National Party leader Christopher Luxon has made it clear that he will cut a deal with NZ First leader Winston Peters if he has to – ending months of refusing to say whether he will rule NZ First in or out.
And now Luxon has said this…We need to highlight exactly who the coalition of chaos would be !
“However, if New Zealand First is returned to Parliament, and I need to pick up the phone to Mr Peters to keep Labour and the coalition of chaos out, I will make that call.
National – ACT – NZ First: The Coalition of Division.
Thats what it is and what Labour needs to call it, loudly and often.
Labour should be reprising National's boat ad in 2014. Instead of red shirted and green shirted rowers trying to row in different directions it will be blue shirted, multi colour shirted and black shirted pirates trying to throw each other out of the boat.
Labour needs to get down and dirty, but I fear Hipkins is at heart too decent a guy to go that far.
There is no way in hell that Winston and David will be at the cabinet table together. If they needed the numbers to get over the line I think NZF would be in coalition with National.
Act would get one or two ministers outside of cabinet/government on a confidence and support deal. Similar to the way the Greens have been working with Labour for 6 years
Just because Winston said at one point in time that he wouldn't go into government with Labour, doesn't make it true. He's the master of weasel manipulation. If it suited him, and the political climate post-election allowed, he'd be negotiating with Labour like a shot. 'What's in it for Winston', is his over-riding mantra.
If the 3 have the majority, it would be interesting if NZF allowed ACT participation in a coalition government (they denied this to Greens in 2017).
On past form NZF has always tried to keep the party on the left or right out of government or coalition (Alliance 1996) and here ACT in 2023.
Thus if they are consistent they would favour a National minority government backed on c and s by NZF and ACT.
However it seems Peters is not discounting a 3 party coalition – a coalition based on agreed policy apparently because Seymour might not offer supply to a National-NZF coalition or National minority government.
This has led to a a lot of supportive right wing commentators using their NZH platform to demand an ACT driven regime.
The purpose of which is to pressure National to campaign in the centre to take votes off Labour but bend to ACT after the election – as a tactic to deliver a NACT majority by hiding how radical the coalition would be afterwards.
With Peters considering a three party coalition, rather than c and s to a minority National governing in the centre – the post election talks would be the most consequential in our MMP political history (given the range of potential outcomes for policy – decided by politicians and not voters).
For months, Luxon has dismissed questions about NZ First as hypothetical, saying they were not in Parliament or polling about 5 percent.
However, it has now polled at or near that 5 percent threshold in a succession of polls. The latest 1News Verian poll gave National and Act a slim one-seat majority. A small shift of that vote would see NZ First come into play.
IMO Luxon is still not anywhere near assured of power.
However, Luxon is clearly worried some supporters might take his message as a nod to vote strategically, rather than for National, and further boost NZ First’s vote.
And, even he says..
“There’s a bit of commentary out there that this election is a foregone conclusion. I can assure you, it definitely isn’t, and that’s because every single MMP election is tight, and I expect the results to be extremely close this time too.”
Guardian writer went to visit the radical, sets the scene thisaway:
at the end of a summer of heatwaves and extreme weather conditions across the world, it feels more than a little apocalyptic. The sun is a dim orange orb struggling to shine through a haze of smoke while a shower of fine ash falls invisibly from the sky. A month later, two years’ worth of rain will fall in a single day in northern Greece, causing a biblical deluge and never-before-seen levels of flooding.
That the end of the world feels just a little bit nearer here than it does in some places may not be coincidental to Varoufakis’s having written a new book called Technofeudalism: What Killed Capitalism. Nor that the book comes to the conclusion that capitalism has been replaced with something even worse. Not the glorious socialist revolution that his hero Marx foresaw. Nor some new mutation of capitalism such as the one detailed by Shoshana Zuboff in her surprise 2019 bestseller, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism. We’re now in servitude, Varoufakis argues, to the fiefdoms of our new global masters, Lord Zuckerberg of Facelandia and Sir Musk of the rotten borough of X. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/sep/24/yanis-varoufakis-technofeudalism-capitalism-ukraine-interview
If you haven't heard of “algorithmic rents” this is your intro. For a radical, one must admit he's a colourful trier. I'd prefer a winner though – he hasn't figured out where his leftism went wrong yet. Try harder!
That's not a valid reason to abandon leftism as a strand of political thought though. Better to learn from failure, I reckon. More consistent with human nature.
Of course, if the activist is entrained within a political ecosystem with hegemonic belief that leftists can't learn from failure due to believing they're always right, you get a monoculture that will oppress dissenters.
Rather than head for history to cite stalinism as classic example, better to refer to contemporary political context. Focus on that chasm he mentions in the report (between head of state & minister of finance) where the leader betrays the expert when both are in overt solidarity as ruling cadre. The psychodynamics that drove the outcome into effect are where learning ought to focus.
Yeah but it points to something more significant, for which I seek an explanation. I'm not into personal criticism of the guy, it's just that leaders ought to proceed to learn from experience so as to win next time.
Radicals are best not viewed as a spent force – better to see them as somewhat out of tune with the masses. There's a philosophical question here: can a radical ever resonate with the masses? No binary answer, based on my life experience – it seems conditional on time & space & social context. That triad makes for relativity of meaning between person & group, so we can't generalise much.
I'd like to see leftists get ahead via a fresh approach to politics, embracing leading-edge thought in young generations for relevance. He's one such youngster with proven ability at the top level. I'm not clear on his originality of thought (due to msm reporting) but the interview failed to show any.
Indeed. Retrospectively we can rationalise a `spirit of the age' that transforms us collectively. Those two transformations were based on shifting perception of minority group rights whereas the angst in society nowadays seems more generally felt on an emotional level which is tacit in most folk. We await whoever can articulate it, make it specific in relation to necessity, to drive societal change via collective force…
My Daughter and I drove from Just outside of Rotorua to Taihapa yesterday and were surprised at the quantity of election hordings, specifically the lack of Labour ones of which we counted only 10 on the entire drive which was less than even New Zeal's hoardings.
Overall Labour's hoardings were out numbered roughly by Greens 2:1, NZ First 1.5:1, Act 3:1, National 4:1.
Admittedly we drove only on the Main Highway/Route and assume that there would be more signs within the suburbs but would be interested to hear from other parts of the country what others are finding re the visibility of election hoardings.
This is the case every election. The countryside is Tory and like Faulkner's Snopes clan, the Nats exercise control over the small dirt-poor towns scattered through their estates, where it's dangerous for your job prospects to be known as a lefty. We drove from Auckland to Wellington over two days about a week before the Labour 2020 landslide election – and it was exactly the same. Your desire to read something special into the phenomenon this time round is curious, but not unexpected.
"… the small dirt-poor towns scattered through their estates, where it's dangerous for your job prospects to be known as a lefty."
I believe that attitude is now prevalent in some urban electorates. Having lived in the North Shore electorate for the past 40 years, there are noticeably less Labour hoardings this year than in the past.
As someone who has sported a Labour bill-board on my driveway fence for the past five elections, I seriously considered not having one this time. In the end I agreed to small one. In the past there has been vandalism and last time the hoarding had to be replaced three times. So far so good… although there is evidence someone tried to remove this latest but not succeeded – not yet.
I think it is highly likely that the level of vitriol towards this government – all of which has been driven by Labour's opponents both parliamentary and in the media – has caused people to feel less safe and potentially open to harassment if they openly express their support for Labour.
I certainly can feel it in some places but I'm old and weary and frankly don't care what people think any more.
I live in a Central Otago town which is National. I'm a staunch Labour supporter and have never hidden the fact, which sometimes has brought snide remarks. But I don't give a big rat's backside. Like you Anne, I'm too old to care these days.
I shall roll up to the polling booth on October 14 proudly wearing my red top as I always do, to cast my vote. If it’s a hot sunny day, I might even wear my green sunhat. That should confuse the masses .. hee hee.
“I might even wear my green sunhat. That should confuse the masses ..”
I contemplated ringing the Greens and also offering them a place on my fence but decided that could be pushing my luck a bit far. They are a politically conservative bunch around my place. I know that because I've overheard the dulcet tones of Mike Hosking on ZB radio. Nice people really but political ignoramuses.
A) the funding issue but that wouldn't explain the difference in numbers even when compared to smaller party's.
B) Labour utilizing different modes of advertising which is possible I can say I seen significantly more or less of their adverts via other methods.
C) Vandalism, not any specific evidence of Labour signs being targeted or anybody signs being significantly damaged (less than 5 from all parties combined which I was very surprised of).
D) I did consider the possibility of passing through other parties strong holds but that answer doesn't seem to hold true when considering the number of other left leaning parties signs eg Green, Maori Party.
Based from you explanation it seems it just is. Perhaps it is simple as Labour preferring to place their signage more in the "burbs" vs main traffic flows.
I don't know but thought others here might be able to shed more light which you have done. Thank you.
Overall Labour's hoardings were out numbered roughly by Greens 2:1, NZ First 1.5:1, Act 3:1, National 4:1.
