The Green Party candidate list reveals the membership is happy with its current MPs and that a small group of left-wing party members did not have much influence.
The "small group" need to now be expelled from the Green party – their disruption was clearly designed to damage their own party and as such they fail the most basic tests for party discipline. Their should be consequences for that and expulsion is the most obvious.
Labour need to do a deal to give Chloe Swarbrick a clear run at Auckland Central. A victory for the Greens there would give them a lifeboat, and the Labour + Green vote would have a great chance of turfing out the National Party's deputy leader.
Why Nelson? Just do the simple arithmetic of adding up the leftish party votes and rightish party votes to see if there's any chance at all of making a deal work. Not a chance of making it happen in Nelson.
It will be tough enough getting a few Green voters to vote strategically to turf out Smith, let alone trying to get almost all Labour voters to vote for the Green candidate.
It will be tough enough getting a few Green voters to vote strategically to turf out Smith
Not necessarily. Last year the Greens received a large donation on the condition they used it to try and unseat dr. custard (aka nick smith). This year it will be different, there will be strategic voting. The Nelson race will be close, but I'm predicting nick will lose his seat this time to Labour, if only by a slim margin. Looking forward to it 🙂
I read the other day after his candidature was announced, the new geologist candidate (name forgotten), state he was focussing on the party vote in Nelson.
Yeah. Last time Boyack plus Lawrey was around 22k votes, vs 17k for the Nat candidate (what was his name?). So it wouldn't take much strategic voting to install a Labour candidate into that seat. Plus, haven't there been boundary changes that should be favourable to Labour?
Yes, the boundary change, good point. Nelson electorate has lost Brightwater (Dr custard's old stomping ground). Brightwater has now moved to the West Coast-Tasman electorate, and that will make a difference.
That is a good thing. But getting back to the topic of electorates, is that likely to pull in more Green voters or Labour or NZF voters into the electorate.
Brightwater is a blue town, with a bit of red. I'm guessing nick will lose out on up to 1,000 votes with the boundary change. Enough to make a difference on the night.
At a guess those blue person votes from Brightwater will be split between maureen pugh and Damien. Damien has quite a bit of respect from national party voters, it's not uncommon in West Coast-Tasman for national voters to vote Labour for the person (Damien).
I'd be really surprised if NZ 1st stood a strong candidate in Nelson or the WC-Tasman seat, they haven't in the past.
It will be a straight out red v's blue for Nelson re the person vote. With a strong Green party vote.
Brightwater is a blue town, with a bit of red. I'm guessing nick will lose out on up to 1,000 votes with the boundary change. Enough to make a difference on the night.
I've had a quick look & I'd say losing Brightwater will shave off less than 400 from Smithy's majority. Would only make a difference in an extremely tight race.
[That’s the Candidate Vote margin … in terms of the Party Vote profile – the Nats take 50%., while the Govt Bloc Parties as a whole take 45% … so i would have to say a relatively Pale Blue sort of a town]
Why Auckland Central? The combined Labour and Green party votes weren't much more than the Nat vote. Trying to divert Labour voters to Swarbrick is more likely to split the vote and let Kaye win again. Anyways, better to turf her out cleanly without any hint of dodgy deals.
Whereas Wellington Central and Dunedin North have a combined Labour and Green party vote nearly double the Nat party vote.
Ok. In 2017 the party votes in Auckland Central were: Nat 11773, Lab 11340, Green 4170, TOP 944, Winston1st 1165. (Note that Kaye's personal vote was 13198; she picked up a lot of non-Nat personal support)
Let's make the heroic assumptions that 10% of the Nat party vote swings to Labour (20% swing to Labour), that 1/2 of Labour voters will "take orders", the Green and NZ1st vote share holds, all TOP goes to Labour, half NZ1st goes to the Labour candidate.
For party votes that will be 10600 ish to Nat, 13500ish to Labour, 4200ish Greens plus rats and mice.
Divvy those up among the candidates as wildly optimistically fantasised above, and Kaye gets 11000 ish votes (Nat plus ACT, no NZ1st vote, no personal loyalty vote to Kaye), Greens candidate 10900ish votes, Labour candidate gets 7000ish.
Whereas, assume a small swing to Labour and that a decent chunk of Greens party voters use their heads and vote for the Labour candidate, then Kaye is solidly a list MP rather than an electorate MP. Which would do wonders for her cred as deputy leader.
Yes. But an electorate deal to persuade Labour party voters to strategically vote for a Greens candidate to give the Greens party a lifeboat is more likely to be successful where there is already a very strong Greens party vote, and an overwhelming Labour plus Greens dominance over the Nats.
Those conditions are not met in Auckland Central or Nelson, but they are met in Wellington Central and Dunedin North.
Replace Shaw, Sage and Swarbrick, and the Greens would no longer be green. And would then travel the route of other "activist left" parties such as Alliance, Mana etc.
Of those on the Green list only Eugenie Sage is ranked in the top 10 with any "Green" credentials. Not sure how you include the other 2 when it is not even important enough to include in the bio any. Not a mention of anything "Green" in Chloe Swarbrick's background !!! So who in the party is concerned with environment ?? Perhaps those who have left ??
Labour need to do a deal to give Chloe Swarbrick a clear run at Auckland Central.
You must be joking. Trying to herd voters simply doesn’t work unless there is a already a 3 way split because a small minority will either heed the advice or decide to do it themselves. The Green vote in Auckland Central was ~2.3k odd last time. Labour was ~11.5. National was ~13k.
The Labour candidate is White who got that vote – who will have been doing the electorate work and face-to-face since becoming a MP off the list – which is essentially how you win electorate seats. I hadn’t noticed Swarbrick around much. That is a problem when dealing with a electorate seat. Kaye has been maintaining her usual level of work in the electorate. But it hasn’t been anything to write home about.
Basically you’re must be dreaming. Usually the maximum number of people shifting will be a few thousand at best unless there is a pretty piss-poor candidate. All a ‘deal’ in Auckland central will do is to increase Kayes majority. There is a good chance that a swing to Labour generally will flip that seat anyway.
The probability of neither Labour nor the Greens winning the seat will rise massively in the event of the type of deal you’re looking for. The Green vote would go up to something like 3.5-4.5k – well short of majority. It will consist almost entirely of Green split voters who party voted Green last time and electorate voted Labour.
You need to look at electorates that have a 3 way split. Offhand, I don’t know of an electorate. Even Nelson isn’t good for a Green electorate seat: Smith ~16.7k, Boyack (candidate again) ~12.4k, and Lawrey trailing well way behind at 9.7k. The Green party vote was only ~3.1k so it is likely that the split voting was pretty intense.
Is the Chinese government a client of Exceltium PR? I only ask because I want to know if Matthew Hooton, the $2 dollar store Dominic Cummings to the watered down ScoMo, is getting paid by China to tell Toddy what to do.
Brownlee's mascot could be Rolling Rosa. Rosa features an innovative self-righting design that allows …. to track Rosa's face as she spins, always landing with her smile facing up.
It would be educational for Muller plus with soothing sounds designed 'to stimulate auditory development'.
People go on about Labour and the Greens being killjoy wowsers, but you have Paulo Garcia, who think sex should only be for making babies, and having any pleasure from it is verboten.
And how many creationists are in there? No wonder there was such a huge support for charter schools, it was all about giving young NZers are creationist diet and purging any mention of Darwin from large parts of the education system, along with the perodic table, etc.
Jacinda was live. giving an interview when the quake struck, she remained positive, up-beat, unrattled and calm. She was awesome and impressive.
After which mark richardson had a crack at her, because she wasn't scared and she kept it together.
Now the herald are reporting nats at the beehive scrambled and hid under a table.
Everyone behaves differently during a crisis, some keep it together and re-assure others and some hide under a table. Earthquake responses this morning by our politicians spoke volumes.
To be fair Cinny, if the roles were reversed you would be having a go at the Nats for not following Civil Defence guidelines with respect to earthquakes.
Muller just interviewed by Kathryn Ryan…considerably better than Bridges but nothing to write home about….he will need to improve to make inroads…the same old attack lines and no substance
I felt similarly, but view it as natural caution. Can't go wrong adhering to the established party line. If that rumour is correct (that he only won by a single vote) then he will be aware that he has to win support for any new National plan before sketching that in public.
His main theme seemed to be “trust us we’re National”. That and bagging Cabinet Ministers under Ardern. Kaye was banging on along the same lines so definitely a pre-organised attack line. I suppose we should be pleased they’ve finally figured out that belittling the PM isn’t going to wash.
I listened to that broadcast as well Pat. At just after 9am, Kathryn Ryan asked a basic question re when did Muller first consider challenging the Natz leadership. It took her three attempts to get some sort of a response from him, even then Ryan caught him out in a lie. To me Muller seemed to be more interested in promoting himself than answering questions.
At this rate, Jacinda should have a field day during the election leaders' debates.
"It is a very different picture to that memorable North & South front page of just over three years ago. Half of the high ranking candidates on the cover are gone. The magazine itself is gone, too." John Hart, the farmer, gone. Alienated by leftists, I bet.
Hayley Holt, gone. I was sorry to see a brief media report recently that she'd lost her baby – had wondered at her disappearance from the TVNZ breakfast show – so wish her a speedy bounce back from that trauma.
"Perhaps more of a time warp, however, is the cover line: “Is the once ‘loony left’ ready to rule (and should we be afraid)?” For plenty of Greens – voters, members, and even some in caucus – the question is have they been loony, or at least loud, enough?"
"The Greens: we are the only ones that can achieve a true transformative tilt." Yeah, valid for the party as a whole but not for our parliamentarians, who continue to shirk that task.
Just read on 3news website the government has announced a $500pw tax free payment, for 12 weeks, for those laid off between March and October. Comes in 8th June and not backdated, and you have to be looking for work or training.
The wage subsidy should have shown clearly that the unemployment benefits for anyone on unemployement – not just hte current and growing expected wave of jobless – should get at the very minimum 585 $ (before tax 🙂 ) every week to maintain a semblance of normal life, i.e. pay rent, groceries and electricity.
Agree. Would have applauded any government that rebuilt from a solid base – from the ground up, rather attempting to provide support from the middle upwards. Doesn't look like I'll be clapping anytime soon.
The $490 for certain Covid related unemployed is useful of course, but has just put off the day of reckoning for Labour with the institutional neo liberalism of WINZ/MSD. Those Depts are punishment mazes and the Govt. knows it. Newbies do not cope well, or necessarily get the miserly assistance they seek.
Two tier unemployment payments, Covid and “Jobseeker” reinforce the “deserving/undeserving” tenet of state payments beloved of monetarist theory.
Some employers refused to apply for the subsidy, instead they gave their employee's two weeks notice of their intention to use their employees annual leave for their wages over lock down. Some of those employee's may have or did have very little accrued leave and they suffered over lock-down as a result.
Upon return to work, those employee's were told they were no longer tenable.
This is good news for them, as it was to no fault of those employee's that their employers decided against taking the subsidy.
And yes, benefits need to be increased. Living wage please and thank you.
