Brian Tamaki has announced a new umbrella political party called "Freedoms NZ".
In an address at today's anti-Government protest at Parliament in Wellington, Tamaki said three parties had joined the new party – The New Nation Party, Vision NZ and the Outdoors and Freedom Party. One of the parties was based in London and two had signed a memorandum of understanding.
Sue Grey, a self-employed lawyer from Nelson and co-leader of the NZ Outdoors and Freedom Party, moved to Tauranga for the byelection where she came fourth with 1030 votes.
It started out as the NZ Outdoors Party, but changed its name in April this year to the NZ Outdoors and Freedom Party after becoming active during the nationwide lockdown.
Supporters of the party have claimed the September 11 attacks were a false flag operation, promoted flat earth theories and denounced "mind control" and 5G technology.
Bishop Tamaki, the nuts…. Nut . Would be totally laughable..if it weren't for the faith his nutty followers have . Maybe sad? (albeit in a worrying way : (
To isolate the Far Right, It is my opinion to silence the voices of the far right, who make a play of the failings of the Left to take on the wealthy and privileged to protect the wealthy and privileged, our Labour government need to start acting more like the Michael Savage socialist administration than like the David Lange neo-liberal administration.
One of the best summations of the motives and tactics of the far right that I have ever read was posted on facebook yesterday by Henry G Laws of Antifa Aotearoa
…..The fascist strategy is to deceive people into thinking that the neoliberal policies that trouble them are leftist policies. They are not. The far right then pretend to be rebels against capitalism, while in fact standing for an even more extreme and brutal form of capitalism. The roots of modern fascism lie with the tyrannies of colonialism, with the horrors of racist, white supremacism, with the brutalities of patriarchy, and with capitalist exploitation….
Matty: How concerned are you about the amount of kids living in cars right now?
Luxon: Well I am really concerned about that. Essentially just saying kind words, and saying you care isn't actually cutting it and isn't getting results. And the government, now needs to take action…..
Why doesn't the PM call Luxon's bluff and end homelessness? Why won't the government take action by freeing up the 40,000 empty homes locked up by property investors and speculators just in Auckland alone.
What Auckland’s ‘ghost homes’ could do for the housing crisis
There are about 40,000 'ghost houses' in Auckland. Cat MacLennan asks if a tax on these empty homes could help house homeless people and low-income workers.
Tall white rose bushes line both sides of the path leading to the front door of the immaculate-looking villa. There are curtains at the windows and no signs of neglect or decay.
Yet this expensive, inner-city home is one of Tāmaki Makaurau’s “ghost houses” – properties left empty long-term at a time when the country has a housing crisis. No one has lived there for years and a neighbour is paid to maintain the garden, while the owners wait for capital gains to accumulate to the point at which they plan to sell.
According to the 2018 Census, there are approximately 40,000 empty private homes in Auckland. That is 7.3 percent of the total, up from 6.6 percent in the previous Census in 2013. And Auckland is not the only place in Aotearoa with vacant homes at a time when accommodation is expensive and in short supply. There are ghost homes in other cities, in towns and in rural areas……
Cat MacLennan is a barrister, journalist, and media commentator
If the Prime Minister called Luxon's bluff. The Right would be exposed as hypocrites. As the leader of New Zealand's biggest right wing political party, Christopher Luxon would be among the first ranks of right wingers to scream bloody blue murder about the property rights of wealthy privileged owners of multiple houses
Why won't the PM call Luxon's bluff?
Is the PM in agreement with Luxon about protecting capital gains profits of fortunate property speculators, than protecting the health and welfare of unfortunate homeless children?
Our Labour government need to start acting more like the Michael Savage socialist administration than like the David Lange neo-liberal administration.
Fine the owners of empty houses till they either sell them, rent them, or live in them.
"…allowing factions to form within parties, or, worse still, encouraging genuine ideological differences to develop between parties, would only result in such factions being replicated in the general population. And a general population engaged in genuine debate between factions and/or parties capable of making a real difference to the direction of economic and social policy would place the whole, over-arching ideological infrastructure of neoliberalism in the gravest peril."
Hmm.
– Re-nationalisation of all NZ health. Not National.
– Largest-ever NZ expenditure on infrastructure. Not National
– Nationalisation of all trades and non-university training. Not National
– Full re-regulation of drinking water and water price. Not National.
– Comprehensive climate mitigation plan. Not National.
– Largest increases in welfare and subsidies in several decades.Not National.
– Deep partnership with Maori over water, stripping it from local government. Not National.
– Over $20b in wage subsidies enabling year on year 3% headline unemployment. Not National.
– Buyback of Kiwibank into direct Crown control. Not National.
– Supported NZSuperFund to get to $58 billion. Not National.
– New public holiday respecting Maori tikanga. Not National.
– Massively brought prison numbers down and dumped the 3 Strikes law. Not National.
Irrespective of actual policy delivery, there's plenty of ideological difference between Labour and National.
<straw man, preferably involving much demonstration of your ability to be to popular history what James Burke was to popular science>
<tut tut at the general decline of modern NZ>
<tenuously link the above to>
<fret about the rise of Maori/condemn something he doesn't like as culture war on the shy Tory majority and express a wish that Annie Crummer was still Queen of the charts>
<Mention life was better in Dunedin in 1981>
<Darkly suggest that the reactionary Pakeha Lumpenproletariat is simmering, ready to explode at the touch paper of said Maori/culture war rise at their expense>
<blame the Greens/Labour/Auckland liberals/deep state>
Can you please amend to work in his obsession with the fall of unions (which to be fair he is absolutely right about) and his inability to come to terms with the rise of the Green movement
I used to admire his grasp of the English language and his ability to use words to produce a vibrant picture until it dawned on me that much of what he actually said didn't make a lot of sense.
Yes – that's it. The yoking together of two unrelated things to support some pre-existing disposition or thought.
But personally, I'm more upset when he publishes his own bad verse. It's a temptation that has to be resisted, and most likely a sign of decline when you don't.
I love how Jimmy provides a Wikipedia link! Thanks, we could never have remembered a guy who's been doing political commentary non-stop since Seddon was PM.
