Two of Labours biggest polices CGT and NZ Power have been announced for years but have no detail as to how they would work or what the financial implications are. Parker does not fill me with confidence in the way that Cullen did, even if i disagreed with cullens policies.
Kim tho did deny that She had smoked a joint this morning, perhaps She reads the Standard in between the slicing and dicing,
i thought it was a good interview, Hill never leaves a listener wondering about that unasked question, and the bloke suffering the inquisition handled it well up to the point where he floundered when She skewered Him over the assertion that legal Marijuana will lower P use,
i haven’t got a debate about that assertion either way, but, the bloke didn’t have the facts at hand so as to be able to elucidate this assertion on the radio, and Kim being Kim couldn’t resist giving the knife a bit of a twist,
The push for decriminalization needs be kept within the ‘provable’ boundaries, expanding into areas, such as occurred in this interview, without having at hand the provable stats/science simply gives the opponents, and, i don’t believe Kim Hill to be one of these, a point to exploit…
What rubbish Philip you are to emotionally attached to have balanced view it was good journalism
where Kim Played the devils advocate and allowed the interviewee to explain his point of view and evidence toward!
no Phil …. you’re emotionally attached to your addictions/obsessions.
I commend you in your recovery of what’s probably the least harmful of most of them. (Pure heroin wasn’t actually that bad taken in moderation – I mean …. they used to put it in cough medcine and some of the oldest people on Earth were taken of its effects)
It’s just that people get pissed off sometimes with your holier-than-thou.
You sound like an unintelligent Hanmer recovery-agent of the 90’s thats been 13th stepped.
FFS! Give it up already and go along with a vibe that’s a little more moderate – the plebs can’t cope with extremism.
Otherwise you’ll forever live with regret and a shitload of talent wasted
My problem with Winston MS is the snake-oil, and, it sounded increasingly so this morning, of NZFirst is not telling who it will support after the election,
This puts Peters in the same camp as Flavell from the fast nearing extinction Maori Party, while Winston is making all the right noises that give the impression that He is leaning left, can any of us be sure that is the NZFirst intention,
My answer to that query is of course one big NO, therefor i cannot have anything nice to say about Peters and NZFirst,
The equation in my mind remains then this: with the ‘tactical vote’ from 2011 having departed, and, Colon’s conservatives yapping at their heels in a perfect portrayal of the dog pack having suffered a mass infection of distemper, NZFirst is a 50/50 proposition as far as regaining seats in the 2014 Parliament goes,
Should NZFirst come out on the up side of the above equation it is then a 50/50 proposition that Peters will take NZFirst into a coalition of the left,
Thus my advice to any left leaning people who seek such advice would be NOT to vote for NZFirst when seeking to change the Government,
The best result for the left, and, we really have to have a deep self examination to ask if you really are ‘the left’, would be for Colon Craig to yap away at Winston’s vote to such an extent in election 2014 that the Colonic’s pull NZFirst down below the 5% while only gaining 3.5% of the vote themselves
PS, if my ‘best result’ were to eventuate at the 2014 election as expounded by my last paragraph above, it could then be said that Winston will have suffered a Colonostrophy, (the insane cousin of a cataclysmic catastrophe)…
In today’s debate, I’d put Hone, Turei and Peters on #1 equal (no I’m not a Peters fan, and am not recommending lefties vote for him).
Peters was able to respond quickly to interjections and make his points.
I loved Turei’s repeated use of the phrase “National’s pollution economy”, and (contrary to what Sabin & Edwards judged) I liked her use of the hand to show Craig was constantly trying to talk over her. She needed to do that because the male voices can drown out her more female voice – she hasn’t cultivated a deeper Thatcher-style voice.
Whyte also used the phrase I’ve seen on some ACT billboards “green tape” – trying to discredit the Greens – interesting.
i had a laugh out loud moment when i was thinking of the criticism of Mets for holding up Her hand in an effort to silence the interjecting ‘wing-nuts’,
What is needed i thought is an electrified dog collar operated off of a computer program which delivered an electric shock, say at the severity of a one wire cow fence on a dairy farm, to those who interjected while another was making a point,
Lolz my latent cruelty is exposed, the same result of course could be achieved by a technician only turning on the microphone of each politician in turn as they were invited to speak,
The Primitives at the TV networks should catch up with what is possible via technology in our modern world…
Thought Metiria was warm and powerful; loved her growing strength.
But I was deeply alarmed by the panel’s comments after the debate re. Greens discussing possible accomms with National if Labour fails to get enough of the vote .. the Green card was mentioned as something National would support.
Seriously yeshe, Mets on that program gave not the slightest hint that any accommodation with National could or would occur,
That i know of, during th current term of Parliament and the short time since the Parliament has risen to attend to the election i have not heard such an intimation form anywhere across the spectrum, excepting today, that alludes to a Green/National accommodation,
Feel free to correct me if i err here on this matter, but, i should imagine that should the Green Party ever enter some formal accommodation with National that essentially propped it up allowing them to govern the left of the Party would simply walk away in their droves,
My view is that this view put forward on the Nation this morning is simply ‘wingnut spin’ the usual underhanded tactics being brought into play where the right has no real counter to the Green Parties message and thus must play the game of divide and rule,
i did tho notice Bryce whats-his-face mention the possibility of what i discuss in my comment above that Colons Conservatives could possibly take enough vote off of NZFirst so as to drag the latter party below the 5% requirement while not attaining the 5% themselves,
Obviously it wasn’t part of the TV3 script to have such a view aired so Bryce was simply ignored…
Thx Bad .. I agree with all you have written. It certainly didn’t come from Mets herself .. but I wanted to check the spin on it. Will listen in again in the morning .. thx again Bad.
Reminding all Standardistas that voting starts in 25 days on 3rd September. Advance Votes are as easy to cast as a vote on the 20th. The best way to get rid of Key is:
Green Party Supporters-Party Vote Green
Labour Party Supporters-Party Vote Labour
Internet-Mana Supporters-Party Vote Internet-Mana
Te Tai Tokerau Constituency
Green, Labour and Internet-Mana supporters Candidate Vote Mana-Hone Harawira
Epsom Constituency
Green, Labour and Internet-Mana supporters Candidate Vote National-Paul Goldsmith
East Coast Bays Constituency
Green, Labour and Internet-Mana supporters Candidate Vote National-Murray McCully
Ohariu Constituency
Green, Labour and Internet-Mana supporters Candidate Vote Labour-Virginia Andersen
Personally I’d replace the word “Constituency” with “Electorate”. No one really thinks of themselves as being in the “Epsom Constituency”, but they would think of themselves as being in the “Epsom Electorate”.
Also a final line:
“All other electorates: candidate vote your preferred candidate”.
You said : “In Ohariu
Green, Labour and Internet-Mana supporters Candidate Vote Labour-Virginia Andersen”
I agree with your other views, EXCEPT for Ohariu, the PRIMARY goal should be to kick Dunne out. Therefore deciding to vote for Virginia Andersen may or may not be strategically the correct call at this early stage. It is better to see what the media polls are indicating before making up one’s mind.
