Pathetic Luxon defends tobacco companies using the tobacco lobbiest's propaganda black market threat and vaping .No mention of the5,000 deaths every year or the $billion cost every year to the health system so robbing Peter to pay Paul . The health system is paying for Nationals tax cuts.
There was a report in Stuff (can't find it now!!!) where Luxon said that the labour plan to reducie the tobacco levels etc would increase RAM raids. Duh
Visited a sheep farm last week, where the sizeable blocks of remnant native forest have been covenanted and fenced, and a good percentage of the remaining pastureland planted in trees. The farmer, 5th generation on that farm, described the significant increase to his projected income; through the particular "carbon trade" agreements he has undertaken. A very smart man. Also in attendance was a kaumatua manawhenua who described the much-longer and incident-rich history of his hapu with the rolling country, rivers and streams of which the farm was part. The connection and good relationship between him and the farmer was very apparent. There are very good, calm and connected people out there who take "changes of state" in their stride. Both of these men are polite, well informed and refuse to malign anyone. I tried to learn from them 🙂
As a non-smoker who grew up from childhood to adulthood and beyond, surrounded by smokers, I have had COPD for many years. This requires frequent daily medication, and my physical activity has been very much affected. This is an appalling cigarette policy of the incoming government. Venal, as always. I have no respect for any of them.
Tobacco contains an addictive drug. We should have learned by now that prohibition on drugs leads to a uncontrolled black market.
I’m absolutely sure the gangs, aka the mongrel mob, black power etc, will fully support the absolute banning of tobacco, alcohol, as well as the continued criminalisation of cannabis. This is how they make their money, so they can buy their Harley Davidsons
The lack of people in the new government who have any real and genuine empathy for people I have yet to see. They seem so calculating and cold and make it so obvious money is all that matters – yes that matters but so do people's lives.
“After briefly calling for the world to bid adieu to fossil fuels, Kiwi diplomats may have to change tack at this week’s UN climate summit.
The election and drawn-out coalition talks have cast uncertainty over New Zealand’s position on a global phase-out of coal, oil and gas – likely to be a major point of debate at the talks that begin Thursday.
Negotiators were given the green lighton the environmental issue by the Labour Government in July, after the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade gauged public opinion.
The ministry said it now must consult with the incoming Government before and during the summit. The National, ACT and NZ First parties want to promote, not limit, domestic oil and gas extraction and wouldn’t answer questions on their intentions for the major summit.”
All achieved at the expense of the environment and externalising costs onto the public and future generations – brilliant!
BTW what exactly do you mean by "stronger economy"? Nice words – but just exactly what is that? A few extra plums for the well to do? And what is the economy for anyway? Have you ever asked yourself that?
Please explain? How continuing to spend billions in supporting overseas oil companies, is better for an economy than using locally available renewables?
That is before we even consider the costs of mitigation of long term climate change. We have just had some examples in Hawke Bay. I suppose all that fixing of climate disasters adds to GDP!
I am OK with words of two syllables or less, as that seems to be the limit of your economic comprehension, combined with the typical right wing nut jobs inability in basic arithmetic.
Maybe they know that the likelihood of actually finding any commercially viable new sources of oil and gas are pretty low. And all they are really after is to juice some provincial economies by having foreigners turn up for a few years and look for the stuff. Then it’s on to the next bit of magical thinking. Could be so, they are that short-termist.
It doesn't need to be a case of "no gas or oil to be found" for exploration companies to walk away. It can also be a case of oil or gas being found in quantities and places that mean it can't be extracted profitably, or at least more profitably than alternatives in other parts of the world when calculated over the entire lifecycle of the reserves discovered. That is a pretty high threshold and it's why NZ is not Saudi Arabia.
The risk of course is that if you want to juice the local economy by letting people look for the stuff, you might get unlucky and they do actually find an exploitable reserve. Then the government is committed to climate vandalism that trashes our reputation.
It's possible that we have one of the world's biggest crude oil fields in the Great South Basin. Drilling there in the 70s was very promising, just too deep and rough to profitably extract but may be now. Here's hoping they do some more exploration there.
DOI my dad was a geologist on Penrod '74, we still have little bottles of crude and condensate that he brought home stored away somewhere
Do you have technology capable of industrial-scale atmospheric CO2 extraction that would remove the CO2 emitted by burning such an oil reserve? Are you and your Dad working on something in the garage perhaps?
The dirty little secret of socialist utopia Norway is they struck it rich on North Sea oil. It could be a change of fortunes for us stuck here at the arse end of nowhere trying to sell cheese to the world
Unlike NZ Governments, the Norwegian Government didn't pay the oil companies to take it away.
The concessions NZ gave to even get oil companies to bring exploration rigs here, gives a good indication of the lack of economic benefits they expected.
Impossible to quantify the current and ongoing costs of Greenhouse gases and other continued pollution of using oil for energy. However the amounts required for ever more severe weather events is in the billions. A subsidy by all of us to pay for oil company externalities.
When working for a power company here in NZ a CEO or CIO suggested in an internal post that NZ should follow Norway in fossil fuel extraction. So I had a look into the Norwegian oil industry (as a comparison to UK for example).
As a summary, I pointed out he probably wouldn't want NZ to be like Norway. I never got a reply. Everyone only sees the wealth Norway created, but not the how they achieved it.
They had (probably still have) higher royalties for their oil than most other countries. They didn't allow the oil companies to burn off anything, they forced the oil companies to have a (head) office in Norway, where all profits have to be declared (employee of the Norway tax office working in the oil company offices) and taxed, all jobs had to be done by Norwegians (after training), all equipment had to be built and serviced in Norway, any oil spills have to be cleaned by the oil company and on top of it the companies have to pay for the lost oil… the list was impressive, not sure if all of the above still applies. Statoil
Also all the royalties and tax was invested in a state owned fund, which had very tight investment restrictions, for example none of the investments were allowed to lift inflation within Norway. Norway Government Fund
Just listening to the farming show on RNZ.Climate change with constant flooding slips then.most likely followed by drought. Then prices are down for lambs, beef ,Dairy all unprofitable .So many farmers will go bust. WHY because farmers are not preparing for the future farmers are a private enterprise a huge number vote ACT .Now farmers will want bailing out again no amount of ripping up the red tape will turn farming to longterm profitability. Value adding is the only answer exporting commodities only makes money for Trucking Shipping and retailers. Until Federated fits pull back from living in the past and add real value like prepared meals that can be microwaved or heated in an oven quickly. Like Nestlé do Farming will rely on capital gain on their land to make money.That stops productivity and innovation.Since exporting frozen meat in the 1890's Farming hasn't made any giant leap forward just making incremental improvements and bigger scale farming. National and Labour need to push farmers out of their comfort Zone. Processors need to be able to send reasonable priced ready meals that markets like China and India desire.But this will require millions of dollars in investment. Our major meat processors are barely profitable even in good years.Dairy profitable every 2 ou 4 years.Not a good way to run a business.
Now National ACT NZ last are shutting the productivity commission.Dumb idea.
Only because they have shown Nationals policies are not increasing productivity but the reverse leaving the Agriculture sector to carry-on failing and flailing. Luxon doesn't want any criticism of their lack of policy or vision. The bury your head in the sand and tax cuts and ripping up red tape followed by a heavy dose of Austerity is the only way.Maybe Shane Jones will get another $billion to spread around to a few politically high profile hand outs.
I'm interested in the "too small to matter" argument. I hear the usual responses; if each state in America claimed the same, the whole of the USA would stop action" etc, but rather than deny that those claiming "too small to matter", I'd agree with their claim that our contribution is small – we are small, after all, but then ask if it's up to us to pull out of the global actions and instead suggest that we should petition the global community and ask their permission to pull out. That would be the correct way of going about it, doncha think? 🙂
Quite so Robert. But the other part of the "too small to matter" delusion is that the rest of the world won't even notice our attempted freeloading if we do pull out, so we're absolved from the obligation to even ask.
Hello Patricia. Trade, yes but also knock back the resolve that more and more New Zealanders were building to confront the challenge of climate change and take meaningful action on it. To be sold out by our Government is a set-back, but we shall see if it serves rather as a provocation to action.
Governments will not make required changes to energy policies based on theoretical threats – there must be sufficient emperical evidence of harm to force action.
Quoted in Nature Bats Last
NACTNZF will be reactive rather than proactive because they're infested with climate deniers. After the floods . . . droughts . . . storms . . . etc they will do too little too late, a la the ChCh earthquake response.
Restarting oil and gas exploration is the signal of their intention to burn the only planet we have!
I thought about you this morning because we hadn't heard from you. Perhaps it was prompted by the same horrifying concerns about Climate change progress.
The new CC minister is my MP and be assured he must be an expert. He lives in a house on a cliff overlooking the Hauraki Gulf and he can see all the clouds zipping by and the rain and the wind and the waves when they grow big with lots of white flecks so I guess that gives him the necessary knowledge for the role. He has a hybrid car covered in self advertising which he leaves parked in prominent positions close to his home. He also has a BA in management and accounting and finance which I am sure will stand him in very good stead as the CC minister.
