students in the first days of the school year. “As schools open in 2025, the programme will deliver nutritious meals to around 242,000 students, every school day. On ...
Minister for Children Karen Chhour has intervened in Oranga Tamariki’s review of social service provider contracts to ensure Barnardos can continue to deliver its 0800 What’s Up hotline. “When I found out about the potential impact to this service, I asked Oranga Tamariki for an explanation. Based on the information ...
A bill to make revenue collection on imported and exported goods fairer and more effective had its first reading in Parliament, Customs Minister Casey Costello said today. “The Customs (Levies and Other Matters) Amendment Bill modernises the way in which Customs can recover the costs of services that are needed ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Department of Internal Affairs [the Department] has achieved significant progress in completing applications for New Zealand citizenship. “December 2024 saw the Department complete 5,661 citizenship applications, the most for any month in 2024. This is a 54 per cent increase compared ...
Reversals to Labour’s blanket speed limit reductions begin tonight and will be in place by 1 July, says Minister of Transport Chris Bishop. “The previous government was obsessed with slowing New Zealanders down by imposing illogical and untargeted speed limit reductions on state highways and local roads. “National campaigned on ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis has announced Budget 2025 – the Growth Budget - will be delivered on Thursday 22 May. “This year’s Budget will drive forward the Government’s plan to grow our economy to improve the incomes of New Zealanders now and in the years ahead. “Budget 2025 will build ...
For the Government, 2025 will bring a relentless focus on unleashing the growth we need to lift incomes, strengthen local businesses and create opportunity. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today laid out the Government’s growth agenda in his Statement to Parliament. “Just over a year ago this Government was elected by ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour welcomes students back to school with a call to raise attendance from last year. “The Government encourages all students to attend school every day because there is a clear connection between being present at school and setting yourself up for a bright future,” says Mr ...
The Government is relaxing visitor visa requirements to allow tourists to work remotely while visiting New Zealand, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis, Immigration Minister Erica Stanford and Tourism Minister Louise Upston say. “The change is part of the Government’s plan to unlock New Zealand’s potential by shifting the country onto ...
The opening of Kāinga Ora’s development of 134 homes in Epuni, Lower Hutt will provide much-needed social housing for Hutt families, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I’ve been a strong advocate for social housing on Kāinga Ora’s Epuni site ever since the old earthquake-prone housing was demolished in 2015. I ...
Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay will travel to Australia today for meetings with Australian Trade Minister, Senator Don Farrell, and the Australia New Zealand Leadership Forum (ANZLF). Mr McClay recently hosted Minister Farrell in Rotorua for the annual Closer Economic Relations (CER) Trade Ministers’ meeting, where ANZLF presented on ...
A new monthly podiatry clinic has been launched today in Wairoa and will bring a much-needed service closer to home for the Wairoa community, Health Minister Simeon Brown says.“Health New Zealand has been successful in securing a podiatrist until the end of June this year to meet the needs of ...
The Judicial Conduct Commissioner has recommended a Judicial Conduct Panel be established to inquire into and report on the alleged conduct of acting District Court Judge Ema Aitken in an incident last November, Attorney-General Judith Collins said today. “I referred the matter of Judge Aitken’s alleged conduct during an incident ...
Students who need extra help with maths are set to benefit from a targeted acceleration programme that will give them more confidence in the classroom, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Last year, significant numbers of students did not meet the foundational literacy and numeracy level required to gain NCEA. To ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has announced three new diplomatic appointments. “Our diplomats play an important role in ensuring New Zealand’s interests are maintained and enhanced across the world,” Mr Peters says. “It is a pleasure to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and ...
Ki te kahore he whakakitenga, ka ngaro te Iwi – without a vision, the people will perish. The Government has achieved its target to reduce the number of households in emergency housing motels by 75 per cent five years early, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. The number of households ...
The opening of Palmerston North’s biggest social housing development will have a significant impact for whānau in need of safe, warm, dry housing, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. The minister visited the development today at North Street where a total of 50 two, three, and four-bedroom homes plus a ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced the new membership of the Public Advisory Committee on Disarmament and Arms Control (PACDAC), who will serve for a three-year term. “The Committee brings together wide-ranging expertise relevant to disarmament. We have made six new appointments to the Committee and reappointed two existing members ...
Ka nui te mihi kia koutou. Kia ora, good morning, talofa, malo e lelei, bula vinaka, da jia hao, namaste, sat sri akal, assalamu alaikum. It’s so great to be here and I’m ready and pumped for 2025. Can I start by acknowledging: Simon Bridges – CEO of the Auckland ...
