Open Mike 09/12/2016

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, December 9th, 2016 - 123 comments
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123 comments on “Open Mike 09/12/2016 ”

  1. Cinny 1

    Wows the ring of fire has been rather busy of late, sending good vibes to those in the Solomons. Stay safe, thinking of you all over there.

    Solomon Islands hit by a magnitude 8 quake this morning.

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/south-pacific/87378899/81-magnitude-earthquake-hits-solomons–usgs

    • Wairua 1.1

      The northern structure at Stone Street studios exhibits horizontal cracks at its SE corner, visible over the black covered fence next to the gatehouse.

      The main studio appears undamaged, but bears an uncanny resemblance to the
      sarcophagus covering the impaired Chernobyl nuclear reactor. It is unclear whether base isolation on geologically unstable terrain was involved.

  2. Nick 2

    ShonKey had the exact same smile telling the nastzis cor(p)kus as he did when he fired all his trader buddies….. The light went on and they all realized he didn’t give a fuck about them …..NZ voters will click soon too…. When they realize the mess he’s made and is running from…

  3. Carolyn_nth 3

    Pfft! And then he was gone in a puff of smoke.

    From his appointment as leader I asked “Why was he decide to be here?” Now I’ll be forever asking, “Why did he go?”

    #themanwhofellfromplanetkey

  4. Gabby 4

    His blind trust is full.

  5. Ad 5

    What do the Auckland westies think of Laila Harre as MP for New Lynn?
    I don’t think it’s a dumb idea.

    • Cinny 5.1

      I love Laila she is a star, but she’s not stupid, I doubt she will want to jeopardise the left by standing in New Lynn, which is already labelled as a ‘safe labour’ seat. After all she stood in Helensville last time. And I’m not sure if Laila is running this time, are you Ad?

      So I guess dreams are free, one of my dreams is for Laila to come back to parliament if she so desires, her life her choice. The other dream is about to become reality, which is a new government.

    • Olwyn 5.2

      While I would really like to see Laila Harre back in parliament, in the case of New Lynn I think someone who is already part of the New Lynn set-up, like Greg Presland for instance, may be a better option. If Laila stands there, her pluses are her high profile, the fact that she really is of the left and that she knows how to campaign. But someone who is already part of the area, and able to continue with existing networks, might stand a better chance. I also think that winning the election should take priority over gender balance under current conditions and in the short term. That said, if Laila ends up getting the nomination, I will not be disappointed by it.

      • Carolyn_nth 5.2.1

        I seem to recall that Harre stood in the Waitakere electorate early in the century – when that electorate covered at least part of what is now the New Lynn electorate.

        • Olwyn 5.2.1.1

          Yes, I just had a sniff about – it seems she stood for Te Atatu in 1999 and Waitakere in 2002. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laila_Harr%C3%A9

        • Karen 5.2.1.2

          Laila definitely has links to the area but I am not sure that she wants to be an MP at the moment. Also she is going to get criticised for having abandoned the Green Party to lead the Internet Party only 3 years ago. Maybe 2020 if she wants it.

          Deborah Russell is a high profile candidate who has declared her interest in New Lynn. She says she will give up her job at Massey University to live and campaign in the area if she gets the selection. Don’t know who else is putting their hat in the ring for New Lynn – Mickey will know.

          If Jacinda goes for Mt Albert (it makes sense to me) then there will be a vacancy for Auckland Central but it will be hard to win. The last lot of boundary changes meant a lot of Labour areas were added to Mt Albert and there will be a sympathy vote for Nicky Kaye.

          • Carolyn_nth 5.2.1.2.1

            New Lynn is going upmarket, though there’s still some of low income/working class people in the area. Kelston has been split off it in the last election, and that area is more solidly Labour and working class.

            • Incognito 5.2.1.2.1.1

              Not just New Lynn; many areas in West Auckland are changing and you can see that reflected in the demographics of the secondary schools. Schools are an excellent barometer of the communities.

      • Puckish Rogue 5.2.2

        Oh hell yes, Greg Presland for New Lynn!

      • saveNZ 5.2.3

        New Lynn might not be as safe as people think for Labour, there has been a lot of change in that area. I think no matter who runs there for Labour, it will be a tough race. Property will be a key factor – families are sitting on big mortgages there – it depends what Labour have as their policy.

        Next year in my view, property is going to go stagnant in Auckland so there will be jitters and interest rates will probably start rising and already are. At the same time people will start fearing for their jobs and businesses. This is nothing to do with Labour but it is their response to it that will be important as will be the Natz response prior to next years election.

        I have huge respect for Laila – and want to see her back. With a down turn probably coming up next year – it will be important for Labour to try to get steady policy that can handle another GFC without doing a Greece or USA while transitioning away from the outrageous state the Natz have left our country. (poor diversification, fraud and corruption such as student visa scams, large government and private debt).

        • saveNZ 5.2.3.1

          P.S. How Key managed to get his unpopular privatising assets policy through was saying he would not implement it until the next election if he was elected. It buys time for the public to get used to a change.

          The point is, Labour should not count their chickens in an election if they want to implement potentially un popular policy in particular on housing or superannuation.

        • Draco T Bastard 5.2.3.2

          Next year in my view, property is going to go stagnant in Auckland so there will be jitters and interest rates will probably start rising and already are.

          If/When the bubble flattens out/bursts interest rates are likely to fall – well, the OCR will anyway. Low interest rates are there to encourage people to borrow and thus create more money which gives a boost to the economy. Of course, what interest rates the banks gives to the borrowers is another question.

          With a down turn probably coming up next year – it will be important for Labour to try to get steady policy that can handle another GFC without doing a Greece or USA while transitioning away from the outrageous state the Natz have left our country.

