Open Mike 22/12/2017

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, December 22nd, 2017 - 101 comments
Categories: open mike - Tags:

Open mike is your post.

For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy).

Step up to the mike …

101 comments on “Open Mike 22/12/2017 ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Sanctuary 1
    22 December 2017 at 6:31 am

    Who else are at work for the last time in 2017???

    I got my Hawaiian shirt on and I am clock watching to lunchtime when it is beersies and breakup time, Back in three weeks. 🙂 🙂

    A big merry Xmas and Happy New Year call out to all the Standardnistas! 🙂 xxx

    • patricia bremner 1.1
      22 December 2017 at 8:13 am

      Have a good one.

    • Cinny 1.2
      22 December 2017 at 9:08 am

      Seasons Greetings Sanctuary and to all the amazing Standardnistas 🙂

      May everyone have a wonderful Summer Solstice, enjoy the holidays, love this time of year 🙂

      • greywarshark 1.2.1
        22 December 2017 at 9:30 am

        Bounce back that Christmas greeting to you Cinny and also Marty Mars – sort of locals to me and good to read your news and your thoughts. Hope you have a good time – a good break – and there will be plenty to think and write about in 2018 so I hope we will all be there then.

        Also to all Standardistas who think through their comments kia kaha and from the Maori Dictionary ‘Meri Kirihimete me te Hape Nū Ia’ (with links in TS style) –

        Meri Kirihimete – Māori Dictionary
        http://maoridictionary.co.nz/search?idiom=&phrase=&proverb=&loan=&histLoanWords=&keywords=Meri+Kirihimete

        Meri Kirihimete Play. 1. (loan) (noun) Merry Christmas. “Meri Kirihimete me te Hape Nū Ia” (e kī ana te Pākehā) ki ngā iwi me ngā hapū katoa (HKW 12/1898:6). / “Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year” (as the Pākehā say) to all the tribes and hapū.

        and
        Kia kaha – Wikipedia
        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kia_kaha
        Kia kaha is a Māori phrase used by the people of New Zealand meaning stay strong, used as an affirmation. The phrase has significant meaning for Māori: popularised through its usage by the 28th Māori Battalion during World War II, it is found in titles of books and songs, as well as a motto. Linguistically, kia kaha consists …

  2. Ad 2
    22 December 2017 at 6:52 am

    The U.N. is taking down names, and the first one is United States of America.

    In your eye Nicky Haley.

    • Grey Area 2.1
      22 December 2017 at 7:09 am

      The hubris, arrogance, bullying, blindness and more of the Trump’s USA is staggering.

      CNN report

      128 for (including NZ) 9 against (including Palau, Micronesia, Nauru, and Marshall Islands who may have heard the aid threat) and 35 abstained (including Canada and Australia).

      It really shows how weak your moral argument is when you have to threaten people to get them to vote with you.

      • OnceWasTim 2.1.1
        22 December 2017 at 12:53 pm

        And the unsurprising thing is that they try to charcterise themselves as the victim being bullied. Actually, there was a guy on Morning Report this morning representing the ‘Jewish view’ (or should I say the Zionist view) doing the exact same thing. That nasty, nasty United Nations has apparently been bullying them for years – probably because (like Trump) the world just doesn’t appreciate how exceptional they are.
        So exceptional are they, that they have/had a Divine Right to supply weaponry to the Sth Efrican apartheid regime, and to use white phosporus, and to disobey agreements they’d signed up to.

        Do you reckon that if Trump and his enterage of loving fans decides to hit the button and causes the inevitable – it may be the demise of the UN – somewhat akin to the demise of the League of Nations in days gone by?
        You have to wonder just who is holding him back from doing so at the mo’. I know there are reports of one General expressing concern and considering his options, but that Washington crew have some really big issues concerning how big they perceive the size of their balls to be.
        It’ll also be interesting to see how offended the Orange Man sees NuZull’s treachery after voting Trump’s wrong way. Foive Oise and all.
        How very dare us to have done so! What an offense to that Leader of the Free Whurl and champion of democracy!
        (/sarc)

        • Philberto 2.1.1.1
          22 December 2017 at 2:26 pm

          Hello All
          I caught that this morning had me spitting coffee at the radio again, and the repeating of it throughout the news Bulletins.
          Why was it repeated it was propaganda not news, and where was the right of reply?

          I been on my best behavior since the elections trying not to swear at the radio and now my streak is broken. :/