The Government has unveiled a bold new initiative to position New Zealand as a premier destination for foreign direct investment (FDI) that will create higher paying jobs and grow the economy. “Invest New Zealand will streamline the investment process and provide tailored support to foreign investors, to increase capital investment ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins today announced the largest reset of the New Zealand science system in more than 30 years with reforms which will boost the economy and benefit the sector. “The reforms will maximise the value of the $1.2 billion in government funding that goes into ...
Turbocharging New Zealand’s economic growth is the key to brighter days ahead for all Kiwis, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says. In the Prime Minister’s State of the Nation Speech in Auckland today, Christopher Luxon laid out the path to the prosperity that will affect all aspects of New Zealanders’ lives. ...
The latest set of accounts show the Government has successfully checked the runaway growth of public spending, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. “In the previous government’s final five months in office, public spending was almost 10 per cent higher than for the same period the previous year. “That is completely ...
The Government’s welfare reforms are delivering results with the number of people moving off benefits into work increasing year-on-year for six straight months. “There are positive signs that our welfare reset and the return consequences for job seekers who don't fulfil their obligations to prepare for or find a job ...
A global consultancy will lead the government's review of electricity markets, with a local firm offering advice and two groups of experts providing quality assurance. ...
New Public Service Minister Judith Collins is calling for a culture of saying 'yes', but being honest enough with ministers to "reconcile the vision with reality". ...
The future of nearly a third of all huts and tracks managed by the Department of Conservation is in limbo, as the agency faces a 30 percent shortfall in funding to maintain them. ...
Today I’ve had a bit on. I’m living in a 23.4 metre tug off the coast of Samoa and have been for a few weeks now. I’m on a top-secret mission to help save the planet from another potential environmental disaster.I’m currently tasked with looking out the window and making ...
The ‘loneliness epidemic’ is apparently spreading around the world, but what does it look like here in New Zealand? Rachel Judkins reports. It’s a beautiful summer evening in Cornwall Park, with families scattered on the grass and a live band playing a backing track to their laughter. Sprawled on a ...
The Act leader gets a telling-off from the principal and prime minister Christopher Luxon loses his cool in a heated question time. Echo Chamber is The Spinoff’s dispatch from the press gallery, recapping sessions in the House. Columns are written by politics reporter Lyric Waiwiri-Smith and Wellington editor Joel MacManus. ...
A Government proposal to axe the only two jobs in New Zealand’s health sector of people who were working on a national strategy for palliative care has angered those in the sector, which is already under immense strain.It’s put another wedge between those who want terminally ill patients to live ...
The High Court isn’t the appropriate place to solve a South Island iwi’s claims over freshwater, the Crown says.Ngāi Tahu leaders, and the collective Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, are taking legal action against the Attorney-General, demanding to be involved in decision-making over freshwater. Iwi want the Crown to recognise ...
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Opinion: It was the 10th anniversary of UNESCO’s International Day of Women and Girls in Science this week, the theme being ‘Unpacking STEM Careers: Her Voice in Science’. It is 2025, but we still need a lot more of her voices in science.In New Zealand, a 2021 survey found that ...
NewsroomBy Dr Jennifer Kruger and Dr Kelly Burrowes
COMMENTARY:By Sawsan Madina I watched US President Donald Trump’s joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week in utter disbelief. Not that the idea, or indeed the practice, of ethnic cleansing of Palestine is new. But at that press conference the mask has fallen. Recently, fascism ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Albanese government will on Wednesday announce it is willing, as a last resort, to purchase the collapsed Rex Airlines, in its latest bid to prop up aviation services to regional and remote areas. As ...
Jotham Napat has been elected as the new prime minister of Vanuatu. Napat was elected unopposed in Port Vila today, receiving 50 votes with two void votes. He is the country’s fifth prime minister in four years and will lead a coalition government made up of five political parties — ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By A J Brown, Professor of Public Policy & Law, Centre for Governance & Public Policy, Griffith University Australia has turned the corner on its decade-long slide on Transparency International’s annual Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), once again ranking in the top ten least ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nicole Bridges, Senior Lecturer in Public Relations and Director of Academic Program – Communication, Creative Industries, Screen Media, Western Sydney University Stock Rocket/Shutterstock For new parents struggling with challenges such as breastfeeding and sleep deprivation, social media can be a great ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Scott French, Senior Lecturer in Economics, UNSW Sydney US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese have stated an exemption for Australia from Trump’s executive order placing 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminium imported into the US is “under consideration”. ...