As AB wrote @5.1, best not to read too much into it imho. If the number of political party hoardings is indicative of voting patterns, then NAct have nothing to worry about, and they won't be needing NZF – although there seems to be some uncertainty?
The ability of wealthy people to donate large sums creates a “huge obvious imbalance”, Rashbrooke said.
Wealth inequality has eroded the resilience of Kiwi society almost beyond repair, and yet a few very wealthy Kiwis clearly feel they need to be wealthier still to be happy, and/or perhaps to feel safe and in control?
Ah well, we reap what we sow
Actively impoverishing Kiwis might be a motivating factor for some very wealthy individuals. I would hope, however, that for most this very real impoverishment is not uppermost in their minds, but rather is simply incidental to craving wealth beyond the dreams of avarice.
One could always ask the very wealthy, but could you trust their answers?
Richest NZers don’t pay their fair share – and Parliament can fix it
[26 April 2023]
“New Zealanders have long felt what has today been confirmed by Government research: our tax system is unfair. The wealthiest pay less than half the effective tax of the average family,” says Green Party revenue spokesperson Chlöe Swarbrick.
Judging by NAct’s regressive tax/hoax policies, they can’t perceive the problem.
The big money up against Parker [27 April 2023]
However, Labour now has the opportunity to go into the election delivering tax reductions to middle and lower-income earners, which it pays for by nobbling high-net-worth individuals. But it will face a very well-financed National Party and its supporters in total opposition.
When I was a candidate many elections ago, I put a 2.4×1.2 m sign (worth about $60 now) up in a rural corner, 10 metres onto a farmer's paddock plus a smaller one further up the road.
As I was erecting the hoarding, a ute drove by with two men and a dog aboard. One of the men called out that the sign would not last long. It went overnight. The thieves had to trespass onto private property to take it. The hoarding would have cost $60 today. I had to travel 200kms to replace it!
The smaller sign went as well and the fearful woman who gave me permission to erect it would not have it replaced as it too was on a private, rural property.
Some lessons from this. Some rural dwellers are lawless, undemocratic, thieves and vandals, terrorising their neighbours. They have a real sense of intolerance and territorial 'rights'.
But the biggest lesson was that, in the case of the ute mentioned above, the most intelligent animal hanging out its tongue on it rode on the tray of the ute.
Mr Nobody. I liked what AB said in regard to the Tory countryside. But for now, I will report on what I have noticed in our electorate of Ohariu. Something interesting has happened.
Usually the split of Labour Vs National (but sadly hardly any Green) hoardings on private property is fairly even. You will get suburbs where one party will be more dominant. For instance Khandallah has more blue signage where as in Newlands you will see more red.
This time, there is a thrilling absence of blue! This is the seat that Nicola Willis is trying to take from Greg O Connor.
I have a Labour hoarding on my fence on a main road and we have more Labour hoardings in our neighbourhood than usual. There are less National hoardings in our neighbourhood and in general, around the electorate than usual. I have seen two ACT hoardings on private property and that hasn't happened before. Funnily enough they are on rather dilapidated sections. (Maybe they belong to the landlord?).
This wasn't just in the rural areas our count started just before Rotorua and right through the main route in town to the turn off towards Rotorua.
In that stretch was the where we counted the majority of Labour hoardings (7). But to put in comparison one corner site had 5 National hoardings.
Rotorua also had probably the biggest hoarding for the local Maori Candidate (don't remember their name sorry) but it was the size of a full sized advertising site (I'm guessing 2mx3m if not bigger) which looked awesome.
We (inner suburb Auckland) have about equal numbers of National and Labour ones (including sharing the same fence, in a highly non-partisan approach by the owner). Very, very few Green. And only a couple of NZF. I think I might have seen one ACT one. Several from the very minor 'nutter' parties.
I wonder if the smaller parties are saving their money. I truly doubt that election hoardings change anyone's mind…..
Luxon says "New Zealand First hasn’t gone with National in 27 years – and could choose Labour again." Interesting he says that when he himself would prefer a two-party coalition, while Hipkins has ruled out forming a government with Peters.
"Dear Chris,
It's crunch time in this election campaign with overseas voting opening on Wednesday and advance voting opening next Monday.
I’ve been on the campaign trail for three weeks and one thing is clear – Kiwis feel we’re heading in the wrong direction. I've lost count of the number of people who say to me – if you don’t win, I’m leaving.
It's clear you want change. But to get change, you have to vote for change.
Just ask yourself this: how will you feel if you wake up after the election and we have a Labour-Greens-Te Pāti Māori coalition set to take a wrecking ball to our economy? If that’s not the Government you want, then don’t leave it to chance.
Please Party Vote National.
This is really important because, every MMP election is tight and I expect the result to be extremely close this time too.
Lots of people have been asking me about minor parties and how we might form a coalition government.
So here’s the deal…
First and foremost, if you want to change the government, please give your party vote National.
Beyond that, my preference is to form a strong and stable two party coalition government between National and ACT.
I believe that government would be in the best interests of New Zealanders at this very uncertain time.
However, if New Zealand First is returned to Parliament, and I need to pick up the phone to Mr Peters to keep Labour and the Coalition of Chaos out, I will make that call.
Frankly, I think Chris Hipkins will ultimately do exactly the same thing.
That’s not my first preference but we all remember 2017.
New Zealand First hasn’t gone with National in 27 years – and could choose Labour again.
That decision is ultimately up to you.
So, if you want to change the government, then I’m asking you to vote for change and choose a better New Zealand.
The cracks in their credibility are starting to show. Going from "We have won this"…. to
"Vote it is going to be close and I (gulp) might need Winston".
Nicola's hand waving one liner on Q&A hasn't helped their case regarding modelling.
Luxon walking away over and over from journalist questions on Policy holes is also a fail. Him indoors says, “Fast talking snake oil salesman”
Bit by bit the veneer of credibility gets chipped away. 3 weeks is a banana skin.
Those who are wavering, remember how the Nats sold social houses and other assets to wealthy marketeers in "the open market" last time, under their mantra of "The Market will fix it." We know how that went. imo.
"I've lost count of the number of people who say to me – if you don’t win, I’m leaving……."
Lost count….this from the man who says he is "good with numbers"….and people are free to leave if they want to…..Muldoon had a brutal quip on that topic…..
I wonder what their internal polling is showing? Perhaps it shows ACT falling and NZF rising, making 61 seats for a pure NACT coalition a bit dicey.
Either way, it looks like the "abomination combination" (NACT) or the "coalition of crackpots" (NACT First) unless Hipkins pulls a loaves and fishes act or turns water into sausage rolls.
Data released by the Ministry of Social Development shows that over 211,000 children are living in benefit dependent homes across New Zealand; the highest on record.
Sabine links to a National Party press release with enough holes in it… it could be used as a sieve. We already know how much integrity there is in National's accounting skills – zero. See Tax-cuts 2023.
Well we do know the thinking of National is that being on a benefit and being in poverty is synonymous, because this has been National Party policy (since 1990-91).
Labour has brought in a much higher level of part-time work income before benefit abatement, a higher base payment, the winter energy payment, and the food in schools programme and other free stuff – no school fees/health/dentist/prescriptions/public transport and is trying to boost the number of income related rental homes.
“With benefit numbers forecast to rise even further as the recession bites, it’s likely more families will be pushed into benefit dependency in the coming months.
National Party press release, lol. What do you think National's ideas are around getting people off benefits?
A story about a whistle blower, Emma Barraclough, who worked for the Mof T. During a Diversity and Inclusion training she asked some questions about same sex attraction as she has a relative who is lesbian. Read what happened next (spoiler alert, it involved the Deputy CEO writing and meeting with her to chatise her.
This is Emma's the whistle blowers story in her own words. What happened with the Ministry of Transport held an Diversity and Inclusion training session and she used the term male bodied when asking if lesbians should accept transwomen into their dating pools.
Agree Bwagon, but unfortunately this training is pervasive across the public service and beyond, (.NGOs and Professional Bodies).
The fact that Emma respectfully challenged it, then the Deputy CEO wrote her a letter and followed this up with an hour long meeting to chastise her, is nothing but 1984
It’s interesting when I catch up with people outside of the workplace, most people seem to think this is complete BS. Even my younger gay/bisexual nephew and his gender ambiguous friends think some of this stuff is weird…
That's because it is. but of course people are entitled to all sorts of beliefs. but why they are taught as part of a govt training module, which the tax payer pays for and why any dissent is shut down is the real scandal!
Remember this next time someone talks about those "marginalised and oppressed" trans and gender diverse people. We are being required to signify our acceptance of gender ideology in every facet of our dealings with the State.
Remains of supposed "non-human" beings were presented Tuesday to the Mexican Congress by a self-proclaimed UFO expert…
The small mummified specimens that Maussan alleges are extraterrestrials were brought out in two glass display cases for lawmakers to observe.
The hearing was to debate language on UAP in the Aerial Space Protection Law. If the language is approved, Mexico would become the first nation to formally acknowledge the presence of alien life ever existing on Earth, the Reuters news agency said, citing local media.
Sceptics counter-claim that this investigative journalist is doing a re-run of a similar claim in 2017 which the Peruvian govt said was fake. Conspiracy theorists will get off on that official verdict coming from their prosecutor's office instead of science!
