I wonder if misleading the cabinet office will make Wood liable for prosecution. What are the rules around that? Is it merely parliamentary protocol?
The Herald can reveal today Wood had 16 interactions with the Cabinet Office over his Auckland Airport shares, including one in March 2021 in which the Cabinet Office sent Wood a draft review of Ministers’ interests intended for then-Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern confirming the shares had been sold.
Neither the Cabinet Office nor Wood could confirm whether the minister or his office ever responded to that email confirming the statement or correcting the record to say the shares had not in fact been sold.
It appears the Cabinet Office continued to think the shares had been.
On June 30, 2021, Wood’s office told the Cabinet Office his sharebroker had been instructed to sell the shares. The Cabinet Office appeared to believe the shares had been sold because days later, on July 5, 2021, the office sent Wood a letter relating to its annual review including a line which read, “Mr Wood has divested himself of shares in Auckland Airport”.
The elementary concept of checking whether the shares had or had not been sold seems never to have entered the (air)heads of either Wood or the officials.
It's not a specified crime although Parliament can hold people in contempt of Parliament which presumably could include that sort of behaviour if it was egregious enough.
Thanks Craig. Seems clear he did mislead the cabinet office – the evidence says so, but maybe inadvertently as a result of believing his sharebroker followed his instruction. What if Luxon asked in parliament this question: What evidence has Wood provided that he did actually issue that instruction?
If the result was none, can Wood be challenged to provide that evidence? If he then failed to do so, would the Speaker declare him in contempt of parliament?
The cabinet manual is not legally enforceable although obviously the Governor-General can remove a minister on advice of the PM, but there are not really any other consequences in that area.
There are also no Parliamentary consequences although he might get voted out by the electorate or deselected by his party.
A false or misleading pecuniary interests return is grounds for contempt of Parliament as is misleading Parliament (Jan Tinetti has been appearing in front of the Privileges Committee for misleading Parliament).
Having said all that, the maximum penalty for contempt of Parliament is a fine of $1,000. Vacancies can only occur as outlined by s55 of the Electoral Act 1993 and contempt isn't on that list.
Excellent. We await Luxie taking the initiative on the situation. He gets it – I saw a clip yesterday of him saying something that made me realise the opportunity had actually penetrated the concrete in his head. But follow-through action is required.
I don't blame Wood for ignoring the pesky officials for all those 931 days, since there's no actual requirement to do what they wanted. However actually deceiving them is a different kettle of fish. The published evidence that he lied to them seems compelling enough to trigger accountability and punishment.
If Luxie fails to grab this golden opportunity to enforce it by asking the Speaker to do so, it will be a classic leadership failure on his part – he won't look like a viable PM. Maybe Seymour will grab it instead. Maybe Peters will go "Huh, what? Somebody do something?" then head back to sleep…
TOP’s Teal Card is a Gold Card for under 30s. It offers fully funded public transport and healthcare for under 30s,plus a $5,000 mini-UBI boost for everyone.
Manji said to an Ilam electorate meeting last night: “Why would you want to tax wealth production?” Interesting.
The merit of a wealth tax seems to me to lie in the principle of taxing accumulated wealth rather than its production – but he's an economist. He could get lucky if National put out the word quietly to their Ilam supporters. If they feel the need.
Why would you want to tax wealth production?” Interesting.
If he thinks high incomes are a marker of wealth production then he is confusing money with value. Value is created collectively but money is accumulated individually by having market power. Very high incomes (and very low ones) are therefore disproportionate.
Value is a concept, not a "thing" which is created collectively or otherwise. Goods and services are things that are created, and the imputed value of these is reflected in monetary terms, otherwise we wouldn't be able to to tax them – tax has to be paid in cash.
Manji's question is a legitimate one – I don't think he is at all confused; however, I suspect The reason for taxing income is that the state, in order to pay for the services it provides, needs to divert a portion of the country's production to state use. Therefor the state chooses to tax income because income reflects the value of the country's productive activity, and that activity is paid for in cash. The main justification for wealth tax, it would seem, is that it reduces the burden being placed on income tax – a feature which is particularly beneficial for those least able to afford taxes. It also tends to reduce inequality, equality being considered a value in its own right.
Why would you want to tax wealth production?” Interesting.
Interesting all right. Actually a good argument for taxing unearned income such as speculation on existing assets, and "boom across the river" type, rents, instead of income from productive labour. Or, as Adam Smith said, "tax rentiers not workers".
"The reason why Xi Jinping got very upset in terms of when I shot that balloon down with two box cars full of spy equipment in it was he didn't know it was there," Biden said.
A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said Biden's remarks were "extremely absurd" and "irresponsible".
Expressing China's strong dissatisfaction, foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Biden's comments seriously violated facts, diplomatic protocol and China's political dignity.
"They're an open political provocation," she told a news conference.
But it's best for political provocations to be open rather than closed, so everyone can see what's happening. Biden pokes bear: bear gets affronted by that threat to its dignity. But notice that she didn't specify those facts that got seriously violated by Biden.
She knows the devil's in that detail, and therefore it must not be engaged with. Then there's the alarming fact of Biden personally shooting down Xi's balloon. Not nice.
Readers may feel that the US president was lying about this. Trump may say so – vulnerable to any attempt by Biden to out-macho him. The media may do its research, and determine that a junior staffer actually pushed the button. Top democrats may nervously watch the proximity of Biden's hand to the nuclear red button.
Mayor Brown is now proposing to sell the Port of Auckland.
This is what happens when the Labour/Green/City Vision councillors fail to vote together to overturn Mayor Brown's budget and sell the first major public asset:
He goes for more.
Wouldn't it be great if we had a Labour government or even a Labour Minister for Auckland that hadn't fatally compromised themselves on share ownership.
Mike Lee is one of the few to have a proper ideological grasp of this, he dates back to the Bruce Jesson/Alliance era.
There were a few brave ones from South Auckland, and some abject failures like Labour’s Shane Henderson. As I said here, “if Brown doesn’t go down” on Airport shares the Councillors will have waved the white flag to a hostile Mayor and they may as well all go surfing or on gardening leave for the remainder of their terms.
I was surprised and saddened by Shane Henderson's vote – though, I am sure I read that he had consulted widely with his constituents who were largely in favour of selling the shares and he voted accordingly. I used to live in Shane's 'hood before retiring to the Waikato and met him on more than one occasion – he's a good bloke.
Just bullshit. We were on the ground fundraising, delivering, putting up hoardings, going to his meetings. Any time you want to join in with the next one let us know, right?
No, not for all the tea in China. Better party to support.
You see, my garage is full of signs and signage to go up when election starts. Some of the wood is from the local body elections when all but one of our candidates got in. Got fund raisers next week and had meetings tonight.
So if you need people, how about you offer some hope, direction and a way to stop corporate greed. Rather than what your offering.
Sheesh dude I put my money where my mouth is. I 'ant no keyboard warrior – hence why I like you. Even if I disagree with you.
We were on the ground fundraising, delivering, putting up hoardings, going to his meetings. Any time you want to join in with the next one let us know, right?
This is a key quote from Prime Minister Hipkins at his media interview yesterday:
“I still don’t understand how after all of this period of time, over two years with the Cabinet Office asking him to attend to these cases, we’re still in this position now in the last few weeks, even the fact that more information has come to light as the weeks have unfolded, is still something that I do not understand.”
“There are people who have made mistakes in the past who have gone on to have great political careers and a future. What Michael chooses to do is a question for him.”
But then he said that Wood “clearly needed” to tidy up that part of his life that had caused his present predicament.
Hipkins appeared to suggest that this might be a challenge. “I think one of the things that Michael will need to reflect on, particularly as he thinks about what his own future is, is that he will need to have a better explanation than the one he’s produced so far,” he said.
You can read an awful lot into what is unsaid there.
Thanks to Richard Harman for being on to this pretty important exchange.
Okay then, back up your claim with evidence and show me that you’re not just trolling again.
For example, has Sharma apologised to the PM and the NZ public? Did Sharma express feeling sorry for letting down his Party? Has Sharma taken any responsibility for his own demise?
Has Sharma done any of those things? Well not to my knowledge and I would be surprised if he had. However I have never claimed that he has.
On the other hand when Mr Wood says things like "In some respects my de-prioritisation of my personal financial affairs has led to this situation." he really isn't taking responsibility is he?
Then he says "it is incumbent on Ministers to manage not just the reality, but also the perception of any conflicts. I have not managed this effectively, I take responsibility for it, and as such have submitted my resignation to the Prime Minister. I apologise to him and the public for this situation." appears to be a claim that he did nothing wrong in fact but he hasn't managed to persuade people of that. That certainly seems to be the only thing he is apologising for.
Mr Wood then says that "At all times I have provided information about shares in the Trust to the Cabinet Office that I have believed was correct, but in this case my understanding was incorrect."
I certainly get the impression from the PMs statement that this really isn't accurate. After all the PM said
"Despite repeated requests from the Cabinet Office and myself for Michael to manage his shareholdings, he has repeatedly failed to identify, disclose and appropriately manage conflicts of interest.
When I stood Michael down as Transport Minister, I asked him if there was any other relevant information I should know about and he indicated there was not."
It certainly seems to be the case, given that Wood went from a rank of 7 in the caucus a few weeks ago to somewhere in the low 30's today that he has self destructed doesn't it?
Newshub also seems to agree with the view that Wood doesn't really accept his full quota of blame.
"And in his statement following his resignation Wood still hadn’t quite clocked on to the fact that he was solely responsible for the mess he had found himself in, saying “in some respects my de-prioritisation of my personal financial affairs has led to this situation”.
There’s no “some” about it, Wood’s inability to sort out his conflicting shares is completely to blame.
It’s no longer fathomable that Wood is a victim of his own forgetfulness, not even Hipkins believes that anymore."
Actually, you did make a claim, about my comment equally applying to Sharma and Wood.
So, I request again that you back up your claim.
FYI, Wood sold the airport shares and donated the proceeds to charity, he resigned, and he apologised.