AFAIK, the annual leave could only be used WITH the agreement of the employee. (My partner spent much of his first couple of weeks at home dealing with this issue, while working with the business owner in trying to maintain full pay for all the staff.) Those that agreed took annual leave in the final week of lockdown.
Yes they do need to streamline the WINZ//MSD . But look at the politics of it. The three months will be up for extension shortly before the election. Would Nact extend if they won – takes the election battleground to social welfare and gets its off tax increases for the wealthy.
I think this is a good small step towards a better social security system. I'd love this to be bigger and bolder, but it's still more than nothing.
I also think this is very politically astute – start with a step that should be uncontroversial, extend later, go into the election with a bigger policy piece, win the election, and by the time National see the front bench again, it's the new normal.
Hosking: "The key here is, is there a magic? The X-factor? Is there something that transforms him from just another decent person who aspires to lead their party, and therefore their country, into a person who actually attracts votes, turns tides, explains things in a way people get? Is he something or someone that has that magnetic factor that marks you out as different from the rest?"
Then fails to provides any answers. He would no doubt claim that the media does shallow, only, and answers go too deep. But then he does have a go at profound:
I googled "Greens candidate profiles 2020" to see if the GP had performed the elementary political requirement of allowing those interested to get to know those candidates better.
No. No such link to the GP website exists as yet. So the clueless dork syndrome remains in control. Look on the bright side: they have four months to get their act together.
The good news is I've read those profiles and they are available to members – and some of those people would make exceptional parliamentarians. Please don't hide them!
And only Eugenie Sage (ranked 6th) from the current crop background containing anything substantial regarding the environment. No wonder Gaia is screwed.
I wouldn't go that far. If you read Lovelock's books you get a good sense of how resilient Gaia is – as a supersystem. That said, we have dislocated the Holocene, and that was the basis of the economy. Agriculture.
Now that the supersystem is in transition from that stable state to another as yet unknown, we call the interim Antropocene. We will all live & die in that one. Comprehension of this relation between economy and ecology is non-existent – I never encountered anyone in the Green movement who even thought about it. Statism has everyone in a death-grip. Thus we still await an alternative to neoliberalism 30 years after it was obviously dead in the water!
That the members of the GP persist in denial of this fundamental reality is due to human nature: gnosis is too hard, culture is trivial, we must therefore be trite, etc.
The way our PM keeps literally smiling and communicating through a 5.8 magnitude earthquake is a symbol of her capacity to deal with crises, period. https://t.co/uDLoDcAucH
Fairfax papers in Australia are suggesting the Federal government over there may allow travel between NZ and individual states, NSW and Victoria while borders between other states remain closed.
That's weird. Aren't victoria & NSW still battling outbreaks whereas NT & Wa are pretty much clean? Is NZ being used by slomo to shore up his political standing?
Probably more likely an effort by the federal government to get the state Labor government’s in WA and Qld to move on opening their borders to interstate travel. At any rate tv news in Australia is reporting Ardern’s comments here this morning saying that NZ was unlikely to open the border unless all of Australia was available for non-quarantined travel for NZers.
"MacDonald is a family man with two daughters, and has lived in the electorate for five years. His background is not that of a traditional Green candidate. He's been a psychotherapist for two decades, helping people with mental health issues and addiction through their troubles with talk therapy."
"MacDonald gained a spot on radio's 'Nutter's Club' show, which has him talking to callers on-air about their problems. The show, started by comedian-turned-advocate Mike King, has a strong following of dedicated listeners. Between 60,000 and 80,000 tune in, which is the largest radio audience for the 11pm to 1am weekend timeslot, MacDonald says."
"MacDonald also wrote a regular column about mental health and drugs, which ended three weeks ago when he announced his candidacy." At #14 on the list, a significant rebound will be required to get him in.
Good discussion on Novara with James Meadway on how to manage the increased government debt racked up during the COVID-19 crisis. I was getting alarmed to hear Bridges, shortly before his replacement, describe the debt as "$80k per household", and more recently Nikki Kaye claiming that young people were concerned at the thought of having to pay the debt back in future through increased taxes.
It seems that National not only poses a threat to public health by wanting to prematurely open borders, but also poses a threat to the economy because of ingrained tendencies towards austerity.
Stuff have been sold by nine. Be very interesting to see if they are going to try to be genuinely NZ or whether this is a front for a wealthy individuals. Hoping for the former, be wise for the government to now bung them a relief package ., heck I'd subscribe again if they stopped being a Nact mouthpiece
Those busting at the seams airports have come back to bite them on the arse.
Trump botched Oval address announcing Europe travel restrictions, leading many US citizens to believe they were about to be locked out of country. Air travel surged – from 30K on 3/11 to 45K on 3/12. Many carried infection, reentered country w/ no medical checks.
Siebert arrived at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago three days later as the new U.S. restrictions — including mandatory medical screenings — went into effect. He encountered crowds of people packed in tight corridors, stood in lines in which he snaked past other travelers for nearly five hours and tried to direct any cough or sneeze into his sleeve.
When he finally reached the coronavirus checkpoint near baggage pickup, Siebert reported his prior symptoms and described his exposure in Spain. But the screeners waved him through with a cursory temperature check. He was given instructions to self-isolate that struck him as absurd given the conditions he had just encountered at the airport.
“I can guarantee you that people were infected” in that transatlantic gantlet, said Siebert, who tested positive for the virus two days later in Chicago. “It was people passing through a pinhole.”
Jack Tame had him over a barrel when he asked the question about there being no-one of Maori descent in his Shadow Cabinet. He didn't see it coming and tried to cover up by extolling the virtues of Shane Reti who comes in at 16 on the list.
How astounding that he didn't even consider how it would look having only pale, stale Pakehas in his line-up.
Q & A interview? Yeah, that was painful. Todd, toast.
As I said on Friday, Muller did well in his first round of interviews on Day 1, but now we've got past the soft "introduce yourself" and moved on to "what are your policies?".
His policy platform appears to be "saying Amy Adams a lot".
Yes. Watching the whole of Todd;s responses to Jack's questioning and it was worse even than earlier speeches. I know I am biased but truly I was expecting Todd to be able telling us that since the Government is failing, he could offer a light on how he would rescue the Small Business owners. He could only repeatedly tell us how wonderful Amy Adams is but no specifics – at all. Jack tried but it was a no show.
And these folk have been beavering away at this plan for months and should be ready to Wow.
Wish I had of watched it! Have just listened to his interview with Kathryn Ryan this morning and what a bore he is. One of these "we could do it better" with no good evidence for why. And it turns out they don't have a plan. He will begin to sound very boring and arrogant soon……..How long will Amy think it ok to play second fiddle to him and and wait, what! more excitement… Simon's back! Happy days
I guess Todd is obliged to give it a jolly good go but if I was him I'd find it hard not to feel like a caretaker, a guy to wave the flag until Florence Nightengale wanes.
I wonder if Jacinda has positioned us to be global destination darlings.
We haven't found a vaccine for the common cold. We suppress Aids, we're yet to find a vaccine, I'm not holding my breath for the arrival of a Covid-19 job.
Looking at the complexity of mutations to date, looks like a moving target to me.
I think the healing component most likely to become fail-safe first are speedy accurate testing regimes.
If we have none here and we have a speedy 100% accurate test at our borders. It's the 60+ that have big holiday $ to spend. The most Covid threatened.
I think we could easily make it to the top of many dream destination wish-lists around the world. Not kids in a van pooing in our carparks. Those that pay $200 for a personal guided tour of a marae.
Wish I had of watched it! Have just listened to his interview with Kathryn Ryan this morning and what a bore he is. One of these "we could do it better" with no good evidence for why. And it turns out they don't have a plan. He will begin to sound very boring and arrogant soon……..How long will Amy think it ok to play second fiddle to him and and wait, what! more excitement… Simon's back! Happy days
Everyone has nice scenery. We have lots of it but it's not special.
What makes NZ unique is Maori.
I think the rebuild of an elevated $ return per guest tourism industry should revolve around them. With a 60+ punter, they're over being drunk and chasing skirt, they want to taste the culture.
I think it would be a nice way for us of a colonial extraction to say "Thanks for sharing."
Huawei are running utube videos featuring US executives that sing their praises.
As the world slides over to 5G….
The thrust of the argument being put forward by this American Huawei executive was "We are a private company, the Chinese government have nothing whatsoever to do with our business."
A few weeks ago I watched an interview with the American manager of a 3M factory in China. They make masks for their parent company, the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company. 3M, those guys on the board at Wall Street. They were visited and informed "All of your output will stay here in China."
When the largest company in China says "Oh no, we have nothing to do with the CCP.",,,, oxymoron.
hold on carmel sepuloni is reforming the welfare system.After the election,so in the mean time all you unemployed can look on the new unemployed with envy and imagine if the government treated everyone fairly.
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I like Andrew Curry’s succinct and insightful futures blog The Next Wave. His most recent post is about social change. In particular, the decadal-long periods usually required for changes in values. He highlights a 2016 paper by Inglehart and Norris, who examined whether economic insecurity or a “cultural backlash” ...
Story of the Week... Toon of the Week... Coming Soon on SkS... Poster of the Week... SkS Week in Review... Story of the Week... Stop making sense: why it's time to get emotional about climate changeThe science has been settled to the highest degree, so now ...
MONDAY JULY 6Washington (History, Sky 073, 7.30pm). The brilliant Doris Kearns Goodwin is the executive producer of this six-part series about America's first president. It combines interviews with live action and is narrated by Jeff Daniels. It's engaging, said Salon.TUESDAY JULY 7The ABC Murders (Prime, 8.30pm). Sarah Phelps has done incredible things with ...
I think we can all agree that the mainstream media in New Zealand has a very different set of rules for the right wing compared to the left. While Labour and Green Party politicians don’t seem to be able to fart without it becoming a sackable offence, National and Act ...
A chronological listing of news articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, June 28 through Sat, July 4, 2020Editor's Choice'2040': A funny, entertaining, upbeat climate documentaryA timely Australian documentary takes a 'solutions' approach, with the filmmaker inspired by visions of ...
Racist National MP Hamish WalkerEven before Todd Muller's coup ousted Simon Bridges by a single vote, it was patently obvious that the National Party promotes and stands for white privilege. In fact they’ve always worked to ensure the discriminatory status quo in New Zealand doesn’t change.So it’s no surprise that ...
Dave HeatleyZero community transmission. Just a handful of active cases, all in quarantine. New Zealand is in an attractive situation, at least compared to much of the world. The situation could be robust and enduring – or it might be fragile, just one border incursion away from a “second ...
Is the consequence of the Simpson Report proposals for restructuring the health system poorer accountability to people? When in doubt, centralise‘ has been a persistent theme in New Zealand public policy throughout our history. The current government is no exception. Here are some examples. - The regional polytechs have been ...
I wrote earlier in the week about the Scientology front organisations Drug Free World and Drug Free Ambassadors and their quite prominent role in anti-cannabis reform "coalition" assembled by Family First and a newloca branch of the American prohibitionist organisation SAM.It turns out Family First aren't the only ones helping ...
