Open mike 15/05/2013

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, May 15th, 2013 - 165 comments
Categories: open mike - Tags:

Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose.

The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to Policy in the banner).

Step right up to the mike…

165 comments on “Open mike 15/05/2013 ”

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  1. mickysavage 1
    15 May 2013 at 6:23 am

    I asked the GCSB recently if I was one of the 88 kiwis that it may have illegally spied on.

    My specific request stated:

    “I note the GCSB is alleged to have illegally spied on 88 New Zealanders over the past few years. The allegation is contained in the Kitteridge report which somehow was recently leaked to the media.

    I can’t imagine why but I wondered if I was one of the 88. So pursuant to the Official Information Act 1982 and/or the Privacy Act 1993 can you tell me if I am on that list and if so what information you obtained about me?”

    I suggested on an open mike (http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-12042013/#comment-617654) that others may want to do the same.

    I have now received my response and it is quite bizarre. They refused to confirm or deny if they had information about me. The section they are relying on says they don’t have to release information if disclosure would, amongst other things, be likely to prejudice the security or defence of New Zealand.

    It is likely (unless I am indeed an enemy of the State) that this will be their stock response but I am wondering if anyone has had a different response? Is my slightly elevated sense of paranoia justified?

    So Standardnistas, did anyone else ask for information about them and get a different response?

    • Colonial Viper 1.1
      15 May 2013 at 6:37 am

      Well, now your slightly elevated sense of paranoia seems to be catching 😉 in the USA authorities attempt to record every single electronic communication. Who knows what the full capabilities of systems like Echelon really are. Its only a matter of time before they implement the same philosophy here. Meh.

    • Jenny 1.2
      15 May 2013 at 6:51 am

      Is my slightly elevated sense of paranoia justified?

      mickysavage

      For your decidedly left views. Micky you are definitely one of them. If you ever do get your file, it will no doubt reveal that the illegal invasion of your privacy by the DCSB, to be quite extensive. Extending to family members, your friends, your work colleagues.

      After all, people like you, are a threat to the whole pyramid of money and power that sustains our well paid secret police snoops. And you must be watched very carefully.

      But don’t worry, this extensive criminal offending will end soon. It will soon be legal. Just like it was in East Germany.

    • Private Baldrick 1.3
      15 May 2013 at 9:05 am

      I was talking to Captain Blackadder because I was concerned about the same thing Mr Savage, my turnip and I might have raised the ire of the powers that be.

      He told me not to worry as even though the intelligence services are a bit of an oxymoron they probably aren’t so retarded as to be spying on smelly primates.

      I must admit that made me feel quite relieved.

      [lprent: That last statement got me worried – what exactly did you relieve yourself on? 😈 ]

      • Private Baldrick 1.3.1
        15 May 2013 at 1:41 pm

        My fatigues, Captain Adder said at least it saves on the starch rations.

    • karol 1.4
      15 May 2013 at 9:45 am

      Thanks for this info, micky. A worrying response, reinforcing the lack of public accountability by the GCSB.

  2. The Al1en 2
    15 May 2013 at 6:31 am

    Ground control to the Labour top
    Your leader is floating in a most peculiar way

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=10883699

    Nice to know someone’s listening 😆

  3. The Al1en 3
    15 May 2013 at 6:38 am

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=10883692

    “The red carpet was out last night at the glittering X Factor VIP party at the SkyCity Grand Hotel. Dress to impress was the theme and salubrious guests didn’t disappoint”

    “Hilary Barry (a not-so-secret fan of the show) rubbed shoulders with Sam Hayes, Ben Boyce, Colin Mathura-Jeffree and the cast from The Almighty Johnsons.
    Stars from the company’s radio division were present too, including resident shock jocks Jono Pryor and Dom Harvey”

    “Dominic Bowden – Matafeo ”

    Yep, NZ’s got talent. The C list to beat them all.
    Good work back slappers.

    • Paul 3.1
      15 May 2013 at 7:05 am

      And Rachel Glucina calls them ‘celebrities’. Obviously to her.\
      Unbelievable

      • Morrissey 3.1.1
        15 May 2013 at 7:44 am

        You’re throwing a massive party. You want it to be cool….

        YOU WANT: Richie McCaw, Anna Paquin, David Farrier, Jacinda Ardern, Russell Crowe, John Key, Jim Mora, Mary Lambie, Jane Clifton, Vicky Hyde, Cameron Slater, Raybon Kan, Brian Edwards, Stan Walker, Sir Robert Jones, Lorraine Downes, the Masterchef judges, Kim Hill, Mark Cubey, Ruby Frost, Natasha Bedingfield, and the Aussie comedian who plays “Chopper”.

        YOU’D SETTLE FOR: Peter Dunne, Aaron Gilmore, David Farrar, Tau Henare, Queen of Thorns, Lyn Prentice, The Mad Butcher, “millsy”, weka, Rosemary McLeod, Wendy Petrie, Martin Devlin, Daniel Bedingfield, Michele A’Court, the unsuccessful Masterchef contestants, Claudette Hauiti, Deb Webber, Kelvin Cruikshank, Rebecca Gibney, John Banks, Willie and J.T., Rachel Glucina, Karl du Fresne, Matt Nippert and Don “Brethren Cash” Brash.

        YOU END UP WITH: Hilary Barry, Sam Hayes, David Parker, Ben Boyce, Colin Mathura-Jeffree, the Almighty Johnsons cast, Murray Deaker, David Slack, Christine “Spankin'” Rankin, Gary McCormick, Don Donovan, Barry Corbett, Jono Pryor, Dominic Bowden, Te Reo Putake, Morrissey Breen, Populuxe1, Colonial Viper, Irish Bill, Brett Dale, Felix and Draco T Bastard.

        • lprent 3.1.1.1
          15 May 2013 at 8:07 am

          A. Lyn doesn’t want to get married and I suspect that taking my surname is going to be low on her list of priorities even if we did. She likes being named after a canine. So getting Lyn Prentice to anything will be difficult. There are none in the country that I am aware of.

          B. You could be referring to me – Lynn Prentice. However getting me to any party or event would be a coup in it’s own right. I find invariably find them intensely boring. Lyn usually winds up going to the ones she attends with friends.

          C. But it would be a meaningless result. I turn up at particular events where I want to get a read on something – once… Because there are no photos of me around the net, even those who know of me usually won’t know who I am.. This is intentional.

          D. So trying to get me to go anywhere is fraught…

        • The Al1en 3.1.1.2
          15 May 2013 at 8:10 am

          If you want to save the world, you get me, Sir Richard, Mike and Ricky.

        • Clockie 3.1.1.3
          15 May 2013 at 9:42 am

          Story of my life:

          Sob

        • TheContrarian 3.1.1.4
          15 May 2013 at 11:31 am

          No Contrarian?

          Man, I am a hoot at parties. You don’t what your missing.

    • Morrissey 3.2
      15 May 2013 at 7:13 am

      The C list to beat them all.

      That was an F list.

  4. phillip ure 4
    15 May 2013 at 7:11 am

    http://whoar.co.nz/2013/ed-finallyat-last-the-mainstream-media-economics-experts-start-to-hold-the-intellectualyfactual-total-discrediting-of-jeyenglishs-austerity-mantra-up-to-the-light/

    (reason for posting this link..this is an original comment on the key/english destroying news..