Back to you and your claim; you’re deflecting & diverting, as usual when I pull you up on some nonsense comment of yours – I’m starting to ‘lose control’ again
"Yup, he self-destructed his political career in a spectacular ball of bull dust and blamed everyone & anyone but himself."
I would say that that is a pretty reasonable description of what is happening to Mr Wood, just as it is one about Dr Sharma. If you had put all the additional comments you are making into your original remark I might have been able to distinguish them but not just from this comment that I asked about.
If you are member of the right wing elites then you can brazen this sort of thing out because the use of the law for political violence is, in this country, pretty much the preserve of the rich. Everyone knows what the law is is, to some extent, defined by what you can get away with and if you are rich and/or well connected to the right wing elites you can get away with a lot more. John Key got away unharmed from similar shares scandals simply because the corporate media had his back.
But the left cannot. It will be held to the highest standards. And Michael Wood should know that. He is among the more left wing in this government and his piushing of fair pay agreements painted a giant target on his back. He was never going to get any slack. There is no point whining about the hypocrisy, it is what it is. To me, his behaviour is inexplicably arrogant and/or stupid, and that combined with his wife voting in favour of the sale of airport shares makes me wonder about how clever the pair of them actually are when it comes to doing politics. As it is, both are now staring at a premature exit from politics.
Hipkins is going to try to change the Cabinet reporting rules for all governments no matter what party … in one of the worst cases of horse bolted I've ever seen here:
"In Australia, the Code of Conduct for Ministers requires that they divest themselves of investments and other interests in any public or private company or business.
That is, other than public superannuation funds or publicly listed managed funds or trust arrangements where the Minister has no visibility or control of decision-making.
Adopting this approach would be a significant change in the New Zealand position and requires further consultations, but it is my personal view it’s appropriate to take this step."
So, Sanctuary, with Wood now pretty likely to withdraw his name as an Epsom Labour candidate after this colossal own-goal, if you're in the Epsom electorate you could always put your name up for Labour 🙂
Also pretty hard to see Julie Fairey staying on as Councillor with her family trust essentially tanking her husband's career. So you could always prepare to stand in the Albert-Eden ward 🙂
Another left wing councilor voted for the sale of the shares.
Two other councilors had to correct information on shareholding in the week before the budget.
All that was said came down to, Jacinda Ardern asked if the shares were sold, and Wood said they were. That was the beginning of his end.imo
The ferrets are out there again, so Labour have to be more honest than Key, as the black ops and media ghouls will collect scalps and gleefully display them.
It's much, much deeper than that, as noted by the Prime Minister: it is in how both Wood and his wife Fairey have held and operated as beneficiaries of a Trust for a very long time. This point is cited by the PM yesterday in his release on the matter:
An investment trust like this would be tracking its holdings and the performance of those holdings every month, and as Trustees they had full visibility of it.
It's like he's never heard of a blind trust before.
The could be 5 cents and he'd still have to declare them.
We can have no tolerance for this shit, this is the crap that is destroying faith in democracies all around the world.
He's been an MP for 7 years, he's been a minister for 5 and a political nerd his entire life.
He misled cabinet and multiple prime ministers AND LIED TO THE PUBLIC last week (as well as the prime minister) when he said dozens of times there was nothing else to see here.
As far as I'm concerned, he should just resign from parliament and so should his wife from council (as her abstention made her compromised as Ad stated)
This is unacceptable.
And a few months back we all wanted him to be the leader of Labour, thank goodness that didn't happen or we'd be looking at a 1990 style wipe out.
"You can read an awful lot into what is unsaid there."
Therein lie two problems. One, people will read into it what they are disposed to. Two, allowing that to happen is fraught politically as misinformation will abound.
true but both those things would happen anyway. There's obviously something going on that we don't know, and presumably Hipkins doesn't either or isn't able to say. I guess his other option was to not say so much and try and move on, but people and MSM would still be going after it.
It would be a good idea to require that cabinet ministers have achieved a pass grade in metacognition 1.01 – it could be taught to them quite simply by reference to this source:
Readers with a yen for the deep Green view of life ought to focus on what the wikipedians have listed under the heading Components. Three triads!
Metacognition is classified into three components:
Metacognitive knowledge
Metacognitive regulation
Metacognitive experiences
That's just the first of the three. The other two are
three different types of metacognitive awareness when considering metacognitive knowledge
three skills that are essential
Everyone will clamour that it's totally unreasonable to expect Labour cabinet ministers to cerebrate at this level – but anyone is capable of self-improvement.
Well, Michael Wood had several years as a Union Organiser with FINSEC, and a couple of terms as a Local Government elected member. Both these things should have built a good foundation for work as an MP.
You have to be organised and people focused.
You have also to be aware that you have political opponents and are being watched.
They have quite a few of those around Parliament. Even ignoring the union officials, there are soldiers, lawyers, accountants, farmers, businesspeople, teachers/principals, police officers, lecturers, public servants, managers, doctors, broadcasters…
"…“Yeah, we copped a bit of backlash originally when we put this into the kids’ section, at the time we didn’t realise it was going to go around the world as it did,” said Bailey…"
I think that the hunters are heroes, but then I catch feral cats on my property in traps, and shoot them while listening to the Bellbirds and Tui's singing.
And every one of those cats is there because of a failure on the part of a human. A failure to look after the cat, a failure to get the cat speyed or neutered, and a failure to provide a safe home for the cat.
I should have mentioned I hate killing the cats…. but they are non-native and they slaughtering millions of native birds (and skinks etc) annually.
The alternative that a good friend of mine supports….catching them and neutering them and then either housing them with families or letting them free again just doesnt work.
In Oz they are moving towards rules that stipulate that cats are not allowed out of a house unless on a lead.
If they have a bell and collar that says "Tibbles" I shoot them.
But seriously if they have neither of the above and look like the average NZ feral cat which all seem to have the same colouring (see the front picture on the link below), and are in my trap then they are hunting and killing native birds on my land so I shoot them.
I don’t have many neighbours but talking to one a few weeks ago I warned him I shoot cats. He said he had two ginger cats-I said I would look out for those and let them go.
The moggies of Mt Iron are probably doing more harm to the Mt Iron rabbit population than the Mt Iron human population is capable. Likewise the ferrets, if you've got a decent population.
Around me they had a huge purge on the ferrets and cats because TB, and the rabbits have gone from way too many, to fucking insane.
This reply to both Ad and Graeme above….if you know anyone who lives in the houses on the slopes of Mt Iron ask them to put traps in their garden. (The friends I have who live up there have 2 cats and would never do this.)
It is only by a massive network of backyard trapping across NZ that we will make any impact on feral cats, ferrets, stoats, possums, hedgehogs, etc.
Maddening to see Radio New Zealand's headline – Luxon says Chris Hipkins is weak for not managing his team's culture. Given the PM has been in that role only after these Nash/Wood problems were occurring, perhaps RNZ could improve their accuracy.
Perhaps they could pin Luxon down on his Tesla purchase/subsidy and demand a straight answer. What a hypocrite.
Given the ongoing share issues with Michael Wood, the PM has handled it all extremely well and explained his dilemma over the whole saga. He has certainly been hugely more open than Luxon was in downplaying Uffindell's bullying and nastiness.
You could argue that the difference between Michael Wood and Kuriger and Uffendell is that they are not cabinet members.
However, given Luxon's "high moral stand" it must be disheartening for both those members of the Natz party, and a few others too, to realise they will never make it into a Natz cabinet!
Luxon has too high a moral position to ever consider them! /s
The problem Hipkins has isn't that the rules wrong. The rules are just fine. His problem is that his some of his Cabinet Ministers considered themselves above such trivial things as obeying them.
He has to come up with a way of herding cats when the cats don't se why they should be obliged to follow the path that has been set. Well good luck mate.
I bet he won't Patricia – I suggested some time ago that Alwyn comes in to spray and walk away. He got a bit tetchy about that comment, but that's how I react to his pretty much trolling.
From the link scotty provided Ms Kuriger would appear to be a most unpleasant person. She would seem, however, to have been removed from he Agriculture spokespersons role when the exchange was brought to Luxon's attention.
"She stepped down from the role after someone claiming to be an MPI employee notified National leader Christopher Luxon of the long history of correspondence."
A little later she was apparently dropped from number 10 in the party rankings into the pool of under 20 ranking backbenchers. Luxon would appear to have been lied to by Kuriger and when he discovered it he dropped her way down the list to the point where she will be unlikely to get into Cabinet if she hangs around. That seems pretty similar to what Hipkins has done to date, although he still seems to be rather more accepting of Wood coming back than does Luxon about Kuriger.
Uffindell was the one who behaved like a ratbag when he was about 15 at Boarding School wasn't he? I'd say, given his apparently unblemished behaviour since then he deserves another chance.
Except that Uffendell terrorised a female flatmate when he was at university, presumably in his early 20s, to the extent that she climbed out a window and fled to a safe haven!
Woodlouse is the scumbag that put Claire Curren's photo on a toilet seat, and boasted of doing so (at least showed a picture of himself admiring the said toilet seat)!
Alwyn… His homeless man in MIQ. Cost thousands looking for that lie. Then the bullying pictures of Clare Curran's photo(L) on a toilet seat lid. Receiving personal details of patients from Michelle Boag. Does that jog your memory?
I remember a university student, here in New Zealand, who ended up along with a bunch of other students being arrested for having raided a number of girls hostels, tossing the girls out of bed (carefully) and tipping their belongings on the floor. He later became a very, very senior Labour MP
Just a capping prank of course was the way it was seen at the time.
I'm not going to say when, where or who though. It was a pretty normal part of Capping celebrations at the time. Why name the person today? They have long got over it. It did happen though when he was young.
Uffindell was the one who behaved like a ratbag when he was about 15 at Boarding School wasn't he?
Was he, alwyn, was he – or wasn't he? It's a tricky name – unblemished since a wooden performance at Boarding School, apparently.
I know nothing about Woodhouse.