          ATM, IMO, Labour only have one option and it’s similar to the one that they used in 1935 to pull us out of the Great Depression.

  6. Pat 6

    election pre budget……march /april

  7. Cinny 7

    An early election is needed to prevent the education minister whom is quitting from bullying Salisbury School anymore. Leaving them in limbo over Christmas, just give it up Hekia, let it go, you’ve damaged so many people and families by pushing these vulnerable girls around. It’s obvious you don’t care about them.

    Looking forward to the new education minister making the most of this valuable school, the whole community and beyond, in which it resides, as well as the local mayor are absolutely 100% behind Salisbury staying open, and there are so many ideas to diversify the options that Salisbury can offer.

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/nelson-mail/news/87373421/decision-on-salisbury-school-delayed-until-next-year

  8. Morrissey 8

    Bill English, without a hint of irony, praises
    John Key’s “relentless optimism and positivity”

    RNZ National, Friday 9 December 2016, 7:16 a.m.

    His colleague Dr Jonathan Coleman blows smoke in the face of women, but this morning Bill English blew smoke in the face of Guyon Espiner. Incredibly, Espiner didn’t seem to even register what had happened. The incident came near the end of a fawning six and a half minute “honeymoon” interview….

    GUYON ESPINER: What’s the main thing you’ve learned from John Key?

    BILL ENGLISH: [pause] Ohhhh look, just the relentless optimism and positivity, and the way that that UPLIFTS people, the way that it gives them ROOM to express their own confidence in the future, ahhhh, and I think that’s had an impact on the way New Zealanders think, we’re a more positive, self-assured country, and, ahhh, that’s BACKED UP by theeee, by the strength of the economy, by the relative position compared to other countries, and we want to maintain that.

    GUYON ESPINER: [pause] All right. Thank you very much for joining us this morning, appreciate your time. That is, well, the PRESUMPTIVE prime minister, are we calling him Jane?

    SUSIE FERGUSON: I suppose we WOULD call him something like that, wouldn’t we Guyon!

    http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/201827042/will-bill-english-call-an-early-election

  9. saveNZ 9

    So creative on air is not prepared to fund alternative current affairs in NZ (Waatea 5th Estate) but has used more than 1.7m of public money to give to MediaWorks Jono and Ben. They have also given 1.4m for a comedy called Paranormal Event Response Unit.

    With the growing homelessness, inequality and corruption in NZ, creative on Air feels the need to spend millions on comedy. Because NZ on Air and the government are a joke.

    Thanks for keeping the public in the dark about real local issues and keep the NZ Ponzi scheme going into the next election, creative on air (sarc)!

    • james 9.1

      Good call – it was a show that could only get a couple of hundred views an episode even when free.

      And most of them were prob bomber watching himself.

      • saveNZ 9.1.1

        Of course TV3 putting crap on prime time and endlessly promoting their ‘favourite shows’ has nothing to do with ratings. Put Waatea on TV3 at 7 pm and see how they start stealing from Hoskings.

        TV Ratings are the biggest joke out there, with only 600 people being checked in the most ludicrous way possible out of a population of 4.5 million. It’s actually creative on air and advertisers that still believe the TV ratings mean something that are the joke!

        Of course creative on air have probably not heard of the Internet so can’t respond to the changing methods of media in their funding. Or are just told what to fund by the government.

    • james 9.2

      Gee – I wonder if bradbury had the following :

      A commitment to broadcast is required before applying for funding. This is because we don’t want taxpayer money going to waste. The support of an Online Aggregator is required for Type 3 applications.

      The broadcaster/online publisher will confirm their support, including their financial contribution, to us separately using the Broadcaster Commitment form or Type 3 Broadcaster Commitment Form.

      I bet he didnt even have the basics covered in his application.

      • saveNZ 9.2.1

        James you seem to know so much about paperwork you should join WINZ and push 65 pages of paperwork on the homeless to fill out before you will help them, while at the same time pushing $$$$ into double dipper English’s hands for his housing needs or hiding white collar criminals and money launderers in our 0% offshore tax havens that John Key and his favourite non practising lawyer set up.

        After all, it’s not about fairness or logic anymore it’s about process, cronyism and bureaucrats ticking all the boxes the right (wink, wink) way under Natz rule.

        • james 9.2.1.1

          No – its about meeting the basics for funding before bitching about not getting them.

          Everything else you wrote is just ramblings and got nothing to do with the thread.

          • framu 9.2.1.1.1

            actually – you’re both right

            it is about meeting the requirements, but there is also a huge amount of back scratching and cronyism in the way funds are designed and allocated

  10. Morrissey 10

    Tau Henare declares: “I could’ve been SPEAKER!”
    Guyon Espiner: “We haven’t got time for that.”

    RNZ National, Thursday 8 December 2016

    The best thing Trevor Mallard ever did in his entire career was when he punched that waste of space Tau Henare. Incredibly, Henare, instead of being shunned as he would be by any decent or serious media outlet, is still being given time to clog up the airwaves with his nonsense. Yesterday morning he was at his David Brentian worst….

    The restless backbench–their one chance for relevance. We look back at a turbulent week in politics with the former National Party press secretary Ben Thomas and the former National Party MP Tau Henare.

    http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/201826896/the-restless-backbench-their-one-chance-for-relevence

    GUYON ESPINER: The prime minister John Key is stepping DOWN at the top of HIS career and the race is ON to replace him. It very much looks like BILL ENGLISH has the numbers, but also in this race are Jonathan Coleman and Judith Collins. I’m joined now to discuss their prospects by the former National Party press secretary Ben Thomas. Good morning to you Ben.

    BEN THOMAS: Hi Guyon.

