Luxon reminds me more and more of a beauty queen contestant. I am just waiting for him to offer to bring about world peace, cure cancer and end poverty and hunger. No idea how he is going to do any of his 'pledges' but winning is his goal.
Well done Mr Luxon. Now he is on a roll he can practise lots more lies and half truths. He gets away with it and what better incentive than getting way with it so far.
I can't see any circuit breaker or reason why the polls would turn. What event or circumstance could possibly bring people over to the left?
This fear is enhanced when you look at the combined Nact vote over the past 5 elections. With exception of 2020, they basically have an entrenched 46% base. How do we get those people to move now?
We can't wait for National to 'run out of steam' as a government.
A post-October election Labour leadership should just go back to the work that Robertson and Parker prepared for Budget 2023. Being credible on tax is the only way to defeat National.
An adventurous Labour leadership would talk to the Greens about a common tax policy that helps workers and beneficiaries. It has been so easy for National to use the Greens as the boogeyman on tax and that will continue until Labour and Greens settle their tax platform together.
A post-October election Labour leadership should just go back to the work that Robertson and Parker prepared for Budget 2023. Being credible on tax is the only way to defeat National.
Labour lost all credibility on tax when they ruled out taxing wealth – after their own report clearly showed how unjust the current tax system is (and previously, their own tax working group recommended capital taxes). And Labour took a huge risk and went out on a limb against public opinion, to protect the super wealthy. Ardern did the same with her blanket rejection of capital taxes, so it must be a really important core value for Labour to defend inequality and unjust tax.
No one except the Green Party is proposing a wealth tax, and even with a following wind and a pole vault they aren't seeing 88% of New Zealand voters liking that Green tax policy.
Under no form of coalition government will there be a wealth tax implemented.
So that's the Greens sitting out on the tax limb there.
No one except the Green Party is proposing a wealth tax […]
Te Pāti Māori: Suite of tax changes with $30k tax-free bracket, change brackets in favour of lower earnings, remove GST from all food, introduce wealth, foreign companies, land banking and vacant house taxes, increase company tax rate to former 33% rate (policy here).
Not even in Waitaki have I stopped donating, delivering pamphlets, and putting up hoardings. You should have joined us for lunch at Urban Grind on Sunday.
Perfectly possible to know we will lose and also be resolute.
Otherwise I wouldn't have fought campaigns in which we got caned in 2008, 2011, 2014, and in the 2021 Auckland mayoral contest.
completely agree. It's baffling that people want to give up. Even if the left does lose we still need as many MPs in parliament as possible. But it ain't over until it's over. Maybe NZF fucks up and drops below 5%. Maybe there's a big flood that wakes people up. Maybe it's really tight and Nact voters don't turn out because they think it's a done deal and LW party members door knocking and leaflet dropping tip the left over the edge to a win.
I'm not clear whether Bwaghorn is proposing that TPM win all of the Maori seats, but only their current 2% or so of the party vote (which would create the overhang you've outlined).
IMO, this scenario is virtually impossible. Take Waikato-Hauraki, for example: unless Mahuta effectively tells the electorate, 'I'm retiring, don't vote for me, vote for the TPM candidate' – she's going to win that seat.
Or whether Bwaghorn is proposing that TPM get over 5% of the party vote (which is not impossible, they've polled higher this year), which would result in 7 seats.
This is more realistic – but would almost certainly come at the expense of the GP and/or Labour vote (or at least it has in polling this year). The only caveat to this, is if TPM voters are being missed by the current polling measurements (not impossible, this demographic is often undercounted) AND those potential TPM voters actually get out and vote (a much more problematic issue – they often don't)
Either scenario requires an effective shift of at least 5% from the 'right' to the 'left' – regardless of which left party that vote ends up in. That's the bit that we're not seeing in the current polls.
On TV1 News last night there was an item in which Zelensky accused Russia of using food as a weapon. Perhaps Russia and the West need to come to an agreement: the West refrains from supplying weapons and other military hardware to Ukraine, and Russia, in return, ensures that food supplies get through.
mikesh is one of those depressingly common types who spend their whole time railing against western imperialism while bending over backwards to justify Russian imperialism and genocide, and hating on the military industrial complexx as evil under all circumstances, while hailing the glorious and unstoppable military might of Russia.
I don't think I have ever spoken of Iran or North Korea.
Russia, as I understand it, broke off the agreement to allow Ukrainian wheat passage because NATO was smuggling weapons into Ukraine under cover of that agreement. So it seems hypocritical of Zelensky to accuse Russia of “weaponising food”.
"I don't think I have ever spoken of Iran or North Korea."
Precisely my point. They are delivering weapons to this conflict also – albeit the side of the aggressor.
But the pro-Putin "anti-war" types never seem to comment, they only complain about the weapons supplied to Ukraine – the country that was needlessly invaded and is being ruthlessly brutalised by russia. They are deafeningly silent about weapons being supplied to the attacker.
Germany had agreed to be an economic partner of Russia, Nordstrom, and maintained 1% defence spending 2014-2021 (when NATO required an increase to 2% by 2024) – they did not want to work with Trump and his GOP (untrustworthy). It was the beginning of the end of NATO.
Then Putin in Feb 2022 … the German response was swift. And Sweden and Finland joined NATO.
Now Russia has two alternatives, be a subordinate of the alternate hegemony of China (pretending it's a partnership), or post Putin join NATO. Both suck. He's cost them their independence.
and who has made it clear to everyone that joining NATO is an excellent idea.
But when Russia applied to join, and I understand they have made several attempts, they have been turned down. Says it all really.
Now Russia has two alternatives, be a subordinate of the alternate hegemony of China (pretending it's a partnership), or post Putin join NATO. Both suck. He's cost them their independence.
Russia will never be allowed to join NATO, even post Putin, unless they adopt American style neoliberalism, which would allow America to exploit them economically, for her own advantage. That's what Putin is fighting to prevent, in this war. The first moves in this war occurred when a US inspired (fascist?) coup took place in Ukraine, and involved the unconstitutional dumping of the pro Russian president.
The Ukrainians, for all their heroism, and I admit their defence has been heroic, have acted like a bunch of cretins, foolishly teaming up with the evil empire simply to preserve their sovereignty, which Russia was not actually threatening prior to the events of 2014.
"Putin the Tiny" is a pragmatist, who knows what has to be done to ensure Russia's long term security/.
Actually, he is an evil imperialist who invades peaceful neighbours, undertakes mass murder, torture, rape and genocide, and who has made it clear to everyone that joining NATO is an excellent idea. At home, he suffocates his own population with relentless propaganda and oppression, starting from childhood.
But I suppose all evil could be excused as being “pragmatic”, by those who support it.
Being declined membership into a voluntary defence alliance, is hardly cause to launch wars of aggression on many of your neighbours and to commit ubiquitous war crimes abroad and ruthlessly suppress your own population.
You make it sound like everyone but russia, is responsible for russia's actions.
2020 was an anomalous result – and was effectively a vote of confidence in Ardern for her handling of Covid to that date.
Everyone seems to accept that it was a result which is never likely to be repeated again.
However, your chosen period reflects a decade of National government (hence the high percentages). Even in the 2017 election, there wasn't a huge appetite for a change of government (certainly not before Ardern took over as Labour leader)
If you go back to the previous electorate period (5th Labour government) – you get National/ACT totals in the 30s.
What would shift the current 48% centre right total?
Some suggestions (mostly long term ones)
Age. This one is going to take several decades. But NZ will move through the Boomer demographic bulge. And back to a more even demographic spread. Given that, historically, people tend to vote more conservatively as they age – there is likely to be a more left-wing balance appearing.
That conservative trend through age. I've read evidence from the US that Gen X are remaining more liberal for longer, than previous demographics. Therefore more left-wing population (as above). I don't know how applicable this is to the NZ context.
