Imagining Golriz explaining herself to her co-leaders yesterday:
"I felt I needed to be an authentic left-winger. Property is theft."
J: "Greed is good." M: "That's actually rightist." J: "Then how come Labour have been doing it since the mid-'80s?" M: "That's just neoliberalism. Simulation works real well in politics." J: "Tell me about it. Why do you think I had to do a decade in the London corporate scene, not to mention wearing short back & sides all the time?"
M: "Just copy the establishment. And make sure you help yourself – when Maoris went to the Chathams & helped themselves to all those Moriori slaves, they did it in an English sailing ship. They didn't use a waka. Fast learners."
G: "Yeah, so I went into up-market fashionista places & helped myself. Took each item into a suburb where the poor & needy live, found one the right shape & size & told her I don't need this garment any more but would only give it to her if she absolutely needed it a they always said "Oh, absolutely!" so the strategy worked really well."
J: "Clever. The Robin Hood ethos has worked for centuries." M: "Authentic left-wing praxis! So you're intending to do a Metiria & tell the truth?" G: "Damn right I am!"
I imagine it less as a discussion about left wing praxis, and more James gently banging his head against a desk and regretting every life decision he made to get him to this point.
The poor guy just can't catch a break. All the while, the party is imploding around him under the weight of its own self-righteousness and general political naivete.
James has a great deal more depth to him than your comments indicate you enjoy, Res. He's caught plenty of breaks in his time as Green leader and has attracted a spectacularly good team which has, with few exceptions, functioned exceptionally well over the period of his leadership, most notably, leaving the Opposition side of the House and gaining influence in Government – hardly a fail, for the party, or for James. This presently-unfolding situation will be testing all involved, but your glee at their discomfort isn't going to affect them in the slightest.
I think James has been an incredibly effective leader and is a key reason the party has been able to survive a couple of incredibly tough electoral cycles.
I also believe the latest cohort of MPs is the strongest and most capable the party has ever had.
However, I worry the Greens have a long-term problem around not having robust or effective enough processes for dealing with MPs that either underperform or waste the political capital so many volunteers have spent so long building up.
There's far too many Metirias, Elizabeths, Riccardos and Golriz's and not enough Chloes or Te Anaus.
We also have to bear in mind the main driver of the Greens share of the vote is people drifting left from Labour, or abandoning them when they inevitably tack towards tepid incrementalism.
As such, the fact the party currently has 15 MPs is more down to circumstance than solid or effective political strategy.
That's what makes being a Green Party supporter so damned difficult. I've never been so simultaneously hopeful, yet so anxious about the direction the party is going in.
Golriz will quickly resign and be replaced by Celia Wade-Brown. The worse part is that these are all such high-end luxury stores that does not fit with the Greens social image so whether the charges are proven or not she has to go.
The Green Party will move on-its a great time in the electoral cycle for this to happen….in 3 years nobody will remember.
2 MPs out of a caucus of at most, 15 after the last election. From a party that prides itself on being above the fray.
Given the size of caucus and uphill battle the party faces to get a clear, consistent message across in the face of cashed up, hard right government parties, I'd argue that one scandal is one too many.
We can't afford to fall into the trap Labour did and assume our support amongst certain chunks of the electorate is locked in forever.
The party prides itself on its ethical behaviour, quite correctly.
That doesn't inure it, or any party, from "out of party" behaviours by an individual MP, such as shopping, that might not meet the party's expectations.
To expect politicians to be perfect is unrealistic and I believe The Greens know this well.
In any case, we don't yet know for certain what has happened.
Question for you, Res: what was the other scandal you mention?
I think it's perfectly reasonable to expect an MP to not commit petty crimes.
Or, if they're accused of committing said petty crimes, for them to either front up with a clear explanation or else resign before the allegations cause too much political damage.
Like Plutarch wrote: "Uxorem Caesaris tam suspicione quam crimine carere oportet"
I mean if they lost 2 MPs every 12 months, I would agree. They've lost 5 MPs over 8 years. No-one would think that's great, but it's hardly the party imploding especially when we look at how they have recovered from the 2017 fallout. They have strong, stable co-leaders, and caucus is a mix of experienced MPs (including Ministerial experience), MPs gaining experience, and new incoming MPs. Looks good to me.
I'm not particularly bothered if Ghahraman leaves. Celia Wade Brown is next on the list, so there's another experienced politican coming in.
Definitly not an implosion, probably indicative of a need to look at candidate selection and support as the party and number of mp's grows.
Political life is a particulary brutal one especially when you advocate for minority causes and I suspect plenty of candidates are ill prepared. Perhaps more so coming from an activist background rather than a cut throat corporate background parties on the right prefer. They usually self destruct when their arsehole tendancies come to the surface.
Definitly not an implosion, probably indicative of a need to look at candidate selection and support as the party and number of mp's grows.
maybe. Of the five controversial resignations since 2017, I think Kerekere is the only one that was unfit to be an MP.
Ghahraman has now resigned, the RNZ piece below is pretty good. I don't think the solution to bad behaviour from extreme stress is to only choose hardnut candidates, I think it's to change the culture of parliament and politics.
I'm sure all parties, including the Greens need to continually review their support of MPs. We're not the same country we were when Ghahraman became an MP either.
maybe. Of the five controversial resignations since 2017, I think Kerekere is the only one that was unfit to be an MP.
I think Steffan Browing also counts. Although he jumped before he was able to be pushed.
I definitely agree for the need to change our culture in Parliament in particular and our discourse around politics in general.
But we also have to deal with the political reality for us in the meantime. Parliament will continue to be extremely robust (read: toxic) and across the left, we need to ensure we select candidates that are able to withstand the hurly-burly of retail politicking in an environment that's inimical to our interests.
When it came to my list ranking at candidate conference, my rubric was always to pick who was likeliest to make their National/ACT party counterpart break out in sweat whenever they got asked a question in Parliament then went from there.
I don't think Browning does count, nothing particularly controversial about him leaving, he was no longer a good fit and he resigned.
When it came to my list ranking at candidate conference, my rubric was always to pick who was likeliest to make their National/ACT party counterpart break out in sweat whenever they got asked a question in Parliament then went from there.
That's why we have macho politics. As long as people want hardman politics that's what we will get.
I don't think that has much to do with Ghahraman though. Everyone has a breaking point given enough stress. You saw what Ardern looked like when she resigned. Politics destroys some people, the smart ones get out early because they can see it happening. We don't have to do politics like that.
As someone that was a delegate at candidate conferences over 3 or 4 election cycles, I definitely think the Greens need to seriously look at their candidate process.
We've thrown away a lot of talent in the name of building a caucus that reflects only a very narrow section of the party's base. Yet one that wields an outsized influence when it comes to list ranking time.
It's interesting how quickly the political landscape has crystalized into a (kind-of) equilibrium with between 5-7 parties depending on whether NZ First makes it in or not.
We haven't had a new party make it into Parliament since the Greens in 1999. And the history of parties created by defections is just as bad. The last one I can remember surviving the subsequent election was Mana back in 2011.
We also somehow seemed to avoided the fragmentation of our traditional broad-church parties into harder left or right organisations à la most of the EU.
At that stage it would have had a low priority. It was shortly after the election and there was a lot of stuff going on which might have involved the police.
I also know from personal experience: the police are reluctant to investigate matters which might concern politicians or persons linked to politicians. Admittedly my case was a long time ago but I doubt anything has changed.
A very long time indeed. Shoplifting is regarded as a very low-level crime, and will be right at the bottom of the internal police allocation of time.
Even in an open-and-shut case (which I'm not suggesting this one is – we still have no idea on Ghahraman's take on the situation) – with CTV footage and name/address of the offender supplied – it can take many months for the police to take action (if they ever do)
that would have to be one of the better MSM pieces I've read on the situation, thanks.
If she is guilty, I hadn't considered that she might try to stay on against the wishes of the party. It won't affect the party much given they're not in government, but would be unfair on the next person on the list. I'd be surprised if she did that though.
Don't really know how it would work if she says she is not guilty and wants to stay on, and what the party would do.
I have however considered that she might be having a huge personal crisis and that working through that alongside the MP issues and their internal process might be why the party is taking its time before speaking publicly.
Salt of the Earth, eh? Very trad. I see Stuff is featuring an old friend from the early Green Party, Steve Hart. I'd be disappointed if he really is in anthropogenic climate-change denial. Had a good old rave for a couple of hours with him last winter & don't recall him adopting that stance then.
The pandemic state threat to freedom of choice has split the old alt-Aotearoa scene wide open. Any complex system is vulnerable to such indeterminant shifts anytime, just needs a catalytic trigger. We survive by adapting, after the initial eye-roll.
As a constituent I am very impressed with our current Mayor – his communications to the community are great and a really breathe of fresh air after our previous incumbent.
I know it seems weird, but I would actually like to say something in support of the Greens.
I have been hearing the media going ballistic about why the Greens haven't fronted about the shoplifting allegations, and that their only response is that the matter is in the hands of the police.
But, actually, what more can the Greens say about the matter? They aren't qualified to determine matters of criminality. And, the police are the appropriate organisation to determine whether there is a case (or cases) to answer.
So, I think the media needs to STFU and leave things to the police to do their job.
Putting all the politics aside, I think the media should have its main concern to be be the mental health of Golriz rather than salacious media headlines.
Firstly, if these allegations are true, then it just seems weird behaviour not typical of someone thinking rationally. Secondly, the huge media pile-on must be extremely distressing for her, and can only be exacerbating any mental health issues she may have.
The last thing anyone would want to see is Golriz sinking into deep depression, or committing suicide or such. So, I think the Greens are doing the right thing by saying as little as possible and leaving it to the police.
It's looking more and more like a mental health issue and should be handled with compassion and care. – something I suspect the Greens are trying to do.
Considering her MS condition and the vile racist/misogyny she has been subjected to, it is not surprising she has [perhaps] had a breakdown of some sort. My heart goes out to her.
My brother in law is bipolar and has an addictive personality as well. He went through a shoplifting phase in his late teens/twenties which led to the diagnosis. He was stealing stuff he didn't need. It was very distressing for all concerned and took a long time and heavy duty drugs to bring his life under some semblance of control.
this is pretty much my thinking too. Let the Greens sort out their internal process and attend to whatever needs attending to re Ghahraman's wellbeing. She's not doing any portfolio responsibility work atm. The police will do due process as well, and when they have, we will know more about the situation.
I don't think it's necessarily a mental health issue, apart from the huge stress of the situation. It could be of course, or if she did shoplift then it might be another reason. But agree either way that the MSM should calm down.
Meanwhile, the right wing shit stirrers are all in a frenzy in their toxic soup on twitter. I'm hoping Ghahraman is well protected from that and that someone else is screening her social media, phone and email.
I don't think it's necessarily a mental health issue, apart from the huge stress of the situation.
Agree from personal experience. She must have been under enormous stress given what was happening to her body and the psychological effect of the abuse she was receiving. Stress can cause a person to behave in all sort of ways that are uncharacteristic of them.
that wasn't actually what I meant. What I meant was that the accusations becoming public and what has happened since then are hugely stressful in and of themselves, and that would have mental health impact on anyone.
