Open mike 27/07/2023

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, July 27th, 2023 - 130 comments
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Open mike is your post.

For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose.

The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy).

Step up to the mike …

130 comments on “Open mike 27/07/2023 ”

  1. Dennis Frank 1

    Gordon Campbell did an excellent analytical report on Spain's election outcome and the new lie of their political terrain: http://werewolf.co.nz/2023/07/gordon-campbell-on-the-lessons-from-spains-election/

    Two right wing parties were expected to win a relatively victory after a year of setbacks for the ruling centre-left government. The large, traditional party of the centre right (the Peoples’s Party or PP) was led by a supremely confident but gaffe-prone individual who struggled to connect with the electorate. PP’s running mate was Vox, a neo-liberal party of the extreme right, which campaigned against an allegedly “woke” government unduly influenced by feminists and trans rights activists. Vox was also calling for lower taxation & employer-friendly labour laws.

    Meanwhile, the centre-left government of Pedro Sanchez was accused even by its own running mate Sumar of (a) doing too little to address the country’s social problems, and (b) clinging to power for its own sake.

    Sumar’s leader Yolanda Diaz happens to be Spain’s most popular politician, and she attracts support from across the political spectrum. As the Labour Minister in the Sanchez government, Diaz has also been widely praised for raising the minimum wage substantially, and for granting the workers in gig economy firms the full rights of employees, via a model piece of legislation that the European Union is widely expected to adopt next year.

    He goes on to make the point that the media switched from focus on govt problems to focus on opposition credibility which produced a feeling of revulsion in the public enough to collapse the rightist support base relatively.

    Relevance to here is indicative. The media focus will always be on controversy (sensation rules) but quiet days can switch their focus to future prospects, and the public mood often reflects that. Floating voters are always seeking a better option, so their collective shifts are relative to feeling averse to either or both left & right at the time. When left & right compete for centrists, their simulations tend to be transparent to floaters & you get a lack of gravitating towards those poles. Hung parliament in Spain resulting – maybe headed thataway here too…

    • AB 1.1

      the media switched from focus on govt problems to focus on opposition credibility

      Ain't happening here mate. They're too shallow, lazy poorly-educated and high on their imaginary celebrity.

  2. Sanctuary 2

    Dan Wootten is a New Zealander, something that makes me deeply, deeply ashamed. This scandal could not be much worse.

    https://bylinetimes.com/2023/07/24/martin-branning-his-first-victim/

    He was paying people using Newscorp cash to covertly film gay and straight men having sex with them so he could use the tapes at a later date to extort and blackmail them.

    This is the logical conclusion of the era of the Murdoch press, and shows how corrupt the UK right wing tabloid media is.

    • Anker 2.1

      A completely heinous crime and the perpetrator of such acts should be in jail.

      However where is the due process? Has Wooten been charged?

      Do you realize he is crowd funding to sue the bylinetimes?

      I checked the BBC website,no mention of this case there. I would have thought they would run with it if the story could be validated.

      I am not saying he didn't do this. How would I know? But I would have more faith in the story if the police were involved, making statements.

      I hope whoever did it (and it could be Dan) is found guilty and gets a very heavy sentence

    • AB 2.2

      is a New Zealander, something that makes me deeply, deeply ashamed

      Likewise here – and long before this story came to light.. Ashamed, but not surprised because this country has plenty of little Dan Woottens running around – heading I sense for a gleeful victory in October. He is definitely one of us.

  3. Jester 3

    Well this just keeps getting worse for Kiri Allan. You should not leave the scene of an accident. She wasn't that drunk as she was under the old 400 limit according to reports.

    Kiri Allan car crash: Police dogs tracked MP, she was located 500 metres from scene – report – NZ Herald

    • alwyn 3.1

      Why do you think that she can't leave the scene of an accident?

      As far as I can see the only requirement, provided that no-one has been injured, is that you must notify the owner of the vehicle she damaged, or the police, within 60 hours.

      There doesn't seem to be any requirement to stay there.

      https://www.nzta.govt.nz/roadcode/general-road-code/about-driver-responsibility/crashes/#:~:text=If%20you're%20involved%20in%20a%20crash%20while%20driving%2C%20and,24%20hours%20after%20the%20crash.

      • weka 3.1.1

        that's my understanding. Only issue I can see is that her car was apparently still in the middle of the road. I think there would be an expectation of making sure that wasn't a hazard to other motorists.

        • bwaghorn 3.1.1.1

          I guess if your in the middle of a break down and have just done something that's going to finish your career, your smashed car blocking a road is probably not even in your thoughts

          • weka 3.1.1.1.1

            yep. Her judgement seems majorly impaired, and I don't think she is being give good advice (or she is ignoring it). I read her FB post and it's about her and her feelings. This is understandable but it's appropriate for people close to her, not public announcements from an MP in government.

        • alwyn 3.1.1.2

          I have just had a look at the photo of the crash and there certainly is a major blockage. I wasn't thinking about that. The only way to get past would be to get your wheels onto the cycle lane as it blocks both vehicle lanes on the road.

          https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/justice-minister-kiri-allans-arrest-and-resignation-photo-shows-crash-on-evans-bay-parade-wellington/PZLIGJ763VEMRODL44SKEFMQVU/

          From the damage to the ute I doubt that her car could be driven though. I'm not sure what she is actually required to do in that case.

          • Jester 3.1.1.2.1

            "From the damage to the ute I doubt that her car could be driven though. I'm not sure what she is actually required to do in that case."

            If you had an accident and your vehicle was blocking the road, normally you would call police and wait with the vehicle for it to be towed.

            Unless of course, you were over the limit and should not have been driving, in that case people often abandon their vehicle and make a run for it, and deny they were the driver.

      • Belladonna 3.1.2

        The legal requirement appears to be to notify the owner of any damaged vehicles or property "as soon as possible" [from your link, above]

        If no one is hurt, you must give your name, address and plate number as soon as possible but no later than 48 hours after the crash to:

        • the owner or driver of any other vehicle that’s been damaged
        • the owner of any property that’s been damaged.

        As soon as possible, with a parked car, would be door-knocking the adjacent houses, to find who it belonged to. The first door would have found them.

        She seems to be in breach of the road code.

        However, that's only a minor issue – and (all other things being equal) wouldn't have raised a ripple in the papers [e.g. if her car had lost traction in the rain (not speeding), or if she'd been distracted, and hit the parked car (all too common in our local supermarket carpark)]

    • psych nurse 3.2

      I get the horrible feeling that the opposition and media will not be satisfied until they have hounded her to death. This is more than a lack of empathy its a complete lack of compassion. We are very lucky the only harm was to a couple of cars.

      She has been through treatment for stage three cervical cancer, I surmise there is a medically induced menopause with its severe mood swings, a host of physical complications including cognitive changes. Forty percent of stage three cervical cancers do not survive beyond five years, try living with that threat every day.

      • Tiger Mountain 3.2.1

        Being moralistic does not suffice in these types of situations. While no medical expert, a friend of mine with lung cancer which spread, bought 5 years of life so far by paying for very effective Keytruda (now on Pharmac list for cancers other than just Melanomas).

        Doctors warned her of “chemo brain” which sounded rather patronising, but they were right, mood swings, doing weird stuff and the constant existential overlay of “my time might be up”.