  4. Morrissey 4
    22 December 2017 at 9:01 am

    National Party emergency caucus meeting, Sept. 10, 2005
    Part 1 of 2

    DRAMATIS PERSONAE

    DOCTOR DON BRASH. Aging, decrepit, discredited liar who also happens to be leader of the National Party.
    MICHELLE BOAG. Complete bitch. Formidably well organised, well read and merciless political backroom operator. Former chairperson of the National Party, given the boot after guiding it to record defeat in 2002.
    MURRAY McCULLY. Fomer lover of Michelle Boag. National Party campaign “strategist”, therefore currently the most discredited and disrespected person in the southern hemisphere.
    JUDITH (“ROSA”) COLLINS. A brutal, intimidating woman with the looks and personality of the James Bond villain, Rosa Klebs. Collins has replaced the lovely K****rine R*ch as the National Party’s “social welfare” spokeswoman. To many observers, this position sits oddly against her former role as a corporate lawyer for the casino industry.
    K*****INE R*CH. The polar opposite to Collins. Blonde, curvy and gorgeous. Ignominiously tossed off National front bench because she was too “wet” .
    SIMON POWER. Former National defence spokesman. Removed from position due to gross incompetence.
    GEORGINA TE HEU HEU. Tall, aristocratic, a genuine example of Māori royalty. Ignominiously tossed off national front bench because she is Māori.
    GERRY BROWNLEE. Enormously fat former woodwork teacher who somehow has ended up as deputy leader of the National Party. A walking, talking disaster, funny for about two minutes, painful and tiresome thereafter.
    DR. LOCKWOOD SMITH. Notorious for his oft-stated willingness to act as an unquestioning lackey of the United States government. Former host of Australian children’s TV show Here’s Humphrey; Smith played the role of Humphrey. Later went on to front children’s quiz show W-3 in NZ, where he haughtily insisted the intermediate school contestants call him “Sir”.
    BILL ENGLISH, Dr. NICK SMITH, TONY RYALL. Sworn enemies of the current National Party leadership. A slyly subversive, potentially destabilizing trio of troublemakers.
    M________ BR**N. Political pollster.

    NOTE: The names of a couple of people who participate in a sexual act in the course of this documentary have been surgically amended, for privacy’s sake.

    ——————————————-

    SCENE: Saturday 10 September 2005, 9:25 a.m. The top suite at the James Cook Hotel, Wellington. The National Party’s former Welfare spokesperson MISS K*TH*R*N* R*CH sleeps, curled in the arms of her toyboy M_______ BR**N, the political pollster. While his “wet” Tory companion sleeps, BR**N watches the television show Agenda, while elegantly—some might say pretentiously and smugly—sipping from a tall glass of Pimms.

    Suddenly, MISS R*CH awakes with a jolt. BR**N only just manages to avoid a spillage of Pimms.

    MISS R*CH: [panting fearfully] Oh my GOD! Oh, M_________! I’m so worried….

    To be continued…..

    • OnceWasTim 4.1
      22 December 2017 at 1:11 pm

      And will this dramatic anecdote include any other of McMuff’s peca..peca…..pickles include that bastion of the 4th Estate – the one that used to get out the Elna and run herself up a business suit using the covering from the old chaise longue (you know the one that was sooooooooo passe Darling) ? Jeeze Morrissey – I hope, I hope!

      And what are you going to do in the second series?

      • Morrissey 4.1.1
        22 December 2017 at 1:39 pm

        Thanks Tim, some fine suggestions there! When I composed this, Maggie Barry was not yet in parliament.

        I wrote this in 2005, for the old Google Groups nz.politics site. It’s still going, but Google has done its best to ruin it.

  5. Cinny 5
    22 December 2017 at 9:12 am

    THANK YOU CHRIS HIPKINS, THANK YOU SO VERY VERY MUCH 🙂 THANK YOU TRACY MARTIN 🙂 You’ve saved and changed lives, you’ve kept your word and so many many people are so very grateful.

    I’m so freaking happy, best news ever 🙂 It’s official Salisbury School stays open.

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/education/100082589/salisbury-saved-hipkins-announces-end-of-closure-process-for-richmondbased-school

    • OnceWasTim 5.1
      22 December 2017 at 1:21 pm

      Now watch for the gNat counter. It’ll go something like “this from the man who can’t count”
      I agree! good call Messrs Hipkins nd Martin. They did keep their word.
      Actually, now I think about it, Morrissey’s 2nd season (above) could revolve around Ms Parata and her loving husband. But I’d suggest he takes some advice from the gorgeous Juuuudy Caaaalingham (BE’s utterly gorgeous wife darling), having made such a contribution to NuZull drama with Shorty Street.
      You’ll probably find them ‘coffeeing’ somewhere on the Ponce Road doncha know!

  6. Ed 6
    22 December 2017 at 9:16 am

    Are you pondering the best New Year’s resolution that can help animals, the planet and your health?

    There are heaps of reasons to eat kind this January. Not only is it the best way to help animals, it can also improve your personal health and protect our environment.

    Well, round up your friends, family and colleagues and sign up for the Veganuary Challenge! There’s never been a better time!

    Veganuary is a worldwide campaign that challenges people to try vegan in January…..Why not check it out for yourself?

    http://www.veganuary.co.nz

    By signing up, you’ll receive regular emails offering tips, menu plans, recipes, inspiration and more.https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2017/12/22/guest-blog-amanda-sorrenson-veganuary-the-best-nys-resolution-you-can-make/

    • Stunned mullet 6.1
      22 December 2017 at 9:21 am

      Looks interesting I’ll have a closer look later today after finishing the lunchtime BBQ.

    • Psycho Milt 6.2
      22 December 2017 at 9:30 am

      There are heaps of reasons to eat kind this January.

      Doesn’t sound very kind to plants. Maybe you could alternate? Kind to animals one month, kind to plants the next.

      • Ed 6.2.1
        22 December 2017 at 10:04 am

        Looking forward to seeing evidence that plants suffer as animals do.
        Scientific studies only please.

        • Enough is Enough 6.2.1.1
          22 December 2017 at 10:26 am

          When those evil sharks stop murdering fish – I will stop eating bacon

        • One Anonymous Bloke 6.2.1.2
          22 December 2017 at 10:37 am

          Mycorrhizal networks: Mechanisms, ecology and modeling,
          Simard et al 2012.

          On the specific subject of “pain”, see Common mycorrhizal networks and their effect on the bargaining power of the fungal partner in the arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis Bücking et al 2016:

          These warning signals between plants within one CMN are transmitted rapidly, and non-infested plants up-regulated genes of the jasmonate defense pathway shortly after plants within their CMN were attacked by herbivores.