Analysis - Christopher Luxon's attempts to turn the tables back on the Opposition at Question Time today went down like a lead balloon, Jo Moir writes. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brenton Griffin, Casual Lecturer and Tutor in History, Indigenous Studies, and Politics, Flinders University American Primeval/Netflix On January 24, leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, more commonly known as the Mormon Church, penned a statement condemning the ...
It comes as Whangārei District Council is under fire from the Director General of Health Dr Diana Sarfati after it voted in December against adding fluoridation to the water. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paul Strangio, Emeritus Professor of Politics, Monash University Is history repeating itself in Labor’s fortress state of Victoria? At the 1990 federal election, Bob Hawke’s Labor government had a near-death experience when it lost nine seats in Victoria. A furious Hawke laid ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lisa Nissen, HERA Program Director – Health Workforce Optimisation Centre for the Business & Economics of Health, The University of Queensland Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock If you’ve tried to get an appointment to see a GP or specialist recently, you will likely have felt ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peta Ashworth, Professor and Director, Curtin Institute for Energy Transition, Curtin University Large power grids are among the most complicated machines humans have ever devised. Different generators produce power at various times and at various costs. A generator might fail and another ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bronwyn Orr, Veterinarian, Southern Cross University Mitchell Orr/Unsplash Late last year, rumours swirled online that HomeSafeID, a private Australian pet microchip registry, had stopped operating. On Feburary 5 2025, a notice appeared on the HomeSafeID website, ostensibly from the site’s ...
The government is taking far too long to allocate the 1500 social homes it announced nine months ago and the hold up is stalling desperately-needed homes, says a community housing provider. ...
The agency is setting a 12-week limit on how much rent debt a tenant can accumulate as part of a change in approach that will also see almost half of the outstanding dept wiped away. ...
The media is rife with headlines about people killing animals for kicks. Please don’t.In memory of an Auckland swan, a Bay of Plenty octopus and a Taranaki striped marlin.Imagine this. It’s 7.15am. You’re paddling around on a serene lake with your sweetheart. It seems likely that she’ll give ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra US President Donald Trump has agreed to “consider” exempting Australia from the 25% tariff he has imposed on imports of steel and aluminium to the US. Trump gave the undertaking during a wide-ranging 40-minute ...
Ex-Labour hack explains why progressive activists oughtn't join Labour: https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/07-11-2023/no-the-greens-dont-have-a-labour-problem
Youngsters still in the keen phase, yet to go through burn-out…
And as usual, your commentary is nothing but snide remarks about the messenger(s).
You are obviously too lazy, unable, and unwilling to come up with “an intelligent and cogent contribution to the debate” and your attempt at a Yoda impersonation causes cracks in the Force.
David Williams is Newsroom's environment editor & South Island correspondent. He does a thoughtful appraisal of the Green electorate victory trend extending southward.
Yeah that makes sense. No more being nice to Labour. Ride the wave.
The natural Greens target would be Dunedin where the Greens got 11,500 Party vote and Labour 13,000. That's now very reversible in 2026.
Brooking was 9,000 votes ahead of the Green candidate, but frankly after Mt Albert and Auckland Central that's do-able. I’m sure Greens’ Scott Willis has figured this out already.
In a nutshell:
"Uncertainty about motivations, origins and influence of lobbyist groups can erode trust in democratic process."
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/in-depth/501982/revolving-door-for-lobbyists-can-result-in-unfair-access-justice-ministry
I shouldn't be surprised but disgraced former ministers pop up as a lobbyists.
"Since then, Kiri Allan resigned as Justice Minister and has started her own consultancy and lobbying firm. Stuart Nash also quit as a Cabinet Minister and now has a role which includes lobbying for global recruitment firm Robert Walters."
There is a lot of talk about lobbyists and MPs. This still doesn't go far enough, contact with officials, advisors or any in the public service should be bought under any reforms.
We live in an age where trust in institutions is at an all time low, it is disheartening to hear that the Commerce Commission had to pay more $ on top of the $1.7million they pay their own comms staff.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/in-depth/501838/lobbying-and-communications-firm-senate-s-wildly-inappropriate-contracts-at-commerce-commission-revealed
Good work by Guyon Espinor and team.