    ..news that seems to have passed most bye..(except @ whoar..)

    ..and i am gobsmacked that this news has been so ignored by most here in new zealand..

    ..given the key-govt-destabalising possibilities it holds..)

    phillip ure..

  5. Morrissey 5
    15 May 2013 at 7:11 am

    LIARS OF OUR TIME
    ‹No. 7: Nigel Morrison, Sky City CEO

    MARY WILSON: How tough has the government been in these negotiations?
    NIGEL MORRISON Quite frankly, they’ve been VERY tough.

    Radio New Zealand National Checkpoint, Monday 13 May 2013, 5:40 p.m.

    See also….
    No. 6: NZ Herald PR dept: “Congratulations—you’re reading New Zealand’s best newspaper.”
    http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-13052013/#comment-632598
    No. 5: Rawdon Christie: “
a FORMIDABLE replacement, it seems, is Claudette Hauiti.”
    http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-13052013/#comment-632594
    No. 4: Willie and J.T.: “The X-Factor. Nah, nah, there’s some GREAT talent there!”
    http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-06052013/#comment-628803
    No. 3: John Key: “Yeah we hold MPs to a higher standard.”
    http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-06052013/#comment-628703
    No. 2: Colin Craig: “Oh, I have a GREAT sense of humour.” (TV3 News, 24 April 2013) http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-25042013/#comment-624381
    No. 1: Barack Obama: “Margaret Thatcher was one of the great champions of freedom and liberty.”‹
    http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-19042013/#comment-621738

  6. millsy 6
    15 May 2013 at 7:44 am

    To news that the government is planning changes to state/social housing in the Budget comes the old movie saying – “I have a bad feeling about this”.

    Extending income related rents to those in community housing is, in principle, an OK idea, but this government will chop something to pay for it (ie state housing, welfare, etc).

    And this government has a hostility to public provision of anything, so I doubt that council tenants will be eligible for this.

    Oh well, just over 24 hours to go.

    See you all after the budget…

  7. freedom 7
    15 May 2013 at 8:19 am

    “Objectivity is paramount, says John Armstrong”
    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10883716

    funniest thing I have read in ages,
    will keep a smile on the dial as i head off to play with chainsaws for the day

    • Blue 7.1
      15 May 2013 at 9:47 am

      It’s funny how he thinks he keeps his personal opinions out of his columns, and that because some rabid hard right-wingers call him a Labour lackey this makes him balanced and middle-of-the-road.

      Ah well, he’s good for laugh, at least.

  9. Ugly Truth 9
    15 May 2013 at 8:52 am

    Also this from ITCCS:

    1. On February 25, 2013, a lawfully constituted Common Law Court of Justice found Elizabeth Windsor, Queen of England and Head of State of Canada and its churches, guilty as charged of Crimes against Humanity in Canada and of engaging in a Criminal Conspiracy to conceal Genocide. The same verdict found Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper guilty of the same offenses.

    • One Anonymous Knucklehead 9.1
      15 May 2013 at 10:12 am

      ‘No, no!’ said the Queen. ‘Sentence first—verdict afterwards.’

      • Clockie 9.1.1
        15 May 2013 at 10:26 am

        But their wild exultation was suddenly checked
        When the jailer informed them, with tears,
        Such a sentence would have not the slightest effect,
        As the pig had been dead for some years.

  10. Lanthanide 10
    15 May 2013 at 9:11 am

    Good on Angela for getting the double mastectomy: http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/wellbeing/8673976/Pitt-praises-heroic-Jolie

    It’s a pity such preventative surgery and follow up reconstructive surgery isn’t available to 95% of Americans.

    • Matt 10.1
      15 May 2013 at 10:02 am

      Is preventative surgery of that sort available in the public system in NZ, or anywhere? Unless you’re paying for it yourself it seems like radical surgery when you do not in fact have cancer, would be a big ask.

      • Lanthanide 10.1.1
        15 May 2013 at 10:55 am

        http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/i-d-rather-alive-double-mastectomy-patient-5437153

        No indication that it was not done on the public’s dime.

        I don’t know one way or the other, but I suspect it would be covered in NZ for very high-risk patients, because it’s cheaper in the long-run than waiting for the breast cancer to develop. Not just in terms of the treatment itself, but for the individual: they can schedule time off work and get the operation done when it is convenient for them, rather than getting a cancer diagnosis and having to drop everything with short notice.

  11. Penny Bright 11
    15 May 2013 at 10:45 am

    Hi folks!

    Heard this?

    Was interviewed for Radio NZ Morning Report (played on air at 8am Wednesday 15 May 2013) on the failure of the GCSB to ‘confirm or deny’ whether I was one of the 88 New Zealanders unlawfully spied upon by the GCSB.

    (As was Val Morse – who got the same GCSB reply).

    http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2555103/gcsb-refuses-to-tell-people-if-they've-been-illegally-spied-on.asx

    Her Warship 😉

    Penny Bright

    2013 Auckland Mayoral candidate

    http://www.occupyaucklandvsaucklandcouncilappeal.org.nz

    http://www.dodgyjohnhasgone.com

    • ghostrider888 11.1
      15 May 2013 at 11:06 am

      Sailing the Se7en CSBees

    • Morrissey 11.2
      15 May 2013 at 4:17 pm

      I heard that, Penny. You were clear and very persuasive, as was Valerie Morse. I was concerned by the wording used by the 8 o’clock news on Radio NZ National this morning to describe the GCSB’s criminal activities. Noting that this organization has been spying on New Zealand citizens, the newsreader intoned: “It is currently illegal.”

      Next time someone shoots a policeman, I look forward to hearing the news-readers inform us that “murder is currently illegal.”

      • North 11.2.1
        15 May 2013 at 9:12 pm

        Yeah, you were solid Penny – “Show me the bloody filing cabinet and give me five minutes……” – (more or less what you said, agreed ?) – Great soundbite !

        Haven’t heard from BM or that fulla whose name starts with G. Must have been like a good blast from a can of Raid to the likes of them. On their backs…….Bzzzzzz.

    • Colonial Viper 12.1
      15 May 2013 at 11:37 am

      g888. The Oz Fed Govt has written a fiscally tight budget in order to gain confidence.

      Gain the confidence of whom is always the unasked question. Certainly not of the unemployed or the median worker.

      It is always pandering to the banksters, the investing class, the ratings agencies. It appears that they are the only true constituency Oz Labour responds to. They have no alternative thinking framework or vision.

      On a bigger scale, a massive reorganisation of our political economy is needed – paid employment and economic growth are things transitioning into the past. Energy depletion and the limits of our debt based money system which we have now reached has made sure of that.

  13. Poission 13
    15 May 2013 at 11:32 am

    3 x class flares on the sun and a cme in one day.

    http://www.spaceweather.com/images2013/13may13/cme_anim2.GIF?PHPSESSID=tov4qiab2jpfhf7qm4lohulqj0

    Not a good time to have investments in energy or telecommunications.

    • ghostrider888 13.1
      15 May 2013 at 11:42 am

      Interesting; I was just saying to my friend over Chardie yesterday why I collect hard-copy lit. and sounds; always.

      • Poission 13.1.1
        15 May 2013 at 11:53 am

        I would not have much confidence in reliance on either wireless or mobile communications,this risks are very high for 4g.