I agree with James here that there's nothing useful or appropriate about trying to assign meaning and motive to alleged actions that we know very little about.
One way or another, a PR vacuum formed and this is now deepening & widening and turning into a PR nightmare for some and a PR wet dream for others. This hole draws in stupid speculation and ‘commentary’, as always and very predictably, that serves no other purpose than to damage, yet ironically, it is now starting to come from different sides too, it seems. Next thing we’ll hear is that Green MPs are not allowed to window-shop in certain places because it doesn’t befit their ‘social image’, FFS!
In addition, the views of the Ponsonby shop owners have also been conveniently ignored by the media. They did not seek publicity and have given no interviews, despite intense pressure from the media. How very inconsiderate of them!
It is ironic that on this (alleged) crime story, the (alleged) victims don't seem to matter much.
Charter schools are back on the agenda and myths, propaganda and nonsense are along for the ride.
Those schools apparently are going to be free, not be restricted and stifled by rules and regulations.
So, a Government which thinks people running schools should have the freedom to make choices, and so do a better job, is in power. And their first big thing?
Take away freedom and choices, restrict, limit, stifle by telling schools mobile phones are banned? Or are we to have the insanity of Seymour's charter schools allowed to have mobile phones and ordinary state schools not? All overseen by the Minister of Regulation?
I think Charter Schools are similar to home schooling in that there will likely be a lot of variability depending on the quality of teaching etc, programs run etc.
So, in the case of home schooling, parents who are great at teaching and engaging their kids in education are likely to see great results whereas kids are unlikely to do well where parents are hopeless.
In both cases, an analytical study that looks only at the average results of these teaching methods will likely find no benefit, or even negative outcomes. But, that doesn't mean that well designed teaching and education programs in these settings can't work well.
There will be a lot of viability, tsmithfield, that's why accreditation's important. Parents are protected from poor quality schooling by assurances given by a certified agency, except where charter schools operate. If you buy eggs, you want to be protected from illness by a certification programme that is followed by all producers. If charter schools do not require certification in their teaching staff, how can parents be assured of basic quality of teaching?
Robert, I think the criticism of Charter Schools misses some important points.
I agree that most kids will likely best served by public schools for the reasons you give.
But, I know from my involvement on the board of Crossroads Youth with a Future that there are some children who simply do not engage with formal educatoin at all, and tend to drop out of school, or end up being expelled.
So, for such children, the standard cookie-cutter system does not work for them at all. That is where I think Charter type schools can work because they can be designed tackle directly the complex issues that prevent these kids from succeeding in standard education.
It also changes what we mean by "works". So, if these kids made zero progress in a standard learning environment, but some progress in a Charter School, then I guess it could be said that the programme "works" even if that does not show as such in a statistical study.
We don't deal with the education aspect. But we do have qualified youth workers.
One of our functions is to run a program called "Stay Real". This program is for kids who the schools are on the verge or expelling. basically/
The program starts with total acceptance of the kids, warts and all. It aims to help them realise that they have choices in life, and that their past doesn't have to define their future.
One of our youth workers actually came through our program. She now has a diploma in youth work. She is the first person in her family to have any qualification, or even have a job. So, a fantastic achievement for her.
Btw, tsmithfield, the schools you lable, "the standard cookie-cutter system" are not, in fact, that. They have built-in programmes and approaches that accommodate the varying needs of students, teachers, locations and communities.
Sure. But not all. And I don't think there is any talk of Charter Schools becoming main stream. They will always be niche, and cater for a few students only I expect.
National's philosophy of individual choice and personal responsibility at its best:
Yes, we'll absolutely use the coercive power of the state to ban your kids from using their cell phones at school.
But hey, at least they'll be able to choose to smoke, and we've protected you from all that nasty governmental overreach.
And no, you're not allowed to point out the hypocrisy of this you filthy socialist peasant. New Zealander voted for change, so we have a mandate to do whatever we like without criticism. Learn to respect your betters.
We already have private schools which are largely unregulated compared to state schools. I'm not a fan of private or charter schools, but it's not like all schools are currently bound by whatever curricular pronouncements the government make.
In the ECE sector, centres can employ a combination of registered and unregistered teachers, with the resulting combination being a factor in their funding.
That's right, David. So you might be able to tell me whether Charter Schools will be required to only hire registered teachers or Limited Authority teachers as conventional schools are. Perhaps you will also know how compliance to those requirements will be managed – ERO or no?
I would expect the 2024 partnership school model to be different from the 2014 model (a decade has passed, and unfortunately educational standards in NZ have continued to decline), but primarily in areas around student assessment.
The 2014 model was a contestable model, and placed strong accountability on the schools through a contract that was monitored by ERO. I would not expect that to change.
Interestingly, in the same report, the authors noted that the partnership schools all used the same curriculum as mainstream schools, ("although one of the schools opening in 2015 is developing an interesting combination of the Steiner approach and kaupapa Māori within the framework of the New Zealand Curriculum (NZC)"), and that the school day and year are similar to those of state schools.
I am involved in the education sector, although I have had no involvement with partnership schools. I saw enough in their previous tenure to support their reintroduction.
Two powerful new drugs, Donanemab and Lecanemab, heralded a turning point in the fight against Alzheimer’s, the decades-long campaign to make insulin less expensive scored a major victory when the world's three biggest manufacturers lowered their prices, a new meningitis vaccine raised hopes for a disease that kills about 250,000 people a year, and Australia became the first country in the world to classify psychedelics as medicines, approving their use to treat some mental health conditions.
the lord will provide is a stance that recycles feudal subservience…
Wilkerson recites a favourite psalm from memory:
“I love this line,” he said, shaking his head and grinning: “‘Whatever he does’” – a righteous man, that is – “‘prospers’. Prosperity follows him.”
The American prosperity gospel is a materialist practice full of (sometimes unaware) poseurs, a bit like Trump himself. It is not a matter of faith or morality.
The writer can't see faith in Wilkerson?? Or morality? I see a typical christian. Obviously their faith is rewarded whenever the faithful donate them dollars.
Good. Well-handled by her in the fraught circumstances…
"The mental health professional I see says my recent behaviour is consistent with recent events giving rise to extreme stress response, and relating to previously unrecognised trauma," she said.
She said she had fallen short of the high standards expected of elected representatives, and apologised. "I have let down a lot of people and I am very sorry," the statement said. "It's not a behaviour I can explain because it's not rational in any way, and after medical evaluation, I understand I'm not well. The best thing for my mental health is to resign as a Member of Parliament and to focus on my recovery and to find other ways to work for positive change in the world."
when you change your email address TS thinks you are new commenter and holds the comment back for manual approval. Please pick one email address and stick to it.
what a massive disappointment Golriz Ghahraman turned out to be. I hoped she could go all the way in politics, but she has proved unable to make the transition from activist to MP and clearly her mental health is in tatters.
There does seem to be a case to be made for a certain psychological fragility amongst all these MPs whose previous job experience has largely been in the third sector. Their previous experience seems to leave them unprepared/unsuitable to the demands made of them as MPs.
I am not sure what this says more about – the nature of parliament or the nature of the candidates, but both Labour and Greens have to think about it seriously because the third sector provides the vast majority of their candidates these days.
Anyway, best of luck to her and I hope she gets the rest/rehab she needs to make a full recovery. Who is the next batter up?
it's the nature of parliament, but also the nature of politics in NZ.
She was a refugee as a child, she's experienced trauma and seems to have ongoing affects from that, she has a major physical illness that has a pattern of relapses and remissions, she works in a very high stress job, including during a once in a lifetime global health crisis (hardly anyone is talking about the mental health impact of that), she's been subjected to the worst misogyny and racism as well as sustained attacks from the right on social media and probably via Dirty Politics.
This doesn't mean she hasn't made mistakes (imo she has, and there is a political naivety but probably arrogance as well running through that). It means that no-one's mental health is going to be unaffected by all that. Women, brown women in particular, cop a kind of political abuse that others don't.
There's a lot we could do to change parliament and the political culture.
I would hope it's the nature of parliament, and add into the mix the appalling behaviour of our media and certain factions of the general public, especially towards female MPs, which is only going to get worse.
Do we really want all our candidates to be professional politicians with no life experience, or areas of true specialty, and ability to relate to specific sector of our society? In Golriz's case, Human rights and a first hand understanding of being a refugee and having a disability. Is it any wonder that, with the exceptions of her and Mojo Mathis, we've never had MPs with (openly acknowledged) disabilities? Not because they're not capable of running or doing the job, but honestly, who would put up with all this crap?
I don't want to see more candidates who know nothing except for politics and law. Of course any candidate goes into this being aware of the pressures involved, but there does seem to be a reasonable amount of quitting on mental health grounds (including a certain Nat leader).
So the real question is, how can parliament stop being so toxic?
A dispassionate summation. It points to yet another inbuilt advantage the right wing and the right of the left wing have because their candidates mostly come from elite, privileged, establishment backgrounds, and if not are fundamentalists supported by the elite, privileged establishment.
Those robust, entitled influences didn't help Todd Muller or Nikki Kaye who both melted under very little pressure. But they did help Sam Uffindel who learned how to dominate others with threats and violence from a young age.
With 65% counted votes the main players in Iowa are
Trump 50.6%
De Santis 21.4%
Haley 19.7%
If De Santis or Haley pulled out early or maybe did a deal on a joint ticket – if I win you can be VP then it might be more interesting. May be too early but I guess time will tell.
They would both pull out immediately if they had any sense. This is a replay of 2016, when Trump led from the very beginning, and never relinquished his lead. The corporate media kept repeating that a "sensible" Republican candidate would eventually see off the upstart.
Unfortunately, the "sensible" candidates were "Low Energy" Jeb Bush, "Little Marco" Rubio, and most disturbing of all, Lyin' Ted…
Why are some people motivated to circulate hostile political information? While prior studies have focused on partisan motivations, we demonstrate that some individuals circulate hostile rumors because they wish to unleash chaos to “burn down” the entire political order in the hope they gain status in the process. To understand this psychology, we theorize and measure a novel psychological state, the Need for Chaos, emerging in an interplay of social marginalization and status-oriented personalities.
[…]
We outline a theoretical framework about an overlooked psychological strategy for acquiring social status—the incitement of chaos—and demonstrate the relevance of this strategy for contemporary politics. We build on research showing that status-oriented personality traits combined with social rejection can push people toward an escalation of aggressive motivations (Krizan and Johar Reference Krizan and Johar2015; Twenge and Campbell Reference Twenge and Campbell2003). We argue that such motivations, when sufficiently strong, take root as a general destructive mindset. Next, we develop and validate the novel Need for Chaos scale to measure this mindset. Across eight well-powered studies (including representative studies of the U.S. population), we find evidence that the Need for Chaos emerges in an interplay between status-oriented personality traits and social contexts of real and perceived marginalization and is a strong predictor of willingness to share hostile political rumors, over and beyond partisanship.Overall, our findings imply that a challenge facing modern society is the existence of marginalized status-seekers who wish to incite chaos by spreading hostile rumors.
I support lowering it to 16 and enfranchisement of prisoners and more MPs because we need more types of democratic voices. If 100 years old people can vote so can 16 years old people; if you are free or imprisoned then you need a voice in society that pertains to your welfare and rights as well.