Stop frightening the horses. Radical policies frighten centrists into conservative voting. Incrementalism is much more likely to be effective. And incrementalism requires parties to work with whichever party is in power to work towards achieving their agenda (since you're not going to get it all in one 3-year-term).
Shit is going down in Queenstown, and the mayor says it highlights the need for the 3 Waters reforms:
"The person who receives a compliance order must comply with it and meet the costs of doing so. Failure to comply with the order is an offence, with a maximum fine of $300,000 for a corporate body.
Queenstown's compliance order will give council engineers legal reinforcement to act quickly and decisively. But this goes to the guts of why the Three Waters reforms are important, Lewers admits.
The council should have had a protozoa barrier in place at its Two Mile plant, one of the biggest in the district. Indeed, the council work plan lists that as a necessary upgrade to reach full Drinking Water Quality Assurance Rules compliance – but it hadn’t found the funding.
"We've got other intakes in a similar situation, and we're progressively upgrading them as we go," he says.
Recently they've done Arrowtown, they're commissioning the Shotover bores now, they've reached an agreement with Cardrona, and there are still more to do. "I think Two Mile is probably the most difficult and the most expensive," he says. "So we were still working through the options of what to do."
There are two types of barrier. There’s UV treatment, which is cheap and easy and the council will probably set in place now – but it’s not very effective.
Far better is membrane filtration, which has a pore size of 0.1–0.5µm and removes particles, bacteria and protozoa from water. (It’s less effective for viruses – that’s why every water plant needs an array of three or four treatments.)
But membrane filtration is expensive. Lewers says the council had estimates running into the tens of millions of dollars.
Queenstown has "heightened cost pressures" because of the combination of high residential growth and an extremely high visitor load, he says.
But there are many other councils around the country with drinking water and wastewater plants that aren't up to consentable standards, nor up to the new water-quality bar. "This does highlight the challenges," Lewers says. "It also, I think, reinforces the need for water reform."
I've realised you're right. Took a while, but I've been thinking too many other thoughts. No sign yet of Stuff figuring it out, nor the Herald, nor TVNZ, nor Newshub. Slackers all!
Analysis: Queenstown Lakes council has less than 24 hours to issue a plan to deal with its cryptosporidiosis outbreak – New Zealand’s worst waterborne illness crisis since the fatal Havelock North contamination.
At 5.30pm last night, new Three Waters regulator Taumata Arowai slapped the council with the agency’s first compliance order. The stinging indictment was made public soon after 8pm.
If the msm pull finger they might get there within 24 hours of reaction time. If any of the neolib parties show leadership on the issue, the excitement could infuse the campaign. Nah, no chance, given their turgid mental processes.
So Queenstown is in the crap. In a world of ‘every man for himself’ and ‘socialism is bad’ I expect that the National MP, all of his supporters and the Act side of the government after October will be saying, ‘Tough titty, that’s your problem. Government isn’t a charity, let us know how you get on.’
The playground of the rich can't pay for their own sewerage upgrades lol.
If they can afford those house prices they can afford a sewerage levy from the council until the problem is fixed.
The average current house value in Queenstown-Lakes District was up 1.9% in June 2023, compared to a year earlier. Growth was higher than in New Zealand (-11.1%).
The average current house value was $1,672,233 in Queenstown-Lakes District in June 2023. This compares with $907,579 in New Zealand.
Apparently we have a problem with people under 14 stealing stuff – no legal liability and they can refuse to answer police questions (at best they can make it a youth and family court matter).
Maybe it's a time for creative solutions.
ban people under 14, unaccompanied by an adult, from dairy's.
nationwide use of the mosquito (15 metre radius), high pitch sound heard by young people, by dairy's.
automatic infringement notice and record of each one on record and made available to youth court when before it (age 14-17).
have an automatic sentence for shoplifting under 14, of confiscation of any mobile phone for one year, and or ban from ownership/use of one – infringement notice to telecoms companies.
Creative solutions maybe, but not the dreaded Mosquito. This pernicious device uses sound as a weapon against those young enough to hear it. It effectively makes being young a punishable crime in certain areas. It was so abused in the UK that it had to be banned.
Acoustic deterrence was, until recently, used only to repel rats, mice and cockroaches. But … is now just as effective at discouraging human vermin. The Mosquito youth dispersal device … produces a loud, high-pitched whine that can be heard strongly only by children and teenagers, and not at all by people over 25. It allows councils to keep children out of public places, making them safe for law-abiding citizens. It enables shopkeepers to determine who should and should not be permitted to use the streets.
How about creating spaces where young people (and everyone) can go and exist, without the expectation of having to spend money?
These devices are available to buy in New Zealand and unregulated, as far as I know.
The manufacturer has made a device that is heard by youth (up to 25). The ability to hear the higher frequency goes down over the years.
Rules around device licensing is required to regulate manufacture and then use. We could allow devices of a certain range (of frequency, a little higher and under 20 etc or of distance) for specific purposes and then they could be manufactured accordingly.
Shops could ask local police for one if under 14's are stealing stuff – maybe allocated while this remains a problem. Siting could be based on the range to secure the premises (10 metres not necessarily a standard 15 etc) and maybe within the shop.
My world? In our world these devices are legal now. And in our world under 14’s are going into dairy’s and taking stuff again and again and police say all that the shop owner can do is ban them from the shop – they come in anyway.
As these are not ramraids there is no national publicity.
In that scenario, I'd expect to see shop-owners sued by the parents of toddlers (for example) who have had their hearing assaulted through no fault of their own.
Surely it would be much more effective to actually deal with the juvenile criminals.
You do realise that the under 14's do not do it while others are in the dairy?
Community policing is going to have to provide a methodology beyond saying ban them from the shop (they come back anyhow), or maybe identify via CCTV (but the only option is family court atm).
An alternative to that might be to offer the shop owners some sort of dye to spray on the hands and or clothes (that washes off).
Really? I've seen plenty of shoplifters in my time – and mostly they want others in the shop, which distracts the shopkeeper and camouflages their actions.
Effective sanctions (I agree that 'ban them from the shop', with no societal enforcement is worse than useless) – is a better solution.
Private citizens have bought them and use them to control neighbouring sections – they have their section quiet because the neighbours children do not go outside to play because of the noise.
“We are not seeing the leadership we need,” said Sir David King, the UK’s former chief scientific adviser. “This is the biggest challenge civilization has ever faced and yet we can’t get the response we need. I can’t tell you how I feel about them just not showing up. It’s difficult to be optimistic, we are in a terrible place.”
…
“It’s an embarrassing gap. National leaders are just pointing fingers at each other over the lack of progress. Given the events of this summer, where things have just spiraled out of control, you’d think that would concentrate minds.”
…
“Watering down climate commitments and disincentivizing the industries of tomorrow for cynical short term political reasons is not leadership, it is cowardice.”
Holy heck, Mike Hoskins gave Luxon (by the standards of Newstalk National Party) a grilling this morning – will he work with Winston First. Luxon struggled to give a yes or no answer but essentially he said yes if he needs to – coalition of chaos.
Btw you can listen online like I did when someone pointed it out to me, you don;t actually have to listen to the station live
Asked about the inequitable impact raising the pension age would have on Māori, Seymour said raising the superannuation age was "a good reason to look after yourself".
Another reason for looking after yourself, an underfunded health system, and thus a focus on being able to afford a good home and health insurance and a good private school for the children (or the entry price for a posh suburb school zone).
Of Epsom, by Epsom and for Epsom. The gated community class order spokesperson.
(apologies if already posted, but it's worth reading)
Just one example:
"Luxon’s claim that every single health outcome has gone backwards under Labour is untrue. Most of the main health outcomes have remained the same or improved – general mortality, cancer, infant mortality, maternal health."