        As an aside I wonder if there is much importance in the spectrum sales in the budget.

        at present the Interplanetary Magnetic field is in its southern aspect ie shields down.

        http://spaceweather.com/glossary/imf.html

      • Colonial Viper 13.1.2
        15 May 2013 at 11:53 am

        I think its a mistake we no longer have wind up gramaphones…independent of power cuts, internet hiccups and hard drive corruption.

        Fragile complex systems

    • fender 13.2
      15 May 2013 at 11:53 am

      I’d be very surprised if private investors will lose out should the power grid get damaged. They will of course expect the taxpayer to pay for repairs, expect the company to borrow for repairs or just sell their 49% quick as possible. Money for nothing ‘investors’ only like to ‘gamble’ on a sure thing with a rigged deck.

      • Winston Smith 13.2.1
        15 May 2013 at 12:40 pm

        We’re not all like that, some of us are in for the long run as well as proactively ensuring the assets stay in NZ hands.

        • fender 13.2.1.1
          15 May 2013 at 1:01 pm

          Glad to hear there’s one who won’t mind foregoing their dividends if the grid gets whacked, how many others would I wonder.

        • The Al1en 13.2.1.2
          15 May 2013 at 2:29 pm

          “ensuring the assets stay in NZ hands.”

          Just as long as they’re not in the hands of those who already owned them before they were stolen by the greedy.

  15. veutoviper 15
    15 May 2013 at 12:10 pm

    Well – what recent events does this case remind you of?

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10883787

    A senior Airways Corporation manager who won her job back after she was sacked for a boozy night when she got “lippy” with staff and gave one of them “the finger” has been awarded $7000 as a contribution to her legal costs.
    …

    She was found to have been unjustifiably dismissed and the company was ordered to reinstate her, although she was not awarded any payment due to her contribution to the situation.

    Today, Mr Dumbleton ordered the company to pay Ms Dumble $7000 as a contribution to her legal costs and a further $385 for administration costs.

    I wonder whether Gilmore has read this? And Riches, as employment law is one of his specialities.

    • prism 15.1
      15 May 2013 at 12:19 pm

      The names changed to protect the record I imagine?

      • veutoviper 15.1.1
        15 May 2013 at 12:38 pm

        LOL – I did not even notice the similarity etc. But no, no name changes.

        Here is the actual determination from the link in the Herald article

        http://media.nzherald.co.nz/webcontent/document/pdf/201320/2013_NZERA_Auckland_169.pdf

        • Jenny Kirk 15.1.1.1
          15 May 2013 at 3:55 pm

          And here’s another gem – more relevant to Aaron Gilmore perhaps.

          For all Employees Who Work with Rude Customers – An award should go to the West Jet gate attendant in Kelowna, British Columbia for being smart and funny, while making her point, when confronted with a passenger who probably deserved to fly as cargo.

          A crowded flight was cancelled after West Jet’s 737 had been withdrawn from service. A single attendant was re-booking a long line of inconvenienced travelers.

          Suddenly an angry passenger pushed his way to the desk. He slapped his ticket down on the counter and said, “I HAVE to be on this flight and it HAS to be FIRST CLASS”.

          The attendant replied, “I’m sorry, sir. I’ll be happy to try to help you, but I’ve got to help these people first, and I’m sure we’ll be able to work something out.”

          The passenger was unimpressed. He asked loudly, so that the passengers behind him could hear, “DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHO I AM?”
          Without hesitating, the attendant smiled and grabbed her public address microphone: “May I have your attention please; may I have your attention please,“ she began – her voice heard clearly throughout the terminal. “We have a passenger here at Gate 14 WHO DOES NOT KNOW WHO HE IS. If anyone can help him find his identity, please come to Gate 14.”

          With the folks behind him in line laughing hysterically, the man glared at the attendant, clenched his teeth and said, “F….You!”

          Without flinching, she smiled and said, (I love this bit) “I’m sorry, sir, but you’ll have to get in line for that, too.”

    • yeshe 15.2
      15 May 2013 at 5:22 pm

      Mr Dumbleton ? Ms Dumble ? about a case that showed her the Dumbledore then :-))

  16. prism 16
    15 May 2013 at 12:17 pm

    I found in Jingo that Terry Pratchett has envisaged a strapped-for-cash economy in Ankh-Morpork. To a question of how that could be, ‘Don’t we pay our taxes?’ Lord Vetinari notes –

    Guild of Assassins – Gross earnings in the last year: AM$13,207,048. Taxes paid in the last year: AM$47.22 pence, and
    The Guild of Accountants – gross earnings AM$7,999,011. Taxes paid: nil. But, ah yes, I see they applied for a rebate of AM$200,000.’
    (I have left out the matter of the Hershebian half-dong as irrelevant.)

    And was Terry thinking of NZ perhaps? He writes that Lord Vetinari made the analogy – ‘Taxation gentlemen is very much like dairy farming. The task is to extract the maximum amount of milk with the minimum of moo. And I am afraid to say that these days all I get is moo.’
    ‘Are you telling us that Ankh-Morpork is bankrupt?’ says one of the nobles.
    ‘Of course. While, at the the same time, full of rich people.’

    Yes Terry Pratchett’s scenario has a lot of vision for us, if we care to study and absorb it. Makes
    more sense than much of the words around today.

  17. weka 17
    15 May 2013 at 1:27 pm

    Yesterday vto raised the perceived issue of some people talking about the treaty being accused of racism. S/he referred to a Natrad panel discussion on Constitutional review. Turns out the person that asked the question that vto was interested in was John Ansell, and Ansell asked the question in a hijacking for his own agenda kind of way. Which is probably why the panelists refused to answer.

    Here’s the conversation http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-14052013/#comment-632878

    The bit about Ansell is here http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-14052013/#comment-633276

    Sorry vto, but I feel that not only did you misrepresent what happened in the panel discussion, but you misled us in the conversation yesterday. Was that intentional? We talked about being explicit about our politics, but I don’t feel like you were. Now the question for me becomes, do you align yourself with Ansell, and is that the background context I need to understand your comments about Te Tiriti and racism in this country?

    • marty mars 17.1
      15 May 2013 at 5:42 pm

      Thanks for following this up weka. It sounded pretty strange yesterday – I thought maybe someone had cracked a weak joke and thus it is so – ansell is a weak joke and I’d be pretty disappointed if vto was a follower of his. I think a list of what vto wants to discuss regarding Te Tiriti may be a good option and I hope vto provides one. We need to keep conversing about the subject but somehow with some people it ends up being a too-ing and fro-ing around issues that aren’t issues at all, except for them.

      vto I hope you reply. My view of your view vto is that you think,

      1 the Treaty is historical and a new one needs to be drafted to take into consideration the multicultural aspect of NZ society.
      2 too much emphasis (money) is on tangata whenua and that they have received enough emphasis (money)
      3 Māori were the first here and that could be called indigenous but it is irrelevant in today’s world
      4 Māori are inherently violent and warlike
      5 No one represents the ‘white man’ who gets abuse and derision when they say something that others perceive as racist
      6 Non-Māori who talk about race get accused of being racist
      7 Māori are racist to ‘white people’
      8 Celts were here before Māori and taught them everything of what they know until Māori killed them all
      9 The chinese bought slave-wives here to breed with Māori
      10 Barry Brailsford doesn’t talk shit

      I know, there is one joke one, but which one…

      Anyway that list isn’t a dig at you vto – it’s to show that I listen to what you say/write.

