@@2:35 minutes
Unidentified reporter:"Should New Zealand perhaps be putting more pressure on the United States to support a ceasefire in Gaza rather than taking the action, of supporting military action?"
Winston Peters: "Can I say, that is not the view of the United Nations…."
That may be the view of Winston Peters, and the view of the US Biden administration. But it is not the view of the United Nations, including its General Secretary António Guterres.
United Nations General Assembly vote by a large majority for a ceasefire.
The 193-member United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has voted overwhelmingly in favour of a resolution calling for a humanitarian ceasefire in war-torn Gaza. Tuesday's resolution passed with 153 countries voting in favour, 23 abstaining and 10 countries voting against, including Israel and the United States.
The UN supports a ceasefire in Gaza. Only the United States veto has prevented the UN from ordering a ceasefire in Gaza.
In the highest decision making body of the UN, the US was isolated as the sole country to vote against a ceasefire in the Security Council. Even the UK, America's closes ally, could not bring themselves to vote against a ceasefire. The UK abstained on the Security Council vote for a ceasefire, the only Security Council member to do so. All the other members of the Security Council voted for a ceasefire in Gaza.
The two highest bodies of the UN, the General Assembly and the Security Council, by a big majority both, "support a ceasefire in Gaza", only the minority of one country opposed a ceasefire in Gaza in the Security Council. And only a small minority of countries opposed a ceasefire in the UN General Assembly. The truth is, one country has overruled the United Nation's support for a ceasefire in Gaza
A good follow up question for Winston Peters would be; Do you Mr Peters as the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, support a ceasefire in Gaza as a way of stopping the escalation of violence in the Middle East, in particular, Houthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea?
Guterres would have been advised of the fact that the greatest number of UN aid workers had been killed in Gaza than in any other conflict since the founding of the UN.
@@2:35 minutes
Unidentified reporter:"Should New Zealand perhaps be putting more pressure on the United States to support a ceasefire in Gaza rather than taking the action, of supporting military action?"
We're never going to need or seek a UN mandate for spying. Five Eyes has no UN mandate.
Nor should we wait around for a UN resolution to defend shipping. We should just do it. It has nothing to do with the invasion of Iraq.
Nearly all of the shipping companies that support our economy have already stopped going through the Red Sea for fear of being targeted: MSC, Hapag-Lloyd, CMA, CGM, and Maersk. We are just getting inflation under control now and we don't need another spike due to increased freight costs.
A ceasefire in Gaza (and the occupied West Bank for that matter) and the ships would be able to go through again. It is that simple.
All Standard contributors should be supporting a total ceasefire and a two state solution rather than getting hung-up on matters that will be resolved anyway if a ceasefire came into operation, such as the hostages, Red Sea shipping etc etc
Wouldn't it be great to have the power to cast a spell over all Standard commenters and make them all think and write just the way you want?
We need actual independent thinking that involves walking and chewing gum at the same time.
The walking part involves the defence of a key shipping lane against a non-state actor, and until there's attacks on the Malacca Strait this is about as basic a national interest as we can get.
The chewing part is a basic recognition that Israel and Hamas will stop when they agree to which is no time soon, even if either of them said they wanted to.
Maybe you Ad (and many others on TS, sorry I should not have said “all” above) should watch this-it really is a must watch. It makes the point I was trying to make but much better.
I love it when she calls “the West” (Biden and Sunak) “cowboys”.
Maybe the US attacks on Yemen in the last 10 years, over 100 in 2017 alone, have something to do with it
Then theres the Saudi led ( US and British supported) attacks on Yemen after the Zaydi sect led rebels toppled the previous government – who fled to Riyadh and now operate as a Saudi puppet administration.
1) A neighbour invading a country is bad when Russia does it but has Nato support when Saudis/Emiratis do it.
2) Self defence is permitted when Israel does it but not when Zaydi/Houthi forces do so after over 10 years of attacks on their country.
Russia backs one government in Libya and Turkey another. Maybe it is a regional thing – though Russia now has a taste for regional hegemony disrupter role in Europe, if Medvedev's recent comments mean anything.
In August 2023, he stated that "Russia must destroy and fully dismantle the Ukrainian state that is a terrorist in its essence… Should it take years or even decades, then so be it.
On 17 January 2024 Medvedev said on his Telegram app channel that "The existence of Ukraine is mortally dangerous for Ukrainians. And I don’t mean only the current state … I'm talking about any, absolutely any Ukraine." He described Ukraine as "historical Russian territories.. Neither Ukraine’s association with the EU, nor even the entry of this artificial country into NATO will prevent [a new conflict]
If all Standard contributors agreed and every nation in the world said stop the war on Ukraine, what would Putin do?
If all Standard contributors and the world, including USA, called on the Israeli government to stop its military action in Gaza what would Netanyahu do?
Israel is not dependent on the $3B now near $4B of annual aid (it is little more than that given to Egypt and Jordan each year for being part of the peace process).
The Israeli economy is much larger now than it was when that level of aid was set. This is indicated by the end of economic aid to Israel some time ago.
It is influenced by the USA setting terms for military supply, back in 1973 Israel knew an attack was coming but the Americans told them they could not attack first – they would only get military supply (munitions/ammunition), if they did not attack first.
In this case Hamas attacked first.
Since the attack by Hamas Israel has received military aid (missile and air defense systems – Iron Dome).
This chart shows that the significant military aid only comes in war time.
*to ask Congress to allow POTUS to make the economic aid to Israel contingent on the Israeli government supporting a two state peace process and outcome – on the basis that Netanyahu has brought this into doubt. Give POTUS leverage.
**to allow POTUS to be able to restrict supply of offensive weaponry to Israel to influence the continuance of war if USA wanted a cease-fire.
PS Restricting supply of air defence capability would leave Israeli civilians open to missile attacks and leave the nation hostage to external attack threats.
*to ask Congress to allow POTUS to make the annual economic military aid to Israel contingent on the Israeli government supporting a two state peace process and outcome – on the basis that Netanyahu has brought this into doubt. Give POTUS leverage.
We are just getting inflation under control now and we don't need another spike due to increased freight costs.
Inflation is at 5% and we going to have that for the next decade, so if that your excuse to engage in a war – sheesh no words, just utter horror at your ability to justify war.
And about 5 eyes, made the world a safer place has it – worst joke, never.
How about we actually stand up to the problem in the region of the middle east and help sort this out, rather than this back door jingoistic bullshit.
Free trade must be protected mantra is just shit – you do a good job of showing what is wrong with the left in many eyes – the apologism of globalisation and what is in essence a watered down and effectively useless version of a once great program of social democracy.
No one is going to win any elections pushing that horseshit going forward.
New Zealand is one of the most sea-trade reliant countries in the world. Both exports and imports. No one should be apologising for exporting and making the money we need to stay in biscuits, and we are so trade reliant now that we import most other things.
We are indeed "standing up" or whatever in the Middle East and have done so for quite a few decades in our own small way.
If we really think that we don't need to support the defence of the Red Sea, we should just imagine a world in which the US just stops, brings all its ships back, the Houthis win the Bab al-Mandab Strait, and we take the price increases to oil coming in and agricultural commodities going out. Ain't no one else going to help us or Maersk.
Inflation was 4.7% for the last quarter, falling. The potential delays and near-term supply shortages are being as closely watched by markets as they were during COVID which was the real global trade crunch that affected us so badly.
Your catstrophe fantasy is very much the stuff of colonialism. The Houthi have clearly said they will allow passage to all those that agree to not using the Red Sea to supply Israel and will allow passage to Israel when it stops its genocide of Palestinians and blockade of Gaza. All of which seem like worthwhile goals.
It is not possible to say they are lying unless the conditions are met. And if they are lying? The bloodbath in Gaza will have ceased. Some results are worth a wee bit of inflation don't you think?
The Houthi have clearly said they will allow passage to all those that agree to not using the Red Sea to supply Israel
Have they, can you provide a link?
Israel would get their cargo direct from Europe in that case …
If there had been no attacks on shipping simply using the Red Sea to transport cargo between Europe and Asia (with no link to Israeli stop offs or Israeli ship ownership) there would have been no UNSC Resolution.
Perhaps you could supply a link to a targeted ship that had no links to Israel nor was bound for Israel before the US intervention that has resulted in the first loss of lives in the whole saga. Or not aligned in any way to the Western nations coalescing around the US since its intervention.
I would also note that it was perfectly ok for the UK navy to enable a Saudi blockade of Yemen that created the worst humaitarian disaster in the world prior to Gaza. They closed the Red Sea to all maritime traffic to and from the Yemeni coast!! But now? Oh rules based system of international order!
A development because earlier attacks was resulting in calls for protection of shipping.
In a post on Twitter, Al-Houthi said that ships which announce “We have no relationship with Israel” will be granted safe passage by the rebel group through the Red Sea, Arabian Sea and Bab al-Mandab strait.
The post legitimises a trend seen in the Red Sea region of vessels using their AIS destination to broadcast messages aimed at deterring Houthi attacks.
The post called the measure an easy and inexpensive means of avoiding trouble.
“This step does not require militarizing the Red Sea and will not harm international navigation,” said Al-Houthi.
The impact of the declaration on risk perception in the region is likely to be mixed and highly political.
In the over 20 attacks by the rebel group on merchant ships since November 19, many of the vessels involved have no clear ties to Israeli interests or a destination in Israel, and yet have been variously targeted by missiles, drones, and small boats.
Perhaps you could supply a link to a targeted ship that had no links to Israel nor was bound for Israel
See above
that has resulted in the first loss of lives in the whole saga.
Adding a rider are we.
Or not aligned in any way to the Western nations coalescing around the US since its intervention.
If western nations shipping are fair game, so are those that attack them.
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) adopted a resolution Wednesday demanding that Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis cease all attacks on ships flowing through the Red Sea.
S/RES/2722 (2024)
24-004372/2
2. Demands that the Houthis immediately cease all such attacks, which impede global commerce and undermine navigational rights and freedoms as well as regional peace and security, and further demands that the Houthis immediately release the Galaxy Leader and its crew;
3. Affirms the exercise of navigational rights and freedoms by merchant and commercial vessels, in accordance with international law, must be respected, and takes note of the right of Member States, in accordance with international law, to defend their vessels from attacks, including those that undermine navigational rights and freedoms;
4. Commends the efforts by Member States within the framework of the International Maritime Organization, to enhance the safety and secure transit of merchant and commercial vessels of all States through the Red Sea
The Houthi action is a true r2p in support of Gaza within their limited means. It is hugely popular with the citizens of that country and is giving the Houthi extended influence over their whole country. Bombing them into oblivion and attempts at starvation have not defeated them. They have gone through exactly what Gaza is going through. They are unlikely to be cowed. Perhaps putting a stop to the rearming of Israel by the US would be simpler, before any further escalation in the Red Sea
Israel only gets about 5% of its trade through the Red Sea. It’s not a useful lever upon Israel at all.
The Red Sea is far more important to the rest of the trading world including ourselves, and we don't need to accept terrorists leveraging themselves in.
Oh the scary terrorist word. Remember that one mans terrorist is anothers freedom fighter. I believe that it is incumbent on all nations and people to do what they can in the face of genocide?? Yemen is on of the poorest nations in the world and is doing what it can, for no loss of lfe up to the US intervention. South Africa is also doing what it can. Other than that? Nothing. And it seems that there is substantial effect if Rueters is to be believed.
S/RES/2722 (2024)
24-004372/2
2. Demands that the Houthis immediately cease all such attacks, which impede global commerce and undermine navigational rights and freedoms as well as regional peace and security, and further demands that the Houthis immediately release the Galaxy Leader and its crew;
3. Affirms the exercise of navigational rights and freedoms by merchant and commercial vessels, in accordance with international law, must be respected, and takes note of the right of Member States, in accordance with international law, to defend their vessels from attacks, including those that undermine navigational rights and freedoms;
4. Commends the efforts by Member States within the framework of the International Maritime Organization, to enhance the safety and secure transit of merchant and commercial vessels of all States through the Red Sea
An act of war against whom? The Houthi are an armed gang in control of part of Yemen. To declare war one has to recognise the other party as having the status of a nation state.
Al Qaeada in Iraq or Syria, Islamic State, Hezbollah, Shia militias in Iraq, Hamas and the Houthi are not nation state actors or governments of a (recognised) nation state.
4. Commends the efforts by Member States within the framework of the International Maritime Organization, to enhance the safety and secure transit of merchant and commercial vessels of all States through the Red Sea
Your claim that a nation can only defend its own vessels is untrue.
Any nation has the right to ask another nation for help to defend its ships or to defend its territory.
The International Maritime Organisation is of the UN.
You absurdly seem to think the Houthi (who have no government status whatsoever) have the right to attack shipping in international waters, without consequences.
OMG you go from bad to worse. None of the flag nations apart from the UK and US have asked us to help.
This is a blanket of BS you want to wrap yourself in fair enough, but don't lie about what the UN have made a resolution on. Very few outside of the usual supporters of warmongering nations who vote for this, had what you ascribed to them as their intent, if indeed any.
You absurdly seem to think the Houthi (who have no government status whatsoever) have the right to attack shipping in international waters, without consequences.
This defence commitment is not much more than a continuation of our existing / past contribution to policing in the Red Sea / Persian Gulf. We've had personnel involved going back to Gulf War and at times a frigate participating.
In 2023 Andrew Little released these documents which outline the circumstances of the past Government sending six personnel to the Gulf.
HON ANDREW LITTLE, MINISTER OF DEFENCE New Zealand’s Maritime Security Commitments in the Middle East
August 2023
This publication provides documents on Cabinet’s December 2021 decision extend the mandate for New Zealand’s support to maritime security in the Middle East to 30 June 2024.
The pack comprises:
– the Cabinet minute of decision New Zealand's Maritime Security Commitments in the Middle East [ERS-21-MIN-0052] and
– the Cabinet paper New Zealand's Maritime Security Commitments in the Middle East [ERS-21-SUB-0052].
Judith Collins refused to say from which arm of the Defence Force these six 'personnel' are coming. The RNZAF are very much involved in maritime security exercises and of course the Navy. My money is on RNZAF and their intelligence unit.
Edit:
I’m starting to wonder whether this announcement from Luxon and Collins is a facade “look at us folks aren’t we decisive and clever” when its nothing new and the ground work was already in place.
I think they would have waited for the UN to sanction such an undertaking. I don't know whether it [the sanction] will be forthcoming. I leave that debate to those far better informed than I am.
Was Parker not just forgetting our position as per involvement to June 2024 on maritime security in the ME. But also what a UNSC Resolution said.
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) adopted a resolution Wednesday demanding that Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis cease all attacks on ships flowing through the Red Sea.
S/RES/2722 (2024)
24-004372/2
2. Demands that the Houthis immediately cease all such attacks, which impede global commerce and undermine navigational rights and freedoms as well as regional peace and security, and further demands that the Houthis immediately release the Galaxy Leader and its crew;
3. Affirms the exercise of navigational rights and freedoms by merchant and commercial vessels, in accordance with international law, must be respected, and takes note of the right of Member States, in accordance with international law, to defend their vessels from attacks, including those that undermine navigational rights and freedoms;
4. Commends the efforts by Member States within the framework of the International Maritime Organization, to enhance the safety and secure transit of merchant and commercial vessels of all States through the Red Sea
So again as per the resolution, what vessels are ours?
I’d suggest your remarks are way off the mark, and there is no resolution which gives blanket coverage to attack Yeman. Only the right to defend the country of origins ships.
4. Commends the efforts by Member States within the framework of the International Maritime Organization, to enhance the safety and secure transit of merchant and commercial vessels of all States through the Red Sea
Your claim that a nation can only defend its own vessels is untrue.
Any nation has the right to ask another nation for help to defend its ships or to defend its territory.
The International Maritime Organisation is of the UN.
You absurdly seem to think the Houthi (who have no government status whatsoever) have the right to attack shipping in international waters, without consequences.
My choice of the word 'exercise' was misleading. The RNZAF carry out regular patrols in the southern oceans. They are well versed in search and identification work. They also team up with other countries from time to time and carry out advanced exercises in this type of work. The navy of course is also involved in such exercises. I'm talking from long past experience as a non-military briefing officer.
Given the nature of the Red Sea deployment, RNZAF personnel together with the Navy would seem the most likely arms of the DF to be involved in this mission.
Btw, what does AWAC stand for? Tried to google, but likely military sources listed met with 'failed' links. In other words they had been blocked. Interesting.
Edit: the point is, there is no need for Collins’ attempt at secrecy. It has been par for the course for decades, so I am assuming she is attempting to make it sound like something new and dramatic.
"Rivers are normally named after ancestors, they have spiritual connections to both the physical environment and the people … many Māori believe that their rivers have a mauri, or a life essence inside them," he said.
"Calling something like a toilet roll holder by a sacred name, such as kaiiwi, is disgusting and offensive."
It can be very difficult to know when you are committing cultural appropriation. It is very easy to offend, even when you think you are doing the correct thing.
In my opinion it is best to steer clear unless your use of that language for marketing purposes has been approved by someone, with the right to approve that use.
I've used karaka roof paint on houses, is that OK, what if I have a bit over and clad the long drop at the camp site, seriously people need to get over themselves, this is why seymour is on the rise and trump will win the next election,
Or maybe they thought let's get some Maori language out their, forgetting that Maori are very precious about all things they own.
dunno about that. I think Māori generally are quite generous with te reo. However, putting kupu Māori on toilet things is akin to sitting your bum on the table you and others eat at. Some people think it's fine to do that, but it's not something a manufacturer should promote.
So I agree with you that sometimes companies just want to get some of te reo out there, but it should be done with a modicum of awareness and respect.
Thanks, ianmac – Steve Braunias is a smart thinker and the book will be valuable for understanding Golriz' story.