    GUYON ESPINER: And National Party—former National Party M.P., ahhh, Tau Henare, also a Minister of the Crown back in the day. Good morning to both of you.

    TAU HENARE: Morning chief!

    GUYON ESPINER: Now, let’s have a look at Bill English. It looks pretty much like he’s GOT this doesn’t it Tau?

    TAU HENARE: Yeah, I mean I always thought that, uh, the way it panned out, um, Bill would, uh, win on the day whenever the election for, for leader was. It’s just a, it’s a, A typical National Party, uh, succession plan.

    GUYON ESPINER: A stitch up?
    BEN THOMAS: Hyeeeee! A ha ha ha!
    TAU HENARE: You could say that. But hey I mean—-
    GUYON ESPINER: He was given what, he was given how long, a couple of months heads up and he’s been allowed to do it in a week when he’s announcing some pretty rosy numbers—
    TAU HENARE: That’s right.
    GUYON ESPINER: —that are going to be announced today on the books, and the vote comes on Monday.
    TAU HENARE: Yeah that’s right. And look, I mean it’s better than rolling around in the mud for three months publicly and, and, um, I, I think, um, I think it’s been pretty cool. I think, I think it’s given the party a bit of a, a kick up the backside, uh, in terms of, hey!, get your, get your STUFF together, ahhhmm, we have an ELECTION to fight next year.
    GUYON ESPINER: Ben do you think that damage has been done? Things that are said can’t be unsaid. You’ve got Judith Collins running around saying, y’know, talking about tax cuts, that she wouldn’t be pursuing those. Is damage done in these sort of battles?
    BEN THOMAS: Well I guess there’s been no public announcement about whether we will have tax cuts or whether we’ll have, y’know, family incentives or whatever, um, so in that way they’re not really deviating from—
    GUYON ESPINER: It leaves him in a difficult position to go ahead with it doesn’t it?
    BEN THOMAS: No, I think you’re allowed to, you’re allowed to express an opinion probably before, y’know, before the budget next year, ahhhhmm, I think everyone’ll be expected to fall into line by then.
    GUYON ESPINER: Yeah. What do you make of the bids then from Collins and Coleman?
    BEN THOMAS: There’s a real issue with the National Party leadership post John Key, which is, if you’re in Labour, you can kind of wait for another eighteen months for your turn to come around. Whereas, here, y’know, this is the first time most of, this is the first time this job’s come up, y’know, in a decade, um, and I think you’d be looking at a guy like Coleman, or perhaps even Collins, and they would think, you know, if it’s another FOUR years, if Bill were to take over, or even longer if it was one of the contenders, y’know, whose names were thrown around but didn’t pan out, you know you would be looking at being maybe in your mid-fifties, in your early sixties before you had another opportunity.
    GUYON ESPINER: Yeah but Coleman can’t seriously believe he’s got a CHANCE, can he? Is he going for something else?
    TAU HENARE: I, I, I, I think that, ahhhmmm, it’s been a, um, a, a DOG’S BREAKFAST, ahhh, frankly, ahhhmm—
    GUYON ESPINER: From what?
    TAU HENARE: From Coleman AND from Judith.
    GUYON ESPINER: Really? Why is that?
    TAU HENARE: Yeah well from Judith, I think she’s gone out as if it’s some sort of presidential race. Well I’m sorry: if you don’t realize that FIFTY-NINE people vote for you, not, ahhhmm, y’know, one point five million, then I think there’s something SERIOUSLY WRONG with you.
    GUYON ESPINER: So it’s been a matter of not really knowing who your audience is, you mean?
    TAU HENARE: Well exactly. I mean, Coleman came out with he’s the new, you know, generation, as if he was a MILLENNIAL, but there’s only seven years between him and Judith Collins.
    GUYON ESPINER: He’s fifty, he had relative youth. [chuckles]
    TAU HENARE: I mean I, I just think that it’s silly. Yeah I mean, I, I, I actually think that, that um, ahhh, the Deputy Prime Ministership is, ahh, the one to watch. I think that’s, that’s—
    GUYON ESPINER: Who do you think’s gonna get it?
    TAU HENARE: Um, it could be ANYBODY.
    GUYON ESPINER: Someone from out YOUR way.
    TAU HENARE: Listen mate, I, I, I’m a mate of Simon’s AND a mate of, uh, Paula’s, and I wouldn’t like to pick between them. And then, I, I—
    GUYON ESPINER: Who WOULD you vote for if you had a chance?
    TAU HENARE: Who would I vote for?
    GUYON ESPINER: Yeah.
    TAU HENARE: Oh, uh, y’know if I was IN there, in the caucus, I would be the Manchurian Candidate.
    GUYON ESPINER: Ha ha ha ha ha!
    BEN THOMAS: Ha ha ha ha ha!
    TAU HENARE: Hyuk hyuk hyuk hyuk hyuk!
    GUYON ESPINER: Ha ha ha! Let’s—Ben?
    BEN THOMAS: There IS that issue though, because there IS some discontent among the back benches, you know, you’ve got a HUGE back bench to manage in National—
    GUYON ESPINER: Yeah.
    BEN THOMAS: —partly because of John Key’s electoral success and a lot of these guys, you know, are sort of chomping at the bit for their chance—-
    GUYON ESPINER: Yeah so what’s gonna—
    BEN THOMAS: And there is—
    TAU HENARE: Oh look, they should, they should just HANG ON. I mean, for GOODNESS’ SAKE—
    BEN THOMAS: [beginning to lose patience] We-e-e-e-elll….
    TAU HENARE: Who got them IN there in the first place? I think that they’re a bunch of JUMPED UP—
    BEN THOMAS: Hyuh! [snickers]
    TAU HENARE: —y’know, I tell ya what, I tell ya what—-
    BEN THOMAS: Ha ha, HA!
    TAU HENARE: There’s not a lot of back benchers that I would, ahhhhmmm, present to Cabinet. Y’know?
    GUYON ESPINER: Well, Ben, what do you think would satisfy the appetite of the restless back bench then?
    BEN THOMAS: Well, they, they only get ONE SAY, you know, this voting caucus is pretty much the only say they have—
    GUYON ESPINER: So they’re relevant for a short time.
    BEN THOMAS: So they’re relevant and they’re not going to just sacrifice it easily, um, you know, to go with a handover, even with Key’s sort of mana and standing, right?
    TAU HENARE: Can I—
    GUYON ESPINER: [reluctantly] Yeah.
    TAU HENARE: I could’ve been SPEAKER!
    GUYON ESPINER: Ha!
    BEN THOMAS: A ha ha hyeeeeegh!
    GUYON ESPINER: There’s not, we haven’t got time for that.
    BEN THOMAS: Ha ha!
    GUYON ESPINER: I did want to look back in history though. ‘Cos look at the ones who’ve taken over from P.M. without being elected. Rowling takes over after Kirk dies, he loses to Muldoon. Lange resigns, Palmer picks up, Moore loses. Shipley takes over from Bolger in ’97 and loses to Clark in ’99. Four-nil, in terms of people who have taken over in office without being elected.
    BEN THOMAS: Yeah.
    GUYON ESPINER: How do we see Bill English, presuming he does win, going from here?
    TAU HENARE: I, I, I think that Bill’s campaign IS about stability, IS about “look at what we’ve done, near, NEARLY five per cent unemployment, you know, around that—
    GUYON ESPINER: Yeah. But isn’t that dangerous after eight years, oh I’ve got “Steady as she goes” when the electorate might be saying Well look I’ve—
    BEN THOMAS: Voters bank gains pretty quickly. There is an opportunity, even Key pointed this out, he said there’s gotta be, you know, rejuvenation. Key was actually GOOD at that, in his cabinets. So you can’t probably just have this situation where you have exactly the same faces. And in terms of the race for Deputy, perhaps, you know, you might see that Bennett, you know, for all her talents, is seen as the Key candidate, as part of the master plan, as part of business as usual. You might see that Bridges is sort of the outlet for the expression of the back benches.
    GUYON ESPINER: Hmmm. Just finally on Bill English though, performance-wise, I mean, he’s gonna be a very DIFFERENT prime minister. Can’t see him sort of mincing down the catwalk on a fashion sort of parade, or doing any of that sort of stuff that John Key did as a sort of cheerleader—
    BEN THOMAS: Do they have fashion parades in Southland?
    GUYON ESPINER: A ha ha ha ha….
    TAU HENARE: Fashion parade in GORE!
    GUYON ESPINER: A ha ha ha ha.
    TAU HENARE: Eh?
    GUYON ESPINER: But it wasn’t, seriously, it wasn’t a great success was it, Bill Mark One as leader?
    TAU HENARE: No, but I, and I also think that’s a different time as well. I mean the National Party WERE at their lowest ebb anyway. There’d been a HUGE crap fight about the leadership and, um, now-w-w-w, I mean the National Party are hovering around FIFTY per cent, the economy is good, people I sense don’t actually want THAT much change—they’d like to see something NEW, ah, but they don’t want that much change.
    GUYON ESPINER: Change with continuity then?
    BEN THOMAS: Hyeeee…Yes. Ha ha ha. Look, Bill, Bill English is a MUCH more polished performer these days and he’s got a track record that, you know, NOBODY’s going to, like, second-guess. Um, I think this is going to be a much more successful second act in public life.
    GUYON ESPINER: All right. Thank you for that. That’s Ben Thomas and Tau Henare.