From all accounts he doesn't have a good reputation as our local MP but I'm sure all of that is about to change.
I have to say, I'm not personally horrified; there's no gain in being so and I aim to further progress these matters. I don't blame any individual either; we are wrestling with a deeper current and shouldn't be fooled by the behaviour of those individuals bobbling around on the surface. The narrative must change and foolish, myopic actions from central government can serve to galvanise changes of perception. This sounds a bit precious, I know, but I've been on holiday from commenting and it'll take a while to get rhythm back 🙂
How many brownout threat notices from Transpower do these people need?
In 2021 we had most of the central North Island shut down in the coldest day of the year.
But apparently the market will solve it, next year, with fresh gas peaking plant built at the same time as a fresh gas field is discovered with fresh Transpower grid.
Indeed, we treat the market as too much of a sacred thing. Wish we could consider stuff outside of the usual paradigm and start to do things that National may not expect to see us doing. I do not yet know what that would look like but that's what we need to do.
No one wants to drill and explore off the coast of New Zealand anyway! It is now far too expensive so the previous ban was essentially just banner waiving and the removal of it will make no difference!
I almost felt sorry for Hipkins after seeing a press conference he held on Friday. I had been watching some of his interviews with the Press from just before the election.
At those he had been backed by anywhere from 4 to 6 Ministers, all looking as if they were in awe of hearing their leader talking and all nodding in unison at the words he was uttering.
On Friday he was all alone without any support and with only a very few journalists listening to him. It was a reminder of the great Bessie Smith singing her classic Nobody knows you when you are down and out.
How long will Chippie last in the job? He must know that he is now a dead man walking. If he sees two of the Labour MPs talking will he still think they are simply be polite to him when they stop on his approach or will he be thinking that they were discussing his overthrow?
As I say. I almost think I should feel sorry for him. Then I remember that he was a major figure in the worst New Zealand Government of my lifetime and that we are far better off with him gone.
Chippie really does have to stop that smarmy nodding donkey routine he perfected in the leaders debates. He was on the news again last night. Can’t remember what he was talking about. Probably wasn’t important. Just more smarmy nodding donkey.
When he wrote that Luxon had been PM for about an hour and a half.
The lefty journalists we have in NZ are probably already complaining that he hasn't got rid of the waiting list for orthopedic surgery yet. I'm sure that Labour would have completed the task by now, or at least claimed they had.
Having that song in my repertoire, I must say that I don't think that Chris Hipkins could be the singer of such words as "Once I lived the life of a millionaire, Spent all my money without any care". Words better suited to John Key or Christopher Luxon perhaps.
And who wants to be like a man who has no friends when he has no money? That's not the left wing ethic. A song for us would be more like "I Don't Want your Millions, Mister" or "The Preacher and the Slave (Pie in the Sky)."
Both songs seen a mite apposite in today's climate with today's new government.
If Chris was singing it the second line would be "spent all the tax-payer's money"
Actually I would have to agree that the songs you mention are great ballads but I've never heard anyone sing them in a voice that was nearly as tuneful as Bessie at her best. I still have a lot of Pete Seeger discs but I would never say he had a great voice.
Dear Alwyn, Those of us who have been around for a while realised long ago that you never feel sorry for anyone but yourself. That's the starting point for all forms of malice. It's OK, none of us is perfect. Life is a journey after all.
“All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well”.
Now it appears as though the ramraids mysteriously all stopped after election night. Intriqueing coincidences always raise my suspicions and combined with my long held reply to any call of "Who did it and why? " I use that old standby,'" just follow the money ". To get all conspirational, can anybody remember hearing anybody proclaim on TV or anywhere…. "The little shits stole my Mazda Demio and crashed it into a dairy ". No? nary any poor old soul waving a walking stick in frustration at losing their shitbox shopping trolley….. so where did all these unclaimed Demios come from, or more to the point who supplied them, along with a bit of cheap piss and 50 bucks each to fund the mayhem?. Who had the money, like a bit of loose change from 6.8 million bucks looking to splash on a bit of destabilising arseholery ? I wonder who that could possibly be ?.
My money is on a gang, no not one of them, but a gang with a political agenda, a right wing arseholery agenda, to move fast and break things agenda. Too fanciful you say, just don't forget that nearly every coup you can think of starts with broken shop window glass on footpaths, Hackney Diamonds in other words, or a Kristallnacht.
Now lets start a list of the of rightwing arseholes capable of just such a campaign. Or just start the rumour… newspapers love rumours, it gives them something to follow, like dogs chasing a sewerage truck.
That's a bow of impressive length you are drawing there, Adrian, but fun to read. The now-Opposition will be rightly able to claim that the cessation came while it was still Government, which might quell the blowing-hard members who now squat on the Government seats.
Thanks, weka. As well as can be, given recent events 🙂
My garden's thriving; I've 15 banana plants outside amongst the quinces and mulberries and they're looking very comfortable along with tamarillo that are flowering with intent. Council is absorbing the Government's proclamations and insinuations with mixed feelings. It's curious how much bolder one feels, when in "opposition". I see much feather-ruffling in the future.
Glad to amuse you Robert though I'm not much of an archer. Yes it pisses me off that it was rarely if ever mentioned that as the Police had been saying, they had pretty much arrested all the likely suspects and it would all peter out. I see a lot of countries from Australia to Germany seem to be having the same rash of ram raids, a crime as old as the automobile
Although, there was one person of interest, a snappy dresser in a 3piece brown suit, if 60s style wide lapels, garish ties and a wrong side of town vibe and a big mouth could be called snappy, more sappy to my way of thinking and who always appeared to be there before the cameras and possibly even the cops and yet seemed to know the whole story. Interesting!!!
Ram raiding goes in and out of fashion. I had a couple of "friends of friends" who were quite keen on it about 30 years ago. They were older and they did the big stuff – warehouses at night, not corner Dairies. Some of them went to jail, some did not – and they all gave it away.
And Adrian, I know exactly which greasy, waka-jumping opportunist to whom you refer!
Michael Bassett writes – I’m not sure that it’s much comfort to anyone to know that the post-Covid surge in violent crimes, gang activity, ram raids, random shootings, thuggery and stabbings is occurring in other countries as well as New Zealand. These days, wagging school, out-of-control welfare and ...
Oliver Hartwich writes – Cast your mind back to mid-December. A new Prime Minister had just been sworn in, the new Government started its 100-day programme, and Christmas was only days away.Amid all the haste, a report landed that would have deserved our attention.I am talking about the ...
TL;DR: An unseasonally early icy blast at the same time as some long-overdue maintenance almost caused Aotearoa-NZ’s electricity system to black out this week. That’s because a quadropoly of gentailers1 have prioritised paying dividends from their rising profits and adding debt over investing in 1.5 GigaWatts of new wind farms ...
Hi,Before we crack into today’s Webworm, I wanted to acknowledge the fact that Israel is pushing into Rafah. Over 100,000 Palestinians are now attempting to flee the one place that was deemed “safe”.Trouble is, the place they’re fleeing to is already destroyed. Total annihilation is the end goal here.“Israel is ...
‘It has been said that figures rule the world. Maybe. I am quite sure that it is figures which show us whether it is being ruled well or badly.’ GoetheI was struck at a recent conference on equity for the elderly, how many presenters implicitly relied upon Statistics New Zealand. ...
Buzz from the BeehiveReporting on defence spending late last year, RNZ said the coalition government will have to make some tough calls this term to help the force address staff shortages and ageing infrastructure. “These are huge, huge amounts of government spending. It’s a significant proportion of the government’s ...
Peter Dunne writes – I am always wary when I hear that the Controller and Auditor-General has commented on or made recommendations to the government about an issue of public policy that does not relate strictly to public expenditure. According to the legislation, the role of the Controller ...
How Labour’s and National’s failure to move beyond neoliberalism has brought NZ to the brink of economic and cultural chaos Chris Trotter writes – TO START LOSING, so soon after you won, requires a special kind of political incompetence. At the heart of this Coalition ...
And why did the Crown not challenge the Tribunal’s jurisdiction? Gary Judd writes – Retired District Court Judge, David Harvey, has posted on his A Halflings View Substack an excellent summary of Justice Isacs’ judgment declining to uphold the witness summons issued by the Waitangi Tribunal ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Do you believe New Zealand runs its general elections fairly and competently? As a voter, can you be confident that the votes on your ballot will be counted towards the final result?As a political scientist, I’ve been asked these questions many times and ...
Macklemore isn’t someone I’d usually think about. Sure I liked his big hit from a few years back, everybody did it was catchy and cool with some memorable lines. But if I was going to think of artists who might speak out on political matters or world events, he wouldn’t ...
