Now that the Māori Party are out of the game, can we put an end to these outrageous tobacco tax increases that are causing so much crime/violence, hardship and harm?
While it does disproportionately harm the addicted poor more, they’re far from the only ones suffering.
One shop-owner has been killed while a number have been brutally assaulted and stabbed with many fearing for their lives.
Innocent children buying lollies have been terrifyingly caught up and it’s only a matter of time before there are more related deaths. So the harm is widespread.
If that’s intended to imply that shop owners can avoid being beaten or killed by armed robbers simply by not selling cigarettes, it’s on a par with the view that women can avoid being raped by not dressing provocatively.
I know. My tongue was in my cheek because that is precisely what people say to women… but not to dairy owners cos that is money not just dignity and mental health
More children are physicalky and sexually abused than dairy owners beaten… more women raped than dairy owners beaten. A dairy group get regular media coverage prior to an election… didnt see Rape Prevention getting the same air time
It’s not only about money, Tracey. The lives of dairy owners, their family, staff and customers (which include women and children) are also on the line.
It’s not only rape victims that suffer from loss of dignity and mental health. Seems you can’t imagine how terrifying, thus how stressful it is for them just going to work every day not knowing if the next customer is going to rob and harm them.
The ongoing annual increases in tax resulting in the increase in violent robberies is forcing some to make that hard choice, Tracey.
While others, such as the Government, are choosing to spend our tax dollars (which could be going to better use elsewhere) on increasing police numbers and prison beds.
Additionally, just because they decide not to sell cigarettes it doesn’t mean they will be out of harms way. Anyone can become a victim of a robbery as more are forced to desperate measures looking for money to buy smokes.
tracey
The law of returns and stocking what the customer wants to buy and it’s legal. Let people have cigarettes in moderation, smoke-free parks is just councillors being twee and self-righteous. There are worse things, and bad deaths from other things, we have them and have to put up with them like other unwanted pests. Try to moderate, but those doing so should remember smoking is popular amongst the lower paid and hospitality sectors. So going higher every year just puts it into the fancy drug level.
If cigarettes are taxed to the point where a black market in them becomes lucrative, reducing inequality and raising incomes won’t prevent people joining that black market.
Well, here in Germany the election results from 24 September are even less clear and considerably more problematic than those in NZ. The conservative CDU/CSU look to have about 33% (down from a projected 37% or thereabouts), which means that only Merkel would be in a position to take the chancellorship. Theoretically, there are two possible coalitions, a continuation of the current grand coalition with the SPD (about 21%), or a three-party coalition with the CDU/CSU, the Greens (about 9%) and the comparatively neoliberal FDP (about 10%). Numerically, other coalitions are possible, but everybody has ruled out working with the third largest party, the AfD (about 13%), a populist bundle of xenophobes, Eurosceptics and fascists who act as a magnet for the protest vote; the CDU/CSU would also not go into coalition with the more truly left social-democratic party, Die Linke (about 9%).
Moreover, the SPD has ruled out returning to the grand coalition and will sit on the cross-benches. The only possibility, therefore, is CDU/CSU – FDP – Green. Exactly how those three would agree on a viable programme for government is unclear. Although unlikely, the prospect of new elections has already been mentioned, and the election-night count isn’t even finished yet.
Amidst historic lows for the two main parties, the large presence of the AfD is a source of considerable disquiet amongst the other parties and the bulk of the electorate, not least because its rise has been so sudden; it only surfaced at the previous federal election, in 2013, in which at 4.7% it narrowly failed to break the 5% threshold to enter the Bundestag, but since then has taken significant chunks in several state parliaments (sometimes over 20%), and entered the European Parliament.
Yes Hanswurth.
my Son is there in Baveria now for a month visit after he left November 2015 when the ‘flood and surge of ‘immigratants’ from north Africa flooded there in 2015.
Now it seems as destined for mass ’emmigation’ will develop now again right, with the arrival of the new southern Baverian provincial Natzi – Fascist party right?
Baveria was the centre of the hotbed of Hitler’s rise to prominence during the 1920’s-30’s.
James Shaw’s proposal to plant 1.2 billion trees – can we do it anyway? I started yesterday. 40 so far, another 60 today (I have helpers!). I know it doesn’t seem many, but these were big trees (4 year-old apples), as tall as I am. I’ve got seedlings from all sorts of fruit and nut trees coming up right now, so by the time Christmas rolls around, I’ll have planted a few hundred; don’t want James Shaw wearing himself out doing all 1.2 billion by himself!
If you think logs going offshore has anything at all to do with the housing problem in this country you really do need to pull your head out of your arsehole.
1. There is no shortage of logs or timber available in New Zealand.
2. You have no idea whatsoever of the impact that timber has on the price of a house.
A friend of mine does the books for a Vietnamese outfit. They’ve just invested in a suite of finger jointing plant – not here of course. But if we had more in the way of such plants here local costs could come down. Growers can’t really fix that – though government soft loans probably could. A better investment than Mediaworks any day of the week.
david C
You have to sell the logs to who wants to buy them. They are obviously part of your production plan for your property.
I understand that there is a timber shortage for houses in NZ.
Breaks my heart to see mountains of logs at Lyttelton port waiting export. Another low value commodity going off shore. Why aren’t we adding value to our raw products and reaping the benefits?
i hate driving here on the country side, its so ugly. On one side dairy and nothing but and on the other side clear logging. I can not see the appeal to any tourists.
Twenty years ago it was still pretty but now? its about time we wake up and smell the bullshit.
Good to hear how it is for you David C. We get a bit jaundiced about how things are done in this country compared to what would give us more value added. But it is interesting to hear the facts as they stand. What sort of timber. Good old pinus radiata?
Probably we would like to see finished timber made up into quality furniture that we could sell as from plantation timber rather than that made from stolen commons in Indonesia or elsewhere. Perhaps we could sell quality in kitset style like ikea, and call ours kakariki or some kiwi name. If there were people who understood the market and the native or special timber ready to go when wanted, so that it could be dried and seasoned under cover properly for two? years etc. then we could take some orders and be ready to supply. A public/private partnership I think, so that keen and knowledgable skilled people could get the operating and capital funding they needed, and use it well and effectively. Nice dream.
Have an apple tree ” Priscilla”, blight resistant variety
never sprayed it in 20 years Just a bit of seaweed and comfrey.
Lots of perfect blight free apples
I’m of to plant apple and plum trees alongside of the estuary, once I’ve finished my coffee. Those trees will grow, without any fanfare, amongst the scrubby stuff the council can’t be bothered clearing and produce fruit for anyone wandering that way. I’ve already put 20 in, planted over the past couple of years. Today, I’m planting an apple that came from an old tree growing in Horseshoe Bay, on Stewart Island. We grafted two for the Open Orchard project, so this one’s a spare. Anyone who really believes there will be a need for food growing locally as the future continues to unfold, might like to consider ways to plant their neighbourhood also.
“Those trees will grow, without any fanfare, amongst the scrubby stuff the council can’t be bothered clearing and produce fruit for anyone wandering that way”
Good on ya Robert, you’re a real Johnny Appleseed.
“Anyone who really believes there will be a need for food growing locally as the future continues to unfold, might like to consider ways to plant their neighbourhood also.”
Some excellent sense about the indictment on NZ media and Bill English in the take down of Metiria Turei, and on Bling’s very bad record on treatment of beneficiaries:
She was right. Without her admission, the Greens’ ‘Mending the Safety Net’ welfare policy would have been a sidebar in journalists’ stories.
Political journalists have serious reflection to do on their takedown of Turei.
They decided their job was to dig into who Turei flatted with 25 years ago.
Our country would be a very different – and much better – place if they had instead seen their role as challenging the Minister of Social Development on why benefits are deliberately kept at unliveable levels.
…
The other key feature of the election was the ripping aside of Prime Minister Bill English’s mask as an honest, compassionate conservative.
This was never an accurate image, given that one of English’s first acts on being elected to Parliament in 1990 was to vote in favour of the benefit cuts which have wrecked the lives of hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders and continue to cause poverty to this day.
The article concludes:
Turei sacrificed her political career to fight poverty.
Let 2020 be the election of the povertyquake, when New Zealanders come together in shared concern for all parts of the community and vote to lift everyone up, rather than only the favoured.
I like what I’ve seen of Kiri Allan. She does seem really passionate about improving things for low income and Maori people on the east coast.
Ardern has her strengths, but I don’t find her position on anti-poverty that convincing. Probably she believes she means it, but I don’t see it in her framing or the language and policies she uses when referring to it. She’s smart, articulate an knowledgeable about policy, and will probably be a very good leader.
But, I question her “passion” to end poverty.
Ardern seems to be talking to the middle classes (for their approval) – hence probably why “a href=”https://www.libertas.digital/blog/2017/9/25/the-jacinda-effect-visualised-in-auckland”>Labour mainly picked up votes this week in “relatively urban and/or affluent” electorates.
My preference is for the Green Party policies for tackling poverty and re-developing our social welfare system.
Sorry about the gramma it’s just I have to use an different format to get this out there
I feel Like Alla Bundy from love and marriage all ways having to part with my hard earned cash to my children but that what parents do.I brought my children up during mostly Labour,S government so it was a lot easy to survive in those days and we had no parents help as the roles were reversed we had to support our parents so in reality I’m happy that we can help our children.
Now To James my grandmother told me never kick anything when it’s down and like all neo liberals do you go and kick US LEFTY,S ON THIS SITE WHEN WE ARE DOWN classical NEO LIBERALS behavior I have no need to compare you with me or say it as everyone gets the picture.
If that all the Muppets have got well I say no more.
I have to remember that I have a public profile so I will be more careful from now on . The Muppets have COUNTED THERE CHICKENS and to the Lefty,S I say Kia kaha
Why arent the Greens banging on Bills door this morning looking to do a deal?
They have leverage like no other time in the last 21 years.
If Greens want action on climate or rivers or housing then pick one and they will get that one.
Greens or Winston should be the choice that Bill is forced to make, not how many baubles to offer Winston.
Perfect is the enemy of good. The Greens should go for most good.
You mean a conversation like this:
Bill: “Hi James. I woke up this morning and decided to completely reverse 80 years of National Party ideology. I’m going to create a society that is more equal and more sustainable rather than less. I know that’s what you want too. Sure farmers will hate me, business will hate me, the speculators and the landlords will hate me, all our donors will desert me, Judith will knife me, but it’s the right thing to do, so please come on board!”
James: “Um. Gee Bill. Let me think about that. Have you been on the turps again?”
AB.
Greens could pick an issue and make it their raision d’etre.
Clean rivers? Housing? climate? Pick one and make it a drop dead bottom line for support and they would get more done in the next tree years than they have achieved in the last 21 years.
the fact that they would be in the tent would also give them a voice on other things, they may get ignored or told to piss off 90% of the time but there would be subtle things they could do.
The Greens in opposition yet again and they will achieve zero outside the tent raging against Winston who hates them.
For me I would love to see the Greens shove it up Winston and consign him to the political wilderness where he belongs! 🙂
The Greens aren’t going to dig you lot out of this one. The tories made their bed under FPP rules, now they can lie in it.
It says it all that you want the Greens to choose between housing, climate change, or clean rivers. And normal human being would ask why National isn’t diong all that in the first place. None of that should be debated – we know dozens of major waterways that were once drinkable are now no longer swimmable, and the nat response was to redefine “swimmable”. We know houses are making people sick and costing us billions, yet the nats oppose even token efforts towards warrant of fitness. The cars people live in have to be safer than many homes, ffs. As for climate change, the nats think an easily defrauded system of credits is the same as dealing with it, while building more roads and ignoring more efficient transport options.
You think these are expendable bargaining chips? Get a soul.
I think they really do see such things as expendable bargaining chips, hence the incomprehensible (to us) suggestions from right-wingers that the Greens should do a deal with National.
Mcflock you get todays top prize for climate change /environmental so I quote your blog;
“As for climate change, the nats think an easily defrauded system of credits is the same as dealing with it, while building more roads and ignoring more efficient transport options.”
McFlock, try our following position (below) from our “Environment Centre press release” on your well picked issue of carbon transport emmissions road vs rail and other options, this was to make sure the greens and others should focus on.
Our Environment Centre (CEAC) has received more than 2000 letters and petitions from residents from Napier to Gisborne fed up with 24/7 heavy truck traffic waking them all hours and poisoning the air with diesel smells.
People complain of overwhelming exhaust smells and heavy soot covering their homes since the rail service stopped three years ago.
Our centre believes the environmental impacts being felt must be taken into account when considering the saving of the Gisborne/Napier rail. It is vital for the public health and well-being of our communities and future generations to retain the rail link.
How safe is the air that we breathe?
The two pollutants which give most cause for concern are the toxic gas nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulate matter (PM2.5). Earlier this year, the UK’s highest court ruled the Government must take action to cut NO2 pollution.
The UK has been in breach of EU limits for nitrogen dioxide so it (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) published a consultation on draft plans to improve air quality.
This problem is now occurring in our cities and towns along heavy freight truck routes and rail is recognised as the answer for movement of freight and passengers.
Governments knew this 16 years ago when they conducted a study of rail versus road freight emissions, so why has the treasury advised we close all regional rail in New Zealand?