If Hudson of Nats is leading in the pre polls followed by Dunne and then Labour’s Andersen, then it would be safer/wiser to vote for the Nat candidate.
If Dunne is leading in the pre polls followed by Hudson and then Labour’s Andersen, then too it would be safer to vote for the Nat candidate.
If Andersen is coming in first or second in relation to Dunne, then definitely vote for her.
If it was Hudson, then Andersen then Dunne, that is tricky! What then??
I think the relative position of Hudson, Dunne and Andersen in the media pre polls and the internal party polls are crucial to know how the strategic voting should go in order to defeat the nauseating neanderthal hairdo Dunne and deprive the nasty hash-Key Nats another cheap coalition partner, in my opinion.
The Ohariu situation might seem a bit up in the air – especially after Brett Hudson did surprisingly well in the Campbell Live totally unscientific lolly poll (Ginny and Dunne were pretty much neck-and-neck).
But given John Key’s unsubtle hints I doubt we’re going to see much of Hudson beyond a few token hoardings and going through the motions at candidate meetings. Historically the National supporters of Ohariu have known what to do to ensure their team gets in – so I’d say at this stage (and I am admittedly biased) voting for Andersen is the way to go for the left.
Stephanie, totally disagree with you there, a time to retire dunne campaign would be the best option for both Labour and the Greens to be running in Ohariu,
Simply pointing out that Dunne is not the best look for Ohariu because,(insert any reason), and then, saying even tho i do not like National i think Hudson would be better than Dunne is more likely to convince Dunne voters to abandon Him,
Labour i believe cannot win Ohariu, Charles Chauval was way higher profile than the current Labour candidate and He couldn’t and it simply becomes ego politics to think the Labour candidate can,
Chauval actually lost votes against the other’s in the 2011 contest, only a couple of hundred votes mind you compared to His previous effort but lose them He did,
There is nothing wrong with the Labour candidate campaigning hard in Ohariu, what needs to happen is a parallel campaign which focuses upon retiring Dunne and promoting the National Party candidate,
IF you have the feet on the ground over there that could letter box stuff pamphlets in the vein of retire Dunne, especially in the NEW parts of that electorate where there is no past history of voting for Him, (and He lost the lollipop poll bigtime in), and you need pamphlets printing holler at me and i will print you off how many you need,
Basic black and white minimal message, retire Dunne ,Hudson is a better choice into the letterboxes in the new parts of the electorate might just do Dunne…
There are a few problems with your suggested approach, bad. The first is obviously that Peter Dunne is not going to retire of his own free will. Take that with the fact that National are well aware they’ll need their micro-party supporters if they want a third term, and have signalled this to their supporters, and most will probably split-vote Dunne/National as they consistently have before.
Given this, Brett Hudson is probably going to go to great lengths to play down his appeal as an electorate candidate, much like Paul Goldsmith in Epsom.
Outright negative campaigning of the kind you suggest is only going to blow up in the your own face. Look at the Exclusive Brethren anti-Green stuff from 2005 – there are many, many people who would actually agree with the nasty stuff that was said about Labour and the Greens, but didn’t like people being vicious about it.
Then there’s that whole electoral finance law which would rule out aggressively promoting another party’s candidate.
As to your comments about our candidate: Ginny is campaigning tremendously hard and building a great profile in the electorate, and given the issues of asset sales, the GCSB law, Dunne’s disgrace as a Minister and people getting more and more fed up with shady wink-wink electorate deals, I firmly believe Ohariu is winnable for Labour.
If you like to pre-judge things based on approximately no actual relevant information, you may sleep how you wish.
As soon as any concrete information comes out showing that Brett Hudson is going to do any better than Katrina Shanks, who had better profile and apparently strict orders not to win, there might be a point in having the discussion about strategic voting options in Ohariu.
But until that information exists your negativity is unnecessary and mean-spirited.
If there were evidence of any overt swing away from the current Government and toward Labour i would tend to give your views some credence,
Nationally there is no such evidence and you yourself admit that you are running blind,
The only evidence i have to point out my belief that your candidate is unlikely to be able to take Ohariu is in fact the past two elections when the very high profile Charles Chavaul failed to dislodge Dunne,
The gap between Charles and Dunne actually widened from 2008 to 2011, only by a few hundred votes mind you, but, widen it did,
2008, Dunne v Chavaul, majority Dunne 1006,
2011 Dunne V Chavaul, majority Dunne 1392,
Far from being negative i am a realist, a pragmatic realist at that, what needs to happen in that electorate for a Labour candidate to retire Dunne is for the Green Party to convince its Party Voters to vote for the Labour electorate candidate,
Any Green Party members residing in Ohariu who have thus far subjected themselves to this debate, my admiration of your tenacity knows no bounds and i would advise even if as you do so oxygen starvation would have to be suffered that you Party Vote for the Labour candidate in Ohariu,
i would also hope that the Ohariu electorate candidate for the Green Party as they canvas the electorate and identify Green Voters give the same advice as above to the Green Party voters they identify in the Ohariu electorate,
To a certain extent Stephanie my ambivalence is probably more toward you, having debated befor with you i have serious questions as to the underlying attitude, the driving force if you will of many within the Labour Party,
This attitude, epitomized in a recent debate on ‘decriminalizing abortion’ where you proposed that ”abortion might be a solution to child poverty” to me reeks of an attitude where eugenics would be the next step toward the slippery slope,
i have to wonder if such an attitude expressed by you in that debate is simply your personal attitude or does such have deep seated roots in the party…
Somewhere, Labour will have these useful voting statistics from the electorate: non Labour party voters who nonetheless supported Charles Chauvel in the electorate vote.
The new candidate can be expected to lost 1/2 to 3/4 of those on his opening run, simply through reduced name recognition/unfamiliarity.
Also we should factor in that Chauvel was a senior Labour MP while running in the electorate. The new candidate does not have such prominence.
As such, the ‘majority mountain’ the new Labour candidate needs to climb is probably more around 2500 than around 1300. Defeating a majority of that size is certainly possible, but would require a sharp, distinct swing in voter sentiment in the electorate. If it happened, the outcome would likely be a Labour win of around 1000 votes or less.
IMO, Dunne hasn’t done anywhere near enough to irritate his electorate for this to occur.
i have to wonder if such an attitude expressed by you in that debate is simply your personal attitude or does such have deep seated roots in the party…
It’s one of several significant disconnects in Labour Party thinking and values which the public generally dislikes eg how a baby is viewed and valued and advocated for and resources spent on 5 months before birth compared to when at birth and immediately afterwards.
This attitude, epitomized in a recent debate on ‘decriminalizing abortion’ where you proposed that ”abortion might be a solution to child poverty” to me reeks of an attitude where eugenics would be the next step toward the slippery slope,
Wow, you better back that shit up, mate.
And learn to spell “Chauvel” if you’re going to profess to expertise on my electorate.
I have a feeling your loyalty is coming in the way of prudent thinking.
What are the INTERNAL polls conducted independently telling you? It is important to act based on these as well as the pre-election local electoral media polls.