I read a real good book about that years ago. A real eye-opener into how academic competition can warp judgments & morality.
In this extra-terrestrial case, I thought the promoter looked dubious. He cited archeological dating yet the report did not include who did that – if it happened. Nor did it include the site of extraction details such as which archeologists did the dig.
Otoh, none of those reports included evidential support for the sceptics either, so I have to rate the thing a nil-all draw…
Around 60 women a year die from cervical cancer in NZ.
Those who want to vote for a right-wing government, simply because any change is good, might want to reflect on which parties support screening, and which do not.
(Note: "have a look at" is politician-speak for "kick the can down the road")
I see Labour has promised to appoint a Minister of Just Transitions. That is sure to be a vote winner because I think everyone loves geek speek. I wonder who came up with the catchy title btw.
Climate change and the threat to civilization [6 October 2022]
This example illustrates that climate collapse need not be determined by environmental factors alone: other causes, such as pre-existing political conflict and incompetent government, may be crucial.
Dim bulb-Brownlee was incandescent with rage about 'nanny state' energy-efficient lighting. The well-being of spaceship Earth – our only home – isn't a NAct priority.
Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Net Zero and Just Transition
The twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss are global challenges of unprecedented proportions. Tackling them is the collective fight of our lifetime, with implications for all the generations to come.
"Minister of Just Transitions" seems pretty risible to me.
"Pretty risible" – pourquoi? Genuinely curious.
Just transitions bring people together to transform disruptive change into positive change.
The concept of ‘just transitions’ emerged decades ago from North American unions concerned about job losses from environmental policies affecting polluting industries. This evolved into a call from the international labour movement for a just transition towards an environmentally sustainable economy that is well managed and contributes to the goals of decent work for all, social inclusion and the eradication of poverty,
Just transitions have expanded to include dimensions of social, economic, environmental, climate and intergenerational justice. This idea is now part of international policy commitments which have been taken by most of the world’s nations, including Aotearoa New Zealand.
We live in increasingly interesting times – overshoot BAU is unsustainable. Mitigation and adaptation through just transitions will be the name of the 'game', and governments will have a role – unless they leave their run too late.
Just Transition Greens
The Just Transition Greens are a cross-party group that want to bring together workers, communities, employers and government agencies, and ensure that the move towards a climate-proofed economy happens as quickly and as fairly as possible.
Good grief, I have to agree with you there ts. What a dreadful name. I gather it means – in large part – the transition to renewable energies. Well, call it that: the Ministry for Renewable Energies – MRE for short.
Yeah. It sort of sounds like something to do with gender reassignment lol. And, isn't it along the lines of what James Shaw is already doing? So, it seems a bit superfluous to me.
Does Luxons calling first dibs on NZF mean that possibly their internal polling are tanking? Whiff of desperation there methinks. Also would like to add that when asked about his honesty Luxon replies with obligatory American showing of teeth that he was 100% honest. Possibly paraphrasing but what he did say. Isn’t that a big fat lie? Just asking.
Ooohhh…. sirjohnkey is on Lisa owens. Begs the question …Why? I wonder if she will get Jacinda on. Fundamentally he would rule Winnie in. Yadayadayada.But. Slippery as usual. Omg. What a waste of time. Luxon is a friend. Yada Yada. Still a wanker. Needs a listen to. Why do they keep dredging up the worst prime minister NZ has ever had ?
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These dire woeful and intolerant people have been so determinedly going about their small and petulant business, it’s hard to keep up. At the end of the new government’s first woeful week, Audrey Young took the time to count off its various acts of denigration of Te Ao Māori:Review the ...
The new white supremacist government made attacking te reo a key part of its platform, promising to rename government agencies and force them to "communicate primarily in English" (which they already do). But today they've gone further, by trying to cut the pay of public servants who speak te reo: ...
Buzz from the Beehive The biggest buzz we bring you from the Beehive today is that the government’s official website is up and going after being out of action for more than a week. The latest press statement came from Education Minister Eric Stanford, who seized on the 2022 PISA ...
There was another ETS auction this morning. and like all the other ones this year, it failed to clear - meaning that 23 million tons of carbon (15 million ordinary units plus 8 million in the cost containment reserve) went up in smoke. Or rather, they didn't. Being unsold at ...
This isn’t news, but the National-led coalition is mounting a sustained assault on Treaty rights and obligations. Even so, Christopher Luxon has described yesterday’s nationwide protests by Maori as “pretty unfair.” Poor thing. In the NZ Herald, Audrey Young has compiled a useful list of the many, many ways that ...
New Zealand’s dairy industry, the mainstay of the country’s export trade, has been under pressure from rising costs. Down on the farm, this has been hitting hard. But there was more positive news this week, first from the latest Fonterra GDT auction where prices rose, and then from a report ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – In their rush to discredit the new government (which our MainStream Media regard as illegitimate and having no right to enact the democratic will of voters) the NZ Herald and Newshub are arguing ACT’s Deputy Leader Brooke van Veldon is not following Treasury advice ...
Even many young people who smoke support smokefree policies, fitting in with previous research showing the large majority of people who smoke regret starting and most want to quit. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere on the morning of Wednesday, December ...
Well it didn’t take six months, but the leaks have begun. Yes the good ship Coalition has inadvertently released a confidential cabinet paper into the public domain, discussing their axing of Fair Pay Agreements (FPAs).Oops.Just when you were admiring how smoothly things were going for the new government, they’ve had ...
A wave of new and higher fees, rates and charges will ripple out over the economy in the next 18 months as mayors, councillors, heads of department and price-setters for utilities such as gas, electricity, water and parking ramp up charges. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Just when most ...
Hi,Kiwis — keep the evening of December 22nd free. I have a meetup planned, and will send out an invite over the next day or so. This sounds sort of crazy to write, but today will be Tony Stamp’s final Totally Normalcolumn of 2023. Somehow we’ve made it to ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
The electorate has high expectations of the new government. The question is: can it deliver? Some might say the signs are not promising. Protestors are already marching in the streets. The new Prime Minister has had little experience of managing very diverse politicians in coalition. The economy he ...
Nicola of Marsden:Yo, normies! We will fix your cost of living worries by giving you a tax cut of 150 dollars. 150! Cash money! Vote National.Various people who can read and count:Actually that's 150 over a fortnight. Not a week, which is how you usually express these things.And actually, it looks ...
When this government came to power, it did so on an explicitly white supremacist platform. Undermining the Waitangi Tribunal, removing Māori representation in local government, over-riding the courts which had tried to make their foreshore and seabed legislation work, eradicating te reo from public life, and ultimately trying to repudiate ...
Buzz from the Beehive Maybe this is not the best time for our Minister of Defence to have gone overseas. Not when the Maori Party is inviting (or should that be inciting?) its followers to join a revolution in a post which promoted its protest plans with a picture of ...
A Maori Party post on Instagram invited party followers to …. Tangata Whenua, Tangata Tiriti, Join the REVOLUTION! & make a stand! Nationwide Action Day, All details in tiles swipe to see locations. • This is our 1st hit out and tomorrow Tuesday the 5th is the opening ...
The RBNZ governor is citing high net migration and profit-led inflation as factors in the bank’s hawkish stance. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere on the morning of Tuesday, December 5, including:Reserve Bank Governor Adrian Orr says high net migration and ...
Willis has accused labour of “economic vandalism’, while Robertson described her comments as a “desperate diversion from somebody who can't make their tax package add up”. There will now be an intense focus on December 20 to see whether her hyperbole is backed up by true surprises. Photo montage: Lynn ...
The City Rail Link has been in the headlines a bit recently so I thought I’d look at some of them. First up, yesterday the NZ Herald ran this piece about the ongoing costs of the CRL. Auckland ratepayers will be saddled with an estimated bill of $220 million each ...
Is this the most shambolic government in the history of New Zealand? Given that parliament hasn’t even opened they’ve managed quite a list of achievements to date.The Smokefree debacle trading lives for tax cuts, the Trumpian claims of bribery in the Media, an International award for indifference, and today the ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis late yesterday stopped only slightly short of accusing her predecessor Grant Robertson of cooking the books. She complained that the Half Yearly Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU), due to be made public on December 20, would show “fiscal cliffs” that would amount to “billions of ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections The year was 2015. ‘Uptown Funk’ with Bruno Mars was at the top of the music charts. Jurassic World was the most popular new movie in theaters. And decades of futility in international climate negotiations was about to come to an end in ...
As a heads-up, I am not one of those people who stay awake at night thinking about weird Culture War nonsense. At least so far as the current Maori/Constitutional arrangements go. In fact, I actually consider it the least important issue facing the day to day lives of New ...
Strong Words: “We do not consent, we do not surrender, we do not cede, we do not submit; we, the indigenous, are rising. We do not buy into the colonial fictions this House is built upon. Te Pāti Māori pledges allegiance to our mokopuna, our whenua, and Te Tiriti o ...