    • Murray Olsen 17.2
      15 May 2013 at 9:03 pm

      The plot thickens.

  18. pollywog 18
    15 May 2013 at 1:30 pm

    Why is Fa’afoi not asking questions of Tolley?

    Isn’t that his gig as police spokesperson and isn’t he an ex hard nosed journo/press sec extraordinaire?

    Sitting there grinning like a churlish baboon isn’t a good look eh!…it’s bloody tolley for fucks sake.

    Hardly the sharpest hammer in the shed…

    http://inthehouse.co.nz/node/18501

  19. karol 19
    15 May 2013 at 3:11 pm

    Major oil companies raided as part of an investigation into price fixing.

    After the Libor bank manipulations, it’ll be interesting to see where this investigation goes.

    From the Globe & Mail:

    Three oil giants – Royal Dutch Shell PLC, BP PLC and Norway’s state-controlled Statoil ASA – on Tuesday confirmed that their offices had been raided in connection with the probe.

    Oil-pricing agency Platts is also under investigation. Platts, a unit of McGraw Hill Financial Inc., is the custodian of the Brent crude contract, the de facto world benchmark for oil prices and base for the hundreds of billions of dollars of futures contracts that trade off it. Crude oil prices in turn influence the price of gasoline and other fuels.

    The European Commission, the executive arm of the 27-country European Union, confirmed the probe but did not identify the companies by name. Nor did it specify how many companies were under investigation, leading to speculation that the probe may widen.

    Al Jazeera:

    The inspections took place in two European Union member states and one non-EU country, the EC said.

    “The Commission has concerns that the companies may have colluded in reporting distorted prices to a price reporting agency to manipulate the published prices for a number of oil and biofuel products,” it said.

    The EC also said companies may have prevented others from participating in the price assessment process, with a view to distorting published prices.

    Statoil said the suspected violations were related to the Platts price assessment process and may have been ongoing since 2002.

    The probe will shine a light on the methodology designed by Platts for daily assessments on the physical oil markets, used to close deals worth billions of dollars.

    Innocent til proven guilty….will be watching.

  20. mickysavage 20
    15 May 2013 at 3:32 pm

    Latest Roy Morgan bounces again. Labour up 0.5% to 32% and Greens up 1% to 12, National down to 44%. According to this it is all locked up …

    http://www.roymorgan.com/findings/national-party-now-dead-level-with-labour-greens-201305150221

    [lprent: added charts. Don’t like that GCR. ]


    • One Anonymous Knucklehead 20.1
      15 May 2013 at 3:34 pm

      A consistent downward trend for the National Party. Get the tiny violins out 🙂

    • McFlock 20.2
      15 May 2013 at 4:17 pm

      Well, locked up not putting NZ1 in either camp.

      [Oh noes – only half a percent recovery! Labour isn’t going anywhere! I just shit my pants! Another 50 years of neoliberalism unless Shearer resigns NOW! /sarc]

      • The Al1en 20.2.1
        15 May 2013 at 4:38 pm

        “[Oh noes – only half a percent recovery! Labour isn’t going anywhere! I just shit my pants! Another 50 years of neoliberalism unless Shearer resigns NOW! /sarc]”

        Mate, you got the suck up blues bad, or you’re on commission, or both 😆

        Great recovery Labour, eighteen more months and you might be on what Clark got in 08.
        You rock, monsters of politics.

        • McFlock 20.2.1.1
          15 May 2013 at 5:00 pm

          Great recovery Labour, eighteen more months and you might be on what Clark got in 08.

          33.99%?
          Beaten that three times this year. Up from zero times last year. But labour’s obviously going nowhere in the polls…

          • The Al1en 20.2.1.1.1
            15 May 2013 at 5:16 pm

            And not reaching them now is a good thing, how?
            Just take the medicine and no more blues (see what I did there?)

            “But labour’s obviously going nowhere in the polls
”

            Yeah, and going nowhere near victory either.

            • McFlock 20.2.1.1.1.1
              15 May 2013 at 5:25 pm

              I see what you did, and it’s stupid.

              I’ll take your:

              Yeah, and going nowhere near victory either.

              and add a dose of reality from roymorgan:

              If a National Election were held now this New Zealand Roy Morgan Poll shows that it would be too close to call, although an Opposition Labour/ Greens/ NZ First alliance would be slightly favoured.

              “Too close to call” is viewed through your shit-coloured spectacles to read “nowhere near victory”.

              • The Al1en …
                15 May 2013 at 5:40 pm

                You feel that groundswell of Labour support gripping the nation?
                Every change of government has one. Where’s Yours and David’s?

                You hope more than you say anything with genuine confidence.

                • McFlock …
                  15 May 2013 at 5:45 pm

                  Nope.
                  I think the polls show that voters are slowly regaining trust in labour and keeping trust in the greens.

                  I expect the momentum to build with the campaign period as the climax.

                  • The Al1en …
                    15 May 2013 at 5:52 pm

                    I think you interpret based on hope, not the word on the street.

                    • McFlock …
                      15 May 2013 at 5:54 pm

                      23% before the 2011 election.
                      32% now.

                    • The Al1en …
                      15 May 2013 at 6:07 pm

                      Three out of ten voters, given the shocking government we have, is hardly worth boasting about.

                    • McFlock …
                      15 May 2013 at 11:49 pm

                      Yes, because everyone in nz follows politics as closely as you or I.

                      Sarcasm aside, who’s boasting? I just think that fuck all to “too close too call” in half a term isn’t cause for dismay.

                    • Colonial Viper …
                      16 May 2013 at 1:58 am

                      Fuck you’re hilarious McFlock. You are overconfident on Labour/Shearer and I expect you to be softening up and backpedaling on them big time next year. Btw where was Labour in the Roy Morgan 12-18 months before the last election? That’s the obvious comparison you’ve avoided.

                    • McFlock …
                      16 May 2013 at 1:24 pm

                      not avoided at all.

                      Where were the greens?
                      Where had Labour come from in 2008?

                      Contrast with now.

          • Colonial Viper 20.2.1.1.2
            15 May 2013 at 5:22 pm

            you better remind yourself of what Labour got in the Roy Morgan in 2007, the year before elections, if you want to compare apples with apples.

            And no, Shearer Labour hasn’t beaten that 3x so far.

            • McFlock 20.2.1.1.2.1
              15 May 2013 at 5:39 pm

              The Roymorgan poll at the start of 2007 that had 41%? True.
              The one at the end of 2007 that had 34.5%? Also true – beaten once, equalled twice this year.

              In 2007 Labour was going down.
              In 2013 Labour is going up.
              And what were the Greens getting in that period, compared to now?

              The difference is that in 2007 this was the assessment from the pollster:

              “Support for Helen Clark’s Labour Government remains weak with the Nationals lead remaining at 13%.

              • lprent …
                16 May 2013 at 3:22 am

                In 2013 Labour is going up.

                Always nice to see an optimistic viewpoint. The NZLP is pretty much bouncing along in the 30-35% range. Just as they have for every period since the 2008 election except for a couple of months prior to the 2011 election and in the honeymoon just after the 2008 election..