Another week goes by in the Luxon government’s efforts to roll back the past 70 years of social progress. The school lunches programme is to be downgraded by $107 million, and women need bother their heads no longer about pay equity, let alone expect ACC to provide adequate sexual violence ...
Brrr, the first cold snap of the year. Hope you’re rugged up nice and warm. Here are some stories that caught our eye this week… This Week on Greater Auckland On Monday, we had a post from a new contributor, Connor Sharp, who dug into the public feedback ...
Almost all of the Wellington City Council’s recommended zoning changes to allow many more apartments and townhouses in its inner-suburbs have been approved.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for subscribers features co-hosts and , along with regular guest on geopolitics, ...
Open access notablesA Global Increase in Nearshore Tropical Cyclone Intensification, Balaguru et al., Earth's Future:Tropical Cyclones (TCs) inflict substantial coastal damages, making it pertinent to understand changing storm characteristics in the important nearshore region. Past work examined several aspects of TCs relevant for impacts in coastal regions. However, ...
Do you believe New Zealand runs its general elections fairly and competently? As a voter, can you be confident that the votes on your ballot will be counted towards the final result? As a political scientist, I’ve been asked these questions many times and always answered “yes”, with very few ...
Thus far May has followed on from a quiet April in the blogging department, but in fairness, it has been another case of doing what I am supposed to be doing, namely writing original fiction. Plus reading. So don’t worry – I have been productive. But in order to reassure ...
Buzz from the Beehive A new government agency will open for business on July 1 – the Social Investment Agency. As a new standalone central agency effective from 1 July, it will lead the development of social investment across Government, helping ministers understand who they need to invest in, what ...
Bryce Edwards writes – “Follow the money” is the classic directive to journalists trying to understand where power and influence lie in society. In terms of uncovering who influences various New Zealand political parties and governments, it therefore pays to look at who is funding them. The ...
Alwyn Poole writes – After being elected to Parliament in 2008 the maiden speech of Hipkins was substantially around education policy. He was Labour’s spokesperson for education 2011 – 2017. He was Minister for Education from 2017 until February 2023. This is approximately 88% of the time Labour ...
Eric Crampton writes – A fashion industry group is lobbying for protections. They make the usual arguments and a newer one. None of it makes sense. An industry group says it pumped $7.8 billion into the economy last year – that’s 1.9 percent of New Zealand’s GDP. ...
In December 2006, Fiji's military leader Voreqe Bainimarama overthrew the elected government in a coup. He ruled Fiji for the next 16 years, first as dictator, then as "elected" Prime Minister. But now, he's finally been sent to jail where he belongs. Sadly, this isn't for his real crime of ...
Don't like National's corrupt Muldoonist "fast-track" law? Aotearoa's environmental NGO's - Greenpeace, Forest & Bird, WWF, Coromandel Watchdog, Coal Action Network Aotearoa, Kiwis Against Seabed Mining, and others - have announced a joint march against it in Auckland in June: When: 13:00, 8 June, 2024 Where: Aotea Square, Auckland You ...
Seymour describes sushi as too woke for school meals. There are no fish sushi meals recommended by the School Lunches programme. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesTL;DR: The Government will swap out hot meals for packaged sandwiches to save $107 million on school lunches for poor kids. MSD has pulled ...
I don't mind stealin' bread from the mouths of decadenceBut I can't feed on the powerless when my cup's already overfilled, yeahBut it's on the table, the fire's cookin'And they're farmin' babies, while slaves are workin'The blood is on the table and the mouths are chokin'But I'm goin' hungry, yeahSome ...
The Ardern Government’s chickens came home to roost yesterday with the news that the country is short of natural gas. In 2018, Labour banned offshore petroleum exploration, and industry executives say that the attendant loss of confidence by the industry impacted overall investment in onshore gas fields. Energy Resources Minister ...
Hi,If you’ve been digging through the newly launched Webworm store (orders are being dispatched worldwide as I type!) you’ll have noticed the best model we had was Calvin.This is Calvin.Calvin.Calvin is 7, and is the son of my producer over on Flightless Bird, Rob — aka “Wobby Wob”. Rob also ...
This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). Climate change is everywhere. And when something's everywhere it can feel like it's nowhere. So how do we get our heads ...
Its a law like gravity: whenever a right-wing government is elected, they start attacking democracy. And now, after talking to their Republican and Tory and Fidesz chums at the International Democracy Union forum in Wellington, National is doing it here, announcing plans to remove election-day enrolment. Or, to put it ...
Yesterday Winston Peters focussed his attention on the important matter at hand. Tweeting. Like the former, and quite possibly next, orange POTUS, from whom he takes much of his political strategy, Winston is an avid X’er.His message didn’t resemble an historic address this time. In fact it was more reminiscent ...
Buzz from the Beehive A significant decline in natural gas production has given Resources Minister Shane Jones an opportunity to reiterate his enthusiasm for the mining and burning of coal. For good measure, he has praised an announcement from Genesis Energy that it will resume importing coal. He and Energy ...
“Follow the money” is the classic directive to journalists trying to understand where power and influence lie in society. In terms of uncovering who influences various New Zealand political parties and governments, it therefore pays to look at who is funding them. The political parties are legally obliged to make ...
Rob MacCullough writes – Here is my subjective ranking on a “most-left” to “most-right” scale of most of our major NZ Universities, with some anecdotal (and at times amusing) evidence to back up the claim.Extreme Left Auckland University of TechnologyEvidenceThe ...
Eric Crampton writes – I hadn’t thought about this one until a helpful email showed up in my inbox.It’s pretty obvious that income tax thresholds should automatically index with inflation – whether to anchor the thresholds in percentiles of the income distribution, or to anchor against a real ...
Jacqui Van Der Kaay writes – Parliament’s speaker had no option but to refer Green MP Julie Anne Genter to the Privileges Committee for her behaviour in the House last Wednesday evening. The incident, in which she crossed the floor to wave a book and yell at National ...
Gary Judd writes – The Dean of the law school at the Auckland University of Technology is someone called Khylee Quince. I have been sent her social media posting in which she has, over the LawNews headline “Senior King’s Counsel files complaint about compulsory tikanga Maori studies for ...
Cleo Paskal writes – WASHINGTON, D.C.: ‘Many of us have received phone calls from [the opposing camp] telling them if they join the camp they will be given projects for their wards and $300,000 [around US$35,000] each’, says former Malaita Premier Daniel Suidani. The elections in Solomon Islands aren’t ...
With hindsight, it was inevitable that (a) Hamas would agree to the ceasefire deal brokered by Egypt and Qatar and that ( b) Israel would then immediately launch attacks on Rafah, regardless. We might have hoped the concessions made by Hamas would cause Israel to desist from slaughtering thousands more ...
Placards and mourners outside the Kilbirnie Mosque following the Christchurch terror attack: MSD has terminated the Kaiwhakaoranga service, which has been used by 415 families since the attacks. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The Government’s pledge to only cut ‘back office’ staff rather than ‘frontline’ services is on increasingly shaky ground, with ...
There’s been a few smaller public transport announcements over the last week or so that I thought I’d cover in a single post. Fareshare I’ve long called for Auckland Transport to offer a way to enable employer-subsidised public transport options. The need for this took on even more importance ...
Parliament’s speaker had no option but to refer Green MP Julie Anne Genter to the Privileges Committee for her behaviour in the House last Wednesday evening. The incident, in which she crossed the floor to wave a book and yell at National Minister Matt Doocey, reflects poorly on Genter and ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Who likes being sneered at? Nobody. Worse yet, when the sneerer has their facts all wrong, and might well be an idiot.The sneer in question is The adults are in charge now, and it is a sneer offered in retort to criticism of this new Government, no matter how well ...
When in government, Labour pushed to extend the Parliamentary term to four years, to reduce accountability and our ability to vote out a bad government. And now, they're trying to do it through the member's ballot, with a Four-Year Parliamentary Term Legislation Bill. The bill at least requires a referendum ...
A ballot for a single Member's Bill was held today, and the following bill was drawn: Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill (Hūhana Lyndon) The bill would prevent the government from stealing Māori land in breach of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It ...
Simeon Brown, alongside Wayne Brown, is favouring a political figleaf now in exchange for loading up tens of millions in extra interest costs on Auckland ratepayers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Ratings agency Standard & Poor’s is pushing back hard at suggestions from Local Government Minister Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown ...
Buzz from the Beehive One headline-grabber from the Beehive yesterday was the OECD’s advice that the government must bring the Budget deficit under control or face higher interest rates. Another was the announcement of a $1.9 billion “investment” in Corrections over the next four years. In the best interests of ...
Chris Trotter writes – Had Zheng He’s fleet sailed east, not west, in the early Fifteenth Century, how different our world would be. There is little reason to suppose that the sea-going junks of the Ming Dynasty, among the largest and most sophisticated sailing vessels ever constructed, would have failed ...