Some days it feels like the only thing to say is: Seriously? No, really. Seriously?OneSomeone has used their health department access to share data about vaccinations and patients, and inform the world that New Zealanders have been dying in their hundreds of thousands from the evil vaccine. This of course is pure ...
Buzz from the Beehive After $21.8 million was spent on investigations, the plug has been pulled on the Lake Onslow pumped-hydro electricity scheme, The scheme – that technically could have solved New Zealand’s looming energy shortage, according to its champions – was a key part of the defeated Labour government’s ...
If those elected to the Māori Seats refuse to take them, then what possible reason could the country have for retaining them?Chris Trotter writes – Christmas is fast approaching, which, as it does every year, means gearing up for an abstruse general knowledge question. “Who was ...
The coalition party agreements are mainly about returning to 2017 when National lost power. They show commonalities but also some serious divergencies.Brian Easton writes – The two coalition agreements – one National and ACT, the other National and New Zealand First – are more than policy documents. ...
Geoffrey Miller writes – New Zealand’s international relations are under new management. And Winston Peters, the new foreign minister, is already setting a change agenda. As expected, this includes a more pro-US positioning when it comes to the Pacific – where Peters will be picking up where he ...
The most charitable explanation for National’s behaviour over the smokefree legislation is that they have dutifully fulfilled the wishes of the Big Tobacco lobby and then cast around – incompetently, as it turns out – for excuses that might sell this health policy U-turn to the public. The less charitable ...
As Deb Te Kawa writes in an op-ed, the new Government seems to have immediately bought itself fights with just about everyone. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere as of 10 am on Monday December 4, including:Palau’s President ...
Let’s begin today by thinking about job interviews.During my career in Software Development I must have interviewed hundreds of people, hired at least a hundred, but few stick in the memory.I remember one guy who was so laid back he was practically horizontal, leaning back in his chair until his ...
New Zealand’s international relations are under new management. And Winston Peters, the new foreign minister, is already setting a change agenda. As expected, this includes a more pro-US positioning when it comes to the Pacific – where Peters will be picking up where he left off. Peters sought to align ...
Auckland’s city rail link is the most expensive rail project in the world per km, and the CRL boss has described the cost of infrastructure construction in Aotearoa as a crisis. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The 3.5 km City Rail Link (CRL) tunnel under Auckland’s CBD has cost ...
The first big test of the new Government’s approach to Treaty matters is likely to be seen in the return of the Resource Management Act. RMA Minister Chris Bishop has confirmed that he intends to introduce legislation to repeal Labour’s recently passed Natural and Built Environments Act and its ...
Time to revisit something I haven’t covered in a while: the D&D campaign, with Saqua the aquatic half-vampire. Last seen in July: https://phuulishfellow.wordpress.com/2023/07/27/the-song-of-saqua-volume-ii/ The delay is understandable, once one realises that the interim saw our DM come down with a life-threatening medical situation. They have since survived to make ...
A chronological listing of news and opinion articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Nov 26, 2023 thru Dec 2, 2023. Story of the Week CO2 readings from Mauna Loa show failure to combat climate changeDaily atmospheric carbon dioxide data from Hawaiian volcano more ...
Affirmative Action was a key theme at this election, although I don’t recall anyone using those particular words during the campaign.They’re positive words, and the way the topic was talked about was anything but. It certainly wasn’t a campaign of saying that Affirmative Action was a good thing, but that, ...
It was at the end of the Foxton straights, at the end of 1978, at 100km/h, that someone tried to grab me from behind on my Yamaha.They seemed to be yanking my backpack. My first thought was outrage. My second was: but how? Where have they come from? And my ...
There’s no news to be gleaned from the government’s official website today – it contains nothing more than the message about the site being under maintenance. The time this maintenance job is taking and the costs being incurred have us musing on the government’s commitment to an assault on inflation. ...
Don’t you sometimes wish they’d just tell the truth? No matter how abhorrent or ugly, just straight up tell us the truth?C’mon guys, what you’re doing is bad enough anyway, pretending you’re not is only adding insult to injury.Instead of all this bollocks about the Smokefree changes being to do ...
Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.Friday Under New Management Week in review, quiz style1. Which of these best describes Aotearoa?a. Progressive nation, proud of its egalitarian spirit and belief in a fair go b. Best little country on the planet c. ...
Like earlier this year, members from our team will be involved with next year's General Assembly of the European Geosciences Union (EGU). The conference will take place on premise in Vienna as well as online from April 14 to 19, 2024. The session catalog has been available since November 1 ...
1. Which of these best describes Aotearoa?a. Progressive nation, proud of its egalitarian spirit and belief in a fair go b. Best little country on the planet c. Under New Management 2. Which of these best describes the 100 days of action announced this week by the new government?a. Petulantb. Simplistic and wrongheaded c. ...
Sorry to say, the government’s official website is still out of action. When Point of Order paid its daily visit, the message was the same as it has been for the past week: Site under maintenanceBeehive.govt.nz is currently under maintenance. We will be back shortly. Thank you for your ...
Labour’s immigration spokesperson Phil Twyford is calling on the Government to follow the example of Australia and help New Zealanders’ close family members stuck in Gaza to escape and take shelter here. ...
The Green Party is urging the Government to recognise its commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi so our tamariki and mokopuna can grow up in an Aotearoa where their language is celebrated, their health is prioritised, and their whenua is protected. ...
By scrapping Aotearoa’s world-leading smokefree laws, this government is sacrificing Māori lives to fund tax cuts for the wealthy. Not only is this plan revolting, but it doesn’t add up. Treasury has estimated that the reversal of smokefree laws to pay for tax cuts will cost our health system $5.25bn, ...
Figures showing National needs to find another $900 million for landlords highlights the mess this coalition Government is in less than a week into the job. ...
Community organisations, mana whenua and the Greens have written to the incoming Minister of Oceans and Fisheries to call for the progression without delay of the Hauraki Gulf/Tīkapa Moana Marine Protection Bill. ...
"On behalf of the Labour Party I would like to congratulate Christopher Luxon on his appointment as Prime Minister,” Labour Party Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
NZ First has gotten their wish to ‘take our country back’ to the 1800s with a policy program that will white-wash Aotearoa and erase tangata whenua rights. By disestablishing the Māori Health Authority this Government has condemned Māori to die seven years earlier than Pākehā. By removing Treaty obligations from ...
Te Pāti Māori have called for the resignation of the Ministry of Foreign and Trade chief executive Chris Seed following his decision to erase te reo Māori from government communications. While the country still waits for a new government to be formed, Mr Seed took it upon himself to undermine ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon joined Cyclone Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell and Transport and Local Government Minister Simeon Brown, to meet leaders of cyclone and flood-affected regions in the Hawke’s Bay. The visit reinforced the coalition Government’s commitment to support the region and better understand its ongoing requirements, Mr Mitchell says. ...
New Zealand has joined the UK and other partners in condemning malicious cyber activity conducted by the Russian Government, Minister Responsible for the Government Communications Security Bureau Judith Collins says. The statement follows the UK’s attribution today of malicious cyber activity impacting its domestic democratic institutions and processes, as well ...
The Government has begun the process of disestablishing Te Pūkenga as part of its 100-day plan, Minister for Tertiary Education and Skills Penny Simmonds says. “I have started putting that plan into action and have met with the chair and chief Executive of Te Pūkenga to advise them of my ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will be leaving for Dubai today to attend COP28, the 28th annual UN climate summit, this week. Simon Watts says he will push for accelerated action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement, deliver New Zealand’s national statement and connect with partner countries, private sector leaders ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins yesterday announced New Zealand will host next year’s South Pacific Defence Ministers’ Meeting (SPDMM). “Having just returned from this year’s meeting in Nouméa, I witnessed first-hand the value of meeting with my Pacific counterparts to discuss regional security and defence matters. I welcome the opportunity to ...
The Government is committed to lifting school achievement in the basics and that starts with removing distractions so young people can focus on their learning, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. The 2022 PISA results released this week found that Kiwi kids ranked 5th in the world for being distracted ...
Today I met with Police Commissioner Andrew Coster to set out my expectations, which he has agreed to, says Police Minister Mark Mitchell. Under section 16(1) of the Policing Act 2008, the Minister can expect the Police Commissioner to deliver on the Government’s direction and priorities, as now outlined in ...
New Zealand needs a strong and stable Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) that is well placed for the future, after emission units failed to sell for the fourth and final auction of the year, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. At today’s auction, 15 million New Zealand units (NZUs) – each ...
With 2022 PISA results showing a decline in achievement, Education Minister Erica Stanford is confident that the Coalition Government’s 100-day plan for education will improve outcomes for Kiwi kids. The 2022 PISA results show a significant decline in the performance of 15-year-old students in maths compared to 2018 and confirms ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins today departed for New Caledonia to attend the 8th annual South Pacific Defence Ministers’ meeting (SPDMM). “This meeting is an excellent opportunity to meet face-to-face with my Pacific counterparts to discuss regional security matters and to demonstrate our ongoing commitment to the Pacific,” Judith Collins says. ...
Putting more money in the pockets of hard-working families is a priority of this Coalition Government, starting with an increase to Working for Families, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says. “We are starting our 100-day plan with a laser focus on bringing down the cost of living, because that is what ...