    • Wayne 10.1

      I note that various commenters on The Standard put up transcripts like this usually to try and show that everyone in the interview is a mentally challenged idiot.

      But having full transcripts with every little thing; “eh”, “now-w-w-w” having the same emphasis as the substantive points is completely misleading.

      When we listen to the radio we tune those things out unless they are so distracting as to completely disrupt the interview.

      It might seem like a cute trick to do this, but in my view is quite stupid. For instance if you do it with Trump you would completely miss why he gets his message across.

      • Rosemary McDonald 10.1.1

        “….unless they are so distracting as to completely disrupt the interview.”

        Exactly.

        Thanks for pointing out the obvious Wayne.

      • Tricledrown 10.1.2

        Wayne you point out that people don’t listen to the oohs and ums.
        Your right but then they turn off when the points are made.
        Poor articulation in the modern media
        Is more important than ever.
        Key was articulate English is far from that .
        English sounds as if he has verbal constipation.
        Ah ooh a ummmmmm.

      • weka 10.1.3

        “I note that various commenters on The Standard put up transcripts like this usually to try and show that everyone in the interview is a mentally challenged idiot.”

        Morrissey is pretty much the only person on ts that does this. He gets criticised for his transcripts regularly.

        • Paul 10.1.3.1

          I admire his transcripts.

        • Morrissey 10.1.3.2

          So what aspect of this transcript would YOU criticize, weka?

          • weka 10.1.3.2.1

            I don’t read your transcripts any more Morrissey.

            • Morrissey 10.1.3.2.1.1

              I don’t believe you.

              • weka

                you think I am lying?

                • Morrissey

                  How can you comment on my transcripts if you don’t read them? That’s a standard of seriousness I would have attributed to the likes of Mike Hosking or Leighton Smith, not to someone working for a reputable outlet like The Standard.

                  • weka

                    I’m not commenting on your transcripts in terms of content (and I haven’t read the current one which is what you asked me about). I just pointed out that you are pretty much the only person that does such transcripts here (because Wayne was implying that it’s common), and that you have been criticised for them fairly often. Are either of those things untrue?

