The Herald is reporting that Nikki Kaye is quitting at the election. It’s not very surprising, her tenure as Deputy Leader has been a total disaster, I don’t know why the commentators go so easy on her really.
The Woodhouse camp (if there is one) is now spinning that he wanted to fess up about the Boag leaks on the Wednesday but Kaye and Adams told him to stay quiet; they were going to deal with it. No wonder Collins could only shift him sideways. How long before Adams re-resigns?
The Herald also reports that the party was trying to dissuade Kaye from making a rash decision. Not, you’d have to think for Kaye’s benefit, but rather because the party can see a swathe of urban, fairly liberal voters leaving with her.
Even before this shift fight Kaye’s grip on Auckland Central was probably slipping. It seems more likely now to go back to Labour.
I thought the PM’s response to the National Party’s leadership travails yesterday was spot on. “I’m just focussed on getting NZ through the pandemic and don’t have time for politics” etc.
It neatly reminded everyone that, at this time of crisis, the Nats are only concerned with themselves. And it clearly got Collins all riled up. We all know she hates being ignored more than anything else. She accused the PM of being ‘woke’ (whatever that meant, presumably she just thinks it’s an easy way to denigrate someone) and ‘warned’ Ardern not to ignore her. And issued the good old ‘I’ll debate you anywhere, anytime challenge’ that Opposition Leaders love. Gonna be great fun if this is how easy it is to get Collins all worked up.
She accused the PM of being ‘woke’ (whatever that meant
She may have googled it, eh?
By the late 2010s, woke had been adopted as a more generic slang term broadly associated with left-wing politics, socially liberal causes, feminism, LGBT activism, and cultural issues (with the terms woke culture and woke politics also being used). It has been the subject of memes, ironic usage and criticism. Its widespread use since 2014 is a result of the Black Lives Matter movement.
I've been anticipating the emergence of woke 2.0 (brown lives matter), 3.0 (yellow lives matter) and 4.0 (red lives matter) for a while – but it seems that those other US ethnicities remain reluctant to awaken.
The leadership will be up with the play what with everyone parachuting . Collins sometimes has problems getting to the airport though. She purposefully goes in the opposite direction and tells us she was going to the airport.
And Gerry? He actually gets to the airport, ploughs through places he shouldn't be, bullshits his way through it and months later a report comes out showing his story was bullshit.
"The election of Collins as National’s leader renders Labour’s broad-brush strategy politically untenable."
But hey, bland is good, right? Well, Labour will try to cling to that notion but the battle for mainstreamers is more likely to be won by messaging that suits the crisis. Chris is right but the lag until Labour strategists realise that is the thing to watch for.
All of Collins’ cruel humour will be unleashed on Labour’s lesser vessels. Social media will be flooded with painfully funny memes and attack videos.
Yeah but Labour's preference for selecting mediocre candidates deserves an appropriate response – as long as the critique is fair and accurate, voters will credit National.
If the Prime Minister can parry Collins’ attacks by making the voters laugh at her, then the Opposition’s strategy will fail. Rather than become angry or defensive in the face of Collins’ jibes, Jacinda needs to make fun of the thinking behind her criticisms.
Damn right! JA can ace JC via this method. But it presumes JC will use flawed rightist framing. Framing to win centrists (as she should) makes her a hard target to hit.
If Jacinda is able to embarrass her opponent severely, then there is every chance Collins will reveal her dark side. That would be “Game Over”.
Correct. JC is vulnerable to any trigger that activates her dark side. Force her to adopt a partisan stance. Centrists will shift away from her.
The second way to counter Collins’ attack-lines is for Labour to give Jacinda a comprehensive and popular recovery package to defend.
We've already been waiting months for that. If Labour have actually done the intellectual work, they may be saving it for a timely campaign release.
Confronted with a whole host of critical policy choices (most particularly on the future shape and direction of the New Zealand economy) Labour has proved itself woefully indecisive. In almost every circumstance, the party simply defaults to the orthodox Treasury line.
Yeah. Allowing that perception to embed in the public mind is a mistake. Labour folk just point the polls and say `no problem'. Until the lead evaporates…
"Yeah but Labour's preference for selecting mediocre candidates deserves an appropriate response – as long as the critique is fair and accurate, voters will credit National." – more fun (and much easier) to snipe opine than lead, eh Dennis? Remind you of anyone?
Bizzniss as usual:
" I have complete faith in my officials "
"He noted that Brown was initially assigned the case as the RSE labour inspector for the Hawkes Bay region, but that he was re-assigned after a copy of the tape recording was presented to MBIE" ……. and anyway, it's not as if he called them "Scum" on social media.
Bizzniss as usual.
" I have complete faith in my officials "
"He noted that Brown was initially assigned the case as the RSE labour inspector for the Hawkes Bay region, but that he was re-assigned after a copy of the tape recording was presented to MBIE" ……. and anyway, it's not as if he called them "Scum" on social media.
There's history there @ Rosemary and elsewhere! And people remain in their positions.
I freely admit I have quaint old ideas though like:
public servants acting ethically; not having (or maintaining) conflicts if interests; respecting people's privacy; not thinking it OK to get people like T&C to spy on people carrying out their legitimate business; not trying to create their own little police forces; treating their worker-bees with respect and without bullying; actually doing the frikken job they're supposed to be doing; not leaking private information in order to advance their own agendas; etc.
It doesn't seem that much to ask considering those responsible are well-remunerated, but you know – call me old-fashioned possum
When in government yet keeping close to business it is hard to decide whose interests you are serving, and it is possible to jump in and out of government, a bit like hopskotch.
This Solomons Island thing is born of desperation surely. Around 600 Solomon Island workers are recruited each year work in horticulture and viticulture industries in regions across the country.
Roselyn Givi and Janet Meimana are among 75 Solomon Island women recruited to pick blueberries in the Bay this year. Janet hails from Isobel Island in the outer provinces of the Solomon’s archipelago.
After 2014’s Cyclone Ita washed away their family’s crops, Janet’s RSE earnings became vital for feeding her family and rebuilding her family’s home.
“We send money back home to help our families because on the island they are short of food, she says.
We no doubt count employing PI people for seasonal labour as aid to the Islands. I believe that has been so in the past. Where there has been tornadoes, tsunamis etc we should be providing long term aid such as special raised beds for growing important food crops and imported good compost and help to create more of their own compost.
Also each family that would like to come to NZ and pick should be on a list, grouped within larger extended families, and then each area would be sure to have someone earning that could help that area. Some would come regularly, and some would be rotated. At present it sounds like the old closed-union style where people could never get to get employment because of family preferences.
Treat people fairly, with input from them, not like colonials striding around being the big manager over a subject workforce.
"Treat people fairly, with input from them, not like colonials striding around being the big manager over a subject workforce"
Exactery!
My problem is that this sort of thing is not limited to the incident reported on by Newsroom. The people involved in this example have form. (All three). And it's all come about by bad policy and advice in the first place.
While the assault needs to be proven, the conflicts of interest and all the other crap are obvious.
It's possible (hopefully) more people will come forward now that many are starting to realise there's nothing to lose (they've already lost almost everything)
Here's a good explainer on the difference between "herd immunity" that is achieved by vaccination prior to an infectiousness disease coming into a population, and how many people get infected when a completely new infectious disease gets introduced into a population that has never had it before and nobody is immune.
tl;dr For something like SARS-CoV-2 where on average one infection passes it on to two others (R0 = 2), if more than half the population (more than 1 – 1/R0) are immune due to vaccination (or prior exposure), then the outbreak dies out naturally very quickly because the very few infectious people out loose don’t encounter enough susceptible people to sustain an increasing chain of transmission. So a vulnerable person has a very low chance of ever encountering an infectious person and getting infected.
Whereas with a new infectious disease causing an epidemic, at the moment the "herd immunity" proportion of people achieve immunity, there are still many people wandering around in an infectious state. So anyone that is not immune has a much higher probability of encountering someone infectious and getting infected. So the epidemic won't die out until a much higher proportion of people get infected – up around 90% or more even for something with relatively low infectiousness like SARS-CoV-2.
One little thing, they ignore the little detail that during this pandemic those people get a mild illness may not have immunity from getting it again and spreading it again.
Remove the space before “pdf” and copy the link if you want to follow it. For me the pdf was being automatically loaded in a pdf reader inside the comment, which was too small to read.
While all seem to be strangely obsessed with commenting from the sidelines as the Shit Ship National sinks beneath the waves, the Child Poverty Action Group releases a report calling for the Nationalisation of Early Childhood Education….free market principals are just not producing the positive outcomes for 'consumers'.
"Private for-profit providers are less likely to provide quality services across a range of indicators, including staff qualifications, workloads and retention, teacher-to-child ratios, and cultural responsiveness," they say.
"Despite New Zealand being internationally lauded for its high rates of ECE participation, attending a poor quality ECE service is potentially worse than not attending ECE at all.
"Rather than propping up the existing system – whereby ECE is treated as an investment opportunity, not a public good – the Government should be looking to nationalise ECE provision in its response to Covid-19."
Surprisingly (to me) is that one of the recommendations is that the minimum per child area be increased….