Wasn't he homeless? I googled 'Woodhouse' + 'homeless' and got a few 'hits' – seems like a good boy; must be tough being homeless during a pandemic. We need more with his sort of personal experience in our house of representatives.
Dr Bryce, on how symmetry induces team herding in our democracy:
Labour thinks National is corrupt and unethical, and vice versa. The fact that politicians appear to have an unwavering trust in themselves and their own side, means that they think the rules about corruption are actually there for their opponents rather than their own team.
There's something about the nature of the game that induces players to believe that the rules only apply to the other team. Imagine if team sports worked like that.
He runs the line that Wood was the victim of culture (the legendary kiwi complacency).
He simply didn’t take integrity rules meant to protect the New Zealand political system from corruption seriously. That’s rightly led to his downfall.
I prefer the covert rebel theory. Rebels ignore rules. Wood would probably argue that the 931 days he maintained his rebellion displays the virtue of consistency. Fair point.
I've never seen any evidence that he does, Patricia. Academics are generally known to be notoriously leftist in outlook. I'm aware that some commentators here routinely claim he's biased but that doesn't make it so. I suspect that his reluctance to toe the leftist academic line & be scrupulously non-partisan instead is what offends them.
Bryce comes up with a hypothesis, then looks for all sources to support that. Original thinking is rather light on the ground. His summaries…. enough said.
You haven't been reading Bryce Edwards closely enough if you haven't noticed he supports National (or at least The Right), Frank. Don't be fooled by the "Democracy Project" label.
I have little respect for the man. For instance when quizzed on an RNZ programme over the recent electoral reform proposals he said the proposed 3.5% was too high and that it should be 1% to get a party into government. Hasn't he seen the coalition chaos in Israel because they have a low limit (actually 1.5% not 1%) for parties to get into parliament which means that many parties get in.
he said the proposed 3.5% was too high and that it should be 1% to get a party into government
Firstly, I suspect you may have meant parliament rather than government. Parties only get into government here if a leader can assure the GG that he has the numbers to rule. Usually that means he has secured a formal agreement with any minor parties he needs – like a contract.
Secondly, any genuine Green believes in the principle of biodiversity, which produces the complexity of interactions in an ecosystem stabilising species survival. Going for a 1% threshold optimises the biodiversity of parliament as a social ecosystem. That's to his credit.
Thirdly, I agree the situation in Israel is sufficient cause to be cautious around this for the reason you mention (chaotic tendency). However I suspect Israel could be a special case & comparative analysis ought to therefore incorporate all countries using western-style democracies, to examine how each has operated so as to enable diverse representation.
Sorry Dennis, yes I did mean parliament not government.
I don't accept your argument re Israel as a special case. I think in NZ we could easily have 10 or more parties (some of them anti-vax nutters etc) vying to be part of "coalitions of chaos" if the threshold was 1%. I'd be happy to see it reduced from 5% to 4% or even 3.5% though.
I think I declared my preference for 3% onsite here years ago. To clarify re Israel, I vaguely recall checking out their parliamentary configuration a while back & noticing considerable biodiversity. I think that was relative to major parties not being as influential as here.
Sort of like a spectrum effect. If major parties subside below 30% they lose relativity leverage & coalition-forming becomes a multiplicity scenario rather than a partnership binary.
Political stability then hinges on how robust the contractual design is in each case – whether events precipitate rats jumping the ship. If a minor party can be the tail wagging the dog (as with NZF) it will do that and hold the govt to ransom. A creative challenge to the lawyers designing the contracts. Ought to be possible to prevent minor party finagling though – humans have always done contingency planning.
I suspect that his reluctance to toe the leftist academic line & be scrupulously non-partisan instead is what offends them.
I'm not offended. Only amazed. Why would anyone take Bryce seriously? He has a track record of being hilariously wrong.
2020 election? National have every chance, Todd Muller is the man! You might think that is bad satire, but it's not. It's Bryce Edwards … totally out of touch, detached from reality. That's why his commentary is dismissed.
Yeah I've seen him get analyses wrong in the past & vaguely recall that was one such example. Doesn't mean right-wing bias to me though. Ivory tower syndrome has been well-known an awful long time. The disconnect from the real world is often hilarious. Perhaps he tries to compensate for this handicap by canvassing the opinion of folks he knows, such as family relations. That would explain the situation – via a randomised warping effect…
a really good article by a senior clinical psychologist outlining why despite spending over a billion dollars on mental health, this govt has failed to improve outcomes.
This is a smart move by the Greens. Get out in front of the tax issue. Often in the past both Labour and the Greens have been too passive, releasing their tax plans and then letting the opposition/media control the narrative (usually reduced to "Tax? Boo!").
The Greens' tax calculator is an effective rebuttal …
The issue of course is that any government that institutes this will find that tax revenue will dry up overnight – the exodus of international businesses, successful local businesses, individuals with wealth etc. will be swift and devastating. Our economy will shrink drastically.
Job losses will be massive, Government revenue from PAYE and company profits will plummet. There will be sweet FA in the coffers.
Have the Greens factored that pesky little issue into their clever calculator?
In The Myth of Millionaire Tax Flight, Young examines a trove of data on millionaires and billionaires—confidential tax returns, Forbes lists, and census records—and distills down surprising insights. While economic elites have the resources and capacity to flee high-tax places, their actual migration is surprisingly limited. For the rich, ongoing economic potential is tied to the place where they become successful—often where they are powerful insiders—and that success ultimately diminishes both the incentive and desire to migrate.
This important book debunks a powerful idea that has driven fiscal policy for years, and in doing so it clears the way for a new era. Millionaire taxes, Young argues, could give states the funds to pay for infrastructure, education, and other social programs to attract a group of people who are much more mobile—the younger generation.
Selling up and changing your sources of business income is not an easy or inexpensive task.
A “successful local business” is not going to give up an income stream simply because they have to pay a little more tax. Especially when it contributes to the stable, educated and healthy workforce, infrastructure and social stability that business depends on.
As for those who are destroying our economy by speculatively and non-productively bidding up the prices of existing assets, such as land to the detriment of our economy and actual productive business, Capital gains farmers, we are better off without.
Customer base, built up goodwill, cost of moving plant, to name just a few things.
We have seen the obstacles to simply upping stakes and going to a new market, with businesses. An example is Dick Smiths attempt too set up in NZ.
One of the reasons I stopped running my business, is that you are so much tied to locality and your established customer base.
Large ones, if they are actual productive businesses are even harder to shift. Of course, if they are simply in the business of extracting economic rents without adding any real value, then we are actually much better off without them.
I said, although it may not be that clear that the holder of the business moved, not the whole business. This would just make it a foreign owned company. The comment about it being a large one is that you could have it run without the owner in NZ. It wouldn't work for a panel beating and painting firm for example.
I am used to seeing doom and gloom about achievement levels in our schools so an article in the Washington Post caught the eye. The final sentence is similar to what I see here.
"National test scores plunge, with still no sign of pandemic recovery
National test scores plummeted for 13-year-olds, according to new data that shows the single largest drop in math in 50 years and no signs of academic recovery following the disruptions of the pandemic.
Student scores plunged nine points in math and four points in reading on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), often regarded as the nation’s report card. The release Wednesday reflected testing in fall 2022, comparing it to the same period in 2019, before the pandemic began.
… The average math score is now the same as it was in 1990, while the average reading score is the same as it was in 2004.
I wonder whether the geophysics Institute relied a lot on adjunct lecturers from GNS. For example, Auckland University's Plant and Food postgraduate studies are mostly staffed with adjunct lecturers from the Plant&Food CRI in Mt Albert. The research expertise comes mainly from the CRI, not the university.
Therefore disassembling geophysics courses at Vic would not involve significant staff redundancies for the university, but might put some staff positions at GNS on shaky ground.
In terms of NZ earthquake expertise, the greater critical mass will be at GNS.
Remember when everyone thought Wood could replace Ardern a few months back? Gosh we dodged a bullet with that not happening.
What is going on with the Labour party caucus? Arrogance. It's arrogance.
I blame Ardern for a lot of this, she allowed a culture of arrogant ministers playing fast and loose to take hold because she was very hands off, she didn't micromanage she trusted too much.
she ruled by consensus kindness and empathy and faith in her team, which sounds good, but doesn't work, she'd still be hear if that leadership style was effective in governing.
you need to be bit of a bastard, and put the fear of god into these careerists that you will throw any and all of them under a bus at the drop of a hat, like one Helen Clark, Labours only three term PM.
Poor Hipkins. I actually feel sorry for him. He's probably wondering which of these bastards is lying to me and is going to be busted next. Luckily he's more of a Clark than an Ardern.
Every Labour and Green Mp and minister is on notice, get your houses and lives in order, yesterday!
the nats and act are spending their unprecedented election warchests on armies of sleuths going over labour/green mp's and activists lives with a fine tooth comb, and any conflicts or indiscretions will be found.
Yep, the wheelie bin riflers and underwear sniffers are in full Dirty Politics mode at the moment!
The Natzos do seem to be way better at hiding the dosh–and being proud of it.
For 40 years the middle class and other aspirationals have been encouraged to buy into the dog eat dog monetarist scene–Shares! Venture Capital! Property! so it is understandable why some went there–but still not excusable for any political rep seeking credibility with working class people.
Michael Wood–FPAs, huge pay rises and new contracting regime for bus drivers, rejuvenation of NZ run Coastal Shipping…his legacy will live on…what a shame.
"Yep, the wheelie bin riflers and underwear sniffers are in full Dirty Politics mode at the moment!"
I take it you mean the people who staked out Luxon's home, watched for his wife to go out in her car, made a note of the number plate and then checked whether there had been any attempt to claim the rebate? They certainly sound like the people you are talking about.
Geophysics is one of the subjects to go under the knife at Victoria Uni of Wellington (Latin, Italian and secondary teaching are others).
I get their thinking; all the necessary research must be complete now after the Christchurch earthquakes, so no need for geophysics any more. Or rely on some overseas institution?
Buzz from the Beehive Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters was bound to win headlines when he set out his thinking about AUKUS in his speech to the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. The headlines became bigger when – during an interview on RNZ’s Morning Report today – he criticised ...