Well, have you read the comments sections on the TDB lately? it is pretty clear what sort of audience that site attracts these days. Mostly toxic people attracted onto the last train to Loserville. Bradbury and Trotter certainly imagine themselves as left wing – they constantly appropriate the rhetoric of the left and instantly and repetitively parade their credentials to anyone unfortunate enough to sit next to them on the bus – but ideologically they long ago set sail with the populist right. They spend their whole time obsessed with culture wars whilst clothing their repetitive, self righteous, and pompous dirges in the language of class. I find it particularly irksome and very wearisome that Bradbury's in particular is a one trick pony whose main shtick is to associate anyone who has achieved anything with a Trumpian monolithic "elite" and rail against them. They deserve all the mocking they get.
"Nationalisation" refers to bringing privately-owned assets into public ownership. The DHBs and polytechnics weren't private, so what Labour was doing there was Centralisation, not Nationalisation. It is quite an important distinction (the last genuine Nationalisation being Kiwirail at the end of the Clark Government. This lot wouldn't know Nationalisation if the ghost of Clement Attlee wafted into the Beehive and started whacking them with a stick).
Do you really want to promote the first item as something to be applauded?
When you say "Re-nationalisation of all NZ health. Not National." do you mean that that is a good thing? If so are you seriously proposing that having the waiting lists for surgery in the BOP double in a year is a good thing and that the Government is to be applauded?
On Morning Report, Luxon is asked repeatedly if he will rule out any kind of National deal with the Brian Tamaki blackshirts.
He doesn't.
This from a man who in his maiden speech defended his faith by citing William Wilberforce, Kate Sheppard and Martin Luther King. He's not being asked to take a courageous stand and change history, he's being asked to do the most obvious, simple, decent thing, at no political cost – and it's too much for him.
This from a man who in his maiden speech defended his faith by citing William Wilberforce, Kate Sheppard and Martin Luther King.
Well…certainly an Interesting mix ! It was probably a Google Recommend… or maybe a Readers Digest recommend for ex CEO's entering Politics..who want to "appear" to be honourable.
Sure, but this doesn't gain him any votes. I doubt the big donors want to hear that waffle either.
It makes no political sense whatsoever. Key and Bridges made a calculation on Peters, and it was at least debatable whether it was the right one. NZF were in the mix. Whereas Tamaki has zero chance, and if Luxon doesn't grasp that then his political judgement is woeful.
Tamaki has been clever here. I have been saying to friends for months that if someone sets up a party with "freedom" in the title it will pull votes in.
The Tamaki “Freedoms Party” could well get close to 5%.
I predict Luxon will never rule out working with them-which may mean they get even more votes.
Last night, only hours after Tamaki made his announcement, Sue Grey was attacking him on social media. A "freedoms/populist/right wing" party could indeed get up towards 5%, but a Tamaki party is a dead brand. They are two totally different things.
Two other parties were in talks, he said, before challenging others, including the New Conservatives and Winston Peters’ NZ First to get on board. He went on to encourage “Dr Sharma Drama”, now an independent MP, to “give me a call”.
Tamaki’s lengthy address to the crowd included verbal attacks on politicians, a denouncement of the charges against him and a lament to the demise of various values such as freedom, being able to leave your door unlocked and Waikato Draught.
Well this is all looking great : ) And seriously how could any reasonable Person… not lament the demise of the "various values" I mean cmon…it wuz Waikato Draught !.
lol. But I do think Bish Bri is pretty much a nonlol person. And behind the dark glasses….to actually look into his eyes..might be disquieting. Or not : )
Observer-yes given other posts today I think I am probably wrong here re Tamaki.
Though the point still holds that a non-Tamaki party/umbrella group of parties with "freedom" in the name could well poll 5% and it appears that Luxon is willing to govern with the help of these weirdos.
Just waiting for Tamaki to jump the gun and announce National will be joining his party umbrella now. He can just wait a week or two (so as not to annoy everybody) and then say how Chris likes the freedom he stands for (from the podium on Parliament steps) and then its a done deal (with nothing formal involved of course). And voila, Tamaki now leading National.
Those disparate all-fit-in-an-old-back-country-dunny tragics will all end up knifing each other well before any vote is held. The major problem is that the parties all contain more individuals who think that it is they who should be leading the the whole deluded mess
Freedom to Tithe to Brian is hardy a vote catcher,
Not sure of the accuracy but it seems that Trump cannot find an attorney to state his case re the FBI raid on his house, so he is prosecuting it himself. If so, that would be weird.
During its search the FBI seized 11 sets of classified materials at Mar-a-Lago, some of which were labeled "top secret" – the highest level of classification reserved for the most closely held US national security information and which can only be viewed in special government facilities.
Good. There are articles floating about how 'not affirming' children in OZ can result in criminal persecution, children being uplifted, leaving the state might be considered a criminal act, etc etc etc.
trigger warning: this is a religious publication – from a few days ago
Thanks Sabine……the left have really dropped the ball on this, with the exception of Gender Critical feminists who have been smeared as transphobic bigots rather than whistle blowers.
I read an article last night by Graham Adams wondering if the MofH in NZ could be suied because of the advice it gives on Puberty Blockers as being fully reversible. Very different from what the UK are saying now. Chop chop Andrew Little and Ayesha Verrall. better get on with sorting this out or we could be facing legal action losing valuable tax dollars because you both had been sucked in by gender ideology, seeminly having lost any ability to think critically. But of course if people do sue the M of H. Little and Verral will likely be long gone.
As the Belgian PM said yesterday The next “5 to 10 winters will be difficult” for Europe,as business model (based on cheap Russian gas) falls apart and interest rates start to explore 1970's levels.
"In his sermon to protesters in Wellington on Tuesday he suggested the government was responsible for cancelling ferry trips from Picton to prevent people attending the rally. This is obviously untrue."
Shades (heh!) of Winston Peters claiming the grounding of the ferry in QC Sound.
"Never lie!" I was told in a political briefing. "You will be found out!"
Rightly bashing National for their benefit sanction proposal, the Labour government could well look at the fairness of their own policy:
The Labour Government has cut the benefits of around 4000 sick, injured or disabled jobseekers in the last five years because they weren't preparing to return to work fast enough.
…
Sepuloni said the Government only sanctions people if medical advice shows they are fit to return to work.
At the moment schools receive their government funding and put it into Aussie banks.
What say schools were required to put all of there operational accounts through Kiwibank. (They can leave their fundraiser/PTA profits in the Aussie banks).
And then why stop at schools. Mmmm hospitals, police, councils – progressively move them all across.