David Farrar writes – Two articles give a useful contrast in balance. Both seek to be neutral explainer articles. This one in the Herald on Social Investment covers the pros and cons nicely. It links to critical pieces and talks about aspects that failed and aspects that are more ...
The tikanga regulations will compel law students to be taught that a system which does not conform with the rule of law is nevertheless law which should be observed and applied…Gary Judd KC writes – I have made a complaint to Parliament’s Regulation ...
The future of Te Huia, the train between Hamilton and Auckland, has been getting a lot of attention recently as current funding for it is only in place till the end of June. The government initially agreed to a five year trial, through to April 2026, but that was subject ...
TL;DR: Hamas has just agreed to Israel’s ceasefire plan. Nelson hospital’s rebuild has been cut back to save money. The OECD suggests New Zealand break up network monopolies, including in electricity. PM Christopher Luxon’s news conference on a prison expansion announcement last night was his messiest yet.Here’s my top six ...
A homicide in Ponsonby, a manhunt with a killer on the run. The nation’s leader stands before a press conference reassuring a frightened nation that he’ll sort it out, he’ll keep them safe, he’ll build some new prison spaces.Sorry what? There’s a scary dude on the run with a gun ...
Hi,I know it’s been awhile since there’s been any Webworm merch — and today that all changes!Over the last four months, I’ve been working with New Zealand artist Jess Johnson to create a series of t-shirts, caps and stickers that are infused with Webworm DNA — and as of right ...
The OECD’s chief economist yesterday laid it on the line for the new Government: bring the deficit under control or face higher Reserve Bank interest rates for longer. And to bring the deficit under control, she meant not borrowing for tax cuts. But there was more. Without policy changes—introducing a ...
After a hiatus of over four months Selwyn Manning and I finally got it together to re-start the “A View from Afar” podcast series. We shall see how we go but aim to do 2 episodes per month if possible. … Continue reading → ...
In 2008, the UK Parliament passed the Climate Change Act 2008. The law established a system of targets, budgets, and plans, with inbuilt accountability mechanisms; the aim was to break the cycle of empty promises and replace it with actual progress towards emissions reduction. The law was passed with near-universal ...
Buzz from the Beehive Local Water Done Well – let’s be blunt – is a silly name, but the first big initiative to put it into practice has gone done well. This success is reflected in the headline on an RNZ report:District mayors welcome Auckland’s new water deal with ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate ConnectionsA farmworker cleans the solar panels of a solar water pump in the village of Jagadhri, Haryana Country, India. (Photo credit: Prashanth Vishwanathan/ IWMI) Decisions made in India over the next few years will play a key role in global ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – The Children’s Minister, Karen Chhour, intends to repeal Section 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 because it creates conflict between claimed Crown Treaty obligations and the child’s best interests. In her words, “Oranga Tamariki’s governing principles and its act should be colour ...
Geoffrey Miller writes – The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. ...
Brian Easton writes – This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be (I will report on them ...
TL;DR:Winston Peters is reported to have won a budget increase for MFAT. David Seymour wanted his Ministry of Regulation to be three times bigger than the Productivity Commission. Simeon Brown is appointing a Crown Monitor to Watercare to protect the Claytons Crown Guarantee he had to give ratings agencies ...
The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. Carr had made highly ...
I could be a florist'Round the corner from Rye LaneI'll be giving daisies to craziesBut, baby, I'll wrap you up real safe Oh, I can give you flowers At the end of every dayFor the center of your table, a rainbowIn case you have people 'round to stay Depending on ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to May 12 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Finance Minister Nicola Willis will give a pre-budget speech on Thursday.Parliament sits from Question Time at 2pm on ...
The price of the foreign affairs “reset” is now becoming apparent, with Defence set to get a funding boost in the Budget. Finance Minister Nicola Willis has confirmed that it will be one of the few votes, apart from Health and Education and possibly Police, which will get an increase ...
Today New Zealand First will introduce a Member’s Bill that will protect women’s spaces. The ‘Fair Access to Bathrooms Bill’ will require, primarily in the interest and safety of women and girls, that all new non-domestic publicly accessible buildings provide separate, clearly demarcated, unisex and single sex bathrooms. This Bill ...
The Green Party is welcoming Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ continuation of Hon. James Shaw’s cross-party work on climate adaptation, now in the form of a Finance and Expenditure Committee Inquiry. ...
The National Government plans to cut 390 jobs at ACC, including roles in the areas of prevention of sexual violence, road safety and workplace safety. ...
The Government has been caught in opposition to evidence once again as it looks to usher in tried, tested and failed work seminar obligations for job-seeking beneficiaries. ...
The Green Party is welcoming the announcement by the Minister Responsible for RMA Reform Chris Bishop to approve most of the Wellington City Council’s District Plan recommendations. ...
David Seymour has failed to get the sweeping cuts he wanted to the free and healthy school lunch programme, Labour education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
Hon Willie Jackson has been invited by the Oxford Union to debate the motion “This House Believes British Museums are not Very British’ on May 23rd. ...
Green Party MP Hūhana Lyndon says her Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill is an opportunity to right some past wrongs around the alienation of Māori land. ...
A senior, highly respected King’s Counsel with decades of experience in our law courts, Gary Judd KC, has filed a complaint about compulsory tikanga Māori studies for law students - highlighting the utter depths of absurdity this woke cultural madness has taken our society. The tikanga regulations will compel law ...
The Government needs to be clear with the people of the Nelson Marlborough region about the changes it is considering for the Nelson Hospital rebuild, Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
Ministers must front up about which projects it will push through under its Fast Track Approvals legislation, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
New Zealand voted in favour of a resolution broadening Palestine’s participation at the United Nations General Assembly overnight, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The resolution enhances the rights of Palestine to participate in the work of the UN General Assembly while stopping short of admitting Palestine as a full ...
Introduction Good morning. It’s a great privilege to be here at the 2024 Infrastructure Symposium. I was extremely happy when the Prime Minister asked me to be his Minister for Infrastructure. It is one of the great barriers holding the New Zealand economy back from achieving its potential. Building high ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced the upcoming Budget will include new funding of $571 million for Defence Force pay and projects. “Our servicemen and women do New Zealand proud throughout the world and this funding will help ensure we retain their services and expertise as we navigate an increasingly ...
New Zealand’s ability to cope with climate change will be strengthened as part of the Government’s focus to build resilience as we rebuild the economy, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “An enduring and long-term approach is needed to provide New Zealanders and the economy with certainty as the climate ...
Jobseeker beneficiaries who have work obligations must now meet with MSD within two weeks of their benefit starting to determine their next step towards finding a job, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “A key part of the coalition Government’s plan to have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker ...
A new standalone Social Investment Agency will power-up the social investment approach, driving positive change for our most vulnerable New Zealanders, Social Investment Minister Nicola Willis says. “Despite the Government currently investing more than $70 billion every year into social services, we are not seeing the outcomes we want for ...
Check against delivery Good morning. It is a pleasure to be with you to outline the Coalition Government’s approach to our first Budget. Thank you Mark Skelly, President of the Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce, together with your Board and team, for hosting me. I’d like to acknowledge His Worship ...
Your Excellency Ambassador Meredith, Members of the Diplomatic Corps and Ambassadors from European Union Member States, Ministerial colleagues, Members of Parliament, and other distinguished guests, Thank you everyone for joining us. Ladies and gentlemen - In diplomacy, we often speak of ‘close’ and ‘long-standing’ relations. ...
The Therapeutic Products Act (TPA) will be repealed this year so that a better regime can be put in place to provide New Zealanders safe and timely access to medicines, medical devices and health products, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello announced today. “The medicines and products we are talking about ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop, today released his decision on twenty recommendations referred to him by the Wellington City Council relating to its Intensification Planning Instrument, after the Council rejected those recommendations of the Independent Hearings Panel and made alternative recommendations. “Wellington notified its District Plan on ...
Rape Awareness Week (6-10 May) is an important opportunity to acknowledge the continued effort required by government and communities to ensure that all New Zealanders can live free from violence, say Ministers Karen Chhour and Louise Upston. “With 1 in 3 women and 1 in 8 men experiencing sexual violence ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government will be delivering a more efficient Healthy School Lunches Programme, saving taxpayers approximately $107 million a year compared to how Labour funded it, by embracing innovation and commercial expertise. “We are delivering on our commitment to treat taxpayers’ money ...
New research on the impacts of extreme weather on coastal marine habitats in Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay will help fishery managers plan for and respond to any future events, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. A report released today on research by Niwa on behalf of Fisheries New Zealand ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters will lead a broad political delegation on a five-stop Pacific tour next week to strengthen New Zealand’s engagement with the region. The delegation will visit Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and Tuvalu. “New Zealand has deep and ...
There has been a material decline in gas production according to figures released today by the Gas Industry Co. Figures released by the Gas Industry Company show that there was a 12.5 per cent reduction in gas production during 2023, and a 27.8 per cent reduction in gas production in the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins tonight announced the recipients of the Minister of Defence Awards of Excellence for Industry, saying they all contribute to New Zealanders’ security and wellbeing. “Congratulations to this year’s recipients, whose innovative products and services play a critical role in the delivery of New Zealand’s defence capabilities, ...