The Post reports on how the government is refusing to release its advice on its corrupt Muldoonist fast-track law, instead using the "soon to be publicly available" refusal ground to hide it until after select committee submissions on the bill have closed. Fast-track Minister Chris Bishop's excuse? “It's not ...
As pressure on it grows, the livestock industry’s approach to the transition to Net Zero is increasingly being compared to that of fossil fuel interests. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above ...
The New Zealand Herald reports – Stats NZ has offered a voluntary redundancy scheme to all of its workers as a way to give staff some control over their “future” amidst widespread job losses in the public sector. In an update to staff this morning, seen by the Herald, Statistics New Zealand ...
On Werewolf/Scoop, I usually do two long form political columns a week. From now on, there will be an extra column each week about music and movies. But first, some late-breaking political events:The rise in unemployment numbers for the March quarter was bigger than expected – and especially sharp ...
David Farrar writes – The Herald reports: TVNZ says it is dealing with about 50 formal complaints over its coverage of the latest 1News-Verian political poll, with some viewers – as well as the Prime Minister and a former senior Labour MP – critical of the tone of the 6pm report. ...
Muriel Newman writes – When Meridian Energy was seeking resource consents for a West Coast hydro dam proposal in 2010, local Maori “strenuously” objected, claiming their mana was inextricably linked to ‘their’ river and could be damaged. After receiving a financial payment from the company, however, the Ngai Tahu ...
Alwyn Poole writes – “An SEP,’ he said, ‘is something that we can’t see, or don’t see, or our brain doesn’t let us see, because we think that it’s somebody else’s problem. That’s what SEP means. Somebody Else’s Problem. The brain just edits it out, it’s like a ...
Our trust in our political institutions is fast eroding, according to a Maxim Institute discussion paper, Shaky Foundations: Why our democracy needs trust. The paper – released today – raises concerns about declining trust in New Zealand’s political institutions and democratic processes, and the role that the overuse of Parliamentary urgency ...
This article was prepared for publication yesterday. More ministerial announcements have been posted on the government’s official website since it was written. We will report on these later today …. Buzz from the BeehiveThere we were, thinking the environment is in trouble, when along came Jones. Shane Jones. ...
New Zealand now has the fourth most depressed construction sector in the world behind China, Qatar and Hong Kong. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 8:46am on Thursday, May 2:The Lead: ...
Hi,I am just going to state something very obvious: American police are fucking crazy.That was a photo gracing the New York Times this morning, showing New York City police “entering Columbia University last night after receiving a request from the school.”Apparently in America, protesting the deaths of tens of thousands ...
Winston Peters’ much anticipated foreign policy speech last night was a work of two halves. Much of it was a standard “boilerplate” Foreign Ministry overview of the state of the world. There was some hardening up of rhetoric with talk of “benign” becoming “malign” and old truths giving way to ...
Graham Adams assesses the fallout of the Cass Review — The press release last Thursday from the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls didn’t make the mainstream news in New Zealand but it really should have. The startling title of Reem Alsalem’s statement — “Implementation of ‘Cass ...
This open-for-business, under-new-management cliché-pockmarked government of Christopher Luxon is not the thing of beauty he imagines it to be. It is not the powerful expression of the will of the people that he asserts it to be. It is not a soaring eagle, it is a malodorous vulture. This newest poll should make ...
The latest labour market statistics, showing a rise in unemployment. There are now 134,000 unemployed - 14,000 more than when the National government took office. Which is I guess what happens when the Reserve Bank causes a recession in an effort to Keep Wages Low. The previous government saw a ...
Three opinion polls have been released in the last two days, all showing that the new government is failing to hold their popular support. The usual honeymoon experienced during the first year of a first term government is entirely absent. The political mood is still gloomy and discontented, mainly due ...
National's Finance Minister once met a poor person.A scornful interview with National's finance guru who knows next to nothing about economics or people.There might have been something a bit familiar if that was the headline I’d gone with today. It would of course have been in tribute to the article ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Throughout the pandemic, the new Vice-Chancellor-of-Otago-University-on-$629,000 per annum-Can-you-believe-it-and-Former-Finance-Minister Grant Robertson repeated the mantra over and over that he saved “lives and livelihoods”.As we update how this claim is faring over the course of time, the facts are increasingly speaking differently. NZ ...
Chris Trotter writes – IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in acknowledgement of electoral victory: “We’ll govern for all New Zealanders.” On the face of it, the pledge is a strange one. Why would any political leader govern in ways that advantaged the huge ...
Bryce Edwards writes – The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 10:06am on Wednesday, May 1:The Lead: Business confidence fell across the board in April, falling in some areas to levels last seen during the lockdowns because of a collapse in ...
Over the past 36 hours, Christopher Luxon has been dong his best to portray the centre-right’s plummeting poll numbers as a mark of virtue. Allegedly, the negative verdicts are the result of hard economic times, and of a government bravely set out on a perilous rescue mission from which not ...
Auckland Transport have started rolling out new HOP card readers around the network and over the next three months, all of them on buses, at train stations and ferry wharves will be replaced. The change itself is not that remarkable, with the new readers looking similar to what is already ...
Completed reads for April: The Difference Engine, by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling Carnival of Saints, by George Herman The Snow Spider, by Jenny Nimmo Emlyn’s Moon, by Jenny Nimmo The Chestnut Soldier, by Jenny Nimmo Death Comes As the End, by Agatha Christie Lord of the Flies, by ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Have a story to share about St Paul’s, but today just picturesPopular novels written at this desk by a young man who managed to bootstrap himself out of father’s imprisonment and his own young life in a workhouse Read more ...
The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill English, Simon Bridges, Steven Joyce, Roger Sowry, ...
Newsroom has a story today about National's (fortunately failed) effort to disestablish the newly-created Inspector-General of Defence. The creation of this agency was the key recommendation of the Inquiry into Operation Burnham, and a vital means of restoring credibility and social licence to an agency which had been caught lying ...
Holding On To The Present:The moment a political movement arises that attacks the whole idea of social progress, and announces its intention to wind back the hands of History’s clock, then democracy, along with its unwritten rules, is in mortal danger.IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in ...
Stuck In The Middle With You:As Christopher Luxon feels the hot breath of Act’s and NZ First’s extremists on the back of his neck and, as he reckons with the damage their policies are already inflicting upon a country he’s described as “fragile”, is there not some merit in reaching out ...
The unpopular coalition government is currently rushing to repeal section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act. The clause is Oranga Tamariki's Treaty clause, and was inserted after its systematic stealing of Māori children became a public scandal and resulted in physical resistance to further abductions. The clause created clear obligations ...
Buzz from the Beehive The government’s official website – which Point of Order monitors daily – not for the first time has nothing much to say today about political happenings that are grabbing media headlines. It makes no mention of the latest 1News-Verian poll, for example. This shows National down ...
It Takes A Train To Cry:Surely, there is nothing lonelier in all this world than the long wail of a distant steam locomotive on a cold Winter’s night.AS A CHILD, I would lie awake in my grandfather’s house and listen to the traffic. The big wooden house was only a ...
Packing A Punch: The election of the present government, including in its ranks politicians dedicated to reasserting the rights of the legislature in shaping and determining the future of Māori and Pakeha in New Zealand, should have alerted the judiciary – including its anomalous appendage, the Waitangi Tribunal – that its ...
Dead Woman Walking: New Zealand’s media industry had been moving steadily towards disaster for all the years Melissa Lee had been National’s media and communications policy spokesperson, and yet, when the crisis finally broke, on her watch, she had nothing intelligent to offer. Christopher Luxon is a patient man - but he’s not ...
Chris Trotter writes – New Zealand politics is remarkably easy-going: dangerously so, one might even say. With the notable exception of John Key’s flat ruling-out of the NZ First Party in 2008, all parties capable of clearing MMP’s five-percent threshold, or winning one or more electorate seats, tend ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is ...
Luxon will no doubt put a brave face on it, but there is no escaping the pressure this latest poll will put on him and the government. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political ...
This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler In the wake of any unusual weather event, someone inevitably asks, “Did climate change cause this?” In the most literal sense, that answer is almost always no. Climate change is never the sole cause of hurricanes, heat waves, droughts, or ...
Something odd happened yesterday, and I’d love to know if there’s more to it. If there was something which preempted what happened, or if it was simply a throwaway line in response to a journalist.Yesterday David Seymour was asked at a press conference what the process would be if the ...
Hi,From time to time, I want to bring Webworm into the real world. We did it last year with the Jurassic Park event in New Zealand — which was a lot of fun!And so on Saturday May 11th, in Los Angeles, I am hosting a lil’ Webworm pop-up! I’ve been ...
Education Minister Erica Standford yesterday unveiled a fundamental reform of the way our school pupils are taught. She would not exactly say so, but she is all but dismantling the so-called “inquiry” “feel good” method of teaching, which has ruled in our classrooms since a major review of the New ...
Exactly where are we seriously going with this government and its policies? That is, apart from following what may as well be a Truss-Lite approach on the purported economic “plan“, and Victorian-era regression when it comes to social policy.Oh it’ll work this time of course, we’re basically assured, “the ...
Hey Uncle Dave, When the Poms joined the EEC, I wasn't one of those defeatists who said, Well, that’s it for the dairy job. And I was right, eh? The Chinese can’t get enough of our milk powder and eventually, the Poms came to their senses and backed up the ute ...
Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is higher than for any other mayor ...
Buzz from the Beehive Pharmac has been given a financial transfusion and a new chair to oversee its spending in the pharmaceutical business. Associate Health Minister David Seymour described the funding for Pharmac as “its largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff”. ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its ...
TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:10am on Monday, April 29:Scoop: The children's ward at Rotorua Hospital will be missing a third of its beds as winter hits because Te Whatu Ora halted an upgrade partway through to ...
span class=”dropcap”>As hideous as David Seymour can be, it is worth keeping in mind occasionally that there are even worse political figures (and regimes) out there. Iran for instance, is about to execute the country’s leading hip hop musician Toomaj Salehi, for writing and performing raps that “corrupt” the nation’s ...