Most weeks, following Cabinet, the Prime Minister holds a press conference for members of the Parliamentary Press Gallery. This page contains the transcripts from those press conferences, which are supplied by Hansard to the Office of the Prime Minister. It is important to note that the transcripts have not been edited ...
The Government has axed the $16 billion Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme championed by the previous government, Energy Minister Simeon Brown says. “This hugely wasteful project was pouring money down the drain at a time when we need to be reining in spending and focussing on rebuilding the economy and ...
New Zealand welcomes the further one-day extension of the pause in fighting, which will allow the delivery of more urgently-needed humanitarian aid into Gaza and the release of more hostages, Foreign Minister Winston Peters said. “The human cost of the conflict is horrific, and New Zealand wants to see the violence ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters today expressed on behalf of the New Zealand Government his condolences to the family of former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who has passed away at the age of 100 at his home in Connecticut. “While opinions on his legacy are varied, Secretary Kissinger was ...
Every child deserves a world-leading education, and the Coalition Government is making that a priority as part of its 100-day plan. Education Minister Erica Stanford says that will start with banning cellphone use at school and ensuring all primary students spend one hour on reading, writing, and maths each day. ...
I would like to begin by echoing the Prime Minister’s thanks to the organisers of this Summit, Fran O’Sullivan and the Auckland Business Chamber. I want to also acknowledge the many leading exporters, sector representatives, diplomats, and other leaders we have joining us in the room. In particular, I would like ...
Good morning. Thank you, Rosemary, for your warm introduction, and to Fran and Simon for this opportunity to make some brief comments about New Zealand’s relationship with the United States. This is also a chance to acknowledge my colleague, Minister for Trade Todd McClay, Ambassador Tom Udall, Secretary of Foreign ...
Good morning, tēnā koutou and namaskar. Many thanks, Michael, for your warm welcome. I would like to acknowledge the work of the India New Zealand Business Council in facilitating today’s event and for the Council’s broader work in supporting a coordinated approach for lifting New Zealand-India relations. I want to also ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has laid out the Coalition Government’s plan for its first 100 days from today. “The last few years have been incredibly tough for so many New Zealanders. People have put their trust in National, ACT and NZ First to steer them towards a better, more prosperous ...
A significant milestone in ratifying the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) was reached last night, with 524 of the 705 member European Parliament voting in favour to approve the agreement. “I’m delighted to hear of the successful vote to approve the NZ-EU FTA in the European Parliament overnight. This is ...
A landmark Waitangi Tribunal report into injustices suffered by Ngāpuhi will strengthen the iwi's case as it looks to restart its stalled Treaty settlement negotiations, a hapū leader says. ...
In just 18 months, the Auckland-based YouTube channel has gone from working from home and out of cafes to a brand new multi-million dollar studio. Sam Brooks asks the trio how they pulled it off, and what they’re planning to do with it.On December 4, a video called “The ...
The Anika Moa Unleashed host unleashes her thoughts on After the Party, Paul Holmes, The Walking Dead, stalking celebrities and more. Anika Moa has a proud history of angering strangers online, whether it’s due to her tattoos, her love life, or something else entirely. When she sits down with The ...
Searching widely for ways to overcome deep opposition by fossil fuel nations to a phase-out of their products, the President of COP28 enlisted an ally while negotiators sought subtler language yesterday. “We have been asked by the UAE presidency to help find common language that will be acceptable ...
With a topic so universal, it’s almost always about something bigger. Consider the contents of your fridge. What kinds of fruits and vegetables are in your crisper drawer? How much did that block of cheese set you back? Where did you source most of this kai from? Are there ingredients ...
You can read the full story, plus see photographs from Craig McKenzie, in the November-December issue of New Zealand Geographic magazine, or on their website. The bittern’s eerie, booming call sounds like a lament, a tangi ringing across the marshes. Now, the birds themselves are in trouble. ...
Opinion: You may have been there, waiting your turn, wearing an ill-fitting hospital gown, surrounded by a flurry of staff, the smell of disinfectant in the air. If you’ve ever undergone surgery, you probably know the nervous, stress-laden pre-op feeling. What may come as a surprise is that ...
1. In the evening and in the night, I sit on the balcony and think of you. I can’t see the water but I know it’s there, soft and slow. We bathed in it that last day, you and I, when the dusk hung heavy as cloth of gold ...
Alex Casey unearths the origin story of an New Zealand icon – featuring a surprise cameo from an international comedy megastar. At first glance, the Facebook post from a Waipu cafe reads like any other heartfelt change in ownership announcement. “George and Amber have reflected on their involvement in our ...
This week on Their house, my garden, why my spinach plant has grown suspiciously tall, and how to deal with your own over-eager plants. Beginner gardeners would be forgiven for thinking a plant growing tall is reason to celebrate. We are, after all, the kind of species who mark door ...
Luxon drove the crumbling SH2 with a handful of MPs on Friday morning to reach the small town, gauge progress of its recovery, and learn what it needs from the new government. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bianca Baggiarini, Lecturer, Australian National University Last week, reports emerged that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are using an artificial intelligence (AI) system called Habsora (Hebrew for “The Gospel”) to select targets in the war on Hamas in Gaza. The system has ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Johan Lidberg, Associate Professor, School of Media, Film and Journalism, Monash University The most significant recommendation in the Senate inquiry report on the functionality of the Commonwealth FOI system is this: move the federal Freedom of Information (FOI) function from the Office ...
Analysis: The government was under attack on multiple fronts during a week of relentless criticism and then faced its first Question Time in Parliament, Peter Wilson writes. ...
Well, it’s 4.30pm on a Friday which feels as appropriate time as ever to say goodbye. The Spinoff’s live updates have come to an end, almost four years after they were first switched on. If you missed my explainer this morning of what’s going on, here it is. In short: ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Di Winkler, Adjunct Associate Professor, La Trobe University Shutterstock A home – in the physical and emotional sense – is foundational to living an ordinary life with a feeling of inclusion. National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) participants with the highest ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Darren Roberts, Conjoint Associate Professor in clinical pharmacology and toxicology, St Vincent’s Healthcare Clinical Campus, UNSW Sydney Veronika Kunitsyna/Shutterstock Red imported fire ants are a particularly nasty type of ant because they are aggressive, and inflict painful stings that may ...
Christopher Luxon says the new government is going to continue everything that the previous one put into place to help with the recovery from Cyclone Gabrielle. ...
Te Whatu Ora is continuing to investigate after a data breach that saw vaccine-related information shared online last week. The agency is liaising with the Privacy Commissioner and said it will make “any appropriate notifications” if individuals were impacted by the breach. “Alongside the work to identify the material allegedly ...
Live - Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has been in Wairoa this morning to gauge progress of the town's recovery from Cyclone Gabrielle. Watch a media conference with him here. ...
Sam Brooks reviews a new immersive film experience at Auckland’s planetarium.Journalists get invited to review things all the time. Books, films, shows, exhibitions, all of it. I say yes to a lot of them and “no, sorry” to a bit more. Very rarely do I go, “Absolutely I need ...
Waka Kotahi has begun the process of re-adopting its former name, the New Zealand Transport Agency (or NZTA). It follows a directive from the new government that public agencies should have their primary name in English and not te reo. This came as part of the coalition deal between National ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alison Pavlovich, Senior lecturer in the School of Accounting and Commercial Law, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington The new coalition government has announced a suite of tax reforms, including reintroducing the ability for property investors to deduct the interest ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1The Bee Stingby Paul Murray (Hamish Hamilton, $37) The runner-up for the 2023 Booker Prize ...
A new poem by Ōtepoti poet Jasmine O M Taylor. a retreat if you find a chance before they’ve all melted into the air find time to get on a glacier and find a cave in the glacier and go inside the cave inside the glacier it will speak to ...
Our award-winning podcast assesses the opening stanza of the Luxon-led government. After the long, serene political gap as coalition talks went on, politics has roared back with plenty of shouting and not so much rizz. Toby Manhire, Ben Thomas and Annabelle Lee-Mather assess the early exchanges, including Winston Peters’ ...
“The new government has a clear choice to make before Christmas. Do they live up to their stated intention of governing for all New Zealanders, or do they dash the hopes of tens of thousands of kiwi workers by unilaterally abolishing Fair Pay ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kimberley Reid, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Atmospheric Sciences, Monash University titoOnz, Shutterstock You’ve probably heard El Niño brings hot and dry weather to the eastern states, but what about the rest of Australia? Are we all in for a scorcher ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jane Currie, Professor of Nursing, Queensland University of Technology Shutterstock Heatwaves are a major public health hazard. Socially disadvantaged people are especially exposed to extreme heat and other impacts of climate change. Many people experiencing homelessness – more than 120,000 ...
The Free Speech Union has sent 14 Cabinet Ministers a comprehensive Briefing to the Incoming Government, outlining five key areas of policy that the Government must address in order to protect and expand Kiwis’ speech rights. We look forward to ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis says she has already met twice with KiwiRail bosses over a "major cost blowout" in the project to replace the Interislander ferries. ...