                Since 2008, the Greens and NZ First have risen. National has descended from their 2009 highs. A few National coalition partners have been rediscovering what oblivion means. The Labour caucus is doing bugger all compared to the same time in the last election cycle – and they bloody well lost that one. Look at the graph again.

                The Labour caucus hasn’t made any discernible traction compared to this time (mid-2010) in the last electoral cycle. Indeed their polling performance looks like a repeat of mid-2010. No real hits on National.

                The best that you can say is that they have managed to reverse their 2011 slide towards oblivion. On an more optimistic note, they seemed to have finally managed to stop having dickhead scandals from oversized egos making fools of themselves that were pissing me off so much from 2009-2011. I think that most of the self-inflicted injury fools are now gone (apart from Shane Jones).

                But the caucus seems to be both uninspired, uninspiring, intensely reactive and don’t seem to understand the concept of preparedness strategy (ie looking at how to sell the damn things). The kiwibuild policy was curiously unfinished and like the Nats seems to have ignored the realities of the Auckland environment (where the biggest systemic housing issues are). Basically we don’t need more 3 bedroom homes on a section or shoebox central city student apartments here. What we need is to provide the types of housing that gets the ever increasing numbers of elderly, couples with no kids, and singletons out of family homes into something more suitable – which is where the housing shortage is. What we got was a policy that looked ok for Wellington where it may be possible to build a 3 bedroom house on section for $300k within 10 kilometres of the CBD.

                The power purchasing policy was better. But they appear to have not thought through the obvious downstream implications of such a policy shift, and they wound up backing away from it – which really was a bit of a disaster.

                • McFlock …
                  16 May 2013 at 11:31 am

                  In the first 18 months from 2008 there are half a dozen or so mid to high twenties in your 30-35% range.

                  And they started in the mid thirties.

                  This election period, the picture is quite different. But you need to move through 32 to get from 27 to 38 or 40.

                  • Te Reo Putake …
                    16 May 2013 at 12:03 pm

                    Yep, having started from a low base, the LP, under Shearer, is doing better than average. Anything above 35% on polling day means a change of Government (assuming the Greens maintain double figures), so a consistant 30% plus is a good platform to launch an election campaign from.

                    If Shearer can maintain polling in the low to mid thirties till the election and the party membership can fight for more progressive policies such as NZPower and Kiwibuild to be the centrepoint of Labour’s election platform, I see no reason why we won’t have a terrific result on election day.

                    As an aside, I think Labour may not ever go above the 30’s again. That’s due to MMP and the effective job the Greens are doing keeping their vote at around 10%. That’s actually not a problem at all, because the right may never be able to muster a majority again, particularly now that they have effectively destroyed the Conservative Party’s chances by opting not to lower the 5% threshold.

      • Colonial Viper 20.2.2
        15 May 2013 at 4:46 pm

        McFlock: I accept that given the strength of the Government’s recent performances, the outstanding economic and employment growth the nation is experiencing, the satisfaction people have with the status quo, and the lack of confidence sapping scandals within National, it is of course going to be difficult for Labour to poll much above 32% or so.

        If only we had a National Government which truly sucked at governing and which demonstrated a venal and short sighted nature to everything they did, Labour would have a chance of gaining more traction in the polls.

        • McFlock 20.2.2.1
          15 May 2013 at 5:06 pm

          It’s such a shame that the people who know with such certainty how labour could have been at <50% in the polls by now do not have the political competence to achieve that popularity within their own party.

          One of the tragic mysteries of history, no doubt.

          • Colonial Viper 20.2.2.1.1
            15 May 2013 at 5:10 pm

            Yeah it’s a shame, but you’re ok with it.

            • McFlock 20.2.2.1.1.1
              15 May 2013 at 5:17 pm

              well, you know my philosophy – get the fuck over it, assess the situation, work with what you have.

              I mean, it’s not as fun as railing against the injustices of the weather, but the end result is usually better for everyone.

              • The Al1en …
                15 May 2013 at 5:45 pm

                “assess the situation, work with what you have.”

                Missed this first time around with all the lolling.

                At least 68% in that poll have, and thought fuck off with that.

                • McFlock …
                  15 May 2013 at 5:48 pm

                  Yes.
                  Because MMP encourages coalitions. That’s how it works.

                  National has no friends. At best they have the vagaries of Peters.

                  • Colonial Viper …
                    15 May 2013 at 6:06 pm

                    Because MMP encourages coalitions. That’s how it works.

                    Understanding that this is not an excuse for weak ass performance and policy.

                  • felix …
                    16 May 2013 at 7:02 am

                    “National has no friends. At best they have the vagaries of Peters.”

                    Another way of saying that is ‘At best they have enough friends to trounce Labour and the Greens and Mana.’

                    Best not think about it like that though. Let’s just pretend Winston will gracefully bow out too.

              • Colonial Viper …
                15 May 2013 at 6:03 pm

                yeah just remember that the current Labour leadership ain’t no force of nature

                • McFlock …
                  16 May 2013 at 12:17 am

                  And yet the railing here seems as effective as if it were.
                  Why is that? Might you not be quite so familiar with political realities as you think?

                  • Colonial Viper …
                    16 May 2013 at 12:28 am

                    Condescension? Oh I guess you’ve really hurting my feelings now.

                    • McFlock …
                      16 May 2013 at 12:44 am

                      No.
                      Just pointing out that if you were half as good at influencing labour as you expect labour to be at influencing the polls, this debate would have ended months ago.

                      Those that can’t, criticise, I guess.

                    • Colonial Viper …
                      16 May 2013 at 1:34 am

                      Even more condescension? Now you’re just being a little prick.

                      Btw “influencing Labour” lol

                    • McFlock …
                      16 May 2013 at 2:53 am

                      why is that a lol?
                      If you know what it takes to win the votes of more than a million people, surely you can persuade a few thousand. Or a couple of dozen.

          • The Al1en 20.2.2.1.2
            15 May 2013 at 5:18 pm

            “the people who know with such certainty how labour could have been at <50% in the polls by now do not have the political competence to achieve that popularity within their own party."

            Can't believe you write that stuff. I'm not picking on you, just find it hard when you mention political incompetence and still back Labour and Shearer.

            It's a lolfest sometimes.

            • McFlock 20.2.2.1.2.1
              15 May 2013 at 5:43 pm

              Yep, you missed the point, which was:

              if you guys could do any better than the current caucus, why haven’t you managed to get Labour to sing to your songsheet? Why are you gnashing your teeth here, rather than your advice being adopted as the Labour playbook?

              • The Al1en …
                15 May 2013 at 5:48 pm

                I missed nothing, just ignored the meaningless.

                Labour can do one. I don’t trust them, at all.

                I fear a Shearer government will be so bad, they’ll end the party as a political force for good.
                It’s close already.

                • McFlock …
                  15 May 2013 at 5:55 pm

                  If they are too politically incompetent to win in 2014, why do you fear it?

                  Lol – this has been fun, but I’m off for a few hours.

                  • The Al1en …
                    15 May 2013 at 6:04 pm

                    “If they are too politically incompetent to win in 2014, why do you fear it?”

                    What bit don’t you understand? He’s a shit leader, he’s got a shit shadow front bench, and he shits on Labour’s core values.
                    That’s not a recipe that fills me with confidence, in fact, the way he’s gone about the job for 18 months, it should be filling with fear and dread every hardcore lefty voter, well those that haven’t bloated themselves with false hope that is.