Yesterday marked 10 years since the first electric train carried passengers in Auckland so it’s a good time to look back at it and the impact it has had. A brief history The first proposals for rail electrification in Auckland came in the 1920’s alongside the plans for earlier ...
Right now, in Aotearoa-NZ, our ‘animal spirits’ are darkening towards a winter of discontent, thanks at least partly to a chorus of negative comments and actions from the Government Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on ...
You make people evil to punish the paststuck inside a sequel with a rotating castThe following photos haven’t been generated with AI, or modified in any way. They are flesh and blood, human beings. On the left is Galatea Young, a young mum, and her daughter Fiadh who has Angelman ...
April has been a quiet month at A Phuulish Fellow. I have had an exceptionally good reading month, and a decently productive writing month – for original fiction, anyway – but not much has caught my eye that suggested a blog article. It has been vaguely frustrating, to be honest. ...
A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 21, 2024 thru Sat, April 27, 2024. Story of the week Anthropogenic climate change may be the ultimate shaggy dog story— but with a twist, because here ...
Hi,I spent about a year on Webworm reporting on an abusive megachurch called Arise, and it made me want to stab my eyes out with a fork.I don’t regret that reporting in 2022 and 2023 — I am proud of it — but it made me angry.Over three main stories ...
The new Victoria University Vice-Chancellor decided to have a forum at the university about free speech and academic freedom as it is obviously a topical issue, and the Government is looking at legislating some carrots or sticks for universities to uphold their obligations under the Education and Training Act. They ...
Do you remember when Melania Trump got caught out using a speech that sounded awfully like one Michelle Obama had given? Uncannily so.Well it turns out that Abraham Lincoln is to Winston Peters as Michelle was to Melania. With the ANZAC speech Uncle Winston gave at Gallipoli having much in ...
She was born 25 years ago today in North Shore hospital. Her eyes were closed tightly shut, her mouth was silently moving. The whole theatre was all quiet intensity as they marked her a 2 on the APGAR test. A one-minute eternity later, she was an 8. The universe was ...
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 in collaboration with members from our Skeptical Science team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is Antarctica gaining land ice? ...
Images of US students (and others) protesting and setting up tent cities on US university campuses have been broadcast world wide and clearly demonstrate the growing rifts in US society caused by US policy toward Israel and Israel’s prosecution of … Continue reading → ...
Barrie Saunders writes – Dear Paul As the new Minister of Media and Communications, you will be inundated with heaps of free advice and special pleading, all in the national interest of course. For what it’s worth here is my assessment: Traditional broadcasting free to air content through ...
Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its arguments for such a bold reform. ...
Peter Dunne writes – The great nineteenth British Prime Minister, William Gladstone, once observed that “the first essential for a Prime Minister is to be a good butcher.” When a later British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, sacked a third of his Cabinet in July 1962, in what became ...
Ele Ludemann writes – New Zealanders had the OECD’s second highest tax increase last year: New Zealanders faced the second-biggest tax raises in the developed world last year, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) says. The intergovernmental agency said the average change in personal income tax ...
We all know something’s not right with our elections. The spread of misinformation, people being targeted with soundbites and emotional triggers that ignore the facts, even the truth, and influence their votes.The use of technology to produce deep fakes. How can you tell if something is real or not? Can ...
This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Simon Clark. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). This year you will be lied to! Simon Clark helps prebunk some misleading statements you'll hear about climate. The video includes ...
It is all very well cutting the backrooms of public agencies but it may compromise the frontlines. One of the frustrations of the Productivity Commission’s 2017 review of universities is that while it observed that their non-academic staff were increasing faster than their academic staff, it did not bother to ...
Buzz from the Beehive Two speeches delivered by Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters at Anzac Day ceremonies in Turkey are the only new posts on the government’s official website since the PM announced his Cabinet shake-up. In one of the speeches, Peters stated the obvious: we live in a troubled ...
1. Which of these would you not expect to read in The Waikato Invader?a. Luxon is here to do business, don’t you worry about thatb. Mr KPI expects results, and you better believe itc. This decisive man of action is getting me all hot and excitedd. Melissa Lee is how ...
…it has a restricted jurisdiction which must not be abused: it is not an inquisitionNOTE – this article was published before the High Court ruled that Karen Chhour does not have to appear before the Waitangi Tribunal Gary Judd writes – The High Court ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say. “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
Whānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...
Racing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave O’Sullivan (OBE). “Our sympathies are with the O’Sullivan family with the sad news of Dave O’Sullivan’s recent passing,” Mr Peters says. “His contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...
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I wonder if misleading the cabinet office will make Wood liable for prosecution. What are the rules around that? Is it merely parliamentary protocol?
The elementary concept of checking whether the shares had or had not been sold seems never to have entered the (air)heads of either Wood or the officials.
Wood really has set a new benchmark in shooting oneself in the foot..
In his case…in both feet…
Hard to see anyone topping that..
And no other players in view…all his own handiwork..
It's not a specified crime although Parliament can hold people in contempt of Parliament which presumably could include that sort of behaviour if it was egregious enough.
Thanks Craig. Seems clear he did mislead the cabinet office – the evidence says so, but maybe inadvertently as a result of believing his sharebroker followed his instruction. What if Luxon asked in parliament this question: What evidence has Wood provided that he did actually issue that instruction?
If the result was none, can Wood be challenged to provide that evidence? If he then failed to do so, would the Speaker declare him in contempt of parliament?
https://www.parliament.nz/mi/visit-and-learn/how-parliament-works/parliamentary-practice-in-new-zealand/chapter-4-members-conditions-of-service/
The cabinet manual is not legally enforceable although obviously the Governor-General can remove a minister on advice of the PM, but there are not really any other consequences in that area.
There are also no Parliamentary consequences although he might get voted out by the electorate or deselected by his party.
A false or misleading pecuniary interests return is grounds for contempt of Parliament as is misleading Parliament (Jan Tinetti has been appearing in front of the Privileges Committee for misleading Parliament).
Having said all that, the maximum penalty for contempt of Parliament is a fine of $1,000. Vacancies can only occur as outlined by s55 of the Electoral Act 1993 and contempt isn't on that list.
Excellent. We await Luxie taking the initiative on the situation. He gets it – I saw a clip yesterday of him saying something that made me realise the opportunity had actually penetrated the concrete in his head. But follow-through action is required.
I don't blame Wood for ignoring the pesky officials for all those 931 days, since there's no actual requirement to do what they wanted. However actually deceiving them is a different kettle of fish. The published evidence that he lied to them seems compelling enough to trigger accountability and punishment.
If Luxie fails to grab this golden opportunity to enforce it by asking the Speaker to do so, it will be a classic leadership failure on his part – he won't look like a viable PM. Maybe Seymour will grab it instead. Maybe Peters will go "Huh, what? Somebody do something?" then head back to sleep…
Something to lighten the day .
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/politics/an-ode-for-whiney-luxon.
And on a hopeful note – link from yesterdays review (ht observer ) Mr Luxon's popularity continues to slide.
tps://www.horizonpoll.co.nz/page/670/new-zealand
That is a very useful poll..
And I like that it is non-denominational/agnostic…in that it is commissioned by nobody…there is no paymaster..
Gordon Campbell examines the prospects in the campaign for Ilam: http://werewolf.co.nz/2023/06/gordon-campbell-on-top-and-the-bank-inquiry/
The merit of a wealth tax seems to me to lie in the principle of taxing accumulated wealth rather than its production – but he's an economist. He could get lucky if National put out the word quietly to their Ilam supporters. If they feel the need.
If he thinks high incomes are a marker of wealth production then he is confusing money with value. Value is created collectively but money is accumulated individually by having market power. Very high incomes (and very low ones) are therefore disproportionate.
100% AB
Value is a concept, not a "thing" which is created collectively or otherwise. Goods and services are things that are created, and the imputed value of these is reflected in monetary terms, otherwise we wouldn't be able to to tax them – tax has to be paid in cash.
Manji's question is a legitimate one – I don't think he is at all confused; however, I suspect The reason for taxing income is that the state, in order to pay for the services it provides, needs to divert a portion of the country's production to state use. Therefor the state chooses to tax income because income reflects the value of the country's productive activity, and that activity is paid for in cash. The main justification for wealth tax, it would seem, is that it reduces the burden being placed on income tax – a feature which is particularly beneficial for those least able to afford taxes. It also tends to reduce inequality, equality being considered a value in its own right.
Interesting all right. Actually a good argument for taxing unearned income such as speculation on existing assets, and "boom across the river" type, rents, instead of income from productive labour. Or, as Adam Smith said, "tax rentiers not workers".
Like dunne..'flexible..to a fault'..pretty much nails it..
See how top world leaders do geopolitics:
But it's best for political provocations to be open rather than closed, so everyone can see what's happening. Biden pokes bear: bear gets affronted by that threat to its dignity. But notice that she didn't specify those facts that got seriously violated by Biden.
She knows the devil's in that detail, and therefore it must not be engaged with. Then there's the alarming fact of Biden personally shooting down Xi's balloon. Not nice.
Readers may feel that the US president was lying about this. Trump may say so – vulnerable to any attempt by Biden to out-macho him. The media may do its research, and determine that a junior staffer actually pushed the button. Top democrats may nervously watch the proximity of Biden's hand to the nuclear red button.
Mayor Brown is now proposing to sell the Port of Auckland.
This is what happens when the Labour/Green/City Vision councillors fail to vote together to overturn Mayor Brown's budget and sell the first major public asset:
He goes for more.
Wouldn't it be great if we had a Labour government or even a Labour Minister for Auckland that hadn't fatally compromised themselves on share ownership.
Mike Lee is one of the few to have a proper ideological grasp of this, he dates back to the Bruce Jesson/Alliance era.
There were a few brave ones from South Auckland, and some abject failures like Labour’s Shane Henderson. As I said here, “if Brown doesn’t go down” on Airport shares the Councillors will have waved the white flag to a hostile Mayor and they may as well all go surfing or on gardening leave for the remainder of their terms.