"She entered Parliament in 2017. The dislike was immediate. Ghahraman first became a public figure when she featured on the famous North & South cover in April 2017, when art director Jenny Nicholls and photographer Toaki Okano staged a very Vanity Fair / Annie Leibovitz portrait of seven Green MPs. It remains the only photo of Chlöe Swarbrick in a dress, lol. Ghahraman modelled a long, very glamorous, very sparkly green dress. (At least some readers will instantly think: “Did she steal it?”). Social media responded with rage that an MP should dare to wear an evening dress, dare to be a beautiful woman, dare to be upfront and in your face. It set the tone for the next six years of rage."
I thought the most revealing passage in Know Your Place was a dialogue she had with former defence minister Ron Mark.
He: “You know, Golriz, I think about what you and I have been through in our lives [Mark was raised in foster care] and I wonder how we’ve come out of it okay, we’ve ended up normal.”
She: “We’re not normal! You’re obsessed with war planes and I’ve been in therapy for three years.”
Golriz is not only beautiful, she is highly intelligent. She will heal and no doubt prosper in another field of endeavour.
So is Luxton a committed liar? Or just a tool to divide the nation?
The daily blog points out the issues around national, and their support of acts shitfuckery – is now into total divide the nation mode. No safety valve here.
The curiosity will be whether Luxon gets the shaming treatment that Helen Clark got, or enough rowdiness that he stays away like Key did, or whether he pulls something out of a box like Andrew Little did a term ago.
Are Maori iwi ready to turn their hui into political muscle, starting at Waitangi?
The site has this disclaimer saying it is satire and parody, but considering the contact address, it's not political either.
'ChrisLuxon.org is a satire and parody publication. All content contained within this website and on accompanying social media accounts, however similar to real events, is fictitious. Any real, semi-real or similar names, places, people, products, services and locales are used purely for satirical purposes, and the corresponding story details are purely fictional. The articles contained herein are to be considered satire, parody, surrealism, and humor. Any resemblance to actual persons, businesses, or events is entirely coincidental.
Images on ChrisLuxon.org site may consist of original photos, stock photography, and creative commons photos. We have done our best to attribute the creators of such photos based on the information available to us. Use of these works does not suggest that the respective authors endorse us or our use of the images. Contact porncorexxx@gmail.com for queries"
I'm also unsure of "creative commons photos" as mentioned in the disclaimer. Are these otherwise known as fakes and AI altered mischief?
Considering the spelling of ‘humor” instead of ‘humour’ the site is probably not even of NZ origin.
I'd have been none the wiser about this joke at our PM expense, had it not been for infused's comment. Like them, I found some content on that satirical site (which they linked to) amusing – like something out of a modern version of A Week of It.
Would you have been so amused, and enthusiastic if the website had been about Jacinda Ardern, or Golriz Ghahraman perhaps?
Perhaps, if the parody had been light-hearted. Our politicians (and their supporters) can be so thin-skinned sometimes – "Can't you tell when I'm joking?"
How Kiwis Went From Decent To Disgusting.
Sadly much of the vitriol was of course much worse than that nonsense. There were horrific things said, with threats, and the most revolting misogyny you’ve ever seen. One of our greatest ever leaders, a person who when thrust into incredibly challenging, unforeseen, circumstances reacted calmly, and kindly, showing great humanity, was subjected to what I think must be the most vicious attacks ever directed at a single person in this country.
And the attacks weren’t simply out of frustration with lockdowns, or MIQ, or anything like that. They were personally targeting Jacinda as a woman, and her family, and I have never felt so ashamed of my country in all my life.
…
But we didn’t see the outright viciousness and nastiness with Chippy as Labour leader, as we had with Jacinda, and you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to work out why.
I'll bet you were an admirer of the wonderful songs by people like Tom Scott.
I mean how could anyone not admire the wonderful lyrics like
"That's why I'm going to kill the Prime Minister. I'm going to kill the Prime Minister, because we are down and suffering and the motherfucker ain't doing nothing. Going to kill the Prime Minister.
One of these days I'm going to fuck your daughter. This poor boy going to make his seed, going to wake up in your girl – well hello Miss Key."
That is much better than soppy songs like We Shall Overcome isn't it?
John Key and his daughter should be proud to be the subject of such wonderful lyrics is probably your reaction. After all if he didn't get it it is because John Key was just thin skinned.
I'll bet you were an admirer of the wonderful songs by people like Tom Scott.
I admire Tom Scott, but not for his songs. Your assertion that I'm an admirer of the "wonderful lyrics" you quoted, and you guess at my reaction, suggest a very thin skin indeed. Just my opinion.
And thanks for making me aware of this other Tom Scott – appreciate it.
Now that I have your attention, may I remind you that
130,000 ELIGIBLE PEOPLE UNDER 25 HAVE NOT YET ENROLLED.
The current PM does not care about these people. He does not care about the growing gap between the rich and the poor in our country. He does not care about the native people of our country. He does not care about the planet we depend upon to survive, the living organism that we as humans are a functioning part of. He does not care about the right we should all have to an education. He only cares about him and his friends.
I do not want to literally kill this man. I do not wish to have sexual relations with anybody related to him. Let’s not pretend a silly little song ever changed anything. Last I seen famine was still going pretty strong since ‘Heal The World’ came out. It’s just a song. No different from Thatcher era punk. Anyone ever heard “Maggie you’re a cunt”..?
What’s important is that we ENROL TO VOTE so that we have a chance to select someone to represent us who understands the concept of empathy.
I’m fed up with this dude. But if you want to vote for him, that’s your choice. Personally, I’m voting Greens but you can vote for whoever you like. You can choose between a whole bunch of different people who represent a whole bunch of different ideologies. That’s the beauty of the political system in NZ.
Please respect my right to express my disappointment for the leader of our country.
Sorry but I don't find the parody website about Luxon as being in any way funny. Neither do I find a song about murdering Key anything like just a silly little song.
They are just like the comments that were apparently made about Ardern, or Ghahraman or Bennett or English or almost any other politician.
If you are going to complain about one you should complain about them all. And no, I haven't seen any of the remarks that have apparently addressed to most of them. I am prepared to accept that they do exist but I can only say that I find remarks like the ones in that song as offensive enough to be out of any level of acceptability and not just passed of as being thin skinned and not really meant.
It’s a way to criticize and expose flaws in ideas, individuals, and groups of people. Successful satire is often political in focus, but this isn’t a requirement.
If you are going to complain about one you should complain about them all.
Who's complaining? That you’re "prepared to accept" there is some truth in Nick Rockel's opinion [“horrific things said, with threats, and the most revolting misogyny you’ve ever seen“] is really quite encouraging.
Still, since you’re complaining about the website that infused linked to @6, perhaps you should complain about all the websites that satirise, parody and lampoon Kiwi policitians – I’m sure you know where to draw the line.
Those government policies sit alongside the proposed Treaty Principles Bill to diminish Māori opportunities to be Māori in public life. For the Act Party, this is necessary to protect democratic equality.
In effect, the proposed bill says that to be equal, Māori people can’t contribute to public decisions with reference to their own culture. As anthropologist Anne Salmond has written, this means the state cannot admit there are “reasonable people who reason differently”.
Equality through sameness is a false equality that liberal democracy is well-equipped to contest. Liberal democracy did not emerge to suppress difference. It is concerned with much more than counting votes to see who wins on election day.
Professor Dominic O'Sullivan touches on what I've been trying to show about ACT de-culturing, or homogenising, the country.
Checking and balancing the powers of government requires the contribution of all and not just some citizens. When they do so in their own ways, and according to their own modes of reasoning, citizens contribute to democratic contest – not as a divisive activity, but to protect the common good from the accumulation of power for some people’s use in the domination of others.
Te Tiriti supports this democratic process.
ACT's proposed renege and rewrite of the Treaty does exactly that, allow some people to accumulate power for the domination of others. Further deregulated and increasingly unbridled capitalism ensues.
Last evening I stumbled across an article on my Tablet, published in the Herald about a bar owner who had been in Court mainly about a 'celebration' when Jacinda Ardern had handed in her resignation last year which had got our of control. I endeavoured to find said article on the Herald website on my PC to refer to and include the link, but it seemed to have disappeared in the proverbial puff of smoke and I have since been unable to locate it. The bloke involved appeared to be a total misfit (trying not to be too judgemental in my description about him, in line with Weka's directive) and he made an absolute ass of himself at the Court hearing yesterday and finally had to be removed by security. The Judge's decision is yet to be delivered. The rabbit hole must be getting larger by the day for people of that ilk. I was so angered by this individual and do despair. What the hell are we coming to.
I think the chap you re looking for is Shane LaRosa who operates Shooters Bar in New North Rd, Kingsland. It is a hotbed of conspiracy nuts and SovCit fanatics.
He has a connection with the 2 adjacent sites which are rented out as "affordable" accommodation – portacabins with shared facilities on what used to be 2 car yards. There are also house buses and vans which may be habitable. The Cops are there quite often – despite the nonsense "Trespass" notices on the gates.
Of course the public will be able to make submissions on this. This is why it was part of the coalition agreement between ACT and National to ensure it would get past the First reading stage so it would then go to Select committee and people could get engaged. The real issue is many people don't want any debate on the topic as apparently "Racism".
Seymour seeks to lever open the can of worms that is public opinion so that he and his monied backers can inject their disguised venom into the minds of New Zealanders.
Normally the submissions process is a way of flexing a weak democratic system in that the voice of the disenfranchised is muted while the voice of the resourced elite is amplified. Wayne Brown runs this agenda, Auckland City constantly seeking submissions on the radio.
While shadowy funding for the far right ACT party propaganda has increased dramatically to this end, I hope this time they have bitten off more that they can chew because the opposition is significant and probable not short of (human) resources themselves.
Where is your actual hard evidence for this "shadowy funding for the far right ACT party propaganda"? The most I've seen is some rather long bow drawing which tries to link ACT with the TPU with Atlas. ACT has to publish it's list of donors over a certain figure. This should make your job easy.
Can't you handle dealing with racists? They tend to be the easiest opponents to deal with as their logic is so flawed. You just point out that genetically there are more differences within racial groupings than between them and we all come from a tiny genetic stock of humans a short time ago in scientific terms and are so mixed that racial distinctions are not really scientifically justified.
She [Finance Minister Nicola Willis] said that for Act, having a debate about the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi was a priority and that National had agreed to support them having this debate at select committee.
With all due respect, holding a debate is not the function of a select committee. Making submissions is hardly a substitute for meaningful exchange.
Ultimately, the purpose of a committee’s consideration is to decide whether to recommend to Parliament that a bill be passed. From what is being said, I can’t see such a recommendation being made with this bill.
In the meantime, what damage is done, especially when the bill does not reflect what Te Tiriti actually says?
What damage? How can any damage be done by having a discussion? Unless someone is actively promoting violence or even agression against people as a result. There is no indication that is going to happen.
The real issue is many people don't want any debate on the topic as apparently "Racism".
again with the sophistry.
1. you don't say what you mean by the 'topic'. Te Tiriti? The proposal of a referendum? The parliamentary process?
2. I'm seeing lots of people against' ACT's racism fronting up and debating. The objection is that the Treaty itself is up for debate. Most people I know are ok with a public discussion about the Treaty, it's how it's being done in this instance that is the problem.
3. wanting to rewrite the Treaty to remove Māori power and insert libertarianism in our constitution is racist by definition.
It's plain to see where Seymour's motivation comes from; rich businessmen who loathe the treaty because it thwarts their ambitions, and an ideology that seeks to mislead with sophistry.
Seymour is the worst possible champion for any discussion around our treaty.
How does it thwart their ambition? Please give an example of a rich persons ambition being thwarted by the Treaty that will be unthwarted by the changes being proposed.
You come across as so conspiratorial. There is little to distinguish you from say an anti-vaxxer. Next you will be telling me to "Follow the money". If you have evidence present it. If you don't then don't expect me to blindly accept that what you are stating must be the truth. At the moment you are just giving your unsupported reckons.
How does it thwart their ambition? Please give an example of a rich persons ambition being thwarted by the Treaty that will be unthwarted by the changes being proposed.
One way would be to undermine Māori stopping seabed and conservation land mining. Micky wrote about it the other day, in a post you commented on so I assume you read.
The conspiracy theorist in me thinks it is all about access to minerals. Māori have been some of the most determined protectors of the environment in the country. If their rights are extinguished then this removes a major impediment to gathering minerals in National Parks and in our oceans and shores.
Maybe that's where you got your conspiracy theory line from. You can stop that derail right now. If you want to accuse specific people of this, you need to explain clearly and in depth your argument, and it better be bloody good. because at the moment you look like either you don't understand the arguments being made, or you're trolling. Don't make me put my mod hat on.
What do you mean how it is done? What is being opened up for debate is the concept of the Principles of the Treaty. This is referred to under legislation but there is not such definition of what these means in the Treaty itself. It has essentially been left for various unelected people to define these over the past 30 or so years. The proposed wording in the legislation being put forward defines exactly what these Principles are so that other legislation can utilise it. Noone is attempting to re-write the Treaty nor remove it from law as part of this process.
Noone is attempting to re-write the Treaty nor remove it from law as part of this process.
RW righteousness often morphs into disingenuity, and key players often masquerade as “useful idiots” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Useful_idiot), which makes you what?
Legislating to make English an official language will change absolutely nothing. It is a complete and utter waste of time because English is in fact an official language of Aotearoa. It doesn’t need a law to make it so. Te reo Māori, on the other hand, had to be added by legislation, as it was in 1987, and NZ Sign Language the same in 2006.
[…]
The Māori Language Act 1987 was introduced after the Waitangi Tribunal held te reo to be a taonga that the government was obliged to protect under the Treaty of Waitangi. It also established the Māori Language Commission, which was renamed Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori, to promote the use of the language.
Step by step, cut by cut, chipping away at the relevance and impact of ToW, and removing corresponding parts from NZ law, may turn out to be more effective than a quasi-attempt at a full-frontal attack.
If you say so. You seem to have this insidious plan to eliminate the Treaty of Waitangi from NZ all figured out. Of course lot's of people think the same sort of thing about topics like Fluoride in the public water supply or Vaccines. No real hard evidence but a lot of reckons.
Some are of the opinion that for decades after the Treaty of Waitangi was signed, it was more honoured in the breach than the observance.
"To me, the central aspect of the Treaty is respect for property rights and that's where I think a lot of things went wrong because indigenous property rights were not respected." – Finlayson
Might be why there have been so many treaty-based claims and settlements in recent decades, with still more in the pipeline. Sure, ACT pollies are 'small govt' ideologues, but (imho) best not to rock the good ship Aoteoroa NZ until outstanding claims have been sorted – in a few more decades, or so.
David Seymour: A vote for ACT will keep National on the right
[Jan 2023]
The ACT Party leader, and potential coalition partner for National, is prepared to – again – turn down a ministerial role, even one as the coveted finance minister, in order to pursue his party’s policy interests.
…
The party’s big focus next year will be on crime and the economy, and a referendum on the Treaty of Waitangi, something Luxon has already ruled out, but which Seymour said is a bottom-line.
It is my understanding that the referendum is about the principles of the Treaty. Nothing more, nothing less. The Treaty itself is not up for debate, nor is there any suggestion that the Treaty is being re-written (as if that were even possible).
When Tuku Morgan claims that the bill represents "an all-out attack" on Māori that "will roll back race relations in this country by 50 years" (same reference) he is dangerously misrepresenting the issue, and in my view stoking the fires of dissension.
I believe you are expressing a sincere concern, but one that is misplaced. My sense is that there are enough NZ'ers of good faith who will participate in this conversation reasonably for the benefit of all, but only of extremists (on both sides) are not allowed the oxygen to inflame division.
It is my understanding that the referendum is about the principles of the Treaty. Nothing more, nothing less. The Treaty itself is not up for debate, nor is there any suggestion that the Treaty is being re-written (as if that were even possible).
Real politik: if you want to stoke a culture war from within government, don't attack the Treaty directly (eg suggest removing the Treaty, or say you want to rewrite it). Instead, say you want to look at the principles instead. As if the principles aren't key to how the Treaty functions in the real world.
Your 'nothing more, nothing less' is false I suggest you rewrite your comment quoting ACT and Seymour and see how it scans.
Surely a conversation about those principles should be welcomed as part of our nations democratic, constitutional process.
Obviously a conversation about the Treaty principles is important. If you read my comment again (that you replied to), then you will see I already said this.
As Robert Guyton has been pointing out, many in NZ have been having those conversations for a long time. It's an ongoing conversation that anyone can take part in, in various ways.
ACT don't want that. As I have been pointing out how we have that conversation matters. ACT want a different thing entirely. They don't want us to engage and develop over time, they want to impose their own interpretations on the country.
I think you're being dragged down a rabbit hole. There isn't a single major political party in NZ proposing removing or rewriting the Treaty. For that matter I would question whether there is even a legal vehicle to achieve anything like either of those outcomes.
Anyway:
"As Robert Guyton has been pointing out, many in NZ have been having those conversations for a long time. It's an ongoing conversation that anyone can take part in, in various ways."
No, 'anyone' cannot take part in this conversation, clearly. Not even 'many'. The principles of the Treaty have been determined by governments and courts, with little recourse to wider public debate.
Perhaps Kiingi Tūheitia was speaking to us all when he said "There’s no principles, the Treaty is written. That’s it.” and "Don’t look to the courts to understand the Treaty, look to the marae.”
There isn't a single major political party in NZ proposing removing or rewriting the Treaty.
You appear to not have understood my point, I suggest reading my comment again.
Anyway:
"As Robert Guyton has been pointing out, many in NZ have been having those conversations for a long time. It's an ongoing conversation that anyone can take part in, in various ways."
No, 'anyone' cannot take part in this conversation, clearly. Not even 'many'. The principles of the Treaty have been determined by governments and courts, with little recourse to wider public debate.
Sure they can. Robert has talked about it in terms of local body government. Many people have been talking on social media. Anyone can submit on legislation. People can go on to marae. And so on.
Māori have an awesome ability to network and then organise politically, non-Māori could learn some things from that.