        Kiritapu has multiple issues to deal with by the sounds of it, so while you do not have to applaud her for not calling a cab–at least don’t put the slipper in.

        • PsyclingLeft.Always 3.2.1.1

          Or call for her to be crucified and/or otherwise hounded…as some on the Kiri comments section did.

          Disgusting.

          • Anker 3.2.1.1.1

            I am going to call this a little hypocritical.

            Many of this site continue to bring up Sam U…….the National Party bloke who

            horrendously beat up another student when he was 16 years.

            The charges against Kiri given she was Justice Minister are quite severe.

            We pay her a salary of over $300000 to do this job. I think it is in the public interest to know what happened.

            And as I have already said, I think most of the commentary has been kind and reasonable.

            • PsyclingLeft.Always 3.2.1.1.1.1

              Huh? Hypocritical? What… are you on about? In my comment…I said about some who wanted Kiri to be crucified or similar.

              At NO stage have I talked about Mr..Sam Uffindell. Ever.

              You can apologise..

                • PsyclingLeft.Always

                  Aha the respectful centrist. Well you think you are quite the trawler aye? I meant in this Kiri should be crucified related commentary.

                  As Anker was alluding.

                  • Belladonna

                    Nope. Just correcting your conveniently faulty memory. Didn't require trawling – just a simple search.

                    If you meant in this thread, then you should say in this thread.

                    Your beef with Anker, is your beef with Anker – nothing to do with me.

                    • PsyclingLeft.Always

                      Yep. A trawler. Respectfully Centrist ..of course. Had you sussed quite a time back.

                  • Belladonna

                    Don't start a flame war.

                    If you have nothing useful to contribute – and have to resort to name calling – stay silent.

                    • PsyclingLeft.Always

                      What? No flame war from me. And this from the person who has to go back to a comment nearly a year old.

                      Sad…

      • observer 3.2.2

        There's certainly no more room for doubt about the motivation of those who want to keep this going (like Jester, above).

        If the motivation is the public interest (i.e. "holding to account") then all of the following would be legitimate …

        1) Demanding the Minister go … but it's already happened.

        2) Demanding the ex-Minister quit Parliament … but it's already happened.

        3) Demanding that she be charged, and subject to the same judicial process as the rest of us … but it's already happening.

        4, 5, 6 etc …) Demanding that the PM front up. Demanding a debate in Parliament. Demanding that Kiri Allan make a statement, including an apology. And so on.

        All of which has already happened. Those are the facts, and all in the public domain.

        So what exactly do they want now from Kiri Allan? Pitchforks? To achieve … what?

        • ianmac 3.2.2.1

          Morgan Godfery writes an excellent column ruing the relentless spotlight on Kiri. Obsever at 3.2.2 has summed it up so well and I take my hat off for Godfery too.

          OPINION: On July 23, 2023, on a slippery bend on Wellington’s Evans Bay Parade, police undertook an arrest on the Minister of Justice herself.

          That sentence reduces a relentless, three-day news cycle to its essentials.

          From Monday morning to Wednesday afternoon, journalists were fighting to break new angles on the most controversial political story of the year: what were the particulars of Kiri Allan’s mental distress at the moment of the crash? And did the Prime Minister know enough, in hindsight, to make a better decision for her wellbeing and her career?

          On the morning of July 24, as the major media outlets were publishing live blogs, the frenzied coverage made constitutional and news sense. But stepping back from that initial coverage, it’s worth asking whether the punishing drive for new information and new angles made ethical sense…..

          https://www.thepress.co.nz/a/nz-news/350042701/morgan-godfery-defence-kiri-allan-and-maori-women

      • Tricledrown 3.2.3

        If that had been a National minister Labour would be rolling out similar criticisms

        Labour's chances of regaining power now are Zero.Unless National have a high profile scandal hidden away.highly unlikely remember when Mike Williams shot over to Melbourne in the hope of digging some dirt and it backfired. Labour is going to be an opposition party for sometime.

        • Bearded Git 3.2.3.1

          "Labour's chances of regaining power now are Zero"

          I don't think you should buy into this Nats/Act framing Tricle. A couple of ministers have made mistakes and another has a mental illness problem.

          Meanwhile 17 other ministers are beavering away doing a lot of good stuff running the country. The economy has come through Covid and the Ukraine war induced contraction and two massive flood events in a reasonably healthy state. Inflation is now almost under control, the housing market has undertaken a much needed price-fall, state houses are being built, the minimum wage is moving towards a livable wage, many people have been taken out of poverty and more money is being spent on public transport and climate change. The health system has been reformed, RMA reforms are almost ready to go and the Affordable Water reforms are moving forward.

          National's game, aided by the MSM, is to portray this a government as being in chaos, when it is anything but.

          This is such a transparent beat-up. For example, Stuff has now hired Tova O'Brien to stick it to Labour.

          • James Simpson 3.2.3.1.1

            Do you think having a health issue is justification for driving drunk and crashing a car?

            If not then don't you consider Kiri to have made a mistake as well as the two ministers you have referred to?

          • Anker 3.2.3.1.2

            Kiri made mistakes before the careless driving etc situation. The speech at Radio NZ. Alledged reports of bullying by two senior public servants, which is unusal. A suggestion of a badly handled conflict of interest over Mein Fong, Posting about her distress about her relationship on FB or twitter two weeks ago, was another sign of not being able to maintain boundaries.

            Jan Tinetti, mislead the house and failed to correct and it went before privledges committee

            Michael Wood conflict of interest and misleading PM about his shares being sold when they weren't.

            Stuart Nash, say no more.

            David Parker resigning from Revenue a clear FU to Chris Hipkins.

            Meka Whiteri. Walked.

            As a Labour/Green old chum of mine message me "the wheels are falling off".

            I would be hard pressed to think of a cabinet that has had so many problems/resignations in such a short space of time…….happy for someone to provide other examples

          • gsays 3.2.3.1.3

            I go along with most of what you say BG and I think it is a shame that Hipkins didn't take the opportunity to 'blood' a new minister. Especially with a view that they 'hit the ground running' post Oct 14th.

            His excuses, close to an election etc can play into a narrative that the election is already lost, shallow talent pool etc.

        • SPC 3.2.3.2

          That anyone, other than a journalist, sees government determined by the public appearance/reputation of the politicians, rather than the policies and governance is depressing.

          It would mean gotcha journalism and character assassination dominate.

      • Thank you psych nurse. I had daymares. Nightmares with my eyes open, full panic sweats and shakes about "what might go wrong" with driving a car, flying, any trigger, until hormone treatment and then "I was back".

        My aunt who had breast cancer could not have the treatment. She lived with bad nerves for years.

        So yes, being on your own during one of those is terrifying, Kiri reached out to Willie, but he wasn't physically close enough to help, and it all just "piled up".

        The mistakes she has made are being blown out of proportion to suit certain views and narratives. These reporters need to take a breath and show some humanity, but unfortunately some are like Seymore, opportunists.

      • Terry 3.2.5

        This is more than just “mental health” issues. I think that she has been “found out” and those around her are no longer accepting some of her behaviour, so she’s got nowhere to go.

        Ive seen this happen to bullies before, people start seeing them for what they really are, and stop putting up with their BS. So the bully has nowhere to go so they “collapse” in order to gain control and to not be held accountable for their actions.