Despite ample evidence of the importance of layout and space of ECE environments for children’s learning,48NZ falls behind international recommendations of best practice. Research suggests that indoor requirements should be between 3.25 and 5 metres squared per child, and outdoor space between 7 and 25 metres squared per child.50At present, NZ regulations specify that licensed centres must have a minimum of2.5 metres squared per child indoors, and 5 metres squared per child outdoors.49Regulations were changed in 2008 to reduce the space-per-child requirements, which some have attributed to commercial pressure on the MoE.
I had heard rumours that some ECE centres were cramming them in like battery hens…but to think this is actually legal, and that those minimum space requirement were lowered in 2008…was this prior to the election that Labour lost?
In the meantime Natrad has been running articles featuring ECE owners bemoaning the fact that attendance (and profits?) have fallen markedly post Lockdown.
About 40,000 children – 20 percent of under-fives – have not returned to early learning after lockdown, the Early Childhood Council says.
With fewer enrolments, centres get less income and some have too few children to be sustainable.
Darius Singh of Chrysalis Early Learning Centres in Auckland and Tauranga said up to 5 percent of children might normally be away during winter because of sickness, but about 30 percent were now not coming in.
This may not be a bad thing. Old fashioned that I am, I do believe that parents and grandparents (and other close whanau) are the best people to care for babies and toddlers and prepare them for the battleground that is School. And they don't need to do this alone…https://www.greatpotentials.org.nz/home-based-pre-school-education
Old fashioned that I am, I do believe that parents and grandparents (and other close whanau) are the best people to care for babies and toddlers and prepare them for the battleground that is School.
Parents and grand-parents are probably the worst for preparing kids for anything as they, mostly, subconsciously teach what they learned at that age. Unless they've consciously gone out and learned and internalised what the research tells us then they're just going to teach the same bad habits to the children that they learned as children.
ECE is the better option but not privatised as they cut corners so as to boost profits especially as competition heats up.
I have no objection to foreign students coming in, BUT
1. residents and citizens who want back in have priority and essential skilled workers have priority to managed isolation/quarantine.
2. we have housing (returning Kiwis) and work availability limitations so cannot take the numbers of students on the terms we did before.
For mine we have first obligation to masters students and doctorate students here in 2019, then second to year 3 students of 2019. We would have to ban them from working here (they would have to borrow in their home country for study and living costs). This would reduce takers down to the level we could house in student hostels (quarantine in this accommodation in 2021 pre student year start).
it's probably high time we thought about the whole idea of citizenship/residency and what it means – especially now that it's become yet another commodity to be traded,
You can have an immigrant that commits his/her entire life to a new economy/society, contributes in every way we'd expect of the next man/woman – often not being able to vote after being resident knocking a decade.
Meanwhile, you can have a true blue Koiwoi, whose chosen a life overseas. And now that the shit has hit the fan – naturally enough, they want to come "HOME". That Koiwoi might be the likes of someone that often posts on here with all His eternal wisdon from across the ditch (an economic refugee – the likes of a Dutton would render illigitimate); or the likes of a Thiel who will be flying in on whichever selection of passports He considers best to suit His purpose.
The combinations and permutations are endless,
But wha wha wha, I only ever meant to go overseas to earn a better crust so I could come back to NuZull to invest my wealth in my "Home".
All those in the first week should be confined to their room – keeping the first week intake and the second week intake separate is important.
I would however go further
1. Week 2 day 8, day 9, day 10, day 11 day 12 day 13 and day 14 would be allowed out of their rooms at different times.
2. Staff would required to maintain social distancing while off duty (because of the risk of being infected and spreading in the community). And pay them extra (and also future paid leave – post 2 week self isolation, a month off). It's money well spent.
Hoskings loses defamation case from Tamahere, had to publicly apologise on Air and pay an undisclosed sum to Tamahere, for which he donated directly to the Maori Party.
The money was paid by Hoskings employer.
Couldn't provide link as the the remainder of the story was behind a paywall, sorry.
Surely Horeskin wouldn't let someone pay rather than taking responsibility for his actions, surely. Will he get someone to apologise on his behalf as well?
More than 20 countries will see their populations halve by the end of the century, with the world population peaking in 2064 before facing decline.
Even more interestingly is that we are heading into a demographic inversion, an era when there are more older people than younger. This is totally unmapped territory for the human race, we've never been here before and none of our economic models are calibrated for it.
As fertility falls and life expectancy increases worldwide, the number of children under five is forecast to decline by more than 40 per cent, from 681 million in 2017 to 401 million in 2100, the study found.
At the other end of the spectrum, 2.37 billion people — more than a quarter of the global population — will be over 65 years old by then.
Those over 80 will balloon from about 140 million today to 866 million. Sharp declines in the number and proportion of the working-age population will also pose huge challenges in many countries.
It's not clear that either capitalism or socialism (or any of the 'isms) are going to work in this new world, at least not in their current formulations.
and with no awareness of the risk of super bugs (antibiotics into Chinese pigs still) on the ability of hospitals to provide old people with new knees hips etc.
Global warming impact on old age health … nothing …
Sure contracpetion and education reduce the amount of children women have, but egg storage and looser rules about surrogacy may mitigate that.
Frankly it's not the "being old" that matters it's being too frail and needing care.Keeping older people in work, even if only part week , does a lot to mitigate these demographics.
We should even now be actively trying to keep people producing, their health and education is a sunk cost so get all the benefits we can from them.
japan has been going through this for 20 yrs. aging and static,or shrinking population, leads to lower consumer consumption. a sustainable economy and environment is being forced on them.
"I partially admire Muller. It takes real courage to so openly admit defeat and walk. Mind you, it's an astonishing lack of awareness of your own inabilities to not be able to see that you are not up for it in the first place, if it only takes 50-odd days to fall on your sword.
Me:
I admire Muller. It takes real courage to put yourself out there and stand for Parliament. And to stand as leader of a political party. It takes some sort of courage to so openly admit defeat and walk.
I admire Mike Hosking. It's an astonishing awareness of your own abilities and lack of them which sees you not put yourself out there and stand for Parliament. Or stand to be leader of a political party. Being able to see that you are not up for it takes some awareness.
I just wish he'd shut the fuck up about those who have the courage to try to do something constructive about what they believe in.
Hosking could fall onto swords for 50 odd days or be pushed onto 50 of them he'd still come up without the awareness that the least of the MPs in their contribution to our society is of exponentially more value to us than him and his sad offerings.
Militarized Federal Agents from a patchwork of outside agencies have begun policing Portland (in rented minivans vans) without the explicit approval of the mayor, the state, or local municipalities. This is what that looks like in practice: pic.twitter.com/losap4SsgI
AG Barr announced the launch of Operation Legend "a sustained, systematic and coordinated law enforcement initiative across all federal law enforcement agencies … to fight the sudden surge of violent crime"https://t.co/HrRXqwyr5K
OMG, so Trumpiun, "I spoke to all members, gosh it was a long night" All about her. Who gives a Monkey's f**k Judith if you had a long night, it's the job you wanted, you don't think the PM hasn't had a few late nights in the last few years. Oh and by the way Judith, your already dog whistling to the Far-Right, (Woke, nothing wrong with being white, etc) tells the world your obvious allegiances. The doubling down on Nasty National is well on track.
Henry Cooke failing to point out that national is a policy free zone too or even worse that if in power they do stuff that they have never even mentioned. Also portrays Jacinda's refusal to comment on the Nact drama's as "being above the election".
There's plenty of sharp analysis they could do but this isn't it.
Looks like solid analysis to me. While I understand JA's strategy around 'we're the safe and competent govt who will be reelected', telling the electorate she's not really thinking about the election is kind of alarming.
That National have been light on policy doesn't mean it's ok for any party to be incl Labour. Cooke is saying Collins will refocus Nat back on policy and that Labour will have to do this too. These seems right to me. I assume Labour intend to release policy as we get closer to the election, and also that they've had a lot on their plate so it makes sense that there would be delays. But a policy light election would not serve NZ at this time.
I wonder if after the last election Labour will hang off until after National releases policy in an area. Then they can attack and release their own. Much as nat did last time.
But since what we get from the Nats in power rarely resembles any policy they may release pre election do we gain anything from it
I still feel – without examing sources – that refusing to discuss Nats drama’s has been twisted out of shape.
it will certainly be interesting to see how different parties campaign this year, given the disruption from the pandemic.
I'm glad our election is well ahead of the US one, but I expect Collins to use whatever Trumpian politics she can to increase Nat's vote. It's not going to be pretty.
The whole campaign will be fought on economic issues. If you think some busy ski fields indicates the economy is not suffering, let me introduce you to the unemployment rate (which doesn't take into account the mass layoffs coming when wage subsidy scheme ends).
The election will be about who is best to lead the economic recovery.
Its not even the recovery yet, as we have not hit the bottom of the recession/depression.
Can Labour get onto this right away and recruit reliable and fit people and pay them decently with pocket money on the job, and main income covering family costs (so doesn't get scooped up by predatory drug sellers).They should have good warm accommodation, good meals, good transport to and from, and guaranteed good income support between jobs and break time off with families if they have to travel away to fill jobs? Give the good, reliable ones special standing so that they will be available next season.
Could unions widen their interest in the working and non-working lower income members of society and also try to facilitate people into work by providing an employment agency, under their umbrella which would help workers organise themselves to fill vacancies, and have regular work along with transport and accommodation, and keep themselves working throughout the year. The state is supposed to be helping with this, but the news about WINZ treatment does not sound like good service for those needing employment.