Yes, we can only put our ideas around for voters to read and discuss, spread the word and vote according to what they think is best for them in the end.
But not expressing a view, however stupid it might look for some, is not the best thing to do anyway.
I have seen no internal polls. Which is why I think it’s far too early to throw in the towel.
As to my bias, I’ve acknowledged it – but I also haven’t said anything which isn’t factual: Dunne is still running but has suffered major setbacks in the last term; John Key has made his wishes very clear; Ginny Andersen is a strong candidate for Labour; and we have no serious polling data to inform any kind of strategic voting approach.
If I had access to internal polling on this I can assure you I wouldn’t need you to tell me to look at it. 🙄
The chip’s electronic “neurons” are able to signal others when a type of data — light, for example — passes a certain threshold. Working in parallel, the neurons begin to organize the data into patterns suggesting the light is growing brighter, or changing color or shape.
It’s still very slow but does seem to be showing potential similar to the way the first integrated circuits did. IMO, The most interesting point about it though is:
IBM’s research was funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, a research arm of the Pentagon, under a program called Systems of Neuromorphic Adaptive Plastic Scalable Electronics, or SyNapse. According to Gill Pratt, the program manager, the agency is pursuing twin goals in its effort to design ultralow-power biological processors.
The US government isn’t waiting around for the free-market to provide but are getting stuck in and picking and funding winners. They’ve been extremely successful at it over the last few decades. In fact, the US government has been far more successful at it than any private actor but their system means that the private actors still get all the monetary benefits of the governments production of winners.
Oh, and a few of our students set a record. Now just imagine what we could do if our government got in behind our innovators the way that the US government gets in behind theirs.
Yeah – except the US has ulterior motives. If this new tech provides a serious military benefit it wont see the light of day for decades.
Reminds me of the donation by the NRO of two obsolete spy satellites to NASA a couple of years ago. The satellites had been in storage since the early 90’s – they were given to NASA stripped of all electronics. NASA said the optical system was far superior to anything they had or had planned/. 25+ year old tech impresses NASA.
The top 4 stories on the Herald online at the moment are all crime based.
The cynic in me wonders whether this is part of an agenda of the editor and management…to point us all in favour of parties tough on crime,..
No issues to do with the election…like poverty, education, the environment.
Could backfire. I know I see it as actual evidence that violent crime is worse than ever under the current government and that this is a direct result of irresponsible social policy.
The intent was never to shut down the program, Samantha Krepps, press secretary for the state Department of Agriculture, told the Cumberland County Sentinel. “This was accepted as a realistic solution. As a regulatory agency, it is our charge to protect commerce, and also protect the library from any liabilities.”
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Mountain Tui is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Correction: On the article The Condundrum of David Seymour, Luke Malpass conducted joint reviews with Bryce Wilkinson, the architect of the Regulatory Standards Bill - not Bryce Edwards. The article ...
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All around in my home townThey're trying to track me down, yeahThey say they want to bring me in guiltyFor the killing of a deputyFor the life of a deputySongwriter: Robert Nesta Marley.Support Nick’s Kōrero today with a 20% discount on a paid subscription to receive all my newsletters directly ...
Hi,I think all of us have probably experienced the power of music — that strange, transformative thing that gets under our skin and helps us experience this whole life thing with some kind of sanity.Listening and experiencing music has always been such a huge part of my life, and has ...
Business frustration over the stalled economy is growing, and only 34% of voters are confidentNicola Willis can deliver. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Wednesday, February 12 are:Business frustration is growing about a ...
I have now lived long enough to see a cabinet minister go both barrels on their Prime Minister and not get sacked.It used to be that the PM would have a drawer full of resignations signed by ministers on the day of their appointment, ready for such an occasion. But ...
This session will feature Simon McCallum, Senior Lecturer in Engineering and Computer Science (VUW) and recent Labour Party candidate in the Southland Electorate talking about some of the issues around AI and how this should inform Labour Party policy. Simon is an excellent speaker with a comprehensive command of AI ...
The proposed Waimate garbage incinerator is dead: The company behind a highly-controversial proposal to build a waste-to-energy plant in the Waimate District no longer has the land. [...] However, SIRRL director Paul Taylor said the sales and purchase agreement to purchase land from Murphy Farms, near Glenavy, lapsed at ...
The US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act has been a vital tool in combatting international corruption. It forbids US companies and citizens from bribing foreign public officials anywhere in the world. And its actually enforced: some of the world's biggest companies - Siemens, Hewlett Packard, and Bristol Myers Squibb - have ...
December 2024 photo - with UK Tory Boris Johnson (Source: Facebook)Those PollsFor hours, political poll results have resounded across political hallways and commentary.According to the 1News Verizon poll, 50% of the country believe we are heading in the “wrong direction”, while 39% believe we are “on the right track”.The left ...
A Tai Rāwhiti mill that ran for 30 years before it was shut down in late 2023 is set to re-open in the coming months, which will eventually see nearly 300 new jobs in the region. A new report from Massey University shows that pensioners are struggling with rising costs. ...
As support continues to fall, Luxon also now faces his biggest internal ructions within the coalition since the election, with David Seymour reacting badly to being criticised by the PM. File photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate ...
Not since 1988 when Richard Prebble openly criticised David Lange have we seen such a challenge to a Prime Minister as that of David Seymour to Christopher Luxon last night. Prebble suggested Lange had mental health issues during a TV interview and was almost immediately fired. Seymour hasn’t gone quite ...
Three weeks in, and the 24/7 news cycle is not helping anyone feel calm and informed about the second Trump presidency. One day, the US is threatening 25% trade tariffs on its friends and neighbours. The reasons offered by the White House are absurd, such as stopping fentanyl coming in ...
This video includes personal musings and conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). Wherever you look, you'll hear headlines claiming we've passed 1.5 degrees of global warming. And while 2024 saw ...
Photo by Heather M. Edwards on UnsplashHere’s the key news, commentary, reports and debate around Aotearoa’s politics and economy in the week to Feb 10 below. That’s ahead of live chats on the Substack App and The Kākā’s front page on Substack at 5pm with: on his column in The ...
Is there anyone in the world the National Party loves more than a campaign donor? Why yes, there is! They will always have the warmest hello and would you like to slip into something more comfortable for that great god of our age, the High Net Worth Individual.The words the ...
Waste and fraud certainly exist in foreign aid programs, but rightwing celebration of USAID’s dismantling shows profound ignorance of the value of soft power (as opposed to hard power) in projecting US influence and interests abroad by non-military/coercive means (think of “hearts and minds,” “hugs, not bullets,” “honey versus vinegar,” ...
Health New Zealand is proposing to cut almost half of its data and digital positions – more than 1000 of them. The PSA has called on the Privacy Commissioner to urgently investigate the cuts due to the potential for serious consequences for patients. NZNO is calling for an urgent increase ...
We may see a few more luxury cars on Queen Street, but a loosening of rules to entice rich foreigners to invest more here is unlikely to “turbocharge our economic growth”. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate ...