Welcome to you all - it is a pleasure to be here this evening.I would like to start by thanking Greg Lowe, Chair of the New Zealand Defence Industry Advisory Council, for co-hosting this reception with me. This evening is about recognising businesses from across New Zealand and overseas who in ...
It is a pleasure to be speaking to you as the Minister for Digitising Government. I would like to thank Akolade for the invitation to address this Summit, and to acknowledge the great effort you are making to grow New Zealand’s digital future. Today, we stand at the cusp of ...
New Zealand is urging both Israel and Hamas to agree to an immediate ceasefire to avoid the further humanitarian catastrophe that military action in Rafah would unleash, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The immense suffering in Gaza cannot be allowed to worsen further. Both sides have a responsibility to ...
A new online data dashboard released today as part of the Government’s school attendance action plan makes more timely daily attendance data available to the public and parents, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. The interactive dashboard will be updated once a week to show a national average of how ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced Rosemary Banks will be New Zealand’s next Ambassador to the United States of America. “Our relationship with the United States is crucial for New Zealand in strategic, security and economic terms,” Mr Peters says. “New Zealand and the United States have a ...
The Government is considering creating a new tier of minerals permitting that will make it easier for hobby miners to prospect for gold. “New Zealand was built on gold, it’s in our DNA. Our gold deposits, particularly in regions such as Otago and the West Coast have always attracted fortune-hunters. ...
Minister for Trade Todd McClay today announced that New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will commence negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA). Minister McClay met with his counterpart UAE Trade Minister Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi in Dubai, where they announced the launch of negotiations on a ...
New Zealand Sign Language Week is an excellent opportunity for all Kiwis to give the language a go, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. This week (May 6 to 12) is New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) Week. The theme is “an Aotearoa where anyone can sign anywhere” and aims to ...
Six tertiary students have been selected to work on NASA projects in the US through a New Zealand Space Scholarship, Space Minister Judith Collins announced today. “This is a fantastic opportunity for these talented students. They will undertake internships at NASA’s Ames Research Center or its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where ...
New Zealanders will be safer because of a $1.9 billion investment in more frontline Corrections officers, more support for offenders to turn away from crime, and more prison capacity, Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell says. “Our Government said we would crack down on crime. We promised to restore law and order, ...
The OECD’s latest report on New Zealand reinforces the importance of bringing Government spending under control, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The OECD conducts country surveys every two years to review its members’ economic policies. The 2024 New Zealand survey was presented in Wellington today by OECD Chief Economist Clare Lombardelli. ...
The Government has delivered on its election promise to provide a financially sustainable model for Auckland under its Local Water Done Well plan. The plan, which has been unanimously endorsed by Auckland Council’s Governing Body, will see Aucklanders avoid the previously projected 25.8 per cent water rates increases while retaining ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and enhanced cooperation in the Pacific with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her first official visit to New Zealand today. "New Zealand and Germany enjoy shared interests and values, including the rule of law, democracy, respect for the international system ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
“The Bill does not provide environmental protection, good quality decision making, certainty, public participation or speed. It should be withdrawn.” ...
RNZ News Television New Zealand has breached its collective agreement with the E tū union when deciding on discontinuing programmes, the Employment Relations Authority has ruled. It was announced in March that 68 staff members who work for news programmes Midday and Tonight, consumer justice programme Fair Go, current affairs ...
Asia Pacific Report Barangay New Zealand’s Rene Molina has interviewed the country’s first Filipino Green MP Francisco Hernandez who was sworn into Parliament yesterday as the party’s latest member. This is the first interview with Hernandez who replaces former Green Party co-leader James Shaw after his retirement from politics to ...
An Australian Strategic Policy Institute report says Pillar Two could raise the industry to state of the art capability - or "crush" it "under the weight of the globe's biggest player". ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Marlene Longbottom, Associate Professor, Indigenous Education & Research Centre, James Cook University ShutterstockThis article contains information on deaths in custody and the violence experienced by First Nations people in encounters with the Australian carceral system. It also contains references to ...
“Instead of following along countries that are investing in death and better ways of killing people faster, we need to invest in life and in making Aotearoa a fair, just and equitable place where everyone has what they need for a dignified life.” ...
MARIAMENO KAPA-KINGI, TPM MP FOR TAI TOKERAU This Government will not waver in its mission to exterminate Māori. CHRISTOPHER LUXON Oh well look you know I don’t think that hard-working Kiwis want to hear language like that. It’s just really unhelpful rhetoric. My Government is genuinely committed to advancing outcomes ...
The body positivity movement started with women confronting the unrealistic expectations and unrepresentative portrayals of them in media and advertising. Men weren’t part of it … their bodies hadn’t been sexualised to the same extremes and they didn’t really need it. But now that’s changed. And in a warped sort ...
The New Zealand comedy legend takes us through her life in television, including the time she hugged Elton John and the unshakeable legacy of a girl named Lyn. In 1981, Ginette McDonald stood on the stage of Auckland’s St James Theatre and directly addressed Queen Elizabeth II. It was a ...
An essay by Lily Duval from the just-released anthology Otherhood: Essays on being childless, childfree and child adjacent.I was 22 when my friend Alice gave birth in the living room of our pokey Addington flat. She laboured in the blow-up pool for hours. Garish fish swam along the inflated ...
Ella Borrie on the best books about motherhood she’s come across so far. Over the past few years I’ve been drawn to books about motherhood. I’m fascinated by the joys and horrors of becoming a parent. The question of children also feels more pressing than it used to. It’s like ...
Out of gift ideas for mum? You can’t go wrong with a bottle of toilet cleaner and a new squeegee. Emily Writes is the writer and editor of Emily Writes Weekly. This week marks five years since I published a post on The Spinoff about Mother’s Day marketing titled ‘A ...
My husband is posted overseas for 12 months and I’m armed with an expensive, newfangled vibrator. Will I miss him? The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.A few days after my husband leaves, a new sex toy arrives at the front door. Nestled ...
Jaimie Baird’s new book Here Today Gone Tomorrow is a record of four decades of graffiti and street art in Wellington, told through more than 1,200 photographs. He spoke with Joel MacManus about what inspired the book. How did you first get interested in photographing street art? I remember ...
Editor Madeleine Chapman looks back at a busy week where food of all political leanings dominated. Sometimes you’re just going about your week thinking you’ve got a good handle on what might be coming as far as news topics and then someone (usually a politician) says something so ridiculous that ...
In a week of cold rain and frost, the climate in courtroom four upstairs at the Invercargill courthouse was simmering with restrained indignation. At times it felt like the famous Mexican standoff scene from Reservoir Dogs, or, as someone watching the proceedings described it, there was so much throwing of ...
A banner notification alerts me to the fact that I’ve received an Instagram message from @felicity.loves. She always comments on my posts. I shouldn’t have opened the message, but clicked on the notification before rationalising this. OMG! Are you in Wellys? X I debate not replying, but Instagram will inform ...
In Melbourne’s hardscrabble western suburbs where AFL – Aussie rules football – is a state religion, Callum Donaldson has been quietly grafting away, four months into an odyssey that he hopes will take him to another promised land: the NRL. It was a solid 2023 for the softly spoken 20-year-old ...
Pacific Media Watch Television New Zealand Pacific correspondent Barbara Dreaver has been made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to investigative journalism and Pacific communities in a ceremony at Government House, reports 1News. She has been the Pacific correspondent for 1News since 2002, breaking many ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Tuesday’s budget will respond to the deepening public agitation over Australia’s housing shortages by pouring new money into crisis accommodation for women and children, social housing and infrastructure. A specially-convened national cabinet late Friday ticked ...
By Kaneta Naimatu in Suva Journalists in the Pacific region play an important role as the “eyes and ears on the ground” when it comes to reporting the climate crisis, says the European Union’s Pacific Ambassador Barbara Plinkert. Speaking at The University of the South Pacific (USP) on World Press ...
Aldora Itunu is back in the Black Ferns squad after a three-year absence. The last of her 24 internationals was an underwhelming loss to France (7-29) in Castres to conclude the disastrous 2021 Northern Tour. The powerhouse prop won a Rugby World Cup in 2017 and thought she was done. ...
The fight to control major transport policy and projects in Auckland has burst into the open again, with councillors rejecting Mayor Wayne Brown’s latest attempt to steer things more under his influence. Councillors from the left and right broke ranks on the mayor’s bid to control Auckland Transport more directly ...
Exhausted by the general election campaign, horrified by the twilight zone of coalition negotiations, distracted by the silly season and waiting for the honeymoon to begin, Raw Politics has been in hibernation since October. From today, we’re back. Our weekly political video show and podcast returns for ...