Labour could facilitate this by helping with training, and ensuring reasonable conditions, and decent financial support between jobs. The emphasis these days seems to be on computer skills being highly regarded, yet in reality the employers appreciate people who are fit, capable, stick to the task and do it competently and reliably. Why can't a workforce doing physical work earn gold stars and be highly regarded for matching the above criteria?
Yesterday on Ryan Bridge's radio show Judith Collins had a mini-meltdown because Jacinda Ardern apparently hadn't acknowledged, to her satisfaction, Collins' climbing over of bodies and rise to power.
Ryan Bridge must not have believed how easily he was able to excite Judith, much like the way a dog owner rattles the lead to say it's 'walkies'.
Anyway, today JA paid tribute to Kaye. I hope it was deliberately pointed, along with being a nice thing to do.
Very nice pencil drawing of PM Jacinda and fellow Covid-19 slayer Chief Executive, Ministry of Health Ashley Bloomfield – for up on a wall in pride of place as was Michael Savage!
MJS white New Zealand and sinophobia attitudes, when viewed in today’s environment could tarnish the gravitas that he is viewed by some. Hint he doesn’t endear himself to all ethnicities.
Perhaps it may make some to view those historic figures and their achievements in context of their time, place and social forms.
Jeez it must be great to be perfect and never be accused of copping someone's sensibilities. That will be a big value for tech speak – you will speak normally into a box and it will filter out your words to something that cannot offend anybody. Save lots of hazzle, that's hassle and razzle dazzle mixed; ie the sort of world that we try to survive in today. It's a jungle out here.
Pretty much. National will open up the borders so that their funders can make higher profits while not caring about the damage that they will do to the people.
But, then, that's what National always does in one way or another.
I haven't heard them changing from open them up as fast as possible while ignoring how bad things are getting for those places that they want to open up to.
I thought it was usual practice at this site that when one makes a claim such as….
Pretty much. National will open up the borders so that their funders can make higher profits while not caring about the damage that they will do to the people.
that they provide a link supporting that assertion. A quick search on google suggests that the assertion by the commenters is incorrect.
As you know, National changes their stand on the border situation more often than a puber changes undies. For the latest updates, visit NP website, Twitter, or FB accounts.
Enough is enough yes the Victorian govt is Labour but not NZ Labour. NZ Labour are only responsible for their policies and decisions in NZ. But you know this don't you
Biggest lol today a comment on the National Party's FB feed. "Its official. More MP's have abandoned National than returnees have absconded from isolation
I don't think it's fair the ongoing attacks of Clarke rumours and I think we should keep away from that sort of thing. If there are real reasons (facts) to announce, go for it, and announce it, I'll be just as interested as anyone, otherwise it's just gossip.
Did today's The Panel cause any sort of trauma? I thought it was rather gorgeous despite all the "Ha ha ha's" and really deep thought. I'll lay awake tonight thinking about it.
I persevered listening to it all while you were probably taking down every word to use against the participants in future (just because I don't have a life).
Just be careful ya don't denigrate MY Queen of the media (Kim Hill) or you'll have me to answer to – in this space going forward
He let Lisa sidetrack him into talking about the failures of the Christchurch rebuild which was a lovely example of how political baggage can weigh you down.
It was standard Brownlee and the way hes dealt with interviews for years….it hasnt held his career back to date so theres no reason to expect it will suddenly begin to now.
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A Different Kind Of Vibe: In the days and weeks ahead, as the Hipkins ministry takes shape, the only question that matters is whether New Zealand’s new prime minister possesses both the wisdom and the courage to correct his party’s currently suicidal political course. If Chris “Chippy” Hipkins is able to steer ...
The days of the Labour Government being associated with middle class social liberalism look to be numbered. Soon-to-be Prime Minister Chris Hipkins and Deputy Prime Minister Carmel Sepuloni are heralding a major shift in emphasis away from the constituencies and ideologies of liberal Grey Lynn and Wellington Central towards the ...
Following the surprise resignation of Jacinda Ardern last week, her replacement, Chis Hipkins, has said: Over the coming week, Cabinet will be making decisions on reining in some programs and projects that aren’t essential right now That messaging is similar to what Jacinda Ardern said late last year and as ...
Much of what will mark the early days of Chris Hipkins’ Prime Ministership would have happened anyway. By December, the Prime Minister and Finance Minister were making it clear the summer break and early days of this year were going to be spent on a reset of government policy. ...
Going to try to get into the blogging thing again (ha!) what with an election coming up and all that. So today I thought I'd start small and simple, by merely tackling the world's (second) richest man.I'm no fan of Elon Musk. You don't want to know why, but I'll ...
A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Jan 15, 2023 thru Sat, Jan 21, 2023. Story of the Week State of the climate: How the world warmed in 2022With a new year underway, most of the climate data for ...
Well, that was a disappointment. As of today, the New Zealand Labour Caucus opted for Chris Hipkins as our new Prime Minister, and I cannot help but let loose a cynical cackle. ...
Get ready for a major political reset once Chris Hipkins is sworn in as Prime Minister this week. Labour’s new leader is likely to push the Government to the right economically, and do his best to jettison the damaging perceptions that Labour has become “too woke” on social issues. Overall, ...
Things have gone sideways… and it’s only the third week of January? It was political earthquake time. For some the Prime Minister made a truly significant announcement. For others – did you have this on your bingo card? – a body double did so (sit tight, you’ll understand later, ...
Buzz from the Beehive Because our hard-working Ministers of the Crown are engaged in Labour Party caucus stuff in Napier, no doubt jockeying to ensure they keep their jobs or get a better one, Point of Order was not surprised to find no fresh news on the Beehive website this ...
By the end of 2019, Jacinda Ardern was a political superstar heading towards an election defeat. She was an icon, internationally beloved, on track to be an ex-prime minister before the age of forty. It was the year of the Christchurch terror attack when Ardern’s response to the atrocity saw ...
People complain about their jobs being meaningless. Does it matter?David Graeber, author of Bullshit Jobs: The Rise of Pointless Work and What We Can Do About It, would have smiled at Elon Musk’s sacking half the Twitter workforce. Musk seems to be confirming the main thesis of the book, that ...
Dr Bryce Edwards writes: Should New Zealand have a snap election? That’s one of the questions arising out of the chaos of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s shock resignation. There’s an increased realisation that everything has changed, and the old plans and assumptions for election year have suddenly evaporated. ...
Should New Zealand have a snap election? That’s one of the questions arising out of the chaos of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s shock resignation. There’s an increased realisation that everything has changed, and the old plans and assumptions for election year have suddenly evaporated. So, although Ardern has named an ...
I warned about the trap of virtue signaling in my article Virtue signaling over Ukraine. This video is still relevant – but have we moved on since then? The Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 was universally condemned at the time. Or was it? Certainly, the political atmosphere ...
Earlier this week Point of Order carried a post by Geoffrey Miller on how Japan under a new security blueprint is doubling its defence spending. The plans see Japan buying up advanced weaponry – including long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles from the US – and spending more on ...
Anyone else suffering back-to-work-blues? We’re battling, but still upright. Haere tonu! Today’s cover image is of sunset over Tirohanga Whānui Bridge, sourced from Twitter. The week in Greater Auckland On Monday, Jolisa pondered the fate of AT’s ‘Statements of Imagination’. Tuesday’s post was a guest post by Grady ...
Open access notables Bad news delivered by an all-star cast of familiar researchers: Another Year of Record Heat for the Oceans. From the abstract: In 2022, the world’s oceans, as given by OHC, were again the hottest in the historical record and exceeded the previous 2021 record maximum. According to IAP/CAS data, ...
The resignation of Jacinda Ardern has already made more global headlines than you might expect for that of the PM of a small commonwealth nation like say Sierra Leone (population 6.5 million) or Singapore (population 5.5 million). But international observers might not be too surprised by Ardern’s announcement that ...
One of my earliest political memories is the resignation of Prime Minister David Lange in August 1989. I remember this because of a brown felt-tipped pen drawing I did of the Beehive, the building that houses the Executive of the New Zealand Government. More than thirty years later, we ...
Buzz from the Beehive Hard on the heels of our Buzz from the Beehive earlier today, the PM has made two announcements – the 2023 general election will be held on Saturday 14 October and she will not be campaigning to win a third term as Prime Minister. She will ...
Jacinda Ardern had an outsized impact on New Zealand’s international relations. While all Prime Ministers travel internationally, Ardern’s calendar was fuller than most. Ardern’s first major foreign trip came within weeks of her election in 2017, to the APEC summit in Vietnam. The meeting gave Ardern her first in-person encounter ...
She gave it her all. No New Zealand Prime Minister has ever dominated the political scene at home as she has done, or has established an international profile to match hers. No New Zealand Prime Minister has had to confront such a sequence of domestic and international catastrophes – from ...
Jacinda Ardern's shock resignation announcement today has left a lot of us with a lot of complicated feelings. In my case, while I've been highly critical of Ardern's government, I'm still sorry to see her go. We've had far too many terrible things happen during her term as Prime Minister ...