        There were allegations of previous unacceptable behaviour directed at public service employees, now it appears that she has been bullying junior MP’s.

        she has been pulled up on her behaviour and is now having a hissy fit to avoid being held accountable.

        • observer 3.2.5.1

          Could you please link to this "hissy fit"?

          And, in what way is she not "held accountable"? Do you follow the news, at all?

        • SPC 3.2.5.2

          The explanation of the impact of cancer treatment on someone is made and you remain fixated on the Inquisitor mode, about the character of the person … we can only now presume … political agenda and ignore the spam.

          But the unverified claims – back them up.

        • Wow!! So Terry, do you know who is complaining? Or do you jump at every rumour to add them to the actual mistakes?

          So she has got nowhere to go. according to you.

          That is not true. Her local people and many of us are rallying to help her to recover. Your senario is all guess work and glaring falsehoods. Kiri has been held accountable… but you seem to have a twisted view of things Terry.

        • Roy Cartland 3.2.5.4

          There you go, regular as a clockwork bowel movement.

          Shut up about this if you're serious, and go comment on something useful, like that post today about Labour's reneging…

          Or are youactually just trolling?

      • Anne 3.2.6

        I get the horrible feeling that the opposition and media will not be satisfied until they have hounded her to death.

        Yes.

  4. Belladonna 4

    Te Huia is allowed back into central Auckland.

    The key measures are that Te Huia will be using its Electronic Train Protection (ETP) system in the Auckland area and its locomotive engineers are doing extra training and are getting support “to navigate the complexities of the Auckland metro rail network”.

    This has assured Waka Kotahi that safety risks have been addressed and the prohibition notice can be lifted, director of land transport Neil Cook said.

    ….

    “We are pleased that KiwiRail is taking the urgent action required to prevent further incidents.”

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/waikato/132622712/te-huia-train-service-allowed-back-into-central-auckland

    • Ad 4.1

      Kiwirail should have invested in the new safety equipment that NZTA asked for, right back at the business case for Te Huia. They were quite happy to shell out for new station and track in Hamilton.

      But good patch for now.

    • Muttonbird 4.2

      Can't see why it was an issue. The chances of Te Huia encountering a working train on the Auckland network are next to zero.

  5. weston 5

    I see Blinken has dropped in for a few hours and no doubt our pm will be fawning all over him personally i'd have sent a junior office clerk an maybe shouted him a cup of instant at the local pie cart similar to how the Chinese treated him recently !

    • Tiger Mountain 5.1

      Blinking Blinken, there have been a number of US officials and delegations roaming around the Pacific lately…what could they possibly want…

      I recall during the sirKey years when the “Hobbit Act” and Kim Dot Com raid were on the go, non commercial American planes were spotted at Wellington Airport. They always come sniffing around.

  6. Dennis Frank 6

    Political diagnosis from Luke Malpass:

    The revelations were remarkable for two reasons. The first is that it marks the first chink in what has been an impenetrable unity of the Labour caucus since 2017. And second because it is an account of an MP unhappy about something that well predates Chris Hipkins’ prime ministership. In other words, unfixed problems under the leadership of former prime minister Jacinda Ardern. The fact that at least some caucus members are now feeling aggrieved enough about it to speak to media belies a greater tension that appears to be setting in among the Labour ranks over a number of issues.

    https://www.thepost.co.nz/a/politics/350043016/labour-will-be-desperate-plug-caucus-leaks

    Note the banal framing: Labour will be desperate to plug caucus leaks. One swallow don't make no summer, as an illiterate Englishman might say. Can anyone actually plug caucus leaks?? Experience tells us no: the tendency to leak under sufficient pressure is as likely in National as in Labour. Leaks happen regardless of witch-hunting endeavours if the motive is sufficient. Btw I wouldn't blame Luke for that banal framing – more likely blame his editor – a level up the media hierarchy.

    The most significant dimension revealed by the leak seems to be the victim specifying abuse spanning two years, with implied tolerance by powers that be – yet with no mention of any victim complaint. Smoke without fire again.

    • Cricklewood 6.1

      Its not overly suprising really, youve got a whole bunch of mp's who have come to the stark realization that theyll be looking for a new job shortly. A fair portion of them will be feeling aggreived for real and imagined reasons. A small portion of them will have a big enough chip on the shoulder to try and do damage on the way out.

    • observer 6.2

      When Grant Robertson calls a press conference at Parliament, and calls Chris Hipkins a corrupt, criminal politician, and releases secret recordings of their phone conversations, and then marches off to the Wellington police station with the media in tow, to lay a complaint against his own leader …

      then yes, Labour's internal "leaks" will be just as bad as National's.

      So, a very long way to go. One dripping tap, and one dam bursting flood.

      • Corey 6.2.1

        Yeah but Nationals implosion happened in opposition. They kept their shit together right up until Bill English left in 2018.

        Labour has started imploding in government. After just 5 and a half years. It's unreal.

        At first it looked like Jacindas retirement had created a post Helen Clark esque leadership vacuum in the party with Hipkins unable to fill it.

        Increasingly, it looks the other way around:

        Jacindas lack of leadership and discipline over her cabinet created a mountain of problems and a bunch of lazy, fast and loose, entitled ego driven MPs and bad behaviour to go unchecked.

        All these problems were allowed to go unchecked under Ardern and as soon as a leader who tried to actually lead his caucus in a traditional style, the shit hit the fan.

        The internal problems labour faces ATM is because Ardern was hands off. She was another Lange who let her cabinet run circles around her.

        There is no defending Ardern, all of these problems should have been managed by her, years ago.

        Now labour has an arrogant, divided caucus that can't focus on anything but themselves, two months out from an election.

        If they are imploding this badly in government, god help us when they do the usual post government opposition implosion.

        • Don't be naff Corey. Cut the hyperbole.

          Nash leaked Woods lied plus two retirements and a defection.

          Now a Minister in strife.

          Face it 6 hard years have caused fall out. As Chris Hipkins is finding, managing in a constant state of crisis is very demanding.

          I don't think we would do any better with Luxon's sorry lot, plus Seymore playing holier than thou with his no human rights no treaty, and probably a failing narrow benefit system falling apart as they tell us "there is no money", except what they find for tax cuts contracts for mates etc.

          Why are you quoting their rubbish??

    • plugging non existent 'anonymous leaks' even harder. imo.
      A bit like finding a “homeless man in MIQ”.

  7. Sanctuary 7

    Stuff has noticeable lurched to the right since the soft coup that saw Caitlin Cherry jump before she was pushed. The opinion attacks on Labour from their political staff have become much more aggressive. That sort of thing only happens with an email about an editiorial direction change and warnings about job losses amongst the luke warm if they paper doesn't turn revenue falls around.

    They've brought in Tova O'Brian who it seems is the angel of death who appears when a news organisation moves to the right and then inevitably fails.