Evidence: the New Zealand Government in 1999 produced an “Impacts of Rail Transport on Local Air Quality” report.
Related articles:
The MoT Fuels and Energy Management group report shows how fuel-efficient and low-pollution rail transport really is. # 363.73926 RAI # 4037.
The report confirmed that rail freight per tonne per kilometre travelled had extremely low NOx levels compared with trucking’s freight per tonne per km higher levels (four times) of all harmful pollution emissions.
Quote from page 34 of “Impacts of Rail Transport on Local Air Quality” report: 5.5: Locomotive Emissions; Opportunities for Reduction.
“Based on these inventory results, there does not appear to be a specific need to target the emissions from the rail sector in managing local air quality.
The only emission of any significance from locomotives is of NOx but the output relative to other combustion sources is still minimal in terms of total activity measures.”
Why the Government needs to support rail for public urban residential health & safety:
-Evidence of much higher diesel air emissions emerging, thanks to the Volkswagen diesel scandal.
-Doubts are emerging about our urban air quality, public health and safety and emissions of truck freight 24/7 through our urban residential zones as New Zealand has set no standards.
-Since the VW diesel scandal, similar diesel truck emissions cheating was uncovered.
-No safeguards for communities near truck routes.
-We need the protection of public health agencies along with MoT oversight.
Government, please heed our call for the reinstatement of provincial rail services, to protect the health and well-being of all our regional communities, as overseas governments are doing.
David C, the membership of the Greens would need to approve any partnership and its not happening in my lifetime.
Oil and water just dont mix.
While the Greens achievements outside of Government may be limited, they are still in Parliament which is more than almost all of the small parties who hugged a big party.
If the greens go with national they will be destroyed by 2020 election finally,
But I can see your logic.
But it is so risky for the Greens and our future, as we need to move to roll back all the 1200 rule changes the National Party have put in place to kill off our future, and hand us over to global corporates.
National are backed by banks who have a lot of money in the housing sector, by frackers destroying underground acquirers, by oildrilling killing dolphins, by big farmers taking whole rivers to grow milk. Nobody calling themselves Green would back National, Blue Green are already voting Green or Labour.
DavidC. National has more in common with Labour than it does with the Greens, so why don’t you make preposterous suggestions of a Nat/Lab coalition ? That’s got more show of happening than a Nat/Greens combination!
“Mistakes in campaigns are fatal. There is no time to recover.
Bill English ran a mistake-free campaign. In modern politics no one else who has taken over as Prime Minister has gone on to win the next election. It is a remarkable achievement. All the other parties made mistakes.
When Jacinda became Labour leader Bill English could have launched an attack pointing out her youth and inexperience. Bill held his nerve. Labour’s policies were unchanged. He was sure before Election Day the stardust would wear off.”
If there is a L/NZF/G coalition – then expect the rage of the privileged to go stratospheric. It will be a very dangerous time.
I think Winston knows this too.
AB, Better time now before the TPPA is law wherewe are then stymied by contols over government then we are stuffed totally, thats why natioal is opening up to any deal they appear to be offering, (except restoring regional rail)
The swipe cards to the 9th floor already achieve this. Do you not think tobacco lobbyists and otgers dont pop in to drop veiled or overt threats about what they will do if certain legislation goes through?
Two huge lies being championed as successes. So much for ACT being the party of personal responsibility and Accountability. The only way Prebble gets this gig is that someone higher than editor wants him to have it. Otherwise the MP would have had a former member writing as many pieces for a few years. Think on that David ” why is RNZ horrid to me ” Seymour.
I can remember a copy of Prebble’s book turning up in our letterbox, can’t recall the exact title now it was “I’ve been drinking” or something like that.
It came as unsolicited mail and had some fine print stating that if I didn’t return it within x days I’d be required to pay for it.
Bill English did not run a mistake free campaign. He ran a dirty political campaign of smearing and fearing with a bunch of blatant lies along the way – and dirty back-room dealing with some dirty people. He played on his reputation as an honest, decent man which we now know was nothing more than a mythical meme probably dreamed up by C and T.
Although yet to be determined, he may go down in history as the man who lied his way back into a 4th term in government – something a good opposition should be reminding the punters of at every available opportunity for the next 3 years. They (the punters) might eventually see the error of their ways.
By mistake free Prebble means “successful by whatever means”. I know you know this. And that has always been Prebbles mantra. Even now he is writing to be paid by ACTs piper. Otherwise we woukd have had former MP writer doing opinion pieces during the election… but we didnt
Prebble has always been someone who bears deep grudges against his perceived foes for years afterward. A good case in point is Helen Clark who saw through him before anyone else did. Roger Douglas on the other hand does not seem to bear grudges against former enemies. Indeed he was reported to have said he was hoping for a Labour led government.
The media is run by the Corporates and Steven Joyce is pumping out their propaganda full force today, and we expect this all the way to the seventh of October.
Were I jacinda, I would just step back and let National and NZ First form a government. A red/green/black government with a 1 seat majority has all sorts of risks involved, and will only lead to a National landslide victory, with a new set of Maori Party quislings, led by Lance O’Sullivan in tow.
Labour’s focus should be to get that extra 10% and win in 2020. And the campaign should start today.
Like Key did in 2008 you mean? And his job summit to solve GFC unemplyment but turned out to be an excuse to further erode working conditions? EG over 50% of kiwifruit growers do not have employment contracts and pay less than minimum wage? Like that indiana?
Yep and National only got 46 (as of now, as 15% of the vote is still outstanding with the specials yet to be counted), and can not govern alone with all its coalition partners killed off in the last nine years.
MMP.
Repeat after me MMP.
Labour at 36 – 38 % can form a government with the Greens and NZF.
Labour and the Greens can also be a formidable opposition by simply needing to get 4 – 5 votes of NZF every time National gets to greedy, which could actually happen.
NZF could also decide to go with no one and simply supply their votes on legislation it likes irrespective of whom brings it to the floor.
So currently the lame duck is National, they campaigned on the 4th term. hahahahahahahahahahaha
The word of the day Schadenfreude. So much Schadenfreude.
Millsy. From what I’ve gleamed from history you grab power when you can, not “some time later when everyone will be nice to me”. If we can do a deal with Winston then we must proceed . That’s far preferable to three more years of these lying bastards.
Just listening to Angela Merkel’s fourth term prospects on RNZ, it occurred to me that her continued popularity, and bearing in mind our “Jacindamania” might it be named “Angela Momentum” after a similar scientific principle defined as “the quantity of rotation of a body, which is the product of its moment of inertia and its angular velocity.”
Humour is the last refuge of those who while feeling great disappointment after the last election, have a ray of hope still kept alive by a flickering sense of humour.
I have voted in seventeen elections, and only once voted for the winning candidate. I have experienced the government of my choice over those forty-eight years for only eighteen years of Labour.
A comment on facebook yesterday said that National had turned down a wealthy donor who wished to build a new Childrens hospital in Wellington. It may well be bizarre fanciful social media trolling, but has anyone heard anything along those lines from a reputable source?
Interesting that in a few Nat and Labour supporters minds the minor parties make huge concessions and them none.could be worse you coukd not believe what someone tells you, vote for them, and expect them to stick to their promises
Imbecile. You only have to mentally put the possessive apostrophe behind the final ‘s’ on ‘supporters’ and it makes sense, apart from a minor typo. I think you are deliberately lazy when it suits you, and, since you are here to troll, that is quite often. You realise that George Bernard Shaw refused to use the apostrophe at all? Have you ever read him, or would that be too hard?
Police are seeking any information from the public or professional bodies who are engaged in the financial affairs of the Head Hunters gang.
In other news, several gigabytes of data files connected to the National Party’s bank accounts and secret trusts have been erased in what their lawyers are calling “an unfortunate error of judgement on the part of a junior associate”.
There’s ekshully a terabyte of historical shit stored offshore – circa 2000 and before – and because of Y2K issues/ faux fear of a crash. Some of it shows EVEN THEN those committed to the neo-lib agenda. It comprises financial databases and Exchange Email shit such that even back then Gnatzi Ministerial whispers.
Of course when nothing happened at the turn of the millenium, the brilliant Masters of the Universe never thought to repatriate it all.
“There’s some fairly new science to it, Curia runs it for National, turns out you can just say certain things and get a fair chunk of people to change their opinion. You test a bunch of things to say, on people of one opinion, and count how many of them change that opinion, and for most things you can find a short phrase to tip people over on any subject.
Most of the population isn’t vulnerable to it, but enough are that if you figure out what to say and just keep saying it, there’s like a three-week window where you can shift a vote or whatever.
The Brexit thing was so many or other hundred billion pounds extra for the health system if you vote yes on Brexit, and it swung about 5% on that and they won. Completely unconnected with reality, but that’s not important. The MSM largely tried to not push it, they had to run cars with loudspeakers and stuff, but it still works.
For the Nats here it was, in a few different ways of saying it, that Labour was either under-selling how much tax they’d put on or over-selling how much they’d deliver with government spending, that the two didn’t match up, it couldn’t really be that easy, and they jumped a good 5% on that.
It works, and it will always work forever now that people know how to do it reliably. Trump in the US hammered on the Clinton emails, because that dropped Clinton a couple %, and that was enough.
The only thing you can do against it is find something to say to change them back. Not the truth, not policy, none of that shit matters for people who are persuadable by short phrases unconnected with reality. Research your own magic words and just repeat them ad nauseam, and make sure the delivery doesn’t put off your more stable voters.”
Sounds disturbingly accurate, and partially explains the massive late shift back to National.
Spreading lies worked very well for National, mostly about tax. I have heard so many stories now of ordinary working people who were convinced that Labour was going to increase their income tax dramatically – these were people who were only just making ends meet as it was. They picked it up from Facebook and other social media sources, and it is really hard to combat these messages in the time available.
I heard that Joyce had some GOP strategists who had worked on the Trump campaign working with him on the campaign. The only name I have is Clark Hennessey, a NZer who spent time working in USA with Republicans. Looks to me like the Nats used some of the same kind of tactics used to get Trump elected.
There’s been some convos on twitter along those lines too – anecdotes about people who thought their wages were going to be taxed more.
One was of people with disabilities who were talking on social media about how Labour were going to tax benefits more so they voted National. I don’t know how they got to that, but this is a big issue for the left. The MSM side of it, but also clarity. One thing that would have helped there is if Labour had had overt pro-beneficiary policy that wasn’t just about family/worker stuff. That people missed that the Greens had a policy to increase core benefits is a problem too.
“One thing that would have helped there is if Labour had had overt pro-beneficiary policy that wasn’t just about family/worker stuff. That people missed that the Greens had a policy to increase core benefits is a problem too.”I
These two sentences contradict each other. The problem is not the policies because the vast majority of the population do not bother with reading policies. Their decision on what party to vote for seems to rely on some vague impression of what the parties stand for and whether they like the candidates they know something about.
As someone who has been interested in politics since my early teens I find this extraordinarily depressing, but, unfortunately, it is the way it is and it is getting worse.
weka
Iy could be that people with worries are invited to f/b or twitter an official site about them and they could be explained or put to rest and that would be available to all so the answer could apply to many questions. People are used to there being fishhooks to everything. Having your benefit held for two weeks because of a change of employment or something like that, teaches you to be very careful about any changes.
I heard that Joyce had some GOP strategists who had worked on the Trump campaign working with him on the campaign. The only name I have is Clark Hennessey, a NZer who spent time working in USA with Republicans. Looks to me like the Nats used some of the same kind of tactics used to get Trump elected.
That shouldn’t surprise anybody. Political parties of like mind around the world tend to work together. That’s not the problem.
The problem is the telling of lies and that needs to stop and to have consequences for those who still do it. An MP or budding MP who lies for political gain needs to go to jail for it.
“The problem is the telling of lies and that needs to stop and to have consequences for those who still do it.”
This is something I have been thinking we need – some kind of judicial body that could impose a financial penalty/retraction requirement on the spreading of false information. It would need to be able to work very quickly, operate on all media and be independent of the government of the day. The problem with organisations like the BSA is they have been stacked with Nats and their mandate is too limited.
Craig H
Had a look at legal beagle on public address and a comment under Graeme E’s is interesting;
simon g, A day ago
Thanks for doing this, Graeme.
A point overlooked by many of the talking heads is that numbers can and do change during a term. Parties break up (NZ First, Alliance in the first two MMP terms), parties are formed when MPs break away (the Maori Party, Mana), individuals leave parties to become independent (pushed, or jumping), by-elections, etc.
This is relevant now because a putative Lab-NZF-Green deal would require Winston to keep all his caucus on board, and given past behaviour, there’s a non-zero chance that some hitherto unknown NZF MP will be seduced across the floor by a bauble or quit the party on “principle”. Not tomorrow, but next year, who knows?
And if there’s a NZF-Nat deal, the anti-Nat numbers need to increase to stop any maverick from becoming Alamein Kopu when NZF quit the coalition over the [Insert Name Later] scandal of 2018. (I know she was Alliance, but the point stands – the party-hopping prevention law died years ago).
AK now that’s a name to remember. The story went that J Shipley called her every morning after breakfast to check if she was well.