        • Johnr 6.2.1.3
          22 December 2017 at 1:00 pm

          Many years ago my wife was explaining to friends we hadn’t seen for some time why she had become a vegetarian. She finished her explanation with the quip “and yes I’ve heard all the screaming cabbage jokes”
          Clever woman.

        • Psycho Milt 6.2.1.4
          22 December 2017 at 1:16 pm

          Looking forward to seeing evidence that plants suffer as animals do.
          Scientific studies only please.

          Why? Are you saying a living thing has to be sufficiently like you to trigger your emotions for you to care about it? (Rhetorical question – of course that’s what you’re saying.)

          Every living thing on this planet is food for other living things, including apex predators like humans (although at our level we’re mostly food for microorganisms unless we get really unlucky). Feel free to be choosy about which living things you eat, but don’t try and make some moral bullshit story out of it.

          Plants don’t want to be killed and eaten any more than animals do, as demonstrated by the defence mechanisms they evolve, like thorns or toxins. The fact that they don’t make eye contact and express emotions recognisable to humans doesn’t alter that fact. The only difference it makes is that without those things you don’t feel any qualms about dismembering and eating them. You’re still dismembering and eating things that didn’t want you to, regardless of what kind of living thing it is.

          • Ed 6.2.1.4.1
            22 December 2017 at 1:20 pm

            I see why your nom de plume is psycho.

            • Psycho Milt 6.2.1.4.1.1
              22 December 2017 at 1:48 pm

              For people who peddle religious moralism, logic is always confronting. Vegans are no different in that respect.

              • Ed …
                22 December 2017 at 2:06 pm

                Were people who advocated against slavery ‘peddling religious moralism?’
                Were people who advocated against child sacrifice ‘peddling religious moralism?’
                Were people who advocated against whaling ‘peddling religious moralism?’
                Were people who advocated against the Holocaust ‘peddling religious moralism?’

                If so, I am happy to wear the badge you give me.

                However, logic tells me that adopting a plant based diet is better for the planet than eating animals, logic tells me that adopting a plant based diet is better for my health than eating animals and logic tells me that adopting a plant based diet is better for the welfare of animals than eating animals.

                • Stunned mullet …
                  22 December 2017 at 2:41 pm

                  your badge is on the post……

                • Psycho Milt …
                  22 December 2017 at 3:54 pm

                  I really don’t think you’d want to wear the badge that’s appropriate for people making the case that Jews are like livestock.

                  • Ed …
                    22 December 2017 at 4:34 pm

                    Be careful pushing that line.
                    Highly inflammatory.

                    For some reason you have gone super aggressive simply because I have made a case for a plant based diet.
                    It would appear many agree with me and others are open to discussing the idea.
                    Yet ever since I brought the subject up, you have exuded hostility. Why?

                    • SPC …
                      22 December 2017 at 4:59 pm

                      You face the smacked child syndrome. People who were smacked by their parents sometimes react by supporting the continued rights of parents to smack their children – albeit no longer tolerant of the beating of children.

                      Those fed meat by their parents and who continue to eat meat and feed it to their children … are just doing what humans have done since our existence, eat meat – albeit supporting the existence of animal cruelty laws and humane slaughter regimes.

                      That individual and planetary health advantages can be derived from a more vegetarian diet is a sustainable argument. It is harder to suggest that only life in the sea should eat fish, or that prey for meat predators should only exist where there are game parks (for the hunting cats).

                    • Ed …
                      22 December 2017 at 5:05 pm

                      Maybe people will change once climate change becomes more serious.
                      If it’s a choice between some sort of life for their children and grandchildren – or a burger, then that might do it.

                      Or we shall wait till it’s too late.
                      And laws will be passed.

                    • One Anonymous Bloke …
                      22 December 2017 at 5:10 pm

                      I’d say it’s because you’ve made the case using judgemental and highly charged language.

                      It certainly set my teeth on edge.

                    • Psycho Milt …
                      22 December 2017 at 5:16 pm

                      Highly inflammatory.

                      And also highly accurate.

                      For some reason you have gone super aggressive simply because I have made a case for a plant based diet.

                      I can’t help the fact you interpret all disagreement as a personal assault. Also, you’ve never made a case for a plant-based diet, just asserted it and scattered links to propaganda videos or whatever.

                      Yet ever since I brought the subject up, you have exuded hostility. Why?

                      Every time you bring the subject up, you assert a claim of moral superiority over people who don’t follow your particular fad diet. I reject that claim and don’t like to let it pass in case people imagine that silence implies consent. You then interpret that disagreement as aggression or hostility, apparently unable to grasp the concept that people don’t have to share your views.

                    • Ed …
                      22 December 2017 at 5:19 pm

                      If it were not clear, I am making the case for a plant based diet.
                      I thought I had been clear.
                      Look at the start of this thread at 6.
                      I was sharing an idea of PETA’s. Is that not ok?

                      But you don’t want to hear, so just scroll past my comments.

                      Look at the language you use.
                      You are highly aggressive.

                  • Psycho Milt …
                    22 December 2017 at 5:38 pm

                    I was sharing an idea of PETA’s. Is that not ok?

                    Sure it’s OK. But it’s also OK for people to point out when others are peddling moralistic propaganda on a thread. I already told you why I don’t just scroll past that. If you could share your fad diet suggestions without asserting moral superiority over people who don’t follow that diet, there’d be fewer dissenting responses.