    • Dennis Frank 7.1

      Yet Tova's first for Stuff this morning seemed to lack pizzazz.

      inevitably fails

      Another Belfast cowboy along with Van Morrison?? Well, cowgirl presumably…

      Boucher moved with her family from Belfast, Northern Ireland, to Christchurch, New Zealand, when she was about three years old… On 25 May 2020, Nine Entertainment agreed to sell Stuff to Boucher for NZ$1… In July 2023, Boucher stepped down as CEO and became executive chair and publisher. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinead_Boucher

      So if Stuff has no stock exchange listing I assume she's sole owner still, more of a media baroness than cowgirl. In regard to chronic failure in capitalist enterprise, could be worth noting that the Post combined the mid-19th century Evening Post with the early 20th century Dominion about 20 years back. Evidence of continuity.

  8. Dennis Frank 9

    The Israeli triad:

    three power centers — Netanyahu, the far-right, and the ultra-Orthodox — align on the need to kneecap the courts to enact their agendas. It is the courts that could send Netanyahu to jail and that (on occasion) issues rulings constraining the settlement movement and protecting the rights of Arab citizens and more secular Jews.

    The court system, in other words, is the barrier standing between Israel and a more authoritarian future. Without its oversight, “the government could … rig future elections, for example by banning Arab parties from participating — a step previously proposed by coalition members,” the Israeli public intellectual Yuval Noah Harari writes in the Financial Times.

    This is from a rather good in-depth look at their threat to the Supreme Court : https://www.vox.com/2023/7/24/23805532/israel-judicial-overhaul-reasonableness

  9. Adrian Thornton 10

    Here is a well balanced piece on the bogged down, and increasingly untenable Ukraine counter offensive…
    Did the US know the Ukraine offensive might fail, and if so, when?
    This also begs the question of whether Washington will recognize when it must start pushing for an armistice.

    "As the Quincy Institute’s Anatol Lieven has observed many times, Ukraine has already achieved a great victory that very few believed possible when the invasion occurred in February 2022. Russia has suffered staggering military losses, its international reputation is in tatters, and its forces have been stopped and pushed back far short of their original objectives."

    "An armistice like the one that halted the fighting in Korea seventy years ago has been held up as a model for how the current war could be brought to an end. The Korean War also offers us a cautionary tale of the perils of overreaching, as the advance towards the Chinese border led to Chinese intervention and the prolonging of the war at great cost to all parties. Trying to recapture all territory held by Russian forces runs the risk of both Russian escalation and Ukrainian exhaustion, and Ukraine might end up with less than what it has today."

    Of course with ultra war hawks and open Russia hawks like Blinkin and newly Biden appointed acting deputy secretary of state Victoria Nuland in the room, this only sane option seems tragically unrealistic…as these people are obviously insane.

    • Res Publica 10.1

      Or maybe we could leave the definition of victory up to the Ukrainians rather than some random American think tank?

      I'm pretty sure they're more than capable of defining their own military and foreign policy objectives without our help. And that when they do, it will not involve a half-assed truce that results in large chunks of their county being occupied by the Russians.

      We have to remember that to the Ukrainian people, this isn't just a distant conflict that's going to end when the West gets bored of it: it's a struggle for national survival against a bellicose neighbor who has a grim historical record of straight-out mass murder.

      And, on the subject of apt historical analogies, sitting around and letting autocracies gobble up their other nations in the 1930s while telling them they weren't worth fighting over turned out really well, right?

      I don't understand how the progressive left has grown so soft, so cowardly, and so far up its own arse that it would support a morally bankrupt quasi-dictatorship for fear of soiling its own hands.

      None of our values are worth anything if we aren't willing to fight for them.

      As for the counteroffensive and it's purported failure: ces't la guerre

      • Adrian Thornton 10.1.1

        The Ukrainians will never take back any more significant land from the Russian now.

        The progressive Left is mainly pro a negotiated end to this conflict because they are some of the few out side observers that seem to be willing to acknowledge/comprehend the awful and tragic series of events, that were heavily guided and funded by outside actors (we all know who they are) that finally led to this totally avoidable war.

        No matter what you or I think, the fact of the matter is that all Super Powers demand boarder security…the USA, UK, France, China would have all done exactly what Russia is now doing had a hostile military alliance moved on to their boarder…that is just a fact.

        So the question you should really be asking is why the USA/UK via NATO intentionally backed Russia into a corner when they all well knew that any Russian leader would have gone into the Ukraine with that provocation?

        As the Head of the CIA warned of himself….

        "The former US ambassador to Russia, William J. Burns, who is now director of the CIA, warned in a February 2008 embassy cable that Ukraine constituted a security “redline” for Moscow.

        The confidential State Department cable was titled “Nyet Means Nyet: Russia’s NATO Enlargement Redlines” (“nyet” is Russian for “no”).

        Burns cautioned that the issue of NATO membership for Ukraine “could potentially split the country in two, leading to violence or even, some claim, civil war, which would force Russia to decide whether to intervene.”

        https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2022/02/27/us-nato-expansion-ukraine-russia-intervene/

        What would have been the down side of Ukraine being a neutral country?

        • UncookedSelachimorpha 10.1.1.1

          "What would have been the down side of Ukraine being a neutral country?"

          Not what russia wants. Russia wants to build their empire and subjugating Ukraine is a non-negotiable part of the plan. Nonsense like trying to dictate the foreign policy of your independent neighbour, is merely a means of war and conquest by other means.

    • UncookedSelachimorpha 10.2

      "An armistice like the one that halted the fighting in Korea seventy years ago has been held up as a model for how the current war could be brought to an end."

      Worked out great for the population that remained trapped in North Korea. Mass starvation, utter poverty and absolute suppression and abuse by the state. Plus compulsory worship of a clown dictator. Sounds lovely for them! But the Ukrainians don't seem so keen to sign up for that.

    • Ad 11.1

      Helps us align with Australia where first $18,000 is tax free.

      Sensible policy from Maori Party.

    • Tiger Mountain 11.2

      Well done Te Pāti Māori!

      Voters with a brain that would not be lonely if gifted another, will get exactly what is potentially on offer here. The key strategic political task in 2023 is surely to exclude Natzos and Act from office, so that there is opportunity to finally kick Rogernomics arse in 2026.

      Turnout is King–and if the previously alienated young new gens climb on board the TPM & Green train there will be an upset Election result on October 14. The MMP negotiations will be interesting indeed.

      • Alan 11.2.1

        Last one out please turn the lights off

      • gsays 11.2.2

        "The key strategic political task in 2023 is surely to exclude Natzos and Act from office, so that there is opportunity to finally kick Rogernomics arse in 2026."

        Dare to dream…I tautoko what you say but would add a severely diminished Labour too. A once in a lifetime opportunity with a majority MMP government and all we got was incremental tinkering.

        Parker and Robertson are no-one's fools. Hipkins' Captain's Call (to not implement meaningful tax reform), to chase a few rich folk's votes to the detriment of thousands deserves to see Labour lumped in with the Nats and friends.

  10. Alan 12

    Here you go, cannot see details on the mechanisms of the wealth tax

    https://www.1news.co.nz/2023/07/27/te-pati-maori-time-for-wealthy-to-pull-their-weight-on-tax/

  11. Alan 13

    When asked about the TPM tax announcements today, Chippy confirmed there will be no wealth tax is any Government he leads.

    • Res Publica 13.1

      Bold of him to assume he has a choice. Unless he's happy being leader of the opposition, of course.

    • gsays 13.2

      "Chippy confirmed there will be no wealth tax is any Government he leads."