“there’s a non-zero chance that some hitherto unknown NZF MP will be seduced across the floor by a bauble or quit the party on “principle”. ”
Can you tell me any party where this could not happen?
I won’t bother with the 1995-1996 period when all the parties seemed to disintegrate into little groups but off hand I can remember.
Jim Anderton left Labour.
Tariana Turia left Labour.
Hone Harawira left the Maori Party.
Don Brash left National
Kennedy Graham left the Greens
David Clendon left the Greens
Chris Carter left Labour.
Winston Peters left National
Alamein Kopu left the Alliance.
These are all ones who left after a row. I’m not counting those who simply resigned or retired quietly.
The split in New Zealand First in 1998 was merely the biggest of the splits with a large number of the party MPs going to Mauri Pacific.
Almost every party with more that one member seems to have had a split. Why pick on New Zealand First? They seem fairly stable these days.
I had to explain to people that CGT will not be 100% of all profit made on a house sale – no doubt there are thousands of others who think the same, and voted accordingly.
I heard that Joyce had some GOP strategists who had worked on the Trump campaign working with him on the campaign. The only name I have is Clark Hennessey, a NZer who spent time working in USA with Republicans. Looks to me like the Nats used some of the same kind of tactics used to get Trump elected.
How come this revelation didn’t come out before the election? Did Labour and the Greens know about it? Because if they did they could have turned it around to their own advantage. It’s called playing the bastards at their own game.
So Labour should have repeated ad nauseam ” Why has National got a Chinese Government spy in their caucus ?” , it’s a gimme because it isn’t even a lie, and National would have to defend it. For fucks sake, Liang even said he would have to go back and correct his citizenship application. Nobody else gets to do that, your feet don’t even touch the ground before you’re bundled into the plane and told to fuck off.
You got it Craig Have to stop that crafty shit we ban all social media adverts a month before election and Draco T idea to ban polls a month before election I think it’s the video that change people perspective on one’s reality .I was not a happy person when I found out I missed Joe’s fight my son fucked up the time with daylight savings and all good fight Joe you won that easy as Big Upps .
Big Upps to all the American Sport’s Stars for not putting up with that __________________________________bullshit
If you have read my some of my older post u no what I’m saying Kia Kaha
Hooton did not deny (on Radio NZ) that it was Steven Joyce who leaked Winston Peters’ national superannuation details. That could be awkward for any coalition negotiations.
these would be the guys who are not Members of the Green Party anymore? Maybe they can join the National Party and open the blue / green branch? They could call themselves aquamarine.
Poor National Party, it must be so unpleasant to have run out of natural born coalition partners and now here they are hat in hand having to be nice to Winston Peters. Poor things. Poor poor things.
nope, as stated elsewhere, Labour can sit back and say nope we are happy in opposition – we have big enough numbers to make Nationals life hell for the next three years and watch these guys implode under their lies and deceits. Pike Mine comes to mind, just to name one.
Labour and the Greens have to do nothing. National wants it, then they NEED Winston. Without Winson National is a lame duck and you have a hung parliament which then needs to actually bargain and work to get the votes they need to pass their agenda. And then they have to work across the ailes, which considering that they have spend the last 9 years vilifying everyone who is not National could be ‘interesting’ in the best case or a right bitch in the worst.
The biggest looser today is National. Could not happen to nicer people. Crow and all that, you might want to add a bit o salt to that. I hear it makes it more palatable.
Greens won’t get over 5% in 2020 if they sit back and do nothing.
Currently, all they’re looking like is the hard left rump of a more environmentally focused Labour party there’s no reason at all to vote greens now, they’re going the same way as Act.
See, the difference is some of us vote with MMP in mind, and National does not. IF it would, there would still be coalition partners on their side of the spectrum. But not only did they loose the conservatives, the Maori Party, they also lost votes themselves. But hey, i am sure the 0.5% Act Hologram will do them much good. So much to their awesome record of the last 9 years. They lost votes.
The game in town is MMP, which means you have to be at the very least civil to people as you might end up needing them.
Have you actually thought about the scenario where Winston says fuck it, we go with no one and you actually have to work to get our votes in individual pieces of legislation? Cause you know what, he could. He could stay independent and side with National and Labour and the Greens when ever he wanted to.
Nine years of lying, cheating, bullying, and being simply miserable petty, greedy, rude, inconsiderate and vile human beings that don’t give a damn for anyone not them is what got the National Party to where they are today. Might want to think about that.
lets wait until the last 15% of the votes are counted. Yes?
the fat lady ain’t singing yet.
and besides, what do you say about the drop in votes for National? the complete annihilation of the Maori Party. What about the Conservatives?
Nothing to say? but yeah, your concern for the well being of the Green Party is noted, and hey, you could vote for them next time if you think they are needed in parliament. You know, to foster the aquamarine vote.
Oh yeah, could have nothing to do with Nationals mishandling of the housing crisis, nor anything to do with the mishandling of Winz, with not addressing unemployment and so on and so on.
What about the Conservatives? They also don’t understand MMP? what about the glorious Party called ACT? They also don’t understand MMP? What about the fact that National itself has lost voters? They also don’t understand MMP?
Oh dear oh dear oh dear.
It must be hard to be a National supporter today, you can’t fault your own so it must be all the others that screwed up and now you have to be nice to Winston Peters.
Who cares, the Greens still are in Parliament and the Maori Party is not, and neither are the conservatives and the 0.5% of the ACT Hologram well….lets not go further down that road, shall we?
mate, your party did not win. Well lets say National ‘won smallishly’ and now they have to drink the poison chalice and be nice to Winston.
So?
You guys spat the fucking dummy at them, and they’re still around. The lowest they even polled was something like 4.9%.
Now you want them to give confidence and supply to a party that’s spent nine years actively corrupting every single Green party platform? Good luck with that.
nah mate, i don’t have an issue with Winston. that is the whole point.
National has an issue, i don’t. That nice lady from the Labour Party does as she wishes, that nice bloke from the green Party shall do the same, and ditto for Winston Peters. Personally i think a coalition covering the votes of 54% + of the population is a nice representation of the public. But then, don’t ask me i did not vote for National 🙂
Bill English however has run out of options. Poor thing.
The Poverty faction. You know, if the only reason you can be comfortable is by keeping others in poverty often abject poverty then how long do you think that is going to go well?
So no the poverty faction is the environmental faction is the business faction as as everything on this planet we are linked, our well being is linked, we are linked to the environment and the businesses that care to survive are linked to us and to the environment.
So you might again want to think about why you would like to see the Greens go with National, and when you do that and you be honest with yourself you will understand that the Greens have absolute no reason to believe one single word uttered by the likes of English, Bennett, Collins, Smith, Bridges, Joyce and all the other fetchers of big business.
Mind you could also google Puerto Rico today and see what happens when you ignore the environment, the people and put only importance on some businesses making money.
He aha te mea nui o te ao
What is the most important thing in the world?
He tangata, he tangata, he tangata
It is the people, it is the people, it is the people
Maori proverb
Just give up BM. We don’t want a bar of your Party’s attitude and behaviour. We will never go into coalition with the pack of lying bastards aka the National Party.
You successfully spewed your hatred and ignorance over Metiria and drove the uncommitted Green away. Know that the base Green supporter despises National, and for very good reason.
If you want a nonsensical Blue/Green party then go and form one,
Read the Charter BM. Dont take our word for it. Read. The. Charter. That is what the Greens stand for. It is in writing. It doesnt need your or mine or the former Green Party men you suddenly listen to or care about, opinions. Just read.
Again, BM, as Tracey said, you could have voted for the greens if you think the environment is so important.
You could also lobby your Party to be more environmentally aware.
but you fail to answer why the Greens should be the rubberstamper of the National Party. Cause one thing is for sure, they ain’t gonna be stopping the pollution of our waterways, the ain’t gonna be stopping their attempts to undermine DoC land with drill baby drill permits and the likes, they ain’t gonna invest in public transport, they ain’t gonna get the railways going etc etc etc.
The reason you want National to go with the Greens is that you know it would make for a stable coalition as by their nature the Greens are actually a Party that has values and you can count on them.
Something that you fear will not be the case with NZFirst. And looking at the comments form both sides of the spectrum in regards to the wild card Winston i can see your pain, but care little about it.
Why?
Because your party rode roughshod over everyone for 9 years and has no one else to blame but themselves. Dear Zip it Sweety Bennett, the Double Dipper from Dipton, 10 Bridges in Northland, Powerstation make for good housing Nick Smith, Dildo Baggins Joyce, Oravida Collins, cheap Breakfast Kaye, Maggy – hates Doc – Barry and all the other have only to blame themselves. And now they have to be nice to Winston Peters.
hahahahahahahahahahahah
i suggest that you find yourself a really nice chocolate cake and big spoon. Trust me it helps with the blues.
garibaldi you have your answer on the core base for the Green’s (as they stand), somewhere between 5% to 6%.
The other 5% to 6% (before Metiria imploded her own party) were the enviromental vote that could go back to a true enviromental focused party (that would work with either centre left or centre right Governements).
Chuck – the Greens are already a true, environmental-focussed party. Much of that other 5%-6% environmental vote went to Labour, not National. National is the last party that could be called environmentally-benign. Labour also was preaching environmental progress in its policies.
Your wishful dream of Greens working with your so-called Centre-Right Government is a complete pipe-dream. Your Centre-Right Government is the enemy of the environment, and will lose the war even if you think it can win a few battles. Get real.
Based on what? Stop buying the Russell Norman spin BM. Russell thinks Green Party should be environmental only, hence he works for Greenpeace now. The Green Party has always had people and environment on equal footing. National has money far above peopke and the environment.
If you wanted Green influence in Government you shoukd have party voted Green. Did you? Nope you FPPed it
Federated Farmers concerned they may have lost their swipe card to the ninth floor,
“Federated Farmers president Katie Milne said there was now a feeling of unease in the rural sector.
“There are still some who are genuinely worried – well, quite a lot actually – and there are some who have already indicated that they’ve really battened down their hatches until they know a result.”
They should visit some homeless, some disabled, some solo parents some two parent families living off 2 minimum wage jobs…but they wont. For some the bubble of matrydom allows no travelling.
well we all must be doing well, 500 grms of butter is selling at 6$ today and surely only an economy in which everyone is doing good can this be afforded, or something.
Fuck me – they protest about Labour policies, protest when they have to wait a few days for a new government to form, they worry about nothing more than their feelings. The Feds Farmers need to drink that cold cup of cement and harden up.
Spring is here, growing conditions are great, log and lamb and milk payouts are fantastic, the long term global economy (esp Australia and China and India) for all of them is up, they get all the cheap labour they want, spare me days they can’t do anything except complain.
Someone should be knocking on Bill’s door alright – but not with an offer to form a government. The Greens are just too nice to do that, and Labour is afraid of the precedent. But neo-liberal sons-of-bitches must pay.
“Water quality is of high importance to many across New Zealand and became a key election issue. It is clear New Zealanders want to see a lift in the quality of our fresh water resources.
“Having easy access to reliable information will create a greater understanding on the state of our waterways, help people make good choices about how they use them and help support the changes that they want to see for their lakes and rivers,”
Why is Chris Trotter running his yap to the NZ Herald? Front of the page “Arden knows she lost” someone needs to send him to the glue factory the stupid Donkey.
And Bryan Edwards sides with National and is anti-Labour. He is aged now along with Trotter and memory loss of their younger ideals has turned them Right. (I am older than both of them and I am getter more Lefter.)
3.5 million people without water, electricity, means of communication and a damn that is failing. No ships can enter unless they are US American with a US American crew thanks to the Jones Act, Trump tweeting about firing football players and otherwise playing the fiddle.
Ridiculous that you get more because there is more money being hefted under your leadership. Same job, same number of hours, so bigger money just follows efficient and effective leadership. Give him $1m as a bonus on top of his normal $2 million!! salary and package. That’s enough. No one knows what enough is in this leadership. When you are making product, its cheaper per item usually – volume brings the cost down. When you are making lots more money, then a bonus is in order. Just a bonus, not the biggest bit of the bestest we’ve got.
Just say National sided with NZ First and part of the deal was getting rid of the Maori seats.
In that situation, would people on the left prefer for the Greens to go into coalition with National and retain the Maori seats or doesn’t that really matter in the overall scheme of things?
The greens providing checks and balance to National or NZ First providing checks and balance what’s better for the left?
Marty Mars you put it perfectly ! This IS getting bloody creepy. Like just for amusement in a chatty sort of way BM’s going off on some out-there-crazy political eugenics number. I was wondering quite what my response could be then I saw yours……
The closest equivalent the left have ever had is Heather Simpson, who steered the Helen Clark office throughout her three terms. Eagleson had more guile , less policy capacity, and was up to his neck in the darker arts of Dirty Politics.
12 years is well and truly long enough in one job, and I would presume he could take his pick of top-flight lobbying positions in Australasia.
I would wish some weapons-grade hard ass for Jacinda Ardern’s office – although with more policy heft and less sunny optimism . Key’s 8.5-year polling honeymoon was in no small part due to outstanding staff leadership, and that is what they all need if they are going to make hard choices that get their leaders where they need to be for three terms in a row.
TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Tuesday, March 19:Kāinga Ora’s dry rot The Spinoff DailyBill McKibben on ‘Climate Superfunds’ making Big Oil pay for climate damage The Crucial YearsPreston Mui on returning to 1980s-style productivity growth NoahpinionAndy Boenau on NIMBYs needing unusual bedfellows Urbanism SpeakeasyNed Resnikoff's case ...
Negative yesterday, negative today. Negative all year, according to one departing reader telling me I’ve grown strident and predictable. Fair enough. If it’s any help, every time I go to write about a certain topic that begins with C and ends with arrrrs, I do brace myself and ask: Again? Are ...
Bryce Edwards writes – It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support ...
Inspirational: The Family of Man is a glorious hymn to human equality, but, more than that, it is a clarion call to human freedom. Because equality, unleavened by liberty, is a broken piano, an unstrung harp; upon which the songs of fraternity will never be played.“Somebody must have been telling lies about ...
Tax Lawyer Barbara Edmonds vs Emperor Justinian I- Nolo Contendere: False historical explanations of pivotal events are very far from being inconsequential.WHEN BARBARA EDMONDS made reference to the Roman Empire, my ears pricked up. It is, lamentably, very rare to hear a politician admit to any kind of familiarity ...
It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support for the various parties in ...
Buzz from the Beehive Housing Minister Chris Bishop delivered news – packed with the ingredients to enflame political passions – worthy of supplanting Winston Peters in headline writers’ priorities. He popped up at the post-Cabinet press conference to promise a crackdown on unruly and antisocial state housing tenants. His ...
Ele Ludemann writes – The Reserve Bank is advertising for a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion advisor. The Bank has one mandate – to keep inflation between one and three percent. It has failed in that and is only slowly getting inflation back down to the upper limit. Will it ...
Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency Waka KotahiThe fact that a ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Gavin Jacobson talks to Thomas Piketty 10 years on from Capital in the 21st CenturyThe SalvoLocal scoop: Green MP’s business being investigated over migrant exploitation claims StuffSteve KilgallonLocal deep-dive: The commercial contractors making money from School ...
It’s a home - but Kāinga Ora tenants accused of “abusing the privilege” may lose it. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government announced a crackdown on Kāinga Ora tenants who were unruly and/or behind on their rent, with Housing Minister Chris Bishop saying a place in a state ...
This is a guest post by Connor Sharp of Surface Light Rail Light rail in Auckland: A way forward sooner than you think With the coup de grâce of Auckland Light Rail (ALR) earlier this year, and the shift of the government’s priorities to roads, roads, and more roads, it ...
Note: As a paid-up Webworm member, I’ve recorded this Webworm as a mini-podcast for you as well. Some of you said you liked this option - so I aim to provide it when I get a chance to record! Read more ...
TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
David Farrar writes – We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how labour went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promiseThe result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
“I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
.“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
“It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet – is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
Bob Edlin writes – And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ HeraldThomas CoughlanSimeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
TL;DR:Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it: We want our country to be a ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading → ...
Ele Ludemann writes – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
What was that judge thinking?Peter Williams writes – That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read:Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop:Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
Buzz from the BeehiveThe text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary. It can be quickly analysed ...
For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
Questions need to be asked on both sides of the worldPeter Williams writes – The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read:Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop:The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
TL;DR:Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
Bob Edlin writes – The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
The New Zealand public voted for a change in direction at the 2023 general election and that is exactly what this coalition government has been delivering in its first 100 days. There was an immediate focus on the economy, easing the cost of living, cracking down on law and order ...
The Government has left the health system as an afterthought, announcing half-baked targets at the last minute of their 100-day plan, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
Kiwis are still waiting for their promised cost of living support after 100 days of a National Government that is taking us backwards, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
100 days of National taking NZ backwardsThe National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
The Government must commit to funding free and healthy school lunches, as thousands of people sign the petition to keep them, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti says. ...
If the Government was serious about moving families into public housing, they would build more houses so there is actually somewhere for people to go. ...
The free and healthy school lunches programme feeds our kids, helps them to learn, and saves families money – but it is at risk under this Government, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
The Government’s proposed changes to Firearms Prohibition Orders (FPO) add almost nothing new and are merely an attempt to distract from its plans to loosen gun laws, police spokesperson Ginny Andersen and justice spokesperson Dr Duncan Webb said. ...
The great Victorian era English politician Lord Macauley stood in the British House of Parliament and said, "The gallery in which the reporters sit has become a fourth estate of the realm".He understood and outlined even way back then, the significant role and influence media have in a democracy. ...
The government’s attack on Māori health this week is committing tangata-whenua to a premature death, says Te Pāti Māori. “The government have begun their onslaught on Māori health with the abolishment of the Māori Health Authority and smokefree laws in the same day” said health spokesperson and co-leader, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. ...
"The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April. ...
Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand. Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships. “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland Acknowledgements and opening Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says. “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024 Acknowledgements and opening Morena, Nga Mihi Nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country. “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week. “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee. “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today. “The Amendment Paper represents ...
Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level. “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024. “Lower fruit and vege ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction. Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness. It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology. It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government has agreed to restore deductibility for mortgage interest on residential investment properties. “Help is on the way for landlords and renters alike. The Government’s restoration of interest deductibility will ease pressure on rents and simplify the tax code,” says ...
Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop will travel to Switzerland today to attend an Executive Committee meeting and Symposium of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mr Bishop will then travel on to London where he will attend a series of meetings in his capacity as Infrastructure Minister. “New Zealanders believe ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Deborah Lupton, SHARP Professor, Vitalities Lab, Centre for Social Research in Health and Social Policy Centre, and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society, UNSW Sydney kitzcorner/Shutterstock The assertion from Queensland’s chief health officer John Gerrard that ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Shutterstock Why are musicians so keen to get played on the radio? It can’t be because of the money. In Australia they are paid at rates so low they ...
"Farmers make a point not to tell our urban cousins how to live, yet Chlöe from central Auckland is hell-bent on having her say about farmers," says ACT Rural Communities spokesman Mark Cameron. “On her first day in the House as Green ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards – Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Curran, Associate Professor of Ecology, Lincoln University, New Zealand Getty Images/Gerald Corsi In the latest move to reform environmental laws in New Zealand, the coalition government has introduced a bill to fast-track consenting processes for projects deemed to ...
Uber has argued it does not have as much control over drivers as the unions suggest, and wants a judgment ruling that drivers are employees and not contractors set aside and sent back to the Employment Court. The 2022 ruling followed a three-week hearing in which four drivers sought to ...
What can and can’t be purchased by disabled people or their carers has been slashed in an effort by the Ministry of Disabled People Whaikaha to save money. The purchasing guidelines, a set of rules that sets out what can be purchased using the various streams of Government disability funding, ...
The Treasury has published today a new Analytical Note by Tod Wright and Hien Nguyen, Fiscal incidence in New Zealand: The effects of taxes and benefits on household incomes in tax year 2018/19 . Analyses of the distributional impact of taxation and government ...
The Treasury has published today a new Analytical Note by Cory Davis, Boston Hart and Benjamin Stubbing, Household cost-of-living impacts from the Emissions Trading Scheme and using transfers to mitigate regressive outcomes . This Analytical Note ...
A coalition of public transport and climate organisations, united as ‘Transport for All’, is actively opposing the government’s transport proposals. The draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) includes plans for higher fares for public transport, ...
Greater Wellington is inviting feedback on proposed changes to its Revenue and Financing Policy. The Revenue and Financing Policy covers the Council’s various sources of funding, and how the cost of services is shared across the region. This includes ...
Labour has conceded it could have done more to deal with disruptive state housing tenants while in government but says the current coalition is going too far. ...
The band has asked their record label to issue a cease and desist to stop the NZ First leader using their 1997 hit to support his ‘misguided political views’. “I get knocked down, but I get up again,” blared through the speakers on Sunday as Winston Peters took the stage ...
By Lydia Lewis, RNZ Pacific journalist Food rationing is underway in remote areas in Papua New Guinea’s Highlands following torrential rain and flash flooding. More than 20 people have been reported dead in Chimbu Province. In nearby Enga Province, the centre of last month’s massacre, a 15-year-old boy has been ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Hughes, Lecturer, Research School of Management, Australian National University After months of debate and intrigue, the AFL’s 19th and newest team, the Tasmania Devils, finally launched its jumper, logo and colours in Devonport this week. The Devils will wear green, ...
Brannavan Gnanalingam reviews the debut novel by Saraid de Silva.One of the most baffling things for children who move to a new country is what their parents’ (or grandparents’) lives were like prior to moving – for kids in particular, they’re too busy trying to fit in in their ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Gaunson, Associate Professor in Cinema Studies, RMIT University Narelle Portanier/Binge “If you don’t know who your mob are, you don’t know who you are,” Detective Andrea “Andie” Whitford (played by Leah Purcell) is told early into the new crime ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elise Klein, Associate professor, Australian National University It’s commonly accepted that women do the vast majority of caregiving in Australian society. But less appreciated is that Indigenous women do larger amounts of unpaid care than any other group. Working with the Aboriginal ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne Joe Biden and Donald Trump have both secured their parties’ nominations for the November 5 United States general election by winning a ...
Comment: There has been a striking contrast in trans-Tasman interest about Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi’s visit to New Zealand and Australia. While the Australian press has been full of articles about the visit – including his curious decision to meet with former prime minister and China booster Paul Keating ...
After years of pressuring banks and other institutions to stop investing in fossil fuels, climate campaigners are making some progress. So how does divestment work?For years, climate activists have been pushing banks and other big institutions to divest from fossil fuels. New research from climate advocacy group 350 Aotearoa ...
For Boba, Ethan and Ashley, K-pop is a place to belong, a way to express themselves, and a bridge to connect with others. The three young Polynesians are part of a K-pop fan community in Tāmaki Makaurau. It’s one of many that have sprung up worldwide as K-pop has gone ...
For Boba, Ethan and Ashley, K-pop is a place to belong, a way to express themselves, and a bridge to connect with others. This one-off documentary presents three intimate portraits of young Polynesians who are pulled into a Korean cultural phenomenon. K-POLYS is directed by Litia Tuiburelevu, Produced by Hex ...
There’s ample evidence demonstrating free school lunch programmes provide wide benefits across schools, households and communities according to public health researchers. ACT Minister David Seymour wants to reduce the spending on Aotearoa New Zealand’s ...
By Wata Shaw in Suva Fiji is facing an exodus of Fijians as many are leaving for overseas seeking employment and education and others are migrating, says Opposition MP Viliame Naupoto. Speaking in Parliament, he said: “His Excellency’s speech (Ratu Wiliame Katonivere) comes after a little over one year of ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming comments from Christopher Luxon this morning recommitting to ‘no new taxes’ as part of Budget 2024. “Mr Luxon’s refusal at the Post-Cabinet press conference yesterday to repeat the ‘no new taxes’ promise ...
SAFE is urgently calling on the Environment Committee to reject the Government’s Fast-Track Approvals Bill, and is urging New Zealanders to rally behind the call. The proposed Bill, currently under consideration with the Environment select committee, ...
Teammates who spend all their time picking fights with spectators are only helpful for the other team, writes Madeleine Chapman. Anyone who has ever played a team sport competitively, particularly as a child and particularly, for some reason, basketball, will know that there’s a lot of politics involved. While there ...
The long-running Wellington music festival is too focused on the Jim Beam-ness and not enough on the Homegrown-ness.There is something about Homegrown that’s difficult to place. A barely perceptible-ness. Like feeling a ghost is watching you from the corner of the room but when you look, there’s nothing there. ...
The latest Ipsos New Zealand Issues Monitor reveals that fewer New Zealanders believe crime / law and order is one of the top issues facing our country. In 2018, Ipsos New Zealand started tracking the key issues facing New Zealand. In this wave ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Griffiths, Deputy Program Director, Budgets and Government, Grattan Institute Australia’s political donations rules are woefully inadequate, but donations reform is finally on the agenda. The federal government has signalled its interest in reform and will soon begin briefing MPs on its ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Patrick Taylor, Chief Environmental Scientist, EPA Victoria; Honorary Professor, School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University Naiyana Somchitkaeo/Shutterstock A recent study published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine has linked microplastics with risk to human health. The study ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Albert Van Dijk, Professor, Water and Landscape Dynamics, Fenner School of Environment & Society, Australian National University Global climate records were shattered in 2023, from air and sea temperatures to sea-level rise and sea-ice extent. Scores of countries recorded their hottest year ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a teacher explains why he and his partner are in frugal mode – and how they’re making it work. Gender: Male Age: 35Ethnicity: Pākehā Role: I am an intermediate school teacher and my partner is ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Bendall, Senior Lecturer, Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences, Australian Catholic University Binge Mary & George, the new British television drama series, depicts the real-life story of Mary Villiers and her son George, and their social climbing at the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jason Nassios, Associate Professor, Centre of Policy Studies, Victoria University This article is part of The Conversation’s series examining the housing crisis. Read the other articles in the series here. Australian state and federal governments spend money in many ways to ...