I check most NZ media each day and this is the first time I've seen this spelled out.
But I've seen dozens of news reports and commentary since the debate telling us who they think "won". There have been far more of those than reports on what is true or false.
The above link is from the TVNZ website, so they deserve credit for that. Any chance they could pass it on to their own political editor, so she could actually do her job for once?
Liar Luxon? Some Kiwis just lap it up – seems lying is a bit of a vote-winner.
So call Luxon on his lies, repeatedly – the Nats are a smoke and mirrors party.
Re Queenstown crypto, a Dr Smith solution could work wonders – simply lower drinkable water standards so enterprise QT can start humming again. Nats really are ratbags.
Smith’s bogus standards create split in Land and Water Forum
[7 March 2017]
“If we are going to clean up our rivers we need all New Zealanders on board. National can’t keep side-lining people and groups it disagrees with – that’s not the way science works.”
Nick Smith’s water policy a washout [24 February 2017]
“We call on New Zealanders to join in the fight for clean safe fresh water. We will not let the government get away with putting our people at increased risk. Fresh water is too important to the health of our communities and our environment.”
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Warning: This post contains references to sexual assaultOn Saturday, I spent far too long editing a video on Tim Jago, the ACT Party President and criminal, who has given up his fight for name suppression after 2 years. He voluntarily gave up just in time for what will be a ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park from the Gigafact team in collaboration with members from our team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is global warming ...
Our low-investment, low-wage, migration-led and housing-market-driven political economy has delivered poorer productivity growth than the rest of the OECD, and our performance since Covid has been particularly poor. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate and poverty this ...
..Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.As far as major government announcements go, a Three Ministers Event is Big. It can signify a major policy development or something has gone Very Well, or an absolute Clusterf**k. When Three Ministers assemble ...
One of those blasts from the past. Peter Dunne – originally neoliberal Labour, then leader of various parties that sought to work with both big parties (generally National) – has taken to calling ...
Completed reads for January: I Am Legend, by Richard Matheson The Black Spider, by Jeremias Gotthelf The Spider and the Fly (poem), by Mary Howitt A Noiseless Patient Spider (poem), by Walt Whitman August Heat, by W.F. Harvey Charlotte’s Web, by E.B. White The Shrinking Man, by Richard Matheson ...
Do its Property Right Provisions Make Sense?Last week I pointed out that it is uninformed to argue that the New Zealand’s apparently poor economic performance can be traced only to poor regulations. Even were there evidence they had some impact, there are other factors. Of course, we should seek to ...
Richard Wagstaff It was incredibly jarring to hear the hubris from the Prime Minister during his recent state of the nation address. I had just spent close to a week working though the stories and thoughts shared with us by nearly 2000 working people as part of our annual Mood ...
Odd fact about the Broadcasting Standards Authority: for the last few years, they’ve only been upholding about 5% of complaints. Why? I think there’s a range of reasons. Generally responsible broadcasters. Dumb complaints. Complaints brought under the wrong standard. Greater adherence to broadcasters’ rights to freedom of expression in the ...
And I said, "Mama, mama, mama, why am I so alone"'Cause I can't go outside, I'm scared I might not make it homeWell I'm alive, I'm alive, but I'm sinking inIf there's anyone at home at your place, darlingWhy don't you invite me in?Don't try to feed me'Cause I've been ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ star is on the rise, having just added the Energy, Local Government and Revenue portfolios to his responsibilities - but there is nothing ambitious about the Government’s new climate targets. Photo: SuppliedLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate ...
It may have been a short week but there’s been no shortage of things that caught our attention. Here is some of the most interesting. This week in Greater Auckland On Tuesday Matt took a look at public transport ridership in 2024 On Thursday Connor asked some questions ...
The East Is Red: Journalists and commentators are referring to the sudden and disruptive arrival of DeepSeek as a second “Sputnik moment”. (Sputnik being the name given by the godless communists of the Soviet Union to the world’s first artificial satellite which, to the consternation and dismay of the Americans, ...
Hi,Back on inauguration day we launched a ridiculous RFK Jr. “brain worms” tee on the Webworm store, and I told you I’d be throwing my profits over to Mutual Aid LA and Rainbow Youth New Zealand. Just to show I am not full of shit, here are the receipts. I ...
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts & talking about the week’s news with regular and special guests, including: on the week in geopolitics, including the latest from Donald Trump over Gaza and Ukraine.Health expert and author David Galler ...
In an uncompromising paper Treasury has basically told the Government that its plan for a third medical school at Waikato University is a waste of money. Furthermore, the country cannot afford it. That advice was released this week by the Treasury under the Official Information Act. And it comes as ...
Back in November, He Pou a Rangi provided the government with formal advice on the domestic contribution to our next Paris target. Not what the target should be, but what we could realistically achieve, by domestic action alone, without resorting to offshore mitigation. Their answer was startling: depending on exactly ...
Photo by Mauricio Fanfa on UnsplashKia oraCome and join us for our weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm today.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news with myself , plus regular guest David Patman and ...
I don't like to spend all my time complaining about our government, so let me complain about the media first.Senior journalistic Herald person Thomas Coughlan reported that Treasury replied yeah nah, wrong bro to Luxon's claim that our benighted little country has been in recession for three years.His excitement rose ...
Back in 2022, when the government was consulting internally about proactive release of cabinet papers, the SIS opposed it. The basis of their opposition was the "mosaic effect" - people being able to piece together individual pieces of innocuous public information in a way which supposedly harms "national security" (effectively: ...
With The Stroke Of A Pen:Populism, especially right-wing populism, invests all the power of an electoral/parliamentary majority in a single political leader because it no longer trusts the bona fides of the sprawling political class among whom power is traditionally dispersed. Populism eschews traditional politics, because, among populists, traditional politics ...
I’ve spent the last week writing a fairly substantial review of a recent book (“Australia’s Pandemic Exceptionalism: How we crushed the curve but lost the race”) by a couple of Australian academic economists on Australia’s pandemic policies and experiences. For all its limitations, there isn’t anything similar in New Zealand. ...
Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. The intention was to establish a colony with the cession of sovereignty to the Crown, ...
Te Whatu Ora Chief Executive Margie Apa leaving her job four months early is another symptom of this government’s failure to deliver healthcare for New Zealanders. ...
The Green Party is calling for the Prime Minister to show leadership and be unequivocal about Aotearoa New Zealand’s opposition to a proposal by the US President to remove Palestinians from Gaza. ...
The latest unemployment figures reveal that job losses are hitting Māori and Pacific people especially hard, with Māori unemployment reaching a staggering 9.7% for the December 2024 quarter and Pasifika unemployment reaching 10.5%. ...
Waitangi 2025: Waitangi Day must be community and not politically driven - Shane Jones Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. ...
Despite being confronted every day with people in genuine need being stopped from accessing emergency housing – National still won’t commit to building more public houses. ...
The Green Party says the Government is giving up on growing the country’s public housing stock, despite overwhelming evidence that we need more affordable houses to solve the housing crisis. ...
Before any thoughts of the New Year and what lies ahead could even be contemplated, New Zealand reeled with the tragedy of Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming losing her life. For over 38 years she had faithfully served as a front-line Police officer. Working alongside her was Senior Sergeant Adam Ramsay ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson will return to politics at Waitangi on Monday the 3rd of February where she will hold a stand up with fellow co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick. ...
Te Pāti Māori is appalled by the government's blatant mishandling of the school lunch programme. David Seymour’s ‘cost-saving’ measures have left tamariki across Aotearoa with unidentifiable meals, causing distress and outrage among parents and communities alike. “What’s the difference between providing inedible food, and providing no food at all?” Said ...
The Government is doubling down on outdated and volatile fossil fuels, showing how shortsighted and destructive their policies are for working New Zealanders. ...