It seems to be a moving feast because the (deliberately) leaked report outlines three completely different new principles to the ones you linked to from last November. I guess all that shadowy funding hasn't got the decent lawyers in yet. I also suspect this is why no one trusts ACT (and National) not to change things as they go. They are simply not trustworthy people.
Nah, those are rewrites/adjustments of the articles of the Treaty as far as I can see:
Still, it is part of the playbook ACT and their lackeys use to confuse and disrupt; denial, innocence, changing information, competing statements, and deferral. You can see this played out in real time by the three headed Taniwha government.
It does. I'm not even sure the bill is drafted yet? I've already stated I oppose a referendum on the principles of the treaty – I tend to agree with Jim Bolger who said "If they're going to be considered at all they have to be considered in a calm and reasonable way and referendums are not there for calm and reasonable discussion." Is there going to be a referendum? The Treaty Principles Bill explained (1news.co.nz). However I see value in this conversation, and the process of getting more people engaged in it.
How is anything you mentioned racist exactly? Stating ALL people in NZ have equal rights and duties is not favouring or putting down any ethnic group. On the contrary it would be racist to state one group based on ethnicity should have more rights than others.
On the contrary it would be racist to state one group based on ethnicity should have more rights than others.
Who has said that? Please be specific and quote and link.
Stating ALL people in NZ have equal rights and duties is not favouring or putting down any ethnic group
Don't need to mess with the Treaty to do that though eh.
Seymour's racism is in trying to remove acknowledgement that there are biases against Māori built into the system. For instance, Māori are more likely to end up in prison, because the government runs policy that makes Māori disproportionately poor, and the various system Māori engage with, eg the Justice system, treat Māori with bias enough times for it to count against them.
The Crown stole land from Māori, introduced laws that made life very difficult for Māori, and ran policy likewise. There is no equivalent for non-Māori in NZ, so this idea about all people should have equal rights is again sophistry.
Of course all people should have equal rights, but atm they don't. There is bias in the system as well as historical injustices.
I didn't state anybody has stated that. I am contrasting what ACT is saying with the opposite view which would be the racist one. I am doing so to show how the view expressed is not racist.
All your other views which can be combined under the tag of “Systematic racism” are eminently debateable. There maybe multiple reasons why Maori might have a higher rate of negative statistics than other groups beyond the system is racist against them.
I personally think it is related to the effects of rapid urbanisation post WWII. Prior to this the gap between Maori and non-Maori was not so noticeable. It would also explain why Pasifika people have similar high rates in the negative statistics versus Chinese and Indian people. The same applied to Irish and other poor European communities moving enmasse from rural to urban environments in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
good to know you have to put up a straw man argument to make your point.
Your understanding of racism is stunted Gosman. You can choose to think that is what racism is, and ignore the other aspects of the phenomenon, but you will not be able to follow the politics here.
My point is if the effects of colonialism was what causes the social problems facing many Maori today you would reasonably expect the areas of the country where these effects were the greatest should have the worst problems and the areas where the impact of colonisation was the least would not have as high an incidence os such issues.
As both the Far North and East Cape were impacted less by colonisation as compared to say the South Island, Waikato, and Taranaki it suggest the causal link you are suggesting are not as strong as you suggest given these are the areas of the country with some of the worst social statistics.
In terms of land loss and disruption to cultural connections and support.
Both those regions of NZ have among the highest rate of land still under Maori control (either through the Maori land court or in local hands). They also have among the highest rates of Te Reo speaker in the nation. The rate of people who speak and understand Te Reo is 8 % in Northland and 14% in Gisborne as compared to less than 2 % for the South Island (see https://www.ethniccommunities.govt.nz/resources/our-languages-o-tatou-reo/languages-spoken-by-region/). Maori also make up a greater proportion of the total population in those regions and there was less settlement by non-Maori.
Following the logic behind your argument these places should have better statistics among local Maori than areas where they were heavily impacted by British colonisation like the South Island. This is not the case as you will see by this as members of Nga Tahu have better social statistics than the average of Maori in NZ.
^ The inference being that the unfinished job of colonising Northland and the East Cape should proceed with haste, for their own good.
The Maori way is inferior, the Pakeha way is superior. The Maoriness of Maori is a disease which must be treated in order for them and the country to succeed. Look, over the last generation it's already spreading to non-Maori!
I think ACT leaders, candidates and voters genuinely don't think they are racist because the racism is so deeply embedded it seems natural…
Luxon at Rātana – will he say National will NOT allow ACT's anti-Māori proposal to go beyond first reading and will he apologise to all Māori for allowing it to have gotten this far?
Except that is not what is happening. It might be what SOME people think is happening. But those people are wrong and National doesn't need to apologise for their miscomprehension.
A political party in government wants to fundamentally change how Te Tiriti is understood, and thus acted upon, but sure, that won't affect anything /massive-eyeroll
Given the fact he has now hinted he might be convinced to swing the National party behind passing the proposed legislation at a 2nd reading I suspect he has recived focu group and internal polling that suggests there is a lot of support for it and he won't be ignoring that to curry favour with a group who tend not to support National anyway.
No. The people who attended the Hui on the weekend which did not include the majority of Maori nor did it only include Maori. I think John Campbell was there for example. I doubt National is going to lose sleep over not making John Campbell happy.
Your straw men are tedious. Nobody here argued that the Hui included [did you mean represented?] the [?] majority of Māori. John Campbell was just one among about 10,000 and he was there in his capacity as reporter, AFAIK.
I fear you are correct Gosman. This is pure populism.
The 3 waters debacle was in my view the issue that Labour lost control of, and resulted in a wide spread anti Maori backlash. That ultimately saw them lose support and in the end, the election.
That showed us that the general population is not yet ready to embrace a full 50 50 partnership, and any government that tries to do so will be rejected (in the medium term at least).
National will know that and their internal polling will be confirming that.
I wouldn't be surprised if they end up supporting the referendum.
Noisy protests will only strengthen their resolve and support with their base.
Why do you fear this? What you should fear is negative outcomes. I've yet to see someone articulate what these are exactly beyond vague accusations that Maori will be screwed over. How they are going to be is not mentioned just that is of course what will happen.
He sees no point in turning up to be told some Maori are unhappy. He is well aware some Maori are unhappy. He also has never attended the Ratana meet up as he thinks it is a waste of time give Ratana's political leanings.
The tireless champion of free speech doesn’t want to listen to others who may be unhappy about what he said and disagree with him. One wonders what the partnership really means to him – a cold shoulder if he doesn’t get his own way?
The great instigator of public debate about ToW has already made up his mind about the topic and about the people who may object because he’s heard it all before. This bodes well for the Select Committee process and any public submission round, if it gets this far.
The wannabe pretender who is not really interested in debate at all, doesn’t want to engage, but just wants to force his views through in an underhand authoritarian manner. Is he not an elected politician and representative? Sounds like something Wayne Brown would do with some lame excuse from a Deputy.
Still, he could always do a ‘hard-hitting interview’ on one of his preferred Platforms of ‘pubic engagement’.
And then there are the jokers & apologists who stick up for him and quite possibly also voted for his party.
And the Machiavellian tactics of the coalition government are becoming clearer and more blatant each and every day.
Where did you get the idea the free speech means you have to listen to others? Free speech means people are not shut down. There is no requirement for people to listen or even care.
A Politician has an obligation to engage with the public. That does not mean they need to engage with every Tom, Dick, or Hone that is holding a public meeting or get together. These people are entitled to attend an event or arrange a meeting with him is they so desire it.
It was a great opportunity to make the case he is so confident about. To show that he's not anti-Maori and concerned with their welfare. But he didn't do that because he's not concerned with Maori, he would like to reduce that culture to one of a number of cultures.
But Seymour is not concerned with taking the nation with him because he knows only 51% is required at referendum stage. Achievable with huge funding from wealthy Pakeha. This is the flaw in democracy scumbags like David Seymour exploit.
He didn’t turn up because he’s scared his performance in real world debate might destroy the optics of his calm abolishment of Te Ao Maori.
You forgot to add that he didn't turn up also because he is basically a coward. Cowards avoid events that might show them up for being what they really are – shallow, vindictive low-lives whose aim in life is to bully others into submission because it makes them feel better about themselves.
Come Waitangi Day, don't be surprised if he announces at the last minute that his security detail have… warned him to stay away and he has decided to heed their advice. It will depend on what happens between now and then of course, but there is no way he will put himself in a position that could lead to an exposé of his real agenda.
Waitangi is an interesting one because the trust board will want everything down the line, impartial and safe but will also want people to be abler to express their views. Can't clamp down on your own to protect a racist from rude words.
NZF has already said it will not go beyond a first reading, their MP votes would be needed to do so.
NZ First MP Shane Jones was a little clearer, quick to confirm New Zealand First won't support it further.
"We'll participate in the process to have the bill tabled in Parliament, debated in Parliament, referred to Select Committee, and after that we won't be voting for it," he said.
The inevitable mission creep of the coalition government. \sarc
The razor gang is wielding the austerity knife to gut the State from the inside out, so that it can no longer fulfil its oversight duties & responsibilities to maintain a well-functioning democracy.
The scale of the cost pressures facing the service were $3.5 to $4 million a year, so the additional cuts would double that gap if they were implemented.
Neither the Office of the Clerk nor the Parliamentary Service were on the list of 21 agencies targeted for budget cuts by National before the election.
Peter's is being a dick and receiving boos and derision. Arguing with tangata whenua as though they were the media!
Now, he’s appalling to any xenophobes in the audience – “foreigners are coming to take what’s yours!”
Too late, Winston. That happened before the treaty was signed!
Still a good effort by Haley-plenty of anti Trump sentiment there. My guess is there will also be funding out there for Haley from republicans who realise Trump is a liability. It's not over yet.
The RB target of 4% inflation by the end of 2023 was not met (because of the 1.8% Sept quarter). The Dec quarter was only 0.5%, so it came in at 4.7% for the year.
It looks well positioned at 0.5% in the last quarter to be under the 3% target for the end of 2024.
The risks are rent and rates (water infrastructure) and building costs (and maybe power if Genesis plans for another price increase are indicative) – all tracking well above other sectors.
Taypayers’ Union policy adviser James Ross disagrees with this and said that “this inflation is driven by unsustainably high government spending
If the government does not help councils with their water issues, watch rates soar and the TU advise sale of their assets (so the same people who made money buying power company shares off the central government can do the same with council water assets).
An honourary chocolate fish award for those who can explain how “unsustainably high” government spending increases the price of food, the cost of rent, construction and rates …
The slightly elevated inflation rate never had anything to do with excessive, or even particularly high government spending. The following link references an analysis by Joseph Stiglitz describing the inflationary episode as transitory (would abate after the transitory circumstances dissipated).
Simply put the inflation was related to various supply side impacts of the pandemic and Ukraine invasion and monetary or fiscal policy are unable to do anything to really change that outcome.
The RBNZ policy has however been pretty damaging to the country. The impact of the monetary policy has been to push landlords to increase rents, driving rental inflation and to generate a small amount of excess unemployment (related in scale to the GDP fall).
The main stream however conceives inflation as always demand driven and related to excessive wage rates. The obvious contradictory to this narrative fact's being, wage increases have lagged inflation and any corporate price increases have never been passed onto employees (the price increases generated excessive profits instead). This was rather gently highlighted during the election campaign to the right wing parties, but somehow their overall narrative that the economy has been too good to most people (which was somehow causing inflation), took hold. Unfortunately for a lot of economic commentators the mechanism supposedly generating the outcomes can be entirely assumed to exist, even if contradicted by actual economic statistics.
In essence, Treasury economists "sought to disentangle the supply and demand components of the inflation spike" The research found that "supply and demand drivers that the model can explain have contributed roughly equal amounts to annual inflation in the past year, although different models give different estimations”.
They also break down the various elements of demand and supply side components, and the timing of how and when they each impacted most. (“While supply and demand contributed roughly equal amounts to inflation, they did not always contribute equally at the same time.”)
Even if you attribute a portion to demand and a portion to supply that may not be very relevant to economic policy however. There were certain classes of goods for which there certainly was a big bump in demand, particularly items relating to large numbers of people suddenly working from home a lot more. However this excess demand is still a rather temporary impact and eventually people have furnished their home offices even if there was a bit of a temporary shortage of these kinds of items. Businesses supplying such goods would have made out well from this high demand whether they increased their prices or not.
What was not found in such research (and its kind of the whole narrative), was excessive NZ wage growth preceding inflation. Were that to have occurred it would be easily identified in regular economic statistics.
Also with such analysis, when your answer largely depends on how you specified the model, this mostly says your model doesn't work the way the economy actually functions or how your narrative implies. In terms of this particular research treasury likely applied the standard assumption that all prices (including wages) are flexible, or at least flexible enough that supply and demand will drive the prices to an equilibrium. Research into how prices are actually set (like surveys of price setters in businesses) typically find more than half of all prices are determined as average cost + margin. If your using the wrong model to work out proportions attributed to supply and demand then the proportions you get out are simply meaningless numbers.
Just in regards to your comment about how prices are set, I would concur with what you describe as the ‘standard assumption’. The cost+ model is generally subservient to the market, and I would suggest that the cost increases in the building industry showed that clearly.
All spending has the potential to impact inflation of course. But I think economic commentators and economists should really make it more clear what the assumed mechanism is there. Of course any model of inflation is anticipating particular behaviors by price setters to generate it.
The rather simplistic story about excess demand really needs to examine a few points, such as if your making excess profits due to price hikes shouldn't that be firstly shared with the work force? This is much more a political discussion, rather than some automatic mechanism where pricing decisions are calculated of course.
The cost + pricing model has rather different outcomes from a supply and demand based pricing model. There are certainly supply and demand based prices in the economy (say wholesale energy prices) but even in these cases there are some pretty strict rules about allowed bids and a whole electricity market infrastructure needed to have regular market clearing prices. And if your model is not using the right mechanism then the numbers your getting out are largely nonsense (this is true of any model actually).
"but even in these cases there are some pretty strict rules about allowed bids and a whole electricity market infrastructure needed to have regular market clearing prices. "
Those rules apply in more regulated parts of the market, utilities etc, but not so much in other areas. In the construction industry, supply side factors (eg material shortages) added to demand shortages (in part caused by stimulus) to create excess demand that drove up prices. Of course in some cases those price increases were limited to the extent of the supplier cost increases, but there will have been plenty based on the 'make hay while the sun shines' economic 'theory'.
That is the point, yes. Its likely that only with strict rules and regular public clearing that flexible pricing is a functional model. Also some of the rules are more or less aligned with electricity public policy, like requiring wind farms to offer a zero bid.
In other cases you can base your model on supply and demand being the price drivers, but you still need to demonstrate that with real world evidence your model is correct. This would be a massive hurdle for such an understanding to get over in fact, because the participants don't think this is how they are setting their prices this way and neither do they adjust their prices in line with changes in supply and demand. Basically the real world evidence is stacked directly against how the economy is supposed to work here.
Its also relevant here that the main macro models are unable to implement other pricing mechanisms as, the expected behaviors are much less constrained when you don't assume agents are profit maximizing with flexible pricing. This is why they are going to go with that assumption in the modeling exercise, though its not telling us anything really about the state of the NZ economy or the governments economic policy.
It is generally acknowledged that government wage subsidy and money for local/regional projects kept the economy ticking over and the RB put too much money through banks into the housing market all while easing deposit ratio's and delayed a tightening too long.
Of the four* demand factors, only one was government spending
government spending, the Reserve Bank, and New Zealand’s then-hot housing market ….*
Here is an analysis of the developed country with the lowest inflation rate across the period, and a reasonable analysis of how the central bank contributed to that outcome.
Unfortunately, Michael Reddell is clearly incapable of understanding the relevant economics involved here, and would be against such a policy. He seems to prefer the negative impacts of the inflation be urgently pushed most harshly onto renters and people in precarious employment (via interest rate hikes) as a priority. This is the primary outcome of NZs monetary policy response to this inflationary period.
While in the best case it is for certain NZs inflation would have been higher than Japan (pretty much regardless of the policy), as a lot of impacts are related to companies monopoly price setting power in NZ (not easy to improve quickly). But NZ could have had lower inflation in a more fair manner simply by extending the QE policy (which sets the monetary policy rate to zero) and leaving it up to fiscal policy to subsidize those who were badly affected by inflation (with measures like public transport subsidies being extended, etc…).
The merits of Modern Monetary Theory is a much bigger discussion. I've read a number of critiques finding for and against. But the debate is healthy – and a lot of economists are watching Japan.
The merits of MMT are rather irrelevant to the way that monetary policy is being implemented and its consequences. This is because MMT is the practice of doing economics when starting from a realistic model of how monetary institutions work (and proceeding from there). While you may well understand the economy better and maybe implement better economic policy with a better understanding, MMT is not a policy regime. Meanwhile the RBNZ is applying a particular policy regime using NAIRU targeting to specify monetary policy.
Economists have been following Japan for 30 odd years of course with the hope of developing an understanding. Some have been regularly predicting some kind of imminent economic collapse owing to their monetary policy, and some others developed MMT.
"As for Japan, it's open to debate just how long, and to what extent, Japan has been implementing MMT."
That's exactly the point, MMT is not a policy regime. As far as I am aware the BOJ or Japanese government have never asked any MMT economist what they should do. Quite the opposite MMT economists have considered the Japanese economy (and many others) through their framework while developing MMT (in particular Warren Mosler and Bill Mitchell each did this independently before collaborating).
But its possible to consider every monetary economy using MMT, as far as I am aware. The differences in institutions often tells you a few key things about what to expect, in fact.
I've only skim read it of course, but that document is quite funny, if bordering on polemical. Apparently MMT needs to contrast itself with the QTM approach. I put the date of the RBNZ officially rejecting that in 1986 (in the unlikely event anyone there ever believed it was viable at the time), around the time all central banks swore off it as a policy. Apparently that's still a corner stone of mainstream economic thinking which needs addressing.