Dr Bryce is on the case: https://democracyproject.nz/2023/11/09/bryce-edwards-should-government-departments-be-giving-contracts-to-lobbying-firms/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=bryce-edwards-should-government-departments-be-giving-contracts-to-lobbying-firms
When lobbyists get attacked from both left & right simultaneously, do they respond "Hey you guys, commercial democracy is where it's at!"? Yes, if they have a sense of humour. Can always follow up with a history lesson on how the establishment parties have legislated for it for half a century. Teach youngsters a thing or two…
Unbelievable arrogance and hypocrisy from Edwards. Funding for his own political project is as opaque as they come.
I'm intrigued, can you elaborate plz?
Rather than focussing on Edwards’ hypocrisy and arrogance, perceived or not, and his disclosed and undisclosed funding sources, perhaps you could try to address the content of his piece?
did Nash only start lobbying when he quit Parliament?
https://i.stuff.co.nz/business/property/301004889/firsthome-buyers-overcome-challenges-to-take-record-share-of-purchases
Watch national destroy labours hard won gains
Agreed. National's rhetoric about Labour's failure to "deliver" over-simplified a complicated reality. There were indeed failures to deliver (tax reform), and there were also cases such as this, where National hated the fact that Labour delivered stuff for the 'wrong' social class.
Am I the only one with the standard showing up in a very odd format?
There was a major wordpress update last night. You may have caching issues.
I’ll try resetting all of the caches. But you might need to force a reload on your browser on at least one TS page to get it fixed in the short-term. Can’t tell you what that is in your browser/OS without knowing what you are on. Common ones are in this line.
https://filecamp.com/support/problem-solving/hard-refresh
On a android mobile , don't think the link covers it , but am a far better sheep shagger than tech guy
You're not alone, my Android has the weird format as of today too. couldn't figure out a Hard Refresh being a "Dinosaur" myself, so only back to the computer to read The Standard for now.
Owen Jones puts the needless Gaza slaughter in perspective here.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/nov/08/protesting-armistice-day-peace-war
Real people, real votes… https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/nov/08/democrat-biden-poll-election-virginia-kentucky-ohio
Looks like an ebb tide going out on Trump & Republicans.
/cue playing worlds smallest vioiln
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/133257223/wait-for-lifechanging-surgery-continues-after-acc-takes-nine-months-to-refuse-her-claim
Cases like this wouldn't be an issue if the full plan for health and accident compensation as recommended in the Woodhouse Report had been put in place instead of only half of it, which is what we have today, the other half being axed by Muldoon in 1975. Luxon says he’s gonna fix everything. Maybe the prick can fix this?
in addition to letting things slide like NZ has, we're now in a mess from the pandemic and ongoing staff shortages, system break downs, and general sub par performance. We really need to be shifting into transition and adaptation thinking instead of expecting someone to return us to previous normal.
Something I find really annoying about our democratic process is the amount of money wasted when governments change. One government may have spent millions or even billions on some projects or another only for a new government to scrap said projects because they don't align with their own priorities, or they see things a different way.
I think there needs to be some sort of cross party strategic committee that makes decisions about strategic projects. A good example would have been Three Waters. It appears that both Labour and National realise there are problems that need to be solved. It would have been good if that issue could have been put to a cross-party strategic committee so that a solution that all sides can agree on could be implimented.
Such a process would likely result in much more sustainable and better solutions to significant problems.
National don't want to solve it.
They want it to be a fuckup so they can privatise!
Just like their creeping privatisation of our public health system, that has, and is, causing it’s demise
From National's perspective, it makes sense to leave the problem to Councils whose only tools are to increase rates or borrow. Higher rates, along with rising insurance costs due to CC, will see a number of people who own houses but have lower incomes (e.g. the retired) having to sell up. If you simultaneously inflate asset prices through foreign buyers and re-incentivising domestic investors, then it becomes harder for first home buyers as well. Like a beautiful pincer movement, these two forces will accelerate the concentration of home ownership into the hands of mega landlords. The new feudalism beckons.
Yep, privatisation of Kiwi public services and assets facilitates the diversification and growth of unearned income streams for the wealthy – <a href="https://www.interest.co.nz/opinion/74219/almost-year-after-last-official-state-asset-sale-david-hargreaves-has-look-how"rel="nofollow ugc"Nats have form.
Mucked up formatting the link to David Hargreaves analysis of the electricity company asset sales – this one works.
In 1991 the Nats introduced the Energy Sector Reform Bill (later split to become five separate acts, including the Energy Companies Act 1992 and the Electricity Act 1992), containing provisions facilitating the corporatisation of electricity supply authorities and a wide range of regulatory measures.