                    • Colonial Viper …
                      15 May 2013 at 6:08 pm

                      McFlock is lost in a world of mediocre is good enough because it will probably get over the line. The resulting quality of government and leadership he’s relying on the Greens to provide.

                    • The Al1en …
                      15 May 2013 at 6:14 pm

                      I won’t give up on him.
                      Deep down he’s a green vote and/or a hurray for Cunliffe.
                      He just doesn’t know it yet 😆

                    • McFlock …
                      16 May 2013 at 12:24 am

                      But if they’re too incompetent to win, there’s nothing to fear.

                      And I like coalition governments. It means there’s no point in developing saviour obsessions over a single politician. Too easy to make a fuhrer, sort of thing.

                    • Colonial Viper …
                      16 May 2013 at 12:29 am

                      A completely unprovoked, unforced self Godwin. Awesome.

                    • McFlock …
                      16 May 2013 at 12:56 am

                      Nah.
                      I just have trust issues putting that much faith in one politician.
                      Especially one who’s said he’ll serve out the term on the back bench.

                    • Colonial Viper …
                      16 May 2013 at 1:40 am

                      Your trust issues are why you made a Nazi Germany reference?

                    • McFlock …
                      16 May 2013 at 2:59 am

                      Can you think of a better example of people putting faith in the future of a nation on one person ?

                      I’d like it if all parties went the coleader route, frankly. Maybe even coprime ministers.

                    • The Al1en …
                      16 May 2013 at 8:42 am

                      “But if they’re too incompetent to win, there’s nothing to fear.”

                      Like you’ve pointed out, despite a truly horrible government, Labour may be able to form a government. This mathematical possibility doesn’t make them winners, nor does it suggest they will form a competent, cohesive force.

                      “Too easy to make a fuhrer, sort of thing.”

                      From messiah to fuhrer in two evenings of debate.
                      No doubt tomorrow you’ll be fixating on Diablo.

                    • The Al1en …
                      16 May 2013 at 8:44 am

                      “Can you think of a better example of people putting faith in the future of a nation on one person ?”

                      😆 @ the Elephant with offshore accounts in the room.

                    • McFlock …
                      16 May 2013 at 1:22 pm

                      Yes, I do think your fixation on a single politician is unhealthy.
                      But I wouldn’t go as far as the devil – I merely think he is human.

                      That’s why I like MMP. It’s like a miniature separation of powers, so no one person is in sole charge.

                    • The Al1en …
                      16 May 2013 at 2:45 pm

                      “Yes, I do think your fixation on a single politician is unhealthy.
                      But I wouldn’t go as far as the devil – I merely think he is human.”

                      Though to be fair, read back and I mention cunliffe once at the end of the exchange, with a smiley. You bring up him or the notion of saving politicians more than any one on here.
                      That’s a little odd.

                      “That’s why I like MMP. It’s like a miniature separation of powers, so no one person is in sole charge.”

                      That’ll be news to JK

                    • McFlock …
                      16 May 2013 at 2:52 pm

                      After you bring up Cunliffe.

                      After saying you are afraid that a shearer government would be so bad it’d “end the party as a political force for good.”

                      “That’s why I like MMP. It’s like a miniature separation of powers, so no one person is in sole charge.”

                      That’ll be news to JK

                      Not really. Otherwise he wouldn’t have needed a cup of tea.

                  • The Al1en …
                    16 May 2013 at 3:14 pm

                    “After you bring up Cunliffe.”

                    I dispute that in this exchange, and I dispute in others on the standard, some I’ve not even been party to.
                    I suggest you’re far more occupied with DC than I am with DS.

                    “After saying you are afraid that a shearer government would be so bad it’d “end the party as a political force for good.”

                    See point one in response to the name cunliffe.

                    “Not really. Otherwise he wouldn’t have needed a cup of tea.”

                    Now that’s just silly, seeing how minority Labour would be in government. Like was pointed out, we know how mmp works, that’s why we voted to keep it.
                    Key is in charge of the government. Who is is in charge of the opposition?

                    • McFlock …
                      16 May 2013 at 4:55 pm

                      Oh, you dispute it? That’s just super.

                      Any specifics, like linking to the comment where I mentioned Cunliffe in this thread before you did?

                    • The Al1en …
                      16 May 2013 at 5:05 pm

                      “Oh, you dispute it? That’s just super.”

                      Any one is free to to look through this thread and deduce which time you went on about saviours and fuhrers and when I mentioned Cunliffe with a smiley, in an exchange with CV that was about you being a lost cause. Post up the findings here and it’s a done deal.

                      They could also, should they be so enthused, go check comments in other topics, including ones where I have not even commented. There they will find the mere mention of ds being shit, is met somewhat awkwardly by comments about messiahs and deities.

                      I’m not a researcher, or that petty, but it’s all there in black and white should any one feel the need.

                      I wouldn’t say it if it weren’t truthful or I could be caught out.
                      Some call it integrity, I, self preservation.

                    • McFlock …
                      16 May 2013 at 5:11 pm

                      smiley shmiley.
                      Many a true honest word is said in jest.
                      You brought him into the debate.

                      edit: and if you’re petty enough to make the claim, you should be petty enough to back it up.

                    • The Al1en …
                      16 May 2013 at 5:19 pm

                      In reply to my mate
                      “McFlock is lost in a world of mediocre is good enough because it will probably get over the line. The resulting quality of government and leadership he’s relying on the Greens to provide.”

                      Actually in this instance, it was my you’ll hurray for cunliffe that sparked the fuhrer jibe, despite never once proving a link between a competent would be leader and peoples (my) support and belief in his industry being any form of demagoguery, but you concede from previous form, I’m correct on point two. 😉

                    • The Al1en …
                      16 May 2013 at 5:21 pm

                      “petty”

                      For writing

                      “Deep down he’s a green vote and/or a hurray for Cunliffe.” 😆

                    • McFlock …
                      16 May 2013 at 5:46 pm

                      Did I call cunliffe a demagogue?

                      Don’t get me wrong, I definitely think that your “support and belief in his industry” has escalated to unhealthy levels of Cunliffe being labour’s only hope, to the degree that you’ve suggested that a 2014 labour victory without Cunliffe as leader (sorry, “with Shearer in charge” – the elephant in the room being who would replace shearer) would permanently destroy labour as a political force.

                      But ANY obsessional faith in ANY political leader gives me the willies, no matter how benign the person they place their trust in might apparently be. Because it usually ends rather messily, and as far as I know no utopia has ever come out of it.

                      To be absolutely explicit, I was not calling Cunliffe a demagogue.
                      I was calling you an obsessional follower. And as soon as our political support is guided by passions rather than rational assessments of the people and issues, that’s when bad things can happen.

                      So it’s lucky that MMP necessitates cooperation between parties and their alphas.

                    • The Al1en …
                      16 May 2013 at 6:02 pm

                      “Don’t get me wrong, I definitely think that your “support and belief in his industry” has escalated to unhealthy levels of Cunliffe being labour’s only hope, to the degree that you’ve suggested that a 2014 labour victory without Cunliffe as leader (sorry, “with Shearer in charge” – the elephant in the room being who would replace shearer) would permanently destroy labour as a political force.”