Let us not dance daintily around the elephant in the room. Our politicians who serve us in the present are not honest, certainly not as honest as they should be, and while the right are taking out most of the trophies for warping narratives and literally redefining “facts”, the kiwi ...
The Government’s newly announced funding for biodiversity and tourism of $30-million over three years is a small fraction of what is required for conservation in this country. ...
The Government's sudden cancellation of the tertiary education funding increase is a reckless move that risks widespread job losses and service reductions across New Zealand's universities. ...
National’s cuts to disability support funding and freezing of new residential placements has resulted in significant mental health decline for intellectually disabled people. ...
The hundreds of jobs lost needlessly as a result of the Kinleith Mill paper production closure will have a devastating impact on the Tokoroa community - something that could have easily been avoided. ...
Today Te Pāti Māori MP for Te Tai Tokerau, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi, released her members bill that will see the return of tamariki and mokopuna Māori from state care back to te iwi Māori. This bill will establish an independent authority that asserts and protects the rights promised in He Whakaputanga ...
The Whangarei District Council being forced to fluoridate their local water supply is facing a despotic Soviet-era disgrace. This is not a matter of being pro-fluoride or anti-fluoride. It is a matter of what New Zealanders see and value as democracy in our country. Individual democratically elected Councillors are not ...
Nicola Willis’ latest supermarket announcement is painfully weak with no new ideas, no real plan, and no relief for Kiwis struggling with rising grocery costs. ...
Half of Pacific children sometimes going without food is just one of many heartbreaking lowlights in the Salvation Army’s annual State of the Nation report. ...
The Salvation Army’s State of the Nation report is a bleak indictment on the failure of Government to take steps to end poverty, with those on benefits, including their children, hit hardest. ...
New Zealand First has today introduced a Member’s Bill which would restore decision-making power to local communities regarding the fluoridation of drinking water. The ‘Fluoridation (Referendum) Legislation Bill’ seeks to repeal the Health (Fluoridation of Drinking Water) Amendment Act 2021 that granted centralised authority to the Direct General of Health ...
New Zealand First has introduced a Member’s Bill aimed at preventing banks from refusing their services to businesses because of the current “Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Framework”. “This Bill ensures fairness and prevents ESG standards from perpetuating woke ideology in the banking sector being driven by unelected, globalist, climate ...
Erica Stanford has reached peak shortsightedness if today’s announcement is anything to go by, picking apart immigration settings piece by piece to the detriment of the New Zealand economy. ...
Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. The intention was to establish a colony with the cession of sovereignty to the Crown, ...
Te Whatu Ora Chief Executive Margie Apa leaving her job four months early is another symptom of this government’s failure to deliver healthcare for New Zealanders. ...
The Green Party is calling for the Prime Minister to show leadership and be unequivocal about Aotearoa New Zealand’s opposition to a proposal by the US President to remove Palestinians from Gaza. ...
The latest unemployment figures reveal that job losses are hitting Māori and Pacific people especially hard, with Māori unemployment reaching a staggering 9.7% for the December 2024 quarter and Pasifika unemployment reaching 10.5%. ...
Waitangi 2025: Waitangi Day must be community and not politically driven - Shane Jones Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. ...
Despite being confronted every day with people in genuine need being stopped from accessing emergency housing – National still won’t commit to building more public houses. ...
The Green Party says the Government is giving up on growing the country’s public housing stock, despite overwhelming evidence that we need more affordable houses to solve the housing crisis. ...
Before any thoughts of the New Year and what lies ahead could even be contemplated, New Zealand reeled with the tragedy of Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming losing her life. For over 38 years she had faithfully served as a front-line Police officer. Working alongside her was Senior Sergeant Adam Ramsay ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson will return to politics at Waitangi on Monday the 3rd of February where she will hold a stand up with fellow co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick. ...
Te Pāti Māori is appalled by the government's blatant mishandling of the school lunch programme. David Seymour’s ‘cost-saving’ measures have left tamariki across Aotearoa with unidentifiable meals, causing distress and outrage among parents and communities alike. “What’s the difference between providing inedible food, and providing no food at all?” Said ...
The Government is doubling down on outdated and volatile fossil fuels, showing how shortsighted and destructive their policies are for working New Zealanders. ...
Green Party MP Steve Abel this morning joined Coromandel locals in Waihi to condemn new mining plans announced by Shane Jones in the pit of the town’s Australian-owned Gold mine. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to strengthen its just-announced 2030-2035 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement and address its woeful lack of commitment to climate security. ...
Today marks a historic moment for Taranaki iwi with the passing of the Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill in Parliament. "Today, we stand together as descendants of Taranaki, and our tūpuna, Taranaki Maunga, is now formally acknowledged by the law as a living tūpuna. ...
The Government’s commitment to get New Zealand’s roads back on track is delivering strong results, with around 98 per cent of potholes on state highways repaired within 24 hours of identification every month since targets were introduced, Transport Minister Chris Bishop says. “Increasing productivity to help rebuild our economy is ...
The former Cadbury factory will be the site of the Inpatient Building for the new Dunedin Hospital and Health Minister Simeon Brown says actions have been taken to get the cost overruns under control. “Today I am giving the people of Dunedin certainty that we will build the new Dunedin ...
From today, Plunket in Whāngarei will be offering childhood immunisations – the first of up to 27 sites nationwide, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. The investment of $1 million into the pilot, announced in October 2024, was made possible due to the Government’s record $16.68 billion investment in health. It ...
New Zealand’s strong commitment to the rights of disabled people has continued with the response to an important United Nations report, Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston has announced. Of the 63 concluding observations of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), 47 will be progressed ...
Resources Minister Shane Jones has launched New Zealand’s national Minerals Strategy and Critical Minerals List, documents that lay a strategic and enduring path for the mineral sector, with the aim of doubling exports to $3 billion by 2035. Mr Jones released the documents, which present the Coalition Government’s transformative vision ...
Firstly I want to thank OceanaGold for hosting our event today. Your operation at Waihi is impressive. I want to acknowledge local MP Scott Simpson, local government dignitaries, community stakeholders and all of you who have gathered here today. It’s a privilege to welcome you to the launch of the ...
Racing Minister, Winston Peters has announced the Government is preparing public consultation on GST policy proposals which would make the New Zealand racing industry more competitive. “The racing industry makes an important economic contribution. New Zealand thoroughbreds are in demand overseas as racehorses and for breeding. The domestic thoroughbred industry ...
Business confidence remains very high and shows the economy is on track to improve, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis says. “The latest ANZ Business Outlook survey, released yesterday, shows business confidence and expected own activity are ‘still both very high’.” The survey reports business confidence fell eight points to +54 ...
Enabling works have begun this week on an expanded radiology unit at Hawke’s Bay Fallen Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital which will double CT scanning capacity in Hawke’s Bay to ensure more locals can benefit from access to timely, quality healthcare, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. This investment of $29.3m in the ...
The Government has today announced New Zealand’s second international climate target under the Paris Agreement, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand will reduce emissions by 51 to 55 per cent compared to 2005 levels, by 2035. “We have worked hard to set a target that is both ambitious ...