It's just the way Nat pollies and there backers think and plan (long term) – how can the wealthy maximise their extraction of unearned income from publicly-funded services and infrastructure. It has little-to-nothing to do with the wider public good – NZ is just a cash cow being milked dry by already wealthy Kiwis, imho.
If politicians are half as tribal and partisan as most commenters here, unfortunately you have no show.
I agree with yr sentiment though.
Imho, many Kiwi politicians are more tribal and partisan than most commentators here, and most "bottom feeders", so yes, "no show" as the effects of inequality and overshoot play out. Aotearoa NZ could do with a bit more of "He Waka Eke Noa", but Mammon demands absolute loyality.
National and Labour had a joint agreement about housing and land use. National scrapped it unilaterally during the Election campaign.
Yeah. I wasn't too impressed with that.
I suspect that the focus group feedback from the NP core membership, about 3x 3-story houses on every plot of land – was volcanic.
A good first step would be the independent costings unit, as proposed previously, and as practised in other democracies. Test policies against financial reality, and tell the public before they vote.
Who vetoed it? National.
Parties' 'Fiscal Holes' Highlight the Need for Independent Costings Watchdog | Newsroom
https://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/133261713/volunteers-from-palestinian-youth-aotearoa-help-clean-vandalised-jewish-community-centre
this is what is needed in our country right now.
That is brilliant!
Decent and sensible people on both sides.
Fascinating story:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-67327079
A mainstream media channel window on IDF butchers going about their work. I just hope that international solidarity keeps building to the point where Israel has to stop the slaughter and destruction, and that somehow a negotiated settlement will begin.
Cultural and economic boycotts bought South Africa’s apartheid state to account, and BDS can do that now, and provide a way from this distance to help the Palestinian cause. Check that Tahini jar label, and don’t buy a new Sodastream or Puma shoes.
https://bdsmovement.net
"I just hope that international solidarity keeps building to the point where Israel has to stop the slaughter and destruction, and that somehow a negotiated settlement will begin"
Israeli Zionists have never wanted to negotiate, and they won't stop their slaughter because they are doing what they have always wanted to do, and have the full protection of the USA to carry out their ethnic cleansing….
This is The Western Rules Based Order in all it's glory is on display for the entire world to witness… impotently doing nothing..it is a fucking disgrace.
It is like watching a twisted version of the Warsaw uprising being played out right in front of us in 2023.
Notice how all the Ra RA Never Negotiate Ukraine war crowd on this site have been almost silent on this Ethnic Cleansing… I doubt if many of those idiots have had an original thought pass through their lazy brains for decades…not told to be outraged and support the people of Gaza…so they aren’t…it is as simple as that.
And what is your opinion about the (entirely successful) ethnic cleansing carried out against the Jews in Libya?
['Successful' as in there is not one Jew left in that country]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Jews_in_Libya
I can’t imagine the Palestinians were responsible for that.They’re certainly paying the price though , for what Europeans did to the jews .
A misrepresentation surely – given the 1947 UN partition plan was based on the League of Nations mandate, which was based on the Balfour Declaration (1917).
Yes , pogroms in Europe pre Holocaust
I don't recall saying the Palestinians were responsible.
And, it was the Libyans (Arabs) who were doing the ethnic cleansing – not the Europeans.
What has that got to do with this?
More than Ukraine does.
I should have thought that the complete ethnic cleansing of Jews from the surrounding Arab countries would be a relevant factor, in Israeli trust (or otherwise) of Arab intentions.
There was also the ethnic cleansing of Jews from Gaza and the West Bank.
.
https://www.statista.com/statistics/1312584/ukrainian-refugees-by-country/
https://www.unrefugees.org/news/syria-refugee-crisis-explained/
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/31/northwest-syria-witnesses-most-intense-military-escalation-in-three-years
https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2023/11/6/kill-me-here-but-i-am-not-going-back-an-afghan-refugee-in-pakistan
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/11/7/as-pakistan-deports-refugees-tense-afghanistan-ties-come-in-sharp-focus
What has any of that got to do with this crime against humanity?
You referred to this ethnic cleansing – how many people of Gaza have left the area of Gaza?
Who knows…what is your point…just say what it is, and stop beating around the bush.
How would you describe the layer upon layer of war crimes the Zionists are inflicting on the population of Gaza?
You made a claim of ethnic cleansing.
I gave real world examples of the outcome of war.
War results in refugees. An oppressive regime results in refugees not wanting to return, even when the war is over.