      I can see a win-win solution to that…

      • Alan 13.2.1

        I can see Labour getting 20% if Chippy is rolled.

        • gsays 13.2.1.1

          Less about rolling Hipkins but Labour may end up being grateful for 20%, Nats too.

          HMS Neo-Liberalism is listing…

          • Alan 13.2.1.1.1

            I admire your optimism

          • Phillip ure 13.2.1.1.2

            If the math works post-election…and it means being government or not being government…

            ..hipkins could be rolled during coalition negotiations…

    • Herodotus 13.3

      Will that position be cemented into Labours election Manifesto ?

      Or do we wait until THIS leader is overthrown to allow for any changes and how does anyone then know what they are voting for as we see some policies are on the basis of a leaders call/whim ? and who knows who will be leading Labour in the future and what leaders calls they will make in opposition/government !!!

      • Drowsy M. Kram 13.3.1

        Or do we wait until THIS leader is overthrown…

        To be fair, the Labour party have had two leaders and no overthrows in the last six years, compared to seven Nat leaders – although a couple of those had very short tenures, possibly indicating "trouble at mill" wink

        I hope the devout Luxon adopts Bill English's (2017) election campaign commitment to cut the number of Kiwi children living in poverty by 50,000 over the next three years, and another 50,000 in the three years following – that would be awesome.

        • Belladonna 13.3.1.1

          Counting placeholders like Nikki Kaye (1 day) and Shane Reiti (5 days) – seems a little disingenuous.

          The substantive total: English, Bridges, Muller, Collins, Luxon is pretty much equivalent to the last time Labour were in opposition: Goff, Shearer, Cunliffe, Little, Ardern.

          Or was that "trouble at 't mill" as well?

          • Drowsy M. Kram 13.3.1.1.1

            All good B – knew you could be relied on to counter this inveterate lefty's view.

            Yes, Kaye's 1-day stint was a stop-gap response to the trouble with Muller, while Reti's 5-day reign smoothed over the Collins/Bridges stouch/meltdown.

            Kaye’s gone, but can’t rule out Reti having another go in future. He may only have been in parliament less than 9 years, but that's still more than three times the experience of the current leader of the opposition.

            • Belladonna 13.3.1.1.1.1

              Well, in that vein, you can't rule out Parker (after all he's only stated that he didn't want the leadership) or Robertson (likewise).

              Opposition parties often go through leadership strife. They're trying to re-invent themselves, after a swinging electorate rebuff.

              Trying to imagine more into it than that is bound to fail.

              • Drowsy M. Kram

                Trying to imagine more into it than that is bound to fail.

                Yes, but our imaginations can sometimes be quite furious wink

                I would say that if Labour loses the election, Hipkins will be rolled.

                If he [Hipkins] fails to do this [win the election], then there is no need for compromise, and he's out.

                Will Hipkins remain? Or will he be rolled by the left of the party…

                If so – who's the next leader?

                https://thestandard.org.nz/the-greens-election-campaign-launch-game-on/#comment-1961479

                • Belladonna

                  Yes. I'm imagining what would happen to a defeated leader of a Government.
                  History is on my side…… More often than not, they are gone as leader within a year (in fact, the only exception that immediately comes to mind is Shipley – I think she lasted another 2-3 years)

                  What is interesting in this case, is whether Hipkins would be rolled, even if successful (success defined as in making a left coalition possible). His stated policies on tax are antithetical to TPM and GP – and there is clear division within his caucus, with a left-wing of the LP closer to the GP, than they are to Hipkins on some issues.

                  Yes, of course it's speculation – as is every other comment on TS about what might happen in October.

                  If you think the speculation is wrong – and Hipkins is safe as houses as leader of the LP – then make your case.

                  • Drowsy M. Kram

                    Imho it's pointless making an alternative case to a respectful centrist's imaginings – as pointless as expecting an explanation for "Clark's fury".

                    Not that one’s needed wink

                    • Belladonna

                      See the comment below.
                      If you don't like making a case for the respectful centrist – perhaps you'd like to make one for the unabashed leftist.
                      Or is it only fun challenging the centrist?

                  • Drowsy M. Kram

                    Or is it only fun challenging the centrist?

                    Would that be "the centrist" who described Clark's reaction to Shipley being Aotearoa NZ's first woman PM as "Clark's fury"?

                    Imho, there's value in challenging regressive right comments* on TS. Misinformation and misrepresentation can also be a bit of a worry.

                    Your definition of 'centrist' may be broader than mine – time will tell.

                    • Not your comments, obviously.
                    • Belladonna

                      So, not challenging the same comments from the Leftist.

                      Makes it clear just how principled you are.

                  • Drowsy M. Kram

                    Makes it clear just how principled you are.

                    Thanks, I do try to give an honest account of myself, and despise ACT.

                    Imho, "Clark's fury" makes it clear just how centrist you are.

                    This exchange began when you took exception to the way I took exception to Herodotus’ comment @13.3 – makes you think?

                    • Belladonna

                      It always amazes me the way the hard-core left (and the hard-core right, for that matter) – seem to require their political heroes to be on pedestals – and decline to allow them any human reactions or emotions.

                      BTW – thanks for continuing to link to a very minor and rather incidental description of a natural human reaction – by my estimation, you've increased its circulation by 500%. Was that your intention?

                      And, still no reaction or challenge to exactly the same comments about the chances of Hipkins being rolled from the leftie…. Not very principled at all…..

                    • Belladonna

                      And again, thanks for the continued promotion of my original comment.

                    • Drowsy M. Kram

                      And again, thanks for the continued promotion of my original comment.

                      You're welcome – always happy to highlight obvious fabrications, such as "Clark's fury", in this age of disinformation/misinformation – however “very minor and rather incidental“.

                      • Disinformation
                        Information that is false and deliberately created to harm a person, social group, organization or country.
                      • Misinformation
                        Information that is false, but not created with the intention of causing harm.
                      • Malinformation
                        Information that is based on real facts, but manipulated to inflict harm on a person, organization or country.

                      https://www.undp.org/eurasia/dis/misinformation

                • Belladonna

                  When even the lefties are saying it …..

                  https://thestandard.org.nz/daily-review-27-07-2023/#comment-1961954

              • Drowsy M. Kram

                It always amazes me the way the hard-core left (and the hard-core right, for that matter) – seem to require their political heroes to be on pedestals – and decline to allow them any human reactions or emotions.

                Are you now suggesting I've declined to allow Helen Clark (my "hero"?) "any human reactions or emotions"? That would be a truly bizarre twist.

                You, a self-described centrist, fabricated "Clark's fury". You've provided no objective evidence to support your odd (for a centrist) mischaracterisation.

                Maybe one or both of us is/are mistaken about "fury" and/or "centrist", but (imho), with 'centrist' comments like yours, who needs NAct. Just the impression I get from some of your comments – I could be wrong.

            • UncookedSelachimorpha 13.3.1.1.1.2

              "..that's still more than three times the experience of the current leader of the opposition"

              No,no,no,no…there was this airline. Here, let me tell you about it [deep breath in] …

      • SPC 13.3.2

        Given parties make compromises in forming coalitions, a leaders word has more impact than the manifesto.

        In this case it would seem to mean under Hipkins, Labour could only be a minority government with G and TPM providing little more than confidence and supply to keep NACT out.