Nine years of negotiations between the Crown and iwi of Taranaki have concluded following Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/the Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill passing its third reading in Parliament today, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “This Bill addresses the historical grievances endured by the eight iwi ...
As schools start back for 2025, there will be a relentless focus on teaching the basics brilliantly so all Kiwi kids grow up with the knowledge, skills and competencies needed to grow the New Zealand of the future, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “A world-leading education system is a key ...
Housing Minister Chris Bishop and Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson have welcomed Kāinga Ora’s decision to re-open its tender for carpets to allow wool carpet suppliers to bid. “In 2024 Kāinga Ora issued requests for tender (RFTs) seeking bids from suppliers to carpet their properties,” Mr Bishop says. “As part ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today visited Otahuhu College where the new school lunch programme has served up healthy lunches to students in the first days of the school year. “As schools open in 2025, the programme will deliver nutritious meals to around 242,000 students, every school day. On ...
Minister for Children Karen Chhour has intervened in Oranga Tamariki’s review of social service provider contracts to ensure Barnardos can continue to deliver its 0800 What’s Up hotline. “When I found out about the potential impact to this service, I asked Oranga Tamariki for an explanation. Based on the information ...
A bill to make revenue collection on imported and exported goods fairer and more effective had its first reading in Parliament, Customs Minister Casey Costello said today. “The Customs (Levies and Other Matters) Amendment Bill modernises the way in which Customs can recover the costs of services that are needed ...
By Caleb Fotheringham, RNZ Pacific journalist, in Avarua, Rarotonga More than 400 people have taken to the streets to protest against Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown’s recent decisions, which have led to a diplomatic spat with New Zealand. The protest, led by Opposition MP and Cook Islands United Party ...
In the second episode, Brynley Stent and Kura Forrester unearth some truths about dating on a dance floor in South Canterbury. Bryn & Ku’s Singles Club is a brand new documentary series for The Spinoff following award-winning comedians and friends Brynley Stent and Kura Forrester as they embark ...
The first half of a billion-dollar pipe that will drastically reduce wastewater overflows in the Auckland isthmus is now in operation. As I biked south, I thought about all the poo sloshing beneath my wheels. Tubes of it disgorging from U-bends, into wastewater pipes laid under our streets that become ...
🚐 The vulnerability continues as the pair head to the Hunt Ball in South Canterbury in search of a rich farmer, before getting some sage relationship advice from Brynley’s Dad and Oma. ❣️ Bryn & Ku’s Singles Club follows comedians Brynley Stent and Kura Forrester as they head out on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joel Garrett, Lecturer in Exercise Science and Physiology, Griffith University Australia’s love affair with the major football codes – the Australian Football League (AFL) and National Rugby League (NRL) – is well documented. However, one aspect that stands out to many observers, ...
The White Lotus is back for season three. Here’s what we made of episode one. The third White Lotus season rinses and repeats – and thank God for that. Turns out there is enough comedic and dramatic juice in resort-set ensemble satires on privilege in the modern world, ...
Founder, journalist and author Tim Burrowes joins Duncan Greive to discuss a torrid decade in Australian media and whether there are reasons to be optimistic amid the carnage. Tim Burrowes is the author of a book and a Substack called Unmade, which are truly essential guides to media in ...
The self-appointed apostle says he could be to Christopher Luxon what Elon Musk is to Donald Trump, and his track record speaks for itself.Who is New Zealand’s answer to Elon Musk? The Herald’s tech insider, Chris Keall, put the question to his LinkedIn acolytes the other day. “If Luxon ...
The last good thing at the supermarket is gone. Mad Chapman mourns the Cadbury mini egg cartons. When life is overwhelming and it feels like every story around you is a bad news story, there are a few things that can be relied upon to instil a sense of calm, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Parker, Honorary Professorial Fellow, Melbourne CSHE, The University of Melbourne Shutterstock Judges in Australian courtrooms have a lot of power. They can decide on someone’s guilt and the punishment for it, including lengthy prison time. But what if they get ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Louise Birrell, Researcher, Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use, University of Sydney Pixel-Shot/Shutterstock Australians are waiting an average of 12 years to seek treatment for mental health and substance use disorders, our new research shows. While ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Justine Bell-James, Professor, TC Beirne School of Law, The University of Queensland Almost 200 nations have signed an ambitious agreement to halt and reverse biodiversity loss but none is on track to meet the crucial goal, our new research reveals. The agreement, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Philippa Collin, Professor, Institute for Culture and Society, Western Sydney University Australian school students’ civics knowledge is the lowest it has been since testing began 20 years ago, according to new national data. Results have fallen since the last assessment in 2019 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Buckley, Senior Research Fellow, Education Research, Policy and Development Division, Australian Council for Educational Research Michael Jung/ Shutterstock There is a persistent gender gap in Australian schools. Boys, on average, outperform girls in maths. We see this in national ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Felicity Deane, Professor, Queensland University of Technology Australian beef exports to the United States are GST-free and should not be subject to any retaliatory tariff. William Edge/Shutterstock The latest round of proposed tariffs from US President Donald Trump includes a response ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a 36-year-old tertiary adviser and bartender shares her approach to spending and saving. Want to be part of The Cost of Being? Fill out the questionnaire here.Gender: Female. Age: 36. Ethnicity: Pākehā. Role: Tertiary adviser, ...
The change allows for devices that do screening, similar to at drink-drive checkpoints, rather than having to test oral fluid to an evidentiary standard. ...
Almost 40% of those departing NZ long-term are aged 18 to 30. What sort of country will they leave behind, asks Catherine McGregor in today’s extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. Young people leading the charge out the door Last year saw ...
New Health Minister Simeon Brown is presiding over a list of resignations from high-ranking health officials that some say is a "bloodbath". What's going on? ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Rickerby, Lecturer, School of Product Design, University of Canterbury The Poly-1. MOTAT , CC BY-NC Some 45 years ago, a team of staff and students at Wellington Polytechnic designed and built a desktop computer with an operating system customised for ...
The Forum has raised concerns regarding the Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Bill and the Regulatory Standards Bill, which, if enacted, will radically undermine existing human rights protections, Indigenous rights, and constitutional safeguards ...
The passage of time hasn’t been kind to Ngāi Tahu.When its High Court hearing over wai māori (freshwater) commenced last week, 52 months after the claim was filed, the tribe mourned the loss of two named first plaintiffs – Bishop Richard Wallace, of Makaawhio, and Theo Bunker, of Wairewa – ...
Margie Apa, Nicholas Jones, Diana Sarfati, the board of Health New Zealand … and will Lester Levy be next?The biggest names in our health service are tumbling like dominos.It’s been called a bloodbath and a crisis.What’s going on?Every day there’s a new story about shortages, patients having to wait for ...
Opinion: The coalition Government’s recent revisions to the business investor visa, officially the Active Investor Plus but commonly known as the ‘golden visa’, has put pay-for-residency back in the headlines. While many object to the commodification of citizenship implicit in this policy, questions should be asked about its potential as ...