Having more MPs in that context would mean a less fragile and more resilient sort of society and theoretically increases the level of engagement both ways politically.
I know nothing about the fourth policy being abolished however if it's anything like democracy sausages in Australia then go and make it even more of a ritual to vote! It would ensure a more civic sort of society and that genuinely matters in this day and age really.
People go to prison as punishment, not for punishment.
putting them under lock and key already curtails them of their freedom.
there is no good public policy reason why prisoners should not be able to vote. Taking away one of their civil rights when they are already being punished is just further punishment.
Loss of privileges is an appropriate part of the consequences of someone breaking the laws of the society they live in. It's part of the social contract. Losing the privilege of voting is, and should be, part of that loss.
Of course, but I’d argue that voting is a right, not a privilege. Which is one of the reasons why it was recommended to give all prisoners voting rights.
Because people in prison are entitled to the necessities of life, Robert. That they lose certain liberties and privileges is simply part of the social contract.
Who decides, David and by what measure of fairness?
Is a phone call to a spouse a necessity? To a lawyer? A view of the sky?
Who decides, David, and by what measure?
Indeed, some rights are taken away temporarily when imprisoned and this is reasonable and justifiable. However, taking away voting rights serve no clear purpose and are not reasonable.
I guess it comes down to how we see voting rights. I see them as part of a person's liberty. When a person breaks the law to the extent they are imprisoned, that liberty (in its many forms) is lost.
I see voting rights as a right. Some rights cannot be taken away unless under very special and specific circumstances and for very special and specific reasons. Arbitrarily removing prisoner voting rights from some prisoners fails these basic and fundamental criteria. Suffice to say, the fundamental principle of rights is protected in several Acts that ought to be consistent with each other.
In any case, similar arguments exist if you view voting rights as a liberty. In your view, it appears that there’s a low hurdle for this liberty to be arbitrarily removed when imprisoned.
My position is entirely consistent and logical. I don't consider a 16-year-old to be an adult, so I do not consider them old enough to vote, or go to jail.
But now the consistency of your position becomes interesting. You support lowering the voting age to 16. So do you support 16 year olds going to jail?
You see consistency in your position; I see simplistic thinking.
There is no logical number where these things become right; each circumstance has to be looked at with regard multiple factors, which change over time. Taking advice from a wide range of thoughtful sources usually produces the soundest result on any issue. Applying the ruler of logic by ideologues at one end of the spectrum is the worst way to make decisions such as voting age etc.
"There is no logical number where these things become right; each circumstance has to be looked at with regard multiple factors, which change over time. "
Over time, I have seen nothing to convince me that 16-year-olds should be eligible to vote, or that we should extend the privilege of voting to people who have committed offences sufficient to have them serving time in jail.
Nothing, I expect, would convince you, but of course you are not the decision-maker. The issues were publicised and opinion collected. This Government squashed those particular proposals because, like you, they are ideologues who seek to suppress those who are not like them.
"…like you, they are ideologues who seek to suppress those who are not like them."
Labelling people you disagree with as 'ideologues' is not an argument, nor is it a rational position to take. If there is a law that removes the franchise from people serving a custodial sentence, then the offender has suppressed that privilege voluntarily. No-one else.
Losing the privilege of voting is, and should be, part of that loss.
I prefer a rational balance between the rehabilitative and punitive aspects of custodial sentences. A multi‐jurisdictional survey for Penal Reform International, published in 2016 (PDF, page 7), concluded:
Disenfranchisement can be viewed as counter-productive to the purpose of imprisonment and the role of a penitentiary system which – as outlined in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the UN Nelson Mandela Rules – is to rehabilitate offenders and thereby reduce recidivism.
Kiwi prisoner disenfranchisement isn't currently a lottery that depends on the length of time between the date a sentence of <3 years is handed down, and the date of a general election – nor should it be, imho.
The Electoral (Registration of Sentenced Prisoners) Amendment Act was passed in June 2020. The Act allows people in prison who are serving prison sentences of less than three years, to enrol to vote in the General Elections. Prisoners on remand have always been able to vote.
Corrections’ role is to facilitate participation in the voting process.
"Kiwi prisoner disenfranchisement isn't currently a lottery that depends on the length of time between the date a sentence of <3 years is handed down, and the date of a general election – nor should it be, imho."
Then just leave the law fixed that people serving time in prison lose the privilege, or the right, to vote. Then there is no lottery.
My preference would be to extend the opportunity to participate in electoral processes to all prisoners in Aotearoa NZ (then there is no lottery), but I'm comfortable (for now) with the current level of prisoner disenfrachisement which reduces the lottery aspect of punishment.
It appears that you see the reintroduction of regressive prisoner disenfranchisement legislation as the preferred solution to the problem (of being too soft on Kiwis serving custodial sentences?) – that's not for me, and we can agree to disagree.
Drowsy just to be clear, I don't see prisoner franchise as being related to any notion of being too 'soft' on sentencing. I see it more as a logical extension of the removal of liberty generally.
I don't see prisoner franchise as being related to any notion of being too 'soft' on sentencing.
I was thinking less "'soft' on sentencing", and more 'soft/friendly on rights and conditions' while incarcerated.
Reintroducing universal disenfranchisement for prisoners would increase the lottery aspect of deprivation for those serving sentences <3 years – being deprived of the right to vote in a general election would subsequently depend on when in an electoral cycle a prison sentence started. AFAIK, our coalition government hasn't indicated that they plan to reintroduce universal disenfranchisement for prisoners.
I see the 'lottery' aspect (as you've described it) as simply a consequence of offending. However there are obvious compromise positions that could be reached.
Being tough or soft on crime has nothing to do with enfranchisement of various groups in a democracy.
Am I happy that there might be some new sources of right-wing votes that comes with democratic enfranchisement of new groups? No. I do not have to be pleased about that. That's inevitable. I'll get over it anyway. You never know, they could surprise you.
However in the spirit of democracy, it is necessary to give voice to more crops of groups that might be affected by any policies by any political parties led by any politician.
A civic society that is afforded more democratic rights and more say in things is a civilised society.
And that is what matters to me. It is not worth enduring a society that would deprive others of rights and a say in things. That is not a way to progress things.
I see it as simple as if the state has the power to imprison you then you should have the ability to vote for those who decide the extent of that power and how it is enforced.
The three strikes law is a perfect example of disproportionate impact invoked by politicians that impacts directly on people in or having previously been in prison.
Also many prisoners have not been convicted of anything and will be found innocent or cases will fall over.
The bit I read was that RUCs might be about $1000/yr plus charging costs. Clean car rebate also gone. Petrol for most users is maybe $2000 – $3000/yr so the vehicle types are now much more even. Do we expect EV sales to plummet?
I drive an electric van belonging to a not-for-profit group, distributing produce around a 165km "loop" in Southland. We chose electric because the lower fuel costs were within the scope of what we could manage, financially.
I have thoughts about Simeon and his backward-thinking mates, that are not generous.
Do you think EVs should be exempt from paying, firstly, for the roads they drive on and secondly, ACC levies (which are currently charged at 6c per litre of fuel).
It's only irksome in light of the relatively free ride heavy trucks get. Tractors too. As well, the cessation of incentives to buy vehicles that don't burn fossil fuels is annoying. I think privileging electric vehicles for a longer period would have benefitted us all and the loss of income for the Government a small price to pay for behaviour change.
Open access notablesA Global Increase in Nearshore Tropical Cyclone Intensification, Balaguru et al., Earth's Future:Tropical Cyclones (TCs) inflict substantial coastal damages, making it pertinent to understand changing storm characteristics in the important nearshore region. Past work examined several aspects of TCs relevant for impacts in coastal regions. However, ...
Do you believe New Zealand runs its general elections fairly and competently? As a voter, can you be confident that the votes on your ballot will be counted towards the final result? As a political scientist, I’ve been asked these questions many times and always answered “yes”, with very few ...
Thus far May has followed on from a quiet April in the blogging department, but in fairness, it has been another case of doing what I am supposed to be doing, namely writing original fiction. Plus reading. So don’t worry – I have been productive. But in order to reassure ...
Buzz from the Beehive A new government agency will open for business on July 1 – the Social Investment Agency. As a new standalone central agency effective from 1 July, it will lead the development of social investment across Government, helping ministers understand who they need to invest in, what ...
Bryce Edwards writes – “Follow the money” is the classic directive to journalists trying to understand where power and influence lie in society. In terms of uncovering who influences various New Zealand political parties and governments, it therefore pays to look at who is funding them. The ...
Alwyn Poole writes – After being elected to Parliament in 2008 the maiden speech of Hipkins was substantially around education policy. He was Labour’s spokesperson for education 2011 – 2017. He was Minister for Education from 2017 until February 2023. This is approximately 88% of the time Labour ...
Eric Crampton writes – A fashion industry group is lobbying for protections. They make the usual arguments and a newer one. None of it makes sense. An industry group says it pumped $7.8 billion into the economy last year – that’s 1.9 percent of New Zealand’s GDP. ...
In December 2006, Fiji's military leader Voreqe Bainimarama overthrew the elected government in a coup. He ruled Fiji for the next 16 years, first as dictator, then as "elected" Prime Minister. But now, he's finally been sent to jail where he belongs. Sadly, this isn't for his real crime of ...
Don't like National's corrupt Muldoonist "fast-track" law? Aotearoa's environmental NGO's - Greenpeace, Forest & Bird, WWF, Coromandel Watchdog, Coal Action Network Aotearoa, Kiwis Against Seabed Mining, and others - have announced a joint march against it in Auckland in June: When: 13:00, 8 June, 2024 Where: Aotea Square, Auckland You ...
Seymour describes sushi as too woke for school meals. There are no fish sushi meals recommended by the School Lunches programme. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesTL;DR: The Government will swap out hot meals for packaged sandwiches to save $107 million on school lunches for poor kids. MSD has pulled ...
I don't mind stealin' bread from the mouths of decadenceBut I can't feed on the powerless when my cup's already overfilled, yeahBut it's on the table, the fire's cookin'And they're farmin' babies, while slaves are workin'The blood is on the table and the mouths are chokin'But I'm goin' hungry, yeahSome ...
The Ardern Government’s chickens came home to roost yesterday with the news that the country is short of natural gas. In 2018, Labour banned offshore petroleum exploration, and industry executives say that the attendant loss of confidence by the industry impacted overall investment in onshore gas fields. Energy Resources Minister ...
Hi,If you’ve been digging through the newly launched Webworm store (orders are being dispatched worldwide as I type!) you’ll have noticed the best model we had was Calvin.This is Calvin.Calvin.Calvin is 7, and is the son of my producer over on Flightless Bird, Rob — aka “Wobby Wob”. Rob also ...
This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). Climate change is everywhere. And when something's everywhere it can feel like it's nowhere. So how do we get our heads ...
Its a law like gravity: whenever a right-wing government is elected, they start attacking democracy. And now, after talking to their Republican and Tory and Fidesz chums at the International Democracy Union forum in Wellington, National is doing it here, announcing plans to remove election-day enrolment. Or, to put it ...