The decision by Jacinda Ardern to end her term as Prime Minister on February 7 has come as a stunning surprise. It turns the task of a centre-left government winning re-election this year from difficult to nigh on impossible. No-one else among the Labour caucus has Ardern’s ability to explain ...
Jacinda Ardern’s first press conference as Labour leader in August 2017 was a defining moment in the past decade of New Zealand politics. A young woman (by the standards of politics) who had long been tipped for higher office, she had underperformed as a minister and Andrew Little’s noble resignation ...
An Astonishing Rapport: Jacinda Ardern's "Politics of Kindness" raised so many progressive possibilities. Her own tragedy, and New Zealand's, is that so few of them were realised.MUCH WILL BE WRITTEN in the coming days about "The Ardern Years", some of it sympathetic and insightful, most of it spiteful and wrong.For ...
Buzz from the Beehive We drew another blank, when we checked the Beehive website this morning for ministerial announcements, pronouncements or denouncements. Nothing has been posted since January 16, when Damien O’Connor announced he was travelling to Europe this week to discuss the role of agricultural trade in climate change ...
Kiwis returning to work after their summer breaks and scanning the economic horizon may find few encouraging signals. Even the agricultural sector, which proved to be the mainstay at the height of the Covid pandemic, is now having to navigate the inflation raging in the domestic sector. As well, ...
The Herald this morning reports on the rich's efforts to buy this year's election. And you'll never guess who their chosen vehicle is: The National Party may start election year with a $2.3 million war chest raised from 24 big donors in 2022, while Labour has declared just $150,000 ...
Here’s more from the “no news today” file. Under the heading Wellbeing of missing Marokopa children huge question mark – psychologist, RNZ reminds us that three children have been missing with their father for a year. Marokopa father Thomas Phillips and his three children Jayda, Maverick, and Ember have not ...
Buzz from the Beehive Our visit to the Beehive website this morning found nothing new since Damien O’Connor posted the announcement of his journey to Europe this week to discuss the role of agricultural trade in climate change and food security, WTO reform and New Zealand agricultural innovation. No news, of ...
DR BRYCE EDWARDS writes – Christopher Luxon’s National Party are the odds-on favourites to win the general election this year. They have been consistently ahead of Labour in the polls in recent months, and have a firm coalition partner in Act, which is often polling about 10 per cent. Betting ...
Christopher Luxon’s National Party are the odds-on favourites to win the general election this year. They have been consistently ahead of Labour in the polls in recent months, and have a firm coalition partner in Act, which is often polling about 10 per cent. Betting agencies can’t take bets on ...
Disruptions to public transport have long been a frustrating fact of life in Auckland, but the last year has taken this to a whole new level, with the ongoing longterm rail shutdowns with bus replacement services, plus thousands of bus cancellations a day becoming a regular occurrence. Things are currently so ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Sarah Wesseler You walk into your kitchen to make pasta. After filling a pot with water, you place a small silicone mat in the middle of your counter, then set the pot above it and open a stovetop app on your phone. ...
The extreme right-wing conspiracy theorist and anti-vaxer who was outed in Nicky Hagar’s “Dirty Politics”, Cameron “Whaleoil” Slater, has resurrected himself and is now promoting a campaign for his sometime-associate, Simon Lusk, to disrupt National’s candidate selection for the Tukituki electorate. ...
You know it as well as I, the famous Ring Verse from The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien: Three Rings for the Elven Kings under the sky Seven for the Dwarf Lords in their halls of stone Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die One ...
The tools exist to help families with surging costs – and as costs continue to rise it is more urgent than ever that we use them, the Green Party says. ...
Members of Parliament for the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand have today written to Iran’s Grand Ayatollah Khamenei to condemn the ongoing violence and killing of women’s rights and democracy protesters, and to call on him to intervene immediately. ...
Ka papā te whatitiri, Hikohiko ana te uira, wāhi rua mai ana rā runga mai o Huruiki maunga Kua hinga te māreikura o te Nota, a Titewhai Harawira Nā reira, e te kahurangi, takoto, e moe Ka mōwai koa a Whakapara, kua uhia te Tai Tokerau e te kapua pōuri ...
The 2023 General Election will be held on Saturday 14 October 2023, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced today. “Announcing the election date early in the year provides New Zealanders with certainty and has become the practice of this Government and the previous one, and I believe is best practice,” Jacinda ...
Jacinda Ardern has announced she will step down as Prime Minister and Leader of the Labour Party. Her resignation will take effect on the appointment of a new Prime Minister. A caucus vote to elect a new Party Leader will occur in 3 days’ time on Sunday the 22nd of ...
The Government is maintaining its strong trade focus in 2023 with Trade and Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor visiting Europe this week to discuss the role of agricultural trade in climate change and food security, WTO reform and New Zealand agricultural innovation. Damien O’Connor will travel tomorrow to Switzerland to attend the ...
The Government has extended its medium-scale classification of Cyclone Hale to the Wairarapa after assessing storm damage to the eastern coastline of the region. “We’re making up to $80,000 available to the East Coast Rural Support Trust to help farmers and growers recover from the significant damage in the region,” ...
The Government is making an initial contribution of $150,000 to the Mayoral Relief Fund to help communities in Tairāwhiti following ex-Tropical Cyclone Hale, Minister for Emergency Management Kieran McAnulty announced. “While Cyclone Hale has caused widespread heavy rain, flooding and high winds across many parts of the North Island, Tairāwhiti ...
Rural Communities Minister Damien O’Connor has classified this week’s Cyclone Hale that caused significant flood damage across the Tairāwhiti/Gisborne District as a medium-scale adverse event, unlocking Government support for farmers and growers. “We’re making up to $100,000 available to help coordinate efforts as farmers and growers recover from the heavy ...
A vaccine for people at risk of mpox (Monkeypox) will be available if prescribed by a medical practitioner to people who meet eligibility criteria from Monday 16 January, says Associate Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall. 5,000 vials of the vaccine have been obtained, enough for up to 20,000 ...
Auckland Central MP Chlöe Swarbrick has written to the new prime minister, thanking him for making Auckland one of his first priorities as leader. Chris Hipkins spent the day in Tāmakai Makaurau meeting with business leaders, as well as attending the tangi for Māori activist Titewhai Harawira. In the letter ...
RNZ Pacific The Indonesian military says a tribunal has sentenced an army major to life in prison for his involvement in the brutal murder of four Papuan civilians in the Mimika district. Their mutilated bodies were found in August 2022. Benar News reports that human rights activists and victims’ relatives ...
Forest & Bird is deeply disappointed that bottom trawling, dredging and Danish seining will still be allowed under the Hauraki Gulf Fisheries Plan , released in draft form last week . “We need to move beyond ripping up the seafloor to catch ...
Before a fresh group of Treasure Island castaways wash ashore next week, we predict what their go-to words of wisdom might say about how their gameplay. When the Treasure Island: Fan v Faves castaways find themselves marooned on a deserted Fijian beach, it’s likely they’ll need to call on some ...
By Meri Radinibaravi in Suva Fiji’s Constitution does not require everything related to the government to be called Fijian, says Attorney-General Siromi Turaga. Speaking during a media conference, he said there was no right or wrong way to describe a title or name a government. He said FijiFirst party general ...
Alice Webb-Liddall has watched a lot of netball in her life. This was hands down the most confusing five minutes she’s ever seen.This morning at the crack of dawn, I and presumably no more than 10 or so other New Zealand netball tragics woke up to watch the Silver ...
Pacific Media Watch A prominent Papuan journalist has said a recent bombing near his home is the latest in a string of attacks against him, reports ABC Pacific Beat. Victor Mambor said he heard motorbikes ride past his home before a bomb exploded about 3 metres from his house on ...
RNZ Pacific Police interviewing of FijiFirst Party general secretary and former attorney-general Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum has reportedly been suspended but will continue later. FBC News reports the interview with Sayed-Khaiyum will continue. The police Chief of Intelligence and Investigations, Assistant Commissioner Surend Sami, told the state broadcaster the suspension is to ...
Councils representing more than a million New Zealanders are calling on the new Prime Minister to take a fresh look at a model for water reform that works. The member councils of Communities 4 Local Democracy He hapori mō te Manapori (C4LD) said that ...
The new prime minister enjoyed what he described as a “constructive” meeting with senior members of the business community in Auckland this morning. The hour-long, closed doors discussion was Chris Hipkins’ first engagement since being elected leader of the Labour Party and, therefore, prime minister. Speaking to media after the ...
His groundbreaking work conducted in Christchurch in the 1960s was never pursued. Now a legal loophole could make NZ a global leader in LSD research.This story was first published on Stuff. When Mark Livingstone was going through his father’s possessions after his death in 1970, he discovered a small ...
CPAG has long thought that Working for Families (WFF) needed to be renamed to put children at its centre, not work. In a letter to the editor today (26 January) Chris Brown of Tauranga came up with a title that accurately reflected the reality of low ...
New prime minister Chris Hipkins is meeting with Auckland business leaders this morning at a roundtable event – his first official engagement in the top job. Greeted by Auckland Business Chamber head Simon Bridges, the former National Party leader, Hipkins gave opening remarks before media were ushered out of the ...
From eggs to houses and (almost) everything in between.If there’s one thing New Zealand doesn’t currently have a shortage of, it’s shortages. It’s a word so commonly seen at the supermarket or in the news at the moment that it’s stopped looking like a real word. For a while, ...