By Patrick Decloitre, RNZ Pacific correspondent French Pacific desk Authorities in the small town of Boulouparis have commemorated Armistice Day on May 8 with a new memorial honouring New Zealand soldiers who were stationed in New Caledonia during World War II. The ceremony took place in the township on the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sara Dehm, Senior lecturer, international migration and refugee law, University of Technology Sydney The High Court unanimously ruled today that the Australian government can keep asylum seekers in immigration detention indefinitely in cases where they do not “voluntarily” cooperate with their own ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kim Munro, Lecturer, Creative Industries and Digital Media, University of South Australia Twenty-four hours after the release of Macklemore’s pro-Palestine protest song Hind’s Hall on social media on May 7, the video had already notched up over 24 million views. In ...
Failing to anticipate the complexity of the consenting system is being cited as the the current builder's shortcomings, an Infrastructure Commission review says. ...
Failing to anticipate the complexity of the consenting system is being cited as the the current builder's shortcomings, an Infrastructure Commission review says. ...
350 Aotearoa is calling the Environment Select Committee’s decision to allow oral submissions from just 40% of individual, unique submitters who asked to speak to the committee ‘a disgraceful blight to democracy’. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Helal, Assistant Dean (Sustainability), The University of Melbourne Dubai skylineAleksandarPasaric/Pexels Since ancient times, people have built structures that reach for the skies – from the steep spires of medieval towers to the grand domes of ancient cathedrals and mosques. Today ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Edward Musole, PhD Law Student, University of New England Girts Ragelis/ShutterstockRecent trends show Australians are increasingly buying wearables such as smartwatches and fitness trackers. These electronics track our body movements or vital signs to provide data throughout the day, with ...
Papua New Guinea experienced a significant earthquake on 24 March in East Sepik and there has also been recent flooding there and in surrounding provinces. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Yousuf Mohammed, Dermatology researcher, The University of Queensland Maridav/Shutterstock You wake up, stagger to the bathroom and gaze into the mirror. No, you’re not imagining it. You’ve developed face wrinkles overnight. They’re sleep wrinkles. Sleep wrinkles are temporary. But as your ...
The Environment Select Committee has just announced that 60 percent of individuals who asked to speak at the hearings will not be heard. This equates to almost 700 people who made individual submissions and more than 1000 more who made a form submission. ...
The Royal New Zealand Ballet is performing Swan Lake around the country. What kind of dream does the ballet sell?Before going to see the Royal New Zealand Ballet perform Swan Lake, I had about as much familiarity with the plot of this ballet as could be expected from having ...
A new poem by Auckland poet Eamonn Tee. High Tide at Local Maxima It is only going to get worse. The streams will be narrow and fickle. The week will bend and buckle like a pot-bellied waist. You will make it to the weekend with one ...
The New Zealand entrepreneur behind beauty business Ethique is gearing up to launch a new eco-venture. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Our thirst for a tasty bevvy is insatiable, but it comes with a hefty plastic price for the planet: 580 billion ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 James by Percival Everett (Mantle, $38) A retelling of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from ...
By Kamna Kumar in Suva Pacific Islands Forum Secretary-General Henry Puna stressed the importance of media freedom and its link to the climate and environmental crisis at the 2024 World Press Freedom Day event organised by the University of the South Pacific’s journalism programme. Under the theme “A Planet for ...
Tara Ward previews a new local TV series offering alternative visions of motherhood. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. A woman is clambering up the side of her two-story house, clinging desperately to a drainpipe. Nearby, her child is perched on the ...
Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) is supportive of the cross-party approach to climate adaptation announced by the Minister of Climate Change today. ...
The Sustainable Business Council (SBC) and Climate Leaders Coalition (CLC) welcome today’s announcement from Government around a bipartisan inquiry into an enduring climate adaptation framework for New Zealand. ...
The Free Speech Union welcomes the decision by the Department of Internal Affairs, and Minister Brooke Van Velden, to abandon proposals to further regulate online speech. ...
Its new building in Wellington will not be nearly big enough for all its records, and it has also run out of money to build its new storage facility in Levin. ...
BusinessNZ is congratulating the Minister of Climate Change for his work in achieving cross-party consensus for a way forward on climate adaptation. ...
Recent research reveals the repeal of smokefree measures is not only bad for our health, but also the economy. The Government has repealed various smokefree measures to ensure it keeps collecting $1.2 billion a year in tobacco taxes, in order to pay for tax cuts already being delivered to ...
The club’s surprisingly good season is built on the desire to prove a random A-League YouTuber wrong… and a few other factors.“There’s no way that Wellington Phoenix play finals this year. I can’t see it happening at all.” Those are the words of Lachlan Raeside, an Australian football content ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By César Albarrán-Torres, Senior Lecturer, Department of Media and Communication, Swinburne University of Technology Apple TV+ As one of billions of bilingual individuals in the world, it disappoints me when a film or TV show with characters of a non-English-speaking background is ...
The under-utilised course is a waste of space, and with a little political will, it could be turned into something better. For the duration of her stay in Wellington, my long-suffering cousin listened to me rant about golf courses. They’re bad for the environment: water intensive and pesticide heavy. They ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Leah Ruppanner, Professor of Sociology and Founding Director of The Future of Work Lab, Podcast at MissPerceived, The University of Melbourne Shutterstock A recent report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows US fertility rates dropped 2% in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amy Corderoy, Medical doctor and PhD candidate studying involuntary psychiatric treatment, School of Psychiatry, UNSW Sydney shop_py/Shutterstock Picture two people, both suffering from a serious mental illness requiring hospital admission. One was born in Australia, the other in Asia. Hopefully, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Treby, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, RMIT University P.j.Hickox, Shutterstock Peatlands store more carbon per square metre than any other ecosystem on Earth. These waterlogged, mossy bogs beat even dense rainforests for their ability to act as carbon reservoirs. Under the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Goss, Adjunct Associate Professor, Health Research Institute, University of Canberra Government spending on health has been growing so rapidly that a decade ago the then health minister Peter Dutton called it “unmanageable” and “unsustainable”. Health spending grew in real terms by ...
New Zealand's largest electricity distributor is warning the country to hurry up with controls around charging electric vehicles or face unnecessary bills running into the billions. ...
New Zealanders have been asked to conserve energy this morning to combat a possible electricity shortfall, writes Stewart Sowman-Lund in this extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. A call to conserve power New Zealand is facing a possible electricity shortfall, with people up ...
Writer Rebecca K Reilly breaks down the national book awards. What are the Ockhams?The Ockham New Zealand Book Awards are our annual national awards for books published for adults, and have existed in this form since 2016. There are four categories: Fiction, Poetry, General Non-fiction and Illustrated Non-fiction. There ...
Wellington City Council should keep its 34% ownership share in Wellington International Airport, argue Unions Wellington spokespeople Finn Cordwell and Ashok Jacob. Insanity, as the saying goes, is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Wellington City Council (WCC) is yet again proposing to dispose ...
New Zealand’s largest book publisher has undergone drastic changes this week, leaving its future role in local publishing uncertain. Two of the most recognisable local publishers in New Zealand are among those restructured out of Penguin Random House, it was announced this week. Head of publishing Claire Murdoch will leave ...
The Black Ferns Sevens appeared to be a mile behind Australia at the halfway point of the 2023-24 SVNS international circuit. Winless in three tournaments, a cup quarter-final exit in Perth was one of their worst results. To add insult to injury, talismanic skipper Sarah Hirini had been ruled out ...
Pathetic Luxon defends tobacco companies using the tobacco lobbiest's propaganda black market threat and vaping .No mention of the5,000 deaths every year or the $billion cost every year to the health system so robbing Peter to pay Paul . The health system is paying for Nationals tax cuts.
There was a report in Stuff (can't find it now!!!) where Luxon said that the labour plan to reducie the tobacco levels etc would increase RAM raids. Duh
I think there's so many disheartened people in this country right now that we need some posts on people we draw inspiration and hope from.
Ask and you shall receive:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/all-blacks/301014634/its-our-turn-with-the-fern-all-blacks-coach-scott-robertson-gets-to-work
🙄
You have to respect that guy. I'll be keen to see him make a go of it. Almost to the degree that I'll start watching again.
Certainly didn't take the easy way thats for sure
good idea Ad. I've been awol with posts, but might get back into it soon.
"people we draw inspiration and hope from"
Visited a sheep farm last week, where the sizeable blocks of remnant native forest have been covenanted and fenced, and a good percentage of the remaining pastureland planted in trees. The farmer, 5th generation on that farm, described the significant increase to his projected income; through the particular "carbon trade" agreements he has undertaken. A very smart man. Also in attendance was a kaumatua manawhenua who described the much-longer and incident-rich history of his hapu with the rolling country, rivers and streams of which the farm was part. The connection and good relationship between him and the farmer was very apparent. There are very good, calm and connected people out there who take "changes of state" in their stride. Both of these men are polite, well informed and refuse to malign anyone. I tried to learn from them 🙂
Nice I should have about 10 more hectares of native and wetlands and streams fenced off by next year, managed 4 ha this year,
To you both.