I was surprised and saddened by Shane Henderson's vote – though, I am sure I read that he had consulted widely with his constituents who were largely in favour of selling the shares and he voted accordingly. I used to live in Shane's 'hood before retiring to the Waikato and met him on more than one occasion – he's a good bloke.
Well if we had supported the Labour candidate for Mayor?
"If" is a small but mighty word AD.
We did. It didn't work.
Very late and without real conviction.
Not true and stop re-writing history.
He was winning until 4 weeks out when the right withdrew all its candidates except one, and corralled all votes against him.
So no white-anting went on at all. no sir. Not one bit of it. Labour was a pure as snow…
Just bullshit. We were on the ground fundraising, delivering, putting up hoardings, going to his meetings. Any time you want to join in with the next one let us know, right?
No, not for all the tea in China. Better party to support.
You see, my garage is full of signs and signage to go up when election starts. Some of the wood is from the local body elections when all but one of our candidates got in. Got fund raisers next week and had meetings tonight.
So if you need people, how about you offer some hope, direction and a way to stop corporate greed. Rather than what your offering.
Sheesh dude I put my money where my mouth is. I 'ant no keyboard warrior – hence why I like you. Even if I disagree with you.
The same guy who lost for Labour is now 11 on the Greens list.
Green and Labour tend to buddy up in Auckland as City Vision (other than the cranky ones).
Yeap know the deal in Auckland well. Works most of the time, but.
You might want to have a chat to some of those on the North Shore and Rodney about how it works though.
Ok … why did the affirmation take the time it did?
It's like you've never heard of a primary before.
We were on the ground fundraising, delivering, putting up hoardings, going to his meetings. Any time you want to join in with the next one let us know, right?
This is a key quote from Prime Minister Hipkins at his media interview yesterday:
“I still don’t understand how after all of this period of time, over two years with the Cabinet Office asking him to attend to these cases, we’re still in this position now in the last few weeks, even the fact that more information has come to light as the weeks have unfolded, is still something that I do not understand.”
“There are people who have made mistakes in the past who have gone on to have great political careers and a future. What Michael chooses to do is a question for him.”
But then he said that Wood “clearly needed” to tidy up that part of his life that had caused his present predicament.
Hipkins appeared to suggest that this might be a challenge. “I think one of the things that Michael will need to reflect on, particularly as he thinks about what his own future is, is that he will need to have a better explanation than the one he’s produced so far,” he said.
You can read an awful lot into what is unsaid there.
Thanks to Richard Harman for being on to this pretty important exchange.
https://www.politik.co.nz/did-wood-lie/ | Politik
Maybe the dude Gaurav Sharma had a few things correct?
Yup, he self-destructed his political career in a spectacular ball of bull dust and blamed everyone & anyone but himself.
Are you talking about Sharma or Wood? Your comment would seem to fit both of them.
Okay then, back up your claim with evidence and show me that you’re not just trolling again.
For example, has Sharma apologised to the PM and the NZ public? Did Sharma express feeling sorry for letting down his Party? Has Sharma taken any responsibility for his own demise?
Has Sharma done any of those things? Well not to my knowledge and I would be surprised if he had. However I have never claimed that he has.
On the other hand when Mr Wood says things like "In some respects my de-prioritisation of my personal financial affairs has led to this situation." he really isn't taking responsibility is he?
Then he says "it is incumbent on Ministers to manage not just the reality, but also the perception of any conflicts. I have not managed this effectively, I take responsibility for it, and as such have submitted my resignation to the Prime Minister. I apologise to him and the public for this situation." appears to be a claim that he did nothing wrong in fact but he hasn't managed to persuade people of that. That certainly seems to be the only thing he is apologising for.
Mr Wood then says that "At all times I have provided information about shares in the Trust to the Cabinet Office that I have believed was correct, but in this case my understanding was incorrect."
I certainly get the impression from the PMs statement that this really isn't accurate. After all the PM said
"Despite repeated requests from the Cabinet Office and myself for Michael to manage his shareholdings, he has repeatedly failed to identify, disclose and appropriately manage conflicts of interest.
When I stood Michael down as Transport Minister, I asked him if there was any other relevant information I should know about and he indicated there was not."
It certainly seems to be the case, given that Wood went from a rank of 7 in the caucus a few weeks ago to somewhere in the low 30's today that he has self destructed doesn't it?
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2023/06/chris-hipkins-michael-wood-s-full-statements-after-he-resigns-over-share-scandal.html
Newshub also seems to agree with the view that Wood doesn't really accept his full quota of blame.
"And in his statement following his resignation Wood still hadn’t quite clocked on to the fact that he was solely responsible for the mess he had found himself in, saying “in some respects my de-prioritisation of my personal financial affairs has led to this situation”.
There’s no “some” about it, Wood’s inability to sort out his conflicting shares is completely to blame.
It’s no longer fathomable that Wood is a victim of his own forgetfulness, not even Hipkins believes that anymore."
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/even-in-resigning-wood-doesnt-accept-full-blame
Actually, you did make a claim, about my comment equally applying to Sharma and Wood.
So, I request again that you back up your claim.
FYI, Wood sold the airport shares and donated the proceeds to charity, he resigned, and he apologised.
Back to you and your claim; you’re deflecting & diverting, as usual when I pull you up on some nonsense comment of yours – I’m starting to ‘lose control’ again
Your comment in full was
"Yup, he self-destructed his political career in a spectacular ball of bull dust and blamed everyone & anyone but himself."
I would say that that is a pretty reasonable description of what is happening to Mr Wood, just as it is one about Dr Sharma. If you had put all the additional comments you are making into your original remark I might have been able to distinguish them but not just from this comment that I asked about.
Alwyn is absolutely right. You comment could refer to either.
Since Wood has apologised this contradicts that he blamed everyone & anyone but himself.
My comment can therefore only refer to Sharma and Alwyn’s comment is a false equivalence and thus a false & misleading claim.
In addition, my comment @ 6.1.1. was a reply to 6.1 in which only Gaurav Sharma was mentioned.
Why are Alwyn and you trolling?
If you are member of the right wing elites then you can brazen this sort of thing out because the use of the law for political violence is, in this country, pretty much the preserve of the rich. Everyone knows what the law is is, to some extent, defined by what you can get away with and if you are rich and/or well connected to the right wing elites you can get away with a lot more. John Key got away unharmed from similar shares scandals simply because the corporate media had his back.
But the left cannot. It will be held to the highest standards. And Michael Wood should know that. He is among the more left wing in this government and his piushing of fair pay agreements painted a giant target on his back. He was never going to get any slack. There is no point whining about the hypocrisy, it is what it is. To me, his behaviour is inexplicably arrogant and/or stupid, and that combined with his wife voting in favour of the sale of airport shares makes me wonder about how clever the pair of them actually are when it comes to doing politics. As it is, both are now staring at a premature exit from politics.
Hipkins is going to try to change the Cabinet reporting rules for all governments no matter what party … in one of the worst cases of horse bolted I've ever seen here:
"In Australia, the Code of Conduct for Ministers requires that they divest themselves of investments and other interests in any public or private company or business.
That is, other than public superannuation funds or publicly listed managed funds or trust arrangements where the Minister has no visibility or control of decision-making.
Adopting this approach would be a significant change in the New Zealand position and requires further consultations, but it is my personal view it’s appropriate to take this step."
https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA2306/S00141/statement-on-michael-wood.htm
So, Sanctuary, with Wood now pretty likely to withdraw his name as an Epsom Labour candidate after this colossal own-goal, if you're in the Epsom electorate you could always put your name up for Labour 🙂
Also pretty hard to see Julie Fairey staying on as Councillor with her family trust essentially tanking her husband's career. So you could always prepare to stand in the Albert-Eden ward 🙂
"with Wood now pretty likely to withdraw his name as an Epsom Labour candidate".
Can you elucidate on this? At the moment he is the MP for Mt Roskill isn't he?
Surely he isn't going to march into the valley of death and try and beat Seymour in Epsom?
Thanks for the correction.
If you open my closet it's a Halloween party in there, no chance I'll be running for any sort of public office!
I'm pretty sure Julie Fairey abstained.
Exactly.
Ineffectual when the critical budget vote mattered because she was compromised.
How do you know that Ad?
Another left wing councilor voted for the sale of the shares.
Two other councilors had to correct information on shareholding in the week before the budget.
Or just making things up again?
Julie Fairey, and her husband Michael Wood, are two of the key Trustees and beneficiaries in the Fairey Family Trust.
She was a commercial beneficiary of Auckland Airport shares at the time the budget vote occurred. That was why she couldn't vote: direct conflict.
Also this is the same reason her husband Michael Wood was fired.
Both chose to keep the Auckland Auckland shares for private gain rather protect the public interest in Auckland Airport.
She was also abstaining rather than give effect to City Vision manifesto policy that she stood on.
All that was said came down to, Jacinda Ardern asked if the shares were sold, and Wood said they were. That was the beginning of his end.imo
The ferrets are out there again, so Labour have to be more honest than Key, as the black ops and media ghouls will collect scalps and gleefully display them.
It's much, much deeper than that, as noted by the Prime Minister: it is in how both Wood and his wife Fairey have held and operated as beneficiaries of a Trust for a very long time. This point is cited by the PM yesterday in his release on the matter:
https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA2306/S00141/statement-on-michael-wood.htm
An investment trust like this would be tracking its holdings and the performance of those holdings every month, and as Trustees they had full visibility of it.
It's like he's never heard of a blind trust before.
Nobody, from what I have seen, has reported the value of Wood's Chorus, Spark and NAB holdings held in the trust that he is a beneficiary of.
They may be worth $30 in total. Does anybody out there know?
The could be 5 cents and he'd still have to declare them.
We can have no tolerance for this shit, this is the crap that is destroying faith in democracies all around the world.
He's been an MP for 7 years, he's been a minister for 5 and a political nerd his entire life.