One Christmas, to thank him for helping me hugely with my writing (on a mentor scheme), I sent Michael King a dark blue cashmere scarf. I chose it with the awful knowledge that he was battling cancer, and I somehow thought it might keep him warm and make him feel ...
Comment: Readers may recall the commentaries from academics that appeared on these pages as well as on many media outlets, alarmed and appalled by the disbanding of the Marsden panels for humanities and the social sciences.The Marsden Fund is a “blue skies” initiative established by Simon Upton in the 1990s. ...
Everything you missed from day five of the Treaty principles bill hearings, when the Justice Committee heard seven hours of submissions. Read our recaps of the previous hearings here.An “insult to every one of our tīpuna” was the first advice the Justice Committee heard on the Treaty principles bill ...
The same councillors who decry excessive spending on pet projects just voted to pump millions of dollars into a greenhouse for flowers. On Thursday last week, Wellington City Council voted to consult on repairing Begonia House, the greenhouse for exotic flowers in Wellington Botanic Garden. The options for repairs range ...
It’s important to respect people’s right to free speech and peaceful assembly, but how much political deference is due when it isn’t peaceful? Commenting on Destiny Church members storming a children’s event at the Te Atatū library and community centre on Saturday, prime minister Christopher Luxon said it’s important to ...
Comment: US is capitulating to Moscow’s demands before negotiations over Ukraine even begin The post The day the West died appeared first on Newsroom. ...
David Parker has to be schooled on kiwisaver taxation by a herald reader..
http://m.nzherald.co.nz/personal-finance/news/article.cfm?c_id=12&objectid=11306195
Two of Labours biggest polices CGT and NZ Power have been announced for years but have no detail as to how they would work or what the financial implications are. Parker does not fill me with confidence in the way that Cullen did, even if i disagreed with cullens policies.
cheers
Thanks for that valuable information. Would you suggest Bill English as a better manager of the country’s finances? Your opinion is valuable to us.
kim hill on pot on nat-rad..
Via Bhong or Spliff???…
she strikes me a spliff kind of girl.
yes..i can’t picture la hill hanging off a bong..
..a spliff..probably with a filter..
..that’s far more her speed..
it’s a trainwreck of an interview..
..the best-moment of neither..
Kim tho did deny that She had smoked a joint this morning, perhaps She reads the Standard in between the slicing and dicing,
i thought it was a good interview, Hill never leaves a listener wondering about that unasked question, and the bloke suffering the inquisition handled it well up to the point where he floundered when She skewered Him over the assertion that legal Marijuana will lower P use,
i haven’t got a debate about that assertion either way, but, the bloke didn’t have the facts at hand so as to be able to elucidate this assertion on the radio, and Kim being Kim couldn’t resist giving the knife a bit of a twist,
The push for decriminalization needs be kept within the ‘provable’ boundaries, expanding into areas, such as occurred in this interview, without having at hand the provable stats/science simply gives the opponents, and, i don’t believe Kim Hill to be one of these, a point to exploit…
What rubbish Philip you are to emotionally attached to have balanced view it was good journalism
where Kim Played the devils advocate and allowed the interviewee to explain his point of view and evidence toward!
i am ’emotionally attached’ to neither kim hill nor arthur baysting..
..and baysting made a poor shot..using poor arguments..
..(the arguments for legalisation/regulation/taxation are the most potent/rational/shown to work well..)
..tho’ baystings argument that where america goes on this we do too..did stand up..
..and wasn’t one i had heard advanced before..
no Phil …. you’re emotionally attached to your addictions/obsessions.
I commend you in your recovery of what’s probably the least harmful of most of them. (Pure heroin wasn’t actually that bad taken in moderation – I mean …. they used to put it in cough medcine and some of the oldest people on Earth were taken of its effects)
It’s just that people get pissed off sometimes with your holier-than-thou.
You sound like an unintelligent Hanmer recovery-agent of the 90’s thats been 13th stepped.
FFS! Give it up already and go along with a vibe that’s a little more moderate – the plebs can’t cope with extremism.
Otherwise you’ll forever live with regret and a shitload of talent wasted
so..advocating legalising/regulating/taxing cannabis is ‘holier than thou’..’extremism’..?..
..and you’ve gone thru a few gorilla-sized smack-withdrawals..?..have you..?
..to reach yr ‘least harmful’ conclusions on heroin..?
..and i think those advocating /arresting/imprisonment for what is a healing herb/salve..
..are the fucken ‘extremists’..
ahem..!..it wd b churlish of me not to ‘chrs!’ the ‘shitload of talent’ aside…
Just tweeted by Metiria while waiting for the minor leaders debate on The Nation:
Are those ACT & Conservative guys actually separatists?
Let the fireworks begin. This is going to be good….
whyte is such a whiner…
@Karol you should send back… “saves you from sitting in a draft”
Lolz, the looks passing between Hone and Metiria as ACT’s Whyte babbles is priceless…
The film is interesting. Whyte is taking a beating and Peters is showing his innate ability to seize the moment!
whyte got monstered..
(and no questions on moon-landing/chem trails..?..
..i’m disappointed..)
..will whyte go home and assume an (angry) ‘the thinker’-pose…?
..you’d think..?
My problem with Winston MS is the snake-oil, and, it sounded increasingly so this morning, of NZFirst is not telling who it will support after the election,
This puts Peters in the same camp as Flavell from the fast nearing extinction Maori Party, while Winston is making all the right noises that give the impression that He is leaning left, can any of us be sure that is the NZFirst intention,
My answer to that query is of course one big NO, therefor i cannot have anything nice to say about Peters and NZFirst,
The equation in my mind remains then this: with the ‘tactical vote’ from 2011 having departed, and, Colon’s conservatives yapping at their heels in a perfect portrayal of the dog pack having suffered a mass infection of distemper, NZFirst is a 50/50 proposition as far as regaining seats in the 2014 Parliament goes,
Should NZFirst come out on the up side of the above equation it is then a 50/50 proposition that Peters will take NZFirst into a coalition of the left,
Thus my advice to any left leaning people who seek such advice would be NOT to vote for NZFirst when seeking to change the Government,
The best result for the left, and, we really have to have a deep self examination to ask if you really are ‘the left’, would be for Colon Craig to yap away at Winston’s vote to such an extent in election 2014 that the Colonic’s pull NZFirst down below the 5% while only gaining 3.5% of the vote themselves
“Thus my advice to any left leaning people who seek such advice would be NOT to vote for NZFirst when seeking to change the Government,”
+1. This really needs to be hammered home.
PS, if my ‘best result’ were to eventuate at the 2014 election as expounded by my last paragraph above, it could then be said that Winston will have suffered a Colonostrophy, (the insane cousin of a cataclysmic catastrophe)…
For me the winners were in this order:
Didn’t see it but I like that list Clem!
Here are all parts of the debate…plus more
http://www.3news.co.nz/TVShows/TheNation.aspx
In today’s debate, I’d put Hone, Turei and Peters on #1 equal (no I’m not a Peters fan, and am not recommending lefties vote for him).
Peters was able to respond quickly to interjections and make his points.