Nik GreenMuch of the public debate about the response to the COVID-19 pandemic has focused on the extent to which government regulations have restricted personal and business activity.Oxford University Blavatnik School of Government Here in New Zealand, the question of when to change Alert Levels dominated the ...
James Higham, University of OtagoUnprecedented border closures and the domestic lockdown have paralysed New Zealand’s $40.9 billion a year tourism industry. In the process, the vulnerability of the sector to external shocks and the tenuous nature of tourism employment have been exposed. While New Zealand’s handling of the pandemic ...
Raising The Bar: Would that the Prime Minister and her colleagues would listen as intently to what the people – as opposed to the power elites – are saying as the Greens. Were they so disposed, the popular clamour for a transformational post-Covid reset would be loud in their ears. ...
Climate Explained is a collaboration between The Conversation, Stuff and the New Zealand Science Media Centre to answer your questions about climate change.If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, please send it to climate.change@stuff.co.nzDo you think the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown will slow or ...
A bit like a letter home. I have now been full-time at the University of Melbourne since 2019. Before that, I was 20 years at the University of Otago, Wellington. Indeed, I set up this very Public Health Expert Blog with Nick Wilson ten years ago. Now I am your ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections House Democrats have released a comprehensive report showing how – if they control the White House and both the Senate and the House of Representatives – they might move forward on climate change. Their “Climate Crisis Action Plan,” released June 30 by the ...
A ballot for three Member's Bills was held today, and the following bills were drawn: Electoral (Integrity Repeal) Amendment Bill (David Carter) Harmful Digital Communications (Unauthorised Posting of Intimate Visual Recording) Amendment Bill (Louisa wall) Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Bill (Judith ...
Not Ready: Todd Muller’s lack-lustre and self-contradictory performances offer conclusive proof that a political leader cannot be managed into competence. National’s new boss has Janet Wilson handling his media and Matthew Hooton writing his speeches. Both are highly professional political and public relations specialists, and Muller is lucky to have ...
Unfortunately, due to a medical emergency, I have landed in hospital so am not able to do a current update on the NZ blog statistics. Let’s hope I can get back to this in good time. ...
It started as a family story, about a step-father who went out one night to break into an embassy in Wadestown, Wellington. John Daniell wanted to understand what his family had been part of when his mother and then step-father work for New Zealand’s Security Intelligence. He wanted to know ...
The Greens have shaken up the election campaign with the announcement of their radical poverty and action plan to reform welfare provision and introduce a new wealth tax for millionaires. It’s a big-thinking, controversial policy and has generated a lot of disagreement over how radical it is, whether it could ...
My house is currently supplied electricity by Meridian. As soon as I can change I will because Meridian spilled water to hike electricity prices. They got consumers to spend an extra $80 million on power unnecessarily. Clever them. The Electricity Authority has called their behaviour an “undesirable trading situation”, or ...
When Jacinda Ardern unexpectedly became the Labour Party leader shortly before the 2017 general election, she promised to lead a government of transformation. After nearly three years occupying the Treasury benches, health professionals working in public hospitals have been keenly waiting for transformational progress, including in the capacity and quality ...
Last night, One News ran a follow-up story to its Colmar Brunton poll results on the cannabis referendum, headed here as Government accuses big American anti-cannabis group of interfering in NZ politics.In truth it wasn't just the government: Justice minister Andrew Little, National's Shane Reti and the Greens' Chloe Swarbrick ...
Mark Patterson MP, Spokesperson for Primary Industry New Zealand First is supporting calls by hunters and the New Zealand Tahr Foundation (NZTF) to halt a large scale cull of Himalayan Tahr by the Department of Conservation in National Parks. The calls are supported by a 40,000 strong petition and the ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Leader of New Zealand First New Zealand First leader Winston Peters today scoffed at suggestions that a team of six political operatives have been dispatched to New Zealand to assist his campaign. ‘As President Ronald Reagan once said, ‘there they go again.’ ‘The clickbait journos can’t ...
New Zealand First is pleased to announce Jenny Marcroft as the party’s election 2020 candidate for the Auckland Central electorate. Jenny spent years working in Auckland Central, having spent a vast proportion of her broadcasting career there. She says she, "knows the place and knows the people." Ms Marcroft says ...
New Zealanders deserve healthy rivers and lakes that are safe to swim in - but they have been getting worse for decades. That's why, with our latest announcement, we're investing in projects that will help clean up our rivers and lakes and restore them to health, within a generation. ...
This week we moved into the second half of 2020 - and our Government delivered another week of big changes and major progress for New Zealanders. Read below for a wrap of the key things moments from the week - from extending paid parental leave, to making major investments in ...
The Green Party has opposed the COVID-19 Recovery Fast-track Consenting Bill which shortcuts normal consenting processes under the Resource Management Act (RMA), reduces public participation and narrows environmental considerations. ...
Hon Shane Jones, Minister of Regional Economic Development A regional freight hub for the lower North Island will be built just northeast of Palmerston North, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones has announced. The Government is investing $40 million through the Provincial Growth Fund to designate and buy land and design ...
Green Party Co-leader Marama Davidson is calling for the introduction of a Guaranteed Minimum Income to lift hundreds of thousands of people out of poverty and prevent more families entering into further debt with the Ministry of Social Development. ...
There has been renewed focus on New Zealand First acting as a handbrake on the Government after our decision to not support Auckland light rail. We are a handbrake for bad ideas, that istrue, but our track record since 2017 has seen New Zealand First constructively also serve as an ...
Mark Patterson MP, New Zealand First List MP New Zealand First’s Fair Residency for Superannuation Bill passed its First Reading in Parliament today. The Bill makes a significant change to NZ Super by raising the minimum residency requirement from 10 to 20 years, after age 20. “Currently, a migrant of ...
Darroch Ball MP, Spokesperson for Law and Order A New Zealand First member’s bill in the name of Darroch Ball introducing a six-month minimum prison sentence for assaults on first responders has passed its second reading in Parliament. The new offence of "injuring a first responder or corrections officer with ...
Fletcher Tabuteau MP, Deputy Leader of New Zealand First New Zealand First welcomes the launch of the new Criminal Cases Review Commission, gifted with the name from Waikato-Tainui - Te Kāhui Tātari Ture, announced in Hamilton today by Justice Minister Andrew Little. “New Zealand First has long believed in and ...
The Green Party is celebrating over $800m in new funding for green projects, which will get people into jobs while solving New Zealand’s long-term challenges. ...
Mark Patterson MP, Spokesperson for Primary Industries New Zealand First is appalled that Meridian seems to have been unnecessarily spilling water from its dams to drive up its profits."While New Zealanders have been coming together in some of our darkest hours, we don’t expect power gentailers to waste water and ...
We wrapped up the first half of 2020 with a busy month, taking additional steps to support New Zealanders as we continue with our economic recovery. We rolled out targeted packages to support key industries like tourism and construction, helped create jobs in the environmental and agriculture sectors, and set ...
Hon Shane Jones, Minister for Infrastructure Infrastructure Minister Shane Jones has welcomed the appointment of Maurice Davis and his deep infrastructure and construction experience to the board of the Infrastructure Commission. Mr Davis (Ngāti Maniapoto), is the seventh and final appointment to the board led by former Reserve Bank Governor ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Leader of New Zealand First New Zealand’s click bait journalism is taking a turn for the worse, with yet another example of sensationalist, wilful-misrepresentation of the facts. “New Zealand First has worked constructively with its Coalition partner on hundreds of pieces of legislation and policy, and ...
The Green Party is today unveiling its Poverty Action Plan, which includes a Guaranteed Minimum Income to ensure people have enough to live with dignity. ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister Fletcher Tabuteau MP, Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development The Rotorua Museum redevelopment and Whakarewarewa and Tokorangi Forest projects will be accelerated thanks to a $2.09 million Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) boost, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters and Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher ...
This week, we rolled out the next steps of our recovery plan, with new infrastructure investment, extra support for tourism operators, and a new programme to get Kiwis into agriculture careers. The global economic consequences of COVID-19 will continue to be a challenge, but we have a detailed plan to ...
Jenny Marcroft MP, Spokesperson for Health New Zealand First welcomes the passage of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission Bill through its final reading in Parliament today fulfilling a coalition agreement commitment. “This is an important step in saving the lives of New Zealanders and delivers a key coalition commitment ...
Whakatāne has been given a $2.5 million boost to speed up previously funded projects and create more than 450 jobs in the next decade. Of those, the equivalent of 160 full-time jobs could be delivered in the next six weeks. Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters is in town to make ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister Fletcher Tabuteau MP, Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development The Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) is investing $2.5 million to accelerate three infrastructure projects in Whakatāne, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters and Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau announced today. “This package is about ...
Infrastructure Minister Shane Jones is throwing his weight behind a bid by the Auckland Council to fast-track the more than doubling of the city's water allowance from the Waikato River. And he's coming out strongly against anyone who plans on getting in the way of this campaign. "It is my ...
The Green Party is thrilled to see changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that mean consents for large projects can be declined if they will have significant climate change implications that are inconsistent with the Zero Carbon Act and Aotearoa New Zealand’s Paris Agreement obligations. ...
Hon Ron Mark, Minister of Defence The Royal New Zealand Navy’s new ship, Aotearoa, set sail for New Zealand on 10 June from the Republic of Korea, and is due to arrive in Auckland tomorrow, announced Minister of Defence Ron Mark. “Aotearoa is the Royal New Zealand Navy’s new fleet ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Racing Racing Minister Winston Peters has today welcomed the Racing Industry Bill passing its third reading, creating the legislative framework for revitalising the racing industry while limiting the need for future government intervention. “For too long our domestic racing industry has ...
The Green Party has today put forward an amendment to the Electoral (Registration of Sentenced Prisoners) Amendment Bill to ensure all people in prisons can vote in general elections. ...
The Green Party welcomes the decision to not proceed with Public Public Investment (PPI) delivery of Auckland’s light rail project and to instead run the process through the public service. ...
Hon Ron Mark, New Zealand First List MP based in the Wairarapa New Zealand First List MP Hon Ron Mark welcomes the announcement of Provincial Growth Funding investment of $1.4 million to help secure the Wairarapa’s water supply. The funding boost will allow the Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC), and ...
New Zealand First list MP Mark Patterson has been selected to represent the party in the newly formed Taieri electorate at the upcoming election. Mr Patterson, his wife Jude and two daughters farm sheep and beef at Lawrence and Waitahuna. He previously stood in the Clutha-Southland electorate however boundary changes ...
Hon Shane Jones, Associate Minister for State Owned Enterprises A new ‘super depot’ to be built for NZ Post in Wellington will create around 350 jobs during construction, Associate Minister for State Owned Enterprises Shane Jones says. Shane Jones today attended a ground-breaking and blessing ceremony for the parcel-processing depot ...
Our strong economic management prior to COVID-19 - with surpluses, low debt and near-record-low unemployment - put us in a good position to weather the impact of the virus and start to rebuild our economy much earlier than many other countries.Now we're putting our plan to recover and rebuild ...