                    • Morrissey

                      So they get criticised. Wayne, for instance, has written a fair and thoughtful response to my transcript of David Brent Henare’s performance the other day. I’m fine with that, just as I’m fine with the (far more numerous) people who praise my work.

                    • weka

                      so what’s the problem then?

      • Morrissey 10.1.4

        You were his colleague, so of course you’re going to defend him. Good on you for your stubborn loyalty, Dr Mapp.

        But of course, you are well aware that a politician’s eloquence, or in this case lack of eloquence, is crucial to his or her credibility.

        Should we clean up and airbrush the dimwitted umm-ing and ahhh-ing of second-rate broadcasters like Larry Williams and Leighton Smith, and of second-rate politicians like Hekia Parata and Tau Henare? Of course not.

      • Red Hand 10.1.5

        On the other hand, by including interjections these carefully written transcripts add emotional expression, enriching the text and making the reading more pleasurable and informative. Thanks Morrissey.

      • Sacha 10.1.6

        Most of us are too busy to do what Mr Breen does. Which is a good thing.

    • marty mars 10.2

      “GUYON ESPINER: Ha ha ha ha ha!
      BEN THOMAS: Ha ha ha ha ha!
      TAU HENARE: Hyuk hyuk hyuk hyuk hyuk!:”

      dirty – why didn’t Tau get ha ha’s – was he speaking te reo Māori? Is your bias showing? Why have you doctored the transcript? What are you trying to hide? Why didn’t you mention the Obama years? Why are you selling out? What other things are you not telling us? Why don’t you read more? Why didn’t you abuse Kim Hill like you did last week for not mentioning Obama – JUST AS YOU didn’t mention him? Why are you not apologising for misleading people? Who do you work for? Why have you not answered yet?

      • ropata 10.2.1

        UF party mole sent here to monitor and report back to his bouffant overlord

      • Siobhan 10.2.2

        Ben Thomas gets in a few “Hyuh”s throughout the transcript.
        Maybe its the only te reo Māori he knows.

      • Morrissey 10.2.3

        why didn’t Tau get ha ha’s – was he speaking te reo Māori?

        That’s his way of laughing. He also laughs like that when he scoffs at cleaning women after he’s reduced them to tears.

        Is your bias showing?

        My bias is against nasty, shallow, vacuous politicians like Tau Henare. But, just like the dead, he is entitled to fair and truthful treatment—which he got here. I made nothing up. Nothing. The vacuity, the idiocy, and the pathetic self-aggrandizement—“I could’ve been SPEAKER!”—is all Henare’s.

        Why have you doctored the transcript?

        I haven’t. It’s a precise transcript.

        The rest of your angry little rant defies analysis, unfortunately.

        • Wayne 10.2.3.1

          Morrissey,

          Well, the transcript might be literally correct, but in practise, it is wrong.

          As I noted before very few of us actually listen to anyone in that manner (although perhaps you do). Otherwise most of us would barely make sense in interviews and conversations.

          It is only if the “umms” and “ahhs”, or the partially completed sentences become distracting that we actually notice them.

          I made a real effort to speak in complete and short sentences during interviews, but when I read the actual transcripts at best I only did it about 70% of the time.

          People take much more notice of energy, variation, tone and sincerity than grammar.

          • Morrissey 10.2.3.1.1

            People take much more notice of energy, variation, tone and sincerity than grammar.

            Quite true. Even great thinkers and speakers like Noam Chomsky will say “uh” occasionally.

            You were and are a good speaker, Mr Mapp. It’s clear you did think before you spoke, and your verbal fillers, when you did lapse into them, were not significant.

            I have emphasized the “umms” and “ahhs” of certain broadcasters and politicians precisely because, as you point out, their verbal infelicity does indeed distract and sometimes even becomes the substance of whatever they’re trying to say.

            Filling up every potential silence with “ummm” and “ahhh” is not merely a symptom of verbal clumsiness and/or unpreparedness, it’s a way of dominating an interlocutor, and not allowing him/her to speak through that wall of noise. If you want to hear the most grievous user of “ummmmm” and “errrrrr, ahhhhhhhh, ummmmmm”, I advise you to listen to NewstalkZB on a weekday between 8:30 a.m. and noon for a few minutes.

            There’s another verbal device often used by New Zealand politicians: repeating the phrase “y’know” throughout one’s speech—as Ben Thomas does in the above transcript. Helen Clark is one of the worst and most persistent offenders here, although she shortens it to “Y’ow”, often accompanied by a snicker.

        • marty mars 10.2.3.2

          Why didn’t you mention Obama? Dropped ball, went forward, take it back at the mark.

          • Morrissey 10.2.3.2.1

            Suddenly we’re playing football? Suits me.

            • marty mars 10.2.3.2.1.1

              Why aren’t you denouncing Obama as you expect others to do from Kim hill to me.

              • Morrissey

                marty, my objection to your post the other day was that you had simply repeated a vile piece of propaganda, in which three official enemies—Pol Pot, Stalin and Putin—were classed as the bad guys, and Obama was classed along with the likes of Mahatma Gandhi. That’s ludicrous, and offensive to anyone who cares about truthfulness and decency.

                I accept your word that you presumed it was so obvious that no further comment was needed; I’m sorry if you construed it as a personal attack. It wasn’t.

  11. Anne 11

    Simon Wilson has been producing some good stuff over the past week or so. Here’s another one:

    http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/on-the-inside/320005/have-we-just-been-played

    … winter is coming, at the exact same time we start the build-up to the election. There was widespread dismay this winter at the discovery of so many families living in cars. As we head into the cold months next year will that happen again? The underlying causes have not remotely been addressed and it’s not clear yet that emergency help will be geared up well enough either.