*This story was originally published on RNZ and is republished with permission* Prime Minister Chris Hipkins speaks to media after meeting with business leaders in Tāmaki Makaurau this morning. Hipkins says Auckland is incredibly important to the New Zealand economy, and our gateway to the world. He says his meeting with business ...
Do people who live in regions of lower seismic activity in Aotearoa New Zealand think about and prepare well for earthquakes in their regions? A research project funded by Toka Tū Ake EQC will provide a better understanding about what influences ...
It’s Thursday, January 26 and welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates with me, Stewart Sowman-Lund. Reach me on [email protected] The agenda New prime minister Chris Hipkins is in Auckland today for his first official engagement in the job. He’ll meet with CEOs at an Auckland Business Chamber ...
Where does all the power and influence in world rugby lie? Increasingly, with an exclusive group of top international coaches.This is an excerpt from The Bounce, a Substack newsletter by Dylan Cleaver. A learned, rugby-loving friend of mine believes the sport is, to its detriment, being slowly and systematically controlled ...
Labour’s leadership transition was a masterclass in how to pass the reins of power. Part of that was the lack of contenders willing to put themselves forward. One of those who chose not to go for the top job, despite expectations he would, was Grant Robertson. The former deputy PM ...
Good attempt here by the Herald’s Thomas Coughlan (paywalled) to work out whether those most impacted by rising interest rates are a significant enough voting bloc to shift the election. Those most impacted will be those who have bought in the last couple of years. Data on average mortgages and household net ...
Chris Hipkins got straight to work yesterday as new prime minister, chairing his first cabinet meeting and then reiterating to the media that he plans to rein in certain government projects and focus on the cost of living. He heads to Auckland today where he’ll meet with business leaders at ...
New Zealand Politics Daily is a collation of the most prominent issues being discussed in New Zealand. It is edited by Dr Bryce Edwards of The Democracy Project. Items of interest and importance todayRĀTANA, CO-GOVERNANCE, THREE WATERS Chris Trotter (Daily Blog): After Ratana Thomas Manch (Stuff): Could Three Waters be on the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Helen Brand, Senior Beamline Scientist – Powder Diffraction, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation Image of Gosses Bluff taken from the ISS.NASA I think all craters are cool, I’m just going to start with that. I am very biased. Impact craters ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bronwyn Carlson, Professor, Indigenous Studies and Director of The Centre for Global Indigenous Futures, Macquarie University “Australia Day”, January 26, brings an annual debate of whether celebrations should continue or be moved to a different date. This clash of views means Aboriginal ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Benjamin T. Jones, Senior Lecturer in History, CQUniversity Australia January 26 is a date that sparks mixed emotions in Australia. For some, it’s a day to celebrate all the good things about living in Australia. For others, it’s a painful reminder of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vincent Ho, Associate Professor and clinical academic gastroenterologist, Western Sydney University Unsplash, CC BY Doctors are reportedly concerned about a spike in the number of kids with gastroenteritis – when tummy infections can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, fever, abdominal pain, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Susan Hazel, Associate Professor, School of Animal and Veterinary Science, University of Adelaide Shutterstock Does your cat or dog suddenly get a burst of energy and perform athletic feats around the house that would make even a gold medallist jealous? ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Euan Ritchie, Professor in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, School of Life & Environmental Sciences, Deakin University Wes Mountain/The Conversation/ShutterstocklAm I not pretty enough? This article is part of The Conversation’s series introducing you to unloved Australian animals that need ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bronwyn Carlson, Professor, Indigenous Studies and Director of The Centre for Global Indigenous Futures, Macquarie University Madman EntertainmentReview: You Can Go Now, directed by Larissa Behrendt. A new documentary from Larissa Behrendt, You Can Go Now, highlights the life, ...
Eleven of New Zealand’s leading academics have written an open letter to business leaders and politicians stating that the proposed new international airport in Central Otago “should not proceed”, as it runs against prevailing research. The letter, ...
Prime minister Chris Hipkins reiterated yesterday that the “bread and butter” issue of inflation is the number one focus for the government and a new poll demonstrates why, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, ...
Sport Northland, a community organisation funded by local and central government, has blocked a group from hiring a public venue, because of the political views they hold. Julian Batchelor from ‘Stop Co-Governance’ said Sport Northland has acted ...
"New polling shows growing public support for calls to cut fertiliser, regulate the dairy industry to protect water and, while not yet a majority, lower dairy cow numbers," says Greenpeace Aotearoa senior campaigner Steve Abel. The polling ...
Jacinda Ardern and Sir John Key have set a new standard for New Zealand Prime Ministers. Too often Prime Ministers have clung to their position, often through thick and thin, until they have been either been tossed out by the electorate or dumped by their ...
New Zealand Government representatives will today present to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child as part of the sixth review on the country’s progress in upholding children’s rights. This review is the first since 2016. A New Zealand ...
Chris Hipkins has promised to ‘run a ruler’ over Labour’s extensive policy agenda. So what’s likely to be on the chopping block? And what could be brought back from the dead?New Zealand’s new prime minister had a busy first day in the job. Fresh from being sworn in shortly ...
Are helmets a necessary safety measure, a cause of health issues, a government cop out – or something more complex?I usually wear a helmet on my bike commute to work. Recently, however, I’ve discovered a new, safer route that mostly keeps me away from rush hour car traffic. My ...
Small businesses across Aotearoa aren't confident the new prime minister will address their issues in time to win them over before the general election. ...
Chris Hipkins' first big meetings as prime minister are a series of charm offensives with Auckland businesses, as he seeks to understand what their priorities and issue are. ...
Chris Hipkins' first big meetings as prime minister are a series of charm offensives with Auckland businesses, as he seeks to understand what their priorities and issue are. ...
The more that students study maths to a higher level, the better for society. No financial literacy course can replace understanding the fundamental mathematical conceptsOpinion:The announcement by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of a plan to boost the mathematical capacity of their high school graduates by making maths compulsory up ...
A daughter's memoir Younger people may be tired of hearing what an exciting time the 70s was for women. But it remains true, and no less so for those within and on the edges of the literary world. At the time, I was an avid reader – of Atwood, Drabble, ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Taryn Brumfitt, a body image campaigner whose work has been recognised internationally, is the 2023 Australian of the Year. A writer and film maker from Adelaide, Brumfitt’s 2016 documentary Embrace, about women’s body loathing ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Thalia Anthony, Professor of Law, University of Technology Sydney Pin Rada/AAP Since colonisation, “interventions” to curb Aboriginal “crime” and alcohol have been deployed to control and harm First Nations communities and people. Nowhere is this more true than in the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mary Crock, Professor of Public Law, University of Sydney Evan Agostini/AP Just one year after then-Immigration Minister Alex Hawke moved to expel tennis star Novak Djokovic from Australia on character grounds, his Labor successor, Andrew Giles, is faced with another ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Isaac Gross, Lecturer in Economics, Monash University Interest rates are almost certain to rise again in February, after the latest Consumer Price Index figures showing inflation hit 7.8% in 2022 – its highest rate in 33 years. The data from the Australian ...
New prime minister Chris Hipkins has reiterated his plan to rein in some government projects over the coming weeks. But, he would not comment on what projects could be on the chopping block. Speaking at his first post-cabinet press conference, Hipkins once again said his government would be focused on ...
Fresh from being sworn in as our new prime minister, Chris Hipkins will answer questions from media after a cabinet meeting was held this afternoon. You can tune in below, thanks to RNZ. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nathalie Collins, Senior Lecturer, Edith Cowan University Tech companies are always in the news, usually touting the next big thing. However, the tech news cycle recently hasn’t been dominated by the latest gadget or innovation. Instead, layoffs are in the headlines. In ...
Chris Hipkins has put the "bread and butter" issue of inflation at the top of his government's agenda, saying today's figures confirm that's the right approach. ...
With the biggest news in entertainment that I somehow forgot to include this morning, here is Sam Brooks: Nominations for the 95th Academy Awards were announced this morning, with indie breakout Everything Everywhere All At Once leading with 11, trailed by both The Banshees of Inisherin and All Quiet on ...
Linda Burgess devours the royal memoir that’s already been half-spilled across the internet to feed those of us – you know who you are – who love to lap it all up.In recent days, in between real news, like changing prime ministers, there’ve been a few laconic locals from ...
News that Vic Books is closing down on March 31 has been met with an outpouring of grief, confusion and some existential grappling about what its absence means for Wellington’s very soul.Well, double fuck. After 48 years, Vic Books Kelburn (situated on campus at Victoria University of Wellington) is ...
“Congratulations to Chris Hipkins on becoming the new Prime Minister of New Zealand. We applaud his stated aim to “focus on bread and butter issues” like the cost of living and the economy” says Sue Harrison, President of the NZ Property Investors’ ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne A federal Resolve poll for Nine newspapers, conducted January 17-22 from a sample of 1,606 people, has given Labor 42% of the ...
Watch live: Hipkins says at his first Cabinet meeting as prime minister he reiterated his expectation that reprioritisation work will be the government's absolute priority over the coming weeks. ...