Darroch Ball MP, New Zealand First Spokesperson for Law and Order Recently released Police fleeing driver statistics have shown yet another increase in incidents with another record-high in the latest quarter. “This new quarterly record-high is the latest in a string of record-high numbers since 2014. The data shows incidents ...
The Minister for Pacific Peoples, Aupito William Sio is pleased to announce the inaugural launch of Kiribati Language Week as part of the 2020 Pacific language Weeks programme. “I am so pleased that this year we are able to provide resourcing support to the Kiribati community in Aotearoa which will ...
Wildlife institutions affected by a loss of visitor revenue during the COVID-19 lockdown are set to receive government support with nearly $15 million of funding available announced Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage. “Eco-sanctuaries, zoos, aquariums, wildlife parks, and wildlife rescue, hospital and rehabilitation facilities provide crucial support for the recovery ...
The Government is expanding and accelerating frontline mental health and wellbeing services at tertiary education institutes (TEI) to help students manage ongoing stresses related to COVID-19. “The lockdown has been hugely disruptive for students. Many of them have had to relocate and move to online learning, isolating them from their ...
The Minister of Police says a major operation against the Mongrel Mob in Waikato will make a big dent in drug harm and violent offending linked to organised crime networks. “Senior leadership of the Waikato Mongrel Mob has been taken out as a result of Operation Kingsville, which resulted in ...
The Government is extending the border exception criteria to enable some offshore victims and support people of the Christchurch mosque attacks to attend the sentencing of the accused beginning on 24 August2020, says Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway. “We want to support our valued Muslim brothers and sisters who were directly ...
A project to support volunteer efforts to look after streams and rivers is getting a boost thanks to support from DOC’s Community Conservation Fund announced Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage today. “The government is backing efforts to look after waterways with $199,400 for the Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust from ...
Minister for Women Julie Anne Genter today announced that funding for the COVID-19 Community Fund for women and girls will be doubled, as the first successful funding applications for the initial $1million were revealed. “Women and girls across the country have suffered because of the effects of COVID-19, and I ...
The Government’s books were better than forecast with a higher GST take as the economy got moving again after lockdown, Finance Minister Grant Robertson says. The Crown Accounts for the 11 months to the end of May indicate the year end results for tax revenue will be stronger than forecast. ...
A plan to revitalise New Zealand’s strong wool sector and set it on a new, more sustainable and profitable path was unveiled today by Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor. The newly-released report - Vision and Action for New Zealand’s Wool Sector - was developed by the Wool Industry Project Action Group ...
Community efforts to create a Predator Free Whangārei will receive a $6 million boost, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones and Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage announced today. The new funding, through Government company Predator Free 2050 Ltd, will create around 12 jobs while enabling the complete removal of possums over ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has announced that the New Zealand Government is reviewing the settings of its relationship with Hong Kong. “China’s decision to pass a new national security law for Hong Kong has fundamentally changed the environment for international engagement there,” Mr Peters said. “New Zealand remains deeply ...
Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones has announced details of a multimillion-dollar investment in Whangārei for infrastructure projects that will help it recover from the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 200 jobs are expected to be created through the $26 million investment from the Government’s rejuvenation package ...
Following a second incident in which a person escaped from a managed isolation facility, security is being enhanced, including more police presence onsite, Minister Megan Woods said. “The actions of some individuals who choose to break the very clear rules to stay within the facilities means that more resourcing is ...
Waste reduction and recycling programmes in Kaipara are set to get a boost with Associate Environment Minister Eugenie Sage today announcing a $361,447 grant from the Ministry for the Environment’s Waste Minimisation Fund (WMF) Sustainable Kaipara. “The new funding will allow Sustainable Kaipara to partner with local schools, kura, community ...
The Government will support the Southland economy in the wake of multinational mining company Rio Tinto’s decision to follow through with its long signalled closure of the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter. “This day has unfortunately been on the cards for some time now, but nevertheless the final decision is a ...
New tools being developed to help boost Aotearoa’s Predator Free 2050 effort were unveiled today by Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage and Under Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau. A new rat poison, a camera with predator recognition software to detect and report predators, a new predator lure and a ...
The Coalition Government has approved the purchase of a fleet of Bushmaster vehicles to replace the New Zealand Army’s armoured Pinzgauers, Defence Minister Ron Mark has announced today. The new fleet of 43 Australian-designed and built Bushmaster NZ5.5 will provide better protection for personnel and improved carrying capacity. “The age ...
The Government’s three prevention frameworks to reduce family violence in Aotearoa were launched this week by Associate Minister for Social Development Poto Williams. The frameworks were developed in partnership with communities around New Zealand, and build on the work the Government has already begun with its new family violence prevention ...
The Government is pleased to confirm funding for improvements to radiology and surgical services at Hawke's Bay DHB, Health Minister Chris Hipkins says. "The Minister of Finance the Hon Grant Robertson and former Health Minister Dr David Clark approved funding for Hawke's Bay DHB’s redevelopment of their radiology facilities ...
• New funding for four beds at Napier’s Springhill Residential Addiction Centre • A new managed withdrawal home and community service, and peer support before and after residential care at Tairāwhiti DHB • A co-ordinated network of withdrawal management services throughout the South Island • Peer support in Rotorua and ...
Introduction, seafarers and POAL Good morning everyone, I am delighted to be online with you all today. Before I begin, I have to acknowledge that COVID-19 has disrupted the maritime sector on an unprecedented scale. The work of seafarers and the maritime industry is keeping many economies around the world ...
A $13 million investment from Government will create jobs and improve the resilience of the rail connection between Christchurch and the West Coast, Infrastructure Minister Shane Jones and Regional Economic Development Under-Secretary Fletcher Tabuteau say. The funding comes from the tagged contingency set aside in Budget 2020 for infrastructure projects ...
The Government is investing $761 million to assist local government upgrade under-pressure water services across the country, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced today. The announcement was made at the site of the water bore that was found to be the source of the fatal ...
Recognised Seasonal Employers and migrant seasonal workers stranded in New Zealand will be able to continue working and supporting themselves with more flexible hours and roles, says Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway. The time-limited visa changes are: Stranded RSE workers will be able to work part-time (a minimum of 15 hours ...
The Government is making immediate short-term changes to visa settings to support temporary migrants already onshore in New Zealand and their employers, while also ensuring New Zealanders needing work are prioritised, Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway says. We are: Extending temporary work visas due to expire by the end of 2020 ...
Professor Peter Skelton CNZM has been appointed as Chief Freshwater Commissioner and Alternate Environment Court Judge Craig James Thompson as Deputy Chief Freshwater Commissioner for the newly established Freshwater Planning Process (FPP). Environment Minister David Parker today also announced the appointment of Chief Environment Court Judge Laurie Newhook as the ...
Auckland Queen’s Counsel Neil Campbell has been appointed a Judge of the High Court, Attorney‑General David Parker announced today. Justice Campbell graduated with a BCom and LLB (Hons) from the University of Auckland in 1992. He spent two years with Bell Gully Buddle Weir in Auckland before travelling to the United ...
The Associate Minister for Greater Christchurch Regeneration, Poto Williams, is seeking feedback on a proposal to better enable the development and operation of commercial film and video facilities in Christchurch. The Proposal, developed by Regenerate Christchurch in response to a request from Christchurch City Council, asks that powers under section ...
The Government has launched a bold plan to boost primary sector export earnings by $44 billion over the next decade, while protecting the environment and growing jobs. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern today released Fit for a Better World – Accelerating our Economic Potential, a 10-year roadmap to unlock greater value ...
A new approach to prevent family harm that encourages greater collaboration across government and community groups is being celebrated at the opening of a new facility in Auckland. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern today opened the Multi-Disciplinary Family Harm Prevention Hub Te Taanga Manawa in Lambie Road in Manukau. The facility ...
The Government has released a major new report on the options for relocating the Port of Auckland’s freight operations while deferring any decision on the issue. “That decision needs to be informed by policy analysis that is still to be completed. As a result it will be up to a ...
The history of Rāpaki is being restored through the inclusion of te reo in thirteen official place names on Te Pātaka-o-Rākaihautū / Banks Peninsula and around Lyttelton Harbour/Whakaraupō, the Minister for Land Information, Eugenie Sage, announced today. “I am pleased to approve the proposals from Te Hapū o Ngāti ...
Bookings for seats on Air New Zealand flights into New Zealand will be managed in the short term to ensure the Government is able to safely place New Zealanders arriving home into a managed isolation or quarantine facility, says Housing Minister Megan Woods. “Last week Air Commodore Darryn Webb and I ...
Grant Robertson has today announced the first major release of funding from the $265 million Sport Recovery Package announced at Budget 2020. “Today we’re setting out how $80 million will be invested, with $54 million of that over the 2020/2021 financial year for organisations from community level through to elite ...
The Government is maintaining current levy rates for the next 2 years, as part of a set of changes to help ease the financial pressures of COVID-19 providing certainty for businesses and New Zealanders, ACC Minister Iain Lees-Galloway says. “New Zealanders and businesses are facing unprecedented financial pressures as a ...
Small businesses are getting greater certainty about access to finance with an extension to the interest-free cashflow loan scheme to the end of the year. The Small Business Cashflow Loan Scheme has already been extended once, to 24 July. Revenue and Small Business Minister Stuart Nash says it will be ...
A package of 23 projects across the country will clean up waterways and deliver over 2000 jobs Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Environment Minister David Parker announced today. The $162 million dollar package will see 22 water clean-up projects put forward by local councils receiving $62 million and the Kaipara ...
Tena koutou katoa Nga tangata whenua o tenei rohe o Pōneke, tena koutou Nau mai, haere mai ki te hui a tau mo te roopu reipa Ko tatou! Ko to tatou mana! Ko to tatou kaupapa kei te kokiri whakamua Tena koutou, tena koutou, tena tatou katoa Welcome. I ...
The Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) is investing $1.5 million to ensure QE Health in Rotorua can proceed with its world class health service and save 75 existing jobs, Under Secretary for Regional Economic Development, Fletcher Tabuteau announced today. The PGF funding announced today is in addition to the $8 million ...
A new programme, which sets a firm course for the Building and Construction sector to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, has been announced by the Minister for Building and Construction Jenny Salesa. “A significant amount of New Zealand’s carbon emissions come from the building and construction sector. If we’re serious ...
For one hour a week the supermarket lights are dimmed and the music stops. And it’s a kind of triumph, writes Michelle Langstone.I thought there’d been a power cut. The lights were out at the entrance, so you arrived into a kind of gloom. There was no music, and no ...
It’s no secret that New Zealand’s Covid-19 response was one of the world’s most effective. But to get an idea of how eagerly parts of our economy have rebounded post lockdown, take a look at our electricity demand data.Despite an impending wave of unemployment and looming fiscal challenges down the ...
In the second in the Spnioff’s Last on the list series, Dave King explains what inspired him to stand for the Act Party in Manurewa. At 20th spot on the list, if David Seymour’s party can win around 16% of the party vote, King is parliament bound.It wasn’t that long ...