Green Party MP Steve Abel this morning joined Coromandel locals in Waihi to condemn new mining plans announced by Shane Jones in the pit of the town’s Australian-owned Gold mine. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to strengthen its just-announced 2030-2035 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement and address its woeful lack of commitment to climate security. ...
Today marks a historic moment for Taranaki iwi with the passing of the Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill in Parliament. "Today, we stand together as descendants of Taranaki, and our tūpuna, Taranaki Maunga, is now formally acknowledged by the law as a living tūpuna. ...
Labour is relieved to see Children’s Minister Karen Chhour has woken up to reality and reversed her government’s terrible decisions to cut funding from frontline service providers – temporarily. ...
It is the first week of David Seymour’s school lunch programme and already social media reports are circulating of revolting meals, late deliveries, and mislabelled packaging. ...
The Green Party says that with no-cause evictions returning from today, the move to allow landlords to end tenancies without reason plunges renters, and particularly families who rent, into insecurity and stress. ...
The Government’s move to increase speed limits substantially on dozens of stretches of rural and often undivided highways will result in more serious harm. ...
In her first announcement as Economic Growth Minister, Nicola Willis chose to loosen restrictions for digital nomads from other countries, rather than focus on everyday Kiwis. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to stand firm and work with allies to progress climate action as Donald Trump signals his intent to pull out of the Paris Climate Accords once again. ...
The Government’s commitment to get New Zealand’s roads back on track is delivering strong results, with around 98 per cent of potholes on state highways repaired within 24 hours of identification every month since targets were introduced, Transport Minister Chris Bishop says. “Increasing productivity to help rebuild our economy is ...
The former Cadbury factory will be the site of the Inpatient Building for the new Dunedin Hospital and Health Minister Simeon Brown says actions have been taken to get the cost overruns under control. “Today I am giving the people of Dunedin certainty that we will build the new Dunedin ...
From today, Plunket in Whāngarei will be offering childhood immunisations – the first of up to 27 sites nationwide, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. The investment of $1 million into the pilot, announced in October 2024, was made possible due to the Government’s record $16.68 billion investment in health. It ...
New Zealand’s strong commitment to the rights of disabled people has continued with the response to an important United Nations report, Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston has announced. Of the 63 concluding observations of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), 47 will be progressed ...
Resources Minister Shane Jones has launched New Zealand’s national Minerals Strategy and Critical Minerals List, documents that lay a strategic and enduring path for the mineral sector, with the aim of doubling exports to $3 billion by 2035. Mr Jones released the documents, which present the Coalition Government’s transformative vision ...
Firstly I want to thank OceanaGold for hosting our event today. Your operation at Waihi is impressive. I want to acknowledge local MP Scott Simpson, local government dignitaries, community stakeholders and all of you who have gathered here today. It’s a privilege to welcome you to the launch of the ...
Racing Minister, Winston Peters has announced the Government is preparing public consultation on GST policy proposals which would make the New Zealand racing industry more competitive. “The racing industry makes an important economic contribution. New Zealand thoroughbreds are in demand overseas as racehorses and for breeding. The domestic thoroughbred industry ...
Business confidence remains very high and shows the economy is on track to improve, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis says. “The latest ANZ Business Outlook survey, released yesterday, shows business confidence and expected own activity are ‘still both very high’.” The survey reports business confidence fell eight points to +54 ...
Enabling works have begun this week on an expanded radiology unit at Hawke’s Bay Fallen Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital which will double CT scanning capacity in Hawke’s Bay to ensure more locals can benefit from access to timely, quality healthcare, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. This investment of $29.3m in the ...
The Government has today announced New Zealand’s second international climate target under the Paris Agreement, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand will reduce emissions by 51 to 55 per cent compared to 2005 levels, by 2035. “We have worked hard to set a target that is both ambitious ...
Nine years of negotiations between the Crown and iwi of Taranaki have concluded following Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/the Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill passing its third reading in Parliament today, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “This Bill addresses the historical grievances endured by the eight iwi ...
As schools start back for 2025, there will be a relentless focus on teaching the basics brilliantly so all Kiwi kids grow up with the knowledge, skills and competencies needed to grow the New Zealand of the future, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “A world-leading education system is a key ...
Housing Minister Chris Bishop and Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson have welcomed Kāinga Ora’s decision to re-open its tender for carpets to allow wool carpet suppliers to bid. “In 2024 Kāinga Ora issued requests for tender (RFTs) seeking bids from suppliers to carpet their properties,” Mr Bishop says. “As part ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today visited Otahuhu College where the new school lunch programme has served up healthy lunches to students in the first days of the school year. “As schools open in 2025, the programme will deliver nutritious meals to around 242,000 students, every school day. On ...
Minister for Children Karen Chhour has intervened in Oranga Tamariki’s review of social service provider contracts to ensure Barnardos can continue to deliver its 0800 What’s Up hotline. “When I found out about the potential impact to this service, I asked Oranga Tamariki for an explanation. Based on the information ...
A bill to make revenue collection on imported and exported goods fairer and more effective had its first reading in Parliament, Customs Minister Casey Costello said today. “The Customs (Levies and Other Matters) Amendment Bill modernises the way in which Customs can recover the costs of services that are needed ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Department of Internal Affairs [the Department] has achieved significant progress in completing applications for New Zealand citizenship. “December 2024 saw the Department complete 5,661 citizenship applications, the most for any month in 2024. This is a 54 per cent increase compared ...
Reversals to Labour’s blanket speed limit reductions begin tonight and will be in place by 1 July, says Minister of Transport Chris Bishop. “The previous government was obsessed with slowing New Zealanders down by imposing illogical and untargeted speed limit reductions on state highways and local roads. “National campaigned on ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis has announced Budget 2025 – the Growth Budget - will be delivered on Thursday 22 May. “This year’s Budget will drive forward the Government’s plan to grow our economy to improve the incomes of New Zealanders now and in the years ahead. “Budget 2025 will build ...
For the Government, 2025 will bring a relentless focus on unleashing the growth we need to lift incomes, strengthen local businesses and create opportunity. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today laid out the Government’s growth agenda in his Statement to Parliament. “Just over a year ago this Government was elected by ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour welcomes students back to school with a call to raise attendance from last year. “The Government encourages all students to attend school every day because there is a clear connection between being present at school and setting yourself up for a bright future,” says Mr ...
The Government is relaxing visitor visa requirements to allow tourists to work remotely while visiting New Zealand, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis, Immigration Minister Erica Stanford and Tourism Minister Louise Upston say. “The change is part of the Government’s plan to unlock New Zealand’s potential by shifting the country onto ...
The opening of Kāinga Ora’s development of 134 homes in Epuni, Lower Hutt will provide much-needed social housing for Hutt families, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I’ve been a strong advocate for social housing on Kāinga Ora’s Epuni site ever since the old earthquake-prone housing was demolished in 2015. I ...
Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay will travel to Australia today for meetings with Australian Trade Minister, Senator Don Farrell, and the Australia New Zealand Leadership Forum (ANZLF). Mr McClay recently hosted Minister Farrell in Rotorua for the annual Closer Economic Relations (CER) Trade Ministers’ meeting, where ANZLF presented on ...
A new monthly podiatry clinic has been launched today in Wairoa and will bring a much-needed service closer to home for the Wairoa community, Health Minister Simeon Brown says.“Health New Zealand has been successful in securing a podiatrist until the end of June this year to meet the needs of ...
The Judicial Conduct Commissioner has recommended a Judicial Conduct Panel be established to inquire into and report on the alleged conduct of acting District Court Judge Ema Aitken in an incident last November, Attorney-General Judith Collins said today. “I referred the matter of Judge Aitken’s alleged conduct during an incident ...