I loved Turei’s repeated use of the phrase “National’s pollution economy”, and (contrary to what Sabin & Edwards judged) I liked her use of the hand to show Craig was constantly trying to talk over her. She needed to do that because the male voices can drown out her more female voice – she hasn’t cultivated a deeper Thatcher-style voice.
Whyte also used the phrase I’ve seen on some ACT billboards “green tape” – trying to discredit the Greens – interesting.
i had a laugh out loud moment when i was thinking of the criticism of Mets for holding up Her hand in an effort to silence the interjecting ‘wing-nuts’,
What is needed i thought is an electrified dog collar operated off of a computer program which delivered an electric shock, say at the severity of a one wire cow fence on a dairy farm, to those who interjected while another was making a point,
Lolz my latent cruelty is exposed, the same result of course could be achieved by a technician only turning on the microphone of each politician in turn as they were invited to speak,
The Primitives at the TV networks should catch up with what is possible via technology in our modern world…
Thought Metiria was warm and powerful; loved her growing strength.
But I was deeply alarmed by the panel’s comments after the debate re. Greens discussing possible accomms with National if Labour fails to get enough of the vote .. the Green card was mentioned as something National would support.
Any thoughts on this Bad, Karol ? Thanks
My thoughts on that are in my post. Don’t get sucked into the Sabin spin.
Seriously yeshe, Mets on that program gave not the slightest hint that any accommodation with National could or would occur,
That i know of, during th current term of Parliament and the short time since the Parliament has risen to attend to the election i have not heard such an intimation form anywhere across the spectrum, excepting today, that alludes to a Green/National accommodation,
Feel free to correct me if i err here on this matter, but, i should imagine that should the Green Party ever enter some formal accommodation with National that essentially propped it up allowing them to govern the left of the Party would simply walk away in their droves,
My view is that this view put forward on the Nation this morning is simply ‘wingnut spin’ the usual underhanded tactics being brought into play where the right has no real counter to the Green Parties message and thus must play the game of divide and rule,
i did tho notice Bryce whats-his-face mention the possibility of what i discuss in my comment above that Colons Conservatives could possibly take enough vote off of NZFirst so as to drag the latter party below the 5% requirement while not attaining the 5% themselves,
Obviously it wasn’t part of the TV3 script to have such a view aired so Bryce was simply ignored…
Thx Bad .. I agree with all you have written. It certainly didn’t come from Mets herself .. but I wanted to check the spin on it. Will listen in again in the morning .. thx again Bad.
Hone and Metiria were the only ones who really came out of it at all well.
LOL – Maybe they thought that Meteria would slap them down with “the hand”! – She did very well I thought, putting the two oddfellows in their place!!
Reminding all Standardistas that voting starts in 25 days on 3rd September. Advance Votes are as easy to cast as a vote on the 20th. The best way to get rid of Key is:
Green Party Supporters-Party Vote Green
Labour Party Supporters-Party Vote Labour
Internet-Mana Supporters-Party Vote Internet-Mana
Te Tai Tokerau Constituency
Green, Labour and Internet-Mana supporters Candidate Vote Mana-Hone Harawira
Epsom Constituency
Green, Labour and Internet-Mana supporters Candidate Vote National-Paul Goldsmith
East Coast Bays Constituency
Green, Labour and Internet-Mana supporters Candidate Vote National-Murray McCully
Ohariu Constituency
Green, Labour and Internet-Mana supporters Candidate Vote Labour-Virginia Andersen
this list should be displayed everywhere ’Git to remind people, and add Annette Sykes Waiariki.
Yes, definitely add Annette.
Agreed Tiger but I am trying to keep this simple.
I DO hope Annette gets in-sure she will. What a great team IMP has!!
Personally I’d replace the word “Constituency” with “Electorate”. No one really thinks of themselves as being in the “Epsom Constituency”, but they would think of themselves as being in the “Epsom Electorate”.
Also a final line:
“All other electorates: candidate vote your preferred candidate”.
You said : “In Ohariu
Green, Labour and Internet-Mana supporters Candidate Vote Labour-Virginia Andersen”
I agree with your other views, EXCEPT for Ohariu, the PRIMARY goal should be to kick Dunne out. Therefore deciding to vote for Virginia Andersen may or may not be strategically the correct call at this early stage. It is better to see what the media polls are indicating before making up one’s mind.
If Hudson of Nats is leading in the pre polls followed by Dunne and then Labour’s Andersen, then it would be safer/wiser to vote for the Nat candidate.
If Dunne is leading in the pre polls followed by Hudson and then Labour’s Andersen, then too it would be safer to vote for the Nat candidate.
If Andersen is coming in first or second in relation to Dunne, then definitely vote for her.
If it was Hudson, then Andersen then Dunne, that is tricky! What then??
I think the relative position of Hudson, Dunne and Andersen in the media pre polls and the internal party polls are crucial to know how the strategic voting should go in order to defeat the nauseating neanderthal hairdo Dunne and deprive the nasty hash-Key Nats another cheap coalition partner, in my opinion.
The Ohariu situation might seem a bit up in the air – especially after Brett Hudson did surprisingly well in the Campbell Live totally unscientific lolly poll (Ginny and Dunne were pretty much neck-and-neck).
But given John Key’s unsubtle hints I doubt we’re going to see much of Hudson beyond a few token hoardings and going through the motions at candidate meetings. Historically the National supporters of Ohariu have known what to do to ensure their team gets in – so I’d say at this stage (and I am admittedly biased) voting for Andersen is the way to go for the left.
Stephanie, totally disagree with you there, a time to retire dunne campaign would be the best option for both Labour and the Greens to be running in Ohariu,
Simply pointing out that Dunne is not the best look for Ohariu because,(insert any reason), and then, saying even tho i do not like National i think Hudson would be better than Dunne is more likely to convince Dunne voters to abandon Him,
Labour i believe cannot win Ohariu, Charles Chauval was way higher profile than the current Labour candidate and He couldn’t and it simply becomes ego politics to think the Labour candidate can,
Chauval actually lost votes against the other’s in the 2011 contest, only a couple of hundred votes mind you compared to His previous effort but lose them He did,
There is nothing wrong with the Labour candidate campaigning hard in Ohariu, what needs to happen is a parallel campaign which focuses upon retiring Dunne and promoting the National Party candidate,
IF you have the feet on the ground over there that could letter box stuff pamphlets in the vein of retire Dunne, especially in the NEW parts of that electorate where there is no past history of voting for Him, (and He lost the lollipop poll bigtime in), and you need pamphlets printing holler at me and i will print you off how many you need,
Basic black and white minimal message, retire Dunne ,Hudson is a better choice into the letterboxes in the new parts of the electorate might just do Dunne…
There are a few problems with your suggested approach, bad. The first is obviously that Peter Dunne is not going to retire of his own free will. Take that with the fact that National are well aware they’ll need their micro-party supporters if they want a third term, and have signalled this to their supporters, and most will probably split-vote Dunne/National as they consistently have before.
Given this, Brett Hudson is probably going to go to great lengths to play down his appeal as an electorate candidate, much like Paul Goldsmith in Epsom.