You and your ilk are beacons of hope 'midst a ground swell of ignorance 🙂
As a non-smoker who grew up from childhood to adulthood and beyond, surrounded by smokers, I have had COPD for many years. This requires frequent daily medication, and my physical activity has been very much affected. This is an appalling cigarette policy of the incoming government. Venal, as always. I have no respect for any of them.
Reality, this is affirmation of their hollow nastiness.
Tobacco contains an addictive drug. We should have learned by now that prohibition on drugs leads to a uncontrolled black market.
I’m absolutely sure the gangs, aka the mongrel mob, black power etc, will fully support the absolute banning of tobacco, alcohol, as well as the continued criminalisation of cannabis. This is how they make their money, so they can buy their Harley Davidsons
The lack of people in the new government who have any real and genuine empathy for people I have yet to see. They seem so calculating and cold and make it so obvious money is all that matters – yes that matters but so do people's lives.
I caught up with a buddy who's is a member of one of the nautical unions. (He works on a cement transport ship).
He spoke of seeing Brooke Van Helden(?), the new Workplace Relations minister, gleefully saying the end of Fair Pay Agreements was nigh.
He observed "We knew it was gonna be unfair, but you don't have to be so happy about it."
Well this is awkward…
“After briefly calling for the world to bid adieu to fossil fuels, Kiwi diplomats may have to change tack at this week’s UN climate summit.
The election and drawn-out coalition talks have cast uncertainty over New Zealand’s position on a global phase-out of coal, oil and gas – likely to be a major point of debate at the talks that begin Thursday.
Negotiators were given the green light on the environmental issue by the Labour Government in July, after the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade gauged public opinion.
The ministry said it now must consult with the incoming Government before and during the summit. The National, ACT and NZ First parties want to promote, not limit, domestic oil and gas extraction and wouldn’t answer questions on their intentions for the major summit.”
https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/climate-news/133340711/from-fossilfree-to-fossilfavouring-how-new-zealand-could-pivot-on-world-stage
Not really, new government new priorities
Apart from trashing the environment and grifting themselves more money at the expense of others, just exactly what are those priorities?
A stronger economy and well paying jobs, especially in the provinces is a good start
All achieved at the expense of the environment and externalising costs onto the public and future generations – brilliant!
BTW what exactly do you mean by "stronger economy"? Nice words – but just exactly what is that? A few extra plums for the well to do? And what is the economy for anyway? Have you ever asked yourself that?
Which equals well paying jobs which equals more tax money and lower crime rates so yeah it is a good thing
No more 'captains calls' for awhile and good riddance
Please explain? How continuing to spend billions in supporting overseas oil companies, is better for an economy than using locally available renewables?
That is before we even consider the costs of mitigation of long term climate change. We have just had some examples in Hawke Bay. I suppose all that fixing of climate disasters adds to GDP!
I am OK with words of two syllables or less, as that seems to be the limit of your economic comprehension, combined with the typical right wing nut jobs inability in basic arithmetic.
So much for the "we don't matter" contingent.
Fuck that crowd.
We goddamn matter and we should know it.
We must and should be a climate leader.
“We must and should be a climate leader”
Well we all know we can bend over and kiss that idea goodbye for at least the next three years
threesix years[Stop trolling. This is your warning – Incognito]
Mod note
Noted
There's always protests, crises, and unexpected moments.
Shrugs.
Maybe they know that the likelihood of actually finding any commercially viable new sources of oil and gas are pretty low. And all they are really after is to juice some provincial economies by having foreigners turn up for a few years and look for the stuff. Then it’s on to the next bit of magical thinking. Could be so, they are that short-termist.
If, and thats a big if, there is no gas or oil to be found then at least some money has gone into the provinces which is better than none
Personally I think they'll find some, hopefully enough for stable, long term jobs in the region
It doesn't need to be a case of "no gas or oil to be found" for exploration companies to walk away. It can also be a case of oil or gas being found in quantities and places that mean it can't be extracted profitably, or at least more profitably than alternatives in other parts of the world when calculated over the entire lifecycle of the reserves discovered. That is a pretty high threshold and it's why NZ is not Saudi Arabia.
The risk of course is that if you want to juice the local economy by letting people look for the stuff, you might get unlucky and they do actually find an exploitable reserve. Then the government is committed to climate vandalism that trashes our reputation.
It's possible that we have one of the world's biggest crude oil fields in the Great South Basin. Drilling there in the 70s was very promising, just too deep and rough to profitably extract but may be now. Here's hoping they do some more exploration there.
DOI my dad was a geologist on Penrod '74, we still have little bottles of crude and condensate that he brought home stored away somewhere
Do you have technology capable of industrial-scale atmospheric CO2 extraction that would remove the CO2 emitted by burning such an oil reserve? Are you and your Dad working on something in the garage perhaps?
Imagine all the business and employment opportunities if that were to happen in Otago and Southland
Heres hoping
Southland? As a result of exploration in the Great South Basin?
None.
If, the oil companies had found economically extractable oil in the Great South Basin, they would already be using it.
The dirty little secret of socialist utopia Norway is they struck it rich on North Sea oil. It could be a change of fortunes for us stuck here at the arse end of nowhere trying to sell cheese to the world
Unlike NZ Governments, the Norwegian Government didn't pay the oil companies to take it away.
The concessions NZ gave to even get oil companies to bring exploration rigs here, gives a good indication of the lack of economic benefits they expected.
Any link for that claim ? Im curious about how much was spent
Ending Government oil gas subsidies.
Impossible to quantify the current and ongoing costs of Greenhouse gases and other continued pollution of using oil for energy. However the amounts required for ever more severe weather events is in the billions. A subsidy by all of us to pay for oil company externalities.
When working for a power company here in NZ a CEO or CIO suggested in an internal post that NZ should follow Norway in fossil fuel extraction. So I had a look into the Norwegian oil industry (as a comparison to UK for example).
As a summary, I pointed out he probably wouldn't want NZ to be like Norway. I never got a reply. Everyone only sees the wealth Norway created, but not the how they achieved it.
They had (probably still have) higher royalties for their oil than most other countries. They didn't allow the oil companies to burn off anything, they forced the oil companies to have a (head) office in Norway, where all profits have to be declared (employee of the Norway tax office working in the oil company offices) and taxed, all jobs had to be done by Norwegians (after training), all equipment had to be built and serviced in Norway, any oil spills have to be cleaned by the oil company and on top of it the companies have to pay for the lost oil… the list was impressive, not sure if all of the above still applies.
Statoil
Also all the royalties and tax was invested in a state owned fund, which had very tight investment restrictions, for example none of the investments were allowed to lift inflation within Norway.
Norway Government Fund
That is brilliant – good for them. Can't see our present coalition of laissez-faire munters lifting a finger to enact such comprehensive protections.
Just listening to the farming show on RNZ.Climate change with constant flooding slips then.most likely followed by drought. Then prices are down for lambs, beef ,Dairy all unprofitable .So many farmers will go bust. WHY because farmers are not preparing for the future farmers are a private enterprise a huge number vote ACT .Now farmers will want bailing out again no amount of ripping up the red tape will turn farming to longterm profitability. Value adding is the only answer exporting commodities only makes money for Trucking Shipping and retailers. Until Federated fits pull back from living in the past and add real value like prepared meals that can be microwaved or heated in an oven quickly. Like Nestlé do Farming will rely on capital gain on their land to make money.That stops productivity and innovation.Since exporting frozen meat in the 1890's Farming hasn't made any giant leap forward just making incremental improvements and bigger scale farming. National and Labour need to push farmers out of their comfort Zone. Processors need to be able to send reasonable priced ready meals that markets like China and India desire.But this will require millions of dollars in investment. Our major meat processors are barely profitable even in good years.Dairy profitable every 2 ou 4 years.Not a good way to run a business.
Now National ACT NZ last are shutting the productivity commission.Dumb idea.
Only because they have shown Nationals policies are not increasing productivity but the reverse leaving the Agriculture sector to carry-on failing and flailing. Luxon doesn't want any criticism of their lack of policy or vision. The bury your head in the sand and tax cuts and ripping up red tape followed by a heavy dose of Austerity is the only way.Maybe Shane Jones will get another $billion to spread around to a few politically high profile hand outs.
I'm interested in the "too small to matter" argument. I hear the usual responses; if each state in America claimed the same, the whole of the USA would stop action" etc, but rather than deny that those claiming "too small to matter", I'd agree with their claim that our contribution is small – we are small, after all, but then ask if it's up to us to pull out of the global actions and instead suggest that we should petition the global community and ask their permission to pull out. That would be the correct way of going about it, doncha think? 🙂
Quite so Robert. But the other part of the "too small to matter" delusion is that the rest of the world won't even notice our attempted freeloading if we do pull out, so we're absolved from the obligation to even ask.