Yesterday Winston Peters focussed his attention on the important matter at hand. Tweeting. Like the former, and quite possibly next, orange POTUS, from whom he takes much of his political strategy, Winston is an avid X’er.His message didn’t resemble an historic address this time. In fact it was more reminiscent ...
Buzz from the Beehive A significant decline in natural gas production has given Resources Minister Shane Jones an opportunity to reiterate his enthusiasm for the mining and burning of coal. For good measure, he has praised an announcement from Genesis Energy that it will resume importing coal. He and Energy ...
“Follow the money” is the classic directive to journalists trying to understand where power and influence lie in society. In terms of uncovering who influences various New Zealand political parties and governments, it therefore pays to look at who is funding them. The political parties are legally obliged to make ...
Rob MacCullough writes – Here is my subjective ranking on a “most-left” to “most-right” scale of most of our major NZ Universities, with some anecdotal (and at times amusing) evidence to back up the claim.Extreme Left Auckland University of TechnologyEvidenceThe ...
Eric Crampton writes – I hadn’t thought about this one until a helpful email showed up in my inbox.It’s pretty obvious that income tax thresholds should automatically index with inflation – whether to anchor the thresholds in percentiles of the income distribution, or to anchor against a real ...
Jacqui Van Der Kaay writes – Parliament’s speaker had no option but to refer Green MP Julie Anne Genter to the Privileges Committee for her behaviour in the House last Wednesday evening. The incident, in which she crossed the floor to wave a book and yell at National ...
Gary Judd writes – The Dean of the law school at the Auckland University of Technology is someone called Khylee Quince. I have been sent her social media posting in which she has, over the LawNews headline “Senior King’s Counsel files complaint about compulsory tikanga Maori studies for ...
Cleo Paskal writes – WASHINGTON, D.C.: ‘Many of us have received phone calls from [the opposing camp] telling them if they join the camp they will be given projects for their wards and $300,000 [around US$35,000] each’, says former Malaita Premier Daniel Suidani. The elections in Solomon Islands aren’t ...
With hindsight, it was inevitable that (a) Hamas would agree to the ceasefire deal brokered by Egypt and Qatar and that ( b) Israel would then immediately launch attacks on Rafah, regardless. We might have hoped the concessions made by Hamas would cause Israel to desist from slaughtering thousands more ...
Placards and mourners outside the Kilbirnie Mosque following the Christchurch terror attack: MSD has terminated the Kaiwhakaoranga service, which has been used by 415 families since the attacks. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The Government’s pledge to only cut ‘back office’ staff rather than ‘frontline’ services is on increasingly shaky ground, with ...
There’s been a few smaller public transport announcements over the last week or so that I thought I’d cover in a single post. Fareshare I’ve long called for Auckland Transport to offer a way to enable employer-subsidised public transport options. The need for this took on even more importance ...
Parliament’s speaker had no option but to refer Green MP Julie Anne Genter to the Privileges Committee for her behaviour in the House last Wednesday evening. The incident, in which she crossed the floor to wave a book and yell at National Minister Matt Doocey, reflects poorly on Genter and ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Who likes being sneered at? Nobody. Worse yet, when the sneerer has their facts all wrong, and might well be an idiot.The sneer in question is The adults are in charge now, and it is a sneer offered in retort to criticism of this new Government, no matter how well ...
When in government, Labour pushed to extend the Parliamentary term to four years, to reduce accountability and our ability to vote out a bad government. And now, they're trying to do it through the member's ballot, with a Four-Year Parliamentary Term Legislation Bill. The bill at least requires a referendum ...
A ballot for a single Member's Bill was held today, and the following bill was drawn: Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill (Hūhana Lyndon) The bill would prevent the government from stealing Māori land in breach of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It ...
Simeon Brown, alongside Wayne Brown, is favouring a political figleaf now in exchange for loading up tens of millions in extra interest costs on Auckland ratepayers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Ratings agency Standard & Poor’s is pushing back hard at suggestions from Local Government Minister Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown ...
Buzz from the Beehive One headline-grabber from the Beehive yesterday was the OECD’s advice that the government must bring the Budget deficit under control or face higher interest rates. Another was the announcement of a $1.9 billion “investment” in Corrections over the next four years. In the best interests of ...
Chris Trotter writes – Had Zheng He’s fleet sailed east, not west, in the early Fifteenth Century, how different our world would be. There is little reason to suppose that the sea-going junks of the Ming Dynasty, among the largest and most sophisticated sailing vessels ever constructed, would have failed ...
David Farrar writes – Two articles give a useful contrast in balance. Both seek to be neutral explainer articles. This one in the Herald on Social Investment covers the pros and cons nicely. It links to critical pieces and talks about aspects that failed and aspects that are more ...
The tikanga regulations will compel law students to be taught that a system which does not conform with the rule of law is nevertheless law which should be observed and applied…Gary Judd KC writes – I have made a complaint to Parliament’s Regulation ...
The future of Te Huia, the train between Hamilton and Auckland, has been getting a lot of attention recently as current funding for it is only in place till the end of June. The government initially agreed to a five year trial, through to April 2026, but that was subject ...
TL;DR: Hamas has just agreed to Israel’s ceasefire plan. Nelson hospital’s rebuild has been cut back to save money. The OECD suggests New Zealand break up network monopolies, including in electricity. PM Christopher Luxon’s news conference on a prison expansion announcement last night was his messiest yet.Here’s my top six ...
A homicide in Ponsonby, a manhunt with a killer on the run. The nation’s leader stands before a press conference reassuring a frightened nation that he’ll sort it out, he’ll keep them safe, he’ll build some new prison spaces.Sorry what? There’s a scary dude on the run with a gun ...
Hi,I know it’s been awhile since there’s been any Webworm merch — and today that all changes!Over the last four months, I’ve been working with New Zealand artist Jess Johnson to create a series of t-shirts, caps and stickers that are infused with Webworm DNA — and as of right ...
The OECD’s chief economist yesterday laid it on the line for the new Government: bring the deficit under control or face higher Reserve Bank interest rates for longer. And to bring the deficit under control, she meant not borrowing for tax cuts. But there was more. Without policy changes—introducing a ...
After a hiatus of over four months Selwyn Manning and I finally got it together to re-start the “A View from Afar” podcast series. We shall see how we go but aim to do 2 episodes per month if possible. … Continue reading → ...
In 2008, the UK Parliament passed the Climate Change Act 2008. The law established a system of targets, budgets, and plans, with inbuilt accountability mechanisms; the aim was to break the cycle of empty promises and replace it with actual progress towards emissions reduction. The law was passed with near-universal ...
Buzz from the Beehive Local Water Done Well – let’s be blunt – is a silly name, but the first big initiative to put it into practice has gone done well. This success is reflected in the headline on an RNZ report:District mayors welcome Auckland’s new water deal with ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate ConnectionsA farmworker cleans the solar panels of a solar water pump in the village of Jagadhri, Haryana Country, India. (Photo credit: Prashanth Vishwanathan/ IWMI) Decisions made in India over the next few years will play a key role in global ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – The Children’s Minister, Karen Chhour, intends to repeal Section 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 because it creates conflict between claimed Crown Treaty obligations and the child’s best interests. In her words, “Oranga Tamariki’s governing principles and its act should be colour ...
Geoffrey Miller writes – The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. ...
Brian Easton writes – This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be (I will report on them ...
TL;DR:Winston Peters is reported to have won a budget increase for MFAT. David Seymour wanted his Ministry of Regulation to be three times bigger than the Productivity Commission. Simeon Brown is appointing a Crown Monitor to Watercare to protect the Claytons Crown Guarantee he had to give ratings agencies ...
The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. Carr had made highly ...
I could be a florist'Round the corner from Rye LaneI'll be giving daisies to craziesBut, baby, I'll wrap you up real safe Oh, I can give you flowers At the end of every dayFor the center of your table, a rainbowIn case you have people 'round to stay Depending on ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to May 12 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Finance Minister Nicola Willis will give a pre-budget speech on Thursday.Parliament sits from Question Time at 2pm on ...
The price of the foreign affairs “reset” is now becoming apparent, with Defence set to get a funding boost in the Budget. Finance Minister Nicola Willis has confirmed that it will be one of the few votes, apart from Health and Education and possibly Police, which will get an increase ...
A listing of 26 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 28, 2024 thru Sat, May 4, 2024. Story of the week "It’s straight out of Big Tobacco’s playbook. In fact, research by John Cook and his colleagues ...
Yesterday I received come lovely feedback following my Star Wars themed newsletter. A few people mentioned they’d enjoyed reading the personal part at the beginning.I often begin newsletters with some memories, or general thoughts, before commencing the main topic. This hopefully sets the mood and provides some context in which ...
April 30 was going to be the day we’d be calling Mum from London to wish her a happy birthday. Then it became the day we would be going to St. Paul's at Evensong to remember her. The aim of the cathedral builders was to find a way to make their ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Can’t remember the last book by a Kiwi author you read? Think the NZ government should spend less on the arts in favor of helping the homeless? If so, as far as Newsroom is concerned, you probably deserve to be called a cultural ignoramus ...
Eric Crampton writes – Grudges are bad. Better to move on. But it can be fun to keep a couple of really trivial ones, so you’re not tempted to have other ones. For example, because of the rootkit fiasco of 2005, no Sony products in our household. ...
A new report warns an estimated third of the adult population have unmet need for health care.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāHere’s the six key things I learned about Aotaroa’s political economy this week around housing, climate and poverty:Politics - Three opinion polls confirmed support for PM Christopher Luxon ...
Today is May the fourth. Which was just a regular day when my mother took me to see the newly released Star Wars at the Odeon in Rotorua. The queue was right around the corner. Some years later this day became known as Star Wars Day, the date being a ...
Buzz from the Beehive Much more media attention is being paid to something Winston Peters said about former Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr than to a speech he delivered to the New Zealand China Council. One word is missing from the speech: AUKUS. But AUKUS loomed large in his considerations ...
Is the economy in another long stagnation? If so, why?This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be ...
The annual list of who's been bribing our politicians is out, and journalists will no doubt be poring over it to find the juiciest and dirtiest bribes. The government's fast-track invite list is likely to be a particular focus, and we already know of one company on the list which ...
In the weeks after the October 7 Hamas attacks on Southern Israel I wrote about the possible 2nd, 3rd and even 4th order effects of the conflict. These included new fronts being opened in the West Bank (with Hamas), Golan … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – It is one of the oldest truisms that there is never a good time for MPs to get a pay rise. This week’s announcement of pay raises of around 2.8% backdated to last October could hardly have come at a worse time, with the ...
David Farrar writes – Newshub reports: Newshub can reveal a fresh allegation of intimidation against Green MP Julie-Anne Genter. Genter is subject to a disciplinary process for aggressively waving a book in the face of National Minister Matt Doocey in the House – but it’s not the first time ...
The Treasury has published a paper today on the global productivity slowdown and how it is playing out in New Zealand: The productivity slowdown: implications for the Treasury’s forecasts and projections. The Treasury Paper examines recent trends in productivity and the potential drivers of the slowdown. Productivity for the whole economy ...