Students who need extra help with maths are set to benefit from a targeted acceleration programme that will give them more confidence in the classroom, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Last year, significant numbers of students did not meet the foundational literacy and numeracy level required to gain NCEA. To ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has announced three new diplomatic appointments. “Our diplomats play an important role in ensuring New Zealand’s interests are maintained and enhanced across the world,” Mr Peters says. “It is a pleasure to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and ...
Ki te kahore he whakakitenga, ka ngaro te Iwi – without a vision, the people will perish. The Government has achieved its target to reduce the number of households in emergency housing motels by 75 per cent five years early, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. The number of households ...
The opening of Palmerston North’s biggest social housing development will have a significant impact for whānau in need of safe, warm, dry housing, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. The minister visited the development today at North Street where a total of 50 two, three, and four-bedroom homes plus a ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced the new membership of the Public Advisory Committee on Disarmament and Arms Control (PACDAC), who will serve for a three-year term. “The Committee brings together wide-ranging expertise relevant to disarmament. We have made six new appointments to the Committee and reappointed two existing members ...
Ka nui te mihi kia koutou. Kia ora, good morning, talofa, malo e lelei, bula vinaka, da jia hao, namaste, sat sri akal, assalamu alaikum. It’s so great to be here and I’m ready and pumped for 2025. Can I start by acknowledging: Simon Bridges – CEO of the Auckland ...
The Government has unveiled a bold new initiative to position New Zealand as a premier destination for foreign direct investment (FDI) that will create higher paying jobs and grow the economy. “Invest New Zealand will streamline the investment process and provide tailored support to foreign investors, to increase capital investment ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins today announced the largest reset of the New Zealand science system in more than 30 years with reforms which will boost the economy and benefit the sector. “The reforms will maximise the value of the $1.2 billion in government funding that goes into ...
Turbocharging New Zealand’s economic growth is the key to brighter days ahead for all Kiwis, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says. In the Prime Minister’s State of the Nation Speech in Auckland today, Christopher Luxon laid out the path to the prosperity that will affect all aspects of New Zealanders’ lives. ...
The latest set of accounts show the Government has successfully checked the runaway growth of public spending, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. “In the previous government’s final five months in office, public spending was almost 10 per cent higher than for the same period the previous year. “That is completely ...
The Government’s welfare reforms are delivering results with the number of people moving off benefits into work increasing year-on-year for six straight months. “There are positive signs that our welfare reset and the return consequences for job seekers who don't fulfil their obligations to prepare for or find a job ...
Jon Kroll and Aimee McCammon have been appointed to the New Zealand Film Commission Board, Arts Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “I am delighted to appoint these two new board members who will bring a wealth of industry, governance, and commercial experience to the Film Commission. “Jon Kroll has been an ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis has hailed a drop in the domestic component of inflation, saying it increases the prospect of mortgage rate reductions and a lower cost of living for Kiwi households. Stats NZ reported today that inflation was 2.2 per cent in the year to December, the second consecutive ...
Two new appointed members and one reappointed member of the Employment Relations Authority have been announced by Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden today. “I’m pleased to announce the new appointed members Helen van Druten and Matthew Piper to the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) and welcome them to ...
ACT Party leader David Seymour said he wrote to police about the treatment of Philip Polkinghorne because it's an electorate MP's job to pass on the concerns of their constituents. ...
MEDIAWATCH:By Colin Peacock, RNZ Mediawatch presenter By the time US President Donald Trump announced tariffs on China and Canada last Monday which could kickstart a trade war, New Zealand’s diplomats in Washington, DC, had already been deployed on another diplomatic drama. Republican Senator Ted Cruz had said on social ...
By Caleb Fotheringham, RNZ Pacific journalist Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown says New Zealand is asking for too much oversight over its deal with China, which is expected to be penned in Beijing next week. Brown told RNZ Pacific the Cook Islands-New Zealand relationship was reciprocal. “They certainly did ...
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 Byelections occurred on Saturday in the Victorian state seats of Prahran and Werribee. The Liberals gained Prahran from the Greens by a ...
A long time ago, Brian Turner wrote a poem in which, among the mountains, as he slept on a river flat … My speechless ancestors played like mice among my dreamsand he woke to the river running over my bed of stone. I have come to know that where a ...
Pacific Media Watch President Donald Trump has frozen billions of dollars around the world in aid projects, including more than $268 million allocated by Congress to support independent media and the free flow of information. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has denounced this decision, which has plunged NGOs, media outlets, and ...
Otago University professor of international relations Robert Patman says New Zealand should provide a robust response to Donald Trump's Gaza plan, and also "should stop tip-toeing" around Trump. ...
The new minister of transport has opened the door for public consultation on at least some of the speed limit changes the government said would be automatic. ...
Officially, they’re called ‘memecoins,’ but Kōura Wealth founder Rupert Carlyon says the crypto world has another name for them: ‘shitcoins’.In digital finance, that phrase is used for tokens that have no true value – in essence, a money-grab.A few days before his inauguration, US President Donald Trump launched his own ...
Madeleine Chapman reflects on the week that was. Guy Williams has made a whole show off the joke that he is a “volunteer” journalist. So getting publicly owned by David Seymour while trying to act as a journalist is a good and timely reminder not to underestimate the nuance and ...
Many of Sāmoa’s beloved dishes are the result of cultural collaboration, writes Madeleine Chapman. All photos by Jin FelletIf you ever find yourself at a barbecue in a Sāmoan home, there’s 99% chance that sapasui (chop suey) will be on the table. For the past century, sapasui has ...
The funnyman takes us through his life in television, including Jono and Ben mayhem, live Telethon flubs, and funnelling all those experiences into his new comedy Vince. There’s an inciting incident in Three’s new comedy Vince where morning television presenter Vince Walters (Jono Pryor) is visiting sick kids in hospital ...
People often claim they just want Waitangi Day to be a celebration. At Waitangi, away from the headlined political acrimony and the marae ātea, celebrating is what most people are doing. The Spinoff Essay showcases the best essayists in Aotearoa, on topics big and small. Made possible by the generous ...
Is there anything more fashionable than a Māori get together? One of the best things about Northland is that nobody cares what they look like — probably because they’re all naturally more stylish than the rest of us, famously. Māori from the Far North, especially. In 27 degree heat, wearing ...
I’ve been in love with him since last July, but it’s only now in this tepid hotel room that I find myself wondering why. The first thing he does when we arrive is smoke a cone in the bathroom – he emerges, hacking up a lung, fists thrust into his ...
MONDAY“Name,” barked a representative of the lower orders.I regarded him with a look of stern disapproval, and told him from up high, “May I remind you that I have name suppression. I shall also thank you to ask with more respect as befits a former president of the Act Party, ...
Books of Mana: 180 Māori-Authored Books of Significance, edited by Jacinta Ruru, Angela Wanhalla and Jeanette Wikaira has just been released by Otago University Press. In this essay, Books are Taonga, Jeanette Wikaira explores her personal relationship to books and their value.For me, books are taonga. The knowledge ...
Get to know Tara, our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Tara’s human for their support! Dog name: Tara Age: Two Breed: Mostly Border Collie and a little bit Catahoula Leopard dog If dog ...
Health NZ's CEO has resigned, but frontline healthworkers are sceptical that installing new leadership will make any difference to a system grappling with problems. ...
Health NZ's CEO has resigned, but frontline healthworkers are sceptical that installing new leadership will make any difference to a system grappling with problems. ...
Gail Duncan, Chairperson of the St Peter’s on Willis Social Justice Group, one of the organisations invited to submit on the Bill, says the Government’s actions are unprecedented. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amani Kasherwa, School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work, The University of Queensland In late January, a rebel group that has long caused mayhem in the sprawling African nation of Democratic Republic of Congo took control of Goma, a major city of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Yee-Fui Ng, Associate Professor, Faculty of Law, Monash University An ad falsely depicting independent candidate Alex Dyson as a Greens member.ABC News/Supplied The highly pertinent case of a little-known independent candidate in the Victorian seat of Wannon has exposed a gaping ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lauren Ball, Professor of Community Health and Wellbeing, The University of Queensland Nik/Unsplash You might have heard that eating too many eggs will cause high cholesterol levels, leading to poor health. Researchers have examined the science behind this myth again, and ...