Basketball is growing massively in popularity around the country, led by thousands of youngsters picking up the game every day. To The Line looks at what it’s like for New Zealand high school kids with hoop dreams.If there’s been a narrative rumbling away in the sports pages, it’s that of ...
Unbelievable. A first-rank world leader picks a needless fight with blameless allies, thus imperiling their unity. But that’s General de Gaulle for you.Impressive work, even by his standards. In 1967, Canada was to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge (their Gallipoli – except that they ...
From RNZ Saturday Morning Described by a Guardian reviewer as “superb hate-reading”, writer and columnist Anand Giridharadas‘s latest book Winners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the World investigates the hypocrisy of billionaire “do-gooders”. He questions how and why we have become reliant on the philanthropy of the super-rich ...
The Professional Hunting Guides Association is welcoming the High Court decision on DoC’s controversial tahr campaign. The High Court in Wellington was asked on Wednesday by the Tahr Foundation for a judicial review of DoC’s plan to kill thousands ...
With the 2020 general election nearly three months away, a new campaign is asking voters to vote in line with the future. Vote Climate 2020 aims to highlight the opportunity to build momentum behind climate change, ensuring climate justice is a key election ...
“ACT will target the gangs by hitting them where it hurts – their pockets,” according to ACT Leader David Seymour and Firearms Spokesperson Nicole McKee. “New Zealanders deserve to be safe and secure, but violent gangs are a scourge on our ...
Waffles don’t need to be sweet – these cheese and onion numbers make an excellent savoury breakfast with an egg, or an equally tasty dinner with leftover mince.It’s easy to default to sweet breakfasts without thinking. At least that’s the case in our household, as porridge or bircher muesli is ...
The government is revitalising the wool sector, splashing out on freshwater restoration projects, relieving student stress and showing kindness to Muslims by extending the border exception criteria. It is also increasing its support (in announcements from two separate Green Party Ministers) for women and for wildlife institutions. And it is ...
People have called it for it be pulled from the service, but the escapist fantasy of 365 Days is nothing new, writes Alie Benge.To every generation, a bullish alpha-male psychopath is born, and is for someone reason considered a romantic hero. We’ve been through a lot this year, and instead ...
As Aucklanders reluctantly adjust to the inconvenient practice of water conservation, a drought-savvy Northlander shares the tips and temperament needed to get through the dry times.Auckland’s water shortage was recently reported on The Project, and viewers were earnestly exhorted to fill their dishwashers completely before turning them on. My husband ...
Pacific Media Watch Newsdesk A request by the Philippines’ biggest radio and TV network for a new franchise has been rejected by a congressional committee in a vote that will go down in history as a flagrant violation of the country’s constitution, says Reporters Without Borders (RSF). The Paris-based media ...
Hamish Walker's privacy leak debacle dominated the news this week, but it's not the first time a southern MP has hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons, writes Daisy Hudson. ...
Let’s not allow the focus on big-budget infrastructure projects to detract from the vital role public transport will play in revitalising our cities in a post-Covid world, says Greg Pollock.The recent match between the Blues and the Hurricanes was one of the world’s first major post-lockdown sporting fixtures. It was ...
For all The Spinoff’s latest coverage of Covid-19 see here. Read Siouxsie Wiles’s work here. New Zealand is currently in alert level one – read about what that means here. For official government advice, see here.The Spinoff’s coverage of the Covid-19 outbreak is made possible thanks to donations from Spinoff Members. To support this ...
In the heart of Christchurch is a Designated Character high school. What makes it unique? And should there be more like it? Frank Film visits Hagley College Paddy Grant was a 27-year-old truck driver when he rocked up to Christchurch’s Hagley High School, as it was then known. It was ...
"After he calms down we share the pie and talk about how hard the years since the show have been for him": a short story by Wellington writer Jordan Hamel. Every morning it’s the same. Cling wrap on the toilet seat, a pop up snake in my can of breakfast ...
Childcare centre closures have left families and staff out in the cold. In some cases, they were given just three days’ notice, Laura Walters reports Staff and families of Auckland’s Discoveries Educare branches feel blindsided by the sudden closure of the early childhood education centres. The Ministry of Education has ...
Controversy and the America's Cup go hand-in-hand and the latest edition is no different with Emirates Team New Zealand at the centre of financial mismanagement allegations. Extra Time unpicks the debate and ponders what does the latest Cup drama mean? And should we care? A study has revealed racial bias ...
Over the decades, Mike Fox has witnessed the housing market progressively tilt towards larger, more expensive homes. Without a major overhaul of the current regulatory processes, he says, things will never change.It’s one of the biggest problems our country faces – we cannot produce the affordable housing that’s so desperately ...
So-called dirty deals have been roundly denounced over the years. Hayden Donnell argues that they need to be normalised, and even embraced, in September’s election.Just before the 2011 general election, Patrick Gower was confronted with a political act so stomach-churning, it forced him to abandon his trademark reserve. John Key ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Esterman, Professor of Biostatistics, University of South Australia Victoria has recorded 288 new COVID-19 cases since yesterday, the largest daily increase we’ve seen so far. This big jump must have the Victorian government and health authorities very concerned, especially since nearly ...
The controversial 101 East episode Locked Up in Malaysia’s Lockdown on 3 July 2020. Video: Al JazeeraPacific Media Watch Newsdesk Malaysian police summoned six Al Jazeera media workers today for questioning relating to an investigation for defamation and violation of Malaysia’s Communications and Multimedia Act (CMA), reports IFJ Asia-Pacific. ...
Analysis - A National MP destroys his career, the government explains how someone with Covid-19 could walk around a supermarket and the closure of Tiwai Point aluminium smelter is announced. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Abrar Ahmad Chughtai, Epidemiologist, UNSW Australia’s chief medical officer Paul Kelly today recommended people in Melbourne and the Mitchell Shire wear masks when leaving the house: […] If people have symptoms and they need to go for a test, for example, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rochelle Wynne, Director, Western Sydney Nursing & Midwifery Research Centre, Western Sydney University Over the past week, we’ve seen a spike in the number of COVID-19 infections among health-care workers in Victoria. This includes a doctor at Melbourne’s St Vincent’s Hospital, one ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra University of Canberra Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Paddy Nixon and Professorial Fellow Michelle Grattan discuss the week in politics including the return to lockdown in Victoria, National Cabinet setting to slow the flow of Australian’s ...
We prefer our heroes untarnished. And few match the heroism of Winston Churchill. But a recent report in the Times reminds us of the inevitability of human frailty and the consequences of keeping it under wraps.During the second world war, Britain’s greatest single loss of life at sea was the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ou Yang, Research Fellow, University of Melbourne Donald Trump has ordered US federal agencies to bypass environmental protection laws and fast-track pipeline, highway and other infrastructure projects. Signing the executive order last month, the US president declared regulatory delays would hinder “our ...
SAFE CEO Debra Ashton says "The NZDIA has done the right thing, and we’re glad to see Bertram has been held to account over his actions. He should take this as an opportunity to right his wrongs and show that he takes animal welfare seriously." ...
Takuta Ferris, Te Tai Tonga candidate for the Māori Party, is urging government to place whānau first in the wake of announcements around Tiwai Point. “The declaration that one of the region's major employers the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter is closing ...
Dietary Requirements is The Spinoff’s monthly podcast in which we eat, drink and talk about it too, with special thanks to Freedom Farms. This month, we’re joined by The Spinoff’s managing editor, mall rat and self-confessed food philistine Duncan Greive.On this month’s Dietary Requirements, the gang’s back in the studio, and ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Chart 1: United States and Australia rising. Chart by Keith Rankin. These charts look at Covid19 incidence in China (the most important first-wave country, with a limited second wave), Italy (the lead second-wave country), and USA and Australia (second-wave countries – drawing their caseload from Europe ...
The Government must listen to the Muslim community to rectify its failure to act in the past, says the Human Rights Commission. The Islamic Women’s Council of New Zealand (IWCNZ) submission to the Royal Commission of Inquiry was released this week. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hugh Breakey, President, Australian Association for Professional & Applied Ethics. Senior Research Fellow, Moral philosophy, Institute for Ethics, Governance & Law, Law Futures Centre., Griffith University Earlier this week, 150 high-profile authors, commentators and scholars signed an open letter in Harper’s magazine ...
You can’t keep a good woman down and Helen Clark is no exception. Her new appointment, as co-chair of a review of how the World Health Organisation handled the coronavirus pandemic, will test her formidable political skills. Sitting with her is Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, former Liberian president, who handled the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonathan Connor, Lecturer, James Cook University While many people may enjoy a game of backyard cricket, only a few go on to become elite professional batsmen in Australia. Cricket batting is example of what human skills can achieve. The fastest bowling delivery ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lee Baumgartner, Professor of Fisheries and River Management, Institute for Land, Water, and Society, Charles Sturt University This article is a preview of Flora, Fauna, Fire, a multimedia project launching on Monday July 13. The project tracks the recovery of Australia’s native ...
CEAC review of pre-election National’s “outline plan” just sent to us by Todd Muller 9/7/20 was actually his speech about his plan and was described as ‘an outline’. So in our review of National Party response to A Greener, Smarter Future; climate ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Podger, Honorary Professor of Public Policy, Australian National University In Hidden Hand, China scholars Clive Hamilton and Marieke Ohlberg examine the Chinese Communist Party’s influence in Europe and North America in a similar way to how Hamilton dissected the CCP’s influence ...
“I can see why people are fed up, many are wondering how to clothe and feed their kids, or how they are going to pay their rent next week and still others are wondering what has happened to our beautiful Kiwi Way of Life. Well no party in parliament ...
Pacific Media Watch Newsdesk Sixty press freedom groups and civil society organisations, journalism institutions, filmmakers, and other supporters have formed a coalition in support of Maria Ressa and independent media in the Philippines, united around the call to #HoldTheLine. Today the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the International Center for ...
National MP Michael Woodhouse also received Covid-19 patient emails from Michelle Boag, and deleted them when he realised she was implicated in a separate email scandal. National Party leader Todd Muller says no further MPs in his party received confidential information from Michelle Boag, after revelations today that Michael Woodhouse also ...
The government is extending border exceptions to allow overseas victims of the Christchurch mosque attacks and their support people to attend the shooter's sentencing. ...
Ever wanted to be Iron Man? Sam Brooks prefers Pepper Potts, but he had a great time stepping into the iron suit anyway.The first few moments of Iron Man VR are where it plays its hand, confidently and assuredly. You hold your palms out in front of you, and Iron ...
SAP has released to the public a policy paper, “Helping Kiwis get back to work: How data and technology can drive a bigger, better, faster economic recovery.” ...
A new poem by Jordan Hamel.Mermaids When you lose grip and start to drift.The first thing you’re supposed to do issteer into it or steer away? Not all mermaids are royaltysomeone needs to audit the oceanprovide cashflow projectionssome mermaids are actuallymiddle-aged accountants named Stephendreaming of a land-view holiday home. I saw a ...