    Any more TV coverage of kids trying to do their homework, huddling in the cold under dim torchlight in the backs of parked-up vehicles, and Bill English can kiss goodbye to his hopes of winning the election right then and there.

  12. gsays 12

    i am saddened to hear on rnz news about a victim of the violence of the state, being further disadvantaged.

    he received $20,000 compensation from the state.
    this was for harm done while in the ‘care’ of the state.
    he has been told by winz that next year, any money left will cause a reduction in benefits such as accomadation supplement.

    he wished to put the money in a trust for his child/children, but can not do so.

    i hear paul’s words ringing in my ear, a cruel and heartless country we are becoming.

    • framu 12.1

      “he wished to put the money in a trust for his child/children, but can not do so.”

      that had me scratching my head a bit – if you put money in a trust doesnt it cease to be yours?

      ie: if you give your kids 20k via a trust it now belongs to your kids not you

      maybe theres something ive missed there

      • Rosemary McDonald 12.1.1

        https://www.workandincome.govt.nz/documents/forms/supported-living-payment-application.pdf

        page 21, Section 68

        right down the bottom of the list.

        • framu 12.1.1.1

          yes – but if its for his kids hes not getting income from the trust

          not disputing the crapiness of it all – just the bit about trusts didnt seem to make sense if the $$ goes to his kids

          • Siobhan 12.1.1.1.1

            Its like the Departments statement that beneficiaries should get ‘independent financial advice’. Yeah right.

            The whole point of being a beneficiary, especially one who has had a life of trauma and disadvantage, is that you are probably unable to understand how to get advice, or how to make canny financial decisions.

            The second you get a formal letter from a lawyer (as this chap did), you are probably going to totally freak out and spend the money ASAP.

            The Government knows these people are vulnerable. They have whole files and history on each and every one of them.
            As voters and tax payers we entrust Government departments to help these people.
            We have been, yet again, let down.

    • Rosemary McDonald 12.2

      http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/319979/law-gives-abuse-victims-'incentive'-to-blow-compo-money

      You beat me to it gsays…

      I heard of another compensation payment to someone for wages they had not been paid (by a government department). When the check was about to be handed over, they were told they would have to pay IRD the penalty on the tax they had not been paid on the wages they had not been paid, illegally.

      Arseholes.

      • gsays 12.2.1

        cheers for the link, rosemary.

        the late tax penalty, from denied wages, is unbelievable, and yet not surprising.

        it would be foolish to assume, that the much needed culture change within winz, ird etc, would occur immediately after a new government wins office.

  13. Paul 13

    Half the world’s species failing to cope with global warming as Earth races towards its sixth mass extinction.

    A leading evolutionary biologist, Professor John Wiens, found that 47 per cent of nearly 1,000 species had suffered local extinctions linked to climate change with populations absent from areas where they had been found before.

    Professor Wiens, who is editor of the Quarterly Review of Biology and a winner of the American Society of Naturalists’ Presidential Award, said the implications for the future were serious because his review showed plants and animals were struggling to deal with the relatively small amount of global warming experienced to date.

    So far the world has warmed by about 1C above pre-industrial levels, but it is expected to hit between 2.6 and 4.8C by 2100 if nothing is done to reduce greenhouse gases.

    In his study, published in the journal PLOS Biology, the scientist examined academic papers about 976 different species from all over the world that had been studied at least twice, once about 50 years ago and again within the last 10 years.

    “In almost half the species looked at, there have been local extinctions already,” he said.

    “This is stuff that’s already happened with just a small change to the climate. We’re looking at a two to five-fold increase [in warming over the next century].

    “What it shows is species cannot change fast enough to keep up with a small change in climate. That’s the big implication – even a small change in temperature and they cannot handle it.”

    The study looked at 716 different kinds of animals and 260 plants from Asia, Europe, North and South America, and elsewhere.

    Local extinctions were found to have occurred among 47.1 per cent of species at the “warm edge” of their traditional range, as it became too hot for them. There were few areas of the planet that were unaffected.

    “Overall, the frequency of local extinctions was similar across most climatic zones, habitats, gradients and clade,” the PLOS Biology paper said.

    However Professor Wiens found climate-related local extinctions were “substantially higher” among freshwater species at 74 per cent of the 31 studied.

    The current rate of global extinction of animals and plants is believed to be faster than some of the five great extinction events in the Earth’s history, but so far the total number lost does not compare to the species lost when the dinosaurs were wiped out about 65 million years ago.

    http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change-global-warming-mass-extinctions-species-study-donald-trump-kill-himself-joke-a7464391.html

    This supports the argument we heard from another scientist who has just visited New Zealand.

    Guy McPherson, a biology professor at the University of Arizona, says the human destruction of our own habitat is leading towards the world’s sixth mass extinction.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqIt93dDG1M

    • marty mars 13.1

      do you think all humans will be dead in 10 years? – if no why put this bullshit up, if yes why put this bullshit up – genuine question because I am totally sick of the airtime doomer guy gets. Failed at academia and failed at dooming – gets pissed off because he isn’t put into guru status. Egowanker imo.

      • Psycho Milt 13.1.1

        Fuck yes. “…if no why put this bullshit up, if yes why put this bullshit up…” – couldn’t have put it better myself.

        • Paul 13.1.1.1

          And your view of Professor John Wiens’s research?
          ‘The current rate of global extinction of animals and plants is believed to be faster than some of the five great extinction events in the Earth’s history.’

      • weka 13.1.2

        +2 marty. Plus, McPherson is now as bad for the planet as the deniers. He’s given up and thinks the rest of us should too. That’s dangerous.