My google search for 'nz school bank account choices' indicated schools have discretion of who to bank with.
Unless Kiwibank is offering a particularly low fee package is it really helping schools to limit their choice? If it is a low fee package, well the profit rate on a customer who doesn't use credit facilities will be low anyway.
1) This may not be net profitable for Kiwibank. Banks sometimes offer such deposit accounts as loss leaders anyway. Are Kiwibank going to be required to undercut something which is already a loss leader?
2) I don't think we need to be operating public schools in ways which are obtaining economic policy benefits. What are the public education benefits of this policy?
There is a govt contract with Westpac. This could be changed after that gets re-tendered.
Under the contract the govt (and IRD) accounts are kept strictly separate to Westpac account (at the RBNZ). Westpac operates the infrastructure around that so providing the banking services (credit and debit cards, bank accounts) needed to facilitate the public service being able to make payments. Since the public service tends to operate in surplus this activity is not very profitable for Westpac and probably most of the profit is due to direct payments agreed under the govt banking contract.
The contract was originally awarded to Westpac because they had a strong ability to provide this payment infrastructure to the scale required by the public service. Kiwibank may be up to scratch there now, it didn't even exist when the first such contract was tendered.
If this really happens in time for the election, what Labour can reasonably claim is their success will be closely scrutinised. And will be something of a policy miracle.
Here's an amazing and amusing bit of footage as MAGA munter Laura Loomer (who lost today, yay) tries to yell over the house but is drowned out by Republican politician (and auctioneer) Bill Long.
You'd think it's dubbed till you see him doing it.
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Well that didn’t last long, did it? Mere days after taking on what he called the “awesome responsibility” of being Prime Minister, M Christopher Luxon has started blaming everyone else, and complaining that he has inherited “economic vandalism on an unprecedented scale” – which is how most of us are ...
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Cheers to reader Deane for this quote from Breakfast TV today:Chloe Swarbrick to Brook van Velden re the coalition agreement: “... an unhinged grab-bag of hot takes from your drunk uncle at Christmas”Cheers also to actual Prime Minister of a country Christopher Luxon for dorking up his swearing-in vows.But that's enough ...
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PM Elect Christopher Luxon was challenged this morning on whether he would sack Adrian Orr and Andrew Coster.TL;DR: Here’s my pick of top 10 news links elsewhere at 10 am on Monday November 27, including:Signs councils are putting planning and capital spending on hold, given a lack of clear guidance ...
This column expands on a Werewolf column published by Scoop on FridayRoutinely, Winston Peters is described as the kingmaker who gets to decide when the centre right or the centre-left has a turn at running this country. He also plays a less heralded but equally important role as the ...
Last Friday, almost six weeks after election day, National finally came to an agreement with ACT and NZ First to form a government. They also released the agreements between each party and looking through them, here are the things I thought were the most interesting (and often concerning) from the. ...
Maori and Pasifika smoking rates are already over twice the ‘all adult’ rate. Now the revenue that generates will be used to fund National’s tax cuts. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The devil is always in the detail and it emerged over the weekend from the guts of the policy agreements National ...
Perhaps the biggest change that will come to the Beehive as the new government settles in will be a fundamental culture change. The era of endless consultation will be over. This looks like a government that knows what it wants to do, and that means it knows what outcomes ...
So what do you think of the coalition’s decision to cancel Smokefree measures intended to stop young people, including an over representation of Māori, from taking up smoking? Enabling them to use the tax revenue to give other people a tax cut?David Cormack summed it up well:It seems not only ...
A chronological listing of news and opinion articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Nov 19, 2023 thru Sat, Nov 25, 2023. Story of the Week World stands on frontline of disaster at Cop28, says UN climate chiefExclusive: Simon Stiell says leaders must ‘stop ...
On announcement morning my mate texted:Typical of this cut-price, fake-deal government to announce itself on Black Friday.What a deal. We lose Kim Hill, we gain an empty, jargonising prime minister, a belligerent conspiracist, and a heartless Ayn Rand fanboy. One door closes, another gets slammed repeatedly in your face.It seems pretty ...
Buzz from the Beehive Having found no fresh announcements on the government’s official website,Point of Order turned today to Scoop’sLatest Parliament Headlines for its buzz. This provided us with evidence that the Māori Party has been soured by the the coalition agreement announced yesterday by the new PM. “Soured” ...
Yesterday the trio that will lead our country unveiled their vision for New Zealand.Seymour looking surprisingly statesmanlike, refusing to rise to barbs about his previous comments on Winston Peters. Almost as if they had just been slapstick for the crowd.Winston was mostly focussed on settling scores with the media, making ...
Hi,Thanks for getting amongst Mister Organ on digital — thanks to you, we hit the #1 doc spot on iTunes this week. This response goes a long way to helping us break even.I feel good about that. Other things — not so much.New Zealand finally has a new government, and ...
Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.Also in More Than A FeildingFriday The unboxing And so this is Friday and what have we gone and done to ourselves?In the same way that a Christmas present can look lovely under the ...
By scrapping Aotearoa’s world-leading smokefree laws, this government is sacrificing Māori lives to fund tax cuts for the wealthy. Not only is this plan revolting, but it doesn’t add up. Treasury has estimated that the reversal of smokefree laws to pay for tax cuts will cost our health system $5.25bn, ...
Figures showing National needs to find another $900 million for landlords highlights the mess this coalition Government is in less than a week into the job. ...
Community organisations, mana whenua and the Greens have written to the incoming Minister of Oceans and Fisheries to call for the progression without delay of the Hauraki Gulf/Tīkapa Moana Marine Protection Bill. ...
"On behalf of the Labour Party I would like to congratulate Christopher Luxon on his appointment as Prime Minister,” Labour Party Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
NZ First has gotten their wish to ‘take our country back’ to the 1800s with a policy program that will white-wash Aotearoa and erase tangata whenua rights. By disestablishing the Māori Health Authority this Government has condemned Māori to die seven years earlier than Pākehā. By removing Treaty obligations from ...
Te Pāti Māori have called for the resignation of the Ministry of Foreign and Trade chief executive Chris Seed following his decision to erase te reo Māori from government communications. While the country still waits for a new government to be formed, Mr Seed took it upon himself to undermine ...