Want to work for The Spinoff? We’re looking for someone to fill an exciting new role based in our Auckland office. We’re looking for a video and podcast content manager: an experienced writer or sub-editor with a strong understanding of social media to manage our video and podcast content across various channels. ...
National Party leader Todd Muller says no further MPs in his party received confidential information from Michelle Boag, after revelations today that Michael Woodhouse also received four unsolicited emails. ...
By RNZ News Opposition National list MP Dr Jian Yang has announced his retirement from New Zealand politics and says he will not stand in the 2020 general election after three terms in the party caucus. He said politics was “demanding” and he wanted to spend more time with his ...
Bayer-Monsanto's June 24 announcement of a US$10.9 billion pay out (1) to people who have been harmed by Glyphosate, is effectively an admission of guilt. Spokesperson for The People’s Inquiry 2020 Asha Andersen says, “The Ministry of Health, The ...
The Taxpayers’ Union has filed a complaint with the Electoral Commission and the Parliamentary Speaker’s Office over Lawrence Yule’s new taxpayer funded billboards promoting Mr Yule as the ‘Voice in Tukituki’. Union spokesman, Louis Houlbrooke ...
Ten points, two plans. Which points are whose? With an election within spitting distance, Aotearoa’s two biggest political parties are all about the plans. “You don’t have a plan!” says one party to the other. “Yes we have a plan, or certainly a plan to have a plan, or a plan ...
Four months after he announced his re-selection, a National Party MP whose links to Chinese spy agencies attracted the interest of New Zealand’s Security Intelligence Service has announced he will not stand in the next election A three-term National Party MP who studied at an elite Chinese spy school before moving to ...
National list MP Dr Jian Yang announced his retirement from politics and said he would not stand in the 2020 general election after three terms in the party caucus. ...
A new political party, the New Zealand TEA Party, with headquarters in Auckland, has been established. The party aims to contest the queen- or kingmaker position to form a coalition with the largest parliamentary party as part of the general elections ...
A review has determined fish oils are non-hazardous and no longer require oversight by the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA). We regulate pesticides, household chemicals and other dangerous goods and substances under the Hazardous Substances ...
New Conservative calls on the government to join with our Five Eyes allies and add New Zealand's signature to a joint statement condemning the continued removal of freedoms in Hong Kong. New Conservative also calls on the government to give safe-haven ...
Latest from the Beehive – Hard on the heels of the government promising help for the Southland economy in the wake of Rio Tinto’s decision to close the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter, it was announcing the delivery of more money to the North, at the other end of the country. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luciano Beheregaray, Professor in Biodiversity Genomics, Flinders University As the global climate shifts, it’s important to know which species have adaptations to survive. Our research published today in PNAS found it largely depends on where they evolved. We looked at the capacity ...
From eggplant emojis and twerking llamas to sweaty anthropomorphic butts, we present some of the most fascinating, hilarious and outrageous complaints dismissed by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) from 2019 to now.Avocadon’t (January 2019)The ad: In this ad from Specsavers, a man gets ready to join a cricket match, but ...
They might sound like the same thing, but light rail is quite different from light metro – the system that transport minister Phil Twyford now favours for Auckland. Katy Wakefield and Jessica Rose of Women in Urbanism explain why the metro option is a poor substitute for LRT. Transport is ...
Why isn't the Government spending $30m to extend Tiwai Point's 2,600 jobs until after the Covid-19 recession, after Manapouri's power can be transmitted elsewhere, and after there's a hydrogen plan for the smelter site, Bernard Hickey asks. The sense of shock and foreboding about the future was clear in Invercargill Mayor ...
An intensive care doctor is outraged health officials are giving helicopter rescue trusts a daily list of Covid-19 patients, saying it's completely unnecessary. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Seth Lazar, Professor, Australian National University In the US, tireless opposition to state use of facial recognition algorithms has recently won some victories. Some progressive cities have banned some uses of the technology. Threetechcompanies have pulled facial recognition products from ...
Open mike 25/05/2020 
The Council of Disobedient Women There is a regular segment in the Speak Up For Women podcasts called “Absolutely Blasted Mad Moment of the Week”. Each podcast the speaker and the host discuss a recent event that is the most insane thing they have seen in the gender critical space ...11 hours ago
Todd Muller - Dishonest National Party leaderIt seems that dishonest Todd Muller is, like many right-wing politicians, entirely morally bankrupt. I mean just look at the National Party’s leaking omni-shambles over the last week or so. They’ve imploded in a spectacular display of backfiring dirty politics, the likes of which ...16 hours ago
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Simon Bridges must be the unluckiest person in New Zealand politics. When he was elected as leader of the National party, he also became Leader of the Opposition – a position, he was entitled to assume, that would require him to “oppose”. But the government he set out to oppose ...18 hours ago
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Everyone is paying attention today to the Supreme Court ruling that the President is not above the law and that Trump's tax returns can be given to a New York grand jury investigating him. But the Supreme Court decided another, far more important case yesterday, and effectively restored Native American ...2 days ago
Transcript: National Party policy announcement on roads – 8 July, 2020 Muller: Good afternoon everybody. Thank you for coming. Reporter 1: Is Hamish Walker a racist? Muller: Hang on… you haven’t even said good afternoon to me yet. Reporter 1: Good afternoon Mr Muller. Is Hamish Walker a racist? ...2 days ago
Today’s content Tiwai Point to close Hamish Rutherford (Herald): Government subsidising practically everything plays hardball with Rio Tinto (paywalled) Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): Sudden closure of aluminium smelter worst outcome for jobs, consumers and the environment Brian Fallow (Herald): Tiwai closure sad news – and an opportunity for the environment (paywalled) Heather du Plessis-Allan (Newstalk ZB): Rio ...2 days ago
Prof Nick Wilson, Dr Anja Mizdrak, Dr Jennifer Summers, Prof Michael Baker The pandemic-related lockdown is possibly the most dramatic public health intervention in NZ history. It helped achieve the elimination of community transmission of the COVID-19 virus in NZ. But it was also associated with 548 fewer total ...2 days ago
Reprehensible: There is much that could be said about Michael Woodhouse, but what would be the point? Any man who willingly involves himself in a situation as reprehensible as the one depicted in the above photograph has already vouchsafed all that decent people need to know about his character. That there have ...2 days ago
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Some are surprised at this sudden brain implosion on the part of both Michelle Boag, former National Party President, and the National Party in general, in exposing the private, confidential details of COVID patients. Others…? Let’s be blunt: not so much. Too many of that Party have long operated with ...4 days ago
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Mark Patterson MP, Spokesperson for Primary Industry New Zealand First is supporting calls by hunters and the New Zealand Tahr Foundation (NZTF) to halt a large scale cull of Himalayan Tahr by the Department of Conservation in National Parks. The calls are supported by a 40,000 strong petition and the ...5 days ago
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Party releases actual list. https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/121610675/election-2020-green-party-list-promotes-hello-boomer-chloe-swarbrick
The "small group" need to now be expelled from the Green party – their disruption was clearly designed to damage their own party and as such they fail the most basic tests for party discipline. Their should be consequences for that and expulsion is the most obvious.
Labour need to do a deal to give Chloe Swarbrick a clear run at Auckland Central. A victory for the Greens there would give them a lifeboat, and the Labour + Green vote would have a great chance of turfing out the National Party's deputy leader.
Is that the safest seat they could do a deal on?
There and Nelson, getting rid of Nikki Kaye and Nick Smith, what is not to like?
Why Nelson? Just do the simple arithmetic of adding up the leftish party votes and rightish party votes to see if there's any chance at all of making a deal work. Not a chance of making it happen in Nelson.
It will be tough enough getting a few Green voters to vote strategically to turf out Smith, let alone trying to get almost all Labour voters to vote for the Green candidate.
Not necessarily. Last year the Greens received a large donation on the condition they used it to try and unseat dr. custard (aka nick smith). This year it will be different, there will be strategic voting. The Nelson race will be close, but I'm predicting nick will lose his seat this time to Labour, if only by a slim margin. Looking forward to it 🙂
I read the other day after his candidature was announced, the new geologist candidate (name forgotten), state he was focussing on the party vote in Nelson.
That's good news 🙂
Yeah. Last time Boyack plus Lawrey was around 22k votes, vs 17k for the Nat candidate (what was his name?). So it wouldn't take much strategic voting to install a Labour candidate into that seat. Plus, haven't there been boundary changes that should be favourable to Labour?
Yes, the boundary change, good point. Nelson electorate has lost Brightwater (Dr custard's old stomping ground). Brightwater has now moved to the West Coast-Tasman electorate, and that will make a difference.
Dr custard was gutted about the boundary change.
That is a good thing. But getting back to the topic of electorates, is that likely to pull in more Green voters or Labour or NZF voters into the electorate.
Brightwater is a blue town, with a bit of red. I'm guessing nick will lose out on up to 1,000 votes with the boundary change. Enough to make a difference on the night.
At a guess those blue person votes from Brightwater will be split between maureen pugh and Damien. Damien has quite a bit of respect from national party voters, it's not uncommon in West Coast-Tasman for national voters to vote Labour for the person (Damien).
I'd be really surprised if NZ 1st stood a strong candidate in Nelson or the WC-Tasman seat, they haven't in the past.
It will be a straight out red v's blue for Nelson re the person vote. With a strong Green party vote.
I've had a quick look & I'd say losing Brightwater will shave off less than 400 from Smithy's majority. Would only make a difference in an extremely tight race.
[That’s the Candidate Vote margin … in terms of the Party Vote profile – the Nats take 50%., while the Govt Bloc Parties as a whole take 45% … so i would have to say a relatively Pale Blue sort of a town]
Why Auckland Central? The combined Labour and Green party votes weren't much more than the Nat vote. Trying to divert Labour voters to Swarbrick is more likely to split the vote and let Kaye win again. Anyways, better to turf her out cleanly without any hint of dodgy deals.
Whereas Wellington Central and Dunedin North have a combined Labour and Green party vote nearly double the Nat party vote.
What about after a 18% swing to the government?
Ok. In 2017 the party votes in Auckland Central were: Nat 11773, Lab 11340, Green 4170, TOP 944, Winston1st 1165. (Note that Kaye's personal vote was 13198; she picked up a lot of non-Nat personal support)
Let's make the heroic assumptions that 10% of the Nat party vote swings to Labour (20% swing to Labour), that 1/2 of Labour voters will "take orders", the Green and NZ1st vote share holds, all TOP goes to Labour, half NZ1st goes to the Labour candidate.
For party votes that will be 10600 ish to Nat, 13500ish to Labour, 4200ish Greens plus rats and mice.
Divvy those up among the candidates as wildly optimistically fantasised above, and Kaye gets 11000 ish votes (Nat plus ACT, no NZ1st vote, no personal loyalty vote to Kaye), Greens candidate 10900ish votes, Labour candidate gets 7000ish.