Everything you missed from the third day of the Treaty principles bill hearings, when the Justice Committee heard four hours of oral submission. Read our recaps of day one of the hearings here, and day two here. Parliament was quiet on Friday for the third day of hearings on the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Thomas Jeffries, Senior Lecturer in Microbiology, Western Sydney University Tijana Simic/Shutterstock The news last week that three people in Sydney were hospitalised with botulism after receiving botox injections has raised questions about the regulation of the cosmetic injectables industry. The ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jens Blotevogel, Principal Research Scientist and Team Leader for Remediation Technologies, CSIRO Mino Surkala, Shutterstock Lithium-ion batteries are part of everyday life. They power small rechargeable devices such as mobile phones and laptops. They enable electric vehicles. And larger versions store ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Edith Jennifer Hill, Associate Lecturer, Learning & Teaching Innovation, Flinders University Netflix Netflix’s new limited series, Apple Cider Vinegar, tells the story of the elaborate cancer con orchestrated by Australian blogger Annabelle (Belle) Gibson. The first episode opens with Gibson’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dee Ninis, Earthquake Scientist, Monash University Greece’s government has just declared a state of emergency on the island of Santorini, as earthquakes shake the island multiple times a day and sometimes only minutes apart. The “earthquake swarm” is also affecting other ...
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 The Western Australian state election will be held on March 8. A Newspoll, conducted January 29 to February 4 from a sample ...
She’s back behind the wheel, and this time, she wants to find out what it is that makes us tick. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. After a prolific career on stage and screen, 83-year-old Miriam Margolyes is on the road again. ...
A new poem by Jordan Hamel. Real Poet Every word earned its place and so did he, so should you. Real poet lives in the capital but writes himself into the Mackenzie country golden hour, man of the paper land, he neglects to mention his pollen ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Understanding Te Tiriti by Roimata Smail (Wai Ako Press, $25) No better time to get ...
The committee has published this list to inform the public about its work, and to give clarity to submitters who have contacted the committee asking if they will be invited to make an oral submission. ...
Alex Casey and Gabi Lardies dissect their Laneway 2025 experience. Gabi Lardies: Hi Alex :))))))) Congratulations on not getting sunburnt. Everyone I talked to at Laneway yesterday was braving the sun for one thing. Charli XCX. How was your brat experience?Alex Casey: We will talk about the rest of ...
The US President's suggestion, which sparked enormous debate globally, has been labelled as a threat, not a proposal, by the Federation of Islamic Associations. ...
Score card for the Leaders Debate:
Natz win! Outstanding performance by Natz leader Christopher Luxon!
In the category of answers ‘Mostly Untrue’ and ‘False’ – Luxon 6, Hipkins 0.
Such a one-sided contest!
https://twitter.com/Kiwi_Rascal/status/1704488484939964922
Luxon reminds me more and more of a beauty queen contestant. I am just waiting for him to offer to bring about world peace, cure cancer and end poverty and hunger. No idea how he is going to do any of his 'pledges' but winning is his goal.
So true Janice.
Well done Mr Luxon. Now he is on a roll he can practise lots more lies and half truths. He gets away with it and what better incentive than getting way with it so far.
Can you elaborate a bit? What's he done this time?
Open the tweet in 1 above.
I think it is now getting to the panic stage….
I can't see any circuit breaker or reason why the polls would turn. What event or circumstance could possibly bring people over to the left?
This fear is enhanced when you look at the combined Nact vote over the past 5 elections. With exception of 2020, they basically have an entrenched 46% base. How do we get those people to move now?
2008 48.58%
2011 48.38%
2014 47.73%
2017 44.95%
2020 33.17%
2023 48.1% (curia poll of polls)
We can't wait for National to 'run out of steam' as a government.
A post-October election Labour leadership should just go back to the work that Robertson and Parker prepared for Budget 2023. Being credible on tax is the only way to defeat National.
An adventurous Labour leadership would talk to the Greens about a common tax policy that helps workers and beneficiaries. It has been so easy for National to use the Greens as the boogeyman on tax and that will continue until Labour and Greens settle their tax platform together.
Should do it now, as was done with Ardern taking over. Why wait?
Labour lost all credibility on tax when they ruled out taxing wealth – after their own report clearly showed how unjust the current tax system is (and previously, their own tax working group recommended capital taxes). And Labour took a huge risk and went out on a limb against public opinion, to protect the super wealthy. Ardern did the same with her blanket rejection of capital taxes, so it must be a really important core value for Labour to defend inequality and unjust tax.
Polls consistently show strong support for increasing tax on wealth (e.g. 63% support for wealth tax to fund dental care), but Labour knows better.
No one except the Green Party is proposing a wealth tax, and even with a following wind and a pole vault they aren't seeing 88% of New Zealand voters liking that Green tax policy.
Under no form of coalition government will there be a wealth tax implemented.
So that's the Greens sitting out on the tax limb there.
Te Pāti Māori: Suite of tax changes with $30k tax-free bracket, change brackets in favour of lower earnings, remove GST from all food, introduce wealth, foreign companies, land banking and vacant house taxes, increase company tax rate to former 33% rate (policy here).
https://www.rnz.co.nz/programmes/news-extras/story/2018902030/election-2023-rnz-s-guide-to-party-policy
On a limb with Te Pati Maori…who propose more aggressive wealth taxes than the Greens.
NACT could get 45% and lose.
Lab 30 Gr 14 TPM 4 NZF 4.9 means a Left government.
The Greens are on a roll, TPM and Labour may well pick up some of the 12 % undecided.
Let it go.
It's better for the cortizone levels right now just to let this one go.
You gave up on Labour long ago Ad.
Not even in Waitaki have I stopped donating, delivering pamphlets, and putting up hoardings. You should have joined us for lunch at Urban Grind on Sunday.
Perfectly possible to know we will lose and also be resolute.
Otherwise I wouldn't have fought campaigns in which we got caned in 2008, 2011, 2014, and in the 2021 Auckland mayoral contest.
But you DON'T know we will lose….the Greens (who I vote for) may come to the rescue.
completely agree. It's baffling that people want to give up. Even if the left does lose we still need as many MPs in parliament as possible. But it ain't over until it's over. Maybe NZF fucks up and drops below 5%. Maybe there's a big flood that wakes people up. Maybe it's really tight and Nact voters don't turn out because they think it's a done deal and LW party members door knocking and leaflet dropping tip the left over the edge to a win.
Got flooding and a wild fire within about 400kms
His cortizone levels will be the same as yours.
What would happ6if te parti Maori got 7 seats and labour got 30%, the greens 12%
TPM get lots of seats but the right probably still win because of the weird overhang thing.
We would have 123 MPs under this scenario, and Nact would have 63 of them (assuming NZF were under 5%)
https://elections.nz/stats-and-research/mmp-seat-allocation-calculator/#!|percentage|ACT%20New%20Zealand,10,1|Animal%20Justice%20Party%20Aotearoa%20New%20Zealand,,|Aotearoa%20Legalise%20Cannabis%20Party,,|DemocracyNZ,,|Democratic%20Alliance,,|Freedoms%20New%20Zealand,,|Leighton%20Baker%20Party,,|New%20Conservatives,,|New%20Nation%20Party,,|New%20Zealand%20First%20Party,4.9,|New%20Zealand%20Labour%20Party,30,|New%20Zealand%20Loyal,,|NewZeal,,|NZ%20Outdoors%20&%20Freedom%20Party,,|Te%20P%C4%81ti%20M%C4%81ori,3,7|The%20Greens%60%20The%20Green%20Party%20of%20Aotearoa/New%20Zealand,12,1|The%20New%20Zealand%20National%20Party,40,|The%20Opportunities%20Party%20(TOP),,|Vision%20New%20Zealand,,|Women's%20Rights%20Party,,|Other%20party%201,,
link to calculation
I'm not clear whether Bwaghorn is proposing that TPM win all of the Maori seats, but only their current 2% or so of the party vote (which would create the overhang you've outlined).