Bart Simpson : I didn't do it, nobody saw me do it, you can't prove anything.
Hello Robert. Yes this is an about turn that could impinge on Trade.
Hello Patricia. Trade, yes but also knock back the resolve that more and more New Zealanders were building to confront the challenge of climate change and take meaningful action on it. To be sold out by our Government is a set-back, but we shall see if it serves rather as a provocation to action.
The sad fact is:
NACTNZF will be reactive rather than proactive because they're infested with climate deniers. After the floods . . . droughts . . . storms . . . etc they will do too little too late, a la the ChCh earthquake response.
Restarting oil and gas exploration is the signal of their intention to burn the only planet we have!
Hi Robert.
I thought about you this morning because we hadn't heard from you. Perhaps it was prompted by the same horrifying concerns about Climate change progress.
The new CC minister is my MP and be assured he must be an expert. He lives in a house on a cliff overlooking the Hauraki Gulf and he can see all the clouds zipping by and the rain and the wind and the waves when they grow big with lots of white flecks so I guess that gives him the necessary knowledge for the role. He has a hybrid car covered in self advertising which he leaves parked in prominent positions close to his home. He also has a BA in management and accounting and finance which I am sure will stand him in very good stead as the CC minister.
From all accounts he doesn't have a good reputation as our local MP but I'm sure all of that is about to change.
Hi Anne. Thanks for thinking about me 🙂
I have to say, I'm not personally horrified; there's no gain in being so and I aim to further progress these matters. I don't blame any individual either; we are wrestling with a deeper current and shouldn't be fooled by the behaviour of those individuals bobbling around on the surface. The narrative must change and foolish, myopic actions from central government can serve to galvanise changes of perception. This sounds a bit precious, I know, but I've been on holiday from commenting and it'll take a while to get rhythm back 🙂
How many brownout threat notices from Transpower do these people need?
In 2021 we had most of the central North Island shut down in the coldest day of the year.
But apparently the market will solve it, next year, with fresh gas peaking plant built at the same time as a fresh gas field is discovered with fresh Transpower grid.
Spare me from these fools.
Indeed, we treat the market as too much of a sacred thing. Wish we could consider stuff outside of the usual paradigm and start to do things that National may not expect to see us doing. I do not yet know what that would look like but that's what we need to do.
We do, Rolling. We can, There are solutions hovering in in anticipation of us finding them. Here is a good place to share them when we do.
No one wants to drill and explore off the coast of New Zealand anyway! It is now far too expensive so the previous ban was essentially just banner waiving and the removal of it will make no difference!
I almost felt sorry for Hipkins after seeing a press conference he held on Friday. I had been watching some of his interviews with the Press from just before the election.
At those he had been backed by anywhere from 4 to 6 Ministers, all looking as if they were in awe of hearing their leader talking and all nodding in unison at the words he was uttering.
On Friday he was all alone without any support and with only a very few journalists listening to him. It was a reminder of the great Bessie Smith singing her classic Nobody knows you when you are down and out.
How long will Chippie last in the job? He must know that he is now a dead man walking. If he sees two of the Labour MPs talking will he still think they are simply be polite to him when they stop on his approach or will he be thinking that they were discussing his overthrow?
As I say. I almost think I should feel sorry for him. Then I remember that he was a major figure in the worst New Zealand Government of my lifetime and that we are far better off with him gone.
Chippie really does have to stop that smarmy nodding donkey routine he perfected in the leaders debates. He was on the news again last night. Can’t remember what he was talking about. Probably wasn’t important. Just more smarmy nodding donkey.
Luxon's *"playing cricket"
*"Crickets raise their back legs in defence when they feel overwhelmed and insecure" – David Attenborough
Luxon is just practising for when God cuts him down
Jack, your comment, especially the phrase you use to describe Chis Hipkins, reads very "spoiled adolescent".
The worst New Zealand government in my lifetime is the current one.
That's pretty hard criticism seeing they were only sworn in today.
When he wrote that Luxon had been PM for about an hour and a half.
The lefty journalists we have in NZ are probably already complaining that he hasn't got rid of the waiting list for orthopedic surgery yet. I'm sure that Labour would have completed the task by now, or at least claimed they had.
Well, he hasn't stopped obfuscating!
Well, I'm waiting for my cost of living to go down, like Luxon repeatedly promised on the TV debates.
Having that song in my repertoire, I must say that I don't think that Chris Hipkins could be the singer of such words as "Once I lived the life of a millionaire, Spent all my money without any care". Words better suited to John Key or Christopher Luxon perhaps.
And who wants to be like a man who has no friends when he has no money? That's not the left wing ethic. A song for us would be more like "I Don't Want your Millions, Mister" or "The Preacher and the Slave (Pie in the Sky)."
Both songs seen a mite apposite in today's climate with today's new government.
If Chris was singing it the second line would be "spent all the tax-payer's money"
Actually I would have to agree that the songs you mention are great ballads but I've never heard anyone sing them in a voice that was nearly as tuneful as Bessie at her best. I still have a lot of Pete Seeger discs but I would never say he had a great voice.
Dear Alwyn, Those of us who have been around for a while realised long ago that you never feel sorry for anyone but yourself. That's the starting point for all forms of malice. It's OK, none of us is perfect. Life is a journey after all.
“All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well”.
“worst New Zealand Government of my lifetime”
If they had been 'better' your lifetime might have been over by now. This has the makings of a difficult moral dilemma.
Now it appears as though the ramraids mysteriously all stopped after election night. Intriqueing coincidences always raise my suspicions and combined with my long held reply to any call of "Who did it and why? " I use that old standby,'" just follow the money ". To get all conspirational, can anybody remember hearing anybody proclaim on TV or anywhere…. "The little shits stole my Mazda Demio and crashed it into a dairy ". No? nary any poor old soul waving a walking stick in frustration at losing their shitbox shopping trolley….. so where did all these unclaimed Demios come from, or more to the point who supplied them, along with a bit of cheap piss and 50 bucks each to fund the mayhem?. Who had the money, like a bit of loose change from 6.8 million bucks looking to splash on a bit of destabilising arseholery ? I wonder who that could possibly be ?.
My money is on a gang, no not one of them, but a gang with a political agenda, a right wing arseholery agenda, to move fast and break things agenda. Too fanciful you say, just don't forget that nearly every coup you can think of starts with broken shop window glass on footpaths, Hackney Diamonds in other words, or a Kristallnacht.
Now lets start a list of the of rightwing arseholes capable of just such a campaign. Or just start the rumour… newspapers love rumours, it gives them something to follow, like dogs chasing a sewerage truck.
That's a bow of impressive length you are drawing there, Adrian, but fun to read. The now-Opposition will be rightly able to claim that the cessation came while it was still Government, which might quell the blowing-hard members who now squat on the Government seats.
Great to see you back Robert. Hope all is well in your part of the world.
Thanks, weka. As well as can be, given recent events 🙂
My garden's thriving; I've 15 banana plants outside amongst the quinces and mulberries and they're looking very comfortable along with tamarillo that are flowering with intent. Council is absorbing the Government's proclamations and insinuations with mixed feelings. It's curious how much bolder one feels, when in "opposition". I see much feather-ruffling in the future.
mmmmmm Mulberries. Where can I get one. Looked all around the garden centres here. My daughters in Perth is just laden.
You just have to want one really badly, then it will appear, as mine did 🙂
It is possible to buy them at some plant stores, but that's cheating 🙂
They taste so good!
banana, quince and mulberry pie!
Yes, I feel a term of Opposition has the potential to do good for the left. Hope we rise to the occasion
I'm looking forward to Day One in the House – for entertainment purposes only.
So many possibilities, so many past statements to be re-presented as questions to Ministers!
Glad to amuse you Robert though I'm not much of an archer. Yes it pisses me off that it was rarely if ever mentioned that as the Police had been saying, they had pretty much arrested all the likely suspects and it would all peter out. I see a lot of countries from Australia to Germany seem to be having the same rash of ram raids, a crime as old as the automobile
Although, there was one person of interest, a snappy dresser in a 3piece brown suit, if 60s style wide lapels, garish ties and a wrong side of town vibe and a big mouth could be called snappy, more sappy to my way of thinking and who always appeared to be there before the cameras and possibly even the cops and yet seemed to know the whole story. Interesting!!!
Ram raiding goes in and out of fashion. I had a couple of "friends of friends" who were quite keen on it about 30 years ago. They were older and they did the big stuff – warehouses at night, not corner Dairies. Some of them went to jail, some did not – and they all gave it away.
And Adrian, I know exactly which greasy, waka-jumping opportunist to whom you refer!
Luxon will inevitably claim for success in reducing ram raids, even though it happened before he was sworn in.
Nah – they are all paralysed with fear of the divine, all-seeing wrath of Mark Mitchell. Surely?
Adrian, Made a comment to him indoors about where some of those millions might have been spent.