Anyway, while there is fairly obvious potential for policy improvements once the basics of MMT are applied, you really couldn't analyze existing economic performance using a policy regime. Probably the most disliked suggestion from MMT is to de-mystify government spending in some simple ways, by stopping debt govt issuance and simply moving all public payments directly into the central bank govt accounts. According to MMT this regime would perform … identically to a country running QE policies (the monetary policy rate becomes zero due to an excess of clearing funds). The only difference there is that it becomes a lot more clear that the government doesn't have a spending constraint, which should improve public understanding of economics and economic policy. On the other hand anybody who understands the NZ economy via MMT already understands that the government doesn't have a spending constraint today. Incidentally this is why the country wasn't bankrupted by the pandemic, despite regular missives in the pre-ceding decades that the country was almost bankrupt and needed to seriously constrain its budget.
Why has David Seymour been too scared to speak or even present himself at Tūrangawaewae and now Rātana?
He does pretend to want to debate the relevance of te Tiriti o Waitangi so the least he can do is engage in the debate he and his backers have invented.
I suspect he only wants to debate within the womb of parliament, and the bassinet of big shadowy funding, rather than out in the real world.
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This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Karin Kirk The 119th Congress comes with a price tag. The oil and gas industry gave about $24 million in campaign contributions to the members of the U.S. House and Senate expected to be sworn in January 3, 2025, according to a ...
Early morning, the shadows still long, but you can already feel the warmth building. Our motel was across the road from the historic homestead where Henry Williams' family lived. The evening before, we wandered around the gardens, reading the plaques and enjoying the close proximity to the history of the ...
Thanks folks for your feedback, votes and comments this week. I’ll be making the changes soon. Appreciate all your emails, comments and subscriptions too. I know your time is valuable - muchas gracias.A lot is happening both here and around the world - so I want to provide a snippets ...
Data released today by Statistics NZ shows that unemployment rose to 5.1%, with 33,000 more people out of work than last year said NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi Economist Craig Renney. “The latest data shows that employment fell in Aotearoa at its fastest rate since the GFC. Unemployment rose in 8 ...
The December labour market statistics have been released, showing yet another increase in unemployment. There are now 156,000 unemployed - 34,000 more than when National took office. And having thrown all these people out of work, National is doubling down on cruelty. Because being vicious will somehow magically create the ...
Boarded up homes in Kilbirnie, where work on a planned development was halted. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Wednesday, February 5 are;Housing Minister Chris Bishop yesterday announcedKāinga Ora would be stripped of ...
This week Kiwirail and Auckland Transport were celebrating the completion of the summer rail works that had the network shut or for over a month and the start of electric trains to Pukekohe. First up, here’s parts of the press release about the shutdown works. Passengers boarding trains in Auckland ...
Through its austerity measures, the coalition government has engineered a rise in unemployment in order to reduce inflation while – simultaneously – cracking down harder and harder on the people thrown out of work by its own policies. To that end, Social Development Minister Louise Upston this week added two ...
This year, we've seen a radical, white supremacist government ignoring its Tiriti obligations, refusing to consult with Māori, and even trying to legislatively abrogate te Tiriti o Waitangi. When it was criticised by the Waitangi Tribunal, the government sabotaged that body, replacing its legal and historical experts with corporate shills, ...
Poor old democracy, it really is in a sorry state. It would be easy to put all the blame on the vandals and tyrants presently trashing the White House, but this has been years in the making. It begins with Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan and the spirit of Gordon ...
The new school lunches came in this week, and they were absolutely scrumptious.I had some, and even though Connor said his tasted like “stodge” and gave him a sore tummy, I myself loved it!Look at the photos - I knew Mr Seymour wouldn’t lie when he told us last year:"It ...
The tighter sanctions are modelled on ones used in Britain, which did push people off ‘the dole’, but didn’t increase the number of workers, and which evidence has repeatedly shown don’t work. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, ...
Catching you up on the morning’s global news and a quick look at the parallels -GLOBALTariffs are backSharemarkets in the US, UK and Europe have “plunged” in response to Trump’s tariffs. And while Mexico has won a one month reprieve, Canada and China will see their respective 25% and 10% ...
This post by Nicolas Reid was originally published on Linked in. It is republished here with permission. Gondolas are often in the news, with manufacturers of ropeway systems proposing them as a modern option for mass transit systems in New Zealand. However, like every next big thing in transport, it’s hard ...
This is a re-post from The Climate BrinkBoth 2023 and 2024 were exceptionally warm years, at just below and above 1.5C relative to preindustrial in the WMO composite of surface temperature records, respectively. While we are still working to assess the full set of drivers of this warmth, it is clear that ...
Hi,I woke up feeling nervous this morning, realising that this weekend Flightless Bird is going to do it’s first ever live show. We’re heading to a sold out (!) show in Seattle to test the format out in front of an audience. If it works, we’ll do more. I want ...
From the United-For-Now States of America comes the thrilling news that a New Zealander may be at the very heart of the current coup. Punching above our weight on the world stage once more! Wait, you may be asking, what New Zealander? I speak of Peter Thiel, made street legal ...
Even Stevens: Over the 33 years between 1990 and 2023 (and allowing for the aberrant 2020 result) the average level of support enjoyed by the Left and Right blocs, at roughly 44.5 percent each, turns out to be, as near as dammit, identical.WORLDWIDE, THE PARTIES of the Left are presented ...
Back in 2023, a "prominent political figure" went on trial for historic sex offences. But we weren't allowed to know who they were or what political party they were "prominent" in, because it might affect the way we voted. At the time, I said that this was untenable; it was ...
I'm going, I'm goingWhere the water tastes like wineI'm going where the water tastes like wineWe can jump in the waterStay drunk all the timeI'm gonna leave this city, got to get awayI'm gonna leave this city, got to get awayAll this fussing and fighting, man, you know I sure ...
Waitangi Day is a time to honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi and stand together for a just and fair Aotearoa. Across the motu, communities are gathering to reflect, kōrero, and take action for a future built on equity and tino rangatiratanga. From dawn ceremonies to whānau-friendly events, there are ...
Subscribe to Mountain Tūī ! Where you too can learn about exciting things from a flying bird! Tweet.Yes - I absolutely suck at marketing. It’s a fact.But first -My question to all readers is:How should I set up the Substack model?It’s been something I’ve been meaning to ask since November ...
Here’s the key news, commentary, reports and debate around Aotearoa’s political economy on politics and in the week to Feb 3:PM Christopher Luxon began 2025’s first day of Parliament last Tuesday by carrying on where left off in 2024, letting National’s junior coalition partner set the political agenda and dragging ...
The PSA have released a survey of 4000 public service workers showing that budget cuts are taking a toll on the wellbeing of public servants and risking the delivery of essential services to New Zealanders. Economists predict that figures released this week will show continued increases in unemployment, potentially reaching ...
The Prime Minister’s speech 10 days or so ago kicked off a flurry of commentary. No one much anywhere near the mainstream (ie excluding Greens supporters) questioned the rhetoric. New Zealand has done woefully poorly on productivity for a long time and we really need better outcomes, and the sorts ...
President Trump on the day he announced tariffs against Mexico, Canada and China, unleashing a shock to supply chains globally that is expected to slow economic growth and increase inflation for most large economies. Photo: Getty ImagesLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate ...
Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on UnsplashHere’s what we’re watching in the week to February 9 and beyond in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty:Monday, February 3Politics: New Zealand Government cabinet meeting usually held early afternoon with post-cabinet news conference possible at 4 pm, although they have not been ...
Trump being Trump, it won’t come as a shock to find that he regards a strong US currency (bolstered by high tariffs on everything made by foreigners) as a sign of America’s virility, and its ability to kick sand in the face of the world. Reality is a tad more ...
A listing of 24 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, January 26, 2025 thru Sat, February 1, 2025. This week's roundup is again published soleley by category. We are still interested in feedback to hone the categorization, so if ...
What seems to be the common theme in the US, NZ, Argentina and places like Italy under their respective rightwing governments is what I think of as “the politics of cruelty.” Hate-mongering, callous indifference in social policy-making, corporate toadying, political bullying, intimidation and punching down on the most vulnerable with ...
If you are confused, check with the sunCarry a compass to help you alongYour feet are going to be on the groundYour head is there to move you aroundSo, stand in the place where you liveSongwriters: Bill Berry / Michael Mills / Michael Stipe / Peter Buck.Hot in the CityYesterday, ...
Shane Jones announced today he would be contracting out his thinking to a smarter younger person.Reclining on his chaise longue with a mouth full of oysters and Kina he told reporters:Clearly I have become a has-been, a palimpsest, an epigone, a bloviating fossil. I find myself saying such things as: ...
Warning: This post contains references to sexual assaultOn Saturday, I spent far too long editing a video on Tim Jago, the ACT Party President and criminal, who has given up his fight for name suppression after 2 years. He voluntarily gave up just in time for what will be a ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park from the Gigafact team in collaboration with members from our team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is global warming ...
Our low-investment, low-wage, migration-led and housing-market-driven political economy has delivered poorer productivity growth than the rest of the OECD, and our performance since Covid has been particularly poor. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate and poverty this ...
..Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.As far as major government announcements go, a Three Ministers Event is Big. It can signify a major policy development or something has gone Very Well, or an absolute Clusterf**k. When Three Ministers assemble ...
One of those blasts from the past. Peter Dunne – originally neoliberal Labour, then leader of various parties that sought to work with both big parties (generally National) – has taken to calling ...
Completed reads for January: I Am Legend, by Richard Matheson The Black Spider, by Jeremias Gotthelf The Spider and the Fly (poem), by Mary Howitt A Noiseless Patient Spider (poem), by Walt Whitman August Heat, by W.F. Harvey Charlotte’s Web, by E.B. White The Shrinking Man, by Richard Matheson ...
Do its Property Right Provisions Make Sense?Last week I pointed out that it is uninformed to argue that the New Zealand’s apparently poor economic performance can be traced only to poor regulations. Even were there evidence they had some impact, there are other factors. Of course, we should seek to ...
Richard Wagstaff It was incredibly jarring to hear the hubris from the Prime Minister during his recent state of the nation address. I had just spent close to a week working though the stories and thoughts shared with us by nearly 2000 working people as part of our annual Mood ...
Odd fact about the Broadcasting Standards Authority: for the last few years, they’ve only been upholding about 5% of complaints. Why? I think there’s a range of reasons. Generally responsible broadcasters. Dumb complaints. Complaints brought under the wrong standard. Greater adherence to broadcasters’ rights to freedom of expression in the ...
And I said, "Mama, mama, mama, why am I so alone"'Cause I can't go outside, I'm scared I might not make it homeWell I'm alive, I'm alive, but I'm sinking inIf there's anyone at home at your place, darlingWhy don't you invite me in?Don't try to feed me'Cause I've been ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ star is on the rise, having just added the Energy, Local Government and Revenue portfolios to his responsibilities - but there is nothing ambitious about the Government’s new climate targets. Photo: SuppliedLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate ...
It may have been a short week but there’s been no shortage of things that caught our attention. Here is some of the most interesting. This week in Greater Auckland On Tuesday Matt took a look at public transport ridership in 2024 On Thursday Connor asked some questions ...
The East Is Red: Journalists and commentators are referring to the sudden and disruptive arrival of DeepSeek as a second “Sputnik moment”. (Sputnik being the name given by the godless communists of the Soviet Union to the world’s first artificial satellite which, to the consternation and dismay of the Americans, ...
Hi,Back on inauguration day we launched a ridiculous RFK Jr. “brain worms” tee on the Webworm store, and I told you I’d be throwing my profits over to Mutual Aid LA and Rainbow Youth New Zealand. Just to show I am not full of shit, here are the receipts. I ...
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts & talking about the week’s news with regular and special guests, including: on the week in geopolitics, including the latest from Donald Trump over Gaza and Ukraine.Health expert and author David Galler ...
In an uncompromising paper Treasury has basically told the Government that its plan for a third medical school at Waikato University is a waste of money. Furthermore, the country cannot afford it. That advice was released this week by the Treasury under the Official Information Act. And it comes as ...
Back in November, He Pou a Rangi provided the government with formal advice on the domestic contribution to our next Paris target. Not what the target should be, but what we could realistically achieve, by domestic action alone, without resorting to offshore mitigation. Their answer was startling: depending on exactly ...
Photo by Mauricio Fanfa on UnsplashKia oraCome and join us for our weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm today.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news with myself , plus regular guest David Patman and ...
I don't like to spend all my time complaining about our government, so let me complain about the media first.Senior journalistic Herald person Thomas Coughlan reported that Treasury replied yeah nah, wrong bro to Luxon's claim that our benighted little country has been in recession for three years.His excitement rose ...
Back in 2022, when the government was consulting internally about proactive release of cabinet papers, the SIS opposed it. The basis of their opposition was the "mosaic effect" - people being able to piece together individual pieces of innocuous public information in a way which supposedly harms "national security" (effectively: ...
With The Stroke Of A Pen:Populism, especially right-wing populism, invests all the power of an electoral/parliamentary majority in a single political leader because it no longer trusts the bona fides of the sprawling political class among whom power is traditionally dispersed. Populism eschews traditional politics, because, among populists, traditional politics ...
I’ve spent the last week writing a fairly substantial review of a recent book (“Australia’s Pandemic Exceptionalism: How we crushed the curve but lost the race”) by a couple of Australian academic economists on Australia’s pandemic policies and experiences. For all its limitations, there isn’t anything similar in New Zealand. ...
Mr Mojo Rising: Economic growth is possible, Christopher Luxon reassures us, but only under a government that is willing to get out of the way and let those with drive and ambition get on with it.ABOUT TWELVE KILOMETRES from the farm on the North Otago coast where I grew up stands ...
You're nearly a good laughAlmost a jokerWith your head down in the pig binSaying, 'Keep on digging.'Pig stain on your fat chinWhat do you hope to findDown in the pig mine?You're nearly a laughYou're nearly a laughBut you're really a crySongwriter: Roger Waters.NZ First - Kiwi Battlers.Say what you like ...
This is a re-post from the Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler Climate denial is dead. Renewable energy denial is here. As “alternative facts” become the norm, it’s worth looking at what actual facts tell us about how renewable energy sources like solar and wind are lowering the price of electricity. As ...
SIR GEOFFREY PALMER is worried about democracy. In his Newsroom website post of 27 January 2025 he asserts that “the future of democracy across the world now seems to be in question.” Following a year of important electoral contests across the world, culminating in Donald Trump’s emphatic recapture of the ...
The Government hasn’t stopped talking about growth since the Prime Minister made his “yes” speech at the Auckland Chamber of Commerce last week. But so far, the measures announced would seem hardly likely to suddenly pitch New Zealand into the fast-growth East Asian league. The digital nomad announcement hardly deserved ...
It's election year for Wellington City Council and for the Regional Council. What have the progressive councillors achieved over the last couple of years. What were the blocks and failures? What's with the targeting of the mayor and city council by the Post and by central government? Why does the ...
Someone defames you anonymously online. Can you find out who it is? Maybe. There are legal avenues to seek a court order that an internet host reveal the identity of the person. One of them is called a Norwich Pharmacal order, but as Hugh Tomlinson KC points out, it only ...
The results of the 2025 Mood of the Workforce survey have been released, with working people revealing deep concerns regarding their work lives, housing, health care, and perceptions of the coalition government in Aotearoa New Zealand.Christopher Luxon has signalled that National may campaign on asset sales in the next election, ...
Hey, hey, heyJust think, while you've been gettin' down and out about the liarsAnd the dirty, dirty cheats of the worldYou could've been gettin' down to this sick beatSongwriters: Taylor Swift / Shellback / Martin Max. Read more ...
Luxon has once again let National’s junior coalition partner, ACT, set the political agenda, dragging him and National into another politically draining debate. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Wednesday, January 29 are:PM Christopher ...
The latest unemployment figures reveal that job losses are hitting Māori and Pacific people especially hard, with Māori unemployment reaching a staggering 9.7% for the December 2024 quarter and Pasifika unemployment reaching 10.5%. ...
Waitangi 2025: Waitangi Day must be community and not politically driven - Shane Jones Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. ...
Despite being confronted every day with people in genuine need being stopped from accessing emergency housing – National still won’t commit to building more public houses. ...
The Green Party says the Government is giving up on growing the country’s public housing stock, despite overwhelming evidence that we need more affordable houses to solve the housing crisis. ...
Before any thoughts of the New Year and what lies ahead could even be contemplated, New Zealand reeled with the tragedy of Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming losing her life. For over 38 years she had faithfully served as a front-line Police officer. Working alongside her was Senior Sergeant Adam Ramsay ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson will return to politics at Waitangi on Monday the 3rd of February where she will hold a stand up with fellow co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick. ...
Te Pāti Māori is appalled by the government's blatant mishandling of the school lunch programme. David Seymour’s ‘cost-saving’ measures have left tamariki across Aotearoa with unidentifiable meals, causing distress and outrage among parents and communities alike. “What’s the difference between providing inedible food, and providing no food at all?” Said ...
The Government is doubling down on outdated and volatile fossil fuels, showing how shortsighted and destructive their policies are for working New Zealanders. ...
Green Party MP Steve Abel this morning joined Coromandel locals in Waihi to condemn new mining plans announced by Shane Jones in the pit of the town’s Australian-owned Gold mine. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to strengthen its just-announced 2030-2035 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement and address its woeful lack of commitment to climate security. ...
Today marks a historic moment for Taranaki iwi with the passing of the Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill in Parliament. "Today, we stand together as descendants of Taranaki, and our tūpuna, Taranaki Maunga, is now formally acknowledged by the law as a living tūpuna. ...
Labour is relieved to see Children’s Minister Karen Chhour has woken up to reality and reversed her government’s terrible decisions to cut funding from frontline service providers – temporarily. ...
It is the first week of David Seymour’s school lunch programme and already social media reports are circulating of revolting meals, late deliveries, and mislabelled packaging. ...