        • Paul 13.1.2.1

          And your view of Professor John Wiens’s research?

          Nearly half the species on the planet are failing to cope with global warming the world has already experienced, according to an alarming new study that suggests the sixth mass extinction of animal life in the Earth’s history could take place in as little as 50 years.

          • Andre 13.1.2.1.1

            While biology isn’t my strong point, I find Wiens plausible. Not least because many other credible researchers are also saying similar things.

            McPherson on the other hand has made an extraordinary claim, contrary to the consensus of experts, without producing extraordinary evidence.

            Being an engineer, I’m on firmer ground when it comes to physics. The idea of the earth heating beyond human habitability within 10 years is utterly implausible. First, the oceans are a massive heat sink, which slows the heating way down. Second, the heat radiated back to space increases as the fourth power of temperature, That’s a massive increase in re-radiation for a small increase in temperature, which also slows temperature rises.

            So while the climate change situation is dire, McPherson’s claim of 10 years is just plain nuts. At least until he presents good evidence and a good argument. But until he presents that evidence and argument, that 10 years claim is so kooky that it really trashes his credibility for any topic.

            • Paul 13.1.2.1.1.1

              Have you heard him?
              He does present a lot of evidence in this talk.

              https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLg9keP40s4

            • Paul 13.1.2.1.1.2

              You should also read ‘A Farewell to Ice’ by Peter Wadhams.
              Peter Wadhams is professor of Ocean Physics, and Head of the Polar Ocean Physics Group in the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, University of Cambridge. He is best known for his work on sea ice.
              Do you dispute his conclusions?

              https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/aug/21/farewell-to-ice-peter-wadhams-review-climate-change

              • Andre

                I’m really not interested in sitting through over an hour of that kind of stuff. If you’ve got links to anything written and published, preferably peer-reviewed, then I’ll be more interested. But so far McPherson strikes me as more of an end-of-career academic that’s gone off the rails and has discovered the joy of YouTube to attract an uncritical audience (and revenue).

                Wadhams doesn’t claim end of humanity in ten years, he claims serious permafrost melt and methane release in twenty years, together with loss of Arctic ice and consequent extra heating from albedo effects. Which is dire and plausible, and almost certainly unavoidable by now. But that’s a long way short of extinction of humanity in ten years, and its even a long way short of extinction of humanity within the next century or millenium. I suspect if you asked Wadhams his opinion of McPherson’s claim of extinction in ten years, it would likely be scathing.

                • Paul

                  This is shorter.
                  https://guymcpherson.com/climate-chaos/introduction.

                  I’m not saying I agree with McPherson. However, Iike Rachel Stewart, I am open to listening to his ideas.
                  However, there are increasing numbers of scientists speaking up and talking about abrupt climate change.

                  • Andre

                    Thanks. That’s an impressive collection of alarmist quotes (that have a definite whiff of being cherry-picked). The quotes paint a picture that is dire, and fairly so. But unless I missed it in my skim-read, there’s nothing in there that even vaguely supports an assertion of human extinction within 10 years. Or even human extinction within a century, although it does support an assertion of widespread and rapidly increasing climate-change-induced human and eco-system suffering and early death starting from at least a decade ago.

                    But then when there’s passages like this “Rather than shoulder the unenviable task of truth-teller, Obama did as his imperial higher-ups demanded: He lied about collapse, and he lied about climate change. And he still does.” in what’s pitched as a serious overview of the science, it really trashes the credibility of the piece and the author.

          • weka 13.1.2.1.2

            Not sure what your point is Paul. You should know by now that I think CC is the most urgent issue we face by a long shot, and that we are in serious danger of collapsing major ecosystems on the planet (including by species extinction). My objection to McPherson is that he claims his opinion is the Truth, and proselytises from that. So he doesn’t say that he thinks we are in danger of going extinct, he says we are going extinct and there is nothing we can do about it. He has no way of knowing that yet he speaks as if he does.

            As I said, that shit is dangerous, because it will stop some people from changing. If McPherson is right, that’s bad because it’s throwing away the last chances to mitigate for the planet. And if he’s wrong, it’s bad because it’s throwing away the last chances to mitigate for the planet.

      • Naki man 13.1.3

        I am sure Paul gets a stiffy spaming the blog with his doomsday shit.

        • Paul 13.1.3.1

          Yes’ let’s just keep the dialogue on this site at the infantile level you like it to be.
          By the way, my post mainly referred to the scientific research of Professor John Wien.
          You dispute it.
          On what basis?

          You should read ‘A Farewell to Ice’ by Peter Wadhams.
          Peter Wadhams is professor of Ocean Physics, and Head of the Polar Ocean Physics Group in the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, University of Cambridge. He is best known for his work on sea ice.
          Do you dispute his conclusions?

          https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/aug/21/farewell-to-ice-peter-wadhams-review-climate-change

      • Paul 13.1.4

        And your view of Professor John Wiens’s research?

        Professor Wiens said: “It’s true that in terms of global extinction of entire species that have already happened, I think we’re not there [at the sixth mass extinction] yet.

        “But I think unfortunately we are on track for that to happen.

        • garibaldi 13.1.4.1

          We are in unchartered territory with CC now and extrapolation of all the possibilities give varying results of how we are going to go. The sad fact is it points to worst case about 10 years. With all other factors. eg Human stupidity, water wars, nuclear wars etc then who knows? Time to change our ways? Or carry on with free market Capitalism?

  14. alwyn 14

    I was really fascinated by one item that seemed to be on every Morning Report news summary this morning. This was the statement the Bill English was under pressure to call an early General Election in order to save the tax-payer money.
    At first I was in awe of the professional sangfroid of the newsreaders who managed to get through this risible story without bursting into giggles at Little’s stupidity.
    Then I began to worry that after so many years in the hard-left fetid depths of the RNZ news organisation they might actually believe that Andrew had something to his argument.