The National Government plans to cut 390 jobs at ACC, including roles in the areas of prevention of sexual violence, road safety and workplace safety. ...
The Government has been caught in opposition to evidence once again as it looks to usher in tried, tested and failed work seminar obligations for job-seeking beneficiaries. ...
The Green Party is welcoming the announcement by the Minister Responsible for RMA Reform Chris Bishop to approve most of the Wellington City Council’s District Plan recommendations. ...
David Seymour has failed to get the sweeping cuts he wanted to the free and healthy school lunch programme, Labour education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
Hon Willie Jackson has been invited by the Oxford Union to debate the motion “This House Believes British Museums are not Very British’ on May 23rd. ...
Green Party MP Hūhana Lyndon says her Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill is an opportunity to right some past wrongs around the alienation of Māori land. ...
A senior, highly respected King’s Counsel with decades of experience in our law courts, Gary Judd KC, has filed a complaint about compulsory tikanga Māori studies for law students - highlighting the utter depths of absurdity this woke cultural madness has taken our society. The tikanga regulations will compel law ...
The Government needs to be clear with the people of the Nelson Marlborough region about the changes it is considering for the Nelson Hospital rebuild, Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
Ministers must front up about which projects it will push through under its Fast Track Approvals legislation, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Jobseeker beneficiaries who have work obligations must now meet with MSD within two weeks of their benefit starting to determine their next step towards finding a job, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “A key part of the coalition Government’s plan to have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker ...
A new standalone Social Investment Agency will power-up the social investment approach, driving positive change for our most vulnerable New Zealanders, Social Investment Minister Nicola Willis says. “Despite the Government currently investing more than $70 billion every year into social services, we are not seeing the outcomes we want for ...
Check against delivery Good morning. It is a pleasure to be with you to outline the Coalition Government’s approach to our first Budget. Thank you Mark Skelly, President of the Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce, together with your Board and team, for hosting me. I’d like to acknowledge His Worship ...
Your Excellency Ambassador Meredith, Members of the Diplomatic Corps and Ambassadors from European Union Member States, Ministerial colleagues, Members of Parliament, and other distinguished guests, Thank you everyone for joining us. Ladies and gentlemen - In diplomacy, we often speak of ‘close’ and ‘long-standing’ relations. ...
The Therapeutic Products Act (TPA) will be repealed this year so that a better regime can be put in place to provide New Zealanders safe and timely access to medicines, medical devices and health products, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello announced today. “The medicines and products we are talking about ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop, today released his decision on twenty recommendations referred to him by the Wellington City Council relating to its Intensification Planning Instrument, after the Council rejected those recommendations of the Independent Hearings Panel and made alternative recommendations. “Wellington notified its District Plan on ...
Rape Awareness Week (6-10 May) is an important opportunity to acknowledge the continued effort required by government and communities to ensure that all New Zealanders can live free from violence, say Ministers Karen Chhour and Louise Upston. “With 1 in 3 women and 1 in 8 men experiencing sexual violence ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government will be delivering a more efficient Healthy School Lunches Programme, saving taxpayers approximately $107 million a year compared to how Labour funded it, by embracing innovation and commercial expertise. “We are delivering on our commitment to treat taxpayers’ money ...
New research on the impacts of extreme weather on coastal marine habitats in Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay will help fishery managers plan for and respond to any future events, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. A report released today on research by Niwa on behalf of Fisheries New Zealand ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters will lead a broad political delegation on a five-stop Pacific tour next week to strengthen New Zealand’s engagement with the region. The delegation will visit Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and Tuvalu. “New Zealand has deep and ...
There has been a material decline in gas production according to figures released today by the Gas Industry Co. Figures released by the Gas Industry Company show that there was a 12.5 per cent reduction in gas production during 2023, and a 27.8 per cent reduction in gas production in the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins tonight announced the recipients of the Minister of Defence Awards of Excellence for Industry, saying they all contribute to New Zealanders’ security and wellbeing. “Congratulations to this year’s recipients, whose innovative products and services play a critical role in the delivery of New Zealand’s defence capabilities, ...
Welcome to you all - it is a pleasure to be here this evening.I would like to start by thanking Greg Lowe, Chair of the New Zealand Defence Industry Advisory Council, for co-hosting this reception with me. This evening is about recognising businesses from across New Zealand and overseas who in ...
It is a pleasure to be speaking to you as the Minister for Digitising Government. I would like to thank Akolade for the invitation to address this Summit, and to acknowledge the great effort you are making to grow New Zealand’s digital future. Today, we stand at the cusp of ...
New Zealand is urging both Israel and Hamas to agree to an immediate ceasefire to avoid the further humanitarian catastrophe that military action in Rafah would unleash, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The immense suffering in Gaza cannot be allowed to worsen further. Both sides have a responsibility to ...
A new online data dashboard released today as part of the Government’s school attendance action plan makes more timely daily attendance data available to the public and parents, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. The interactive dashboard will be updated once a week to show a national average of how ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced Rosemary Banks will be New Zealand’s next Ambassador to the United States of America. “Our relationship with the United States is crucial for New Zealand in strategic, security and economic terms,” Mr Peters says. “New Zealand and the United States have a ...
The Government is considering creating a new tier of minerals permitting that will make it easier for hobby miners to prospect for gold. “New Zealand was built on gold, it’s in our DNA. Our gold deposits, particularly in regions such as Otago and the West Coast have always attracted fortune-hunters. ...
Minister for Trade Todd McClay today announced that New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will commence negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA). Minister McClay met with his counterpart UAE Trade Minister Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi in Dubai, where they announced the launch of negotiations on a ...
New Zealand Sign Language Week is an excellent opportunity for all Kiwis to give the language a go, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. This week (May 6 to 12) is New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) Week. The theme is “an Aotearoa where anyone can sign anywhere” and aims to ...
Six tertiary students have been selected to work on NASA projects in the US through a New Zealand Space Scholarship, Space Minister Judith Collins announced today. “This is a fantastic opportunity for these talented students. They will undertake internships at NASA’s Ames Research Center or its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where ...
New Zealanders will be safer because of a $1.9 billion investment in more frontline Corrections officers, more support for offenders to turn away from crime, and more prison capacity, Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell says. “Our Government said we would crack down on crime. We promised to restore law and order, ...
The OECD’s latest report on New Zealand reinforces the importance of bringing Government spending under control, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The OECD conducts country surveys every two years to review its members’ economic policies. The 2024 New Zealand survey was presented in Wellington today by OECD Chief Economist Clare Lombardelli. ...
The Government has delivered on its election promise to provide a financially sustainable model for Auckland under its Local Water Done Well plan. The plan, which has been unanimously endorsed by Auckland Council’s Governing Body, will see Aucklanders avoid the previously projected 25.8 per cent water rates increases while retaining ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and enhanced cooperation in the Pacific with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her first official visit to New Zealand today. "New Zealand and Germany enjoy shared interests and values, including the rule of law, democracy, respect for the international system ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
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Imagining Golriz explaining herself to her co-leaders yesterday:
"I felt I needed to be an authentic left-winger. Property is theft."
J: "Greed is good." M: "That's actually rightist." J: "Then how come Labour have been doing it since the mid-'80s?" M: "That's just neoliberalism. Simulation works real well in politics." J: "Tell me about it. Why do you think I had to do a decade in the London corporate scene, not to mention wearing short back & sides all the time?"
M: "Just copy the establishment. And make sure you help yourself – when Maoris went to the Chathams & helped themselves to all those Moriori slaves, they did it in an English sailing ship. They didn't use a waka. Fast learners."
G: "Yeah, so I went into up-market fashionista places & helped myself. Took each item into a suburb where the poor & needy live, found one the right shape & size & told her I don't need this garment any more but would only give it to her if she absolutely needed it a they always said "Oh, absolutely!" so the strategy worked really well."
J: "Clever. The Robin Hood ethos has worked for centuries." M: "Authentic left-wing praxis! So you're intending to do a Metiria & tell the truth?" G: "Damn right I am!"
I imagine it less as a discussion about left wing praxis, and more James gently banging his head against a desk and regretting every life decision he made to get him to this point.
The poor guy just can't catch a break. All the while, the party is imploding around him under the weight of its own self-righteousness and general political naivete.
James has a great deal more depth to him than your comments indicate you enjoy, Res. He's caught plenty of breaks in his time as Green leader and has attracted a spectacularly good team which has, with few exceptions, functioned exceptionally well over the period of his leadership, most notably, leaving the Opposition side of the House and gaining influence in Government – hardly a fail, for the party, or for James. This presently-unfolding situation will be testing all involved, but your glee at their discomfort isn't going to affect them in the slightest.
I think you may have misinterpreted my comment.
I think James has been an incredibly effective leader and is a key reason the party has been able to survive a couple of incredibly tough electoral cycles.
I also believe the latest cohort of MPs is the strongest and most capable the party has ever had.
However, I worry the Greens have a long-term problem around not having robust or effective enough processes for dealing with MPs that either underperform or waste the political capital so many volunteers have spent so long building up.
There's far too many Metirias, Elizabeths, Riccardos and Golriz's and not enough Chloes or Te Anaus.
We also have to bear in mind the main driver of the Greens share of the vote is people drifting left from Labour, or abandoning them when they inevitably tack towards tepid incrementalism.
As such, the fact the party currently has 15 MPs is more down to circumstance than solid or effective political strategy.
"I also believe the latest cohort of MPs is the strongest and most capable the party has ever had."
.v.
"the party is imploding around him under the weight of its own self-righteousness and general political naivete."
Your 2 statements seem … at odds …
That's what makes being a Green Party supporter so damned difficult. I've never been so simultaneously hopeful, yet so anxious about the direction the party is going in.
Golriz will quickly resign and be replaced by Celia Wade-Brown. The worse part is that these are all such high-end luxury stores that does not fit with the Greens social image so whether the charges are proven or not she has to go.
The Green Party will move on-its a great time in the electoral cycle for this to happen….in 3 years nobody will remember.
"…its a great time in the electoral cycle for this to happen….in 3 years nobody will remember."
That is actually a very good point.
Wut?
They've lost two MPs via controversy in a 12 month period, which compared to other parties and MMP history seems relatively normal.
Meanwhile, as you have agreed, they have a very strong caucus currently.
What are you on about with the imploding?
2 MPs out of a caucus of at most, 15 after the last election. From a party that prides itself on being above the fray.
Given the size of caucus and uphill battle the party faces to get a clear, consistent message across in the face of cashed up, hard right government parties, I'd argue that one scandal is one too many.
We can't afford to fall into the trap Labour did and assume our support amongst certain chunks of the electorate is locked in forever.
The party prides itself on its ethical behaviour, quite correctly.
That doesn't inure it, or any party, from "out of party" behaviours by an individual MP, such as shopping, that might not meet the party's expectations.
To expect politicians to be perfect is unrealistic and I believe The Greens know this well.
In any case, we don't yet know for certain what has happened.
Question for you, Res: what was the other scandal you mention?
@Robert Guyton
I think it's perfectly reasonable to expect an MP to not commit petty crimes.
Or, if they're accused of committing said petty crimes, for them to either front up with a clear explanation or else resign before the allegations cause too much political damage.