Auckland’s mayor Wayne Brown accepted just two interview requests from media during his first month of office. That’s despite 108 requests made by journalists. RNZ’s obtained figures showing the total breakdown of requests to Brown’s office, revealing 54 out of the 108 were declined outright, while statements were provided in ...
Statistics New Zealand made its quarterly announcement about the consumer price index (CPI) this morning. A percentage number and the word ‘inflation’ always feature in the headlines about these announcements – but what does the CPI actually measure, and why is that about inflation?What is that percentage?Right now ...
The Free Speech Union notes the appointment of Meg de Ronde as the new Chief Executive of the Human Rights Commission, the first ever to hold this role, and welcomes the opportunity for a reset towards core human rights at the Commission, says Jonathan ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Cunningham, Doctoral Candidate in Public Health, Griffith University Shutterstock We all know someone who insists on wearing a cardigan in summer or refuses to turn on the air conditioning because “it’s not that hot”. Chances are this is an ...
Talkback listeners were taken on an unexpectedly thrilling journey last night as the Newstalk ZB host broadcast his frantic search for the studio swipe card.“I probably sound a bit different tonight,” Newstalk ZB’s Marcus Lush told listeners shortly after 8pm. “Am I feeling different? No. Do I sound different? ...
A smiling Chris Hipkins has officially been sworn in as the 41st prime minister of New Zealand. Carmel Sepuloni becomes the first Pacific person to take on the deputy role. The ceremony took place at Government House in front of senior government representatives such as Grant Robertson and Kelvin Davis. ...
It’s Wednesday, January 25 and welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates. I’m Stewart Sowman-Lund and you can email me on [email protected] The agenda Chris Hipkins and Carmel Sepuloni have been formally sworn in as New Zealand’s next prime minister and deputy. Jacinda Ardern earlier left parliament to ...
The Herald is reporting that Nikki Kaye is quitting at the election. It’s not very surprising, her tenure as Deputy Leader has been a total disaster, I don’t know why the commentators go so easy on her really.
The Woodhouse camp (if there is one) is now spinning that he wanted to fess up about the Boag leaks on the Wednesday but Kaye and Adams told him to stay quiet; they were going to deal with it. No wonder Collins could only shift him sideways. How long before Adams re-resigns?
The Herald also reports that the party was trying to dissuade Kaye from making a rash decision. Not, you’d have to think for Kaye’s benefit, but rather because the party can see a swathe of urban, fairly liberal voters leaving with her.
Even before this shift fight Kaye’s grip on Auckland Central was probably slipping. It seems more likely now to go back to Labour.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/video.cfm?c_id=1&gal_cid=1&gallery_id=222072
Do do do another one bites the dust
Wrong link… This is the one to your story https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12348376
Oops sorry. That will be a case of stray fingers on the iPad.
For once people in the National caucas are taking responsibility and exiting.
So Boag was still full throttle after she was being caught out.
Edit please remove second paragraph @ 1.3
I waned the second paragraph in 1.3 to be removed due to leaving out the word issue.
So Boag issue was still…
I thought the PM’s response to the National Party’s leadership travails yesterday was spot on. “I’m just focussed on getting NZ through the pandemic and don’t have time for politics” etc.
It neatly reminded everyone that, at this time of crisis, the Nats are only concerned with themselves. And it clearly got Collins all riled up. We all know she hates being ignored more than anything else. She accused the PM of being ‘woke’ (whatever that meant, presumably she just thinks it’s an easy way to denigrate someone) and ‘warned’ Ardern not to ignore her. And issued the good old ‘I’ll debate you anywhere, anytime challenge’ that Opposition Leaders love. Gonna be great fun if this is how easy it is to get Collins all worked up.
She accused the PM of being ‘woke’ (whatever that meant
She may have googled it, eh?
I've been anticipating the emergence of woke 2.0 (brown lives matter), 3.0 (yellow lives matter) and 4.0 (red lives matter) for a while – but it seems that those other US ethnicities remain reluctant to awaken.
The leadership will be up with the play what with everyone parachuting . Collins sometimes has problems getting to the airport though. She purposefully goes in the opposite direction and tells us she was going to the airport.
And Gerry? He actually gets to the airport, ploughs through places he shouldn't be, bullshits his way through it and months later a report comes out showing his story was bullshit.
Chris Trotter: "Judith Collins scares me." http://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-judith-collins-led-national-party.html
But hey, bland is good, right? Well, Labour will try to cling to that notion but the battle for mainstreamers is more likely to be won by messaging that suits the crisis. Chris is right but the lag until Labour strategists realise that is the thing to watch for.
Yeah but Labour's preference for selecting mediocre candidates deserves an appropriate response – as long as the critique is fair and accurate, voters will credit National.
Damn right! JA can ace JC via this method. But it presumes JC will use flawed rightist framing. Framing to win centrists (as she should) makes her a hard target to hit.
Correct. JC is vulnerable to any trigger that activates her dark side. Force her to adopt a partisan stance. Centrists will shift away from her.
We've already been waiting months for that. If Labour have actually done the intellectual work, they may be saving it for a timely campaign release.
Yeah. Allowing that perception to embed in the public mind is a mistake. Labour folk just point the polls and say `no problem'. Until the lead evaporates…
I really like the bit where he says:
" With the right rejecting her as too left, and the left dismissing her as too right, she has fallen repeatedly between the two STOOLS."
Even if the Right stool is a hell of a lot more smelly these days
"Yeah but Labour's preference for selecting mediocre candidates deserves an appropriate response – as long as the critique is fair and accurate, voters will credit National." – more fun (and much easier) to
snipeopine than lead, eh Dennis? Remind you of anyone?Hungry and scared in Hawkes Bay
Hungry and scared in Hawkes Bay
newsroom.co.nz/hungry-and-scared-in-hawkes-bay
Bizzniss as usual:
" I have complete faith in my officials "
"He noted that Brown was initially assigned the case as the RSE labour inspector for the Hawkes Bay region, but that he was re-assigned after a copy of the tape recording was presented to MBIE" ……. and anyway, it's not as if he called them "Scum" on social media.
Bizzniss as usual.
" I have complete faith in my officials "
"He noted that Brown was initially assigned the case as the RSE labour inspector for the Hawkes Bay region, but that he was re-assigned after a copy of the tape recording was presented to MBIE" ……. and anyway, it's not as if he called them "Scum" on social media.
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/hungry-and-scared-in-hawkes-bay
Anthony Rarere…what a true gent. Who speaks to people like that?
There's history here…https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/voices/audio/2018629607/rse-recruiters-threatened-in-solomon-islands
There's history there @ Rosemary and elsewhere! And people remain in their positions.
I freely admit I have quaint old ideas though like:
public servants acting ethically; not having (or maintaining) conflicts if interests; respecting people's privacy; not thinking it OK to get people like T&C to spy on people carrying out their legitimate business; not trying to create their own little police forces; treating their worker-bees with respect and without bullying; actually doing the frikken job they're supposed to be doing; not leaking private information in order to advance their own agendas; etc.
It doesn't seem that much to ask considering those responsible are well-remunerated, but you know – call me old-fashioned possum
When in government yet keeping close to business it is hard to decide whose interests you are serving, and it is possible to jump in and out of government, a bit like hopskotch.
This Solomons Island thing is born of desperation surely.
Around 600 Solomon Island workers are recruited each year work in horticulture and viticulture industries in regions across the country.
Roselyn Givi and Janet Meimana are among 75 Solomon Island women recruited to pick blueberries in the Bay this year.
Janet hails from Isobel Island in the outer provinces of the Solomon’s archipelago.
After 2014’s Cyclone Ita washed away their family’s crops, Janet’s RSE earnings became vital for feeding her family and rebuilding her family’s home.
“We send money back home to help our families because on the island they are short of food, she says.
We no doubt count employing PI people for seasonal labour as aid to the Islands. I believe that has been so in the past. Where there has been tornadoes, tsunamis etc we should be providing long term aid such as special raised beds for growing important food crops and imported good compost and help to create more of their own compost.
Also each family that would like to come to NZ and pick should be on a list, grouped within larger extended families, and then each area would be sure to have someone earning that could help that area. Some would come regularly, and some would be rotated. At present it sounds like the old closed-union style where people could never get to get employment because of family preferences.
Treat people fairly, with input from them, not like colonials striding around being the big manager over a subject workforce.
"Treat people fairly, with input from them, not like colonials striding around being the big manager over a subject workforce"
Exactery!
My problem is that this sort of thing is not limited to the incident reported on by Newsroom. The people involved in this example have form. (All three). And it's all come about by bad policy and advice in the first place.
Episode 2:
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/alleged-assault-of-hawkes-bay-seasonal-worker
While the assault needs to be proven, the conflicts of interest and all the other crap are obvious.
It's possible (hopefully) more people will come forward now that many are starting to realise there's nothing to lose (they've already lost almost everything)
"I have complete faith in my officials"
Twiddleford and Lazy Galloway will be all over this, OR it's anoprashnilmadda.
That's capitalism. The kinder, nicer face of serfdom.