          • left_forward 6.2.1.4.2
            22 December 2017 at 4:08 pm

            The improbable idea that plants have sentience has no relevance whatsoever to the proven and blatantly obvious sentience of animals.

            We do not need to slaughter by the billions animals that feel pain, emotions, and have as much right to their lives as we have to ours. We can gain all of our sustenance from plants in a way that is environmentally sustainable and at the same time gain optimal health and well-being. Therefore there is no argument that can morally, socially or ethically support the consumption of animals.

            • One Anonymous Bloke 6.2.1.4.2.1
              22 December 2017 at 4:21 pm

              improbable

              Read the links at 6.2.1.2: it’s possible. Does that network possess a memory?

            • Stunned mullet 6.2.1.4.2.2
              22 December 2017 at 4:58 pm

            • McFlock 6.2.1.4.2.3
              22 December 2017 at 10:42 pm

              Actually, I suspect plant sentience is highly likely. Just completely alien.

              If all the magic books are wrong, and our own self-awareness is merely the result of100Billion simple response thresholds working together, then why do those threshold things need to be neurons? Sure, bioelectric neurons might be faster than, say, cells releasing a distress signal, but why rule out every other interactional system?

              I genuinely view it as a serious proposition, until we can determine the origin of our “spark” of sentience all bets are on the table. Could our planet or our galaxy be sentient? The gravitational interactions of 100billion stars and associated satellites are more complex than 100Billion neurons.

              • ropata …
                22 December 2017 at 11:18 pm

                But seriously, I do agree that plant intelligence is an interesting possibility and intelligence could be more pervasive than we realise. Are you a fan of Stephen Baxter? (he writes about this stuff)

                Even human intelligence is not exclusive to the brain, it’s linked to the whole body.

                intelligence is fundamentally linked to specific sensorimotor modalities, a specific environment, a specific upbringing, and a specific problem to solve

                This reality makes AI that much harder to achieve.

                • McFlock …
                  22 December 2017 at 11:51 pm

                  Haven’t really read up on it since uni, but it’s always an interesting thought. On the flipside, it’s the conundrum of self awareness that keeps me from being completely athiest.

          • francesca 6.2.1.4.3
            23 December 2017 at 8:23 am

            Rubbish Fruit most definitely wants to be eaten, its its seed dispersal device
            Acorns and nuts are are perfectly willing (if we carry on with your anthropomorphosis)to be squirreled away, knowing that some stashes will be forgotten about and new plants will arise.

      • Robert Guyton 6.2.2
        22 December 2017 at 2:15 pm

        “eat kind”

        Wow! Just Wow – an encouragement to cannibalize, on TS!!!

    • James 6.3
      22 December 2017 at 12:59 pm

      But you’re eating my foods food.

    • James 6.4
      22 December 2017 at 1:18 pm

      Sadly I’m off to the Jack Daniels BBQ competition in January so I will have to give it a miss.

      Febs not looking good either with Meatstock happening in Auckland – a great weekend out if you are interested in learning the views of others.

      http://meatstock.co.nz

      But hurry – apparently it sold out last year.

    • mickysavage 7.1
      22 December 2017 at 9:39 am

      Merry Christmas r0b!

    • Enough is Enough 7.2
      22 December 2017 at 10:06 am

      Come back r0b. We miss you

    • r0b 7.3
      22 December 2017 at 10:09 am

      Merry Christmas MS, and Merry Christmas to all!

      I’m still lurking here. But I’m in a hellish work crunch right now, with several months to go, so I’m trying to keep my politics addiction under control while I deal with it.

      Great to see the new authors here getting in to it!

      Ho ho ho…

    • Ad 7.4
      22 December 2017 at 10:49 am

      Yes.
      Ardern is competent, and I am glad we have her leading the country.

    • Incognito 7.5
      22 December 2017 at 2:42 pm

      That is indeed a good read.

      The second challenge is least elaborated on but I see it as an issue of very similar nature as the first and third challenges, i.e. one that is deeply rooted in how we treat each other.

      Arguably, jobs of the future will have more focus on what’s colloquially called “people skills” and less on “production” as such. Therefore, such skills should become more highly valued and thus paid much better than they currently are. In fact, I’d argue that generally people skills are utterly undervalued at present here in New Zealand and consequently they are generally not very good. Taken together, good people skills are better for the people & society and better for the economy as well – over 60% of New Zealand’s GDP is accounted for by Service Industries.

      He aha te mea nui o te ao. He tāngata, he tāngata, he tāngata. [One of the best proverbs ever and right up there with the meaning & spirit of Ubuntu IMHO]

  8. eco maori 8
    22 December 2017 at 10:21 am

    I see our Maori culture is getting to popular for some people and they are trying to damage our Maori culture a radio station called flav own by NZ me has found research on the most common prisoners names and translated them to Maori and post these name’s on social media. t
    This is disrespecting my te puna for some of those names belong to some of OUR great te puna a apologies is required please.
    The neo liberals who seed these actions against OUR Maori culture are scared about us Maori getting our Mana back because they know when we do we will never let them piss on OUR beautiful country and all the people of New Zealand. I’m a proud New Zealand Maori and so should all Maori on mother earth. Ka kite ano

    • ropata 8.1
      22 December 2017 at 2:17 pm

      On face value, it would be worth complaining to the BSA, but it seems quite weird for the Polynesian oriented Flava station to be this tasteless

  9. Morrissey 9
    22 December 2017 at 10:30 am

    National Party emergency caucus meeting, Sept. 10, 2005
    Part 2 of 2

    SCENE: The pollster M_________ BR**N is in the top suite of the James Cook Hotel, Wellington, with the National Party’s recently deposed Welfare spokesperson MISS K*TH*R*N* R*CH. It’s 9:25 a.m. and MISS R*CH has awoken with a jolt…..