IMO, this scenario is virtually impossible. Take Waikato-Hauraki, for example: unless Mahuta effectively tells the electorate, 'I'm retiring, don't vote for me, vote for the TPM candidate' – she's going to win that seat.
Or whether Bwaghorn is proposing that TPM get over 5% of the party vote (which is not impossible, they've polled higher this year), which would result in 7 seats.
This is more realistic – but would almost certainly come at the expense of the GP and/or Labour vote (or at least it has in polling this year). The only caveat to this, is if TPM voters are being missed by the current polling measurements (not impossible, this demographic is often undercounted) AND those potential TPM voters actually get out and vote (a much more problematic issue – they often don't)
Either scenario requires an effective shift of at least 5% from the 'right' to the 'left' – regardless of which left party that vote ends up in. That's the bit that we're not seeing in the current polls.
Was wondering if a cup of tea was needed , labour would need to shift its Maori mps up the list for it to work ,
Too late, the list has been published for 2023.
Not worth a cup of tea then
On TV1 News last night there was an item in which Zelensky accused Russia of using food as a weapon. Perhaps Russia and the West need to come to an agreement: the West refrains from supplying weapons and other military hardware to Ukraine, and Russia, in return, ensures that food supplies get through.
No F***ing way.
Your suggestion is to reward 'Putin the Tiny' for his murderous, criminal actions.
Shame on you
mikesh is one of those depressingly common types who spend their whole time railing against western imperialism while bending over backwards to justify Russian imperialism and genocide, and hating on the military industrial complexx as evil under all circumstances, while hailing the glorious and unstoppable military might of Russia.
[mikesh is one of those depressingly common types who spend their whole time railing against western imperialism]
I don't rail against Western (NATO) imperialism (though a good case might be made for doing so). However, Zelensky is a hypocrite.
Speaking of hyprocrisy, I have noticed your repeated calls for Iran and North Korea to cease their supply of arms to russia.
I don't think I have ever spoken of Iran or North Korea.
Russia, as I understand it, broke off the agreement to allow Ukrainian wheat passage because NATO was smuggling weapons into Ukraine under cover of that agreement. So it seems hypocritical of Zelensky to accuse Russia of “weaponising food”.
"I don't think I have ever spoken of Iran or North Korea."
Precisely my point. They are delivering weapons to this conflict also – albeit the side of the aggressor.
But the pro-Putin "anti-war" types never seem to comment, they only complain about the weapons supplied to Ukraine – the country that was needlessly invaded and is being ruthlessly brutalised by russia. They are deafeningly silent about weapons being supplied to the attacker.
"Putin the Tiny" is a pragmatist, who knows what has to be done to ensure Russia's long term security/.
Dismantling and removing memorials associated with Soviet oppression and raising a statue in tribute to Dzerzhinsky is pragmatic?
/
He'll go down in Russian history as a fool.
Germany had agreed to be an economic partner of Russia, Nordstrom, and maintained 1% defence spending 2014-2021 (when NATO required an increase to 2% by 2024) – they did not want to work with Trump and his GOP (untrustworthy). It was the beginning of the end of NATO.
Then Putin in Feb 2022 … the German response was swift. And Sweden and Finland joined NATO.
Now Russia has two alternatives, be a subordinate of the alternate hegemony of China (pretending it's a partnership), or post Putin join NATO. Both suck. He's cost them their independence.
and who has made it clear to everyone that joining NATO is an excellent idea.
But when Russia applied to join, and I understand they have made several attempts, they have been turned down. Says it all really.
Now Russia has two alternatives, be a subordinate of the alternate hegemony of China (pretending it's a partnership), or post Putin join NATO. Both suck. He's cost them their independence.
Russia will never be allowed to join NATO, even post Putin, unless they adopt American style neoliberalism, which would allow America to exploit them economically, for her own advantage. That's what Putin is fighting to prevent, in this war. The first moves in this war occurred when a US inspired (fascist?) coup took place in Ukraine, and involved the unconstitutional dumping of the pro Russian president.
The Ukrainians, for all their heroism, and I admit their defence has been heroic, have acted like a bunch of cretins, foolishly teaming up with the evil empire simply to preserve their sovereignty, which Russia was not actually threatening prior to the events of 2014.
Actually, he is an evil imperialist who invades peaceful neighbours, undertakes mass murder, torture, rape and genocide, and who has made it clear to everyone that joining NATO is an excellent idea. At home, he suffocates his own population with relentless propaganda and oppression, starting from childhood.
But I suppose all evil could be excused as being “pragmatic”, by those who support it.
and who has made it clear to everyone that joining NATO is an excellent idea.
But when Russia applied to join, and I understand they have made several attempts, they have been turned down. Says it all really.
Being declined membership into a voluntary defence alliance, is hardly cause to launch wars of aggression on many of your neighbours and to commit ubiquitous war crimes abroad and ruthlessly suppress your own population.
You make it sound like everyone but russia, is responsible for russia's actions.
Mikesh torture rape deliberately targeting hospitals. What do you propose to stop Putins War crimes..
please fix your username
2020 was an anomalous result – and was effectively a vote of confidence in Ardern for her handling of Covid to that date.
Everyone seems to accept that it was a result which is never likely to be repeated again.
However, your chosen period reflects a decade of National government (hence the high percentages). Even in the 2017 election, there wasn't a huge appetite for a change of government (certainly not before Ardern took over as Labour leader)
If you go back to the previous electorate period (5th Labour government) – you get National/ACT totals in the 30s.
What would shift the current 48% centre right total?
Some suggestions (mostly long term ones)
Shit is going down in Queenstown, and the mayor says it highlights the need for the 3 Waters reforms:
"The person who receives a compliance order must comply with it and meet the costs of doing so. Failure to comply with the order is an offence, with a maximum fine of $300,000 for a corporate body.
Queenstown's compliance order will give council engineers legal reinforcement to act quickly and decisively. But this goes to the guts of why the Three Waters reforms are important, Lewers admits.
The council should have had a protozoa barrier in place at its Two Mile plant, one of the biggest in the district. Indeed, the council work plan lists that as a necessary upgrade to reach full Drinking Water Quality Assurance Rules compliance – but it hadn’t found the funding.
"We've got other intakes in a similar situation, and we're progressively upgrading them as we go," he says.
Recently they've done Arrowtown, they're commissioning the Shotover bores now, they've reached an agreement with Cardrona, and there are still more to do. "I think Two Mile is probably the most difficult and the most expensive," he says. "So we were still working through the options of what to do."
There are two types of barrier. There’s UV treatment, which is cheap and easy and the council will probably set in place now – but it’s not very effective.
Far better is membrane filtration, which has a pore size of 0.1–0.5µm and removes particles, bacteria and protozoa from water. (It’s less effective for viruses – that’s why every water plant needs an array of three or four treatments.)
But membrane filtration is expensive. Lewers says the council had estimates running into the tens of millions of dollars.
Queenstown has "heightened cost pressures" because of the combination of high residential growth and an extremely high visitor load, he says.
But there are many other councils around the country with drinking water and wastewater plants that aren't up to consentable standards, nor up to the new water-quality bar. "This does highlight the challenges," Lewers says. "It also, I think, reinforces the need for water reform."