        • Belladonna 13.3.2.1

          Or Labour roll Hipkins immediately after the election (assuming that a left coalition has a mathematical chance), to allow a closer relationship with GP and TPM. Sounds pretty cynical…..

    • Jack 13.4

      Meanwhile from Q2 in Parliament today it seems Labour maybe set to announce the removal of GST on fresh food as part of their last gasp attempt to regain the election initiative.

      Anyone who’s ever been to the UK, ordered a sandwich and been presented with the eat in or take away question knows how fraught that policy is. Of course everyone says take away and the immediately takes a seat instead. 😂

  12. SPC 14

    The Ugly Australian brand originator, John Howard demonstrating he was not and is not shit-lite.

    First stating the good fortune of Oz (those aboriginals) to have been settled by the British (white pride our voice is better keep their voice quiet – they should be grateful)

    Mr Howard is one of the most influential conservative figures to throw his weight behind the No campaign, but his own legacy on Indigenous affairs remains controversial.

    His government weakened First Nations land rights, suspended Australia's racial discrimination act, and refused to apologise to the Stolen Generations – tens of thousands of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children who were taken from their families by the government until the mid-1960s.

    His pupil Dutton

    warned that the vote would have an "Orwellian effect" on Australian society, by giving First Nations people greater rights and privileges.

    It is a claim that has been further distorted online – and debunked – with social media users suggesting the vote would divide Australians into "settlers" and "original custodians" resulting in a "two-tier government".

    Howard claimed it would prevent a repeat of his 2007 Intervention

    Mr Howard defended the policy in his interview on Wednesday as "a good old-fashioned dose of proper governance".

    He also claimed that if the Voice succeeds, it could prevent the government from intervening in Indigenous communities when it is deemed necessary.

    https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-66309637

  13. mary_a 15

    @ Terry (3.2.5) … and your factual evidence for your comment is …?

    • Belladonna 15.1

      If you want Terry to see and (possibly) reply. Then you should use the "Reply" feature (bottom right hand corner of the comment box).
      S/he is most unlikely to see this stray comment 12 major comments later.

      • mary_a 15.1.1

        Yes I know. But something went wrong when I first posted it. Second time posting it ended up here at 15!

        • Belladonna 15.1.1.1

          You can always (well, within 10 minutes) delete a stray comment and have another go.
          I've found that refreshing the site, or exiting my browser and opening it up again seems to re-set the replies to go where they should.

  14. Corey 16

    Why not just drop GST on everything from 15% to 10%? It's so much easier and requires far less admin that excluding some items but not others.

    • SPC 16.1

      GST revenue is about $25B (2022) – 25% of total tax.

      A reduction of a third, without a lot of new taxes, would have immediate impact on our credit rating.

      The total for food is less than $3B of the GST revenues.

      • Nic the NZer 16.1.1

        Is this actually important though? I mean if the credit rating companies are not open to just buying a better rating (as they have shown previously they are open to). But ultimately if your a large financial firm then lending to the govt is the only place you can lend to which also itself issues the repayments. You can spend or invest that instead but then this adds risk (and presumably pays more return) and another large financial firm ends up with the same dilemma. Some central banks have even demonstrated negative interest rates don't inhibit govt borrowing (these result in lending at a nominal loss, and this lending still happens).

        • SPC 16.1.1.1

          There are ways to manage debt without cost or with low cost, but whether one could sell that approach when running a high OCR because of inflation – it's a lot of change and the economic mainstream is conformist, except when something different is required to save the system.

          • Nic the NZer 16.1.1.1.1

            I suspect your under a misapprehension here. If the govt spends without draining the excess reserves created, or creates surplus reserves via QE or similar, then the effective OCR falls to zero (financial institutions don't need to borrow reserves, the OCR is irrelevant). Govt borrowing serves the purpose of allowing the RBNZ to maintain a higher OCR. The follow on impacts on inflation are the sketchy part, with multiple countries implementing such policies without being able to even get inflation up to target bands over the course of a decade.

            • SPC 16.1.1.1.1.1

              As I said

              There are ways to manage debt without cost or with low cost,

              but only if this is seen as necessary out of GFC, or the pandemic when

              something different is required to save the system.

              But generally this is opposed by the economic mainstream at other times, and more so if there is inflation – and the orthodoxy is to manage this with a higher OCR.

              Inflation cause is a separate topic.

              • Nic the NZer

                Inflations cause is very relevant to the question of if using the OCR to target inflation is a sensible policy. The evidence seems to suggest the high OCR policy has extended the inflation (regulated prices such as energy prices are often tied to base returns on investment) and shifted the burden to prices impacting low incomes (such as rents).

    • Blazer 16.2

      But,but how would you pay for tax …cuts!

      That's a Key…issue.indecision

      • SPC 16.2.1

        Lest we forget back in 2008 National campaigned on tax cuts, but because of the economic decline of the time (Bollards high OCR to stifle house inflation) and the looming GFC on top of it, this was found to be unaffordable.

        So Key decided it could be still be done. if there was an increase in GST to 15% …