    MISS R*CH: [panting fearfully] Oh my GOD! Oh, M_________! I’m so worried….

    BR**N: [busses her then laughs reassuringly] Don’t worry, my dear. Your husband’s in Dunedin. And even if he did turn up here at the James Cook Hotel, I’ve got my batman Scr**ge keeping a look out. He’s armed and he’s ornery.

    MISS R*CH: No, no — not that. I’ve just had this horrifying dream. I was on this — this jumbo jet… and it was utterly OUT OF CONTROL and heading inexorably for DISASTER, and everybody on it realized that too — but it was too late, though, because it was TOO LATE to change the captain, and the co-captain was a FAT FOOL who nobody believed in, and everybody on board realized the captain was too old and had no idea and he was a blithering, hopeless liar and… and people up and down the country were just LAUGHING at us, and everyone was so grim and unhappy, especially that awful butch cow Judith Collins….

    BR**N: [gathers MISS R*CH in closely] Sssssshhhh, don’t worry, my dear. Let moi interpr—

    MISS R*CH: No need to interpret it, M__________. I know perfectly well what it means: the National Party is doomed. Doomed like New Orleans. [She gives BR**N her well-rehearsed “helpless yet sultry” look] That means I’m doomed, too. Do you like doomed, wet women, M_________?

    BR**N: [with well-rehearsed tone of deep sincerity] I ADORE doomed, wet women. [Growls roughly] Especially from the National party. Come ‘ere….

    [We draw a discreet veil over proceedings for eight steamy minutes.]

    MISS R*CH: [shrieking] Oh God, it’s nine thirty-eight! The emergency shadow caucus meeting starts at ten sharp! That uber-bitch Michelle Boag is coming to give us all a rark up! [bestows a long, lascivious kiss on BR**N] Gotta fly! I’m late.

    —————————————–

    10:05 a.m. The Brethren’s Churchill Road Gospel Hall in Crofton Downs. The National Party caucus is in session. The former chairwoman of the party, MICHELLE BOAG, is reading the riot act. Demoralised politicians with sour, defeated expressions listen in gloomy silence. At first glance, everyone appears shell-shocked. However, closer inspection shows that several members are rather more sanguine. Deposed leader BILL ENGLISH actually seems to be enjoying it somewhat. To the anger of many, and the amusement of some, he is ostentatiously reading Nicky Hager’s explosive book The Hollow Men. BOAG bores on relentlessly…

    BOAG: …. and in all fairness the less we hear of Don Brash over the next seven days the better.

    BILL ENGLISH: You chose ‘im!
    BOAG: [grimly ignoring the disaffected former leader] And we will be hearing no more at all from our former “strategist” — if that’s the right word for what he’s been up to over the last fortnight. [she glares at MURRAY McCULLY like a basilisk] From now on, I and seven friends, who will remain anonymous, will be directing this campaign. For the last week of the campaign we need to stop shooting ourselves in the foot and remind people of our CORE PRINCIPLES. I sometimes wonder whether anybody remembers what the National Party STANDS for any more.

    DR LOCKWOOD SMITH: [excitedly waving hand in the air] Ooh! I know, I
    know!

    BOAG: [nervously] Ye-e-e-e-e-e-e-esss, Lockwood?

    DR LOCKWOOD SMITH: Never pay in cash, Never tell the truth, and Never play by the rules!

    BOAG: [closes eyes in despair, buries face in hands] Give me str-r-r-r-r-r-r-rength!

    DON BRASH: No, no, no, no, no, no, no! That’s not right, Lockwood! Eeeeeeehhhhhh….

    JOHN KEY: [cool, smiling, unfazed] Actually, that IS the National Party philosophy.

    SIMON POWER: And it’s a darned fine philosophy too.

    DON BRASH: Oh no, no, no, no, no, no, no……

    TONY RYALL: [in disgust] The right hand doesn’t know what the left hand is doing.

    BILL ENGLISH: [shaking his head] These right wing ideologues are tearing this party apart! IT’S A FAILURE OF LEADERSHIP!!

    JOHN KEY: [cool, smiling, unfazed] We stand for… ooooohhhhh… taking the tax off petrol.

    RYALL: Eh? You said the opposite two weeks ago!

    ROGER SOWRY: It’s ANOTHER flip-flop!

    BROWNLEE: [with boyish excitement] Right, that’s enough thinking! Let’s go GET Helen Clark with our new flip-flop policy!

    BOAG: [tartly, between clenched teeth] Shut up and sit down, you fatuous, footling fathead.

    BROWNLEE: [aggressively] You can’t call me fatuous! That’s size-ist!

    DON BRASH: Eeeeeeeehhhh, Gerry, when Michele calls you “fatuous”, it does not mean you are fat, it means you are foolish.

    BROWNLEE: [cheerfully] Oh! Well, that’s all right, then!

    DISAFFECTED CAUCUS MEMBER: Shut up and sit down, Brash! Michelle’s in
    charge, not you!

    DOCTOR DON BRASH: Oh no, no, no, no, no, no. Eeeeeeeehhhhhh…..