The New Zealand Labour Party is urgently calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and Israel to put a halt to the appalling attacks and violence, so that a journey to a lasting peace can begin, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
A significant milestone in ratifying the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) was reached last night, with 524 of the 705 member European Parliament voting in favour to approve the agreement. “I’m delighted to hear of the successful vote to approve the NZ-EU FTA in the European Parliament overnight. This is ...
The Government is contributing a further $5 million to support the response to urgent humanitarian needs in Gaza, the West Bank and Israel, bringing New Zealand’s total contribution to the humanitarian response so far to $10 million. “New Zealand is deeply saddened by the loss of civilian life and the ...
Renter’s United President Geordie Rogers has been selected as the Green party candidate for the Wellington city council byelection in Lambton Ward. The byelection is being held to replace outgoing councillor Tamatha Paul, now the MP for Wellington Central. “I’m honoured to have just been selected as the Green ...
Raf Manji is standing down from his role after failing to get into Parliament this election. The party received just over 2 percent of the general vote. ...
The kōrero series invites collaborations between two different kinds of artists to explore a shared topic. The latest is Little Doomsdays by writer Nic Low (Ngāi Tahu) and transdisciplanary artist Phil Dadson ONZM whose shared topic is ‘the notion of ark and arc’. In this excerpt they explore the Ark ...
Books editor Claire Mabey reviews Ex Libris, an Aotearoa-made essential oil perfume designed to replicate the scent of well-loved books.What does an old book smell like? Do I even like that smell? And do I want to smell like that smell: old, and like books? These were the questions ...
All week, boxes, trolleys, and chairs have been moving back and forth as the new government, new MPs, and survivors from the old government transition into their new roles. ...
At 17, Timoti Te Moke stared through prison cell bars and thought this would be his life forever. He’d dropped out of school three years earlier, ended up in a gang, been arrested dozens of times, and suffered beatings which left him feeling dead inside. All he knew was ...
Winston Peters’ attention-seeking comments this week about the ‘bribery’ of the media by the former government would be sad, if they weren’t so … sad. Sad for his new friend Christopher Luxon for putting him, the new Government and the first Cabinet meeting in the shade. (What image dominated the ...
The Dragon Slayer Lord Winston, Deputy King, Duke of Hazard, Conspiracy Svengali, and Chief Dragon Slayer, Rides into the dark mountains On his mighty war steed Limelight. Beside him, struggling to keep up, Is King Cluxon The Confident. Now remember not to rush off On any quests, says the ...
He’s one of the most recognisable actors in the country. He’s also an award-winning playwright. Sam Brooks sits down with Michael Galvin to talk about the lesser known side of his career.Every weeknight at 7pm, you can sit down in front of your TV screen and reliably see Michael ...
The journey of a Palestinian soul seeking the embrace of home. The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.Illustrations by little rain.I am not one of those with blue eyes, but I am made of clay that came down from heaven and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Erin Leif, Senior Lecturer, Educational Psychology & Inclusive Education, Monash University Markus Spiske/ Unsplash, CC BY-SA A Senate inquiry has found Australian students need specific lessons in how to behave. The inquiry, which has been looking at “increasing disruption ...
Drive-thru menus these days are confusing and scattershot, filled with a random assortment of doodles of food and vague adwords. It didn’t used to be this way, writes Hayden Donnell. Kate was young, but she can still picture it clearly. She was in the back of the car as it ...
Described as one of the greatest true crime stories about a crime that never happened, eight-part podcast Peter Ellis, the Creche Case & Me has won two silvers at this year’s New Zealand Podcast Awards, for best documentary podcast and best true crime podcast. It was the first podcast ...
The writer, actor and TV presenter looks back on her most memorable celebrity encounters, a sticky game show situation and making The Jaquie Brown Diaries. Jaquie Brown has traversed many corners of our local television universe. She’s been trapped under a piano with Andrew WK on Space, taken a limousine ...
I knew she was interested in me because she sat down at the table after she served my cheesecake. “How’s your cheesecake?” “Absolutely delicious. Tastes better cos you’re sitting with me.” “That’s a rather cheesy compliment.” Her leg brushed mine, softly. “My husband’s at work,” she said. ...
Watercare had already doubled down on user charges; now it’s tripling down. With the Government’s promise to repeal Labour’s Three Waters reform in its first 100 days, the big drinking water and wastewater services provider tells Newsroom it’s now unable to finance Auckland’s infrastructure needs. Chief executive Dave ...
A declaration to make global food systems sustainable and climate compatible, signed by some 130 countries, was tabled yesterday at COP28 in Dubai. It was the first time farming and food were given such prominence in nearly 30 years of United Nation’s climate negotiations. “Global food systems are broken ...
Just four months ago, Ruby Nathan was filing in to Auckland’s Eden Park to watch the world’s best women’s footballers play in the FIFA Women’s World Cup. Now the 18-year-old forward has the chance to play alongside them, receiving her first Football Ferns call-up for two games against Colombia ...
‘While we were all asleep here in Aotearoa, my aunty and cousins were killed in their home in Gaza.’ A letter from a young Palestinian New Zealander. ‘“On the 14th of October, we here in Gaza are under attack by Israel. And America supports the bombing of civilian homes, killing ...
Fixing the economy is a hefty workload for a Cabinet that's so far been dogged by distractions - driven partly by new Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters. ...
This week, ‘The Crewe Murders: Inside New Zealand’s most infamous cold case’, a new book from Massey University Press written by Kirsty Johnston and James Hollings. Award-winning investigative journalist Kirsty Johnston joins the podcast to discuss the case and read an excerpt of the book herself. The murder of Harvey ...
Opinion: Act Party leader David Seymour has announced his party’s Treaty Principles bill would go through the parliamentary process “to enhance the mana of the treaty” and to “debate what our founding document means in the modern age”. To enhance the treaty and to debate its meaning, we ...
Every weekday, The Detail makes sense of the big news stories. This week, a US court case claiming Google’s overreaching on users’ privacy, a look inside an Auckland start-up incubator wanting to shake up the future of carbon emissions, what the new government’s rollback of the Smokefree 2025 legislation means, the ...
In just four years, Pals has gone from a one-man startup to a category-changing monster. This is the untold story of how four friends took on the multinational liquor giants – and won. When Pals first appeared, the liquor industry barely noticed. “None of it made sense,” says Kane Stanford, ...
This week on Their house, my garden, we meet a very different sort of gardener.Some people might say that the best thing about artists is that they make the world more beautiful and you can put their work on your wall to make your home look cool. I think ...