The Green Party says that with no-cause evictions returning from today, the move to allow landlords to end tenancies without reason plunges renters, and particularly families who rent, into insecurity and stress. ...
The Government’s move to increase speed limits substantially on dozens of stretches of rural and often undivided highways will result in more serious harm. ...
In her first announcement as Economic Growth Minister, Nicola Willis chose to loosen restrictions for digital nomads from other countries, rather than focus on everyday Kiwis. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to stand firm and work with allies to progress climate action as Donald Trump signals his intent to pull out of the Paris Climate Accords once again. ...
The Government’s commitment to get New Zealand’s roads back on track is delivering strong results, with around 98 per cent of potholes on state highways repaired within 24 hours of identification every month since targets were introduced, Transport Minister Chris Bishop says. “Increasing productivity to help rebuild our economy is ...
The former Cadbury factory will be the site of the Inpatient Building for the new Dunedin Hospital and Health Minister Simeon Brown says actions have been taken to get the cost overruns under control. “Today I am giving the people of Dunedin certainty that we will build the new Dunedin ...
From today, Plunket in Whāngarei will be offering childhood immunisations – the first of up to 27 sites nationwide, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. The investment of $1 million into the pilot, announced in October 2024, was made possible due to the Government’s record $16.68 billion investment in health. It ...
New Zealand’s strong commitment to the rights of disabled people has continued with the response to an important United Nations report, Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston has announced. Of the 63 concluding observations of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), 47 will be progressed ...
Resources Minister Shane Jones has launched New Zealand’s national Minerals Strategy and Critical Minerals List, documents that lay a strategic and enduring path for the mineral sector, with the aim of doubling exports to $3 billion by 2035. Mr Jones released the documents, which present the Coalition Government’s transformative vision ...
Firstly I want to thank OceanaGold for hosting our event today. Your operation at Waihi is impressive. I want to acknowledge local MP Scott Simpson, local government dignitaries, community stakeholders and all of you who have gathered here today. It’s a privilege to welcome you to the launch of the ...
Racing Minister, Winston Peters has announced the Government is preparing public consultation on GST policy proposals which would make the New Zealand racing industry more competitive. “The racing industry makes an important economic contribution. New Zealand thoroughbreds are in demand overseas as racehorses and for breeding. The domestic thoroughbred industry ...
Business confidence remains very high and shows the economy is on track to improve, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis says. “The latest ANZ Business Outlook survey, released yesterday, shows business confidence and expected own activity are ‘still both very high’.” The survey reports business confidence fell eight points to +54 ...
Enabling works have begun this week on an expanded radiology unit at Hawke’s Bay Fallen Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital which will double CT scanning capacity in Hawke’s Bay to ensure more locals can benefit from access to timely, quality healthcare, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. This investment of $29.3m in the ...
The Government has today announced New Zealand’s second international climate target under the Paris Agreement, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand will reduce emissions by 51 to 55 per cent compared to 2005 levels, by 2035. “We have worked hard to set a target that is both ambitious ...
Nine years of negotiations between the Crown and iwi of Taranaki have concluded following Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/the Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill passing its third reading in Parliament today, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “This Bill addresses the historical grievances endured by the eight iwi ...
As schools start back for 2025, there will be a relentless focus on teaching the basics brilliantly so all Kiwi kids grow up with the knowledge, skills and competencies needed to grow the New Zealand of the future, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “A world-leading education system is a key ...
Housing Minister Chris Bishop and Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson have welcomed Kāinga Ora’s decision to re-open its tender for carpets to allow wool carpet suppliers to bid. “In 2024 Kāinga Ora issued requests for tender (RFTs) seeking bids from suppliers to carpet their properties,” Mr Bishop says. “As part ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today visited Otahuhu College where the new school lunch programme has served up healthy lunches to students in the first days of the school year. “As schools open in 2025, the programme will deliver nutritious meals to around 242,000 students, every school day. On ...
Minister for Children Karen Chhour has intervened in Oranga Tamariki’s review of social service provider contracts to ensure Barnardos can continue to deliver its 0800 What’s Up hotline. “When I found out about the potential impact to this service, I asked Oranga Tamariki for an explanation. Based on the information ...
A bill to make revenue collection on imported and exported goods fairer and more effective had its first reading in Parliament, Customs Minister Casey Costello said today. “The Customs (Levies and Other Matters) Amendment Bill modernises the way in which Customs can recover the costs of services that are needed ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Department of Internal Affairs [the Department] has achieved significant progress in completing applications for New Zealand citizenship. “December 2024 saw the Department complete 5,661 citizenship applications, the most for any month in 2024. This is a 54 per cent increase compared ...
Reversals to Labour’s blanket speed limit reductions begin tonight and will be in place by 1 July, says Minister of Transport Chris Bishop. “The previous government was obsessed with slowing New Zealanders down by imposing illogical and untargeted speed limit reductions on state highways and local roads. “National campaigned on ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis has announced Budget 2025 – the Growth Budget - will be delivered on Thursday 22 May. “This year’s Budget will drive forward the Government’s plan to grow our economy to improve the incomes of New Zealanders now and in the years ahead. “Budget 2025 will build ...
For the Government, 2025 will bring a relentless focus on unleashing the growth we need to lift incomes, strengthen local businesses and create opportunity. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today laid out the Government’s growth agenda in his Statement to Parliament. “Just over a year ago this Government was elected by ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour welcomes students back to school with a call to raise attendance from last year. “The Government encourages all students to attend school every day because there is a clear connection between being present at school and setting yourself up for a bright future,” says Mr ...
The Government is relaxing visitor visa requirements to allow tourists to work remotely while visiting New Zealand, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis, Immigration Minister Erica Stanford and Tourism Minister Louise Upston say. “The change is part of the Government’s plan to unlock New Zealand’s potential by shifting the country onto ...
The opening of Kāinga Ora’s development of 134 homes in Epuni, Lower Hutt will provide much-needed social housing for Hutt families, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I’ve been a strong advocate for social housing on Kāinga Ora’s Epuni site ever since the old earthquake-prone housing was demolished in 2015. I ...
Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay will travel to Australia today for meetings with Australian Trade Minister, Senator Don Farrell, and the Australia New Zealand Leadership Forum (ANZLF). Mr McClay recently hosted Minister Farrell in Rotorua for the annual Closer Economic Relations (CER) Trade Ministers’ meeting, where ANZLF presented on ...
A new monthly podiatry clinic has been launched today in Wairoa and will bring a much-needed service closer to home for the Wairoa community, Health Minister Simeon Brown says.“Health New Zealand has been successful in securing a podiatrist until the end of June this year to meet the needs of ...
The Judicial Conduct Commissioner has recommended a Judicial Conduct Panel be established to inquire into and report on the alleged conduct of acting District Court Judge Ema Aitken in an incident last November, Attorney-General Judith Collins said today. “I referred the matter of Judge Aitken’s alleged conduct during an incident ...
Students who need extra help with maths are set to benefit from a targeted acceleration programme that will give them more confidence in the classroom, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Last year, significant numbers of students did not meet the foundational literacy and numeracy level required to gain NCEA. To ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has announced three new diplomatic appointments. “Our diplomats play an important role in ensuring New Zealand’s interests are maintained and enhanced across the world,” Mr Peters says. “It is a pleasure to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and ...
Ki te kahore he whakakitenga, ka ngaro te Iwi – without a vision, the people will perish. The Government has achieved its target to reduce the number of households in emergency housing motels by 75 per cent five years early, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. The number of households ...
The opening of Palmerston North’s biggest social housing development will have a significant impact for whānau in need of safe, warm, dry housing, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. The minister visited the development today at North Street where a total of 50 two, three, and four-bedroom homes plus a ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced the new membership of the Public Advisory Committee on Disarmament and Arms Control (PACDAC), who will serve for a three-year term. “The Committee brings together wide-ranging expertise relevant to disarmament. We have made six new appointments to the Committee and reappointed two existing members ...
Ka nui te mihi kia koutou. Kia ora, good morning, talofa, malo e lelei, bula vinaka, da jia hao, namaste, sat sri akal, assalamu alaikum. It’s so great to be here and I’m ready and pumped for 2025. Can I start by acknowledging: Simon Bridges – CEO of the Auckland ...
The Government has unveiled a bold new initiative to position New Zealand as a premier destination for foreign direct investment (FDI) that will create higher paying jobs and grow the economy. “Invest New Zealand will streamline the investment process and provide tailored support to foreign investors, to increase capital investment ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins today announced the largest reset of the New Zealand science system in more than 30 years with reforms which will boost the economy and benefit the sector. “The reforms will maximise the value of the $1.2 billion in government funding that goes into ...
Turbocharging New Zealand’s economic growth is the key to brighter days ahead for all Kiwis, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says. In the Prime Minister’s State of the Nation Speech in Auckland today, Christopher Luxon laid out the path to the prosperity that will affect all aspects of New Zealanders’ lives. ...
The latest set of accounts show the Government has successfully checked the runaway growth of public spending, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. “In the previous government’s final five months in office, public spending was almost 10 per cent higher than for the same period the previous year. “That is completely ...
The Government’s welfare reforms are delivering results with the number of people moving off benefits into work increasing year-on-year for six straight months. “There are positive signs that our welfare reset and the return consequences for job seekers who don't fulfil their obligations to prepare for or find a job ...
Jon Kroll and Aimee McCammon have been appointed to the New Zealand Film Commission Board, Arts Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “I am delighted to appoint these two new board members who will bring a wealth of industry, governance, and commercial experience to the Film Commission. “Jon Kroll has been an ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis has hailed a drop in the domestic component of inflation, saying it increases the prospect of mortgage rate reductions and a lower cost of living for Kiwi households. Stats NZ reported today that inflation was 2.2 per cent in the year to December, the second consecutive ...
Two new appointed members and one reappointed member of the Employment Relations Authority have been announced by Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden today. “I’m pleased to announce the new appointed members Helen van Druten and Matthew Piper to the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) and welcome them to ...
Politicians from the coalition government received a frosty reception at Waitangi this year, but Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka says the pōwhiri that received so much attention was just one part of many events throughout the week. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jenny Allen, Postdoctoral research associate, Griffith University A humpback whale mother and calf on the New Caledonian breeding grounds.Mark Quintin All known human languages display a surprising pattern: the most frequent word in a language is twice as frequent as ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Justin Keogh, Associate Dean of Research, Faculty of Health Sciences and Medicine, Bond University Jordan Mailata is an Australian-born NFL star who plays for the Philadelphia Eagles as an offensive left tackle. This position favours very tall, heavy and strong athletes who ...
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One News last night.
@@2:35 minutes
Unidentified reporter: "Should New Zealand perhaps be putting more pressure on the United States to support a ceasefire in Gaza rather than taking the action, of supporting military action?"
Winston Peters: "Can I say, that is not the view of the United Nations…."
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/shows/one-news-at-6pm/episodes/s2024-e23
That may be the view of Winston Peters, and the view of the US Biden administration. But it is not the view of the United Nations, including its General Secretary António Guterres.
United Nations General Assembly vote by a large majority for a ceasefire.
The UN supports a ceasefire in Gaza. Only the United States veto has prevented the UN from ordering a ceasefire in Gaza.
In the highest decision making body of the UN, the US was isolated as the sole country to vote against a ceasefire in the Security Council. Even the UK, America's closes ally, could not bring themselves to vote against a ceasefire. The UK abstained on the Security Council vote for a ceasefire, the only Security Council member to do so. All the other members of the Security Council voted for a ceasefire in Gaza.
The two highest bodies of the UN, the General Assembly and the Security Council, by a big majority both, "support a ceasefire in Gaza", only the minority of one country opposed a ceasefire in Gaza in the Security Council. And only a small minority of countries opposed a ceasefire in the UN General Assembly. The truth is, one country has overruled the United Nation's support for a ceasefire in Gaza
https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/12/1144562
A good follow up question for Winston Peters would be; Do you Mr Peters as the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, support a ceasefire in Gaza as a way of stopping the escalation of violence in the Middle East, in particular, Houthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea?
We've already supported a cease-fire. In the absence of one providing an end to attacks on shipping there is the defence of shipping.
The official statements dont agree
New Zealand calls for humanitarian pause in Gaza
Its not a ceasefire in the generally expected use of the term
notice the date 23 October
a latter Dec statement from Luxon – coordinated with Australia and Canada is just a word salad of lost hopes and dreams over 70 years.
There have been two votes.
New Zealand voted for October 27 resolution that called for a “humanitarian truce” leading to a cessation of hostilities
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/501350/nz-vote-on-gaza-at-un-consistent-with-longstanding-position-hipkins
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/un-general-assembly-votes-overwhelmingly-for-ceasefire-in-gaza/QKOAF3H6ZBDXRIIQUFKYSJRYUA/
On 12 December
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/world/2023/12/nz-among-153-united-nations-members-to-demand-humanitarian-ceasefire-in-gaza-10-against-23-abstentions.html
It's common knowledge, but I probably should have included the link to UN General Secretary António Guterres support for a Ceasefire in Gaza.
https://www.aljazeera.com/program/newsfeed/2024/1/15/un-chief-calls-for-immediate-ceasefire-in-gaza#
Guterres support for a ceasefire is significant, as it has been informed by the UN humanitarian experts and UN aid workers in the field.
Guterres would have been advised of the fact that UN aid cannot be effectively delivered in Gaza due to the non-stop shelling and bombing by Israel.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/12/29/un-says-impossible-getting-aid-to-gaza-as-israeli-strikes-intensify
Guterres would have been advised of the fact that the greatest number of UN aid workers had been killed in Gaza than in any other conflict since the founding of the UN.
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/11/14/middleeast/united-nations-staff-deaths-gaza-intl-hnk/index.html#
Guterres would have been informed of the high number of health care workers killed and health facilities destroyed.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/01/1145317#:~:text=WHO's%20online%20platform%20covering%20attacks,seven%20deaths%20and%2052%20injuries.
The fact of an impending famine impounded by the bombing lack of aid and destruction of the health care system.
https://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/58/1262/515174/War-on-Gaza/War-on-Gaza/Israel-bombs-Gaza-as-UN-warns-of-looming-famine.aspx
@@2:35 minutes
Unidentified reporter: "Should New Zealand perhaps be putting more pressure on the United States to support a ceasefire in Gaza rather than taking the action, of supporting military action?"
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/shows/one-news-at-6pm/episodes/s2024-e23
The answer is a Yes or a No. Not hide behind a false claim that the UN doesn't support that action
Following a request from the United States, New Zealand is sending six personnel to the region to support future
https://www.stuff.co.nz/politics/350156111/nz-deployment-red-sea-has-shades-iraq-labour-says
SIX – that'll make a difference!!! HAH
New Zealand already has 28 peacekeeping on the Israel-Egypt border, and we've had regular deployments into the UN peacekeeping zone in Golan Heights.
This is not a moment for New Zealand to retreat in to sleepy Hobbit world.
One: This is not UN sanctioned so your comparison is horseshit.
Two: We will engaged in espionage against another nation with no mandate from the UN.
Three: This is an act of war, without a declaration of war.
At least their are some brains in the labour/greens party who know this
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/labour-greens-warn-of-escalating-risks-as-government-deploys-military-to-red-sea/IJAVLADUZZA6RAHY7JECJE3FSM/
We're never going to need or seek a UN mandate for spying. Five Eyes has no UN mandate.
Nor should we wait around for a UN resolution to defend shipping. We should just do it. It has nothing to do with the invasion of Iraq.
Nearly all of the shipping companies that support our economy have already stopped going through the Red Sea for fear of being targeted: MSC, Hapag-Lloyd, CMA, CGM, and Maersk. We are just getting inflation under control now and we don't need another spike due to increased freight costs.
A ceasefire in Gaza (and the occupied West Bank for that matter) and the ships would be able to go through again. It is that simple.
All Standard contributors should be supporting a total ceasefire and a two state solution rather than getting hung-up on matters that will be resolved anyway if a ceasefire came into operation, such as the hostages, Red Sea shipping etc etc
Best of all a ceasefire would mean bye bye Bibi.
Wouldn't it be great to have the power to cast a spell over all Standard commenters and make them all think and write just the way you want?
We need actual independent thinking that involves walking and chewing gum at the same time.
The walking part involves the defence of a key shipping lane against a non-state actor, and until there's attacks on the Malacca Strait this is about as basic a national interest as we can get.
The chewing part is a basic recognition that Israel and Hamas will stop when they agree to which is no time soon, even if either of them said they wanted to.
Maybe you Ad (and many others on TS, sorry I should not have said “all” above) should watch this-it really is a must watch. It makes the point I was trying to make but much better.
I love it when she calls “the West” (Biden and Sunak) “cowboys”.
Maybe the US attacks on Yemen in the last 10 years, over 100 in 2017 alone, have something to do with it
Then theres the Saudi led ( US and British supported) attacks on Yemen after the Zaydi sect led rebels toppled the previous government – who fled to Riyadh and now operate as a Saudi puppet administration.
1) A neighbour invading a country is bad when Russia does it but has Nato support when Saudis/Emiratis do it.
2) Self defence is permitted when Israel does it but not when Zaydi/Houthi forces do so after over 10 years of attacks on their country.
Your recognition of Yemen as the country of the Houthi is all your own – not that of the Arab league or the UN.
Russia ensured the survival of the Assad regime – something the Arab League now accepts as a reality.
The Arab League does not recognise the Houthi as the government of anything, nor does the UN.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabinet_of_Yemen
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presidential_Leadership_Council
Russia backs one government in Libya and Turkey another. Maybe it is a regional thing – though Russia now has a taste for regional hegemony disrupter role in Europe, if Medvedev's recent comments mean anything.
https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=Medvedev
If all Standard contributors agreed and every nation in the world said stop the war on Ukraine, what would Putin do?
If all Standard contributors and the world, including USA, called on the Israeli government to stop its military action in Gaza what would Netanyahu do?