The finance minister is denying that there’s a $5.6b shortfall in paying for the government’s campaign promises, including tax cuts. At his post-cabinet press conference yesterday, the PM refused to rule out new taxes to pay for the cuts, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s ...
Kāinga Ora tenants abused by their neighbours are doubting the government's crackdown on disruptive tenants will make a difference on their behaviour. ...
Kāinga Ora is New Zealand’s biggest residential landlord, housing more than 180,000 vulnerable people in more than 67,000 properties. Yesterday the government announced a crackdown on its tenants who fall behind on rent. One longtime Kāinga Ora tenant shares her experience.For 18 years I lived in a 1960s standalone ...
Why does this myth persist, and what’s the real reason our skin is suffering?It’s one of the biggest international grievances New Zealanders hold, up there with the sinking of the Rainbow Warrior and 1981’s underarm incident. We’re quick to tell international travellers that the world’s pollution led to the ...
Bob’s relationship with certain members of Lincoln’s academic staff continued to deteriorate in the 1990s. Others supported him publicly, though articles such as Roland Clark’s 1993 piece in Growing Today cannot have pleased the university management. Clark wrote that Bob was selling onions from the Biological Husbandry Unit to a ...
SailGP’s races feature in-your-face action, with agile, hydro-foiling catamarans tacking and jibing for the title over several days. However, public comments ahead of the global series’ return to New Zealand have left this past year’s controversy in the shadows, as a key appointment attracts criticism from dolphin advocates. A year ...
Opinion: We are fast approaching a fundamental change in prisons. As the number of people on custodial remand looks set to overtake the number of sentenced prisoners, the main function of prisons in New Zealand may become incarcerating un-sentenced people who may not be guilty of offending. We have already ...
A huge seven months lies in store for the White Ferns, beginning this week with the visit of England and culminating with the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh in September and October. Starting on Tuesday in Dunedin, the world ranked No. 2 visitors will play five T20s and three ODIs, ...
Opinion: In a move that has shocked road safety advocates across the country, the new Minister of Transport, Simeon Brown, is poised to abandon the previous government’s speed limit reduction policy, particularly around schools. Even more alarmingly, he wants school speed limits to be variable rather than full-time, arguing ...
Auckland Council is opposing a fast-track development backed by Sir John Kirwan and Spark NZ, because it doesn’t meet stringent new climate adaptation requirements The post Surf-data centre faces new 3.8C climate warming rules appeared first on Newsroom. ...
When the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act was introduced in 2009 it was firmly targeted at gangs and drugs. The legislation means police no longer need a conviction to seize assets that criminals can’t prove were paid for legitimately, as long as their alleged offences are punishable by more than a ...
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The letters, which were published last week, were addressed to Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) Chairperson Megawati Sukarnoputri, National Democrat Party (NasDem) Chairperson Surya Paloh, National Awakening Party (PKB) Chairperson Muhaimin Iskandar, Justice and Prosperity Party (PKS) President Ahmad Syaikhu and United Development Party (PPP) Chairperson Muhammad Mardiono. In ...
Evicting more people from state housing is ignorant to the consequences of poverty, the Greens say, but the Housing Minister says it's a privilege that can be taken away if abused. ...
Evicting more people from state housing is ignorant to the consequences of poverty, the Greens say, but the Housing Minister says it's a privilege that can be taken away if abused. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emerald L King, Lecturer in Humanities, University of Tasmania IMDB Between Netflix’s 2023 live-action version of One Piece, and its latest take on Avatar: The Last Airbender, fans are once again asking: why are live-action anime adaptations so tricky to ...
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The government says it still intends to deliver tax cuts by July, but will not lock them in until they have got them past their coalition partners. ...
Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII has hosted members of the Green Party Caucus at Tuurangawaewae Marae in Ngaaruawahia. The audience follows the King’s Hui-aa-Motu on 20 January, where more than 10,000 people gathered to discuss national ...
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He’s bringing ‘Sophie’ back, yeah. Goodshirt’s ‘Sophie’ music video is one of the most instantly recognisable New Zealand music videos of all time. Featuring a woman listening to the song on headphones while her entire house is burgled behind her, the video won the New Zealand music award for Best ...
Now that the Māori Party are out of the game, can we put an end to these outrageous tobacco tax increases that are causing so much crime/violence, hardship and harm?
If National gets back in, maybe. Not much chance of a government involving Labour and the Greens doing anything about it, though.
The greatest harm is to the addicted poor – National loves it
Yeah, it’s called “tough love” [sarc].
While it does disproportionately harm the addicted poor more, they’re far from the only ones suffering.
One shop-owner has been killed while a number have been brutally assaulted and stabbed with many fearing for their lives.
Innocent children buying lollies have been terrifyingly caught up and it’s only a matter of time before there are more related deaths. So the harm is widespread.
Is thefe a law that says businesses must sell cigarettes?
If that’s intended to imply that shop owners can avoid being beaten or killed by armed robbers simply by not selling cigarettes, it’s on a par with the view that women can avoid being raped by not dressing provocatively.
I know. My tongue was in my cheek because that is precisely what people say to women… but not to dairy owners cos that is money not just dignity and mental health
More children are physicalky and sexually abused than dairy owners beaten… more women raped than dairy owners beaten. A dairy group get regular media coverage prior to an election… didnt see Rape Prevention getting the same air time
Having plenty of security-camera footage of non-White crims being violent helps quite a bit with the media coverage – journos love that stuff.
And it being about money not women and childrens lives… that helps too
It’s not only about money, Tracey. The lives of dairy owners, their family, staff and customers (which include women and children) are also on the line.
It’s not only rape victims that suffer from loss of dignity and mental health. Seems you can’t imagine how terrifying, thus how stressful it is for them just going to work every day not knowing if the next customer is going to rob and harm them.
No. But they are a cornerstone product that most dairies find they have to sell. They generate and add to sales.
Surely, you’re not implying (thus overlooking or diminishing the impact of repeated tax increases) it’s their fault?
If selling cigarettes puts you in harms way you make a choice.
The ongoing annual increases in tax resulting in the increase in violent robberies is forcing some to make that hard choice, Tracey.
While others, such as the Government, are choosing to spend our tax dollars (which could be going to better use elsewhere) on increasing police numbers and prison beds.
Additionally, just because they decide not to sell cigarettes it doesn’t mean they will be out of harms way. Anyone can become a victim of a robbery as more are forced to desperate measures looking for money to buy smokes.
Some are choosing more unorthodox methods.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/312239/auckland-dairy-owner-hires-teens-for-security-back-up
tracey
The law of returns and stocking what the customer wants to buy and it’s legal. Let people have cigarettes in moderation, smoke-free parks is just councillors being twee and self-righteous. There are worse things, and bad deaths from other things, we have them and have to put up with them like other unwanted pests. Try to moderate, but those doing so should remember smoking is popular amongst the lower paid and hospitality sectors. So going higher every year just puts it into the fancy drug level.
You mean, apart from the various ways they’ll reduce inequality and lift lower quintile incomes…
If cigarettes are taxed to the point where a black market in them becomes lucrative, reducing inequality and raising incomes won’t prevent people joining that black market.
OAB WTF Get real.
Well, here in Germany the election results from 24 September are even less clear and considerably more problematic than those in NZ. The conservative CDU/CSU look to have about 33% (down from a projected 37% or thereabouts), which means that only Merkel would be in a position to take the chancellorship. Theoretically, there are two possible coalitions, a continuation of the current grand coalition with the SPD (about 21%), or a three-party coalition with the CDU/CSU, the Greens (about 9%) and the comparatively neoliberal FDP (about 10%). Numerically, other coalitions are possible, but everybody has ruled out working with the third largest party, the AfD (about 13%), a populist bundle of xenophobes, Eurosceptics and fascists who act as a magnet for the protest vote; the CDU/CSU would also not go into coalition with the more truly left social-democratic party, Die Linke (about 9%).
Moreover, the SPD has ruled out returning to the grand coalition and will sit on the cross-benches. The only possibility, therefore, is CDU/CSU – FDP – Green. Exactly how those three would agree on a viable programme for government is unclear. Although unlikely, the prospect of new elections has already been mentioned, and the election-night count isn’t even finished yet.
Amidst historic lows for the two main parties, the large presence of the AfD is a source of considerable disquiet amongst the other parties and the bulk of the electorate, not least because its rise has been so sudden; it only surfaced at the previous federal election, in 2013, in which at 4.7% it narrowly failed to break the 5% threshold to enter the Bundestag, but since then has taken significant chunks in several state parliaments (sometimes over 20%), and entered the European Parliament.
Yes Hanswurth.
my Son is there in Baveria now for a month visit after he left November 2015 when the ‘flood and surge of ‘immigratants’ from north Africa flooded there in 2015.
Now it seems as destined for mass ’emmigation’ will develop now again right, with the arrival of the new southern Baverian provincial Natzi – Fascist party right?
Baveria was the centre of the hotbed of Hitler’s rise to prominence during the 1920’s-30’s.
Trouble abounds now, me thinks.
Trump…AfD… those promoting dislike for our neighbours are rewarded.
James Shaw’s proposal to plant 1.2 billion trees – can we do it anyway? I started yesterday. 40 so far, another 60 today (I have helpers!). I know it doesn’t seem many, but these were big trees (4 year-old apples), as tall as I am. I’ve got seedlings from all sorts of fruit and nut trees coming up right now, so by the time Christmas rolls around, I’ll have planted a few hundred; don’t want James Shaw wearing himself out doing all 1.2 billion by himself!
At the end of the week, add a dozen macrocarpas and a handful of stone fruit trees to the tally.
I need to cut 20,000 down before i get to plant 60,000 .
Exporting logs to China?
The logs will go where they are most needed.
If its Chinese houses that get built with them why would I have a problem with that?
Actually, they probably won’t. ‘The Market’ has failed to deliver on that since, well, forever.
You should have a problem with your fellow Kiwis not having houses because the resources needed to build them are going offshore.
If you think logs going offshore has anything at all to do with the housing problem in this country you really do need to pull your head out of your arsehole.
Logs going offshore decreases the logs that can be used to build houses here of which we have a significant shortage.
You’re the one with his head up his arse as you just don’t want to accept that you’re part of the problem.
A couple of points for you.
1. There is no shortage of logs or timber available in New Zealand.
2. You have no idea whatsoever of the impact that timber has on the price of a house.
A friend of mine does the books for a Vietnamese outfit. They’ve just invested in a suite of finger jointing plant – not here of course. But if we had more in the way of such plants here local costs could come down. Growers can’t really fix that – though government soft loans probably could. A better investment than Mediaworks any day of the week.
1. Then why is the price so bloody high?
2. Yes I do – several family in the construction industry.
david C
You have to sell the logs to who wants to buy them. They are obviously part of your production plan for your property.
I understand that there is a timber shortage for houses in NZ.
Those are two things that I believe are true.
Breaks my heart to see mountains of logs at Lyttelton port waiting export. Another low value commodity going off shore. Why aren’t we adding value to our raw products and reaping the benefits?
i guess there is no real profit margin here.
i hate driving here on the country side, its so ugly. On one side dairy and nothing but and on the other side clear logging. I can not see the appeal to any tourists.
Twenty years ago it was still pretty but now? its about time we wake up and smell the bullshit.
No one wants to purchase finished timber from the bottom of the world. Lead times are too long and quality is impossible to control.
what ever floats your boat.
Good to hear how it is for you David C. We get a bit jaundiced about how things are done in this country compared to what would give us more value added. But it is interesting to hear the facts as they stand. What sort of timber. Good old pinus radiata?
Probably we would like to see finished timber made up into quality furniture that we could sell as from plantation timber rather than that made from stolen commons in Indonesia or elsewhere. Perhaps we could sell quality in kitset style like ikea, and call ours kakariki or some kiwi name. If there were people who understood the market and the native or special timber ready to go when wanted, so that it could be dried and seasoned under cover properly for two? years etc. then we could take some orders and be ready to supply. A public/private partnership I think, so that keen and knowledgable skilled people could get the operating and capital funding they needed, and use it well and effectively. Nice dream.
@David C
Thank you for explaining that you think that NZ can’t compete as a trading nation and that NZers are useless.
+100
The why food prices are going, the more fruit producing trees planted the better.
its more expensive to grow your own apples rather than buy them.
Spraying is the cost.
Plums are the fruit to grow.
I doubt there’s a large percentage of home gardeners growing their own and spraying.
Rubbish.
I never spray. Some apples have bugs in them. I cut them out. I’m clever like that.
100% chairman good call.
David we don’t need to use expensive chemical sprays, try natural fungicides & bug sprays as there are plenty.
Yes plums are excellent, we make wine and black doris make the best table wine, far better than grapes so you made a good call.
had to rip out a couple of small plum trees after some sort of fungal thing. The others seem to be doing ok this spring, though.
Quite a few trees for a typical-sized backyard 🙂
Omegas and doris are awesome.
We have some weird early cropping hybrid thing too, ripens before xmas.
Have an apple tree ” Priscilla”, blight resistant variety
never sprayed it in 20 years Just a bit of seaweed and comfrey.
Lots of perfect blight free apples
Black doris. Watties still can them and I regularly buy one of their big cans. Even the juice is thick and delicious.