29 November 2023 Waiheke Local Board today unanimously passed a motion demanding an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Palestine. The board also agreed to fly the Palestine flag from their Local Board building for one month, starting from today ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Chris Bowen, Minister for Climate Change and Energy, next week heads to COP28 in Dubai, leading the Australian delegation. He joins the podcast to talk about the meeting, which he hopes will be easier than ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has welcomed the extra day added to the halt in fighting, and called on all parties and countries with influence to work towards a long-term ceasefire. ...
Cancelled bookings, ‘temporary’ closures, ‘unforeseen circumstances’ and yet no official announcement from anyone linked to the popular Auckland businesses. What’s going on?Two high-profile Auckland eateries linked to a prolific hospitality figure have closed unexpectedly, leaving customers in the dark as to why and for how long. A notice has ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christine Parker, Professor of Law, The University of Melbourne Yuriy Golub/Shutterstock Online platforms are awash with ads for so-called “green” products. Power companies are “carbon neutral”. Electronics are “for the planet”. Clothing is “circular” and travel is “sustainable”. Or are ...
A week ago we launched our PledgeMe campaign to help fund What’s eating Aotearoa, a longform journalism project focused on food and how it shapes this country. We’ve just passed the $33k mark.With PledgeMe it’s all or nothing, and we need to hit our goal of $50,000. If you’ve ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Keith Rankin, trained as an economic historian, is a retired lecturer in Economics and Statistics. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand. Supremacism is a cultural belief that an in-group of humanity is inherently superior to other groups, and that those other groups have lesser human rights ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Matt McDonald, Associate Professor of International Relations, The University of Queensland Day one of the COP28 climate summit saw the first big breakthrough: agreement on a “loss and damage” fund to compensate poor states for the effects of climate change. Met with ...
The Spinoff Podcast Network picked up three gongs at this year’s NZ Podcast Awards. Our politics podcast Gone By Lunchtime won best current affairs podcast for the second year in a row, while This Is Kiwi scored silver in best branded podcast and Business Is Boring placed third in best ...
An appearance at Manurewa Intermediate School on Friday morning proved the cellphone ban in schools had survived coalition talks, with new Prime Minister Christoper Luxon stating the ban would be in place during his first 100 days in office. Polling from Horizon Research shows most New Zealanders appear to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Howard, Senior Lecturer, Discipline of English, University of Sydney Known for his music with The Pogues, and perhaps the most important Irish writer since James Joyce, the venerated and critically acclaimed Shane MacGowan has died in Dublin at the age of ...
Te Whatu Ora’s issued a reminder to the public over vaccine safety, citing “misinformation” being spread by a “health agency staff member”. The health agency’s chief executive, Margie Apa, said the staff member had “no clinical background or expert vaccine knowledge” and what he was claiming was “completely wrong and ...
The following can be attributed to a spokesperson from the Taxpayers’ Union: “Steve Maharey shouldn’t have been allowed to quit. He has refused to front media or explain his Board’s continued apparent confidence in Pharmac’s CEO, despite her obvious ...
Pharmac’s chair has resigned, five years after joining the board of the health agency. Steve Maharey is a former Labour Party minister and came under fire earlier this year after writing a number of columns that came close to breaching the required political neutrality guidelines for public service board members. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adam Piovarchy, Research Associate, Institute for Ethics and Society, University of Notre Dame Australia It seems like we have free will. Most of the time, we are the ones who choose what we eat, how we tie our shoelaces and what articles ...
A new poem by multimedia artist and writer Kate Aschoff. crude public behavior I know I could be Paris Hilton’s new BFF / In the Summer mosquitoes find me delicious / Even though I am tall and a team player and have “swimmers shoulders” / Saturday Netball is my least ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1Prophet Song by Paul Lynch (Bloomsbury, $37) The Irish novel that just won the 2023 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Neale Cohen, Head of Diabetes Clinics, Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute Shutterstock Monitoring the level of glucose (sugar) in your blood is vital if you have diabetes. You get results in real time, which allows you to adjust your medications, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrea Sharam, Senior Lecturer, School of Property, Construction and Project Management, RMIT University A building group based in Eltham, Victoria.Image: Property Collectives High-performance, affordable housing built in existing suburbs should be a big part of the solution to Australia’s housing crisis. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jessica Gildersleeve, Professor of English Literature, University of Southern Queensland NFSA Since 1988, World AIDS Day has been held each year on December 1. This World AIDS Day, we’re reflecting on one of the most important HIV/AIDS documentaries ever produced: ...
Ellen Rykers talks to a Southland couple with ambitious plans to divert construction waste from landfill. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof, brought to you by AMP. Sign up here. As much as 50% of the waste generated in New Zealand comes from construction and demolition, and a ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is calling for Hastings District Councillor Damon Harvey to be reinstated in his committee chair role and the councillors to instead hold a vote of no confidence in the Mayor following revelations that he was stripped of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alistair Woodward, Professor, School of Population Health, University of Auckland Climate change has many effects, but one of the most significant will feature for the first time at COP28 – its impact on human health. Now under way in Dubai, the latest ...
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E tū, the biggest private sector union in Aotearoa New Zealand, is shocked to learn that the National Party’s coalition agreement with ACT would see planned tax breaks for landlords brought forward, costing at least $900 million according to analysis ...
RNZ political reporter Katie Scotcher, Newhub's political editor Jenna Lynch, and the New Zealand Herald's deputy political editor, Thomas Coughlan discuss the coalition government's first week in charge. ...
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Pacific Media Watch Journalists and media workers have criticised comments made by Aotearoa New Zealand’s newly-elected Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters — who claimed that a 2020 Labour government media funding initiative constituted “bribery” — as a threat to media freedom. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) reports that it ...
ANALYSIS:By Tristan Dunning, University of Queensland, and Martin Kear, University of Sydney While the world remains fixated on the devastating October 7 Hamas attacks and the subsequent Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip, there has been a pronounced — and mostly unnoticed — escalation in violence against Palestinians in ...
ANALYSIS:By Terence Wood In the wake of New Zealand’s recent election, and subsequent coalition negotiations, Winston Peters has emerged as New Zealand’s Foreign Minister again. I’ve never been able to adequately explain why a populist politician leading a party called New Zealand First would have an interest in a ...