                      Quoted for posterity.
                      One day they’ll look back at this post and say, now that’s what I call insight. 😆

                    • McFlock …
                      16 May 2013 at 6:29 pm

                      nope.

                      in ten five years it’ll be as relevant as Clive Matthewson.

                      But I tell you what, if Labour get elected with Shearer as leader, do another round of asset sales and plummet to single-digit popularity, I’ll buy you a beer.

              • felix …
                15 May 2013 at 5:50 pm

                Lost cause mate. Labour’s core support has settled at somewhere around 30% or so.

                That number isn’t changing significantly in either direction and the rest of the population doesn’t give a fuck about Labour, either because they never have or because they’ve given up.

    • The Al1en 20.3
      15 May 2013 at 4:39 pm

      0.5% is a bounce now?

      • Colonial Viper 20.3.1
        15 May 2013 at 4:43 pm

        Can’t set the bar too high.

        • felix 20.3.1.1
          15 May 2013 at 5:21 pm

          Be fair CV, they’ve only been at it for a term and a half. Give them another six months eh?

        • gobsmacked 20.3.1.2
          15 May 2013 at 5:40 pm

          We all know the definition of madness – doing same old, expecting different.

          There is no point expecting anything new from the polls, because nothing new is happening.

          1) Government continues to fuck up and/or piss people off, whether on serious matters (MRP, GCSB) or headline-making trivia (Aaron Gilmore, Key’s brain farts).

          2) Leader of the opposition continues to say “Oh, look, bottom line is, the government – in terms of fucking off – er, up – it is pissing – Labour is – National in terms of Labour is – I mean, look, they are …” (continues until audience dies screaming).

          It dosn’t matter how many times National drop the ball, Shearer can’t pick it up. He doesn’t have it, we all know this, and the only rebuttal is “yes, but let’s pretend and hope”. So Labour will bounce around in the polls, going nowhere much until the campaign proper gets under way, in 2014. Then the PM-in-waiting will either (a) fall apart or (b) rise to the occasion.

          Not much point debating which of the two will happen. One is based on daily evidence we can all see, the other is based on horoscopes, or something.

          • Colonial Viper 20.3.1.2.1
            15 May 2013 at 6:10 pm

            Voters are definitely leaving National. And they’re definitely not choosing Labour/Shearer.

            • RedBaronCV 20.3.1.2.1.1
              15 May 2013 at 6:41 pm

              We have a by-election soon. What plans do Labour greens etc have for getting out the vote? I know by- elections are usually poorly attended but wouldn’t it make a good practice run for 2014? So many non voters to be enticed?

              • Colonial Viper …
                15 May 2013 at 6:48 pm

                Doesn’t need a practice run, minimise the spend on it, just enough effort to win.

                edit – Greens might want a practice run, Labour can competently do this kind of thing in its sleep.

          • David H 20.3.1.2.2
            15 May 2013 at 10:48 pm

            “So Labour will bounce around in the polls, going nowhere much until the campaign proper gets under way, in 2014. Then the PM-in-waiting will either (a) fall apart or (b) rise to the occasion.”

            Do you really think that the few loyal labour supporters that are left, are going to have the patience to see if Shearer dies in a metaphorical ditch, and then what, Parker? Robertson?? jumps in the saddle, and lets the polls carry on their flat line?

  21. Tigger 21
    15 May 2013 at 3:57 pm

    New chair is another sign the gummint will be hocking off Air NZ soon.

    http://m.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10883668

    The way they’re rushing all this makes me think of a desperate garage sale. Next up, an old lamp, used underwear and some family photos. Oh, and NZ’s soul.

  22. freedom 22
    15 May 2013 at 4:06 pm

    http://boingboing.net/2013/05/13/53-years-of-nuclear-tests-as-e.html
    after watching this presentation,
    no-one could blame you for wanting off this deranged little world

    • veutoviper 23.1
      16 May 2013 at 8:56 am

      LOL!

      Particularly liked the last two sentences in the final quote..

      “Well it’s certainly bold,” he said. “I mean it’s an extremely impressive policy and I think it’s something that a lot of people have been holding out for. But I just can’t fathom why any government would ever want to repeal a previous one. It leaves them with no one to blame.”

  24. karol 24
    15 May 2013 at 5:57 pm

    Excellent speech from Hone in today’s General Debate – slams the Maori Party for supporting the Charter Schools Bill:

    That’s what the fuss is all about.

  25. xtasy 25
    16 May 2013 at 6:31 pm

    I do not know whether this was mentioned before, but since yesterday, TV3 news seem to have entered a war of arguments between Unite Union and McDonalds, where a lasting employment dispute about wages, hours and minimum wage payment requirements is ongoing.

    Naturally like most MSM stupid and crap media like to focus on, the REAL issues are NOT reported on at all. Somehow a comment by senior Unite leader Mike Treen and others seems to have caught their main focus now. Some comments that the police breaking up a picket line outside the McDonald’s restaurant on Queen St may have been to ensure clientele to enter the fast food restaurant, seems to have been taken issue with.

    The police now dispute that their intervention was to ensure discounted burgers or other food for themselves, and they have little else to say. Treen though made clear that a picket is there of right by protesting and striking workers, so that allows them to perhaps discourage clientele to go and enter McDonald’s.

    The police have another story, of course, and they deny having interfered for cheap discounted food. Naturally I would think the police are correct on that, but they have a dismal point of justification, facing new media coverage on TV3 tonight and yesterday, proving police and certain other professional groups get heavily discounted services all the time.

    So we have cops that start on a “starting wage” at 50 k per annum, that have low waged, soon underpaid (new minimum wage earners at youth rates) workers at McDonald’s “enhance” their lifestyles, to get all kinds of cheap perks they can.

    NO wonder these cops largely vote National, and some of them have the bloody audacity to complain, leave the country and work for higher paid jobs in Australia and the UK!

    Maori and Pasifica, same as others affected, will bear this in mind, that they are beaten up, locked up and treated like shit by an elite force of mercenaries, that even deny workers a fair pay. So much for foot soldiers and mercenaries, to protect McDonalds and others from the deserved voice and power of workers they rely on. SHAME ON THIS, NZ!-

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    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 26, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Transport: Simeon Brown announced $802.9 million in funding for 18 new trains on the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines, which ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Radical law changes needed to build road

    The northern expressway extension from Warkworth to Whangarei is likely to require radical changes to legislation if it is going to be built within the foreseeable future. The Government’s powers to purchase land, the planning process and current restrictions on road tolling are all going to need to be changed ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 day ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #30 2024

    Open access notables Could an extremely cold central European winter such as 1963 happen again despite climate change?, Sippel et al., Weather and Climate Dynamics: Here, we first show based on multiple attribution methods that a winter of similar circulation conditions to 1963 would still lead to an extreme seasonal ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago
  • First they came for the Māori

    Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedFirst they came for the doctors But I was confused by the numbers and costs So I didn't speak up Then they came for our police and nurses And I didn't think we could afford those costs anyway So I ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    2 days ago
  • Join us for the weekly Hoon on YouTube Live

    Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on UnsplashWe’re back again after our mid-winter break. We’re still with the ‘new’ day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when we have our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Will the real PM Luxon please stand up?