I’m of to plant apple and plum trees alongside of the estuary, once I’ve finished my coffee. Those trees will grow, without any fanfare, amongst the scrubby stuff the council can’t be bothered clearing and produce fruit for anyone wandering that way. I’ve already put 20 in, planted over the past couple of years. Today, I’m planting an apple that came from an old tree growing in Horseshoe Bay, on Stewart Island. We grafted two for the Open Orchard project, so this one’s a spare. Anyone who really believes there will be a need for food growing locally as the future continues to unfold, might like to consider ways to plant their neighbourhood also.
“Those trees will grow, without any fanfare, amongst the scrubby stuff the council can’t be bothered clearing and produce fruit for anyone wandering that way”
Good on ya Robert, you’re a real Johnny Appleseed.
“Anyone who really believes there will be a need for food growing locally as the future continues to unfold, might like to consider ways to plant their neighbourhood also.”
Indeed.
Chuckle.
From Catriona MacLennan on Newsroom: Let 2020 be the year of the ‘povertyquake’
Some excellent sense about the indictment on NZ media and Bill English in the take down of Metiria Turei, and on Bling’s very bad record on treatment of beneficiaries:
The article concludes:
Well said. But upon deaf ears it falls.
And the irony is the probability of having housing allowance rorter double dipper from Dipton leading the next government.
Yes Carolyn Nth, many of the younger new Labour candidates have a strong sense of needing to do more to create warm inclusive communities.
They are energetic charismatic and carry others along with warmth and hope.
Tamati Coffey and Kiri Allen come to mind. Along with Jacinda ofourse.
I like what I’ve seen of Kiri Allan. She does seem really passionate about improving things for low income and Maori people on the east coast.
Ardern has her strengths, but I don’t find her position on anti-poverty that convincing. Probably she believes she means it, but I don’t see it in her framing or the language and policies she uses when referring to it. She’s smart, articulate an knowledgeable about policy, and will probably be a very good leader.
But, I question her “passion” to end poverty.
Ardern seems to be talking to the middle classes (for their approval) – hence probably why “a href=”https://www.libertas.digital/blog/2017/9/25/the-jacinda-effect-visualised-in-auckland”>Labour mainly picked up votes this week in “relatively urban and/or affluent” electorates.
My preference is for the Green Party policies for tackling poverty and re-developing our social welfare system.
Sorry about the gramma it’s just I have to use an different format to get this out there
I feel Like Alla Bundy from love and marriage all ways having to part with my hard earned cash to my children but that what parents do.I brought my children up during mostly Labour,S government so it was a lot easy to survive in those days and we had no parents help as the roles were reversed we had to support our parents so in reality I’m happy that we can help our children.
Now To James my grandmother told me never kick anything when it’s down and like all neo liberals do you go and kick US LEFTY,S ON THIS SITE WHEN WE ARE DOWN classical NEO LIBERALS behavior I have no need to compare you with me or say it as everyone gets the picture.
If that all the Muppets have got well I say no more.
I have to remember that I have a public profile so I will be more careful from now on . The Muppets have COUNTED THERE CHICKENS and to the Lefty,S I say Kia kaha
Why arent the Greens banging on Bills door this morning looking to do a deal?
They have leverage like no other time in the last 21 years.
If Greens want action on climate or rivers or housing then pick one and they will get that one.
Greens or Winston should be the choice that Bill is forced to make, not how many baubles to offer Winston.
Perfect is the enemy of good. The Greens should go for most good.
You mean a conversation like this:
Bill: “Hi James. I woke up this morning and decided to completely reverse 80 years of National Party ideology. I’m going to create a society that is more equal and more sustainable rather than less. I know that’s what you want too. Sure farmers will hate me, business will hate me, the speculators and the landlords will hate me, all our donors will desert me, Judith will knife me, but it’s the right thing to do, so please come on board!”
James: “Um. Gee Bill. Let me think about that. Have you been on the turps again?”
This ^^^^^^
lolz
AB.
Greens could pick an issue and make it their raision d’etre.
Clean rivers? Housing? climate? Pick one and make it a drop dead bottom line for support and they would get more done in the next tree years than they have achieved in the last 21 years.
the fact that they would be in the tent would also give them a voice on other things, they may get ignored or told to piss off 90% of the time but there would be subtle things they could do.
The Greens in opposition yet again and they will achieve zero outside the tent raging against Winston who hates them.
For me I would love to see the Greens shove it up Winston and consign him to the political wilderness where he belongs! 🙂
Keep dreaming.
The Greens aren’t going to dig you lot out of this one. The tories made their bed under FPP rules, now they can lie in it.
It says it all that you want the Greens to choose between housing, climate change, or clean rivers. And normal human being would ask why National isn’t diong all that in the first place. None of that should be debated – we know dozens of major waterways that were once drinkable are now no longer swimmable, and the nat response was to redefine “swimmable”. We know houses are making people sick and costing us billions, yet the nats oppose even token efforts towards warrant of fitness. The cars people live in have to be safer than many homes, ffs. As for climate change, the nats think an easily defrauded system of credits is the same as dealing with it, while building more roads and ignoring more efficient transport options.
You think these are expendable bargaining chips? Get a soul.
I think they really do see such things as expendable bargaining chips, hence the incomprehensible (to us) suggestions from right-wingers that the Greens should do a deal with National.
Mcflock you get todays top prize for climate change /environmental so I quote your blog;
“As for climate change, the nats think an easily defrauded system of credits is the same as dealing with it, while building more roads and ignoring more efficient transport options.”
McFlock, try our following position (below) from our “Environment Centre press release” on your well picked issue of carbon transport emmissions road vs rail and other options, this was to make sure the greens and others should focus on.
Our Environment Centre (CEAC) has received more than 2000 letters and petitions from residents from Napier to Gisborne fed up with 24/7 heavy truck traffic waking them all hours and poisoning the air with diesel smells.
People complain of overwhelming exhaust smells and heavy soot covering their homes since the rail service stopped three years ago.
Our centre believes the environmental impacts being felt must be taken into account when considering the saving of the Gisborne/Napier rail. It is vital for the public health and well-being of our communities and future generations to retain the rail link.
How safe is the air that we breathe?
The two pollutants which give most cause for concern are the toxic gas nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulate matter (PM2.5). Earlier this year, the UK’s highest court ruled the Government must take action to cut NO2 pollution.
The UK has been in breach of EU limits for nitrogen dioxide so it (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) published a consultation on draft plans to improve air quality.
This problem is now occurring in our cities and towns along heavy freight truck routes and rail is recognised as the answer for movement of freight and passengers.
Governments knew this 16 years ago when they conducted a study of rail versus road freight emissions, so why has the treasury advised we close all regional rail in New Zealand?
Evidence: the New Zealand Government in 1999 produced an “Impacts of Rail Transport on Local Air Quality” report.
Related articles:
The MoT Fuels and Energy Management group report shows how fuel-efficient and low-pollution rail transport really is. # 363.73926 RAI # 4037.
The report confirmed that rail freight per tonne per kilometre travelled had extremely low NOx levels compared with trucking’s freight per tonne per km higher levels (four times) of all harmful pollution emissions.
Quote from page 34 of “Impacts of Rail Transport on Local Air Quality” report: 5.5: Locomotive Emissions; Opportunities for Reduction.
“Based on these inventory results, there does not appear to be a specific need to target the emissions from the rail sector in managing local air quality.
The only emission of any significance from locomotives is of NOx but the output relative to other combustion sources is still minimal in terms of total activity measures.”
Why the Government needs to support rail for public urban residential health & safety:
-Evidence of much higher diesel air emissions emerging, thanks to the Volkswagen diesel scandal.
-Doubts are emerging about our urban air quality, public health and safety and emissions of truck freight 24/7 through our urban residential zones as New Zealand has set no standards.
-Since the VW diesel scandal, similar diesel truck emissions cheating was uncovered.
-No safeguards for communities near truck routes.
-We need the protection of public health agencies along with MoT oversight.
Government, please heed our call for the reinstatement of provincial rail services, to protect the health and well-being of all our regional communities, as overseas governments are doing.
well, that got out of hand quickly.
David C, the membership of the Greens would need to approve any partnership and its not happening in my lifetime.
Oil and water just dont mix.
While the Greens achievements outside of Government may be limited, they are still in Parliament which is more than almost all of the small parties who hugged a big party.
Sorry david,
If the greens go with national they will be destroyed by 2020 election finally,
But I can see your logic.
But it is so risky for the Greens and our future, as we need to move to roll back all the 1200 rule changes the National Party have put in place to kill off our future, and hand us over to global corporates.
clean.
If Greens went with Nats then they would drop socialist support and pick up blue/green support like myself.
We don’t want blue-green support as it’s actually poisonous – as nine years of National have proved beyond doubt.
National are backed by banks who have a lot of money in the housing sector, by frackers destroying underground acquirers, by oildrilling killing dolphins, by big farmers taking whole rivers to grow milk. Nobody calling themselves Green would back National, Blue Green are already voting Green or Labour.
Probably best left to TOP.
DavidC. National has more in common with Labour than it does with the Greens, so why don’t you make preposterous suggestions of a Nat/Lab coalition ? That’s got more show of happening than a Nat/Greens combination!
Why aren’t the Greens banging on Bill’s door this morning, just because that’s what he deserves? Banging on his windows as well. And roof?
Because doing so would go against the core principles of the Greens.
If we go with Labour/NZ1st we’re going to get all three and quite a few more. And we’ll get the bonus of not having National trashing the economy.
Which would exclude going with National as they’re the most Bad.
Because they are ethical, I expect.
Prebble must be on someone’s payroll…he keeps banging on and on and on and on and on….ad bloody nauseum…
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11925915
“Mistakes in campaigns are fatal. There is no time to recover.
Bill English ran a mistake-free campaign. In modern politics no one else who has taken over as Prime Minister has gone on to win the next election. It is a remarkable achievement. All the other parties made mistakes.
When Jacinda became Labour leader Bill English could have launched an attack pointing out her youth and inexperience. Bill held his nerve. Labour’s policies were unchanged. He was sure before Election Day the stardust would wear off.”
If there is a L/NZF/G coalition – then expect the rage of the privileged to go stratospheric. It will be a very dangerous time.
I think Winston knows this too.
Yup. White man of privilege he is getting angry all over the world cos people are asking for him to share…
Hi BM.
AB, Better time now before the TPPA is law wherewe are then stymied by contols over government then we are stuffed totally, thats why natioal is opening up to any deal they appear to be offering, (except restoring regional rail)
Dangerous interesting times right now.
The swipe cards to the 9th floor already achieve this. Do you not think tobacco lobbyists and otgers dont pop in to drop veiled or overt threats about what they will do if certain legislation goes through?
Two huge lies being championed as successes. So much for ACT being the party of personal responsibility and Accountability. The only way Prebble gets this gig is that someone higher than editor wants him to have it. Otherwise the MP would have had a former member writing as many pieces for a few years. Think on that David ” why is RNZ horrid to me ” Seymour.
I can remember a copy of Prebble’s book turning up in our letterbox, can’t recall the exact title now it was “I’ve been drinking” or something like that.
It came as unsolicited mail and had some fine print stating that if I didn’t return it within x days I’d be required to pay for it.
Pretty much summed the guy up IMO.
Bill English did not run a mistake free campaign. He ran a dirty political campaign of smearing and fearing with a bunch of blatant lies along the way – and dirty back-room dealing with some dirty people. He played on his reputation as an honest, decent man which we now know was nothing more than a mythical meme probably dreamed up by C and T.
Although yet to be determined, he may go down in history as the man who lied his way back into a 4th term in government – something a good opposition should be reminding the punters of at every available opportunity for the next 3 years. They (the punters) might eventually see the error of their ways.
By mistake free Prebble means “successful by whatever means”. I know you know this. And that has always been Prebbles mantra. Even now he is writing to be paid by ACTs piper. Otherwise we woukd have had former MP writer doing opinion pieces during the election… but we didnt
Prebble has always been someone who bears deep grudges against his perceived foes for years afterward. A good case in point is Helen Clark who saw through him before anyone else did. Roger Douglas on the other hand does not seem to bear grudges against former enemies. Indeed he was reported to have said he was hoping for a Labour led government.
Probably recognises that the economy is about to crash and wants to be able to blame Labour rather than his preferred policies.
Now come on DTB. Don’t be so cynical. 😀
Maybe his old Dad has been in touch with him from the other side.
True Anne
The media is run by the Corporates and Steven Joyce is pumping out their propaganda full force today, and we expect this all the way to the seventh of October.
For those who struggle to understand the Green Party. Listen to Chloe Swarbrick. Leadership is NOT about age.
English through his deliberate lying was the antithesis of good leadership.
100% tracey.
Were I jacinda, I would just step back and let National and NZ First form a government. A red/green/black government with a 1 seat majority has all sorts of risks involved, and will only lead to a National landslide victory, with a new set of Maori Party quislings, led by Lance O’Sullivan in tow.
Labour’s focus should be to get that extra 10% and win in 2020. And the campaign should start today.
It will also give them time to get their tax working group together and actually publish a tax plan.