NZME, the owners of the Herald, has been fined close to $200,000 after a “magnetic puzzle toy” sold through its Grabone service was deemed to be unsafe. The fine is an increase on the $88,000 penalty previous imposed by the court after the Commerce Commission appealed the decision. In a ...
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Bishop Tamaki, the nuts…. Nut . Would be totally laughable..if it weren't for the faith his nutty followers have . Maybe sad? (albeit in a worrying way : (
lol
https://twitter.com/GideyDexter/status/1562016886916665345
The umbrella is too big for the small tent, obviously.
Oh Nice ! The loon Infighting begins : ) And Umbrella….no Res Evil memes yet ?
To isolate the Far Right, It is my opinion to silence the voices of the far right, who make a play of the failings of the Left to take on the wealthy and privileged to protect the wealthy and privileged, our Labour government need to start acting more like the Michael Savage socialist administration than like the David Lange neo-liberal administration.
One of the best summations of the motives and tactics of the far right that I have ever read was posted on facebook yesterday by Henry G Laws of Antifa Aotearoa
'
Kids in Cars
TVNZ breakfast: @1:18:10 minutes
Why doesn't the PM call Luxon's bluff and end homelessness? Why won't the government take action by freeing up the 40,000 empty homes locked up by property investors and speculators just in Auckland alone.
Let's isolate the Right.
If the Prime Minister called Luxon's bluff. The Right would be exposed as hypocrites. As the leader of New Zealand's biggest right wing political party, Christopher Luxon would be among the first ranks of right wingers to scream bloody blue murder about the property rights of wealthy privileged owners of multiple houses
Why won't the PM call Luxon's bluff?
Is the PM in agreement with Luxon about protecting capital gains profits of fortunate property speculators, than protecting the health and welfare of unfortunate homeless children?
Our Labour government need to start acting more like the Michael Savage socialist administration than like the David Lange neo-liberal administration.
Fine the owners of empty houses till they either sell them, rent them, or live in them.
Somehow Christ Trotter makes Labour kicking Dr Sharma out to be about suppression of all ideological difference between National and Labour:
Bowalley Road: Politics Barren Of Principle.
"…allowing factions to form within parties, or, worse still, encouraging genuine ideological differences to develop between parties, would only result in such factions being replicated in the general population. And a general population engaged in genuine debate between factions and/or parties capable of making a real difference to the direction of economic and social policy would place the whole, over-arching ideological infrastructure of neoliberalism in the gravest peril."
Hmm.
– Re-nationalisation of all NZ health. Not National.
– Largest-ever NZ expenditure on infrastructure. Not National
– Nationalisation of all trades and non-university training. Not National
– Full re-regulation of drinking water and water price. Not National.
– Comprehensive climate mitigation plan. Not National.
– Largest increases in welfare and subsidies in several decades.Not National.
– Deep partnership with Maori over water, stripping it from local government. Not National.
– Over $20b in wage subsidies enabling year on year 3% headline unemployment. Not National.
– Buyback of Kiwibank into direct Crown control. Not National.
– Supported NZSuperFund to get to $58 billion. Not National.
– New public holiday respecting Maori tikanga. Not National.
– Massively brought prison numbers down and dumped the 3 Strikes law. Not National.
Irrespective of actual policy delivery, there's plenty of ideological difference between Labour and National.
– Comprehensive climate mitigation plan. Not Labour.
Your purity contest is irrelevant.
Government climate-change work programme | Ministry for the Environment
How to write a Chris Trotter op-ed:
<straw man, preferably involving much demonstration of your ability to be to popular history what James Burke was to popular science>
<tut tut at the general decline of modern NZ>
<tenuously link the above to>
<fret about the rise of Maori/condemn something he doesn't like as culture war on the shy Tory majority and express a wish that Annie Crummer was still Queen of the charts>
<Mention life was better in Dunedin in 1981>
<Darkly suggest that the reactionary Pakeha Lumpenproletariat is simmering, ready to explode at the touch paper of said Maori/culture war rise at their expense>
<blame the Greens/Labour/Auckland liberals/deep state>
<end on a lamentation of despair>
lol….so true : )
< use big archaic words and concepts to show (off) intellectual rigor and prowess >
Brilliant
Can you please amend to work in his obsession with the fall of unions (which to be fair he is absolutely right about) and his inability to come to terms with the rise of the Green movement
Spot on – but don't forget a little whinge about how they don't invite him to sing "Solidarity Forever" at Labour Party conferences any more!
Or his cringeworthy "the Red Flag" ….shudder…..
You and I have obviously been in the same places at the same times!
Yea…I've never got that? Anyone know the sad….(and I mean Chris Trotter SAD : ) reason ?
+100
Forgot:
Add obscure Greek historical analogy to scold us on the loss of British intellectual perfection heritage
We should make this a guest post!
I used to admire his grasp of the English language and his ability to use words to produce a vibrant picture until it dawned on me that much of what he actually said didn't make a lot of sense.
lol. That might have been a verbal Emperors clothes moment ?
You can delete that mental image if like : )
Apart from all that, his renditions of "the Red Flag"…..uurgh
Much as I admired him as a person, to be honest I used to sometimes think the same about David Lange. 😮
Yea…I sadly lost my respect for David Lange, and I had a huge amount.. "smell the uranium on your breath" etc…so also a huge loss of same for me.
He just…surrendered to the actoids Douglas, Prebble etc…
His once great mind….focused on "other stuff". Sad..but shit for most of NZ !
Anne I thought It would be ok I would reply here…to your comment in …
https://thestandard.org.nz/who-will-be-wellingtons-next-mayor/#comment-1907477
I rate The Spinoff very highly…and there are def some other Journos keen (brave? ) enough to expose the dangerous.
Have to say ..I hadnt heard of.. Amy Benjamin ex AUT Law professor ? Hmm. What think you ?
Yes – that's it. The yoking together of two unrelated things to support some pre-existing disposition or thought.
But personally, I'm more upset when he publishes his own bad verse. It's a temptation that has to be resisted, and most likely a sign of decline when you don't.
It's amusing watching you all turn and attack one of your own if he dares to criticize the current government.. Trotter is hardly a hard right winger.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Trotter
Chester Borrows.
/
It's called discourse you moron.
Precisely what Trotter seeks.
I love how Jimmy provides a Wikipedia link! Thanks, we could never have remembered a guy who's been doing political commentary non-stop since Seddon was PM.