Whereas, assume a small swing to Labour and that a decent chunk of Greens party voters use their heads and vote for the Labour candidate, then Kaye is solidly a list MP rather than an electorate MP. Which would do wonders for her cred as deputy leader.
https://www.electionresults.govt.nz/electionresults_2017/electorate-details-01.html
I think the 18% swing to the Government will happen just after I win Lotto for the third time.
We’re talking about electorate candidate votes though aren’t we?
Yes. But an electorate deal to persuade Labour party voters to strategically vote for a Greens candidate to give the Greens party a lifeboat is more likely to be successful where there is already a very strong Greens party vote, and an overwhelming Labour plus Greens dominance over the Nats.
Those conditions are not met in Auckland Central or Nelson, but they are met in Wellington Central and Dunedin North.
The Green Left are absolutely correct, Shaw, Swarbrick and Sage need to be replaced. One of the many reasons, Dennis and I are now former Greens…
Replace Shaw, Sage and Swarbrick, and the Greens would no longer be green. And would then travel the route of other "activist left" parties such as Alliance, Mana etc.
Of those on the Green list only Eugenie Sage is ranked in the top 10 with any "Green" credentials. Not sure how you include the other 2 when it is not even important enough to include in the bio any. Not a mention of anything "Green" in Chloe Swarbrick's background !!! So who in the party is concerned with environment ?? Perhaps those who have left ??
https://www.greens.org.nz/our_people
You must be joking. Trying to herd voters simply doesn’t work unless there is a already a 3 way split because a small minority will either heed the advice or decide to do it themselves. The Green vote in Auckland Central was ~2.3k odd last time. Labour was ~11.5. National was ~13k.
The Labour candidate is White who got that vote – who will have been doing the electorate work and face-to-face since becoming a MP off the list – which is essentially how you win electorate seats. I hadn’t noticed Swarbrick around much. That is a problem when dealing with a electorate seat. Kaye has been maintaining her usual level of work in the electorate. But it hasn’t been anything to write home about.
Basically you’re must be dreaming. Usually the maximum number of people shifting will be a few thousand at best unless there is a pretty piss-poor candidate. All a ‘deal’ in Auckland central will do is to increase Kayes majority. There is a good chance that a swing to Labour generally will flip that seat anyway.
The probability of neither Labour nor the Greens winning the seat will rise massively in the event of the type of deal you’re looking for. The Green vote would go up to something like 3.5-4.5k – well short of majority. It will consist almost entirely of Green split voters who party voted Green last time and electorate voted Labour.
You need to look at electorates that have a 3 way split. Offhand, I don’t know of an electorate. Even Nelson isn’t good for a Green electorate seat: Smith ~16.7k, Boyack (candidate again) ~12.4k, and Lawrey trailing well way behind at 9.7k. The Green party vote was only ~3.1k so it is likely that the split voting was pretty intense.
The split vote statistics for Nelson are indeed very interesting.
https://www.electionresults.govt.nz/electionresults_2017/statistics/split-votes-electorate-30.html
Green party members and voters, in general, will not be as accepting of "deals" as Epsomites.
You reckon they'd turn their nose up at a gaurantee of getting back into parliament?
Indeed.
Is the Chinese government a client of Exceltium PR? I only ask because I want to know if Matthew Hooton, the $2 dollar store Dominic Cummings to the watered down ScoMo, is getting paid by China to tell Toddy what to do.
I have certainly wondered that-particularly after the recent Herald article by him that was pounded on social media.
First retrograde step for National?
Gerry Brownlee tipped to be campaign manager
Yep. Looking forward to this.
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/content/tvnz/onenews/story/2013/11/21/praise-for-gerry-brownlee-hates-christchurch-plaque.html?variant=tb_v_1
Perhaps the words campaign chair should always be replaced by a picture off this bench
Brownlee's mascot could be Rolling Rosa.
Rosa features an innovative self-righting design that allows …. to track Rosa's face as she spins, always landing with her smile facing up.
It would be educational for Muller plus with soothing sounds designed 'to stimulate auditory development'.
https://us.tomy.com/lamaze/rolling-rosa
Nikki Kaye is on Morning Report just now. She’s not very good really.
Nikki didn't seem very assertive during Question Times.
She avoided answering the question this morning of when she and Toddy started planning.
An awful lot of Simon-like padding in her non answers.
A poor start Nikki.
Yes I started to count the number of times she said "Look".
Excellent piece by Chris Trotter….misogyny and religious fundamentalism at the core of Nationals woes
https://www.interest.co.nz/opinion/105183/chris-trotter-argues-todd-mullers-backers-have-rejected-radical-conservatism
That was rather good.
Those far right Christian zealots remain in the National Caucus. Will they fall into line or will they grumble?
do zealots ever fall into line?
People go on about Labour and the Greens being killjoy wowsers, but you have Paulo Garcia, who think sex should only be for making babies, and having any pleasure from it is verboten.
And how many creationists are in there? No wonder there was such a huge support for charter schools, it was all about giving young NZers are creationist diet and purging any mention of Darwin from large parts of the education system, along with the perodic table, etc.
Good one Trotter.
Muller hasn't made a good start though. Methinks the MAGA cap might disappear from the display cabinet in due course. 😉
Simon's junketing ambitions thwarted. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12334370
So The Herald 'has learned'.
Is that what you say when it is leaked to you?
These folk are leakier than a colander full of thin water. They would want to get on top of the internal discipline or else we may run low on popcorn.
Jacinda was live. giving an interview when the quake struck, she remained positive, up-beat, unrattled and calm. She was awesome and impressive.
After which mark richardson had a crack at her, because she wasn't scared and she kept it together.
Now the herald are reporting nats at the beehive scrambled and hid under a table.
Everyone behaves differently during a crisis, some keep it together and re-assure others and some hide under a table. Earthquake responses this morning by our politicians spoke volumes.
To be fair Cinny, if the roles were reversed you would be having a go at the Nats for not following Civil Defence guidelines with respect to earthquakes.
I hear what your saying, but too be fair, I've always been impressed when people hold it together to keep others calm in a crisis, emergency etc.
Some people panic, some don't.
That's where I'm coming from, re my comment above.
Muller just interviewed by Kathryn Ryan…considerably better than Bridges but nothing to write home about….he will need to improve to make inroads…the same old attack lines and no substance
I felt similarly, but view it as natural caution. Can't go wrong adhering to the established party line. If that rumour is correct (that he only won by a single vote) then he will be aware that he has to win support for any new National plan before sketching that in public.
His main theme seemed to be “trust us we’re National”. That and bagging Cabinet Ministers under Ardern. Kaye was banging on along the same lines so definitely a pre-organised attack line. I suppose we should be pleased they’ve finally figured out that belittling the PM isn’t going to wash.
I listened to that broadcast as well Pat. At just after 9am, Kathryn Ryan asked a basic question re when did Muller first consider challenging the Natz leadership. It took her three attempts to get some sort of a response from him, even then Ryan caught him out in a lie. To me Muller seemed to be more interested in promoting himself than answering questions.
At this rate, Jacinda should have a field day during the election leaders' debates.
You reckon Hosking will be out to get her in those debates? He's been out to get her for 2 and a half years. Or will they use a staffer?
Jacinda must have nerves of steel. She was smiling and posed. It was a very big shake and the Beehive shakes more in EQ.
Also heard her talking positively and compassionately about National. Its so soothing the amygdala…….she's a winner.
She behaved like a parent who keeps it together in a crisis so ones kid's don't panic. Made me feel very proud 🙂
Seems to be a rumor going around that amy adams may not quit politics after all.
I heard this to.
Is it the change of leader or the job market?
We are now praising people for being used to earthquakes in Wellington?
Compared to the National MPs hiding under a table?
I think we’re just admiring her sangfroid.
That's it 🙂
It's trending around the world.
Toby Manhire reviews the Green Party list here: https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/25-05-2020/the-greens-list-ranking-revealed-can-this-group-lift-them-over-the-threshold/
"It is a very different picture to that memorable North & South front page of just over three years ago. Half of the high ranking candidates on the cover are gone. The magazine itself is gone, too." John Hart, the farmer, gone. Alienated by leftists, I bet.
Hayley Holt, gone. I was sorry to see a brief media report recently that she'd lost her baby – had wondered at her disappearance from the TVNZ breakfast show – so wish her a speedy bounce back from that trauma.
"Perhaps more of a time warp, however, is the cover line: “Is the once ‘loony left’ ready to rule (and should we be afraid)?” For plenty of Greens – voters, members, and even some in caucus – the question is have they been loony, or at least loud, enough?"
"The Greens: we are the only ones that can achieve a true transformative tilt." Yeah, valid for the party as a whole but not for our parliamentarians, who continue to shirk that task.
Just read on 3news website the government has announced a $500pw tax free payment, for 12 weeks, for those laid off between March and October. Comes in 8th June and not backdated, and you have to be looking for work or training.
Cant link on this stupid IPad.
Edit:
What do you know? I can after all
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2020/05/income-relief-payment-tax-free-weekly-payments-of-almost-500-announced-for-workers-laid-off-due-to-covid-19.html
https://www.interest.co.nz/news/105188/people-who-lose-their-jobs-could-be-eligible-250-490-week-payment-12-weeks-under-new
could
between
for 12 weeks.
Government still so timid.
The wage subsidy should have shown clearly that the unemployment benefits for anyone on unemployement – not just hte current and growing expected wave of jobless – should get at the very minimum 585 $ (before tax 🙂 ) every week to maintain a semblance of normal life, i.e. pay rent, groceries and electricity.
I guess its baby steps.
Agree. Would have applauded any government that rebuilt from a solid base – from the ground up, rather attempting to provide support from the middle upwards. Doesn't look like I'll be clapping anytime soon.
The $490 for certain Covid related unemployed is useful of course, but has just put off the day of reckoning for Labour with the institutional neo liberalism of WINZ/MSD. Those Depts are punishment mazes and the Govt. knows it. Newbies do not cope well, or necessarily get the miserly assistance they seek.
Two tier unemployment payments, Covid and “Jobseeker” reinforce the “deserving/undeserving” tenet of state payments beloved of monetarist theory.
Some employers refused to apply for the subsidy, instead they gave their employee's two weeks notice of their intention to use their employees annual leave for their wages over lock down. Some of those employee's may have or did have very little accrued leave and they suffered over lock-down as a result.
Upon return to work, those employee's were told they were no longer tenable.
This is good news for them, as it was to no fault of those employee's that their employers decided against taking the subsidy.
And yes, benefits need to be increased. Living wage please and thank you.
AFAIK, the annual leave could only be used WITH the agreement of the employee. (My partner spent much of his first couple of weeks at home dealing with this issue, while working with the business owner in trying to maintain full pay for all the staff.) Those that agreed took annual leave in the final week of lockdown.
Yes they do need to streamline the WINZ//MSD . But look at the politics of it. The three months will be up for extension shortly before the election. Would Nact extend if they won – takes the election battleground to social welfare and gets its off tax increases for the wealthy.
Tiger Mountain "Punishment mazes" So apt. 😥
I think this is a good small step towards a better social security system. I'd love this to be bigger and bolder, but it's still more than nothing.