With the new government gaining international infamy for its climate policy, for rangatahi Māori like Kaeden Watts, attending climate conferences is more important than ever. Every year world leaders meet for the annual Conference of the Parties (Cop), the world’s most powerful climate crisis conference. Despite Cop being criticised for ...
Accidental Partridge is one of my favourite Twitter (I am never going to call it X) accounts, and given today is the last day of live updates I think it’s absolutely fair I include a video from it. If you don’t know why it’s called Accidental Partridge, go watch all ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is calling on the National Party to front up to consumers who will face 15% higher prices for some services from the likes of Uber, Airbnb and food delivery apps after their app tax U-turn rather than trying to erase all ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hunter Fujak, Lecturer in Sport Management, Deakin University While 2023 was a watershed year for Australian women’s sport due to the Matildas’ stirring run at the Women’s World Cup, netball is going through its worst period ever. Netball Australia and the ...
The prime minister is spending the day out of Wellington, touring parts of cyclone-damaged Hawke’s Bay and meeting with senior leaders in the community. Christopher Luxon began the day in Wairoa, where he met with mayor Craig Little. Later, he’ll head to Napier for a meeting with regional council members. ...
How will the new government look at our television? Duncan Greive reflects on this year’s awards ceremony. This is an excerpt from The Spinoff’s weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. The NZ TV Awards took place in downtown Auckland on Tuesday, which coincided with Te Pāti Māori’s National Māori ...
Responding to news that Wellington City Councillors have voted down a proposal to reduce business rates in the capital, Taxpayers’ Union Policy Adviser, James Ross, said: “When Mayor Tory Whanau comes out with a line like ‘I couldn’t in good ...
The new tertiary education minister says Te Pūkenga will be replaced with eight to 10 individual institutions, and hopes legislation will be in place within eight months. ...
Te Kāhui Tika Tangata Human Rights Commission has today launched a short film calling for the public and government to champion and protect human rights ahead of the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. “Seventy-five years on, ...
The parliamentary motion passed today , a full two months after Israel’s slaughter of Palestinian civilians began, says: "Express grave concern at the ongoing violence in Israel and the occupied Palestinian Territories, unequivocally condemn ...
To replace $700 million a year of revenues lost from a foreign buyers tax, the new coalition government is dumping the previous government’s smokefree 2025 goal. This relaxing of policies will keep more people smoking for longer, costing thousands of lives per year and at least $10 billion is extra ...
London has always been a hard place to live, but in 2023, it’s almost impossible. Charlotte Doyle, a New Zealander currently living in London, explores why we keep heading there. “You’re dreaming,” the letting agent tells me impatiently over the phone. “A one-bedroom for £1,500 per month is a needle ...
With The Project wrapping up last week (you can read Duncan Greive’s excellent reflections on that here), Warner Bros Discovery has announced broadcaster Ryan Bridge will host a brand new current affairs show for Three. The currently unnamed show will focus on live news and interviews and is a return ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Matthew H. Holden, Lecturer, School of Mathematics and Physics, The University of Queensland Dot-underwing moth (_Eudocima materna_) found in the researchers’ yard.Matthew Holden, CC BY-NC We are biodiversity researchers – an ecologist, a mathematician and a taxonomist – who were locked ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sam Bennett, Disability Program Director, Grattan Institute The long-awaited NDIS review has looked far beyond the National Disability Insurance Scheme, taking a bird’s eye view of disability services in Australia. Critical to the future of the NDIS are services for people with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rebecca J McLeod, Senior Research Fellow in Marine Ecology, University of Otago Climate change might not be high on its immediate agenda, but New Zealand’s new government does have one potentially significant and innovative policy. Recognising the marine environment’s ability to remove ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Samantha Happé, Graduate researcher in art history and material culture studies, The University of Melbourne Shutterstock As we get closer to Christmas, your family will probably have some kind of gathering. You will reunite with people who you might not ...
Te Whatu Ora IT worker Barry Young had a “relatively muted” digital presence prior to his arrest last week over a massive Covid data breach, Stuff reports. Young has since become something of a cause celebre among vacccine sceptics, appearing on online shows hosted by local conspiracy theorist Liz Gunn and ...
After an 11 year hiatus, legendary Aotearoa hip-hop group Home Brew are back today with their first new album in over a decade, Run it Back, and will continue that reunion at Laneway Festival in February. Breaking their indefinite hiatus, Run it Back comes off the back off the 2023 ...
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Luxon on NZ First. (we knew, you slimy creep)
And now Luxon has said this…We need to highlight exactly who the coalition of chaos would be !
National – ACT – NZ First: The Coalition of Division.
Thats what it is and what Labour needs to call it, loudly and often.
Labour should be reprising National's boat ad in 2014. Instead of red shirted and green shirted rowers trying to row in different directions it will be blue shirted, multi colour shirted and black shirted pirates trying to throw each other out of the boat.
Labour needs to get down and dirty, but I fear Hipkins is at heart too decent a guy to go that far.
There is no way in hell that Winston and David will be at the cabinet table together. If they needed the numbers to get over the line I think NZF would be in coalition with National.
Act would get one or two ministers outside of cabinet/government on a confidence and support deal. Similar to the way the Greens have been working with Labour for 6 years
Sorry, equally no way that Seymour would accept being outside the government (with double the numbers of MPs) if NZF are inside the government.
He's not the pushover the GP was in 2017.
There might be an arrangement with both of them as C+S partners to a minority National government.
Ironic that Winston derides the debate on who NZF would go with. We should be concentrating on the things that matter and not on the "horse race."
Wasn't it he that said early on that he would not go with Labour thus setting off the debate?
Just because Winston said at one point in time that he wouldn't go into government with Labour, doesn't make it true. He's the master of weasel manipulation. If it suited him, and the political climate post-election allowed, he'd be negotiating with Labour like a shot. 'What's in it for Winston', is his over-riding mantra.
If the 3 have the majority, it would be interesting if NZF allowed ACT participation in a coalition government (they denied this to Greens in 2017).
On past form NZF has always tried to keep the party on the left or right out of government or coalition (Alliance 1996) and here ACT in 2023.
Thus if they are consistent they would favour a National minority government backed on c and s by NZF and ACT.
However it seems Peters is not discounting a 3 party coalition – a coalition based on agreed policy apparently because Seymour might not offer supply to a National-NZF coalition or National minority government.
This has led to a a lot of supportive right wing commentators using their NZH platform to demand an ACT driven regime.
The purpose of which is to pressure National to campaign in the centre to take votes off Labour but bend to ACT after the election – as a tactic to deliver a NACT majority by hiding how radical the coalition would be afterwards.
With Peters considering a three party coalition, rather than c and s to a minority National governing in the centre – the post election talks would be the most consequential in our MMP political history (given the range of potential outcomes for policy – decided by politicians and not voters).
Yea thats my worry. How fast and far reaching their actions would be.
IMO They would assume they got a mandate….to start the slashing..down.
Why more so than 1996 or 2017 – where, in both cases, Winston decided the government (held the balance of power)?
Sounds a lot like you are very hypocritical considering the many times you have welcomed Winston so you could have power.
there would have been no last six years of government if it weren't for Winston and no Jacinda
wtf? Jim Cairns…..You dont know me…and I dont know you. Probably a good thing. Anyway….best you get back under your bridge : )
Of course he will. The only reason he's been delaying is that now the others can say a vote for Nat is a vote for Winston.
And of course..there is this..
IMO Luxon is still not anywhere near assured of power.
And, even he says..
Why…we should not give in. Fight… on !
Guardian writer went to visit the radical, sets the scene thisaway:
If you haven't heard of “algorithmic rents” this is your intro. For a radical, one must admit he's a colourful trier. I'd prefer a winner though – he hasn't figured out where his leftism went wrong yet. Try harder!
Maybe you could try harder Dennis!
I thought it was implicit in the article
Left and right has given way to the techno oligarchies
That's not a valid reason to abandon leftism as a strand of political thought though. Better to learn from failure, I reckon. More consistent with human nature.
Of course, if the activist is entrained within a political ecosystem with hegemonic belief that leftists can't learn from failure due to believing they're always right, you get a monoculture that will oppress dissenters.
Rather than head for history to cite stalinism as classic example, better to refer to contemporary political context. Focus on that chasm he mentions in the report (between head of state & minister of finance) where the leader betrays the expert when both are in overt solidarity as ruling cadre. The psychodynamics that drove the outcome into effect are where learning ought to focus.
So you think the "failure" of Varoufakis's leftism was a psychological failing?
Yeah but it points to something more significant, for which I seek an explanation. I'm not into personal criticism of the guy, it's just that leaders ought to proceed to learn from experience so as to win next time.
Radicals are best not viewed as a spent force – better to see them as somewhat out of tune with the masses. There's a philosophical question here: can a radical ever resonate with the masses? No binary answer, based on my life experience – it seems conditional on time & space & social context. That triad makes for relativity of meaning between person & group, so we can't generalise much.