He misled cabinet and multiple prime ministers AND LIED TO THE PUBLIC last week (as well as the prime minister) when he said dozens of times there was nothing else to see here.
As far as I'm concerned, he should just resign from parliament and so should his wife from council (as her abstention made her compromised as Ad stated)
This is unacceptable.
And a few months back we all wanted him to be the leader of Labour, thank goodness that didn't happen or we'd be looking at a 1990 style wipe out.
That’s a false claim unless you can back it up.
Thanks for that, Ad.
"You can read an awful lot into what is unsaid there."
Therein lie two problems. One, people will read into it what they are disposed to. Two, allowing that to happen is fraught politically as misinformation will abound.
Unsay is the wrong verb, I guess.
true but both those things would happen anyway. There's obviously something going on that we don't know, and presumably Hipkins doesn't either or isn't able to say. I guess his other option was to not say so much and try and move on, but people and MSM would still be going after it.
It would be a good idea to require that cabinet ministers have achieved a pass grade in metacognition 1.01 – it could be taught to them quite simply by reference to this source:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metacognition
Readers with a yen for the deep Green view of life ought to focus on what the wikipedians have listed under the heading Components. Three triads!
That's just the first of the three. The other two are
Everyone will clamour that it's totally unreasonable to expect Labour cabinet ministers to cerebrate at this level – but anyone is capable of self-improvement.
can we just have a few that actually had a real physical job outside university and student assembly?
Well, Michael Wood had several years as a Union Organiser with FINSEC, and a couple of terms as a Local Government elected member. Both these things should have built a good foundation for work as an MP.
You have to be organised and people focused.
You have also to be aware that you have political opponents and are being watched.
According to Harry Day, the Royal Flying Corps First World War fighter ace, “rules are for the obeyance of fools, and the guidance of wise men.”
Wood should have heeded such advice and got his affairs in order in line with the Cabinet Manual.
There may be some exculpatory thing in the background of which we are not aware, but it's hard to think what.
Uffindell is a forensic accountant, perhaps that's why he's there. To dig for dirt.
No kidding?? I wouldn't trust that guy to find his arse if the principle of accountability came up behind him & bit it.
Sabine,he should have worked in a chocolate shop?
They have quite a few of those around Parliament. Even ignoring the union officials, there are soldiers, lawyers, accountants, farmers, businesspeople, teachers/principals, police officers, lecturers, public servants, managers, doctors, broadcasters…
Say this in a Fred Dagg voice and it's hilarious:
"…“Yeah, we copped a bit of backlash originally when we put this into the kids’ section, at the time we didn’t realise it was going to go around the world as it did,” said Bailey…"
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/the-country/news/its-back-cat-hunting-tournament-returns-to-canterbury-after-public-backlash/STADET3LVRHBBJXKVQUURMMXNU/
That is superb sanc.
I think that the hunters are heroes, but then I catch feral cats on my property in traps, and shoot them while listening to the Bellbirds and Tui's singing.
And then you go and eat some other animal..?
A chook..?..maybe..?
Right ho..!..(said in fred dagg voice..)
I think it is called cognitive dissonance..
90% of my meals are veggie, except when travelling when it is often trickier..
But what's your point?
I'm saying that there are many more birds around my acre (4000m2) because the cats aren't around.
My point is I tire of cats being portrayed as apex predators…by the apex predators…
Cats are doing what comes natural to them…humans kill for fun/pleasure..or to eat their victims..
My 'point' also is that you support a kids competition to kill the most cats..supporting mindless cruelty ..
And you seem to celebrate/enjoy that cruelty/killing that you do..
Cats haven't destroyed all the species we have lost..humans have..
Like I said..I think it is called cognitive dissonance..
A road is excellent predator control, every night.
Aim for them.
Great for the native hawks.
And every one of those cats is there because of a failure on the part of a human. A failure to look after the cat, a failure to get the cat speyed or neutered, and a failure to provide a safe home for the cat.
I should have mentioned I hate killing the cats…. but they are non-native and they slaughtering millions of native birds (and skinks etc) annually.
The alternative that a good friend of mine supports….catching them and neutering them and then either housing them with families or letting them free again just doesnt work.
In Oz they are moving towards rules that stipulate that cats are not allowed out of a house unless on a lead.
WA and NSW are the only states/territories without restrictions.
https://www.wellington.vic.gov.au/community/cat-curfew
how are you deciding which cats are feral and which aren't?
If they have a bell and collar that says "Tibbles" I shoot them.
But seriously if they have neither of the above and look like the average NZ feral cat which all seem to have the same colouring (see the front picture on the link below), and are in my trap then they are hunting and killing native birds on my land so I shoot them.
https://www.doc.govt.nz/nature/pests-and-threats/animal-pests/feral-cats/
I don’t have many neighbours but talking to one a few weeks ago I warned him I shoot cats. He said he had two ginger cats-I said I would look out for those and let them go.
My cats are both 18 chipped and collars and tags and bells.
Otherwise take the fuckers out and while you're at it could you take out the rabbits on Mt Iron please.
The moggies of Mt Iron are probably doing more harm to the Mt Iron rabbit population than the Mt Iron human population is capable. Likewise the ferrets, if you've got a decent population.
Around me they had a huge purge on the ferrets and cats because TB, and the rabbits have gone from way too many, to fucking insane.
This reply to both Ad and Graeme above….if you know anyone who lives in the houses on the slopes of Mt Iron ask them to put traps in their garden. (The friends I have who live up there have 2 cats and would never do this.)
It is only by a massive network of backyard trapping across NZ that we will make any impact on feral cats, ferrets, stoats, possums, hedgehogs, etc.
DOC simply do not have the resources.
Maddening to see Radio New Zealand's headline – Luxon says Chris Hipkins is weak for not managing his team's culture. Given the PM has been in that role only after these Nash/Wood problems were occurring, perhaps RNZ could improve their accuracy.
Perhaps they could pin Luxon down on his Tesla purchase/subsidy and demand a straight answer. What a hypocrite.
Given the ongoing share issues with Michael Wood, the PM has handled it all extremely well and explained his dilemma over the whole saga. He has certainly been hugely more open than Luxon was in downplaying Uffindell's bullying and nastiness.
Better taxes for a better future
NZ unions, social service organisations and advocacy services have just set up a balance to the oxymoronic Taxpayers Union.
Better taxes for a Better Future
That feels like RW branding
Luxon showed his true colours. He is a bully, and is happy to personalise and blame. imo
Meantime Chris Hipkins is devising a system to avoid a repeat.
You could argue that the difference between Michael Wood and Kuriger and Uffendell is that they are not cabinet members.
However, given Luxon's "high moral stand" it must be disheartening for both those members of the Natz party, and a few others too, to realise they will never make it into a Natz cabinet!
Luxon has too high a moral position to ever consider them! /s
The problem Hipkins has isn't that the rules wrong. The rules are just fine. His problem is that his some of his Cabinet Ministers considered themselves above such trivial things as obeying them.
He has to come up with a way of herding cats when the cats don't se why they should be obliged to follow the path that has been set. Well good luck mate.
Alwyn, explain Woodhouse, Uffindell and Kruriger's behaviour while you are busy.
This Newsroom piece shows the extent of Kuriger’s nastiness .
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/mps-emails-show-pattern-of-personal-attacks-on-ministry.
I bet he won't Patricia – I suggested some time ago that Alwyn comes in to spray and walk away. He got a bit tetchy about that comment, but that's how I react to his pretty much trolling.
From the link scotty provided Ms Kuriger would appear to be a most unpleasant person. She would seem, however, to have been removed from he Agriculture spokespersons role when the exchange was brought to Luxon's attention.
"She stepped down from the role after someone claiming to be an MPI employee notified National leader Christopher Luxon of the long history of correspondence."
A little later she was apparently dropped from number 10 in the party rankings into the pool of under 20 ranking backbenchers. Luxon would appear to have been lied to by Kuriger and when he discovered it he dropped her way down the list to the point where she will be unlikely to get into Cabinet if she hangs around. That seems pretty similar to what Hipkins has done to date, although he still seems to be rather more accepting of Wood coming back than does Luxon about Kuriger.
Uffindell was the one who behaved like a ratbag when he was about 15 at Boarding School wasn't he? I'd say, given his apparently unblemished behaviour since then he deserves another chance.
I know nothing about Woodhouse.
Except that Uffendell terrorised a female flatmate when he was at university, presumably in his early 20s, to the extent that she climbed out a window and fled to a safe haven!
Woodlouse is the scumbag that put Claire Curren's photo on a toilet seat, and boasted of doing so (at least showed a picture of himself admiring the said toilet seat)!
Alwyn… His homeless man in MIQ. Cost thousands looking for that lie. Then the bullying pictures of Clare Curran's photo(L) on a toilet seat lid. Receiving personal details of patients from Michelle Boag. Does that jog your memory?
I remember a university student, here in New Zealand, who ended up along with a bunch of other students being arrested for having raided a number of girls hostels, tossing the girls out of bed (carefully) and tipping their belongings on the floor. He later became a very, very senior Labour MP
Just a capping prank of course was the way it was seen at the time.
I'm not going to say when, where or who though. It was a pretty normal part of Capping celebrations at the time. Why name the person today? They have long got over it. It did happen though when he was young.
You’re a genuine diversion troll with false equivalences as your tool and MO.
Was he, alwyn, was he – or wasn't he? It's a tricky name – unblemished since a wooden performance at Boarding School, apparently.
Wasn't he homeless? I googled 'Woodhouse' + 'homeless' and got a few 'hits' – seems like a good boy; must be tough being homeless during a pandemic. We need more with his sort of personal experience in our house of representatives.
Dr Bryce, on how symmetry induces team herding in our democracy:
There's something about the nature of the game that induces players to believe that the rules only apply to the other team. Imagine if team sports worked like that.
He runs the line that Wood was the victim of culture (the legendary kiwi complacency).
I prefer the covert rebel theory. Rebels ignore rules. Wood would probably argue that the 931 days he maintained his rebellion displays the virtue of consistency. Fair point.