Given you cannot answer – what is known is that Egypt is only allowing nationals not of Gaza across the border.
War results in deaths – 600,000 in Syria. Recent resumption of urban bombing in Syria and Ukraine has caused more deaths.
Why are deaths of civilians called ethnic cleansing in Gaza, but not those in Ukraine or Syria?
What is also known is that Israel wanted the population of Gaza City to move to southern Gaza so it could then move in the IDF to fight Hamas (who have underground bases there) in that area.
What in Syria is called displaced persons.
Israel can be accused of killing civilians in Gaza (because of an acceptance of deaths within a zone of a target), but not of ethnic cleansing.
Get it.
You know what, I am not going to engage with you..anyone whose moral compass is so broken that they can sit there and play down (so in essence defend) the war savage crimes that the degenerate, apartheid state of Israel is commiting on civilians in Gaza and the West Bank as we speak, is not someone I want to have anything at all to do with, so please don't engage with me on this site in the future please…Get It.
Yeah I know what cancel culture is mate. It's selective and then it gets personal when it is challenged.
I imagine the slaughter may stop when hamas no longer exists.
I do not think so Gabby. The IDF will pull its head in as the international BDS takes stronger effect, and pressure on the US ruling class is too much for them. Southern hemisphere countries in the main do not like Israel one little bit.
@Gabby
"I imagine the slaughter may stop when hamas no longer exists"……..Israel and the USA has ensured that Hamas will become bigger and more extreme and dangerous than we can possibly imagine….how many Muslim men and woman around the world do you imagine have become prepared to Martyr themselves for this cause now?
I would imagine the slaughter would stop a lot quicker if the Terrorist IDF would stop doing the slaughtering.
So writes a miserable rat who can't stop with the slurs and innuendoes. This in his column about a complaint about Ginny Anderson who yelled at a helper. Go back to sleep Coughlin!
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/labour-investigates-bullying-complaint-against-ginny-andersen/FK43HD2U4BHKBNY4YYSUE32M54/
That sounds a great deal more than "innuendo".
When the Party General Secretary confirms that a complaint has been made and that it is being investigated his story certainly isn't what you are saying. It certainly isn't innuendo is it?
Should he have simply ignored the story? Are we not to be allowed to know about the behaviour of the people who want the right to rule us?
Imho, the primary role of all MP's should be to serve (all) Kiwis, rather than "rule us".
"Imho, the primary role of all MP's should be to serve (all) Kiwis, rather than "rule us"."
On that point I am totally in agreement with you. I'm not sure that most of the MPs would agree with us though. Particularly the ones who make it into the leadership jobs in a party or the front benches in the House.
The Thomas Coughlan article is about allegations of verbal abuse of two teenagers.
At the end, there are these unrelated comments which are not enlarged upon or substantiated.
"Hipkins was confirmed as the Party’s leader this Tuesday and said he would fight on to the 2023 election. However the party has shown signs of instability in the days that followed the vote."
What connection is Coughlan making between Hipkins as leader for the 2023 election (does he mean 2026?) and signs of instability? The two sentences are in the same paragraph and therefore must be linked.
Perhaps it is in the same well constructed and researched vein as his 2023 error…….
How about the last sentence from Coughlin? Innuendo?
Wonder how often hints from unsubstantiated complaints should be aired? Slurs perhaps?
Yay. This year has been pretty brutal for the industry:
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/hollywood-actors-strike-strike-is-over-as-sag-aftra-union-reaches-tentative-deal-with-studios/3G3NVUIE4JFKBMGBJCPVVPOQBM/
Recently I read of an Israeli spokesman who originated the idea of "river to the sea." He did so in a speech about 10 years+ ago. So not new and could be interpreted as a call for Israel to take over the whole region.
Would be useful to be quoted exactly esp in defence of Chloe. Anyone?
Given that the slogan has been around since at least the 1960s -this source doesn't seem at all likely
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/From_the_river_to_the_sea
Thanks Belladonna. Tried that.
Here are some Jewish thoughts on that phrase
https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO2106/S00105/from-the-river-to-the-sea.htm
Thanks Francesca. That is a reasonable expression of peaceful option. And it also shows how a phrase "river to the sea" has been used to create anger against people such as Chloe. And used by many people on all sides of the "debate."
Imagine the group of Israelis discussing options for peace with say, Chloe. Makes me wonder if the outrage is organised to distract?
From 1964 in accord with the original Arab position of a unitary state (many of the Jewish population left Arab nations in the late 1940's).