Doesn't matter what Netenyahu would do
He'd be utterly powerless without the US providing billions of dollars of military aid
Stop the weapons,stop the cash flow and he's done
And so is Israel
Israel is not dependent on the $3B now near $4B of annual aid (it is little more than that given to Egypt and Jordan each year for being part of the peace process).
The Israeli economy is much larger now than it was when that level of aid was set. This is indicated by the end of economic aid to Israel some time ago.
It is influenced by the USA setting terms for military supply, back in 1973 Israel knew an attack was coming but the Americans told them they could not attack first – they would only get military supply (munitions/ammunition), if they did not attack first.
In this case Hamas attacked first.
Since the attack by Hamas Israel has received military aid (missile and air defense systems – Iron Dome).
This chart shows that the significant military aid only comes in war time.
https://www.axios.com/2023/11/04/us-israel-aid-military-funding-chart
The possible actions open to Biden are
*to ask Congress to allow POTUS to make the economic aid to Israel contingent on the Israeli government supporting a two state peace process and outcome – on the basis that Netanyahu has brought this into doubt. Give POTUS leverage.
**to allow POTUS to be able to restrict supply of offensive weaponry to Israel to influence the continuance of war if USA wanted a cease-fire.
PS Restricting supply of air defence capability would leave Israeli civilians open to missile attacks and leave the nation hostage to external attack threats.
*to ask Congress to allow POTUS to make the annual
economicmilitary aid to Israel contingent on the Israeli government supporting a two state peace process and outcome – on the basis that Netanyahu has brought this into doubt. Give POTUS leverage.Inflation is at 5% and we going to have that for the next decade, so if that your excuse to engage in a war – sheesh no words, just utter horror at your ability to justify war.
And about 5 eyes, made the world a safer place has it – worst joke, never.
How about we actually stand up to the problem in the region of the middle east and help sort this out, rather than this back door jingoistic bullshit.
Free trade must be protected mantra is just shit – you do a good job of showing what is wrong with the left in many eyes – the apologism of globalisation and what is in essence a watered down and effectively useless version of a once great program of social democracy.
No one is going to win any elections pushing that horseshit going forward.
New Zealand is one of the most sea-trade reliant countries in the world. Both exports and imports. No one should be apologising for exporting and making the money we need to stay in biscuits, and we are so trade reliant now that we import most other things.
We are indeed "standing up" or whatever in the Middle East and have done so for quite a few decades in our own small way.
If we really think that we don't need to support the defence of the Red Sea, we should just imagine a world in which the US just stops, brings all its ships back, the Houthis win the Bab al-Mandab Strait, and we take the price increases to oil coming in and agricultural commodities going out. Ain't no one else going to help us or Maersk.
Inflation was 4.7% for the last quarter, falling. The potential delays and near-term supply shortages are being as closely watched by markets as they were during COVID which was the real global trade crunch that affected us so badly.
Your catstrophe fantasy is very much the stuff of colonialism. The Houthi have clearly said they will allow passage to all those that agree to not using the Red Sea to supply Israel and will allow passage to Israel when it stops its genocide of Palestinians and blockade of Gaza. All of which seem like worthwhile goals.
It is not possible to say they are lying unless the conditions are met. And if they are lying? The bloodbath in Gaza will have ceased. Some results are worth a wee bit of inflation don't you think?
Have they, can you provide a link?
Israel would get their cargo direct from Europe in that case …
If there had been no attacks on shipping simply using the Red Sea to transport cargo between Europe and Asia (with no link to Israeli stop offs or Israeli ship ownership) there would have been no UNSC Resolution.
Try this link. There are many such links.
https://www.palestinechronicle.com/largest-attack-to-date-what-is-happening-in-the-red-sea/
Perhaps you could supply a link to a targeted ship that had no links to Israel nor was bound for Israel before the US intervention that has resulted in the first loss of lives in the whole saga. Or not aligned in any way to the Western nations coalescing around the US since its intervention.
I would also note that it was perfectly ok for the UK navy to enable a Saudi blockade of Yemen that created the worst humaitarian disaster in the world prior to Gaza. They closed the Red Sea to all maritime traffic to and from the Yemeni coast!! But now? Oh rules based system of international order!
https://www.declassifieduk.org/paralysing-a-nation-evidence-emerges-of-royal-navys-complicity-in-saudi-led-sea-blockade-of-yemen/
A development because earlier attacks was resulting in calls for protection of shipping.
https://www.seatrade-maritime.com/containers/houthi-leader-makes-demands-red-sea-ships
See above
Adding a rider are we.
If western nations shipping are fair game, so are those that attack them.
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) adopted a resolution Wednesday demanding that Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis cease all attacks on ships flowing through the Red Sea.
https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N24/009/28/PDF/N2400928.pdf?OpenElement
Oh great. Many ships but no names.
The Houthi action is a true r2p in support of Gaza within their limited means. It is hugely popular with the citizens of that country and is giving the Houthi extended influence over their whole country. Bombing them into oblivion and attempts at starvation have not defeated them. They have gone through exactly what Gaza is going through. They are unlikely to be cowed. Perhaps putting a stop to the rearming of Israel by the US would be simpler, before any further escalation in the Red Sea
Electronic Intifada on youtube
Maersk Hangzhao – ballistic missile attacks and 4 jet boats trying to board.
https://www.vesselfinder.com/?imo=9784300
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/missile-from-houthi-controlled-yemen-strikes-merchant-vessel-red-sea-uss-gravely-shoots-down-anti-ship-missiles/
It’s not just the Americans supplying arms – Germany is looking at their stock of tank shells (as per Iran and NKorea supplying Russia).
Israel only gets about 5% of its trade through the Red Sea. It’s not a useful lever upon Israel at all.
The Red Sea is far more important to the rest of the trading world including ourselves, and we don't need to accept terrorists leveraging themselves in.
Oh the scary terrorist word. Remember that one mans terrorist is anothers freedom fighter. I believe that it is incumbent on all nations and people to do what they can in the face of genocide?? Yemen is on of the poorest nations in the world and is doing what it can, for no loss of lfe up to the US intervention. South Africa is also doing what it can. Other than that? Nothing. And it seems that there is substantial effect if Rueters is to be believed.
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israels-eilat-port-sees-85-drop-activity-amid-red-sea-houthi-attacks-2023-12-21/
A freedom fighter fights soldiers, a terrorist attacks civilians, like merchant sailors
Israel's port of Eilat, though not one of its major ports, has has lost 85% of its business since the blockade.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/h1600q3wdt
You have all the numbers it seems. Not that you bothered linking to them as per site policy.
How many ships as a percentage of the whole have the Houthi movement targeted? More than 5%, less?
Only 6 , should be 600 , you if the houthis wamy war go attack soldiers, don't go terrorizing merchant sailors out their earning a living, ?
There is a UN mandate.
https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N24/009/28/PDF/N2400928.pdf?OpenElement
An act of war against whom? The Houthi are an armed gang in control of part of Yemen. To declare war one has to recognise the other party as having the status of a nation state.
Al Qaeada in Iraq or Syria, Islamic State, Hezbollah, Shia militias in Iraq, Hamas and the Houthi are not nation state actors or governments of a (recognised) nation state.
link does not work if you right click
https://wwwcdn.imo.org/localresources/en/MediaCentre/HotTopics/Documents/Red%20Sea/SCR%202722%282024%29%20on%20the%20Red%20Sea%20adopted%20%28E%29%201.pdf
Nope, not even close. I'd suggest you read it again. We have no mandate to act.
https://www.imo.org/en/KnowledgeCentre/Pages/IMOinUN-default.aspx
https://www.un.org/Depts/los/convention_agreements/convention_overview_convention.htm
Out of context and clutching at straws I see.
What next, Palestinian children are shooting themselves?
Making what up?
4 is part of a UNSC Resolution
Heard of collective security?
Your claim that a nation can only defend its own vessels is untrue.
Any nation has the right to ask another nation for help to defend its ships or to defend its territory.
The International Maritime Organisation is of the UN.
You absurdly seem to think the Houthi (who have no government status whatsoever) have the right to attack shipping in international waters, without consequences.
OMG you go from bad to worse. None of the flag nations apart from the UK and US have asked us to help.
This is a blanket of BS you want to wrap yourself in fair enough, but don't lie about what the UN have made a resolution on. Very few outside of the usual supporters of warmongering nations who vote for this, had what you ascribed to them as their intent, if indeed any.
Again with the lies.
Your really on form.
How are we defending our vessels?
This defence commitment is not much more than a continuation of our existing / past contribution to policing in the Red Sea / Persian Gulf. We've had personnel involved going back to Gulf War and at times a frigate participating.
In 2023 Andrew Little released these documents which outline the circumstances of the past Government sending six personnel to the Gulf.
https://www.defence.govt.nz/assets/publication/file/MARSEC.pdf
Judith Collins refused to say from which arm of the Defence Force these six 'personnel' are coming. The RNZAF are very much involved in maritime security exercises and of course the Navy. My money is on RNZAF and their intelligence unit.
Edit:
I’m starting to wonder whether this announcement from Luxon and Collins is a facade “look at us folks aren’t we decisive and clever” when its nothing new and the ground work was already in place.
Of course its nothing new. A Hipkins lead government would have done the same thing.
I think they would have waited for the UN to sanction such an undertaking. I don't know whether it [the sanction] will be forthcoming. I leave that debate to those far better informed than I am.
Was Parker not just forgetting our position as per involvement to June 2024 on maritime security in the ME. But also what a UNSC Resolution said.
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) adopted a resolution Wednesday demanding that Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis cease all attacks on ships flowing through the Red Sea.
https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N24/009/28/PDF/N2400928.pdf?OpenElement
if you leave this page to doc it works
What vessels are ours again?
https://wwwcdn.imo.org/localresources/en/MediaCentre/HotTopics/Documents/Red%20Sea/SCR%202722%282024%29%20on%20the%20Red%20Sea%20adopted%20%28E%29%201.pdf
So again as per the resolution, what vessels are ours?
I’d suggest your remarks are way off the mark, and there is no resolution which gives blanket coverage to attack Yeman. Only the right to defend the country of origins ships.
https://www.imo.org/en/KnowledgeCentre/Pages/IMOinUN-default.aspx
https://www.un.org/Depts/los/convention_agreements/convention_overview_convention.htm
Wow, just wow – link with no context and making shit up to fit a very weak argument at best.
Do we call this your jumping the shark moment?
Making what up?
4 is part of a UNSC Resolution
Heard of collective security?
Your claim that a nation can only defend its own vessels is untrue.
Any nation has the right to ask another nation for help to defend its ships or to defend its territory.
The International Maritime Organisation is of the UN.
You absurdly seem to think the Houthi (who have no government status whatsoever) have the right to attack shipping in international waters, without consequences.
With our new planes (continuing our AWACS capabilities) some have been trained up, and here an active operation, rather than an exercise.
Navy would be interested in the air defence of ships side of it.
Army would have an interest in identifying (battlefield) targets.
My choice of the word 'exercise' was misleading. The RNZAF carry out regular patrols in the southern oceans. They are well versed in search and identification work. They also team up with other countries from time to time and carry out advanced exercises in this type of work. The navy of course is also involved in such exercises. I'm talking from long past experience as a non-military briefing officer.
Given the nature of the Red Sea deployment, RNZAF personnel together with the Navy would seem the most likely arms of the DF to be involved in this mission.
Btw, what does AWAC stand for? Tried to google, but likely military sources listed met with 'failed' links. In other words they had been blocked. Interesting.
Edit: the point is, there is no need for Collins’ attempt at secrecy. It has been par for the course for decades, so I am assuming she is attempting to make it sound like something new and dramatic.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airborne_early_warning_and_control
Thanks. 🙂
Mitre 10 does the right thing …
"Rivers are normally named after ancestors, they have spiritual connections to both the physical environment and the people … many Māori believe that their rivers have a mauri, or a life essence inside them," he said.
"Calling something like a toilet roll holder by a sacred name, such as kaiiwi, is disgusting and offensive."
https://www.stuff.co.nz/culture/350156115/mitre10-changes-culturally-insensitive-product-names
Lokos like Legacy were doing some brownwashing. Imagine the marketing consultant meeting were that was decided.
Brownwashing toilet fixtures 🙂
Or maybe they thought let's get some Maori language out their, forgetting that Maori are very precious about all things they own.
It can be very difficult to know when you are committing cultural appropriation. It is very easy to offend, even when you think you are doing the correct thing.
In my opinion it is best to steer clear unless your use of that language for marketing purposes has been approved by someone, with the right to approve that use.
I've used karaka roof paint on houses, is that OK, what if I have a bit over and clad the long drop at the camp site, seriously people need to get over themselves, this is why seymour is on the rise and trump will win the next election,
You are using a product with a Maori name. You didn't give it that name.
"karaka" is a Māori colour name, not the personal name of a sacred mountain/ancestor.
Big diff.
dunno about that. I think Māori generally are quite generous with te reo. However, putting kupu Māori on toilet things is akin to sitting your bum on the table you and others eat at. Some people think it's fine to do that, but it's not something a manufacturer should promote.
So I agree with you that sometimes companies just want to get some of te reo out there, but it should be done with a modicum of awareness and respect.
Golriz, the book by Steve Braunias.The best coverage of a woman in distress. A great read.
https://newsroom.co.nz/2024/01/24/golriz-the-book/?utm_source=Newsroom&utm_campaign=96e5c2bcbf-Daily_Briefing+24.01.2024&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_71de5c4b35-96e5c2bcbf-95522477&mc_cid=96e5c2bcbf&mc_eid=88a3081e75
Thanks, ianmac – Steve Braunias is a smart thinker and the book will be valuable for understanding Golriz' story.
"She entered Parliament in 2017. The dislike was immediate. Ghahraman first became a public figure when she featured on the famous North & South cover in April 2017, when art director Jenny Nicholls and photographer Toaki Okano staged a very Vanity Fair / Annie Leibovitz portrait of seven Green MPs. It remains the only photo of Chlöe Swarbrick in a dress, lol. Ghahraman modelled a long, very glamorous, very sparkly green dress. (At least some readers will instantly think: “Did she steal it?”). Social media responded with rage that an MP should dare to wear an evening dress, dare to be a beautiful woman, dare to be upfront and in your face. It set the tone for the next six years of rage."
Another quote:
Golriz is not only beautiful, she is highly intelligent. She will heal and no doubt prosper in another field of endeavour.
So is Luxton a committed liar? Or just a tool to divide the nation?
The daily blog points out the issues around national, and their support of acts shitfuckery – is now into total divide the nation mode. No safety valve here.
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2024/01/24/to-arms-to-arms-luxon-lied-about-treaty-principles-bill/
The curiosity will be whether Luxon gets the shaming treatment that Helen Clark got, or enough rowdiness that he stays away like Key did, or whether he pulls something out of a box like Andrew Little did a term ago.
Are Maori iwi ready to turn their hui into political muscle, starting at Waitangi?
This is NSFW Chris Luxon's Favourite Porn Sites
I do find it a little funny, but imagine if this was done when Jacinda was PM? Maybe something was done like this im unaware of.
The site has this disclaimer saying it is satire and parody, but considering the contact address, it's not political either.
'ChrisLuxon.org is a satire and parody publication. All content contained within this website and on accompanying social media accounts, however similar to real events, is fictitious. Any real, semi-real or similar names, places, people, products, services and locales are used purely for satirical purposes, and the corresponding story details are purely fictional. The articles contained herein are to be considered satire, parody, surrealism, and humor. Any resemblance to actual persons, businesses, or events is entirely coincidental.
Images on ChrisLuxon.org site may consist of original photos, stock photography, and creative commons photos. We have done our best to attribute the creators of such photos based on the information available to us. Use of these works does not suggest that the respective authors endorse us or our use of the images. Contact porncorexxx@gmail.com for queries"
I'm also unsure of "creative commons photos" as mentioned in the disclaimer. Are these otherwise known as fakes and AI altered mischief?
Considering the spelling of ‘humor” instead of ‘humour’ the site is probably not even of NZ origin.
Brilliant infused – thanks for the (slap)heads-up
Wonder if Shane Jones (Minister for ‘Resources’) has a similar website. Former National party MP Andrew Falloon probably had one.
https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/21-07-2020/the-andrew-falloon-saga-how-it-unfolded
Would you have been so amused, and enthusiastic if the website had been about Jacinda Ardern, or Golriz Ghahraman perhaps?
I'd have been none the wiser about this joke at our PM expense, had it not been for infused's comment. Like them, I found some content on that satirical site (which they linked to) amusing – like something out of a modern version of A Week of It.
Perhaps, if the parody had been light-hearted. Our politicians (and their supporters) can be so thin-skinned sometimes – "Can't you tell when I'm joking?"
I'll bet you were an admirer of the wonderful songs by people like Tom Scott.
I mean how could anyone not admire the wonderful lyrics like
"That's why I'm going to kill the Prime Minister. I'm going to kill the Prime Minister, because we are down and suffering and the motherfucker ain't doing nothing. Going to kill the Prime Minister.
One of these days I'm going to fuck your daughter. This poor boy going to make his seed, going to wake up in your girl – well hello Miss Key."
That is much better than soppy songs like We Shall Overcome isn't it?
John Key and his daughter should be proud to be the subject of such wonderful lyrics is probably your reaction. After all if he didn't get it it is because John Key was just thin skinned.
I admire Tom Scott, but not for his songs. Your assertion that I'm an admirer of the "wonderful lyrics" you quoted, and you guess at my reaction, suggest a very thin skin indeed. Just my opinion.
And thanks for making me aware of this other Tom Scott – appreciate it.
Sorry but I don't find the parody website about Luxon as being in any way funny. Neither do I find a song about murdering Key anything like just a silly little song.
They are just like the comments that were apparently made about Ardern, or Ghahraman or Bennett or English or almost any other politician.