    Notes: This is a free article. Abuse in Care themes are mentioned. Video is at the bottom.BackgroundYesterday’s report into Abuse in Care revealed that at least 1 in 3 of all who went through state and faith based care were abused - often horrifically. At least, because not all survivors ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    2 days ago
  • Will debt reduction trump abuse in care redress?

    Luxon speaks in Parliament yesterday about the Abuse in Care report. Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:PM Christopher Luxon said yesterday in tabling the Abuse in Care report in Parliament he wanted to ‘do the ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Olywhites and Time Bandits

    About a decade ago I worked with a bloke called Steve. He was the grizzled veteran coder, a few years older than me, who knew where the bodies were buried - code wise. Despite his best efforts to be approachable and friendly he could be kind of gruff, through to ...
    Nick’s KƍreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Why were the 1930s so hot in North America?

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters and Bob Henson Those who’ve trawled social media during heat waves have likely encountered a tidbit frequently used to brush aside human-caused climate change: Many U.S. states and cities had their single hottest temperature on record during the 1930s, setting incredible heat marks ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago
  • Throwback Thursday – Thinking about Expressways

    Some of the recent announcements from the government have reminded us of posts we’ve written in the past. Here’s one from early 2020. There were plenty of reactions to the government’s infrastructure announcement a few weeks ago which saw them fund a bunch of big roading projects. One of ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    2 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Thursday, July 25

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Thursday, July 25 are:News: Why Electric Kiwi is closing to new customers - and why it matters RNZ’s Susan EdmundsScoop: Government drops ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • The Possum: Demon or Friend?

    Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago
  • Not a story

    Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Thursday, July 25

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Thursday, July 25, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day were:The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry published its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • A tougher line on “proactive release”?

    The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • 'Let's build a motorway costing $100 million per km, before emissions costs'

    TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Lester's Prescription – Positive Bleeding.

    I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
    Nick’s KƍreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Casey Costello gaslights Labour in the House

    Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone icon on the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    3 days ago
  • Why is the Texas grid in such bad shape?

    This is a re-post from the Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler Headline from 2021 The Texas grid, run by ERCOT, has had a rough few years. In 2021, winter storm Uri blacked out much of the state for several days. About a week ago, Hurricane Beryl knocked out ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on a textbook case of spending waste by the Luxon government

    Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    3 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Wednesday, July 24

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • LXR Takaanini

    As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    3 days ago
  • Four kilograms of pain

    Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Wednesday, July 24

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive: Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Luxon gets caught out

    NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago
  • A worrying sign

    Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Are we fine with 47.9% home-ownership by 2048?

    Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloitte report for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Let's Win This

    You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
    Nick’s KƍreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • Waimahara: The Singing Spirit of Water

    There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
    Greater AucklandBy Connor Sharp
    4 days ago
  • A major milestone: Global climate pollution may have just peaked

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’s Oliver LewisScoop: Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announced the Board of Te Whatu Ora- Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • HealthNZ and Luxon at cross purposes over budget blowout

    Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • 2500-3000 more healthcare staff expected to be fired, as Shane Reti blames Labour for a budget defic...

    Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    4 days ago
  • Might Kamala Harris be about to get a 'stardust' moment like Jacinda Ardern?

    As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
    PunditBy Tim Watkin
    5 days ago
  • Solutions Interview: Steven Hail on MMT & ecological economics

    TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
    The KakaBy Steven Hail
    5 days ago
  • Reported back

    The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Vandrad the Viking, Christopher Coombes, and Literary Archaeology

    Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell On The Biden Withdrawal

    History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    5 days ago
  • Joe Biden's withdrawal puts the spotlight back on Kamala and the USA's complicated relatio...

    This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    5 days ago
  • Why we have to challenge our national fiscal assumptions

    A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Existential Crisis and Damaged Brains

    What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
    Nick’s KƍreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • A speed limit is not a target, and yet


    This is a guest post from longtime supporter Mr Plod, whose previous contributions include a proposal that Hamilton become New Zealand’s capital city, and that we should switch which side of the road we drive on. A recent Newsroom article, “Back to school for the Govt’s new speed limit policy“, ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #29

    A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago
  • I'd like to share what I did this weekend

    This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • For the children – Why mere sentiment can be a misleading force in our lives, and lead to unex...

    National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Order image, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • A friend in uncertain times

    Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • The Chaotic World of Male Diet Influencers

    Hi,We’ll get to the horrific world of male diet influencers (AKA Beefy Boys) shortly, but first you will be glad to know that since I sent out the Webworm explaining why the assassination attempt on Donald Trump was not a false flag operation, I’ve heard from a load of people ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • It's Starting To Look A Lot Like… Y2K

    Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
    Nick’s KƍreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Bernard’s Saturday Soliloquy for the week to July 20

    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Pharmac Director, Climate Change Commissioner, Health NZ Directors – The latest to quit this m...

    Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 week ago
  • Flooding Housing Policy

    The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 week ago
  • A Voyage Among the Vandals: Accepted (Again!)

    As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā's Chorus for Friday, July 19

    An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Roundup 19-July-2024

    Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Climate Wrap: A market-led plan for failure

    TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Tobacco First

    Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
    Nick’s KƍreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Trump’s Adopted Son.

    Waiting In The Wings: For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSA announced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago

  • Joint statement from the Prime Ministers of Canada, Australia and New Zealand

    Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue.  We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    17 hours ago
  • AG reminds institutions of legal obligations

    Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago
  • More young people learning about digital safety

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views.  “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago
  • Speech to the Conference for General Practice 2024

    Tēnā tātou katoa,  Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    23 hours ago
  • Employers and payroll providers ready for tax changes

    New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts.  “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Experimental vineyard futureproofs wine industry

    An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te PokapĆ« Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Funding confirmed for regions affected by North Island Weather Events

    The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Indonesian Foreign Minister to visit

    Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.   “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Strengthening partnership with Ngāti Maniapoto

    He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kƍrero, he kƍrero, he kƍrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kƍrero to a ministerial ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Transport Minister thanks outgoing CAA Chair

    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Test for Customary Marine Title being restored

    The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says.  “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Opposition united in bad faith over ECE sector review

    Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet.  “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Kiwis having their say on first regulatory review

    After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks.  “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government upgrading Lower North Island commuter rail

    The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatƫ rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government moves to ensure flood protection for Wairoa

    Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • PM speech to Parliament – Royal Commission of Inquiry’s Report into Abuse in Care

    Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care.  At the heart of this report are the ...
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    Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum.  While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation.  “New Zealand has a thriving space ...
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    Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is travelling to the Solomon Islands tomorrow for meetings with his counterparts from around the Pacific supporting collective management of the region’s fisheries. The 23rd Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee and the 5th Regional Fisheries Ministers’ Meeting in Honiara from 23 to 26 July ...
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    7 days ago
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    New Zealand and Japan will continue to step up their shared engagement with the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.    “New Zealand and Japan have a strong, shared interest in a free, open and stable Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says.    “We are pleased to be finding more ways ...
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  • 'Pacific Futures'

    President Adeang, fellow Ministers, honourable Diet Member Horii, Ambassadors, distinguished guests.    Minasama, konnichiwa, and good afternoon, everyone.    Distinguished guests, it’s a pleasure to be here with you today to talk about New Zealand’s foreign policy reset, the reasons for it, the values that underpin it, and how it ...
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