Likud did their 1977 statement after that.
Then the Hamas Charter in support of the 1964 position in 1988.
The PNC position changed with the Oslo Accords and founding of the PA – when the PLO moved to justice of Arabs in Israel, right of return for refugees and a Palestine state on 67 borders.
Hamas under pressure from Egypt in 2017 agreed with this as an interim step before a later move to a unitary state (thus without any recognition of an Israeli state).
Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, which describes itself as conservative and nationalist, has been a staunch promoter of the concept of “Eretz Israel”, or the Bible-given right of the Jewish people to the land of Israel.
According to the Jewish Virtual Library, the party’s original party manifesto in 1977 stated that “between the Sea and the Jordan there will only be Israeli sovereignty”. It also argued that the establishment of a Palestinian state “jeopardises the security of the Jewish population” and “endangers the existence of the state of Israel”.
from
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/11/2/from-the-river-to-the-sea-what-does-the-palestinian-slogan-really-mean
Thanks Barfly. That is a bit nearer."“between the Sea and the Jordan there will only be Israeli sovereignty”
The Israeli flag shows two blue lines with the star in the middle, which reflects the idea of river to sea. Wish I had noted the speech.
You do realize that this is at least 10 years after it had been widely used as an anti-Zionist pro-Palestianian slogan.
It rather looks as though Likud were re-purposing, and reversing, this already-existing phrase, for their own benefit, in their ’77 manifesto.
There is zero evidence that it was 'originated' by an Israeli politician/spokesman. And certainly not 10+ years ago.
Hamas and Likud (and Religious Zionist Party) have the same policy.
I agree. However, that was not the question posed.
There seems to be no doubt at all, that it was originated as a Palestinian slogan – and later adopted/reversed by Likud.
I suggest you read this (I added the bold)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greater_Israel
"Early Revisionist Zionist groups such as Betar and Irgun Zvai-Leumi regarded the territory of the Mandate for Palestine, including Transjordan, as Greater Israel.[1]
In 1937, the Peel Commission recommended partition of Mandatory Palestine. In a letter to his son later that year, David Ben-Gurion stated that partition would be acceptable but as a first step. Ben-Gurion wrote that
The same sentiment was recorded by Ben-Gurion on other occasions, such as at a meeting of the Jewish Agency executive in June 1938,[5] as well as by Chaim Weizmann.[4][6] Ben Gurion said:
That was in the 1930s Israel's intention to 'acquire land' was well stated decades before it's multiple wars of conquest in 1967
I suggest you read the original question, which was about the origin of the phrase "river to the sea"
There is no question that extremists on both sides want sole occupation of Israel/Palestine – and have done since the 19th century.
However, Israel has citizenship and democratic participation by Palestinian Arabs in the Knesset. Care to take up the challenge to name a Middle Eastern country which extends the same privilege to Jews?
I suggest you learn the geographical area covering Ben-Gurions statement – it is the area the river to the sea – If you consider that Zionist leadrers clearly stating they planned to 'ACQUIRE' it all in the 1930's Is of no importance then that says an awful about your motivations. If you want simply to be pissy about a phrase well it's interesting that in english it rhymes but it doesn't in Arabic – perhaps suggesting it was coind by english speaking individual.
All parties are constrained by
1. the decision of the UN to partition the area into two states
2. from 1949 acquisition of territory war is no longer recognised by the UN (so the relative share is stuck at the 1949-1967 border).
Thus only two states, via a peace settlement, can change the 1949-1967 international status quo.
Israeli negotiators might want to retain some WB settlements (usually those near Jerusalem) within Israel – Palestinian negotiators might want a transport corridor (road and rail) between WB and Gaza etc.
Bad luck again on small scale contained nuclear power plants.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/nuscale-uamps-nuclear_n_654c317ce4b088d9a74d17db
Props to the person in Forest & Bird who came up with Bird of the Year, and then Bird of the Century.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/nov/07/john-oliver-backs-weird-puking-puteketeke-as-he-takes-new-zealands-bird-of-century-poll-global
It's going full global.
If you pop down to StarkWhite Queenstown you can get yourself a Fiona Pardington photo of a kiwi for $25k.
Or just support Forest & Bird for $25 and keep alive the real thing.
The green parrot is in the lead, but
https://www.birdnote.org/listen/shows/tui-new-zealand
The tui is classier than the kea, or alpine thief, the kereru, or large drunkard. Or the promiscuous hihi.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/10/new-zealand-bird-of-the-year-adult-toy-store-endorses-polyamorous-hihi
Putting in my plug for the Ruru or Morepork.