Bryce Edwards favours National Fullstop.!! Get better sources Dennis.
I've never seen any evidence that he does, Patricia. Academics are generally known to be notoriously leftist in outlook. I'm aware that some commentators here routinely claim he's biased but that doesn't make it so. I suspect that his reluctance to toe the leftist academic line & be scrupulously non-partisan instead is what offends them.
Bryce comes up with a hypothesis, then looks for all sources to support that. Original thinking is rather light on the ground. His summaries…. enough said.
You haven't been reading Bryce Edwards closely enough if you haven't noticed he supports National (or at least The Right), Frank. Don't be fooled by the "Democracy Project" label.
I have little respect for the man. For instance when quizzed on an RNZ programme over the recent electoral reform proposals he said the proposed 3.5% was too high and that it should be 1% to get a party into government. Hasn't he seen the coalition chaos in Israel because they have a low limit (actually 1.5% not 1%) for parties to get into parliament which means that many parties get in.
he said the proposed 3.5% was too high and that it should be 1% to get a party into government
Firstly, I suspect you may have meant parliament rather than government. Parties only get into government here if a leader can assure the GG that he has the numbers to rule. Usually that means he has secured a formal agreement with any minor parties he needs – like a contract.
Secondly, any genuine Green believes in the principle of biodiversity, which produces the complexity of interactions in an ecosystem stabilising species survival. Going for a 1% threshold optimises the biodiversity of parliament as a social ecosystem. That's to his credit.
Thirdly, I agree the situation in Israel is sufficient cause to be cautious around this for the reason you mention (chaotic tendency). However I suspect Israel could be a special case & comparative analysis ought to therefore incorporate all countries using western-style democracies, to examine how each has operated so as to enable diverse representation.
Sorry Dennis, yes I did mean parliament not government.
I don't accept your argument re Israel as a special case. I think in NZ we could easily have 10 or more parties (some of them anti-vax nutters etc) vying to be part of "coalitions of chaos" if the threshold was 1%. I'd be happy to see it reduced from 5% to 4% or even 3.5% though.
I think I declared my preference for 3% onsite here years ago. To clarify re Israel, I vaguely recall checking out their parliamentary configuration a while back & noticing considerable biodiversity. I think that was relative to major parties not being as influential as here.
Sort of like a spectrum effect. If major parties subside below 30% they lose relativity leverage & coalition-forming becomes a multiplicity scenario rather than a partnership binary.
Political stability then hinges on how robust the contractual design is in each case – whether events precipitate rats jumping the ship. If a minor party can be the tail wagging the dog (as with NZF) it will do that and hold the govt to ransom. A creative challenge to the lawyers designing the contracts. Ought to be possible to prevent minor party finagling though – humans have always done contingency planning.
I agree with Bryce Edwards on the threshold being too high.
I suspect that his reluctance to toe the leftist academic line & be scrupulously non-partisan instead is what offends them.
I'm not offended. Only amazed. Why would anyone take Bryce seriously? He has a track record of being hilariously wrong.
2020 election? National have every chance, Todd Muller is the man! You might think that is bad satire, but it's not. It's Bryce Edwards … totally out of touch, detached from reality. That's why his commentary is dismissed.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jun/26/we-are-in-a-period-of-great-political-volatility-the-new-zealand-election-is-far-from-decided
Yeah I've seen him get analyses wrong in the past & vaguely recall that was one such example. Doesn't mean right-wing bias to me though. Ivory tower syndrome has been well-known an awful long time. The disconnect from the real world is often hilarious. Perhaps he tries to compensate for this handicap by canvassing the opinion of folks he knows, such as family relations. That would explain the situation – via a randomised warping effect…
Wood was unable to rebel due to fatal over-application of hair gel.
And plain old greed.
I read it as more a case of hubris..
And yes….any man..over a certain age..who persists with pomades…
Should be viewed with deep suspicion..
https://www.stuff.co.nz/opinion/132386989/19b-and-four-years-later-mental-health-needs-are-still-not-properly-addressed
a really good article by a senior clinical psychologist outlining why despite spending over a billion dollars on mental health, this govt has failed to improve outcomes.
This is a smart move by the Greens. Get out in front of the tax issue. Often in the past both Labour and the Greens have been too passive, releasing their tax plans and then letting the opposition/media control the narrative (usually reduced to "Tax? Boo!").
The Greens' tax calculator is an effective rebuttal …
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2023/06/greens-release-tax-calculator-showing-if-kiwis-will-better-off-or-have-to-pay-more-under-new-policy.html
Here’s the calculator. It’s actually a GMI and tax calculator
https://www.greens.org.nz/taxcalculator
Its great…I get $18 a week more and am not affected by the WT….well only 0.7% are.
Fuck me , it rekons I'll be over $300 a week better off,!!!! !!!!!!!!
The issue of course is that any government that institutes this will find that tax revenue will dry up overnight – the exodus of international businesses, successful local businesses, individuals with wealth etc. will be swift and devastating. Our economy will shrink drastically.
Job losses will be massive, Government revenue from PAYE and company profits will plummet. There will be sweet FA in the coffers.
Have the Greens factored that pesky little issue into their clever calculator?
Such wailing and gnashing of teeth!
https://www.sup.org/books/title/?id=27987
Obviously you have never been in business.
Selling up and changing your sources of business income is not an easy or inexpensive task.
A “successful local business” is not going to give up an income stream simply because they have to pay a little more tax. Especially when it contributes to the stable, educated and healthy workforce, infrastructure and social stability that business depends on.
As for those who are destroying our economy by speculatively and non-productively bidding up the prices of existing assets, such as land to the detriment of our economy and actual productive business, Capital gains farmers, we are better off without.
Just what is going to prevent the holder of the business, and I am assuming that it is a large one, from shifting to Australia?
Customer base, built up goodwill, cost of moving plant, to name just a few things.
We have seen the obstacles to simply upping stakes and going to a new market, with businesses. An example is Dick Smiths attempt too set up in NZ.
One of the reasons I stopped running my business, is that you are so much tied to locality and your established customer base.
Large ones, if they are actual productive businesses are even harder to shift. Of course, if they are simply in the business of extracting economic rents without adding any real value, then we are actually much better off without them.
I said, although it may not be that clear that the holder of the business moved, not the whole business. This would just make it a foreign owned company. The comment about it being a large one is that you could have it run without the owner in NZ. It wouldn't work for a panel beating and painting firm for example.
shifting to Australia
So let's introduce Australia's top income tax rate (45%) and property taxes to NZ.
If that's what business wants, give it to them. Everybody happy.
I am used to seeing doom and gloom about achievement levels in our schools so an article in the Washington Post caught the eye. The final sentence is similar to what I see here.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2023/06/21/national-student-test-scores-drop-naep/
I wonder whether the geophysics Institute relied a lot on adjunct lecturers from GNS. For example, Auckland University's Plant and Food postgraduate studies are mostly staffed with adjunct lecturers from the Plant&Food CRI in Mt Albert. The research expertise comes mainly from the CRI, not the university.
Therefore disassembling geophysics courses at Vic would not involve significant staff redundancies for the university, but might put some staff positions at GNS on shaky ground.
In terms of NZ earthquake expertise, the greater critical mass will be at GNS.
Sorry, misplaced comment, meant for HTII at the bottom.
Remember when everyone thought Wood could replace Ardern a few months back? Gosh we dodged a bullet with that not happening.
What is going on with the Labour party caucus? Arrogance. It's arrogance.
I blame Ardern for a lot of this, she allowed a culture of arrogant ministers playing fast and loose to take hold because she was very hands off, she didn't micromanage she trusted too much.
she ruled by consensus kindness and empathy and faith in her team, which sounds good, but doesn't work, she'd still be hear if that leadership style was effective in governing.
you need to be bit of a bastard, and put the fear of god into these careerists that you will throw any and all of them under a bus at the drop of a hat, like one Helen Clark, Labours only three term PM.
Poor Hipkins. I actually feel sorry for him. He's probably wondering which of these bastards is lying to me and is going to be busted next. Luckily he's more of a Clark than an Ardern.
Every Labour and Green Mp and minister is on notice, get your houses and lives in order, yesterday!
the nats and act are spending their unprecedented election warchests on armies of sleuths going over labour/green mp's and activists lives with a fine tooth comb, and any conflicts or indiscretions will be found.
Yep, the wheelie bin riflers and underwear sniffers are in full Dirty Politics mode at the moment!
The Natzos do seem to be way better at hiding the dosh–and being proud of it.
For 40 years the middle class and other aspirationals have been encouraged to buy into the dog eat dog monetarist scene–Shares! Venture Capital! Property! so it is understandable why some went there–but still not excusable for any political rep seeking credibility with working class people.
Michael Wood–FPAs, huge pay rises and new contracting regime for bus drivers, rejuvenation of NZ run Coastal Shipping…his legacy will live on…what a shame.
"Yep, the wheelie bin riflers and underwear sniffers are in full Dirty Politics mode at the moment!"
I take it you mean the people who staked out Luxon's home, watched for his wife to go out in her car, made a note of the number plate and then checked whether there had been any attempt to claim the rebate? They certainly sound like the people you are talking about.
I was under the impression that 'reporters' from Newshub did the background work on Luxon's wife's (or otherwise) Teslar.
Hardly a leftie news source.
Ardern has no blame at all for Wood.
Wood and wife+Councillor Fairey have operated and been beneficiary of that trust for many years and this is all on them.
Yes, it was her Trust from her family before they married. Put her through University.
Values in politics, 2023:
Incompetence (Michael Wood) means you resign.
Corruption (National) is just fine.
Simple test … imagine the headlines if Michael Wood had accepted this donation and said "nothing to see here".
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/132368451/national-party-donation-from-ccplinked-newspaper-publisher-by-the-book
Geophysics is one of the subjects to go under the knife at Victoria Uni of Wellington (Latin, Italian and secondary teaching are others).
I get their thinking; all the necessary research must be complete now after the Christchurch earthquakes, so no need for geophysics any more. Or rely on some overseas institution?