I got told off by a moderator once for not providing a link…………..sigh….it's hard to please everyone.
No harm in a link. Not everyone is a political nerd. 🙂
Keep the Mods happy (i.e. quiet) and you’ll do well here 😉
Unlike Luxon who is, Jimmy.
Very interesting and scary that Luxon is willing to govern with the help of Tamaki's new Freedoms Party. (see Observer below)
Well, have you read the comments sections on the TDB lately? it is pretty clear what sort of audience that site attracts these days. Mostly toxic people attracted onto the last train to Loserville. Bradbury and Trotter certainly imagine themselves as left wing – they constantly appropriate the rhetoric of the left and instantly and repetitively parade their credentials to anyone unfortunate enough to sit next to them on the bus – but ideologically they long ago set sail with the populist right. They spend their whole time obsessed with culture wars whilst clothing their repetitive, self righteous, and pompous dirges in the language of class. I find it particularly irksome and very wearisome that Bradbury's in particular is a one trick pony whose main shtick is to associate anyone who has achieved anything with a Trumpian monolithic "elite" and rail against them. They deserve all the mocking they get.
Hear hear.
Their output is drivel. Transparent to me. Unfortunately people still send me their opinions as if they have any weight at all.
I think the only time I comment is when they have posted the same boring crap for 3 days in a row.
Yep I can't understand the guests they invite onto their social media shows …
"Nationalisation" refers to bringing privately-owned assets into public ownership. The DHBs and polytechnics weren't private, so what Labour was doing there was Centralisation, not Nationalisation. It is quite an important distinction (the last genuine Nationalisation being Kiwirail at the end of the Clark Government. This lot wouldn't know Nationalisation if the ghost of Clement Attlee wafted into the Beehive and started whacking them with a stick).
Do you really want to promote the first item as something to be applauded?
When you say "Re-nationalisation of all NZ health. Not National." do you mean that that is a good thing? If so are you seriously proposing that having the waiting lists for surgery in the BOP double in a year is a good thing and that the Government is to be applauded?
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/bay-of-plenty-times/news/bay-of-plenty-surgery-waiting-list-doubles-in-a-year-at-tauranga-and-whakatane-hospitals/KIVCH32WLVCHN34S2SD6NUXYTQ/
What would you regard as being a "bad thing"?
On Morning Report, Luxon is asked repeatedly if he will rule out any kind of National deal with the Brian Tamaki blackshirts.
He doesn't.
This from a man who in his maiden speech defended his faith by citing William Wilberforce, Kate Sheppard and Martin Luther King. He's not being asked to take a courageous stand and change history, he's being asked to do the most obvious, simple, decent thing, at no political cost – and it's too much for him.
Well…certainly an Interesting mix ! It was probably a Google Recommend… or maybe a Readers Digest recommend for ex CEO's entering Politics..who want to "appear" to be honourable.
Oh, and like the Brian Tamaki blackshirts. Apt !
Luxon/National wants votes, whatever it costs, and donations, whatever it takes.
Sure, but this doesn't gain him any votes. I doubt the big donors want to hear that waffle either.
It makes no political sense whatsoever. Key and Bridges made a calculation on Peters, and it was at least debatable whether it was the right one. NZF were in the mix. Whereas Tamaki has zero chance, and if Luxon doesn't grasp that then his political judgement is woeful.
Big donors to National, you mean? Why would they care? They support National.
National wants votes from Tamaki disciples and affiliates, that’s not vote-sharing let alone making a political deal to form a government.
0.16%.
He does headlines because he can't get votes. 1000 is a lot of marchers, it's nothing in the ballot box.
Tamaki has been clever here. I have been saying to friends for months that if someone sets up a party with "freedom" in the title it will pull votes in.
The Tamaki “Freedoms Party” could well get close to 5%.
I predict Luxon will never rule out working with them-which may mean they get even more votes.
No offence, but you're dreaming.
Last night, only hours after Tamaki made his announcement, Sue Grey was attacking him on social media. A "freedoms/populist/right wing" party could indeed get up towards 5%, but a Tamaki party is a dead brand. They are two totally different things.
Yep apparently Brian's been big-noting himself without consulting with the rest of them. He's announced prematurely and there's a bit of a mess:
https://twitter.com/ijakk2/status/1562020311314284545
Well this is all looking great : ) And seriously how could any reasonable Person… not lament the demise of the "various values" I mean cmon…it wuz Waikato Draught !.
Waikato draught? That's the craft beer drinkers vote gone. Tamaki is in the hands of the corporate beer barons!
Or does he have a sense of humour? You can't see the twinkle in his eyes behind the dark glasses……..
lol. But I do think Bish Bri is pretty much a nonlol person. And behind the dark glasses….to actually look into his eyes..might be disquieting. Or not : )
(to DBB)
Exactly. Nobody knows who the other parties' leaders are, whereas 99% of NZ knows Pope Brian.
His ego means he gets all the media coverage, and that kills their chances.
Splitter! Capitalist-roader! Trotskyite!
But for the language and symbols we might want to watch out for, see:
Microsoft Word – Facebook Report 2 27Mar MWJER.docx (radicalrightanalysis.com)
Observer-yes given other posts today I think I am probably wrong here re Tamaki.
Though the point still holds that a non-Tamaki party/umbrella group of parties with "freedom" in the name could well poll 5% and it appears that Luxon is willing to govern with the help of these weirdos.
The 'eftpostle' appears to be suffering from from premature exaltation – he should see a doctor about that.
lol…well he did reach out to a Dr.
Rise up..Dr Sharma drama !
Sharma?
(snap@PsyclingLeftAlways).
' premature exaltation' – doesn’t that precede the Second Coming?
Pretty sure it’s preceded by the resurrection…
This calls for immediate and urgent immaculate contraception …
Just waiting for Tamaki to jump the gun and announce National will be joining his party umbrella now. He can just wait a week or two (so as not to annoy everybody) and then say how Chris likes the freedom he stands for (from the podium on Parliament steps) and then its a done deal (with nothing formal involved of course). And voila, Tamaki now leading National.