    If the Labour Party have any principles, and a genuine wish to avoid unnecessary costs to the taxpayer they should be coming out with a statement like this
    “This by-election is caused by one of our members who has forgotten his obligations to New Zealand in order to chase a job he prefers. We take responsibility for his actions and do not think they should cost the taxpayer anything. We are therefore going to pay all the costs incurred by the taxpayer in this matter. We will be making a down payment of $1,000,000 toward this on the day he resigns”.

    On the other hand if they think that all by-election costs are a weight on the taxpayer Andrew should also announce
    “If we ever become the Government we will amend the electoral act in order that the resignation of any MP representing an electorate shall automatically trigger a General Election within six months.”

    Better to have $50 million spent on each of frequent General Elections than $1 million on the occasional by-election I suppose is his view.

    I seldom agree with Winston Peters but his comment about Mt Roskill seems appropriate to that electorate and to this one.

    “The Mt Roskill by-election was brought about by the electorate MP deciding to pursue a new job.
    He cut the cord with his electorate, despite having promised to serve them for the full three-year term, and triggered the by-election. The MP’s pursuit of personal glory will cost the taxpayer well over a million dollars.”
    http://m.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11744327

    • Tricledrown 14.1

      So how did Winnie get to become MP for Northland.

      • alwyn 14.1.1

        You would hardly argue that the person who resigned in Northland had found a new job that he liked better I hope?

        • s y d 14.1.1.1

          GM of a luxury resort or backbench Nat MP? You’d have to ask ‘the person who resigned in Northland’ which they liked better. Although I get your point that they didn’t resign for that reason, but then again, I don’t recall the leader of the National Party stating “This by-election is caused by one of our members who has forgotten his obligations to New Zealand in order to defend child abuse allegations in the courts”

          • alwyn 14.1.1.1.1

            Is that what he is doing now. It sounds like a better job, doesn’t it?
            Was he found guilty of anything? If he is running a resort now it sounds as if he must have been not guilty of any charges laid.

            There are a few things to remember of course.
            1) National must have pushed him to quit.
            2) They didn’t grumble that there shouldn’t be a General Election rather than a by-election because their party is broke.
            3) Wasn’t there a heavy dose of name suppression in place. They would have been breaking the law to make any such statement, wouldn’t they?

            I never really followed this, once he was out of Parliament. Leave anything more up to the Courts.

            As a general rule there is only one position where the incumbent should be allowed to quit even though they accepted the job for three years and are still in good health.
            That is a PM who has been beaten in an election. Very few do it of course.
            Clark went but Shipley, Moore and Muldoon hung on.
            Anyone whose health gives out is of course perfectly entitled to go.

  15. thought provoking short animation of how we got to 7 billion

    “It took 200,000 years for our human population to reach 1 billion—and only 200 years to reach 7 billion.”

    https://youtu.be/PUwmA3Q0_OE

  16. Pat 16

    National will lose the next election with Bling as front man……how do I know this?….my politically disinterested but voting wife has said she could never vote for him (a number of reasons given which may or may not be accurate/valid)….you may scoff at this unscientific method, but be warned her record is impressive.

  17. Tricledrown 17

    Pat no government has lost an election while the economy is in going along so well.
    The only way Labour Greens will this election is if the economy tanks very unlikely.
    Or if all the activist’s get out door knock help register existing non voters and help them to the polling booths.

    • Pat 17.1

      Tricledrown I have learned from long experience that logic and reasoning seldom outperform her (often baseless, misapplied observations)…..perhaps her views are typical of that large segment of the voting public who take little interest in politics in-between elections …..time will tell.

      • garibaldi 17.1.1

        The thing is the economy is only going well because of immigration and that is having powerful social consequences, which will come to haunt this govt more and more in housing, infrastructure and ‘corruption’ in the job/education market.

    • KJT 17.2

      “Economy is going so well”.

      Thanks for that. I needed a laugh this morning.

  18. The Chairman 18

    Green Party policy offers green light to pot smokers, which Labour mostly supports
    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/87388713/legal-cannabis-in-nz-green-party-offers-green-light-to-pot-smokers

    • Draco T Bastard 18.1

      “It’s pretty obvious that we need to modernise our drug laws to keep up with the rest of the world.”

      No, we don’t do it because we want to be the same as the rest of the world. We do it because it’s the right thing to do.

  19. trigger alert – for milk drinkers

    https://youtu.be/nDaxt8hmMJU

  20. can’t get this out of my brain – Donovan – first, first name only needed?

    https://youtu.be/Nm3yKy1hL1M

    must be the season of the witch…

  21. Collins is certainly looking very sour sitting in Parliament/.
    My advice to

  22. Collins looses very sour in Parliament.My advice to English is watch your back.

  23. Collins looking very sour in Parliament.My advice to English watch your back.

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  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    4 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    5 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    5 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    5 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • There’s a name for this
    Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • Echoes of 1968 in 2024?  Pocock on the repetitive problems of the New Left
    Mike Grimshaw writes – Recent events in American universities point to an underlying crisis of coherent thinking, an issue that increasingly affects the progressive left across the Western world. This of course is nothing new as anyone who can either remember or has read of the late ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    8 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
    Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024.  “Lower fruit and vege ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government backs rural led catchment projects
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  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction.   Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
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  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
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  • Government lowering building costs
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  • Trustee tax change welcomed
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  • Minister’s Ramadan message
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  • Minister appoints new NZTA Chair
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  • Speech to Life Sciences Summit
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  • Pacific Language Weeks celebrate regional unity
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