    BOAG: [doggedly ignoring the mounting turmoil] Now we also need an attack strategy to get at Margaret Wilson, and —

    SIMON POWER: We could base our strategy on the fact she’s got a wooden leg!

    BOAG: Yes! For once, a bright idea! Now let’s brainstor—-

    [BOAG is interrupted mid-sentence by the late arrival of the deposed shadow welfare spokesperson.]

    MISS R*CH: Sorry I’m late.

    BOAG: [acerbically] Sit down quickly at the back of the room, next to Tony Ryall and Nick Smith, and that Maori woman.

    DAVID CARTER: Siberia!

    CAUCUS: Ha ha ha ha ha!

    BOAG: Stop that! This is a party in crisis! The time for levity is after we win the election!

    RYALL: Ha! THAT’ll be the day! [imitating Fraser from Dad’s Army] We’re DOOMED! We’re all DOOOOO-O-O-O-OOOMED!

    CAUCUS: Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! ….I’d rather have Captain Mainwaring in charge than Don Brash! …. We’re TOAST, let’s face it, fellas! … Don’t PANIC!!!! … Ha ha ha ha ha!

    DOCTOR DON BRASH: Oh no no no no no no no no no. That’s not funny.

    CAUCUS: Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!

    BOAG: Stop this nonsense NOW! We need to FOCUS!

    DOCTOR DON BRASH: Eeeeeeeeeeehhhhhhhhh….

    [The room descends into uproar. After the laughter has roiled around the room for an extended period, the hubbub eventually dies down. K*TH*R*N* R*CH moves toward the back of the now silent room. Unfortunately, this necessitates moving past her successor, the bulldog-like JUDITH COLLINS…]

    COLLINS: [sotto voce, acidly] Being “grilled” by a “pole-ster”, were we?

    MISS R*CH: [sotto voce, sweetly] You weren’t. I was.

    [COLLINS glowers, her face turning a deep, angry shade of purple as MISS R*CH moves on to take her seat in “Siberia” next to GEORGINA TE HEU HEU, MURRAY McCULLY, TONY RYALL and NICK SMITH.]

    McCULLY: K*th*rin*, I’m free tonight and for the rest of the week, if you need any help with your “poling”….

    http://morrisseybreen.blogspot.co.nz/2017/12/national-party-emergency-caucus-meeting.html

    • OnceWasTim 9.1
      22 December 2017 at 1:42 pm

      Of fuck @ Morrissey. I didn’t realise part two would cum so soon!
      And gawsh!!! That Crofton Downs setting is oh so familiar darling. I remember a few of its casualties quite well.
      I’m not so sure that wonderful North and South investigative journalist, the previous foreskin of consumer rights, you know – the one that regularly appears on those Sunday morning NZoA-funded raisin affairs ‘shows’ as a talking head giving us his words-for-the-wise, the one that can’t handle a tab of the Jolly Green Giant without resorting to mummy’s bosom….s.s.S.S.Si something or other.

      Morrissey darling!! Be careful darling, There are powerful forces at play (legends in their own minds even). And always remember – what plays in Vegas, STAYS in Vegas

      • Morrissey 9.1.1
        22 December 2017 at 2:16 pm

        Thanks for the heads up, Tim.

        Those forces you mention have been stirred up by the release of these caucus notes. Forty-four angry down votes so far for Part 1, and 28 for Part 2. And a whole lot of very testy comments…

        https://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2017/12/general_debate_22_december_2017.html/comment-page-1#comment-2104326

        • OnceWasTim 9.1.1.1
          22 December 2017 at 2:49 pm

          OMG Morrissey – you forced me to stoop! I’ve never done that before (accessed that horrid horrid web site thingy), and my back is bloody killing me!
          I do have a few ideas for a 3rd, 4th and 5th series though.
          I’m just not sure which should come 3rd, 4th and 5th.
          I mean, I was thinking of people like that poor poor HdPA and partner- the raspy voiced thing who, in days gone by, used to really concern all those Wellington Eastern Suburbs bloody do-gooders. You know, the ones that were worried about things like violence towards women and wife beating, and male ownership of their woifies (silly silly people!)

          But then I thought about playing and staying in Vegas stuff and early morning jogs down lower Tory Street – you know, where that gay thingy/secret bathhouse thing is – by that blubber boy gNat 2IC.

          I’m not sure a NZ version of Coronation Street could be sustained or even whether public NZ would actually engage.
          Besides, I’m old enough to have signed the Official Secrets Act, and basically, if there isn’t a few of them held to account before too long, an easier option is to simply fuck off to places where they actually care about corrupt politicians and wimpy public servants, and where they care about things like preserving the purity of the water table.
          Comes a time where pushing shit uphill is not actually worth it

    • Robert Guyton 9.2
      22 December 2017 at 2:22 pm

      Nice. Funny. “[she glares at MURRAY McCULLY like a basilisk]” – (She glares, like a basilisk, at MURRAY McCULLY) – no?

  10. UncookedSelachimorpha 10
    22 December 2017 at 11:43 am

    Minimum wage to increase to $16.50 on 1st April 2018

    I’d rate that a strong “Pathetic” from Labour. Better than NAct, but still pathetic.

    The living wage (i.e. enough to have basic living needs met) is $20.20. We are a wealthy country – why not “Let’s Fix This”?? And now?

    • The Chairman 10.1
      22 December 2017 at 4:06 pm

      Another piss poor effort from Labour.

      Labour, the party the left can count on to let them down.