I'd like to see leftists get ahead via a fresh approach to politics, embracing leading-edge thought in young generations for relevance. He's one such youngster with proven ability at the top level. I'm not clear on his originality of thought (due to msm reporting) but the interview failed to show any.
Oh well
I guess it was unspeakably radical in the past for women to have the vote, or for homosexuals to be able to marry
Pretty well accepted by the masses now
Indeed. Retrospectively we can rationalise a `spirit of the age' that transforms us collectively. Those two transformations were based on shifting perception of minority group rights whereas the angst in society nowadays seems more generally felt on an emotional level which is tacit in most folk. We await whoever can articulate it, make it specific in relation to necessity, to drive societal change via collective force…
There is no coalition of chaos in Labour.
But there will be a Coalition of Con Artists in the gang of three being touted.
If FirstNatAct or NatActFirst or ActFirstNat or any variation gets in it’s going to be a Circus. Who gets the title?
Three supreme egos with not much iq or eq input,plus non thinking subservient minions.
What’s not to like lol.
Blood on the floor.
Have to say, that I recall the same level of speculation – from the Right – about the chaos arising from a Labour/NZF government in 2017.
They were proved wrong. Peters was not obviously disruptive – clearly the size of the baubles of power was appropriate.
My Daughter and I drove from Just outside of Rotorua to Taihapa yesterday and were surprised at the quantity of election hordings, specifically the lack of Labour ones of which we counted only 10 on the entire drive which was less than even New Zeal's hoardings.
Overall Labour's hoardings were out numbered roughly by Greens 2:1, NZ First 1.5:1, Act 3:1, National 4:1.
Admittedly we drove only on the Main Highway/Route and assume that there would be more signs within the suburbs but would be interested to hear from other parts of the country what others are finding re the visibility of election hoardings.
This is the case every election. The countryside is Tory and like Faulkner's Snopes clan, the Nats exercise control over the small dirt-poor towns scattered through their estates, where it's dangerous for your job prospects to be known as a lefty. We drove from Auckland to Wellington over two days about a week before the Labour 2020 landslide election – and it was exactly the same. Your desire to read something special into the phenomenon this time round is curious, but not unexpected.
"… the small dirt-poor towns scattered through their estates, where it's dangerous for your job prospects to be known as a lefty."
I believe that attitude is now prevalent in some urban electorates. Having lived in the North Shore electorate for the past 40 years, there are noticeably less Labour hoardings this year than in the past.
As someone who has sported a Labour bill-board on my driveway fence for the past five elections, I seriously considered not having one this time. In the end I agreed to small one. In the past there has been vandalism and last time the hoarding had to be replaced three times. So far so good… although there is evidence someone tried to remove this latest but not succeeded – not yet.
I think it is highly likely that the level of vitriol towards this government – all of which has been driven by Labour's opponents both parliamentary and in the media – has caused people to feel less safe and potentially open to harassment if they openly express their support for Labour.
I certainly can feel it in some places but I'm old and weary and frankly don't care what people think any more.
Good on you. Having no more effs to give is one small compensation for getting older.
I agree
Anne I know where you are coming from.
I live in a Central Otago town which is National. I'm a staunch Labour supporter and have never hidden the fact, which sometimes has brought snide remarks. But I don't give a big rat's backside. Like you Anne, I'm too old to care these days.
I shall roll up to the polling booth on October 14 proudly wearing my red top as I always do, to cast my vote. If it’s a hot sunny day, I might even wear my green sunhat. That should confuse the masses .. hee hee.
All the best Anne.
So what you are saying you just vote labour no matter what they offer or don't offer.
weather it is good or bad.
“I might even wear my green sunhat. That should confuse the masses ..”
I contemplated ringing the Greens and also offering them a place on my fence but decided that could be pushing my luck a bit far. They are a politically conservative bunch around my place. I know that because I've overheard the dulcet tones of Mike Hosking on ZB radio. Nice people really but political ignoramuses.
No desire of anything.
I did wonder if it was possibly due to:
A) the funding issue but that wouldn't explain the difference in numbers even when compared to smaller party's.
B) Labour utilizing different modes of advertising which is possible I can say I seen significantly more or less of their adverts via other methods.
C) Vandalism, not any specific evidence of Labour signs being targeted or anybody signs being significantly damaged (less than 5 from all parties combined which I was very surprised of).
D) I did consider the possibility of passing through other parties strong holds but that answer doesn't seem to hold true when considering the number of other left leaning parties signs eg Green, Maori Party.
Based from you explanation it seems it just is. Perhaps it is simple as Labour preferring to place their signage more in the "burbs" vs main traffic flows.
I don't know but thought others here might be able to shed more light which you have done. Thank you.
As AB wrote @5.1, best not to read too much into it imho. If the number of political party hoardings is indicative of voting patterns, then NAct have nothing to worry about, and they won't be needing NZF – although there seems to be some uncertainty?
Wealth inequality has eroded the resilience of Kiwi society almost beyond repair, and yet a few very wealthy Kiwis clearly feel they need to be wealthier still to be happy, and/or perhaps to feel safe and in control?
Ah well, we reap what we sow
https://climate.nasa.gov/effects/
"yet a few very wealthy Kiwis clearly feel they need to be wealthier still to be happy"
I personally suspect those Kiwis feel a need for other people to be poorer and will merrily contribute to those who will try to make it happen
Actively impoverishing Kiwis might be a motivating factor for some very wealthy individuals. I would hope, however, that for most this very real impoverishment is not uppermost in their minds, but rather is simply incidental to craving wealth beyond the dreams of avarice.
One could always ask the very wealthy, but could you trust their answers?
Judging by NAct’s regressive tax/hoax policies, they can’t perceive the problem.
When I was a candidate many elections ago, I put a 2.4×1.2 m sign (worth about $60 now) up in a rural corner, 10 metres onto a farmer's paddock plus a smaller one further up the road.
As I was erecting the hoarding, a ute drove by with two men and a dog aboard. One of the men called out that the sign would not last long. It went overnight. The thieves had to trespass onto private property to take it. The hoarding would have cost $60 today. I had to travel 200kms to replace it!
The smaller sign went as well and the fearful woman who gave me permission to erect it would not have it replaced as it too was on a private, rural property.
Some lessons from this. Some rural dwellers are lawless, undemocratic, thieves and vandals, terrorising their neighbours. They have a real sense of intolerance and territorial 'rights'.
But the biggest lesson was that, in the case of the ute mentioned above, the most intelligent animal hanging out its tongue on it rode on the tray of the ute.
Recently in ohakune all the signs except te party moaris signs were vandalized!!
Mr Nobody. I liked what AB said in regard to the Tory countryside. But for now, I will report on what I have noticed in our electorate of Ohariu. Something interesting has happened.
Usually the split of Labour Vs National (but sadly hardly any Green) hoardings on private property is fairly even. You will get suburbs where one party will be more dominant. For instance Khandallah has more blue signage where as in Newlands you will see more red.
This time, there is a thrilling absence of blue! This is the seat that Nicola Willis is trying to take from Greg O Connor.
I have a Labour hoarding on my fence on a main road and we have more Labour hoardings in our neighbourhood than usual. There are less National hoardings in our neighbourhood and in general, around the electorate than usual. I have seen two ACT hoardings on private property and that hasn't happened before. Funnily enough they are on rather dilapidated sections. (Maybe they belong to the landlord?).
That is what is happening here.
This wasn't just in the rural areas our count started just before Rotorua and right through the main route in town to the turn off towards Rotorua.
In that stretch was the where we counted the majority of Labour hoardings (7). But to put in comparison one corner site had 5 National hoardings.
Rotorua also had probably the biggest hoarding for the local Maori Candidate (don't remember their name sorry) but it was the size of a full sized advertising site (I'm guessing 2mx3m if not bigger) which looked awesome.
Btw we counted:
1 between Rotorua and Taupo
1 between Taupo and Taurangi
1 between Taurangi and Taihapi
We (inner suburb Auckland) have about equal numbers of National and Labour ones (including sharing the same fence, in a highly non-partisan approach by the owner). Very, very few Green. And only a couple of NZF. I think I might have seen one ACT one. Several from the very minor 'nutter' parties.
I wonder if the smaller parties are saving their money. I truly doubt that election hoardings change anyone's mind…..
Luxon says "New Zealand First hasn’t gone with National in 27 years – and could choose Labour again." Interesting he says that when he himself would prefer a two-party coalition, while Hipkins has ruled out forming a government with Peters.
"Dear Chris,
It's crunch time in this election campaign with overseas voting opening on Wednesday and advance voting opening next Monday.
I’ve been on the campaign trail for three weeks and one thing is clear – Kiwis feel we’re heading in the wrong direction. I've lost count of the number of people who say to me – if you don’t win, I’m leaving.
It's clear you want change. But to get change, you have to vote for change.
Just ask yourself this: how will you feel if you wake up after the election and we have a Labour-Greens-Te Pāti Māori coalition set to take a wrecking ball to our economy? If that’s not the Government you want, then don’t leave it to chance.
Please Party Vote National.
This is really important because, every MMP election is tight and I expect the result to be extremely close this time too.
Lots of people have been asking me about minor parties and how we might form a coalition government.