Like Key did in 2008 you mean? And his job summit to solve GFC unemplyment but turned out to be an excuse to further erode working conditions? EG over 50% of kiwifruit growers do not have employment contracts and pay less than minimum wage? Like that indiana?
Sheesh you are really smarting that Labour only got 36%, 2008 was so last decade.
Yep and National only got 46 (as of now, as 15% of the vote is still outstanding with the specials yet to be counted), and can not govern alone with all its coalition partners killed off in the last nine years.
MMP.
Repeat after me MMP.
Labour at 36 – 38 % can form a government with the Greens and NZF.
Labour and the Greens can also be a formidable opposition by simply needing to get 4 – 5 votes of NZF every time National gets to greedy, which could actually happen.
NZF could also decide to go with no one and simply supply their votes on legislation it likes irrespective of whom brings it to the floor.
So currently the lame duck is National, they campaigned on the 4th term. hahahahahahahahahahaha
The word of the day Schadenfreude. So much Schadenfreude.
Millsy. From what I’ve gleamed from history you grab power when you can, not “some time later when everyone will be nice to me”. If we can do a deal with Winston then we must proceed . That’s far preferable to three more years of these lying bastards.
Good points thanks Sabine
‘Schadenfreude’
Just listening to Angela Merkel’s fourth term prospects on RNZ, it occurred to me that her continued popularity, and bearing in mind our “Jacindamania” might it be named “Angela Momentum” after a similar scientific principle defined as “the quantity of rotation of a body, which is the product of its moment of inertia and its angular velocity.”
Humour is the last refuge of those who while feeling great disappointment after the last election, have a ray of hope still kept alive by a flickering sense of humour.
I have voted in seventeen elections, and only once voted for the winning candidate. I have experienced the government of my choice over those forty-eight years for only eighteen years of Labour.
No wonder hope and humour feature so.
A comment on facebook yesterday said that National had turned down a wealthy donor who wished to build a new Childrens hospital in Wellington. It may well be bizarre fanciful social media trolling, but has anyone heard anything along those lines from a reputable source?
Yes. It was reported by one of the media outlets 2-3 weeks ago. But then we heard no more about it.
Here….http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/334890/why-not-build-it-developer-explains-50m-children-s-hospital-gift
And you believe everything you read on Facebook?
Who is supposed to have said it and what evidence is there for the claim?
Interesting that in a few Nat and Labour supporters minds the minor parties make huge concessions and them none.could be worse you coukd not believe what someone tells you, vote for them, and expect them to stick to their promises
Would you like to reword this into something that makes some sense.
This is unintelligible.
Imbecile. You only have to mentally put the possessive apostrophe behind the final ‘s’ on ‘supporters’ and it makes sense, apart from a minor typo. I think you are deliberately lazy when it suits you, and, since you are here to troll, that is quite often. You realise that George Bernard Shaw refused to use the apostrophe at all? Have you ever read him, or would that be too hard?
…there’s a whole lotta shreddin’ goin’ on…
In other news, several gigabytes of data files connected to the National Party’s bank accounts and secret trusts have been erased in what their lawyers are calling “an unfortunate error of judgement on the part of a junior associate”.
I made that last bit up.
They call it “deleting texts and emails”
Collins
Key
English
OAB
Sly and funny.
There’s ekshully a terabyte of historical shit stored offshore – circa 2000 and before – and because of Y2K issues/ faux fear of a crash. Some of it shows EVEN THEN those committed to the neo-lib agenda. It comprises financial databases and Exchange Email shit such that even back then Gnatzi Ministerial whispers.
Of course when nothing happened at the turn of the millenium, the brilliant Masters of the Universe never thought to repatriate it all.
Graeme Edgeler’s excellent blog on specials was mentioned elsewhere (https://publicaddress.net/legalbeagle/election-2017-the-special-votes/) here, but a very interesting comment has appeared:
“There’s some fairly new science to it, Curia runs it for National, turns out you can just say certain things and get a fair chunk of people to change their opinion. You test a bunch of things to say, on people of one opinion, and count how many of them change that opinion, and for most things you can find a short phrase to tip people over on any subject.
Most of the population isn’t vulnerable to it, but enough are that if you figure out what to say and just keep saying it, there’s like a three-week window where you can shift a vote or whatever.
The Brexit thing was so many or other hundred billion pounds extra for the health system if you vote yes on Brexit, and it swung about 5% on that and they won. Completely unconnected with reality, but that’s not important. The MSM largely tried to not push it, they had to run cars with loudspeakers and stuff, but it still works.
For the Nats here it was, in a few different ways of saying it, that Labour was either under-selling how much tax they’d put on or over-selling how much they’d deliver with government spending, that the two didn’t match up, it couldn’t really be that easy, and they jumped a good 5% on that.
It works, and it will always work forever now that people know how to do it reliably. Trump in the US hammered on the Clinton emails, because that dropped Clinton a couple %, and that was enough.
The only thing you can do against it is find something to say to change them back. Not the truth, not policy, none of that shit matters for people who are persuadable by short phrases unconnected with reality. Research your own magic words and just repeat them ad nauseam, and make sure the delivery doesn’t put off your more stable voters.”
Sounds disturbingly accurate, and partially explains the massive late shift back to National.
Spreading lies worked very well for National, mostly about tax. I have heard so many stories now of ordinary working people who were convinced that Labour was going to increase their income tax dramatically – these were people who were only just making ends meet as it was. They picked it up from Facebook and other social media sources, and it is really hard to combat these messages in the time available.
I heard that Joyce had some GOP strategists who had worked on the Trump campaign working with him on the campaign. The only name I have is Clark Hennessey, a NZer who spent time working in USA with Republicans. Looks to me like the Nats used some of the same kind of tactics used to get Trump elected.
So you spread your own convincing truths on facebook and twitter first.
There’s been some convos on twitter along those lines too – anecdotes about people who thought their wages were going to be taxed more.
One was of people with disabilities who were talking on social media about how Labour were going to tax benefits more so they voted National. I don’t know how they got to that, but this is a big issue for the left. The MSM side of it, but also clarity. One thing that would have helped there is if Labour had had overt pro-beneficiary policy that wasn’t just about family/worker stuff. That people missed that the Greens had a policy to increase core benefits is a problem too.
“One thing that would have helped there is if Labour had had overt pro-beneficiary policy that wasn’t just about family/worker stuff. That people missed that the Greens had a policy to increase core benefits is a problem too.”I
These two sentences contradict each other. The problem is not the policies because the vast majority of the population do not bother with reading policies. Their decision on what party to vote for seems to rely on some vague impression of what the parties stand for and whether they like the candidates they know something about.
As someone who has been interested in politics since my early teens I find this extraordinarily depressing, but, unfortunately, it is the way it is and it is getting worse.
weka
Iy could be that people with worries are invited to f/b or twitter an official site about them and they could be explained or put to rest and that would be available to all so the answer could apply to many questions. People are used to there being fishhooks to everything. Having your benefit held for two weeks because of a change of employment or something like that, teaches you to be very careful about any changes.
That shouldn’t surprise anybody. Political parties of like mind around the world tend to work together. That’s not the problem.
The problem is the telling of lies and that needs to stop and to have consequences for those who still do it. An MP or budding MP who lies for political gain needs to go to jail for it.
“The problem is the telling of lies and that needs to stop and to have consequences for those who still do it.”
This is something I have been thinking we need – some kind of judicial body that could impose a financial penalty/retraction requirement on the spreading of false information. It would need to be able to work very quickly, operate on all media and be independent of the government of the day. The problem with organisations like the BSA is they have been stacked with Nats and their mandate is too limited.
Craig H
Had a look at legal beagle on public address and a comment under Graeme E’s is interesting;
simon g, A day ago
Thanks for doing this, Graeme.
A point overlooked by many of the talking heads is that numbers can and do change during a term. Parties break up (NZ First, Alliance in the first two MMP terms), parties are formed when MPs break away (the Maori Party, Mana), individuals leave parties to become independent (pushed, or jumping), by-elections, etc.
This is relevant now because a putative Lab-NZF-Green deal would require Winston to keep all his caucus on board, and given past behaviour, there’s a non-zero chance that some hitherto unknown NZF MP will be seduced across the floor by a bauble or quit the party on “principle”. Not tomorrow, but next year, who knows?
And if there’s a NZF-Nat deal, the anti-Nat numbers need to increase to stop any maverick from becoming Alamein Kopu when NZF quit the coalition over the [Insert Name Later] scandal of 2018. (I know she was Alliance, but the point stands – the party-hopping prevention law died years ago).
AK now that’s a name to remember. The story went that J Shipley called her every morning after breakfast to check if she was well.
“there’s a non-zero chance that some hitherto unknown NZF MP will be seduced across the floor by a bauble or quit the party on “principle”. ”
Can you tell me any party where this could not happen?
I won’t bother with the 1995-1996 period when all the parties seemed to disintegrate into little groups but off hand I can remember.
Jim Anderton left Labour.
Tariana Turia left Labour.
Hone Harawira left the Maori Party.
Don Brash left National
Kennedy Graham left the Greens
David Clendon left the Greens
Chris Carter left Labour.
Winston Peters left National
Alamein Kopu left the Alliance.
These are all ones who left after a row. I’m not counting those who simply resigned or retired quietly.
The split in New Zealand First in 1998 was merely the biggest of the splits with a large number of the party MPs going to Mauri Pacific.
Almost every party with more that one member seems to have had a split. Why pick on New Zealand First? They seem fairly stable these days.
I had to explain to people that CGT will not be 100% of all profit made on a house sale – no doubt there are thousands of others who think the same, and voted accordingly.
How come this revelation didn’t come out before the election? Did Labour and the Greens know about it? Because if they did they could have turned it around to their own advantage. It’s called playing the bastards at their own game.
Focus Groups.
Business have been running them for years. Not surprising that political parties, especially ones tied to business, will do as well.
So Labour should have repeated ad nauseam ” Why has National got a Chinese Government spy in their caucus ?” , it’s a gimme because it isn’t even a lie, and National would have to defend it. For fucks sake, Liang even said he would have to go back and correct his citizenship application. Nobody else gets to do that, your feet don’t even touch the ground before you’re bundled into the plane and told to fuck off.
You got it Craig Have to stop that crafty shit we ban all social media adverts a month before election and Draco T idea to ban polls a month before election I think it’s the video that change people perspective on one’s reality .I was not a happy person when I found out I missed Joe’s fight my son fucked up the time with daylight savings and all good fight Joe you won that easy as Big Upps .
Big Upps to all the American Sport’s Stars for not putting up with that __________________________________bullshit
If you have read my some of my older post u no what I’m saying Kia Kaha
willKnow what I have said .
Hooton did not deny (on Radio NZ) that it was Steven Joyce who leaked Winston Peters’ national superannuation details. That could be awkward for any coalition negotiations.
The media need to ask David Clendon or Kennedy Graham if they think the Greens should go into coalition with National.
these would be the guys who are not Members of the Green Party anymore? Maybe they can join the National Party and open the blue / green branch? They could call themselves aquamarine.
Poor National Party, it must be so unpleasant to have run out of natural born coalition partners and now here they are hat in hand having to be nice to Winston Peters. Poor things. Poor poor things.
So does Labour.
Binding referendum on Maori seats anyone
How about no water tax on farmers
Greens told to shut up and go sit in the corner
Having to deal with Shane Jones in cabinet.
Or the Greens could take one for the team and go with National.
Get a few policy wins, rebuild as a true environmental party and win it without Peters in 2020.
nope, as stated elsewhere, Labour can sit back and say nope we are happy in opposition – we have big enough numbers to make Nationals life hell for the next three years and watch these guys implode under their lies and deceits. Pike Mine comes to mind, just to name one.
Labour and the Greens have to do nothing. National wants it, then they NEED Winston. Without Winson National is a lame duck and you have a hung parliament which then needs to actually bargain and work to get the votes they need to pass their agenda. And then they have to work across the ailes, which considering that they have spend the last 9 years vilifying everyone who is not National could be ‘interesting’ in the best case or a right bitch in the worst.
The biggest looser today is National. Could not happen to nicer people. Crow and all that, you might want to add a bit o salt to that. I hear it makes it more palatable.
Schadenfreude. 🙂
Greens won’t get over 5% in 2020 if they sit back and do nothing.
Currently, all they’re looking like is the hard left rump of a more environmentally focused Labour party there’s no reason at all to vote greens now, they’re going the same way as Act.
See, the difference is some of us vote with MMP in mind, and National does not. IF it would, there would still be coalition partners on their side of the spectrum. But not only did they loose the conservatives, the Maori Party, they also lost votes themselves. But hey, i am sure the 0.5% Act Hologram will do them much good. So much to their awesome record of the last 9 years. They lost votes.
The game in town is MMP, which means you have to be at the very least civil to people as you might end up needing them.
Have you actually thought about the scenario where Winston says fuck it, we go with no one and you actually have to work to get our votes in individual pieces of legislation? Cause you know what, he could. He could stay independent and side with National and Labour and the Greens when ever he wanted to.
Nine years of lying, cheating, bullying, and being simply miserable petty, greedy, rude, inconsiderate and vile human beings that don’t give a damn for anyone not them is what got the National Party to where they are today. Might want to think about that.