  11. One Anonymous Bloke 11
    22 December 2017 at 12:16 pm

    Which one, the one where Britain voted for the resolution but you were in such a hurry to display your masculinity you missed it?

    [TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]

    • weka 11.1
      22 December 2017 at 12:25 pm

      Trying to think of a good reason why when I’ve just spent some of my time moderating to de-escalate flaming, and you post another comment poking at someone, I shouldn’t also moderate you. Especially seeing it was only a few days ago you were moderated for a particularly inflammatory comment.

      • One Anonymous Bloke 11.1.1
        22 December 2017 at 12:28 pm

        Ok Ok sorry.

        • Robert Guyton 11.1.1.1
          22 December 2017 at 2:24 pm

          Jeeze, OAB, get a garden! 🙂

          • adam 11.1.1.1.1
            23 December 2017 at 3:38 am

            Could not agree more, does wonders for piece of mind.

            Just sowed another crop of lettuce, basil (eating heaps at the moment, it’s growing well) and my late season crop of Tarragon – which I hope will last me through the winter after I dry it.

            • weka 11.1.1.1.1.1
              23 December 2017 at 11:10 am

              I agree to.

              I’ve never grown tarragon. What do you use it for?

              I’ve been putting in another round of lettuces too. Plus some basil outside, which is kind of a risk down south. Just been harvesting a great crop of black currants.

              • adam …
                23 December 2017 at 11:59 am

                Tarragon, goes well with eggs and egg dishes. Chicken for those who eat that, I used it dried when cooking it with chicken.

                Do you have a glass house or window cill you can use for basil? It likes warm, I’ve been able to grow it over winter here in Auckland.

                Yummy black currants cheesecake, with double cream topping – a old fav of mine 🙂

                • weka …
                  23 December 2017 at 12:46 pm

                  I’ll have to see if I can find some tarragon to transplant.

                  Basil grows here ok in pots outside but on the porch. It should be ok in the garden so long as we don’t get a cold snap, and even then it might be ok, I’ve planted it in a more sheltered spot. Growing things on a window sill is riskier due to neglect 😉 I do have a nice sunny window sill though, so maybe I’ll put some there too and cover all bases.

                  I love black currants, cheesecake sounds fantastic.

                  • adam …
                    23 December 2017 at 12:50 pm

                    Thing in Auckland, you get in the habit of watering pots everyday. Or your precious plants die. Sometimes twice a day with some.

                    I’ll see if I can find the recipe – think it was in the Edmonds cook book.

  13. Ed 13
    22 December 2017 at 4:14 pm

    Jim Mora’s panel.
    Listen if you want to know the concerns of the elderly upper middle class.
    It would be interesting to compare the socio-economic backgrounds of the panellists with the overall population.

  14. The Chairman 14
    22 December 2017 at 5:02 pm

    PM makes donation appeal for Auckland needy

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/99882671/pm-makes-donation-appeal-for-auckland-needy

    It’s a shame she and her colleagues couldn’t put together a little Xmas bonus for beneficiaries.

  15. The Chairman 15
    22 December 2017 at 6:00 pm

    Time being wasted in an era of heightened seismic risk.

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/nz-earthquake/100080788/dozens-of-wellington-buildings-still-havent-done-urgent-earthquake-strengthening

    If only the Government of the day (National) and or the city council offered loaning money to make buildings safe in the first place, things would be moving along more quickly.
     

  16. eco maori 16
    22 December 2017 at 6:59 pm

    I would not give david seenothing the time of day but this is a important issue. I would like to see him live on the minamim wage for a year these people born with a silver spoon should not comment on the minamim wage its hipocyce. Look at our Australian cousins we would have to add $10 a hour to catch up to them they have strong unions and everyone has disposable income. That is why they will be able to launch a Lady’s Rugby league competition in Australia because they have fans that can afford to support the teams. It would be to hard a task for Steve Chew to launch a Lady’s Rugby professional competition because there is not enough people with disposable income to support the teams.
    david seenothing thinks he and his other neo liberal m8 should keep all the money and stuff the rest of us we he can go and get _________ he is just a puppet for national Ana to kai

    • ropata 16.1
      22 December 2017 at 11:29 pm

      I’d be surprised if there is enough audience interest in a professional women’s league. It’s more of a male boofhead thing.

    • Blue rinse 16.2
      22 December 2017 at 11:29 pm

      I suggest population is a bigger factor here Eco making women’s rugby league viable also tied to nrl clubs and only 6 teams , games will be curtain raises and a very short season hey but don’t let facts get in the way of a good socialist story

  17. eco maori 17
    22 December 2017 at 8:22 pm

    Some people think that they can play me with out me working out there objective but no the big pictures is the muppets are playing them you like being fools and being played well good on you puppet fools I’m not going anywhere I can read yous like a book also I no you’ve been in this play for years ECO is going to win Ana to kai

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • Stories of varying weight

    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on anything you may have missed. Share Read more ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 hours ago
  • Balancing External Security and the Economy

    New Zealand is again having to reconcile conflicting pressures from its military and its trade interests. Should we join Pillar Two of AUKUS and risk compromising our markets in China? For a century after New Zealand was founded in 1840, its external security arrangements and external economics arrangements were aligned. ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    17 hours ago
  • Weekly Climate Wrap: The unravelling of the offsets

    The ‘50 Shades of Green’ farmers’ protest in 2019 was heavy on climate change denial, but five years on, scepticism and criticism about the idea that pine forests can save us is growing across the board. File photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    22 hours ago
  • What makes us tick