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/lack-of-water-treatment-highlights-urgency-of-three-waters-reforms-admits-queenstown-mayor
There's around 150,000 overseas visitors in town at the moment, plus about 30,000 locals.
This is far bigger in scale than Havelock North already.
Lol- infrastructure in NZ:
There are first world countries, third world countries and Simeon Brown run countries.
Don’t drink the water, don’t breathe the air…
It also shows how messed up that Labour couldn’t put together a palatable reform given the obvious need.
I've realised you're right. Took a while, but I've been thinking too many other thoughts. No sign yet of Stuff figuring it out, nor the Herald, nor TVNZ, nor Newshub. Slackers all!
If the msm pull finger they might get there within 24 hours of reaction time. If any of the neolib parties show leadership on the issue, the excitement could infuse the campaign. Nah, no chance, given their turgid mental processes.
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/lack-of-water-treatment-highlights-urgency-of-three-waters-reforms-admits-queenstown-mayor
So Queenstown is in the crap. In a world of ‘every man for himself’ and ‘socialism is bad’ I expect that the National MP, all of his supporters and the Act side of the government after October will be saying, ‘Tough titty, that’s your problem. Government isn’t a charity, let us know how you get on.’
So you would expect.
But another neoliberal creed of Natz and Act is – socialise the costs and privatise the profits.
Don't hold your breath.
Act will probably bargain basement sell water supplies to companies so they can make a profit from publicly owned and built infrastructure
The playground of the rich can't pay for their own sewerage upgrades lol.
If they can afford those house prices they can afford a sewerage levy from the council until the problem is fixed.
That'll become $2,000,000 very quickly if national wins!!
Queenstown houses are obviously "aspirational".
Which makes their ability to pay for their own sewerage system upgrade even more evident….
Apparently we have a problem with people under 14 stealing stuff – no legal liability and they can refuse to answer police questions (at best they can make it a youth and family court matter).
Maybe it's a time for creative solutions.
Creative solutions maybe, but not the dreaded Mosquito. This pernicious device uses sound as a weapon against those young enough to hear it. It effectively makes being young a punishable crime in certain areas. It was so abused in the UK that it had to be banned.
How about creating spaces where young people (and everyone) can go and exist, without the expectation of having to spend money?
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/jun/28/manilow-mosquito-youthwave-teenagers
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2010/jun/24/mosquito-youth-dispersal-alarms-face-ban
The dairy is not a public space, shopkeepers have the right to ban people from them.
Well of course, but the creep factor is what is worrying. How long till they're just put up outside? What's the effect on wildlife, public health?
Anyway, there is no device that works on people under 14 only, but that's fine, ban everyone under 25?
These devices are available to buy in New Zealand and unregulated, as far as I know.
The manufacturer has made a device that is heard by youth (up to 25). The ability to hear the higher frequency goes down over the years.
Rules around device licensing is required to regulate manufacture and then use. We could allow devices of a certain range (of frequency, a little higher and under 20 etc or of distance) for specific purposes and then they could be manufactured accordingly.
Shops could ask local police for one if under 14's are stealing stuff – maybe allocated while this remains a problem. Siting could be based on the range to secure the premises (10 metres not necessarily a standard 15 etc) and maybe within the shop.
So how do the under-14s (including toddlers) who are legitimately accompanied by a parent, enter the shop without discomfort (or even pain)?
Surely it would be easier in your world to just shut down all venues which might be robbed.
My world? In our world these devices are legal now. And in our world under 14’s are going into dairy’s and taking stuff again and again and police say all that the shop owner can do is ban them from the shop – they come in anyway.
As these are not ramraids there is no national publicity.
https://www.slsrtc.co.nz/anti-graffiti
http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/north-harbour-news/8566227/New-steps-give-minor-offences-a-hammering
Ideally devices would be activated once someone banned from the shop entered, or was loitering outside with others also banned.
Things like DNA spray do not work with under 14’s as they cannot be prosecuted.
If it is not curbed people will close their shops as they cannot generate a profit because of the theft.
In that scenario, I'd expect to see shop-owners sued by the parents of toddlers (for example) who have had their hearing assaulted through no fault of their own.
Surely it would be much more effective to actually deal with the juvenile criminals.
You do realise that the under 14's do not do it while others are in the dairy?
Community policing is going to have to provide a methodology beyond saying ban them from the shop (they come back anyhow), or maybe identify via CCTV (but the only option is family court atm).
An alternative to that might be to offer the shop owners some sort of dye to spray on the hands and or clothes (that washes off).
Really? I've seen plenty of shoplifters in my time – and mostly they want others in the shop, which distracts the shopkeeper and camouflages their actions.
Effective sanctions (I agree that 'ban them from the shop', with no societal enforcement is worse than useless) – is a better solution.
Not shoplifters under 14 already banned from the shop …it’s a safety in numbers thing.
In a neighbourhood dairy someone might know them and thus the parents can be contacted.
Totally untrue.
A recent debate in parliament indicating there was no UK ban.
https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2021-06-16/debates/81F70BB5-C4E4-46A2-98F2-D53618641550/Anti-LoiteringDevicesSafety
Wow, I thought it had been banned. It's worse that I thought then.
Private citizens have bought them and use them to control neighbouring sections – they have their section quiet because the neighbours children do not go outside to play because of the noise.
Regulation is required alright.
Is NAct 'culture' progressive and effective? Kiwis don't need to vote NAct to find out.
So we now have no recession (most likely never was one) with an increase in GDP, and now contaminated water in Queenstown.
Labour = Good economic managers
Three Waters = Very sensible policy for clean water
National = No idea on economics
Tax cuts for the wealthy = Trickle Up economics
Labour and Left/supporters needs to be loud hailing this from the rooftops………
Fking Aye! Very well summed. Fight back ..and into 'em !
Nicely put Kat…and true. Suddenly the Nats and ACT running around like headless chickens screaming “recession” looks idiotic.
Holy heck, Mike Hoskins gave Luxon (by the standards of Newstalk National Party) a grilling this morning – will he work with Winston First. Luxon struggled to give a yes or no answer but essentially he said yes if he needs to – coalition of chaos.
Btw you can listen online like I did when someone pointed it out to me, you don;t actually have to listen to the station live
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/300974737/live-act-waters-down-tax-cuts-commits-to-raising-pension-age
Another reason for looking after yourself, an underfunded health system, and thus a focus on being able to afford a good home and health insurance and a good private school for the children (or the entry price for a posh suburb school zone).
Of Epsom, by Epsom and for Epsom. The gated community class order spokesperson.
A detailed guide to the facts and fiction from the leaders' debate:
Behind the fact-check – details from the first leaders' debate (1news.co.nz)
(apologies if already posted, but it's worth reading)
Just one example:
"Luxon’s claim that every single health outcome has gone backwards under Labour is untrue. Most of the main health outcomes have remained the same or improved – general mortality, cancer, infant mortality, maternal health."
I check most NZ media each day and this is the first time I've seen this spelled out.
But I've seen dozens of news reports and commentary since the debate telling us who they think "won". There have been far more of those than reports on what is true or false.
The above link is from the TVNZ website, so they deserve credit for that. Any chance they could pass it on to their own political editor, so she could actually do her job for once?
Liar Luxon? Some Kiwis just lap it up – seems lying is a bit of a vote-winner.
So call Luxon on his lies, repeatedly – the Nats are a smoke and mirrors party.
Re Queenstown crypto, a Dr Smith solution could work wonders – simply lower drinkable water standards so enterprise QT can start humming again. Nats really are ratbags.
RNZ reported extensively on some of Luxon’s lies regarding Health yesterday: https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/498394/the-falsehood-christopher-luxon-was-allowed-to-repeat-in-the-leaders-debate
[from my comment https://thestandard.org.nz/the-great-debate/#comment-1968992]