Under no shit, Sherlock….
https://twitter.com/mjs_DC/status/1562093978488639489
https://www.revolt.tv/article/2022-08-17/186845/abortion-ban-may-force-louisiana-woman-to-deliver-headless-baby/
Those disparate all-fit-in-an-old-back-country-dunny tragics will all end up knifing each other well before any vote is held. The major problem is that the parties all contain more individuals who think that it is they who should be leading the the whole deluded mess
Freedom to Tithe to Brian is hardy a vote catcher,
Not sure of the accuracy but it seems that Trump cannot find an attorney to state his case re the FBI raid on his house, so he is prosecuting it himself. If so, that would be weird.
There is no limit to the Weird World of Trump ! Be interesting to see how far this goes…
https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/australia/300669330/absolutely-devastating-australian-woman-sues-psychiatrist-over-gender-transition
Sydney woman is suing her psychiatrist for allowing her to fully transition. She has lot her breast s and her womb.
we have been saying this stuff for months/years. Only to be shut down, cancelled, called transphobes, bigots.
Good. There are articles floating about how 'not affirming' children in OZ can result in criminal persecution, children being uplifted, leaving the state might be considered a criminal act, etc etc etc.
trigger warning: this is a religious publication – from a few days ago
https://decisionmagazine.com/australian-parents-fearful-of-prosecution-under-victorias-new-transgender-law/
this is the link leading to the government rule changes :
https://content.legislation.vic.gov.au/sites/default/files/2022-02/21-3aa001%20authorised.pdf
and here from the Human Rights Law Alliance – no idea where they would self ID on the right / left spectrum – from 2021
https://www.hrla.org.au/not-affirming-transgender-children-is-family-violence-in-victoria
here from a few days ago, the Daily Fail
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11101415/Parents-counsellors-face-prosecution-gender-transition-children-suppression-law.html
under these circumstances yes, every single time they should sue, and they should start with government.
Thanks Sabine……the left have really dropped the ball on this, with the exception of Gender Critical feminists who have been smeared as transphobic bigots rather than whistle blowers.
I read an article last night by Graham Adams wondering if the MofH in NZ could be suied because of the advice it gives on Puberty Blockers as being fully reversible. Very different from what the UK are saying now. Chop chop Andrew Little and Ayesha Verrall. better get on with sorting this out or we could be facing legal action losing valuable tax dollars because you both had been sucked in by gender ideology, seeminly having lost any ability to think critically. But of course if people do sue the M of H. Little and Verral will likely be long gone.
The Great fraud of Europe exposed as butterflies and rainbows are cancelled
https://twitter.com/JavierBlas/status/1562019059570556929?cxt=HHwWgoC-oeGDtK0rAAAA
https://twitter.com/OilSheppard/status/1562174397506535424?cxt=HHwWgICyic_V-q0rAAAA
As the Belgian PM said yesterday The next “5 to 10 winters will be difficult” for Europe,as business model (based on cheap Russian gas) falls apart and interest rates start to explore 1970's levels.
An excellent article in the Guardian by Morgan Godfery:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/aug/23/new-zealands-latest-freedom-protest-is-a-sad-farce-staged-by-a-doomed-cause
Thanks, Anne – a good read.
"In his sermon to protesters in Wellington on Tuesday he suggested the government was responsible for cancelling ferry trips from Picton to prevent people attending the rally. This is obviously untrue."
Shades (heh!) of Winston Peters claiming the grounding of the ferry in QC Sound.
"Never lie!" I was told in a political briefing. "You will be found out!"
Rightly bashing National for their benefit sanction proposal, the Labour government could well look at the fairness of their own policy:
https://www.renews.co.nz/nz-government-sanctions-sick-jobseekers-for-failing-to-prepare-for-work/
Making Kiwibank stronger and meaningful.
At the moment schools receive their government funding and put it into Aussie banks.
What say schools were required to put all of there operational accounts through Kiwibank. (They can leave their fundraiser/PTA profits in the Aussie banks).
And then why stop at schools. Mmmm hospitals, police, councils – progressively move them all across.
Just saying.
My google search for 'nz school bank account choices' indicated schools have discretion of who to bank with.
Unless Kiwibank is offering a particularly low fee package is it really helping schools to limit their choice? If it is a low fee package, well the profit rate on a customer who doesn't use credit facilities will be low anyway.
I understand schools raise loans all the time for projects.
And why give any profits to an Aussie bank when Kiwibank would benefit
anyway.
1) This may not be net profitable for Kiwibank. Banks sometimes offer such deposit accounts as loss leaders anyway. Are Kiwibank going to be required to undercut something which is already a loss leader?
2) I don't think we need to be operating public schools in ways which are obtaining economic policy benefits. What are the public education benefits of this policy?
I think the government (and IRD) should shift their banking to Kiwi bank. Why do they use Westpac?
There is a govt contract with Westpac. This could be changed after that gets re-tendered.
Under the contract the govt (and IRD) accounts are kept strictly separate to Westpac account (at the RBNZ). Westpac operates the infrastructure around that so providing the banking services (credit and debit cards, bank accounts) needed to facilitate the public service being able to make payments. Since the public service tends to operate in surplus this activity is not very profitable for Westpac and probably most of the profit is due to direct payments agreed under the govt banking contract.
The contract was originally awarded to Westpac because they had a strong ability to provide this payment infrastructure to the scale required by the public service. Kiwibank may be up to scratch there now, it didn't even exist when the first such contract was tendered.
Thanks for that.
According to Kiwibank today, the New Zealand housing shortage will disappear inside 12 months, and there will be a 13% average house price fall.
Kiwibank says NZ housing shortage to 'disappear' over next 12 months | interest.co.nz
If this really happens in time for the election, what Labour can reasonably claim is their success will be closely scrutinised. And will be something of a policy miracle.
IMHO Seymour is a prick!
Just watched the welcome for the new Speaker-elect. He (Seymour) couldn't resist a dig at the outgoing speaker – quite inappropriately so!
I note also that the new speaker closed down Sharma when he strayed way off topic – cries of bullying in the wings??
Seymour certainly likes the sound of his own voice, what a plonker
Here's an amazing and amusing bit of footage as MAGA munter Laura Loomer (who lost today, yay) tries to yell over the house but is drowned out by Republican politician (and auctioneer) Bill Long.
You'd think it's dubbed till you see him doing it.
https://twitter.com/DonLew87/status/1562232522238529536
Desperate to be noticed.
https://twitter.com/patriottakes/status/1555222030634496000
At least after sleeping on it she's taking her defeat a bit better
https://twitter.com/Spawn_03/status/1562558832211275776