I also think this is very politically astute – start with a step that should be uncontroversial, extend later, go into the election with a bigger policy piece, win the election, and by the time National see the front bench again, it's the new normal.
Hosking: "The key here is, is there a magic? The X-factor? Is there something that transforms him from just another decent person who aspires to lead their party, and therefore their country, into a person who actually attracts votes, turns tides, explains things in a way people get? Is he something or someone that has that magnetic factor that marks you out as different from the rest?"
Then fails to provides any answers. He would no doubt claim that the media does shallow, only, and answers go too deep. But then he does have a go at profound:
"The polls will close, they always do." Usually at 7pm on election day. Something vaguely zen about that, eh? https://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=12334438
Hosking as usual going round and round the bowl at the first flush and inevitably like all waste, following all the crap that's gone before.
I googled "Greens candidate profiles 2020" to see if the GP had performed the elementary political requirement of allowing those interested to get to know those candidates better.
No. No such link to the GP website exists as yet. So the clueless dork syndrome remains in control. Look on the bright side: they have four months to get their act together.
The good news is I've read those profiles and they are available to members – and some of those people would make exceptional parliamentarians. Please don't hide them!
And this from Weka – The Green Party with an environmentalist ranked at No 11 in the new crop and will require 8.6% of the vote (Same as NZ1st)
https://thestandard.org.nz/the-green-party-list-2/
And only Eugenie Sage (ranked 6th) from the current crop background containing anything substantial regarding the environment. No wonder Gaia is screwed.
https://www.greens.org.nz/our_people
I wouldn't go that far. If you read Lovelock's books you get a good sense of how resilient Gaia is – as a supersystem. That said, we have dislocated the Holocene, and that was the basis of the economy. Agriculture.
Now that the supersystem is in transition from that stable state to another as yet unknown, we call the interim Antropocene. We will all live & die in that one. Comprehension of this relation between economy and ecology is non-existent – I never encountered anyone in the Green movement who even thought about it. Statism has everyone in a death-grip. Thus we still await an alternative to neoliberalism 30 years after it was obviously dead in the water!
That the members of the GP persist in denial of this fundamental reality is due to human nature: gnosis is too hard, culture is trivial, we must therefore be trite, etc.
NZ is blessed to have such a great leader ☺️
Fairfax papers in Australia are suggesting the Federal government over there may allow travel between NZ and individual states, NSW and Victoria while borders between other states remain closed.
https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/border-friction-new-zealand-set-to-open-for-nsw-victorian-tourists-before-queensland-20200524-p54vwg.html
That's weird. Aren't victoria & NSW still battling outbreaks whereas NT & Wa are pretty much clean? Is NZ being used by slomo to shore up his political standing?
Probably more likely an effort by the federal government to get the state Labor government’s in WA and Qld to move on opening their borders to interstate travel. At any rate tv news in Australia is reporting Ardern’s comments here this morning saying that NZ was unlikely to open the border unless all of Australia was available for non-quarantined travel for NZers.
"Kyle MacDonald is seeing more solar panels on the rooves of the electorate's million-dollar homes. That's a sign that Epsom voters are increasingly Green, he says." https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/119520709/a-poverty-agitator-a-climate-negotiator-and-a-psychotherapist-take-on-doomed-mission-for-the-greens?rm=a
"MacDonald is a family man with two daughters, and has lived in the electorate for five years. His background is not that of a traditional Green candidate. He's been a psychotherapist for two decades, helping people with mental health issues and addiction through their troubles with talk therapy."
"MacDonald gained a spot on radio's 'Nutter's Club' show, which has him talking to callers on-air about their problems. The show, started by comedian-turned-advocate Mike King, has a strong following of dedicated listeners. Between 60,000 and 80,000 tune in, which is the largest radio audience for the 11pm to 1am weekend timeslot, MacDonald says."
"MacDonald also wrote a regular column about mental health and drugs, which ended three weeks ago when he announced his candidacy." At #14 on the list, a significant rebound will be required to get him in.
Good discussion on Novara with James Meadway on how to manage the increased government debt racked up during the COVID-19 crisis. I was getting alarmed to hear Bridges, shortly before his replacement, describe the debt as "$80k per household", and more recently Nikki Kaye claiming that young people were concerned at the thought of having to pay the debt back in future through increased taxes.
It seems that National not only poses a threat to public health by wanting to prematurely open borders, but also poses a threat to the economy because of ingrained tendencies towards austerity.
This could be huge.
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/kiwis-now-trust-labour-more-than-national-repair-economy-poll-suggests
Children's Commissioner calls for all benefits to be on the same level of trust, equity and accessibility as the covid payments.
I would like to know what he says about a spike in Rheumatic Fever cases in Wellington.
I heard something about that this morning – how big is it?
Stuff have been sold by nine. Be very interesting to see if they are going to try to be genuinely NZ or whether this is a front for a wealthy individuals. Hoping for the former, be wise for the government to now bung them a relief package ., heck I'd subscribe again if they stopped being a Nact mouthpiece
Reports say for $1. I am thinking they owe a bit.
This sounds like a potentially great news story.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/121615231/stuff-boss-sinead-boucher-i-asked-myself-what-i-wanted-for-the-business
Seeing the way staff produced quality editorial content, took a pay cut and the demand for content influenced the decision.
Those busting at the seams airports have come back to bite them on the arse.
Siebert arrived at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago three days later as the new U.S. restrictions — including mandatory medical screenings — went into effect. He encountered crowds of people packed in tight corridors, stood in lines in which he snaked past other travelers for nearly five hours and tried to direct any cough or sneeze into his sleeve.
When he finally reached the coronavirus checkpoint near baggage pickup, Siebert reported his prior symptoms and described his exposure in Spain. But the screeners waved him through with a cursory temperature check. He was given instructions to self-isolate that struck him as absurd given the conditions he had just encountered at the airport.
“I can guarantee you that people were infected” in that transatlantic gantlet, said Siebert, who tested positive for the virus two days later in Chicago. “It was people passing through a pinhole.”
http://archive.li/nD49i
Just listened to the end of Stolid Todd's Media on the reshuffle of spoke persons.
Amy Adams is back as No 3 and funnily enough she is far better at speaking than Stolid Todd. Succinct. Informed and credible up to a point of course.
And after 25 minutes Todd looks a bit rattled.
Live https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12334590
Todd's a good frontman. He can put words together to make sentences. Simon struggled with that.
You made through 25 minutes of him? Well done!
David Slack – as always – comes up with a gem:
David Slack
A thorn in the new boy's side.
Jack Tame looking stunned at how fucking stupid Todd Muller really is!
Todd is new to being in the hot seat and gosh, it's hot.
He is yet to learn the 5 go to sentences to parrot if you don't know what to say.
Jack Tame had him over a barrel when he asked the question about there being no-one of Maori descent in his Shadow Cabinet. He didn't see it coming and tried to cover up by extolling the virtues of Shane Reti who comes in at 16 on the list.
How astounding that he didn't even consider how it would look having only pale, stale Pakehas in his line-up.
I don't think he's a nasty guy Anne….but yeah, he's among a crew with cards up their sleeves. "What Chinese donor?"
I'm not sure if he is our next PM or a nightwatchman.
But whatever his calibre, he's a Honda Step-thru racing a Katana.
Q & A interview? Yeah, that was painful. Todd, toast.
As I said on Friday, Muller did well in his first round of interviews on Day 1, but now we've got past the soft "introduce yourself" and moved on to "what are your policies?".
His policy platform appears to be "saying Amy Adams a lot".
Yes. Watching the whole of Todd;s responses to Jack's questioning and it was worse even than earlier speeches. I know I am biased but truly I was expecting Todd to be able telling us that since the Government is failing, he could offer a light on how he would rescue the Small Business owners. He could only repeatedly tell us how wonderful Amy Adams is but no specifics – at all. Jack tried but it was a no show.
And these folk have been beavering away at this plan for months and should be ready to Wow.
The panel was much more illuminating.
Wish I had of watched it! Have just listened to his interview with Kathryn Ryan this morning and what a bore he is. One of these "we could do it better" with no good evidence for why. And it turns out they don't have a plan. He will begin to sound very boring and arrogant soon……..How long will Amy think it ok to play second fiddle to him and and wait, what! more excitement… Simon's back! Happy days
I guess Todd is obliged to give it a jolly good go but if I was him I'd find it hard not to feel like a caretaker, a guy to wave the flag until Florence Nightengale wanes.
The Q+A interview was disastrous for Todd Muller. Lots of waffle and no substance. Todd is a bumbling idiot under pressure.
The question about the disappearance of Maori faces from his team slayed him.
The Q+A interview can be viewed here.
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/todd-muller-commits-nationals-pledge-raise-superannuation-age-bring-back-oil-and-gas-exploration
I wonder if Jacinda has positioned us to be global destination darlings.
We haven't found a vaccine for the common cold. We suppress Aids, we're yet to find a vaccine, I'm not holding my breath for the arrival of a Covid-19 job.
Looking at the complexity of mutations to date, looks like a moving target to me.
I think the healing component most likely to become fail-safe first are speedy accurate testing regimes.
If we have none here and we have a speedy 100% accurate test at our borders. It's the 60+ that have big holiday $ to spend. The most Covid threatened.
I think we could easily make it to the top of many dream destination wish-lists around the world. Not kids in a van pooing in our carparks. Those that pay $200 for a personal guided tour of a marae.
Wish I had of watched it! Have just listened to his interview with Kathryn Ryan this morning and what a bore he is. One of these "we could do it better" with no good evidence for why. And it turns out they don't have a plan. He will begin to sound very boring and arrogant soon……..How long will Amy think it ok to play second fiddle to him and and wait, what! more excitement… Simon's back! Happy days
Two TV interviews, two leaders, same location, same day.
Todd Muller can't answer questions or keep cool during an interview.
Jacinda Ardern answers questions and keeps cool during … an earthquake.
Everyone has nice scenery. We have lots of it but it's not special.
What makes NZ unique is Maori.
I think the rebuild of an elevated $ return per guest tourism industry should revolve around them. With a 60+ punter, they're over being drunk and chasing skirt, they want to taste the culture.
I think it would be a nice way for us of a colonial extraction to say "Thanks for sharing."
First impressions count, an amazing kapa haka performance for every incoming flight and each performer paid $80k a year.
Make the most of what we've got.
Huawei are running utube videos featuring US executives that sing their praises.
As the world slides over to 5G….
The thrust of the argument being put forward by this American Huawei executive was "We are a private company, the Chinese government have nothing whatsoever to do with our business."
A few weeks ago I watched an interview with the American manager of a 3M factory in China. They make masks for their parent company, the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company. 3M, those guys on the board at Wall Street. They were visited and informed "All of your output will stay here in China."
When the largest company in China says "Oh no, we have nothing to do with the CCP.",,,, oxymoron.
Huawei + global 5G = all over everyone's shit.
Aren't the Germans good at this stuff?
hold on carmel sepuloni is reforming the welfare system.After the election,so in the mean time all you unemployed can look on the new unemployed with envy and imagine if the government treated everyone fairly.