    This morning the sky was bright.The birds, in their usual joyous bliss. Nature doesn’t seem to feel the heat of what might angst humans.Their calls are clear and beautiful.Just some random thoughts:MāoriPaul Goldsmith has announced his government will roll back the judiciary’s rulings on Māori Customary Marine Title, which recognises ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    23 hours ago
  • Foreshore and seabed 2.0

    In 2003, the Court of Appeal delivered its decision in Ngati Apa v Attorney-General, ruling that Māori customary title over the foreshore and seabed had not been universally extinguished, and that the Māori Land Court could determine claims and confirm title if the facts supported it. This kicked off the ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on the Royal Commission report into abuse in care

    Earlier this week at Parliament, Labour leader Chris Hipkins was applauded for saying that the response to the final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care had to be “bigger than politics.” True, but the fine words, apologies and “we hear you” messages will soon ring ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    1 day ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Friday, July 26

    TL;DR: In news breaking this morning:The Ministry of Education is cutting $2 billion from its school building programme so the National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government has enough money to deliver tax cuts; The Government has quietly lowered its child poverty reduction targets to make them easier to achieve;Te Whatu Ora-Health NZ’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Weekly Roundup 26-July-2024

    Kia ora. These are some stories that caught our eye this week – as always, feel free to share yours in the comments. Our header image this week (via Eke Panuku) shows the planned upgrade for the Karanga Plaza Tidal Swimming Steps. The week in Greater Auckland On ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 day ago
  • God what a relief

    1. What's not to love about the way the Harris campaign is turning things around?a. Nothingb. Love all of itc. God what a reliefd. Not that it will be by any means easye. All of the above 2. Documents released by the Ministry of Health show Associate Health Minister Casey ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 day ago
  • Trust In Me

    Trust in me in all you doHave the faith I have in youLove will see us through, if only you trust in meWhy don't you, you trust me?In a week that saw the release of the 3,000 page Abuse in Care report Christopher Luxon was being asked about Boot Camps. ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • The Hoon around the week to July 26

    TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking about the Royal Commission Inquiry into Abuse in Care report released this week, and with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on a UN push to not recognise carbon offset markets and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Friday, July 26

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent talking about the National-ACT-NZ First Government’s release of its first Emissions Reduction Plan;University of Otago Foreign Relations Professor and special guest Dr Karin von ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #29 2024

    Open access notables Improving global temperature datasets to better account for non-uniform warming, Calvert, Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society: To better account for spatial non-uniform trends in warming, a new GITD [global instrumental temperature dataset] was created that used maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) to combine the land surface ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care.  At the heart of this report are the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government acknowledges torture at Lake Alice

    For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government acknowledges courageous abuse survivors

    The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Half a million people use tax calculator

    With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis.  “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Paid Parental Leave improvements pass first reading

    Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Rebuilding the economy through better regulation

    Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • ‘Open banking’ and ‘open electricity’ on the way

    New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Charity lotteries to be permitted to operate online

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Accelerating Northland Expressway

    The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Sir Don to travel to Viet Nam as special envoy

    Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.    “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Grant Illingworth KC appointed as transitional Commissioner to Royal Commission

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024.  “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ to advance relationships with ASEAN partners

    Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane.    “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says.   “This will be our third visit to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Backing mental health services on the West Coast

    Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ support for sustainable Pacific fisheries

    New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Students’ needs at centre of new charter school adjustments

    Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Commissioner replaces Health NZ Board

    In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today.  “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister to speak at Australian Space Forum

    Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum.  While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation.  “New Zealand has a thriving space ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Climate Change Minister to attend climate action meeting in China

    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will travel to China on Saturday to attend the Ministerial on Climate Action meeting held in Wuhan.  “Attending the Ministerial on Climate Action is an opportunity to advocate for New Zealand climate priorities and engage with our key partners on climate action,” Mr Watts says. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Oceans and Fisheries Minister to Solomons

    Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is travelling to the Solomon Islands tomorrow for meetings with his counterparts from around the Pacific supporting collective management of the region’s fisheries. The 23rd Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee and the 5th Regional Fisheries Ministers’ Meeting in Honiara from 23 to 26 July ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Government launches Military Style Academy Pilot

    The Government today launched the Military Style Academy Pilot at Te Au rere a te Tonga Youth Justice residence in Palmerston North, an important part of the Government’s plan to crackdown on youth crime and getting youth offenders back on track, Minister for Children, Karen Chhour said today. “On the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Nine priority bridge replacements to get underway

    The Government has welcomed news the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has begun work to replace nine priority bridges across the country to ensure our state highway network remains resilient, reliable, and efficient for road users, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“Increasing productivity and economic growth is a key priority for the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Update on global IT outage

    Acting Prime Minister David Seymour has been in contact throughout the evening with senior officials who have coordinated a whole of government response to the global IT outage and can provide an update. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has designated the National Emergency Management Agency as the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • New Zealand, Japan renew Pacific partnership

    New Zealand and Japan will continue to step up their shared engagement with the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.    “New Zealand and Japan have a strong, shared interest in a free, open and stable Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says.    “We are pleased to be finding more ways ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • New infrastructure energises BOP forestry towns

    New developments in the heart of North Island forestry country will reinvigorate their communities and boost economic development, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones visited Kaingaroa and Kawerau in Bay of Plenty today to open a landmark community centre in the former and a new connecting road in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • 'Pacific Futures'

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

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2024-07-26T23:49:57+00:00