Here's a good explainer on the difference between "herd immunity" that is achieved by vaccination prior to an infectiousness disease coming into a population, and how many people get infected when a completely new infectious disease gets introduced into a population that has never had it before and nobody is immune.
https://www.msn.com/en-nz/health/medical/herd-immunity-a-misunderstanding/ar-BB16Mnkm?li=BBqdg4K&ocid=mailsignout
tl;dr For something like SARS-CoV-2 where on average one infection passes it on to two others (R0 = 2), if more than half the population (more than 1 – 1/R0) are immune due to vaccination (or prior exposure), then the outbreak dies out naturally very quickly because the very few infectious people out loose don’t encounter enough susceptible people to sustain an increasing chain of transmission. So a vulnerable person has a very low chance of ever encountering an infectious person and getting infected.
Whereas with a new infectious disease causing an epidemic, at the moment the "herd immunity" proportion of people achieve immunity, there are still many people wandering around in an infectious state. So anyone that is not immune has a much higher probability of encountering someone infectious and getting infected. So the epidemic won't die out until a much higher proportion of people get infected – up around 90% or more even for something with relatively low infectiousness like SARS-CoV-2.
One little thing, they ignore the little detail that during this pandemic those people get a mild illness may not have immunity from getting it again and spreading it again.
Throw evolutionary epidemiology into the mix and we really are still largely in the dark over SARS-CoV-2 .
https://www.cell.com/current-biology/pdf/S0960-9822(20)30847-2. pdf
Remove the space before “pdf” and copy the link if you want to follow it. For me the pdf was being automatically loaded in a pdf reader inside the comment, which was too small to read.
While all seem to be strangely obsessed with commenting from the sidelines as the Shit Ship National sinks beneath the waves, the Child Poverty Action Group releases a report calling for the Nationalisation of Early Childhood Education….free market principals are just not producing the positive outcomes for 'consumers'.
https://www.cpag.org.nz/news/
"Private for-profit providers are less likely to provide quality services across a range of indicators, including staff qualifications, workloads and retention, teacher-to-child ratios, and cultural responsiveness," they say.
"Despite New Zealand being internationally lauded for its high rates of ECE participation, attending a poor quality ECE service is potentially worse than not attending ECE at all.
"Rather than propping up the existing system – whereby ECE is treated as an investment opportunity, not a public good – the Government should be looking to nationalise ECE provision in its response to Covid-19."
Surprisingly (to me) is that one of the recommendations is that the minimum per child area be increased….
Despite ample evidence of the importance of layout and space of ECE environments for children’s learning,48NZ falls behind international recommendations of best practice. Research suggests that indoor requirements should be between 3.25 and 5 metres squared per child, and outdoor space between 7 and 25 metres squared per child.50At present, NZ regulations specify that licensed centres must have a minimum of2.5 metres squared per child indoors, and 5 metres squared per child outdoors.49Regulations were changed in 2008 to reduce the space-per-child requirements, which some have attributed to commercial pressure on the MoE.
I had heard rumours that some ECE centres were cramming them in like battery hens…but to think this is actually legal, and that those minimum space requirement were lowered in 2008…was this prior to the election that Labour lost?
In the meantime Natrad has been running articles featuring ECE owners bemoaning the fact that attendance (and profits?) have fallen markedly post Lockdown.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/421187/early-childhood-centres-face-closures-as-enrolments-dwindle-after-lockdown
About 40,000 children – 20 percent of under-fives – have not returned to early learning after lockdown, the Early Childhood Council says.
With fewer enrolments, centres get less income and some have too few children to be sustainable.
Darius Singh of Chrysalis Early Learning Centres in Auckland and Tauranga said up to 5 percent of children might normally be away during winter because of sickness, but about 30 percent were now not coming in.
This may not be a bad thing. Old fashioned that I am, I do believe that parents and grandparents (and other close whanau) are the best people to care for babies and toddlers and prepare them for the battleground that is School. And they don't need to do this alone…https://www.greatpotentials.org.nz/home-based-pre-school-education
Rosemary
Parents and grand-parents are probably the worst for preparing kids for anything as they, mostly, subconsciously teach what they learned at that age. Unless they've consciously gone out and learned and internalised what the research tells us then they're just going to teach the same bad habits to the children that they learned as children.
ECE is the better option but not privatised as they cut corners so as to boost profits especially as competition heats up.
Just starting to compile an election cycle playlist.
First up a dedication to Amy Adams:
There's an idea! A separate thread where we could post musical political playlists.
Here's one for Jacinda given the shit she's faced and is about to face:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DbTIKHYwog
Shane Reti making an idiot of himself already RNZ saying we should be managing our returning people in isolation /quarantine like Australia .
Really then he goes on to say we should be bringing in overseas students.
Really from which country .
Then an epidemiologist came on afterwards an said it wasn't a good idea.
How many times have we has National saying we need to open the borders and Australia were doing a better job.
I have no objection to foreign students coming in, BUT
1. residents and citizens who want back in have priority and essential skilled workers have priority to managed isolation/quarantine.
2. we have housing (returning Kiwis) and work availability limitations so cannot take the numbers of students on the terms we did before.
For mine we have first obligation to masters students and doctorate students here in 2019, then second to year 3 students of 2019. We would have to ban them from working here (they would have to borrow in their home country for study and living costs). This would reduce takers down to the level we could house in student hostels (quarantine in this accommodation in 2021 pre student year start).
Generally agree BUT!
it's probably high time we thought about the whole idea of citizenship/residency and what it means – especially now that it's become yet another commodity to be traded,
You can have an immigrant that commits his/her entire life to a new economy/society, contributes in every way we'd expect of the next man/woman – often not being able to vote after being resident knocking a decade.
Meanwhile, you can have a true blue Koiwoi, whose chosen a life overseas. And now that the shit has hit the fan – naturally enough, they want to come "HOME". That Koiwoi might be the likes of someone that often posts on here with all His eternal wisdon from across the ditch (an economic refugee – the likes of a Dutton would render illigitimate); or the likes of a Thiel who will be flying in on whichever selection of passports He considers best to suit His purpose.
The combinations and permutations are endless,
But wha wha wha, I only ever meant to go overseas to earn a better crust so I could come back to NuZull to invest my wealth in my "Home".
Reti is an idiot
He speakith with fork tounge.
I also favour an aspect of the Oz regime
All those in the first week should be confined to their room – keeping the first week intake and the second week intake separate is important.
I would however go further
1. Week 2 day 8, day 9, day 10, day 11 day 12 day 13 and day 14 would be allowed out of their rooms at different times.
2. Staff would required to maintain social distancing while off duty (because of the risk of being infected and spreading in the community). And pay them extra (and also future paid leave – post 2 week self isolation, a month off). It's money well spent.
Looks like jetpack had a timeout on the site whilst doing an update this morning.
Probably Russian hackers
Hoskings loses defamation case from Tamahere, had to publicly apologise on Air and pay an undisclosed sum to Tamahere, for which he donated directly to the Maori Party.
The money was paid by Hoskings employer.
Couldn't provide link as the the remainder of the story was behind a paywall, sorry.
But good news for Justice.
Surely Horeskin wouldn't let someone pay rather than taking responsibility for his actions, surely. Will he get someone to apologise on his behalf as well?
An interesting update on some common assumptions:
Even more interestingly is that we are heading into a demographic inversion, an era when there are more older people than younger. This is totally unmapped territory for the human race, we've never been here before and none of our economic models are calibrated for it.
It's not clear that either capitalism or socialism (or any of the 'isms) are going to work in this new world, at least not in their current formulations.
All pre pandemic thinking (old people at risk) …
and with no awareness of the risk of super bugs (antibiotics into Chinese pigs still) on the ability of hospitals to provide old people with new knees hips etc.
Global warming impact on old age health … nothing …
Sure contracpetion and education reduce the amount of children women have, but egg storage and looser rules about surrogacy may mitigate that.
Yes, RedLogix – that's super-interesting and not surprising (to me). What's forming ahead for us humans? It can't be described (imo). Exciting times.
Frankly it's not the "being old" that matters it's being too frail and needing care.Keeping older people in work, even if only part week , does a lot to mitigate these demographics.
We should even now be actively trying to keep people producing, their health and education is a sunk cost so get all the benefits we can from them.
Maybe not work as such but volunteering.
Most community groups are screaming for help.
If not front line tasks then possibly support roles or back office duties: bookkeeping, marketing, promotional work.
all that work and no pay.
how are the dear olds to keep themselves in housing with a running heater and three sandwiches a day?
Oh that is something else, right for that they can stay a few hours in a line at the local Winz office.
Back office work should be paid work.
Why not paid work. Most of them are not gaga yet. Just hanging out on the standard making typo's
japan has been going through this for 20 yrs. aging and static,or shrinking population, leads to lower consumer consumption. a sustainable economy and environment is being forced on them.
That was projected back in 1972 in Limits to Growth.
Hosking:
"I partially admire Muller. It takes real courage to so openly admit defeat and walk. Mind you, it's an astonishing lack of awareness of your own inabilities to not be able to see that you are not up for it in the first place, if it only takes 50-odd days to fall on your sword.
Me:
I admire Muller. It takes real courage to put yourself out there and stand for Parliament. And to stand as leader of a political party. It takes some sort of courage to so openly admit defeat and walk.
I admire Mike Hosking. It's an astonishing awareness of your own abilities and lack of them which sees you not put yourself out there and stand for Parliament. Or stand to be leader of a political party. Being able to see that you are not up for it takes some awareness.