What you fail to understand is that the greens and labour are not and will never be interchangable. The complement each other, not replace each other.
The Greens weathered the worst you guys could throw at them, and still remain strong – dropped 1% from last election.
ACT are receiving their just payments for being loyal tory todies for fifteen years.
1%? I don’t know what you’re looking at
Greens 11% in 2014 which if I remember correctly they were disappointed with
http://archive.electionresults.govt.nz/electionresults_2014/
2017 the got 5.9%, their vote was almost cut in half.
http://www.electionresults.govt.nz/
lets wait until the last 15% of the votes are counted. Yes?
the fat lady ain’t singing yet.
and besides, what do you say about the drop in votes for National? the complete annihilation of the Maori Party. What about the Conservatives?
Nothing to say? but yeah, your concern for the well being of the Green Party is noted, and hey, you could vote for them next time if you think they are needed in parliament. You know, to foster the aquamarine vote.
Maori party result was bizarre and demonstrated the Maori have no idea how MMP works.
THe Maori party could have been Kingmakers and achieved so much for Maori.
Now it’s likely Peters will push for a binding referendum on Maori seats and that will be it for Maori representation.
A head-scratching result.
Oh yeah, could have nothing to do with Nationals mishandling of the housing crisis, nor anything to do with the mishandling of Winz, with not addressing unemployment and so on and so on.
What about the Conservatives? They also don’t understand MMP? what about the glorious Party called ACT? They also don’t understand MMP? What about the fact that National itself has lost voters? They also don’t understand MMP?
Oh dear oh dear oh dear.
It must be hard to be a National supporter today, you can’t fault your own so it must be all the others that screwed up and now you have to be nice to Winston Peters.
be an optimist: MP had spent 9 years “achieving so much” that everyone thought their job was done /sarc
They maybe noticed it was the Some Maori Party.
gah fuck you’re right, was looking at nz1 instead of greens on wikipedia page. Multifuckingtasking my arse.
they still only lost 5% while labour gained 10%, though.
They lost 46% of their vote.
Who cares, the Greens still are in Parliament and the Maori Party is not, and neither are the conservatives and the 0.5% of the ACT Hologram well….lets not go further down that road, shall we?
mate, your party did not win. Well lets say National ‘won smallishly’ and now they have to drink the poison chalice and be nice to Winston.
So?
You guys spat the fucking dummy at them, and they’re still around. The lowest they even polled was something like 4.9%.
Now you want them to give confidence and supply to a party that’s spent nine years actively corrupting every single Green party platform? Good luck with that.
Hundred thousand votes lost to another left party who were copying their policy.
Yeah……nah your wishful thinking does not make it so
“Greens won’t get over 5% in 2020 if they sit back and do nothing.”
Lolz, when have the Greens ever sat back and done nothing?
+1
Ha you are really funny Sabine!
You better run off to Jacinda and stop her from trying to court Winston then.
That nice Green leader most certainly did not receive your advice Sabine…I hear he even sent a nice box of organic chocolates to Winston 🙂
nah mate, i don’t have an issue with Winston. that is the whole point.
National has an issue, i don’t. That nice lady from the Labour Party does as she wishes, that nice bloke from the green Party shall do the same, and ditto for Winston Peters. Personally i think a coalition covering the votes of 54% + of the population is a nice representation of the public. But then, don’t ask me i did not vote for National 🙂
Bill English however has run out of options. Poor thing.
Why?
Because they’re probably more representative of that core green environmental part of the party.
I ‘m wondering if the poverty faction of the Greens isn’t drowning out other viewpoints.
ahhh showing your true blue colors here
The Poverty faction. You know, if the only reason you can be comfortable is by keeping others in poverty often abject poverty then how long do you think that is going to go well?
So no the poverty faction is the environmental faction is the business faction as as everything on this planet we are linked, our well being is linked, we are linked to the environment and the businesses that care to survive are linked to us and to the environment.
So you might again want to think about why you would like to see the Greens go with National, and when you do that and you be honest with yourself you will understand that the Greens have absolute no reason to believe one single word uttered by the likes of English, Bennett, Collins, Smith, Bridges, Joyce and all the other fetchers of big business.
Mind you could also google Puerto Rico today and see what happens when you ignore the environment, the people and put only importance on some businesses making money.
He aha te mea nui o te ao
What is the most important thing in the world?
He tangata, he tangata, he tangata
It is the people, it is the people, it is the people
Maori proverb
Just give up BM. We don’t want a bar of your Party’s attitude and behaviour. We will never go into coalition with the pack of lying bastards aka the National Party.
You successfully spewed your hatred and ignorance over Metiria and drove the uncommitted Green away. Know that the base Green supporter despises National, and for very good reason.
If you want a nonsensical Blue/Green party then go and form one,
You speak for the whole of the Green party do you, no one else gets a say?
Read the Charter BM. Dont take our word for it. Read. The. Charter. That is what the Greens stand for. It is in writing. It doesnt need your or mine or the former Green Party men you suddenly listen to or care about, opinions. Just read.
Again, BM, as Tracey said, you could have voted for the greens if you think the environment is so important.
You could also lobby your Party to be more environmentally aware.
but you fail to answer why the Greens should be the rubberstamper of the National Party. Cause one thing is for sure, they ain’t gonna be stopping the pollution of our waterways, the ain’t gonna be stopping their attempts to undermine DoC land with drill baby drill permits and the likes, they ain’t gonna invest in public transport, they ain’t gonna get the railways going etc etc etc.
The reason you want National to go with the Greens is that you know it would make for a stable coalition as by their nature the Greens are actually a Party that has values and you can count on them.
Something that you fear will not be the case with NZFirst. And looking at the comments form both sides of the spectrum in regards to the wild card Winston i can see your pain, but care little about it.
Why?
Because your party rode roughshod over everyone for 9 years and has no one else to blame but themselves. Dear Zip it Sweety Bennett, the Double Dipper from Dipton, 10 Bridges in Northland, Powerstation make for good housing Nick Smith, Dildo Baggins Joyce, Oravida Collins, cheap Breakfast Kaye, Maggy – hates Doc – Barry and all the other have only to blame themselves. And now they have to be nice to Winston Peters.
hahahahahahahahahahahah
i suggest that you find yourself a really nice chocolate cake and big spoon. Trust me it helps with the blues.
It is ironic that some who voted for the party that baldly lied to them during the campaign are now uneasy trusting NZF. The irony.
Schadenfreude, today the word is Schadenfreude.
Having to bend oneself in the shape of a Bretzel to still fit into your worldview when that has just been rendered moot. boy oh boy oh boy.
garibaldi you have your answer on the core base for the Green’s (as they stand), somewhere between 5% to 6%.
The other 5% to 6% (before Metiria imploded her own party) were the enviromental vote that could go back to a true enviromental focused party (that would work with either centre left or centre right Governements).
Chuck – the Greens are already a true, environmental-focussed party. Much of that other 5%-6% environmental vote went to Labour, not National. National is the last party that could be called environmentally-benign. Labour also was preaching environmental progress in its policies.
Your wishful dream of Greens working with your so-called Centre-Right Government is a complete pipe-dream. Your Centre-Right Government is the enemy of the environment, and will lose the war even if you think it can win a few battles. Get real.
Election finished, so we got back
chucky the nutty.
who next
Puckish Rouge the racist toad.
Pockish, please…
Based on what? Stop buying the Russell Norman spin BM. Russell thinks Green Party should be environmental only, hence he works for Greenpeace now. The Green Party has always had people and environment on equal footing. National has money far above peopke and the environment.
If you wanted Green influence in Government you shoukd have party voted Green. Did you? Nope you FPPed it
Federated Farmers concerned they may have lost their swipe card to the ninth floor,
“Federated Farmers president Katie Milne said there was now a feeling of unease in the rural sector.
“There are still some who are genuinely worried – well, quite a lot actually – and there are some who have already indicated that they’ve really battened down their hatches until they know a result.”
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/country/340179/farmers-batten-down-their-hatches-post-election
They should visit some homeless, some disabled, some solo parents some two parent families living off 2 minimum wage jobs…but they wont. For some the bubble of matrydom allows no travelling.
well we all must be doing well, 500 grms of butter is selling at 6$ today and surely only an economy in which everyone is doing good can this be afforded, or something.
LOLOLOL
Fuck me – they protest about Labour policies, protest when they have to wait a few days for a new government to form, they worry about nothing more than their feelings. The Feds Farmers need to drink that cold cup of cement and harden up.
Spring is here, growing conditions are great, log and lamb and milk payouts are fantastic, the long term global economy (esp Australia and China and India) for all of them is up, they get all the cheap labour they want, spare me days they can’t do anything except complain.
Really long Fonterra ad at 6:15pm during TV one news. They must be worried….
Someone should be knocking on Bill’s door alright – but not with an offer to form a government. The Greens are just too nice to do that, and Labour is afraid of the precedent. But neo-liberal sons-of-bitches must pay.
Guess we missed it! – World Rivers Day.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1709/S00422/world-rivers-day-heralds-boost-for-water-quality-data.htm
“Water quality is of high importance to many across New Zealand and became a key election issue. It is clear New Zealanders want to see a lift in the quality of our fresh water resources.
“Having easy access to reliable information will create a greater understanding on the state of our waterways, help people make good choices about how they use them and help support the changes that they want to see for their lakes and rivers,”
https://www.lawa.org.nz/explore-data/swimming
N B Many of the waterways, and/or lakes are either showing caution or are data deficient!
https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/97105519/canterbury-struggling-with-water-quality-targets-good-progress-on-irrigation
Why is Chris Trotter running his yap to the NZ Herald? Front of the page “Arden knows she lost” someone needs to send him to the glue factory the stupid Donkey.
And Bryan Edwards sides with National and is anti-Labour. He is aged now along with Trotter and memory loss of their younger ideals has turned them Right. (I am older than both of them and I am getter more Lefter.)
“Bryan”?
That’s because he’s good mates with bloody Michelle Boag!
The guy has lost the plot in his dotage.
in the meantime Puerto Rico
3.5 million people without water, electricity, means of communication and a damn that is failing. No ships can enter unless they are US American with a US American crew thanks to the Jones Act, Trump tweeting about firing football players and otherwise playing the fiddle.
and yes, Puerto Rico’ans are US Americans.
shades of the future to come?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiJwKD8Cw0o
“Fonterra CEO’s massive $8.32 million makes him highest-paid executive”
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11926222
https://twitter.com/MichaelFieldNZ/status/912106185502875649
Obscene.
Ridiculous that you get more because there is more money being hefted under your leadership. Same job, same number of hours, so bigger money just follows efficient and effective leadership. Give him $1m as a bonus on top of his normal $2 million!! salary and package. That’s enough. No one knows what enough is in this leadership. When you are making product, its cheaper per item usually – volume brings the cost down. When you are making lots more money, then a bonus is in order. Just a bonus, not the biggest bit of the bestest we’ve got.
Something to think about.
Just say National sided with NZ First and part of the deal was getting rid of the Maori seats.
In that situation, would people on the left prefer for the Greens to go into coalition with National and retain the Maori seats or doesn’t that really matter in the overall scheme of things?
The greens providing checks and balance to National or NZ First providing checks and balance what’s better for the left?
lol
keep trying, dude.
National would probably quite like to get rid of the Maori seats. They’d turn the greens down.
Maybe they need to get in first?
It’s all getting a bit creepy now mate lol ☺
oi
bwhahahahahahahaha
Marty Mars you put it perfectly ! This IS getting bloody creepy. Like just for amusement in a chatty sort of way BM’s going off on some out-there-crazy political eugenics number. I was wondering quite what my response could be then I saw yours……
Wayne Eagleson, the Chief of Staff to John Key and Bill English, is off:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11926323
The closest equivalent the left have ever had is Heather Simpson, who steered the Helen Clark office throughout her three terms. Eagleson had more guile , less policy capacity, and was up to his neck in the darker arts of Dirty Politics.
12 years is well and truly long enough in one job, and I would presume he could take his pick of top-flight lobbying positions in Australasia.
I would wish some weapons-grade hard ass for Jacinda Ardern’s office – although with more policy heft and less sunny optimism . Key’s 8.5-year polling honeymoon was in no small part due to outstanding staff leadership, and that is what they all need if they are going to make hard choices that get their leaders where they need to be for three terms in a row.
Some are saying this is Peter’s first blood – ie Eagleson was the legendary leaker of Peters’ super problems – or is taking the fall for the leaker.
He’s leaving at peak.
either there’s a weak 4th term government, or National is out.
“……..a hard ass for Jacinda Ardern’s office”. I know…….there’s a Nooo Yocker guy name of Scaramucci…….
This might solve climate change for the time if these volcanoes go pop!
https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/south-pacific/97233433/new-zealand-defence-force-set-to-survey-erupting-vanuatu-volcano
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-09-25/why-do-vulcanologists-think-mt-angung-will-erupt-soon/8985862 The Bali one is a interesting one, as the last it went pop the worlds climate drop a degree for a couple yrs.
Last but not least is one and this a whooper of volcano, aka a super volcano
http://www.news.com.au/technology/science/supervolcano-becoming-more-dangerous/news-story/11455813ad987c9a696bc487b47276ac