Like Plutarch wrote: "Uxorem Caesaris tam suspicione quam crimine carere oportet"
So no other scandal then?
Have you considered there might be a reasonable explanation for not fronting up immediately?
Fairly high given the number of mp's?
dunno, I still remember the MMP era of Koopu and whole parties being formed by waka jumpers. Maybe add in timeline?
I mean if they lost 2 MPs every 12 months, I would agree. They've lost 5 MPs over 8 years. No-one would think that's great, but it's hardly the party imploding especially when we look at how they have recovered from the 2017 fallout. They have strong, stable co-leaders, and caucus is a mix of experienced MPs (including Ministerial experience), MPs gaining experience, and new incoming MPs. Looks good to me.
I'm not particularly bothered if Ghahraman leaves. Celia Wade Brown is next on the list, so there's another experienced politican coming in.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Party_lists_in_the_2023_New_Zealand_general_election
https://www.greens.org.nz/our_people
2017: 8 MPs
2020: 9 MPs
2023: 15 MPs
Definitly not an implosion, probably indicative of a need to look at candidate selection and support as the party and number of mp's grows.
Political life is a particulary brutal one especially when you advocate for minority causes and I suspect plenty of candidates are ill prepared. Perhaps more so coming from an activist background rather than a cut throat corporate background parties on the right prefer. They usually self destruct when their arsehole tendancies come to the surface.
maybe. Of the five controversial resignations since 2017, I think Kerekere is the only one that was unfit to be an MP.
Ghahraman has now resigned, the RNZ piece below is pretty good. I don't think the solution to bad behaviour from extreme stress is to only choose hardnut candidates, I think it's to change the culture of parliament and politics.
I'm sure all parties, including the Greens need to continually review their support of MPs. We're not the same country we were when Ghahraman became an MP either.
I think Steffan Browing also counts. Although he jumped before he was able to be pushed.
I definitely agree for the need to change our culture in Parliament in particular and our discourse around politics in general.
But we also have to deal with the political reality for us in the meantime. Parliament will continue to be extremely robust (read: toxic) and across the left, we need to ensure we select candidates that are able to withstand the hurly-burly of retail politicking in an environment that's inimical to our interests.
When it came to my list ranking at candidate conference, my rubric was always to pick who was likeliest to make their National/ACT party counterpart break out in sweat whenever they got asked a question in Parliament then went from there.
I don't think Browning does count, nothing particularly controversial about him leaving, he was no longer a good fit and he resigned.
That's why we have macho politics. As long as people want hardman politics that's what we will get.
I don't think that has much to do with Ghahraman though. Everyone has a breaking point given enough stress. You saw what Ardern looked like when she resigned. Politics destroys some people, the smart ones get out early because they can see it happening. We don't have to do politics like that.
As someone that was a delegate at candidate conferences over 3 or 4 election cycles, I definitely think the Greens need to seriously look at their candidate process.
We've thrown away a lot of talent in the name of building a caucus that reflects only a very narrow section of the party's base. Yet one that wields an outsized influence when it comes to list ranking time.
That was a wild time!
It's interesting how quickly the political landscape has crystalized into a (kind-of) equilibrium with between 5-7 parties depending on whether NZ First makes it in or not.
We haven't had a new party make it into Parliament since the Greens in 1999. And the history of parties created by defections is just as bad. The last one I can remember surviving the subsequent election was Mana back in 2011.
We also somehow seemed to avoided the fragmentation of our traditional broad-church parties into harder left or right organisations à la most of the EU.
If you think that taking the mickey out of… what is starting to look more and more like a very sad case Dennis Frank then you have failed.
Unlike the so-called experts who have weighed in thus far, here is one whose views I respect:
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/506807/public-speculation-will-continue-to-grow-until-golriz-ghahraman-speaks-out-about-shoplifting-allegations-legal-expert
It would seem that the choices on offer to the Greens over this case are not as simplistic as some would have us believe.
Good to see him advocating my take from several days back onsite here.
I don't condone shop lifting at all, but I seriously hope Golriz is getting support.
How come things haven't progressed from the police complaint in Wellington in October? How long do these things take?
At that stage it would have had a low priority. It was shortly after the election and there was a lot of stuff going on which might have involved the police.
I also know from personal experience: the police are reluctant to investigate matters which might concern politicians or persons linked to politicians. Admittedly my case was a long time ago but I doubt anything has changed.
How long do these things take?
A very long time indeed. Shoplifting is regarded as a very low-level crime, and will be right at the bottom of the internal police allocation of time.
Even in an open-and-shut case (which I'm not suggesting this one is – we still have no idea on Ghahraman's take on the situation) – with CTV footage and name/address of the offender supplied – it can take many months for the police to take action (if they ever do)
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/300901795/private-investigators-frustrated-with-police-response-to-alleged-commercial-theft
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/112624168/why-police-dont-investigate-some-crimes
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/crime/focus-more-theft-victims-speak-out-frustrated-over-police-inaction/XB4WKTC25L6MAUKINKOD24UL74/
I suspect the political dimension of the case (involving, as it does, a sitting MP), has rocketed this up the investigation priority queue.
that would have to be one of the better MSM pieces I've read on the situation, thanks.
If she is guilty, I hadn't considered that she might try to stay on against the wishes of the party. It won't affect the party much given they're not in government, but would be unfair on the next person on the list. I'd be surprised if she did that though.
Don't really know how it would work if she says she is not guilty and wants to stay on, and what the party would do.
I have however considered that she might be having a huge personal crisis and that working through that alongside the MP issues and their internal process might be why the party is taking its time before speaking publicly.
"Doing a Metiria" means telling the truth?
What's the world coming to??
A politician’s lips are moving and they are not lying???
Worth his salt, this guy:
"Salt said he believed the email, sent on July 10, 2023, came from a person associated with Sovereign Citizens, a growing group across Aotearoa that sociologist Paul Spoonley said posed a threat in its right wing extreme views that elected governments do not have legitimate authority."
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/301039932/mayor-has-no-regrets-over-signing-off-email-go-f-yourself
Salt of the Earth, eh? Very trad. I see Stuff is featuring an old friend from the early Green Party, Steve Hart. I'd be disappointed if he really is in anthropogenic climate-change denial. Had a good old rave for a couple of hours with him last winter & don't recall him adopting that stance then.
The pandemic state threat to freedom of choice has split the old alt-Aotearoa scene wide open. Any complex system is vulnerable to such indeterminant shifts anytime, just needs a catalytic trigger. We survive by adapting, after the initial eye-roll.
As a constituent I am very impressed with our current Mayor – his communications to the community are great and a really breathe of fresh air after our previous incumbent.
I like his style.
I know it seems weird, but I would actually like to say something in support of the Greens.
I have been hearing the media going ballistic about why the Greens haven't fronted about the shoplifting allegations, and that their only response is that the matter is in the hands of the police.
But, actually, what more can the Greens say about the matter? They aren't qualified to determine matters of criminality. And, the police are the appropriate organisation to determine whether there is a case (or cases) to answer.
So, I think the media needs to STFU and leave things to the police to do their job.
It's good of you to express your support, tsmithfield.
Putting all the politics aside, I think the media should have its main concern to be be the mental health of Golriz rather than salacious media headlines.
Firstly, if these allegations are true, then it just seems weird behaviour not typical of someone thinking rationally. Secondly, the huge media pile-on must be extremely distressing for her, and can only be exacerbating any mental health issues she may have.
The last thing anyone would want to see is Golriz sinking into deep depression, or committing suicide or such. So, I think the Greens are doing the right thing by saying as little as possible and leaving it to the police.
The media disgust me sometimes.
It's looking more and more like a mental health issue and should be handled with compassion and care. – something I suspect the Greens are trying to do.
Considering her MS condition and the vile racist/misogyny she has been subjected to, it is not surprising she has [perhaps] had a breakdown of some sort. My heart goes out to her.
whatever is going on with her mental health or not, the stress of this situation will be not at all good for her body and the MS 🙁
I don't think it is at all appropriate to speculate on someone's health.
Currently we have allegation sin the media against an MP. Nothing more and nothing less. There has been no admission and no denial.
My brother in law is bipolar and has an addictive personality as well. He went through a shoplifting phase in his late teens/twenties which led to the diagnosis. He was stealing stuff he didn't need. It was very distressing for all concerned and took a long time and heavy duty drugs to bring his life under some semblance of control.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/golriz-ghahraman-resigns-from-parliament-after-allegations-of-shoplifting/TS2LRAYOV5FXFA4JVOEBJ4ZRQU/
Lets hope she gets all the support she needs in both the short term and the longer term.
this is pretty much my thinking too. Let the Greens sort out their internal process and attend to whatever needs attending to re Ghahraman's wellbeing. She's not doing any portfolio responsibility work atm. The police will do due process as well, and when they have, we will know more about the situation.
I don't think it's necessarily a mental health issue, apart from the huge stress of the situation. It could be of course, or if she did shoplift then it might be another reason. But agree either way that the MSM should calm down.
Meanwhile, the right wing shit stirrers are all in a frenzy in their toxic soup on twitter. I'm hoping Ghahraman is well protected from that and that someone else is screening her social media, phone and email.
Agree from personal experience. She must have been under enormous stress given what was happening to her body and the psychological effect of the abuse she was receiving. Stress can cause a person to behave in all sort of ways that are uncharacteristic of them.
Please stop with the speculation based on absolutely nothing but suspicion and right wing shit stirring.
that wasn't actually what I meant. What I meant was that the accusations becoming public and what has happened since then are hugely stressful in and of themselves, and that would have mental health impact on anyone.
I agree with James here that there's nothing useful or appropriate about trying to assign meaning and motive to alleged actions that we know very little about.
One way or another, a PR vacuum formed and this is now deepening & widening and turning into a PR nightmare for some and a PR wet dream for others. This hole draws in stupid speculation and ‘commentary’, as always and very predictably, that serves no other purpose than to damage, yet ironically, it is now starting to come from different sides too, it seems. Next thing we’ll hear is that Green MPs are not allowed to window-shop in certain places because it doesn’t befit their ‘social image’, FFS!
Or National Party MP's shop at Beds R Us.
100% agree. We have no understanding of the pressures brought by her previous life, and the new hostilities may have tipped her over the edge.
Theft is theft, though any reason for drawing this out may have other political dimensions. imo.
The links to DP seem greater than coincidence. So we wait.
Agreed.
In addition, the views of the Ponsonby shop owners have also been conveniently ignored by the media. They did not seek publicity and have given no interviews, despite intense pressure from the media. How very inconsiderate of them!
It is ironic that on this (alleged) crime story, the (alleged) victims don't seem to matter much.
Charter schools are back on the agenda and myths, propaganda and nonsense are along for the ride.
Those schools apparently are going to be free, not be restricted and stifled by rules and regulations.
So, a Government which thinks people running schools should have the freedom to make choices, and so do a better job, is in power. And their first big thing?
Take away freedom and choices, restrict, limit, stifle by telling schools mobile phones are banned? Or are we to have the insanity of Seymour's charter schools allowed to have mobile phones and ordinary state schools not? All overseen by the Minister of Regulation?
Nor required to teach an hour each of maths, reading and writing.
Dog's breakfast.