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  • New Zealaders  have  high expectations of  new  government:  now let’s see if it can deliver?
    The electorate has high expectations of the  new  government.  The question is: can  it  deliver?    Some  might  say  the  signs are not  promising. Protestors   are  already marching in the streets. The  new  Prime Minister has had  little experience of managing  very diverse politicians  in coalition. The economy he  ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    4 days ago
  • You won't believe some of the numbers you have to pull when you're a Finance Minister
    Nicola of Marsden:Yo, normies! We will fix your cost of living worries by giving you a tax cut of 150 dollars. 150! Cash money! Vote National.Various people who can read and count:Actually that's 150 over a fortnight. Not a week, which is how you usually express these things.And actually, it looks ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago
  • Pushback
    When this government came to power, it did so on an explicitly white supremacist platform. Undermining the Waitangi Tribunal, removing Māori representation in local government, over-riding the courts which had tried to make their foreshore and seabed legislation work, eradicating te reo from public life, and ultimately trying to repudiate ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Defence ministerial meeting meant Collins missed the Maori Party’s mischief-making capers in Parli...
    Buzz from the Beehive Maybe this is not the best time for our Minister of Defence to have gone overseas. Not when the Maori Party is inviting (or should that be inciting?) its followers to join a revolution in a post which promoted its protest plans with a picture of ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • Threats of war have been followed by an invitation to join the revolution – now let’s see how th...
     A Maori Party post on Instagram invited party followers to ….  Tangata Whenua, Tangata Tiriti, Join the REVOLUTION! & make a stand!  Nationwide Action Day, All details in tiles swipe to see locations.  • This is our 1st hit out and tomorrow Tuesday the 5th is the opening ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Top 10 for Tuesday, December 4
    The RBNZ governor is citing high net migration and profit-led inflation as factors in the bank’s hawkish stance. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere on the morning of Tuesday, December 5, including:Reserve Bank Governor Adrian Orr says high net migration and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Nicola Willis' 'show me the money' moment
    Willis has accused labour of “economic vandalism’, while Robertson described her comments as a “desperate diversion from somebody who can't make their tax package add up”. There will now be an intense focus on December 20 to see whether her hyperbole is backed up by true surprises. Photo montage: Lynn ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • CRL costs money but also provides huge benefits
    The City Rail Link has been in the headlines a bit recently so I thought I’d look at some of them. First up, yesterday the NZ Herald ran this piece about the ongoing costs of the CRL. Auckland ratepayers will be saddled with an estimated bill of $220 million each ...
    5 days ago
  • And I don't want the world to see us.
    Is this the most shambolic government in the history of New Zealand? Given that parliament hasn’t even opened they’ve managed quite a list of achievements to date.The Smokefree debacle trading lives for tax cuts, the Trumpian claims of bribery in the Media, an International award for indifference, and today the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Cooking the books
    Finance Minister Nicola Willis late yesterday stopped only slightly short of accusing her predecessor Grant Robertson of cooking the books. She complained that the Half Yearly Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU), due to be made public on December 20, would show “fiscal cliffs” that would amount to “billions of ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Most people don’t realize how much progress we’ve made on climate change
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections The year was 2015. ‘Uptown Funk’ with Bruno Mars was at the top of the music charts. Jurassic World was the most popular new movie in theaters. And decades of futility in international climate negotiations was about to come to an end in ...
    5 days ago
  • Of Parliamentary Oaths and Clive Boonham
    As a heads-up, I am not one of those people who stay awake at night thinking about weird Culture War nonsense. At least so far as the current Maori/Constitutional arrangements go. In fact, I actually consider it the least important issue facing the day to day lives of New ...
    5 days ago
  • Bearing True Allegiance?
    Strong Words: “We do not consent, we do not surrender, we do not cede, we do not submit; we, the indigenous, are rising. We do not buy into the colonial fictions this House is built upon. Te Pāti Māori pledges allegiance to our mokopuna, our whenua, and Te Tiriti o ...
    5 days ago
  • You cannot be serious
    Some days it feels like the only thing to say is: Seriously? No, really. Seriously?OneSomeone has used their health department access to share data about vaccinations and patients, and inform the world that New Zealanders have been dying in their hundreds of thousands from the evil vaccine. This of course is pure ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago
  • A promise kept: govt pulls the plug on Lake Onslow scheme – but this saving of $16bn is denounced...
    Buzz from the Beehive After $21.8 million was spent on investigations, the plug has been pulled on the Lake Onslow pumped-hydro electricity scheme, The scheme –  that technically could have solved New Zealand’s looming energy shortage, according to its champions – was a key part of the defeated Labour government’s ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • CHRIS TROTTER: The Maori Party and Oath of Allegiance
    If those elected to the Māori Seats refuse to take them, then what possible reason could the country have for retaining them?   Chris Trotter writes – Christmas is fast approaching, which, as it does every year, means gearing up for an abstruse general knowledge question. “Who was ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • BRIAN EASTON:  Forward to 2017
    The coalition party agreements are mainly about returning to 2017 when National lost power. They show commonalities but also some serious divergencies. Brian Easton writes The two coalition agreements – one National and ACT, the other National and New Zealand First – are more than policy documents. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Climate Change: Fossils
    When the new government promised to allow new offshore oil and gas exploration, they were warned that there would be international criticism and reputational damage. Naturally, they arrogantly denied any possibility that that would happen. And then they finally turned up at COP, to criticism from Palau, and a "fossil ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • GEOFFREY MILLER:  NZ’s foreign policy resets on AUKUS, Gaza and Ukraine
    Geoffrey Miller writes – New Zealand’s international relations are under new management. And Winston Peters, the new foreign minister, is already setting a change agenda. As expected, this includes a more pro-US positioning when it comes to the Pacific – where Peters will be picking up where he ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on the government’s smokefree laws debacle
    The most charitable explanation for National’s behaviour over the smokefree legislation is that they have dutifully fulfilled the wishes of the Big Tobacco lobby and then cast around – incompetently, as it turns out – for excuses that might sell this health policy U-turn to the public. The less charitable ...
    6 days ago
  • Top 10 links at 10 am for Monday, December 4
    As Deb Te Kawa writes in an op-ed, the new Government seems to have immediately bought itself fights with just about everyone. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere as of 10 am on Monday December 4, including:Palau’s President ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • Be Honest.
    Let’s begin today by thinking about job interviews.During my career in Software Development I must have interviewed hundreds of people, hired at least a hundred, but few stick in the memory.I remember one guy who was so laid back he was practically horizontal, leaning back in his chair until his ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: New Zealand’s foreign policy resets on AUKUS, Gaza and Ukraine
    New Zealand’s international relations are under new management. And Winston Peters, the new foreign minister, is already setting a change agenda. As expected, this includes a more pro-US positioning when it comes to the Pacific – where Peters will be picking up where he left off. Peters sought to align ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    6 days ago
  • Auckland rail tunnel the world’s most expensive
    Auckland’s city rail link is the most expensive rail project in the world per km, and the CRL boss has described the cost of infrastructure construction in Aotearoa as a crisis. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The 3.5 km City Rail Link (CRL) tunnel under Auckland’s CBD has cost ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • First big test coming
    The first big test of the new Government’s approach to Treaty matters is likely to be seen in the return of the Resource Management Act. RMA Minister Chris Bishop has confirmed that he intends to introduce legislation to repeal Labour’s recently passed Natural and Built Environments Act and its ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    6 days ago
  • The Song of Saqua: Volume III
    Time to revisit something I haven’t covered in a while: the D&D campaign, with Saqua the aquatic half-vampire. Last seen in July: https://phuulishfellow.wordpress.com/2023/07/27/the-song-of-saqua-volume-ii/ The delay is understandable, once one realises that the interim saw our DM come down with a life-threatening medical situation. They have since survived to make ...
    6 days ago
  • Chris Bishop: Smokin’
    Yes. Correct. It was an election result. And now we are the elected government. ...
    My ThinksBy boonman
    6 days ago
  • 2023 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #48
    A chronological listing of news and opinion articles posted on the Skeptical Science  Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Nov 26, 2023 thru Dec 2, 2023. Story of the Week CO2 readings from Mauna Loa show failure to combat climate change Daily atmospheric carbon dioxide data from Hawaiian volcano more ...
    6 days ago
  • Affirmative Action.
    Affirmative Action was a key theme at this election, although I don’t recall anyone using those particular words during the campaign.They’re positive words, and the way the topic was talked about was anything but. It certainly wasn’t a campaign of saying that Affirmative Action was a good thing, but that, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    7 days ago
  • 100 days of something
    It was at the end of the Foxton straights, at the end of 1978, at 100km/h, that someone tried to grab me from behind on my Yamaha.They seemed to be yanking my backpack. My first thought was outrage. My second was: but how? Where have they come from? And my ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    7 days ago
  • Look who’s stepped up to champion Winston
    There’s no news to be gleaned from the government’s official website today  – it contains nothing more than the message about the site being under maintenance. The time this maintenance job is taking and the costs being incurred have us musing on the government’s commitment to an assault on inflation. ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 week ago
  • What's The Story?
    Don’t you sometimes wish they’d just tell the truth? No matter how abhorrent or ugly, just straight up tell us the truth?C’mon guys, what you’re doing is bad enough anyway, pretending you’re not is only adding insult to injury.Instead of all this bollocks about the Smokefree changes being to do ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • The longest of weeks
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.Friday Under New Management Week in review, quiz style1. Which of these best describes Aotearoa?a. Progressive nation, proud of its egalitarian spirit and belief in a fair go b. Best little country on the planet c. ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago
  • Suggested sessions of EGU24 to submit abstracts to
    Like earlier this year, members from our team will be involved with next year's General Assembly of the European Geosciences Union (EGU). The conference will take place on premise in Vienna as well as online from April 14 to 19, 2024. The session catalog has been available since November 1 ...
    1 week ago
  • Under New Management
    1. Which of these best describes Aotearoa?a. Progressive nation, proud of its egalitarian spirit and belief in a fair go b. Best little country on the planet c. Under New Management 2. Which of these best describes the 100 days of action announced this week by the new government?a. Petulantb. Simplistic and wrongheaded c. ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago
  • While we wait patiently, our new Minister of Education is up and going with a 100-day action plan
    Sorry to say, the government’s official website is still out of action. When Point of Order paid its daily visit, the message was the same as it has been for the past week: Site under maintenance Beehive.govt.nz is currently under maintenance. We will be back shortly. Thank you for your ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 week ago