I just wish he'd shut the fuck up about those who have the courage to try to do something constructive about what they believe in.
Hosking could fall onto swords for 50 odd days or be pushed onto 50 of them he'd still come up without the awareness that the least of the MPs in their contribution to our society is of exponentially more value to us than him and his sad offerings.
Somewhere, there's a Reichstag on fire …
a completely bizarre news conference….world has gone mad.
OMG, so Trumpiun, "I spoke to all members, gosh it was a long night" All about her. Who gives a Monkey's f**k Judith if you had a long night, it's the job you wanted, you don't think the PM hasn't had a few late nights in the last few years. Oh and by the way Judith, your already dog whistling to the Far-Right, (Woke, nothing wrong with being white, etc) tells the world your obvious allegiances. The doubling down on Nasty National is well on track.
No idiot MPs behind her pulling stupid faces. Is that deliberate or because nobody wants to be seen supporting her?
Stuff meant to be above this sort of clickbait.
Henry Cooke failing to point out that national is a policy free zone too or even worse that if in power they do stuff that they have never even mentioned. Also portrays Jacinda's refusal to comment on the Nact drama's as "being above the election".
There's plenty of sharp analysis they could do but this isn't it.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/300057912/jacinda-ardern-looks-to-stay-above-electoral-politics–and-judith-collins
Looks like solid analysis to me. While I understand JA's strategy around 'we're the safe and competent govt who will be reelected', telling the electorate she's not really thinking about the election is kind of alarming.
That National have been light on policy doesn't mean it's ok for any party to be incl Labour. Cooke is saying Collins will refocus Nat back on policy and that Labour will have to do this too. These seems right to me. I assume Labour intend to release policy as we get closer to the election, and also that they've had a lot on their plate so it makes sense that there would be delays. But a policy light election would not serve NZ at this time.
I wonder if after the last election Labour will hang off until after National releases policy in an area. Then they can attack and release their own. Much as nat did last time.
But since what we get from the Nats in power rarely resembles any policy they may release pre election do we gain anything from it
I still feel – without examing sources – that refusing to discuss Nats drama’s has been twisted out of shape.
it will certainly be interesting to see how different parties campaign this year, given the disruption from the pandemic.
I'm glad our election is well ahead of the US one, but I expect Collins to use whatever Trumpian politics she can to increase Nat's vote. It's not going to be pretty.
Look at the disruption to tourist hotspots when an avalanche of locals invade the slopes.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/back-your-backyard/122139232/southern-skifields-underestimate-huge-school-holiday-crowds-seeking-snow
Opposition parties that campaign on economic issues will struggle,
The whole campaign will be fought on economic issues. If you think some busy ski fields indicates the economy is not suffering, let me introduce you to the unemployment rate (which doesn't take into account the mass layoffs coming when wage subsidy scheme ends).
The election will be about who is best to lead the economic recovery.
Its not even the recovery yet, as we have not hit the bottom of the recession/depression.
The disarray in National is a godsend for the new New Zealand new Sustainable new Party led by Vernon Tava.
Come in Vern… Don't fade away into obscurity… Lots of soft right wing voters to suck up. If you want to get over 5%, this is your time! 😆
I thought Sustainable Party had all had a big bust up and splintered?
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/business/421331/harvesters-fear-for-industry-as-temporary-workers-visa-expiration-looms
Can Labour get onto this right away and recruit reliable and fit people and pay them decently with pocket money on the job, and main income covering family costs (so doesn't get scooped up by predatory drug sellers).They should have good warm accommodation, good meals, good transport to and from, and guaranteed good income support between jobs and break time off with families if they have to travel away to fill jobs? Give the good, reliable ones special standing so that they will be available next season.
Could unions widen their interest in the working and non-working lower income members of society and also try to facilitate people into work by providing an employment agency, under their umbrella which would help workers organise themselves to fill vacancies, and have regular work along with transport and accommodation, and keep themselves working throughout the year. The state is supposed to be helping with this, but the news about WINZ treatment does not sound like good service for those needing employment.
Labour could facilitate this by helping with training, and ensuring reasonable conditions, and decent financial support between jobs. The emphasis these days seems to be on computer skills being highly regarded, yet in reality the employers appreciate people who are fit, capable, stick to the task and do it competently and reliably. Why can't a workforce doing physical work earn gold stars and be highly regarded for matching the above criteria?
and some people still believe the NZ Police are not corrupt:
https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/122151285/fresh-probe-launched-into-top-cop-simon-felthams-speeding
And how does it take 'several months' to even 'investigate' whether or not he was speeding? That in itself is a corruption of process.
If the Police are losing respect, they have only themselves to blame.
Yesterday on Ryan Bridge's radio show Judith Collins had a mini-meltdown because Jacinda Ardern apparently hadn't acknowledged, to her satisfaction, Collins' climbing over of bodies and rise to power.
Ryan Bridge must not have believed how easily he was able to excite Judith, much like the way a dog owner rattles the lead to say it's 'walkies'.
Anyway, today JA paid tribute to Kaye. I hope it was deliberately pointed, along with being a nice thing to do.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12348495
https://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=2694860513
Very nice pencil drawing of PM Jacinda and fellow Covid-19 slayer Chief Executive, Ministry of Health Ashley Bloomfield – for up on a wall in pride of place as was Michael Savage!
MJS white New Zealand and sinophobia attitudes, when viewed in today’s environment could tarnish the gravitas that he is viewed by some. Hint he doesn’t endear himself to all ethnicities.
Perhaps it may make some to view those historic figures and their achievements in context of their time, place and social forms.
Jeez it must be great to be perfect and never be accused of copping someone's sensibilities. That will be a big value for tech speak – you will speak normally into a box and it will filter out your words to something that cannot offend anybody. Save lots of hazzle, that's hassle and razzle dazzle mixed; ie the sort of world that we try to survive in today. It's a jungle out here.
This would be New Zealand by November under a National-led government.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=12348584
Pretty much. National will open up the borders so that their funders can make higher profits while not caring about the damage that they will do to the people.
But, then, that's what National always does in one way or another.
What is the current opposition position on the borders ?
Dog In a Manger position I believe is the yoga term.
I see you're still adding real value to this site with your comments Gabby.
Shake it off, you'll be fine.
I haven't heard them changing from open them up as fast as possible while ignoring how bad things are getting for those places that they want to open up to.
Where were they saying that have you got a link ?
May not be what you’re after – best I could do with a quick Google.
"NZ should open borders to countries with Covid – Muller"
https://www.odt.co.nz/news/national/nz-should-open-borders-countries-covid-muller
Have you tried the revamped National website? It’s a treasure trove of what National wants this Government to do or not do pronto.
I thought it was usual practice at this site that when one makes a claim such as….
Pretty much. National will open up the borders so that their funders can make higher profits while not caring about the damage that they will do to the people.
that they provide a link supporting that assertion. A quick search on google suggests that the assertion by the commenters is incorrect.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12348318
As you know, National changes their stand on the border situation more often than a puber changes undies. For the latest updates, visit NP website, Twitter, or FB accounts.
Congratulations you have equalled gabby in the unctuous twattery stakes.
Perhaps with a little more effort you'll reach Morrissey's heights.
I’ll do just about anything to avoid you from being expelled from TS because of your own smart-arsery, but I won’t do that.
Isn't the Victorian government Labor?
And?
Enough is enough yes the Victorian govt is Labour but not NZ Labour. NZ Labour are only responsible for their policies and decisions in NZ. But you know this don't you
Esn't Victoria in a Strollya?
Biggest lol today a comment on the National Party's FB feed. "Its official. More MP's have abandoned National than returnees have absconded from isolation
Lol
So been out in Wellington and just heard the real reason Todd Muller resigned. OMG
Out of respect for both parties and their families I won't repeat the names here.
But did Judith blackmail them ? That is the question
You're such a tease.
Ok If I must. Todd has being going to AA regularly and he doesn't drink 🙂
I don't think it's fair the ongoing attacks of Clarke rumours and I think we should keep away from that sort of thing. If there are real reasons (facts) to announce, go for it, and announce it, I'll be just as interested as anyone, otherwise it's just gossip.
Wallace tackling the big issues today. Tickling. Fucksake.
Just by the way @ Mozza:
Did today's The Panel cause any sort of trauma? I thought it was rather gorgeous despite all the "Ha ha ha's" and really deep thought. I'll lay awake tonight thinking about it.
I persevered listening to it all while you were probably taking down every word to use against the participants in future (just because I don't have a life).
Just be careful ya don't denigrate MY Queen of the media (Kim Hill) or you'll have me to answer to – in this space going forward
Gerry Brownlee was brilliant in his RNZ interview this afternoon. (He asked at one stage if it was an interrogation.)
He was brilliant because he was doing an impression of an arrogant arsehole. He carried it off wonderfully.
He let Lisa sidetrack him into talking about the failures of the Christchurch rebuild which was a lovely example of how political baggage can weigh you down.
Was just listening, lucky she wasn't standing at the top of stairs, his defensive bullying won't make him many media friends. except Hoskings, maybe.
It was standard Brownlee and the way hes dealt with interviews for years….it hasnt held his career back to date so theres no reason to expect it will suddenly begin to now.
He appeals to a certain cohort
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilam_(New_Zealand_electorate)