Untrained, unregistered teachers: another feature of those places.
Great opportunity for a Sovereign Citizens school!
Where exam results they don't like won't apply!
I think Charter Schools are similar to home schooling in that there will likely be a lot of variability depending on the quality of teaching etc, programs run etc.
So, in the case of home schooling, parents who are great at teaching and engaging their kids in education are likely to see great results whereas kids are unlikely to do well where parents are hopeless.
In both cases, an analytical study that looks only at the average results of these teaching methods will likely find no benefit, or even negative outcomes. But, that doesn't mean that well designed teaching and education programs in these settings can't work well.
There will be a lot of viability, tsmithfield, that's why accreditation's important. Parents are protected from poor quality schooling by assurances given by a certified agency, except where charter schools operate. If you buy eggs, you want to be protected from illness by a certification programme that is followed by all producers. If charter schools do not require certification in their teaching staff, how can parents be assured of basic quality of teaching?
Robert, I think the criticism of Charter Schools misses some important points.
I agree that most kids will likely best served by public schools for the reasons you give.
But, I know from my involvement on the board of Crossroads Youth with a Future that there are some children who simply do not engage with formal educatoin at all, and tend to drop out of school, or end up being expelled.
So, for such children, the standard cookie-cutter system does not work for them at all. That is where I think Charter type schools can work because they can be designed tackle directly the complex issues that prevent these kids from succeeding in standard education.
It also changes what we mean by "works". So, if these kids made zero progress in a standard learning environment, but some progress in a Charter School, then I guess it could be said that the programme "works" even if that does not show as such in a statistical study.
Yes, I understand that purpose-built schools have some advantages, tsmithfield; they are not an entirely bad idea 🙂
Question: does Crossroads Youth with a Future have certified teachers?
We don't deal with the education aspect. But we do have qualified youth workers.
One of our functions is to run a program called "Stay Real". This program is for kids who the schools are on the verge or expelling. basically/
The program starts with total acceptance of the kids, warts and all. It aims to help them realise that they have choices in life, and that their past doesn't have to define their future.
One of our youth workers actually came through our program. She now has a diploma in youth work. She is the first person in her family to have any qualification, or even have a job. So, a fantastic achievement for her.
That's good, tsmithfield; my son does something very similar.
Charter schools though, aim to educate, including standard NZ Curriculum material. At least, it is hoped they will do that.
Wanting to make a joke about the Liz Gunn School of Cookery, but won't.
Btw, tsmithfield, the schools you lable, "the standard cookie-cutter system" are not, in fact, that. They have built-in programmes and approaches that accommodate the varying needs of students, teachers, locations and communities.
Cookie cutter they are not.
Sure. But not all. And I don't think there is any talk of Charter Schools becoming main stream. They will always be niche, and cater for a few students only I expect.
Great to hear about your work at Crossroads. And I agree with you about the criticism of partnership/charter schools.
National's philosophy of individual choice and personal responsibility at its best:
Yes, we'll absolutely use the coercive power of the state to ban your kids from using their cell phones at school.
But hey, at least they'll be able to choose to smoke, and we've protected you from all that nasty governmental overreach.
And no, you're not allowed to point out the hypocrisy of this you filthy socialist peasant. New Zealander voted for change, so we have a mandate to do whatever we like without criticism. Learn to respect your betters.
/s
We already have private schools which are largely unregulated compared to state schools. I'm not a fan of private or charter schools, but it's not like all schools are currently bound by whatever curricular pronouncements the government make.
Are private schools required to employ only teachers who are certified conventionally?
The short answer is yes. The longer answer is that there are teachers across the spectrum of school types in NZ (Types of schools and year levels – Education in New Zealand) who are un-registered and who work under a Limited Authority to Teach (For Limited Authority to Teach :: Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand). There are also, at any one time, a number of teachers who are practicising but awaiting registration.
In the ECE sector, centres can employ a combination of registered and unregistered teachers, with the resulting combination being a factor in their funding.
That's right, David. So you might be able to tell me whether Charter Schools will be required to only hire registered teachers or Limited Authority teachers as conventional schools are. Perhaps you will also know how compliance to those requirements will be managed – ERO or no?
I would expect the 2024 partnership school model to be different from the 2014 model (a decade has passed, and unfortunately educational standards in NZ have continued to decline), but primarily in areas around student assessment.
The 2014 model was a contestable model, and placed strong accountability on the schools through a contract that was monitored by ERO. I would not expect that to change.
As to teacher registration, that was not a requirement in 2014 for partnership schools, however this report BIM-release-Partnership-Schools-Model-and-Options-for-the-Future.pdf (education.govt.nz) stated that "There is some use of non-registered teachers, although not usually for core subjects."
Interestingly, in the same report, the authors noted that the partnership schools all used the same curriculum as mainstream schools, ("although one of the schools opening in 2015 is developing an interesting combination of the Steiner approach and kaupapa Māori within the framework of the New Zealand Curriculum (NZC)"), and that the school day and year are similar to those of state schools.
I am involved in the education sector, although I have had no involvement with partnership schools. I saw enough in their previous tenure to support their reintroduction.
Good news…
Chalk one up for them suit-wearing short-haired Oz radical legislators!
This article from The Conversation goes quite a long way explaining America in 2024.
https://theconversation.com/is-america-enduring-a-slow-civil-war-jeff-sharlet-visits-trump-rallies-a-celebrity-megachurch-and-the-manosphere-to-find-out-203948?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Latest%20from%20The%20Conversation%20for%20January%2016%202024%20-%202849928893&utm_content=Latest%20from%20The%20Conversation%20for%20January%2016%202024%20-%202849928893+CID_cb46b49e8afafca0a45ce8e920c6a7f1&utm_source=campaign_monitor&utm_term=Is%20America%20enduring%20a%20slow%20civil%20war%20Jeff%20Sharlet%20visits%20Trump%20rallies%20a%20celebrity%20megachurch%20and%20the%20manosphere%20to%20find%20out
the lord will provide is a stance that recycles feudal subservience…
The writer can't see faith in Wilkerson?? Or morality? I see a typical christian. Obviously their faith is rewarded whenever the faithful donate them dollars.
But not a Christian who follows the teachings of Christ.
Sermon on the Mount anyone?
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%205-7&version=KJV
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/506825/golriz-ghahraman-resigns-from-parliament-after-shoplifting-allegations
There it is
Very sad.
There's a lot in that statement, but this should not be overlooked:
Ghahraman also thanked Scotties Boutique "for the kindness and empathy they have shown me", and asked for space and privacy so she could get better.
Respect to Scotties, and none at all to the reporters who complained that they didn't want to talk about it.
Good. Well-handled by her in the fraught circumstances…
Golriz resigns, no other call to make.
Wish her full recovery.
Yep, done the right thing
very good statements too. I'm glad they took the time to get this right.
The bloodhounds are still running around and this won’t be the end of it.
Time to leave her out of it but focus on why this happened, where were her support structure, who else was around but didn't help etc
Someone dropped the ball big time
Oh, that's the new line of attack is it?
Pathetic.
There it is
What makes you think that?
I'm assuming she's on meds for her illness, I'm assuming those meds have an effect on mental health
What were the supports put in place for her
Where were her friends, supporters etc
I'd be very surprised if there were only these 3 incidents and, given the increased spotlight on MPs mental health, why was no one checking up on her
when you change your email address TS thinks you are new commenter and holds the comment back for manual approval. Please pick one email address and stick to it.
No one looking out for her?
No friends, supporters etc
She's on meds and has a major illness and no one's checking up on her?
again, what makes you think that is the situation?
At the moment theres three instances of, alleged, shoplifting which means theres likely more
Obviously whatever was put in place wasn't working or she was left to her own devices
What a Goodfellow you are!
ChatGTP – find me an alias that won't startle the silly Left wingers.
Very sad to hear that is the case. Definitely the right decision, but a great loss to parliament.
what a massive disappointment Golriz Ghahraman turned out to be. I hoped she could go all the way in politics, but she has proved unable to make the transition from activist to MP and clearly her mental health is in tatters.
There does seem to be a case to be made for a certain psychological fragility amongst all these MPs whose previous job experience has largely been in the third sector. Their previous experience seems to leave them unprepared/unsuitable to the demands made of them as MPs.
I am not sure what this says more about – the nature of parliament or the nature of the candidates, but both Labour and Greens have to think about it seriously because the third sector provides the vast majority of their candidates these days.
Anyway, best of luck to her and I hope she gets the rest/rehab she needs to make a full recovery. Who is the next batter up?
it's the nature of parliament, but also the nature of politics in NZ.
She was a refugee as a child, she's experienced trauma and seems to have ongoing affects from that, she has a major physical illness that has a pattern of relapses and remissions, she works in a very high stress job, including during a once in a lifetime global health crisis (hardly anyone is talking about the mental health impact of that), she's been subjected to the worst misogyny and racism as well as sustained attacks from the right on social media and probably via Dirty Politics.
This doesn't mean she hasn't made mistakes (imo she has, and there is a political naivety but probably arrogance as well running through that). It means that no-one's mental health is going to be unaffected by all that. Women, brown women in particular, cop a kind of political abuse that others don't.
There's a lot we could do to change parliament and the political culture.
That's a long way to fall. There will have been tears. I expect there is support for her in place now. It's a tragic story.
I would hope it's the nature of parliament, and add into the mix the appalling behaviour of our media and certain factions of the general public, especially towards female MPs, which is only going to get worse.
Do we really want all our candidates to be professional politicians with no life experience, or areas of true specialty, and ability to relate to specific sector of our society? In Golriz's case, Human rights and a first hand understanding of being a refugee and having a disability. Is it any wonder that, with the exceptions of her and Mojo Mathis, we've never had MPs with (openly acknowledged) disabilities? Not because they're not capable of running or doing the job, but honestly, who would put up with all this crap?
I don't want to see more candidates who know nothing except for politics and law. Of course any candidate goes into this being aware of the pressures involved, but there does seem to be a reasonable amount of quitting on mental health grounds (including a certain Nat leader).
So the real question is, how can parliament stop being so toxic?
Media have a huge role to play here.
If they didn’t republish every racist, misogynistic tweet or press release every one would be the better for it.
A dispassionate summation. It points to yet another inbuilt advantage the right wing and the right of the left wing have because their candidates mostly come from elite, privileged, establishment backgrounds, and if not are fundamentalists supported by the elite, privileged establishment.
Those robust, entitled influences didn't help Todd Muller or Nikki Kaye who both melted under very little pressure. But they did help Sam Uffindel who learned how to dominate others with threats and violence from a young age.
With 65% counted votes the main players in Iowa are
Trump 50.6%
De Santis 21.4%
Haley 19.7%
If De Santis or Haley pulled out early or maybe did a deal on a joint ticket – if I win you can be VP then it might be more interesting. May be too early but I guess time will tell.
They would both pull out immediately if they had any sense. This is a replay of 2016, when Trump led from the very beginning, and never relinquished his lead. The corporate media kept repeating that a "sensible" Republican candidate would eventually see off the upstart.
Unfortunately, the "sensible" candidates were "Low Energy" Jeb Bush, "Little Marco" Rubio, and most disturbing of all, Lyin' Ted…
We haven't an actual Labour media release on anything since December 13th.