  • Ministers visit Hawke’s Bay to grasp recovery needs
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon joined Cyclone Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell and Transport and Local Government Minister Simeon Brown, to meet leaders of cyclone and flood-affected regions in the Hawke’s Bay. The visit reinforced the coalition Government’s commitment to support the region and better understand its ongoing requirements, Mr Mitchell says.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • New Zealand condemns malicious cyber activity
    New Zealand has joined the UK and other partners in condemning malicious cyber activity conducted by the Russian Government, Minister Responsible for the Government Communications Security Bureau Judith Collins says. The statement follows the UK’s attribution today of malicious cyber activity impacting its domestic democratic institutions and processes, as well ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Disestablishment of Te Pūkenga begins
    The Government has begun the process of disestablishing Te Pūkenga as part of its 100-day plan, Minister for Tertiary Education and Skills Penny Simmonds says.  “I have started putting that plan into action and have met with the chair and chief Executive of Te Pūkenga to advise them of my ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Climate Change Minister to attend COP28 in Dubai
    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will be leaving for Dubai today to attend COP28, the 28th annual UN climate summit, this week. Simon Watts says he will push for accelerated action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement, deliver New Zealand’s national statement and connect with partner countries, private sector leaders ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • New Zealand to host 2024 Pacific defence meeting
    Defence Minister Judith Collins yesterday announced New Zealand will host next year’s South Pacific Defence Ministers’ Meeting (SPDMM). “Having just returned from this year’s meeting in Nouméa, I witnessed first-hand the value of meeting with my Pacific counterparts to discuss regional security and defence matters. I welcome the opportunity to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Study shows need to remove distractions in class
    The Government is committed to lifting school achievement in the basics and that starts with removing distractions so young people can focus on their learning, Education Minister Erica Stanford says.   The 2022 PISA results released this week found that Kiwi kids ranked 5th in the world for being distracted ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Minister sets expectations of Commissioner
    Today I met with Police Commissioner Andrew Coster to set out my expectations, which he has agreed to, says Police Minister Mark Mitchell. Under section 16(1) of the Policing Act 2008, the Minister can expect the Police Commissioner to deliver on the Government’s direction and priorities, as now outlined in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • New Zealand needs a strong and stable ETS
    New Zealand needs a strong and stable Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) that is well placed for the future, after emission units failed to sell for the fourth and final auction of the year, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says.  At today’s auction, 15 million New Zealand units (NZUs) – each ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • PISA results show urgent need to teach the basics
    With 2022 PISA results showing a decline in achievement, Education Minister Erica Stanford is confident that the Coalition Government’s 100-day plan for education will improve outcomes for Kiwi kids.  The 2022 PISA results show a significant decline in the performance of 15-year-old students in maths compared to 2018 and confirms ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Collins leaves for Pacific defence meeting
    Defence Minister Judith Collins today departed for New Caledonia to attend the 8th annual South Pacific Defence Ministers’ meeting (SPDMM). “This meeting is an excellent opportunity to meet face-to-face with my Pacific counterparts to discuss regional security matters and to demonstrate our ongoing commitment to the Pacific,” Judith Collins says. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Working for Families gets cost of living boost
    Putting more money in the pockets of hard-working families is a priority of this Coalition Government, starting with an increase to Working for Families, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says. “We are starting our 100-day plan with a laser focus on bringing down the cost of living, because that is what ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Post-Cabinet press conference
    Most weeks, following Cabinet, the Prime Minister holds a press conference for members of the Parliamentary Press Gallery. This page contains the transcripts from those press conferences, which are supplied by Hansard to the Office of the Prime Minister. It is important to note that the transcripts have not been edited ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme scrapped
    The Government has axed the $16 billion Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme championed by the previous government, Energy Minister Simeon Brown says. “This hugely wasteful project was pouring money down the drain at a time when we need to be reining in spending and focussing on rebuilding the economy and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • NZ welcomes further pause in fighting in Gaza
    New Zealand welcomes the further one-day extension of the pause in fighting, which will allow the delivery of more urgently-needed humanitarian aid into Gaza and the release of more hostages, Foreign Minister Winston Peters said. “The human cost of the conflict is horrific, and New Zealand wants to see the violence ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Condolences on passing of Henry Kissinger
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters today expressed on behalf of the New Zealand Government his condolences to the family of former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who has passed away at the age of 100 at his home in Connecticut. “While opinions on his legacy are varied, Secretary Kissinger was ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Backing our kids to learn the basics
    Every child deserves a world-leading education, and the Coalition Government is making that a priority as part of its 100-day plan. Education Minister Erica Stanford says that will start with banning cellphone use at school and ensuring all primary students spend one hour on reading, writing, and maths each day. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • US Business Summit Speech – Regional stability through trade
    I would like to begin by echoing the Prime Minister’s thanks to the organisers of this Summit, Fran O’Sullivan and the Auckland Business Chamber.  I want to also acknowledge the many leading exporters, sector representatives, diplomats, and other leaders we have joining us in the room. In particular, I would like ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Keynote Address to the United States Business Summit, Auckland
    Good morning. Thank you, Rosemary, for your warm introduction, and to Fran and Simon for this opportunity to make some brief comments about New Zealand’s relationship with the United States.  This is also a chance to acknowledge my colleague, Minister for Trade Todd McClay, Ambassador Tom Udall, Secretary of Foreign ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • India New Zealand Business Council Speech, India as a Strategic Priority
    Good morning, tēnā koutou and namaskar. Many thanks, Michael, for your warm welcome. I would like to acknowledge the work of the India New Zealand Business Council in facilitating today’s event and for the Council’s broader work in supporting a coordinated approach for lifting New Zealand-India relations. I want to also ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Coalition Government unveils 100-day plan
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has laid out the Coalition Government’s plan for its first 100 days from today. “The last few years have been incredibly tough for so many New Zealanders. People have put their trust in National, ACT and NZ First to steer them towards a better, more prosperous ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • New Zealand welcomes European Parliament vote on the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement
    A significant milestone in ratifying the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) was reached last night, with 524 of the 705 member European Parliament voting in favour to approve the agreement. “I’m delighted to hear of the successful vote to approve the NZ-EU FTA in the European Parliament overnight. This is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

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