But it's hard to go past the lovable Kakapo, or cheeky Kea in crowd appeal.
Kokako for me, every time.
Surely the kiore will win.
I see Newshub is still operating from the Septic Tank. A teenage girl got yelled at supposedly. Why does that warrant an allegation of bullying? And headline in the news? Because it was a Labour MP. If it had been Nat member it wouldn’t rate a mention. Just the same as they wouldn’t have followed up on the Uffindull saga which was outright assault on a teenager. Potential police charge but daddy got him off. Now they’re going full on into Chris H doing an U turn on taxes. Which he can do if he so wishes. John Key was the king of Uturns.He set the precedent. ‘ No,we will never raise GST, golly gosh’… nek minnit GST 15%! 3% raise! Chris Hipkins should get a small department dedicated to dealing with these allegations the minute they are published. Hit them back immediately with their side the story. This smacks of what seems to be going to be a three year long onslaught by Newshub.
Exactly Ffloyd.
Note my post at 12. This time from Coughlin
So it's OK for a Labour politician to yell at teenage volunteers, and blame them because she lost her seat.
Really?
Andersen is the person with the position of power here. It's outright bullying.
And before you get into the "whaddabout". Uffindell was absolutely wrong. I don't think there is any debate about this. He admits it, and has apologized. However, he was also a teenager at the time (16) – and certainly not in Parliament.
The two cases are not at all comparable.
The closest parallel is Meka Whaitiri (who was stood down as a Minister by Ardern, for bullying a staffer). You could also list Mallard, who made allegations in Parliament about a staffer committing 'rape' which were completely unfounded – an abuse of his power/authority as Speaker. But received no consequences from the Labour party or PM for his error of judgement.
The most recent National MP accused of bullying was Tim van de Molen – accused of stand-over tactics and bullying towards Shanan Halbert.
It was widely covered in the media – and Van de Molen was stood down from his portfolios by Luxon, and apologised both to the House and to Halbert.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/496507/national-mp-tim-van-de-molen-stood-down-from-all-portfolios
"So it's OK for a Labour politician to yell at teenage volunteers, and blame them because she lost her seat?"
Probably not. I'm looking for somewhere I can find that's an accepted and supported attitude.
Quote from the OP
It is not proven yet. That is the point.
You really need a court of law before a politician is held to account? How pathetic.
A parent defended her child from a Minister of the Crown. The Minister isn't even trying to apologise.
That is the point.
Not true.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/labour-investigates-bullying-complaint-against-ginny-andersen/FK43HD2U4BHKBNY4YYSUE32M54/
We don't know the circumstances around the incident yet. It is possible the MP was provoked – not necessarily by the teenagers concerned. It is also possible a mountain is being made out of a molehill. My advice is for people to shut up until the facts are known.
After all, silence worked for four Labour Ministers in succession this year didn't it?
Go to bed.
Ah, the media doing what it does best – policing the opposition once National is back in government. We are going to get three years of a TPU-fed forensic focus on Labour while Luxon (like Key) gets a free ride.
Tim van de Molen…. well covered in the media.
The media holds all politicians to account for less-than-acceptable behaviour.
I'm expecting that they will be heavily scrutinizing the new Government.
How true Sanctuary.
Mark Mitchell the ex mercenary soldier is not liked by a lot of people. I have no doubt National members included. Do we hear a peep out of the media about that? Nah.
Maggie Barry had a reputation for being a bully. The media treated her pretty kindly even after staff attested to the fact.
Top Nat Party figures were in the spotlight from time to time but none of them subjected to the kind of 'forensic analysis' applied to Labour miscreants. Unless they commit offences of a serious nature, the spotlight does not shine anything like as fiercely on the Nats.
Doesn't sound to me like this was a serious case of bullying. Anyone who has been to a political party election night function knows there is usually a lot of noise – TVs blaring and people reacting to the outcomes. Its not a place for calm, considered conversations:
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/former-police-minister-ginny-andersen-denies-yelling-at-teenage-volunteer-but-apologises-anyway/JLSMFYDPWVGNDFQG2CARJ2PSAM/
From the article you linked
So, not 'just' on election night.
I wonder why the teenager hung in there for 3 years?
Why the mother didn't intervene earlier?
I've been yelled at in all kinds of circumstances .Paid employment .But if this had been regular and I had been volunteering, you wouldn't see me for dust .
12% to 15% is a 25% increase in the rate of GST.