Could someone please wake the fuck up.
https://www.labour.org.nz/news-labour_calls_on_govt_to_join_case_against_israel is the latest (10 January).
Lol at all the….. marginalized status-seekers.
Abstract
Why are some people motivated to circulate hostile political information? While prior studies have focused on partisan motivations, we demonstrate that some individuals circulate hostile rumors because they wish to unleash chaos to “burn down” the entire political order in the hope they gain status in the process. To understand this psychology, we theorize and measure a novel psychological state, the Need for Chaos, emerging in an interplay of social marginalization and status-oriented personalities.
[…]
We outline a theoretical framework about an overlooked psychological strategy for acquiring social status—the incitement of chaos—and demonstrate the relevance of this strategy for contemporary politics. We build on research showing that status-oriented personality traits combined with social rejection can push people toward an escalation of aggressive motivations (Krizan and Johar Reference Krizan and Johar2015; Twenge and Campbell Reference Twenge and Campbell2003). We argue that such motivations, when sufficiently strong, take root as a general destructive mindset. Next, we develop and validate the novel Need for Chaos scale to measure this mindset. Across eight well-powered studies (including representative studies of the U.S. population), we find evidence that the Need for Chaos emerges in an interplay between status-oriented personality traits and social contexts of real and perceived marginalization and is a strong predictor of willingness to share hostile political rumors, over and beyond partisanship. Overall, our findings imply that a challenge facing modern society is the existence of marginalized status-seekers who wish to incite chaos by spreading hostile rumors.
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/american-political-science-review/article/need-for-chaos-and-motivations-to-share-hostile-political-rumors/7E50529B41998816383F5790B6E0545A
I can hardly believe what I'm hearing /sarc
"Goldsmith ruled out action on some recommendations, including:
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/506819/government-rejects-four-voting-changes-as-review-lands
I support lowering it to 16 and enfranchisement of prisoners and more MPs because we need more types of democratic voices. If 100 years old people can vote so can 16 years old people; if you are free or imprisoned then you need a voice in society that pertains to your welfare and rights as well.
Having more MPs in that context would mean a less fragile and more resilient sort of society and theoretically increases the level of engagement both ways politically.
I know nothing about the fourth policy being abolished however if it's anything like democracy sausages in Australia then go and make it even more of a ritual to vote! It would ensure a more civic sort of society and that genuinely matters in this day and age really.
Lowering the voting age to ridiculous so I'm glad that's gone.
I'd raise it to 21 if I could
Prisoners lose rights (as they should) when they go to prison, voting is one of them so I'm glad about that
The rest I'm ambivalent about
People go to prison as punishment, not for punishment.
putting them under lock and key already curtails them of their freedom.
there is no good public policy reason why prisoners should not be able to vote. Taking away one of their civil rights when they are already being punished is just further punishment.
Part of the punishment is you lose some of your civil rights
Voting is one of those civil rights which you then get back at a later date
"Taking away one of their civil rights when they are already being punished is just further punishment."
No, it's part of the primary punishment.
Only because some tight-minded Rightwinger declared it so.
It's not Natural Law 🙂
Loss of privileges is an appropriate part of the consequences of someone breaking the laws of the society they live in. It's part of the social contract. Losing the privilege of voting is, and should be, part of that loss.
Of course, but I’d argue that voting is a right, not a privilege. Which is one of the reasons why it was recommended to give all prisoners voting rights.
Good point, but 'rights' can also be taken away (or restricted) under certain circumstances. What are human rights? | OHCHR
Why stop at voting? Why not take away prisoners rights to drinking water? A mattress to sleep on? Air?
Who makes those decisions, David?
Not you, thank Gaia.
Because people in prison are entitled to the necessities of life, Robert. That they lose certain liberties and privileges is simply part of the social contract.
Who decides, David and by what measure of fairness?
Is a phone call to a spouse a necessity? To a lawyer? A view of the sky?
Who decides, David, and by what measure?
"Who decides, David, and by what measure?"
Society decides, on how we view the social contract and its breaches.
Indeed, some rights are taken away temporarily when imprisoned and this is reasonable and justifiable. However, taking away voting rights serve no clear purpose and are not reasonable.
I guess it comes down to how we see voting rights. I see them as part of a person's liberty. When a person breaks the law to the extent they are imprisoned, that liberty (in its many forms) is lost.
I see voting rights as a right. Some rights cannot be taken away unless under very special and specific circumstances and for very special and specific reasons. Arbitrarily removing prisoner voting rights from some prisoners fails these basic and fundamental criteria. Suffice to say, the fundamental principle of rights is protected in several Acts that ought to be consistent with each other.
In any case, similar arguments exist if you view voting rights as a liberty. In your view, it appears that there’s a low hurdle for this liberty to be arbitrarily removed when imprisoned.
David writes:
"I guess it comes down to how we see voting rights. I see them as part of a person's liberty."
But not if you are 16, right?
No liberty till you're 18.
Yours is a very confused position, David.
My position is entirely consistent and logical. I don't consider a 16-year-old to be an adult, so I do not consider them old enough to vote, or go to jail.
But now the consistency of your position becomes interesting. You support lowering the voting age to 16. So do you support 16 year olds going to jail?
You see consistency in your position; I see simplistic thinking.
There is no logical number where these things become right; each circumstance has to be looked at with regard multiple factors, which change over time. Taking advice from a wide range of thoughtful sources usually produces the soundest result on any issue. Applying the ruler of logic by ideologues at one end of the spectrum is the worst way to make decisions such as voting age etc.
"There is no logical number where these things become right; each circumstance has to be looked at with regard multiple factors, which change over time. "
Over time, I have seen nothing to convince me that 16-year-olds should be eligible to vote, or that we should extend the privilege of voting to people who have committed offences sufficient to have them serving time in jail.
Nothing, I expect, would convince you, but of course you are not the decision-maker. The issues were publicised and opinion collected. This Government squashed those particular proposals because, like you, they are ideologues who seek to suppress those who are not like them.
"…like you, they are ideologues who seek to suppress those who are not like them."
Labelling people you disagree with as 'ideologues' is not an argument, nor is it a rational position to take. If there is a law that removes the franchise from people serving a custodial sentence, then the offender has suppressed that privilege voluntarily. No-one else.
That law was made by ideologues. It can change and still be the law.
I prefer a rational balance between the rehabilitative and punitive aspects of custodial sentences. A multi‐jurisdictional survey for Penal Reform International, published in 2016 (PDF, page 7), concluded:
Kiwi prisoner disenfranchisement isn't currently a lottery that depends on the length of time between the date a sentence of <3 years is handed down, and the date of a general election – nor should it be, imho.
It seems that our current government has no plans to make regressive or progressive changes to prisoner voting rights, but time will tell.
"Kiwi prisoner disenfranchisement isn't currently a lottery that depends on the length of time between the date a sentence of <3 years is handed down, and the date of a general election – nor should it be, imho."
Then just leave the law fixed that people serving time in prison lose the privilege, or the right, to vote. Then there is no lottery.
My preference would be to extend the opportunity to participate in electoral processes to all prisoners in Aotearoa NZ (then there is no lottery), but I'm comfortable (for now) with the current level of prisoner disenfrachisement which reduces the lottery aspect of punishment.
It appears that you see the reintroduction of regressive prisoner disenfranchisement legislation as the preferred solution to the problem (of being too soft on Kiwis serving custodial sentences?) – that's not for me, and we can agree to disagree.
https://www.nzhowardleague.org.nz/
Drowsy just to be clear, I don't see prisoner franchise as being related to any notion of being too 'soft' on sentencing. I see it more as a logical extension of the removal of liberty generally.
I was thinking less "'soft' on sentencing", and more 'soft/friendly on rights and conditions' while incarcerated.
Reintroducing universal disenfranchisement for prisoners would increase the lottery aspect of deprivation for those serving sentences <3 years – being deprived of the right to vote in a general election would subsequently depend on when in an electoral cycle a prison sentence started. AFAIK, our coalition government hasn't indicated that they plan to reintroduce universal disenfranchisement for prisoners.
Not that many Kiwi prisoners vote anyway, and I can imagine the beneficial effects of being encouraged to do so. The debate will continue in Aotearoa NZ, and elsewhere.
I see the 'lottery' aspect (as you've described it) as simply a consequence of offending. However there are obvious compromise positions that could be reached.
Right wingers seek to narrow the band to keep power in the hands of their own tribe.
Narrow thinking. Shallow thinking.
Left wing parties, especially in NZ, appeal to convicted criminals
Funny that
Of course, they're the only chance any criminal might have of redemption and rehabilitation.
Why would they vote for the whip-wielders?
Yes that's the reason, nothing to do with the left being soft on crime
Being tough or soft on crime has nothing to do with enfranchisement of various groups in a democracy.
Am I happy that there might be some new sources of right-wing votes that comes with democratic enfranchisement of new groups? No. I do not have to be pleased about that. That's inevitable. I'll get over it anyway. You never know, they could surprise you.
However in the spirit of democracy, it is necessary to give voice to more crops of groups that might be affected by any policies by any political parties led by any politician.
A civic society that is afforded more democratic rights and more say in things is a civilised society.
And that is what matters to me. It is not worth enduring a society that would deprive others of rights and a say in things. That is not a way to progress things.
I see it as simple as if the state has the power to imprison you then you should have the ability to vote for those who decide the extent of that power and how it is enforced.
The three strikes law is a perfect example of disproportionate impact invoked by politicians that impacts directly on people in or having previously been in prison.
Also many prisoners have not been convicted of anything and will be found innocent or cases will fall over.
Correct. Your thinking is becoming a bit clearer as you spend more time on The Standard.
Petrolhead Simeon Brown gets his chance to shaft all those left voting EV owners. He is like a infant in charge of a Rolls Royce.
The bit I read was that RUCs might be about $1000/yr plus charging costs. Clean car rebate also gone. Petrol for most users is maybe $2000 – $3000/yr so the vehicle types are now much more even. Do we expect EV sales to plummet?
I drive an electric van belonging to a not-for-profit group, distributing produce around a 165km "loop" in Southland. We chose electric because the lower fuel costs were within the scope of what we could manage, financially.
I have thoughts about Simeon and his backward-thinking mates, that are not generous.
Do you think EVs should be exempt from paying, firstly, for the roads they drive on and secondly, ACC levies (which are currently charged at 6c per litre of fuel).
If so, why?
It's only irksome in light of the relatively free ride heavy trucks get. Tractors too. As well, the cessation of incentives to buy vehicles that don't burn fossil fuels is annoying. I think privileging electric vehicles for a longer period would have benefitted us all and the loss of income for the Government a small price to pay for behaviour change.
Also, I don't like Simeon's manner 🙂
I am of the opinion that better 100 guilty folk walk free than one innocent person be incarcerated.
This is an article on the miscarraige of justice that was the conviction of Allan Hall for the murder of Arthur Easton.
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2024/01/17/guest-blog-jackie-foster-an-ignorant-judiciary/
There are some serious allegations that appear to border on corruption.
It also includes a link to sign a petition for a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the wrongful conviction of Allan Hall.