If you are going to complain about one you should complain about them all. And no, I haven't seen any of the remarks that have apparently addressed to most of them. I am prepared to accept that they do exist but I can only say that I find remarks like the ones in that song as offensive enough to be out of any level of acceptability and not just passed of as being thin skinned and not really meant.
Please don't apologise alwyn, naturally not everyone will find that website funny. A sense of humour is unique – like fingerprints.
Who's complaining? That you’re "prepared to accept" there is some truth in Nick Rockel's opinion [“horrific things said, with threats, and the most revolting misogyny you’ve ever seen“] is really quite encouraging.
Still, since you’re complaining about the website that infused linked to @6, perhaps you should complain about all the websites that satirise, parody and lampoon Kiwi policitians – I’m sure you know where to draw the line.
Professor Dominic O'Sullivan touches on what I've been trying to show about ACT de-culturing, or homogenising, the country.
ACT's proposed renege and rewrite of the Treaty does exactly that, allow some people to accumulate power for the domination of others. Further deregulated and increasingly unbridled capitalism ensues.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/how-the-treaty-strengthens-democracy-and-provides-a-check-on-unbridled-power-dominic-osullivan/UTUMQGDGCNDR7DV73FIXFKSIOM/
Great piece well worth the read.
Thanks for the link Muttonbird.
Last evening I stumbled across an article on my Tablet, published in the Herald about a bar owner who had been in Court mainly about a 'celebration' when Jacinda Ardern had handed in her resignation last year which had got our of control. I endeavoured to find said article on the Herald website on my PC to refer to and include the link, but it seemed to have disappeared in the proverbial puff of smoke and I have since been unable to locate it. The bloke involved appeared to be a total misfit (trying not to be too judgemental in my description about him, in line with Weka's directive) and he made an absolute ass of himself at the Court hearing yesterday and finally had to be removed by security. The Judge's decision is yet to be delivered. The rabbit hole must be getting larger by the day for people of that ilk. I was so angered by this individual and do despair. What the hell are we coming to.
I think the chap you re looking for is Shane LaRosa who operates Shooters Bar in New North Rd, Kingsland. It is a hotbed of conspiracy nuts and SovCit fanatics.
Thanks all – yep, that's the guy. Hope the Judge throws the book at him.
Was this it?
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/crime/shooters-saloon-bar-owner-shayne-la-rosa-storms-out-of-trial-accused-of-alcohol-licence-breach/P3N633E2YFFYTBJLC5T6HF3T5Q/
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/crime/shooters-saloon-bar-owner-shayne-la-rosa-storms-out-of-trial-accused-of-alcohol-licence-breach/P3N633E2YFFYTBJLC5T6HF3T5Q/
Shayne La Rosa. He has issues.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/local-body-elections/129824721/auckland-election-candidate-believes-covid-vaccines-are-sterilising-women
https://twitter.com/search?q=Shayne%20La%20Rosa&src=typed_query
" La Rosa yelled back, “Judge, don’t leave this room!” and his supporters clapped."
Seems a worthy citizen and his supporters, up-standing.
/sarc
He has a connection with the 2 adjacent sites which are rented out as "affordable" accommodation – portacabins with shared facilities on what used to be 2 car yards. There are also house buses and vans which may be habitable. The Cops are there quite often – despite the nonsense "Trespass" notices on the gates.
We have all been made aware of Act's desire to mess with Te Tiriti by using the Treaty Principles Bill.
For give my ignorance but is the public able to make submissions around this?
It gets tiresome reading about Act/Seymour's tosspottery, it would be empowering to do something about it.
Of course the public will be able to make submissions on this. This is why it was part of the coalition agreement between ACT and National to ensure it would get past the First reading stage so it would then go to Select committee and people could get engaged. The real issue is many people don't want any debate on the topic as apparently "Racism".
Seymour seeks to lever open the can of worms that is public opinion so that he and his monied backers can inject their disguised venom into the minds of New Zealanders.
Normally the submissions process is a way of flexing a weak democratic system in that the voice of the disenfranchised is muted while the voice of the resourced elite is amplified. Wayne Brown runs this agenda, Auckland City constantly seeking submissions on the radio.
While shadowy funding for the far right ACT party propaganda has increased dramatically to this end, I hope this time they have bitten off more that they can chew because the opposition is significant and probable not short of (human) resources themselves.
Where is your actual hard evidence for this "shadowy funding for the far right ACT party propaganda"? The most I've seen is some rather long bow drawing which tries to link ACT with the TPU with Atlas. ACT has to publish it's list of donors over a certain figure. This should make your job easy.
Can't you handle dealing with racists? They tend to be the easiest opponents to deal with as their logic is so flawed. You just point out that genetically there are more differences within racial groupings than between them and we all come from a tiny genetic stock of humans a short time ago in scientific terms and are so mixed that racial distinctions are not really scientifically justified.
https://newsroom.co.nz/2024/01/24/acts-treaty-bill-wont-pass-but-the-damage-will-have-been-done/ [opinion piece by Lianne Dalziel; currently behind paywall]
What she said.
What damage? How can any damage be done by having a discussion? Unless someone is actively promoting violence or even agression against people as a result. There is no indication that is going to happen.
Stay with us, please. You mentioned engagement and debate @ 9.1, which I countered using Dalziel’s words.
again with the sophistry.
1. you don't say what you mean by the 'topic'. Te Tiriti? The proposal of a referendum? The parliamentary process?
2. I'm seeing lots of people against' ACT's racism fronting up and debating. The objection is that the Treaty itself is up for debate. Most people I know are ok with a public discussion about the Treaty, it's how it's being done in this instance that is the problem.
3. wanting to rewrite the Treaty to remove Māori power and insert libertarianism in our constitution is racist by definition.
It's plain to see where Seymour's motivation comes from; rich businessmen who loathe the treaty because it thwarts their ambitions, and an ideology that seeks to mislead with sophistry.
Seymour is the worst possible champion for any discussion around our treaty.
How does it thwart their ambition? Please give an example of a rich persons ambition being thwarted by the Treaty that will be unthwarted by the changes being proposed.
Look instead, and listen to, Gosman, the position taken by those aforementioned and ask yourself why they back, bankroll, anything at all.
You come across as so conspiratorial. There is little to distinguish you from say an anti-vaxxer. Next you will be telling me to "Follow the money". If you have evidence present it. If you don't then don't expect me to blindly accept that what you are stating must be the truth. At the moment you are just giving your unsupported reckons.
Just as Key was the wrong person to change the flag, Seymour is the wrong man to change Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Both ventures required a sympathetic figurehead.
Neither had one.
Noone involved in the Govt is seeking to change the Treaty of Waitangi. You are creating a Strawman to beat down.
One way would be to undermine Māori stopping seabed and conservation land mining. Micky wrote about it the other day, in a post you commented on so I assume you read.
https://thestandard.org.nz/which-side-are-you-on-2/
Maybe that's where you got your conspiracy theory line from. You can stop that derail right now. If you want to accuse specific people of this, you need to explain clearly and in depth your argument, and it better be bloody good. because at the moment you look like either you don't understand the arguments being made, or you're trolling. Don't make me put my mod hat on.
What do you mean how it is done? What is being opened up for debate is the concept of the Principles of the Treaty. This is referred to under legislation but there is not such definition of what these means in the Treaty itself. It has essentially been left for various unelected people to define these over the past 30 or so years. The proposed wording in the legislation being put forward defines exactly what these Principles are so that other legislation can utilise it. Noone is attempting to re-write the Treaty nor remove it from law as part of this process.
When a sensible person recognises that butter wouldn't melt in the mouth of the person speaking, they react accordingly.
Eh???
RW righteousness often morphs into disingenuity, and key players often masquerade as “useful idiots” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Useful_idiot), which makes you what?
https://newsroom.co.nz/2024/01/24/acts-treaty-bill-wont-pass-but-the-damage-will-have-been-done/ [opinion piece by Lianne Dalziel; currently behind paywall]
Step by step, cut by cut, chipping away at the relevance and impact of ToW, and removing corresponding parts from NZ law, may turn out to be more effective than a quasi-attempt at a full-frontal attack.
If you say so. You seem to have this insidious plan to eliminate the Treaty of Waitangi from NZ all figured out. Of course lot's of people think the same sort of thing about topics like Fluoride in the public water supply or Vaccines. No real hard evidence but a lot of reckons.
Some are of the opinion that for decades after the Treaty of Waitangi was signed, it was more honoured in the breach than the observance.
Might be why there have been so many treaty-based claims and settlements in recent decades, with still more in the pipeline. Sure, ACT pollies are 'small govt' ideologues, but (imho) best not to rock the good ship Aoteoroa NZ until outstanding claims have been sorted – in a few more decades, or so.
So, you’ve got no counter argument and resort to diversions and a pathetic reply. What a waste of time!
It is my understanding that the referendum is about the principles of the Treaty. Nothing more, nothing less. The Treaty itself is not up for debate, nor is there any suggestion that the Treaty is being re-written (as if that were even possible).
In 1989, Labour set out 5 principles "for Crown Action on the Treaty of Waitangi". (Is there going to be a referendum? The Treaty Principles Bill explained (1news.co.nz)). My personal view is that those principles are sound, and I am opposed to this issue being determined by referendum.
However, as stated in Teara, the Treaty principles are "always evolving to suit changing beliefs and circumstances. " (Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi – ngā mātāpono o te Tiriti o Waitangi – Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand). Surely a conversation about those principles should be welcomed as part of our nations democratic, constitutional process.
When Tuku Morgan claims that the bill represents "an all-out attack" on Māori that "will roll back race relations in this country by 50 years" (same reference) he is dangerously misrepresenting the issue, and in my view stoking the fires of dissension.
I believe you are expressing a sincere concern, but one that is misplaced. My sense is that there are enough NZ'ers of good faith who will participate in this conversation reasonably for the benefit of all, but only of extremists (on both sides) are not allowed the oxygen to inflame division.
[SARC] Yeah but these people know what REALLY is going on. They see behind the facade and know that people are trying to do over everyone [/SARC].
Real politik: if you want to stoke a culture war from within government, don't attack the Treaty directly (eg suggest removing the Treaty, or say you want to rewrite it). Instead, say you want to look at the principles instead. As if the principles aren't key to how the Treaty functions in the real world.
Your 'nothing more, nothing less' is false I suggest you rewrite your comment quoting ACT and Seymour and see how it scans.
Obviously a conversation about the Treaty principles is important. If you read my comment again (that you replied to), then you will see I already said this.
As Robert Guyton has been pointing out, many in NZ have been having those conversations for a long time. It's an ongoing conversation that anyone can take part in, in various ways.
ACT don't want that. As I have been pointing out how we have that conversation matters. ACT want a different thing entirely. They don't want us to engage and develop over time, they want to impose their own interpretations on the country.
I think you're being dragged down a rabbit hole. There isn't a single major political party in NZ proposing removing or rewriting the Treaty. For that matter I would question whether there is even a legal vehicle to achieve anything like either of those outcomes.
Anyway:
"As Robert Guyton has been pointing out, many in NZ have been having those conversations for a long time. It's an ongoing conversation that anyone can take part in, in various ways."
No, 'anyone' cannot take part in this conversation, clearly. Not even 'many'. The principles of the Treaty have been determined by governments and courts, with little recourse to wider public debate.
Perhaps Kiingi Tūheitia was speaking to us all when he said "There’s no principles, the Treaty is written. That’s it.” and "Don’t look to the courts to understand the Treaty, look to the marae.”
you have to supply a link every time you quote. Please supply a link now before you comment further.
Please read this,
https://thestandard.org.nz/moderation-notes-in-election-year/
Apologies. Both quotes are taken from 'Be Māori' – Kiingi Tuuheitia gives closing speech at national hui (1news.co.nz)
You appear to not have understood my point, I suggest reading my comment again.
Sure they can. Robert has talked about it in terms of local body government. Many people have been talking on social media. Anyone can submit on legislation. People can go on to marae. And so on.
Māori have an awesome ability to network and then organise politically, non-Māori could learn some things from that.
On your final point, I agree with you entirely.
It seems to be a moving feast because the (deliberately) leaked report outlines three completely different new principles to the ones you linked to from last November. I guess all that shadowy funding hasn't got the decent lawyers in yet. I also suspect this is why no one trusts ACT (and National) not to change things as they go. They are simply not trustworthy people.
Nah, those are rewrites/adjustments of the articles of the Treaty as far as I can see:
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/507090/government-confirms-leaked-document-was-a-ministry-treaty-principles-bill-memo
Still, it is part of the playbook ACT and their lackeys use to confuse and disrupt; denial, innocence, changing information, competing statements, and deferral. You can see this played out in real time by the three headed Taniwha government.
"It seems to be a moving feast…"
It does. I'm not even sure the bill is drafted yet? I've already stated I oppose a referendum on the principles of the treaty – I tend to agree with Jim Bolger who said "If they're going to be considered at all they have to be considered in a calm and reasonable way and referendums are not there for calm and reasonable discussion." Is there going to be a referendum? The Treaty Principles Bill explained (1news.co.nz). However I see value in this conversation, and the process of getting more people engaged in it.
How is anything you mentioned racist exactly? Stating ALL people in NZ have equal rights and duties is not favouring or putting down any ethnic group. On the contrary it would be racist to state one group based on ethnicity should have more rights than others.
In other words, removing collective Māori power is the goal, be it real or imagined, in the present or in the future.
QED
Who has said that? Please be specific and quote and link.
Don't need to mess with the Treaty to do that though eh.
Seymour's racism is in trying to remove acknowledgement that there are biases against Māori built into the system. For instance, Māori are more likely to end up in prison, because the government runs policy that makes Māori disproportionately poor, and the various system Māori engage with, eg the Justice system, treat Māori with bias enough times for it to count against them.
The Crown stole land from Māori, introduced laws that made life very difficult for Māori, and ran policy likewise. There is no equivalent for non-Māori in NZ, so this idea about all people should have equal rights is again sophistry.
Of course all people should have equal rights, but atm they don't. There is bias in the system as well as historical injustices.
I didn't state anybody has stated that. I am contrasting what ACT is saying with the opposite view which would be the racist one. I am doing so to show how the view expressed is not racist.
All your other views which can be combined under the tag of “Systematic racism” are eminently debateable. There maybe multiple reasons why Maori might have a higher rate of negative statistics than other groups beyond the system is racist against them.
I personally think it is related to the effects of rapid urbanisation post WWII. Prior to this the gap between Maori and non-Maori was not so noticeable. It would also explain why Pasifika people have similar high rates in the negative statistics versus Chinese and Indian people. The same applied to Irish and other poor European communities moving enmasse from rural to urban environments in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
good to know you have to put up a straw man argument to make your point.
Your understanding of racism is stunted Gosman. You can choose to think that is what racism is, and ignore the other aspects of the phenomenon, but you will not be able to follow the politics here.
Do you know what parts of NZ have the highest deprivation rates for Maori Weka?
make your point if you have one Gosman.
My point is if the effects of colonialism was what causes the social problems facing many Maori today you would reasonably expect the areas of the country where these effects were the greatest should have the worst problems and the areas where the impact of colonisation was the least would not have as high an incidence os such issues.
As both the Far North and East Cape were impacted less by colonisation as compared to say the South Island, Waikato, and Taranaki it suggest the causal link you are suggesting are not as strong as you suggest given these are the areas of the country with some of the worst social statistics.
in what ways were they 'impacted less'? Please be specific.
In terms of land loss and disruption to cultural connections and support.
Both those regions of NZ have among the highest rate of land still under Maori control (either through the Maori land court or in local hands). They also have among the highest rates of Te Reo speaker in the nation. The rate of people who speak and understand Te Reo is 8 % in Northland and 14% in Gisborne as compared to less than 2 % for the South Island (see https://www.ethniccommunities.govt.nz/resources/our-languages-o-tatou-reo/languages-spoken-by-region/). Maori also make up a greater proportion of the total population in those regions and there was less settlement by non-Maori.
Following the logic behind your argument these places should have better statistics among local Maori than areas where they were heavily impacted by British colonisation like the South Island. This is not the case as you will see by this as members of Nga Tahu have better social statistics than the average of Maori in NZ.
https://ngaitahu.iwi.nz/assets/Documents/Ngai-Tahu-population-statistics-report-2016.pdf
^ The inference being that the unfinished job of colonising Northland and the East Cape should proceed with haste, for their own good.
The Maori way is inferior, the Pakeha way is superior. The Maoriness of Maori is a disease which must be treated in order for them and the country to succeed. Look, over the last generation it's already spreading to non-Maori!
I think ACT leaders, candidates and voters genuinely don't think they are racist because the racism is so deeply embedded it seems natural…
Luxon at Rātana – will he say National will NOT allow ACT's anti-Māori proposal to go beyond first reading and will he apologise to all Māori for allowing it to have gotten this far?
I'm guessing not, but a commitment and apology is absolutely called for.
What is he going to apologies for – Hurt feelings?
Fomenting discord.
Oooerrrr!!! Formenting discord. How awful! Next he might actually spill some milk which will cause people to breakdown in tears.
Letting Nat's coalition partner get this far down the track of monkey wrenching the Treaty.
Except that is not what is happening. It might be what SOME people think is happening. But those people are wrong and National doesn't need to apologise for their miscomprehension.
what's not happening?
The Monkey wrenching the Treaty. It is not happening. You can rest easy.
A political party in government wants to fundamentally change how Te Tiriti is understood, and thus acted upon, but sure, that won't affect anything /massive-eyeroll
Given the fact he has now hinted he might be convinced to swing the National party behind passing the proposed legislation at a 2nd reading I suspect he has recived focu group and internal polling that suggests there is a lot of support for it and he won't be ignoring that to curry favour with a group who tend not to support National anyway.
"… a group who tend not to support National anyway."
Māori?
No. The people who attended the Hui on the weekend which did not include the majority of Maori nor did it only include Maori. I think John Campbell was there for example. I doubt National is going to lose sleep over not making John Campbell happy.
Pfffffffft!
It seems your argument has lost steam there Robert.