So here’s the deal…
First and foremost, if you want to change the government, please give your party vote National.
Beyond that, my preference is to form a strong and stable two party coalition government between National and ACT.
I believe that government would be in the best interests of New Zealanders at this very uncertain time.
However, if New Zealand First is returned to Parliament, and I need to pick up the phone to Mr Peters to keep Labour and the Coalition of Chaos out, I will make that call.
Frankly, I think Chris Hipkins will ultimately do exactly the same thing.
That’s not my first preference but we all remember 2017.
New Zealand First hasn’t gone with National in 27 years – and could choose Labour again.
That decision is ultimately up to you.
So, if you want to change the government, then I’m asking you to vote for change and choose a better New Zealand.
I’m asking you to please Party Vote National.
Thank you,
Christopher Luxon"
The cracks in their credibility are starting to show. Going from "We have won this"…. to
"Vote it is going to be close and I (gulp) might need Winston".
Nicola's hand waving one liner on Q&A hasn't helped their case regarding modelling.
Luxon walking away over and over from journalist questions on Policy holes is also a fail. Him indoors says, “Fast talking snake oil salesman”
Bit by bit the veneer of credibility gets chipped away.
3 weeks is a banana skin.
Those who are wavering, remember how the Nats sold social houses and other assets to wealthy marketeers in "the open market" last time, under their mantra of "The Market will fix it." We know how that went.
imo.
"I've lost count of the number of people who say to me – if you don’t win, I’m leaving……."
Lost count….this from the man who says he is "good with numbers"….and people are free to leave if they want to…..Muldoon had a brutal quip on that topic…..
Edited for accuracy.
We can campaign in the centre and go further right after the election with ACT, if NACT have a majority.
Where further right, we will neither confirm nor deny till after the election. Buyer beware.
And for the gullible/protest voter, forget any "buyers..remorse" . Once NAct start the slashing, there will be…no holding back.
I wonder what their internal polling is showing? Perhaps it shows ACT falling and NZF rising, making 61 seats for a pure NACT coalition a bit dicey.
Either way, it looks like the "abomination combination" (NACT) or the "coalition of crackpots" (NACT First) unless Hipkins pulls a loaves and fishes act or turns water into sausage rolls.
Chris Hipkins has ruled out Winston Peters and will not ultimately do exactly the same thing.
I think NZ first said they would not work with Labour a long time ago .
then HIPKIN said he would not work with them.
so it was nz first that decided that they would not work with labour.
Hipkin as usual no idea of his own just started the obvious.
The left still interested in that type of stuff or is that so 2016?
https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA2307/S00139/labour-breaks-a-new-record-in-child-poverty.htm
Oh really…
Sabine links to a National Party press release with enough holes in it… it could be used as a sieve. We already know how much integrity there is in National's accounting skills – zero. See Tax-cuts 2023.
Pull the other one.
Well we do know the thinking of National is that being on a benefit and being in poverty is synonymous, because this has been National Party policy (since 1990-91).
Labour has brought in a much higher level of part-time work income before benefit abatement, a higher base payment, the winter energy payment, and the food in schools programme and other free stuff – no school fees/health/dentist/prescriptions/public transport and is trying to boost the number of income related rental homes.
National Party press release, lol. What do you think National's ideas are around getting people off benefits?
"Work will set you free"
https://www.speakupforwomen.nz/post/media-release-ministry-staff-told-don-t-use-male-or-penis-when-referring-to-male-lesbians?utm_campaign=45466310-4610-4758-a2bc-dbbe9bcb5db1&utm_source=so&utm_medium=mail&cid=7f4c8e0a-aa2a-44c1-9fc3-5db780e2856c
A story about a whistle blower, Emma Barraclough, who worked for the Mof T. During a Diversity and Inclusion training she asked some questions about same sex attraction as she has a relative who is lesbian. Read what happened next (spoiler alert, it involved the Deputy CEO writing and meeting with her to chatise her.
A lesbian with a penis!!!!
Some needs to slap the people pushing this shit and tell them to wake the fuck up, fucking mind numbing ridiculous clap fuck trap,
I'd go on but people might think I'm joking,
Stupid fuckers
The lowest of the low brow humor used to say that as a joke.
Man: "I think I might be lesbian too!" etc.
Unfunny then, but now we're supposed to take it seriously, it's absurd.
https://www.speakupforwomen.nz/post/the-day-insideout-came-to-the-ministry-of-transport?s=04&fbclid=IwAR1Nblg4f-TKGeA7k-uTSiRKXU1AANbIDeDte_OPz3em3VNmzLKOH_RMe6g
This is Emma's the whistle blowers story in her own words. What happened with the Ministry of Transport held an Diversity and Inclusion training session and she used the term male bodied when asking if lesbians should accept transwomen into their dating pools.
Go Emma, if the fuckers don't see sense move on no point surrounding yourself with stupid morons.
Agree Bwagon, but unfortunately this training is pervasive across the public service and beyond, (.NGOs and Professional Bodies).
The fact that Emma respectfully challenged it, then the Deputy CEO wrote her a letter and followed this up with an hour long meeting to chastise her, is nothing but 1984
Thanks for the link, the situation described is bewildering.
It’s interesting when I catch up with people outside of the workplace, most people seem to think this is complete BS. Even my younger gay/bisexual nephew and his gender ambiguous friends think some of this stuff is weird…
That's because it is. but of course people are entitled to all sorts of beliefs. but why they are taught as part of a govt training module, which the tax payer pays for and why any dissent is shut down is the real scandal!
Remember this next time someone talks about those "marginalised and oppressed" trans and gender diverse people. We are being required to signify our acceptance of gender ideology in every facet of our dealings with the State.
Afficionados of the weird will like this story about ancient dead aliens found underground in Peru: https://edition.cnn.com/videos/us/2023/09/23/mexico-congress-alleged-alien-corpse-neil-degrasse-tyson-ebof-vpx.cnn
Sceptics counter-claim that this investigative journalist is doing a re-run of a similar claim in 2017 which the Peruvian govt said was fake. Conspiracy theorists will get off on that official verdict coming from their prosecutor's office instead of science!
https://apnews.com/article/extraterrestrials-ufo-mexico-congress-af7d54fabf3278ef83c39d899c457c76
I believe the spirit of the "Piltdown man" is alive and well
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piltdown_Man
I read a real good book about that years ago. A real eye-opener into how academic competition can warp judgments & morality.
In this extra-terrestrial case, I thought the promoter looked dubious. He cited archeological dating yet the report did not include who did that – if it happened. Nor did it include the site of extraction details such as which archeologists did the dig.
Otoh, none of those reports included evidential support for the sceptics either, so I have to rate the thing a nil-all draw…
Around 60 women a year die from cervical cancer in NZ.
Those who want to vote for a right-wing government, simply because any change is good, might want to reflect on which parties support screening, and which do not.
(Note: "have a look at" is politician-speak for "kick the can down the road")
Election 2023: National mulls free cervical cancer screening policy, Luxon says – NZ Herald
I see Labour has promised to appoint a Minister of Just Transitions. That is sure to be a vote winner because I think everyone loves geek speek. I wonder who came up with the catchy title btw.
NAct pollies burying their heads in sandbags perhaps – any new NAct Ministers promised, or just a slash and burn approach?
Interesting times.
Dim bulb-Brownlee was incandescent with rage about 'nanny state' energy-efficient lighting. The well-being of spaceship Earth – our only home – isn't a NAct priority.
"It’s a case of slower to go faster." Sounds ponderous – back to the drawing board?
Thank NAct for the gift of laughter.
IDK – perhaps we should thank Labour for the gift of laughter – "Minister of Just Transitions" seems pretty risible to me.
We live in increasingly interesting times – overshoot BAU is unsustainable. Mitigation and adaptation through just transitions will be the name of the 'game', and governments will have a role – unless they leave their run too late.
Risible, or forward-focused initiatives? Hopefully there'll be time to tell.
One thing's for sure, no way any govt position with 'just' in its name would survive a regressive ACT-level cull – this would be some 'transition'.
Good grief, I have to agree with you there ts. What a dreadful name. I gather it means – in large part – the transition to renewable energies. Well, call it that: the Ministry for Renewable Energies – MRE for short.
Yeah. It sort of sounds like something to do with gender reassignment lol. And, isn't it along the lines of what James Shaw is already doing? So, it seems a bit superfluous to me.
Does Luxons calling first dibs on NZF mean that possibly their internal polling are tanking? Whiff of desperation there methinks. Also would like to add that when asked about his honesty Luxon replies with obligatory American showing of teeth that he was 100% honest. Possibly paraphrasing but what he did say. Isn’t that a big fat lie? Just asking.
Ooohhh…. sirjohnkey is on Lisa owens. Begs the question …Why? I wonder if she will get Jacinda on. Fundamentally he would rule Winnie in. Yadayadayada.But. Slippery as usual. Omg. What a waste of time. Luxon is a friend. Yada Yada. Still a wanker. Needs a listen to. Why do they keep dredging up the worst prime minister NZ has ever had ?
Nah Ffloyd. that titles goes to RD Muldoon.