Outright negative campaigning of the kind you suggest is only going to blow up in the your own face. Look at the Exclusive Brethren anti-Green stuff from 2005 – there are many, many people who would actually agree with the nasty stuff that was said about Labour and the Greens, but didn’t like people being vicious about it.
Then there’s that whole electoral finance law which would rule out aggressively promoting another party’s candidate.
As to your comments about our candidate: Ginny is campaigning tremendously hard and building a great profile in the electorate, and given the issues of asset sales, the GCSB law, Dunne’s disgrace as a Minister and people getting more and more fed up with shady wink-wink electorate deals, I firmly believe Ohariu is winnable for Labour.
Yawn, thanks for that Stephanie, i will sleep well in my bed tonight knowing Peter Dunne will win Ohariu in election 2014…
If you like to pre-judge things based on approximately no actual relevant information, you may sleep how you wish.
As soon as any concrete information comes out showing that Brett Hudson is going to do any better than Katrina Shanks, who had better profile and apparently strict orders not to win, there might be a point in having the discussion about strategic voting options in Ohariu.
But until that information exists your negativity is unnecessary and mean-spirited.
If there were evidence of any overt swing away from the current Government and toward Labour i would tend to give your views some credence,
Nationally there is no such evidence and you yourself admit that you are running blind,
The only evidence i have to point out my belief that your candidate is unlikely to be able to take Ohariu is in fact the past two elections when the very high profile Charles Chavaul failed to dislodge Dunne,
The gap between Charles and Dunne actually widened from 2008 to 2011, only by a few hundred votes mind you, but, widen it did,
2008, Dunne v Chavaul, majority Dunne 1006,
2011 Dunne V Chavaul, majority Dunne 1392,
Far from being negative i am a realist, a pragmatic realist at that, what needs to happen in that electorate for a Labour candidate to retire Dunne is for the Green Party to convince its Party Voters to vote for the Labour electorate candidate,
Any Green Party members residing in Ohariu who have thus far subjected themselves to this debate, my admiration of your tenacity knows no bounds and i would advise even if as you do so oxygen starvation would have to be suffered that you Party Vote for the Labour candidate in Ohariu,
i would also hope that the Ohariu electorate candidate for the Green Party as they canvas the electorate and identify Green Voters give the same advice as above to the Green Party voters they identify in the Ohariu electorate,
To a certain extent Stephanie my ambivalence is probably more toward you, having debated befor with you i have serious questions as to the underlying attitude, the driving force if you will of many within the Labour Party,
This attitude, epitomized in a recent debate on ‘decriminalizing abortion’ where you proposed that ”abortion might be a solution to child poverty” to me reeks of an attitude where eugenics would be the next step toward the slippery slope,
i have to wonder if such an attitude expressed by you in that debate is simply your personal attitude or does such have deep seated roots in the party…
Somewhere, Labour will have these useful voting statistics from the electorate: non Labour party voters who nonetheless supported Charles Chauvel in the electorate vote.
The new candidate can be expected to lost 1/2 to 3/4 of those on his opening run, simply through reduced name recognition/unfamiliarity.
Also we should factor in that Chauvel was a senior Labour MP while running in the electorate. The new candidate does not have such prominence.
As such, the ‘majority mountain’ the new Labour candidate needs to climb is probably more around 2500 than around 1300. Defeating a majority of that size is certainly possible, but would require a sharp, distinct swing in voter sentiment in the electorate. If it happened, the outcome would likely be a Labour win of around 1000 votes or less.
IMO, Dunne hasn’t done anywhere near enough to irritate his electorate for this to occur.
It’s one of several significant disconnects in Labour Party thinking and values which the public generally dislikes eg how a baby is viewed and valued and advocated for and resources spent on 5 months before birth compared to when at birth and immediately afterwards.
This attitude, epitomized in a recent debate on ‘decriminalizing abortion’ where you proposed that ”abortion might be a solution to child poverty” to me reeks of an attitude where eugenics would be the next step toward the slippery slope,
Wow, you better back that shit up, mate.
And learn to spell “Chauvel” if you’re going to profess to expertise on my electorate.
I have a feeling your loyalty is coming in the way of prudent thinking.
What are the INTERNAL polls conducted independently telling you? It is important to act based on these as well as the pre-election local electoral media polls.
mmmm I’m listening to this bad/Clem/Steph. All good points.
At the moment I’m inclined to leave the tactical voting recommendations as above but will watch events…..events my dear boy…
Yes, we can only put our ideas around for voters to read and discuss, spread the word and vote according to what they think is best for them in the end.
But not expressing a view, however stupid it might look for some, is not the best thing to do anyway.
So, Bearded Git, thanks!
I have seen no internal polls. Which is why I think it’s far too early to throw in the towel.
As to my bias, I’ve acknowledged it – but I also haven’t said anything which isn’t factual: Dunne is still running but has suffered major setbacks in the last term; John Key has made his wishes very clear; Ginny Andersen is a strong candidate for Labour; and we have no serious polling data to inform any kind of strategic voting approach.
If I had access to internal polling on this I can assure you I wouldn’t need you to tell me to look at it. 🙄
IBM Develops a New Chip That Functions Like a Brain
It’s still very slow but does seem to be showing potential similar to the way the first integrated circuits did. IMO, The most interesting point about it though is:
The US government isn’t waiting around for the free-market to provide but are getting stuck in and picking and funding winners. They’ve been extremely successful at it over the last few decades. In fact, the US government has been far more successful at it than any private actor but their system means that the private actors still get all the monetary benefits of the governments production of winners.
Oh, and a few of our students set a record. Now just imagine what we could do if our government got in behind our innovators the way that the US government gets in behind theirs.
Yeah – except the US has ulterior motives. If this new tech provides a serious military benefit it wont see the light of day for decades.
Reminds me of the donation by the NRO of two obsolete spy satellites to NASA a couple of years ago. The satellites had been in storage since the early 90’s – they were given to NASA stripped of all electronics. NASA said the optical system was far superior to anything they had or had planned/. 25+ year old tech impresses NASA.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/nasa-gets-military-spy-telescopes-for-astronomy/2012/06/04/gJQAsT6UDV_story.html
Where’d you get that from as it’s not stated in that article.
a few more actual brains functioning like problem solving free thinking machines rather than compliance systems would be good too DTB
The top 4 stories on the Herald online at the moment are all crime based.
The cynic in me wonders whether this is part of an agenda of the editor and management…to point us all in favour of parties tough on crime,..
No issues to do with the election…like poverty, education, the environment.
Could backfire. I know I see it as actual evidence that violent crime is worse than ever under the current government and that this is a direct result of irresponsible social policy.
The little seed library that could … get busted by a state ag department
The terrorism mentioned in the article is happening – it’s being carried out by Monsanto and other companies that are trying very hard to stop people from growing their own food because they own the patents to the DNA.
@ DTB….looks like Monsanto is also interested in a vaccine for Ebola
http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-ebola-outbreak-can-it-be-controlled-monsanto-invests-in-ebola-treatment-drug-company-as-pandemic-spreads/5394627
🙄