Your straw men are tedious. Nobody here argued that the Hui included [did you mean represented?] the [?] majority of Māori. John Campbell was just one among about 10,000 and he was there in his capacity as reporter, AFAIK.
I fear you are correct Gosman. This is pure populism.
The 3 waters debacle was in my view the issue that Labour lost control of, and resulted in a wide spread anti Maori backlash. That ultimately saw them lose support and in the end, the election.
That showed us that the general population is not yet ready to embrace a full 50 50 partnership, and any government that tries to do so will be rejected (in the medium term at least).
National will know that and their internal polling will be confirming that.
I wouldn't be surprised if they end up supporting the referendum.
Noisy protests will only strengthen their resolve and support with their base.
Why do you fear this? What you should fear is negative outcomes. I've yet to see someone articulate what these are exactly beyond vague accusations that Maori will be screwed over. How they are going to be is not mentioned just that is of course what will happen.
Populism is not necessarily bad by the way.
Yeah, nothing wrong with RW populism. Tax cuts, anyone? \sarc
Still defending your parties inability to honor a contract.
How very droll
A question about David Seymour was asked, Gosman, and I thought you were the person to answer it:
Muttonbird wrote:
Why has David Seymour been too scared to speak or even present himself at Tūrangawaewae and now Rātana?"
He sees no point in turning up to be told some Maori are unhappy. He is well aware some Maori are unhappy. He also has never attended the Ratana meet up as he thinks it is a waste of time give Ratana's political leanings.
Ahhhh!
The tireless champion of free speech doesn’t want to listen to others who may be unhappy about what he said and disagree with him. One wonders what the partnership really means to him – a cold shoulder if he doesn’t get his own way?
The great instigator of public debate about ToW has already made up his mind about the topic and about the people who may object because he’s heard it all before. This bodes well for the Select Committee process and any public submission round, if it gets this far.
The wannabe pretender who is not really interested in debate at all, doesn’t want to engage, but just wants to force his views through in an underhand authoritarian manner. Is he not an elected politician and representative? Sounds like something Wayne Brown would do with some lame excuse from a Deputy.
Still, he could always do a ‘hard-hitting interview’ on one of his preferred Platforms of ‘pubic engagement’.
And then there are the jokers & apologists who stick up for him and quite possibly also voted for his party.
And the Machiavellian tactics of the coalition government are becoming clearer and more blatant each and every day.
What an absolute shambles!
Where did you get the idea the free speech means you have to listen to others? Free speech means people are not shut down. There is no requirement for people to listen or even care.
That's it! About your claims, I don't care 🙂
Look up the difference between free speech and monologue. Discuss in 1500-2000 words. 15 pts. Hand in no later than 29th February.
A Politician has an obligation to engage with the public. That does not mean they need to engage with every Tom, Dick, or Hone that is holding a public meeting or get together. These people are entitled to attend an event or arrange a meeting with him is they so desire it.
Contradictions and straw men are your MO.
It was a great opportunity to make the case he is so confident about. To show that he's not anti-Maori and concerned with their welfare. But he didn't do that because he's not concerned with Maori, he would like to reduce that culture to one of a number of cultures.
But Seymour is not concerned with taking the nation with him because he knows only 51% is required at referendum stage. Achievable with huge funding from wealthy Pakeha. This is the flaw in democracy scumbags like David Seymour exploit.
He didn’t turn up because he’s scared his performance in real world debate might destroy the optics of his calm abolishment of Te Ao Maori.
You forgot to add that he didn't turn up also because he is basically a coward. Cowards avoid events that might show them up for being what they really are – shallow, vindictive low-lives whose aim in life is to bully others into submission because it makes them feel better about themselves.
Come Waitangi Day, don't be surprised if he announces at the last minute that his security detail have… warned him to stay away and he has decided to heed their advice. It will depend on what happens between now and then of course, but there is no way he will put himself in a position that could lead to an exposé of his real agenda.
Waitangi is an interesting one because the trust board will want everything down the line, impartial and safe but will also want people to be abler to express their views. Can't clamp down on your own to protect a racist from rude words.
NZF has already said it will not go beyond a first reading, their MP votes would be needed to do so.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2024/01/prime-minister-christopher-luxon-not-ruling-out-voting-for-treaty-principles-bill-at-second-reading.html
The inevitable mission creep of the coalition government. \sarc
The razor gang is wielding the austerity knife to gut the State from the inside out, so that it can no longer fulfil its oversight duties & responsibilities to maintain a well-functioning democracy.
https://newsroom.co.nz/2024/01/24/nicola-willis-to-cut-parliaments-budget-by-3-5-million/ [by Marc Daalder; currently behind paywall]
The national debt in New Zealand was forecast to continuously increase between 2023 and 2028 by in total 32.1 billion U.S. dollars (+28.53 percent).
https://www.statista.com/statistics/531824/national-debt-of-new-zealand/
Debt increased 61.33 US Billions between 2018 and 2023. Trend: increasing steeply.
How does this address the main point of my comment?? It looks irrelevant.
"The razor gang is wielding the austerity knife to gut the State from the inside out"
Critical comment, Incognito.
From the live broadcast at Rātana Pā, the kaikorero sang,
"One day a taniwha
Went swimming in the moana …"
Then made reference to "toru" – the coalition, but I missed his meaning.
Did anyone here catch it?
Shaun Jones, "Don't spoil the day with your complaining, come to Waitangi and we'll explain all!"
Arrow.
Gant.
Peter's is being a dick and receiving boos and derision. Arguing with tangata whenua as though they were the media!
Now, he’s appalling to any xenophobes in the audience – “foreigners are coming to take what’s yours!”
Too late, Winston. That happened before the treaty was signed!
Now Luxon is Māorisplaining.
Luxon used the word, "devolution"
Genius!
Okay…
Do you want to tell us what words he used either side of saying 'devolution' so that your comment means something?
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/507376/luxon-says-position-on-treaty-bill-clear-but-doesn-t-unequivocally-rule-it-out
Thank you
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/labour-and-green-party-set-to-arrive-at-ratana-ahead-of-strong-challenges-for-pm/4D34HKC4IBAOPNUVAZQP7YH3EM/
Trump wins New Hamsphire….
Huge win 52-45% … so she is there to March 17.
Politico are now reporting it is 54.9 to 43.2.
Still a good effort by Haley-plenty of anti Trump sentiment there. My guess is there will also be funding out there for Haley from republicans who realise Trump is a liability. It's not over yet.
https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2024/01/23/new-hampshire-primary-2024
Trump sends up his own reaction to the 2020 EC defeat, the same size as his huge victory in 2016.
It's like watching a bad soap opera.
She can stay in all the way until July 18 when the Nominee will be formally chosen at the Republican National Convention.
But the reality is its over.
Almost certainly true. She isn't much better than Trump anyway.
The RB target of 4% inflation by the end of 2023 was not met (because of the 1.8% Sept quarter). The Dec quarter was only 0.5%, so it came in at 4.7% for the year.
It looks well positioned at 0.5% in the last quarter to be under the 3% target for the end of 2024.
The risks are rent and rates (water infrastructure) and building costs (and maybe power if Genesis plans for another price increase are indicative) – all tracking well above other sectors.
https://www.1news.co.nz/2024/01/24/inflation-rate-falls-to-47-as-economic-cooling-continues/
Hilariously and rather obviously
If the government does not help councils with their water issues, watch rates soar and the TU advise sale of their assets (so the same people who made money buying power company shares off the central government can do the same with council water assets).
An honourary chocolate fish award for those who can explain how “unsustainably high” government spending increases the price of food, the cost of rent, construction and rates …
The slightly elevated inflation rate never had anything to do with excessive, or even particularly high government spending. The following link references an analysis by Joseph Stiglitz describing the inflationary episode as transitory (would abate after the transitory circumstances dissipated).
https://billmitchell.org/blog/?p=61491
Simply put the inflation was related to various supply side impacts of the pandemic and Ukraine invasion and monetary or fiscal policy are unable to do anything to really change that outcome.
The RBNZ policy has however been pretty damaging to the country. The impact of the monetary policy has been to push landlords to increase rents, driving rental inflation and to generate a small amount of excess unemployment (related in scale to the GDP fall).
The main stream however conceives inflation as always demand driven and related to excessive wage rates. The obvious contradictory to this narrative fact's being, wage increases have lagged inflation and any corporate price increases have never been passed onto employees (the price increases generated excessive profits instead). This was rather gently highlighted during the election campaign to the right wing parties, but somehow their overall narrative that the economy has been too good to most people (which was somehow causing inflation), took hold. Unfortunately for a lot of economic commentators the mechanism supposedly generating the outcomes can be entirely assumed to exist, even if contradicted by actual economic statistics.
Earlier last year, Thomas Coughlin summarised research conducted by Treasury economists here Government spending stoked inflation – Treasury paper – NZ Herald.
In essence, Treasury economists "sought to disentangle the supply and demand components of the inflation spike" The research found that "supply and demand drivers that the model can explain have contributed roughly equal amounts to annual inflation in the past year, although different models give different estimations”.
They also break down the various elements of demand and supply side components, and the timing of how and when they each impacted most. (“While supply and demand contributed roughly equal amounts to inflation, they did not always contribute equally at the same time.”)
Even if you attribute a portion to demand and a portion to supply that may not be very relevant to economic policy however. There were certain classes of goods for which there certainly was a big bump in demand, particularly items relating to large numbers of people suddenly working from home a lot more. However this excess demand is still a rather temporary impact and eventually people have furnished their home offices even if there was a bit of a temporary shortage of these kinds of items. Businesses supplying such goods would have made out well from this high demand whether they increased their prices or not.
What was not found in such research (and its kind of the whole narrative), was excessive NZ wage growth preceding inflation. Were that to have occurred it would be easily identified in regular economic statistics.
Also with such analysis, when your answer largely depends on how you specified the model, this mostly says your model doesn't work the way the economy actually functions or how your narrative implies. In terms of this particular research treasury likely applied the standard assumption that all prices (including wages) are flexible, or at least flexible enough that supply and demand will drive the prices to an equilibrium. Research into how prices are actually set (like surveys of price setters in businesses) typically find more than half of all prices are determined as average cost + margin. If your using the wrong model to work out proportions attributed to supply and demand then the proportions you get out are simply meaningless numbers.
Thanks Nic. I’ve found the Treasury summary of the work of their economists at https://www.treasury.govt.nz/publications/research-and-commentary/rangitaki-blog/feu-special-topic-decomposing-inflation-supply-and-demand-drivers, which may answer some questions about the modelling. It seems to me fairly clear that government spending has some impact on inflation (and economist Cameron Bagrie has the same view https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2022/07/economist-cameron-bagrie-on-whether-government-spending-is-driving-inflation.amp.html), however it is in the composition of cause where the debate takes place.
Just in regards to your comment about how prices are set, I would concur with what you describe as the ‘standard assumption’. The cost+ model is generally subservient to the market, and I would suggest that the cost increases in the building industry showed that clearly.
All spending has the potential to impact inflation of course. But I think economic commentators and economists should really make it more clear what the assumed mechanism is there. Of course any model of inflation is anticipating particular behaviors by price setters to generate it.
The rather simplistic story about excess demand really needs to examine a few points, such as if your making excess profits due to price hikes shouldn't that be firstly shared with the work force? This is much more a political discussion, rather than some automatic mechanism where pricing decisions are calculated of course.
The cost + pricing model has rather different outcomes from a supply and demand based pricing model. There are certainly supply and demand based prices in the economy (say wholesale energy prices) but even in these cases there are some pretty strict rules about allowed bids and a whole electricity market infrastructure needed to have regular market clearing prices. And if your model is not using the right mechanism then the numbers your getting out are largely nonsense (this is true of any model actually).
"but even in these cases there are some pretty strict rules about allowed bids and a whole electricity market infrastructure needed to have regular market clearing prices. "
Those rules apply in more regulated parts of the market, utilities etc, but not so much in other areas. In the construction industry, supply side factors (eg material shortages) added to demand shortages (in part caused by stimulus) to create excess demand that drove up prices. Of course in some cases those price increases were limited to the extent of the supplier cost increases, but there will have been plenty based on the 'make hay while the sun shines' economic 'theory'.
That is the point, yes. Its likely that only with strict rules and regular public clearing that flexible pricing is a functional model. Also some of the rules are more or less aligned with electricity public policy, like requiring wind farms to offer a zero bid.
In other cases you can base your model on supply and demand being the price drivers, but you still need to demonstrate that with real world evidence your model is correct. This would be a massive hurdle for such an understanding to get over in fact, because the participants don't think this is how they are setting their prices this way and neither do they adjust their prices in line with changes in supply and demand. Basically the real world evidence is stacked directly against how the economy is supposed to work here.
Its also relevant here that the main macro models are unable to implement other pricing mechanisms as, the expected behaviors are much less constrained when you don't assume agents are profit maximizing with flexible pricing. This is why they are going to go with that assumption in the modeling exercise, though its not telling us anything really about the state of the NZ economy or the governments economic policy.
It is generally acknowledged that government wage subsidy and money for local/regional projects kept the economy ticking over and the RB put too much money through banks into the housing market all while easing deposit ratio's and delayed a tightening too long.
Of the four* demand factors, only one was government spending
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/government-spending-stoked-inflation-treasury-paper/RF63AMUQC5GRJFI5YN2A4ERZWY/
*and a shortage of workers 2021-2022/2023 placing upward pressure on wages.
Yes, the Treasury economists were clear government spending was only one of many factors. I agree about the RB – although as Michael Reddell points out, they weren’t alone (https://croakingcassandra.com/2023/03/16/new-zealands-monetary-policy-mess/).
Here is an analysis of the developed country with the lowest inflation rate across the period, and a reasonable analysis of how the central bank contributed to that outcome.
https://billmitchell.org/blog/?p=61341
https://billmitchell.org/blog/?p=61468
https://billmitchell.org/blog/?p=61510
Unfortunately, Michael Reddell is clearly incapable of understanding the relevant economics involved here, and would be against such a policy. He seems to prefer the negative impacts of the inflation be urgently pushed most harshly onto renters and people in precarious employment (via interest rate hikes) as a priority. This is the primary outcome of NZs monetary policy response to this inflationary period.
While in the best case it is for certain NZs inflation would have been higher than Japan (pretty much regardless of the policy), as a lot of impacts are related to companies monopoly price setting power in NZ (not easy to improve quickly). But NZ could have had lower inflation in a more fair manner simply by extending the QE policy (which sets the monetary policy rate to zero) and leaving it up to fiscal policy to subsidize those who were badly affected by inflation (with measures like public transport subsidies being extended, etc…).
The merits of Modern Monetary Theory is a much bigger discussion. I've read a number of critiques finding for and against. But the debate is healthy – and a lot of economists are watching Japan.
The merits of MMT are rather irrelevant to the way that monetary policy is being implemented and its consequences. This is because MMT is the practice of doing economics when starting from a realistic model of how monetary institutions work (and proceeding from there). While you may well understand the economy better and maybe implement better economic policy with a better understanding, MMT is not a policy regime. Meanwhile the RBNZ is applying a particular policy regime using NAIRU targeting to specify monetary policy.
Economists have been following Japan for 30 odd years of course with the hope of developing an understanding. Some have been regularly predicting some kind of imminent economic collapse owing to their monetary policy, and some others developed MMT.
I disagree that MMT is not a policy regime. In fact that's exactly how the Bank of France describe it. The Meaning of MMT | Publications (banque-france.fr). Their critique of MMT is brutal BTW.
As for Japan, it's open to debate just how long, and to what extent, Japan has been implementing MMT. Modern money theory and its implementation and challenges: The case of Japan | CEPR
Perhaps it's the old case of you put 10 economists in a room and you get 11 different answers.
"As for Japan, it's open to debate just how long, and to what extent, Japan has been implementing MMT."
That's exactly the point, MMT is not a policy regime. As far as I am aware the BOJ or Japanese government have never asked any MMT economist what they should do. Quite the opposite MMT economists have considered the Japanese economy (and many others) through their framework while developing MMT (in particular Warren Mosler and Bill Mitchell each did this independently before collaborating).
But its possible to consider every monetary economy using MMT, as far as I am aware. The differences in institutions often tells you a few key things about what to expect, in fact.
I've only skim read it of course, but that document is quite funny, if bordering on polemical. Apparently MMT needs to contrast itself with the QTM approach. I put the date of the RBNZ officially rejecting that in 1986 (in the unlikely event anyone there ever believed it was viable at the time), around the time all central banks swore off it as a policy. Apparently that's still a corner stone of mainstream economic thinking which needs addressing.
Anyway, while there is fairly obvious potential for policy improvements once the basics of MMT are applied, you really couldn't analyze existing economic performance using a policy regime. Probably the most disliked suggestion from MMT is to de-mystify government spending in some simple ways, by stopping debt govt issuance and simply moving all public payments directly into the central bank govt accounts. According to MMT this regime would perform … identically to a country running QE policies (the monetary policy rate becomes zero due to an excess of clearing funds). The only difference there is that it becomes a lot more clear that the government doesn't have a spending constraint, which should improve public understanding of economics and economic policy. On the other hand anybody who understands the NZ economy via MMT already understands that the government doesn't have a spending constraint today. Incidentally this is why the country wasn't bankrupted by the pandemic, despite regular missives in the pre-ceding decades that the country was almost bankrupt and needed to seriously constrain its budget.
Why has David Seymour been too scared to speak or even present himself at Tūrangawaewae and now Rātana?
He does pretend to want to debate the relevance of te Tiriti o Waitangi so the least he can do is engage in the debate he and his backers have invented.
I suspect he only wants to debate within the womb of parliament, and the bassinet of big shadowy funding, rather than out in the real world.
We have a cloistered activist here!
It's a party of shirkers and people who's word or handshake is meaningless as they will welch on you, as quick as look at you.
From it's founding click to the current mob, the total worst of NZ culture festering together.
I expect nothing less.
Gosman will know!
Let's ask him.