“There is good reason to confine these elections to a party caucus. MPs are generally well briefed on policy issues and aware of the national interest. They also work closely with leadership contenders and are best-placed to assess their character and capabilities.”
Saarbo @ 1. This is great really. Granny showing the depth of her true colours. Perfect justification to scorn and lambast the meddlesome, clutching of the pearls hypocrisy she launches against democracy. Dismiss, dismiss, dismiss !
The Herald [of big money interests] refers to good governance:
“This carries risks not just for Labour but for the good government of New Zealand… ~ The Herald [Propaganda]
What good governance is that referring to?
This comment appears to entirely ignore the way that our legislation is being ‘rushed through’ at every turn and how we have recently incurred a massive lost to our democratic rights and principles.
It appears to ignore that there is an increasing yawning gap between the most wealthy and the least in this country.
These two issues alone prove that the governance in our country over, really, a very long time is a complete failure.
This carries risks not just for Labour but for the good government of New Zealand if the consensus between the two major parties on economic fundamentals is undermined by a leader’s public commitments in a campaign for the party’s vote.
The consensus? Does Granny mean selling New Zealand legislation to campaign donors? Or subsidising Rio Tinto?
There is no alternative? Really, Granny? Are you sure?
The NZ Herald is effectively stating that the wishes of the people of New Zealand must be subordinated to some other structure. The Herald is promoting some form of higher power than that of the people.
The Herald has lost the plot.
The Herald can go wander down to the local turgid creek and drown itself all alone.
Even Brian Edwards doesn’t want a democratic process to select the leader. No wonder National has managed to erode so many democratic rights, the media actually don’t much like democracy either.
perhaps its because many will have to leave wellington to cover the contest?
There were also rumours that Mr Cunliffe was offering positions to some MPs in return for their support. Mr Cunliffe has denied that but the rumours indicate the campaign might not be as clean as the party hierarchy is hoping.
So Labour’s own dirty tricks brigade is back in full swing? Where’s Trevor Mallard? Or could it be closer to Cunliffe’s home city this time?
Yesterday you were supporting Jones. To quote you said “Shane Jones should lead labour, he’s the only guy out of the three who has the goods.” and now you are supporting Robertson.
Provided the candidates in the contest behave like adults during the contest, the media will have no option but to write substance…
I switched from TV1 news some years ago but after Gowers “coverage” yesterday I may leave that channel too.
To my mind his job is to advise me what is going on and who is saying what. He sees his job as giving me his opinion not facts. Why do political jounos and politicians think we are all too stupid to make up our own minds.
They also havent caught on that selection via a party wide vote is how the greens have elected their leaders for ages. They talk as if its some new crazy thing
They are also heavily editing comments on John Armstrong’s piece this morning .. I wrote a fairly innocuous comment ( innocuous in terms of needing moderating) and it has failed to appear … in fact there are zero comments showing.
Just ban the printed Herald from our lives. I bought it in the 70s and 80s to see what the bosses were up to today. But have not plunked down loose change for two decades now, yes I admit scanning it online and if the paper version goes totally down the web version would be pay to read or disappear too. Yay.
The dirty filthy Eastern Suburbs toffs that kept the rag going all the 20th century lying, misleading and distorting reality for New Zealanders. Yay. Truth has gone too. Don’t buy the Herald and if there is one at work or a cafe–bin it, do us all a favour.
You can see the fear in granny and the other MSM outlets when the potential for genuine change to rock their isolated and priviledged world appears.
They are part of the problem and don’t want the solution.
Funny thing is if TVNZ hadn’t been so anti charter and waged war against it they could’ve been an outlet not so easy to flog as it stands now under the nats but then Ellis didn’t take over $1m p.a. to strengthen the nations voice but to bark it’s owners tune.
It seems odd how little coverage at stuff and herald brownlee’s loss in the High Court yesterday has taken.
Despite spending lots of time in the media and their original defence talking about the drawback to rewarding people who didn’t take out insurance according to Cameron (Lawyer for owners) it never came up in the case.
Brownlee says he will consider an Appeal.
The point is the High Court has found that Brownlee and CERA did not apply the law as stated.
Isn’t this just more bullying type behaviour by brownlee? 50% or nothing. Take it or leave it we are bigger than you. brownlee spending our money on trying to uphold his belief that Insurance companies will be harmed if the law is upheld.
Maybe he is drafting a bill under urgency to overturn the Court.
Thank God for the Courts. No wonder the nats don’t like the judiciary at the moment.
Note that key’s promise that no one would be worse off because of the govt’s offer for their land is currently a lie. It remains a lie until he can overturn the decision or bring in urgent legislation to make himself right.
LABOUR’S GOT TALENT: just love this little put down line from Key and Whaleoil about our selection process: that kind of smug sneer at something everyday NZers love and want to celebrate- good people getting up and having a go- is just what you’d expect from an elite so out of touch they dont recognise real emotion and public feeling: either pain or, in this case, determination and passion. Yep, damn right Labour’s got talent: and one way or another, you are going to feel it.
Nah too busy worshipping the National “talent” or lack of it in fools like N. Guy, H. Parata, P. Bennett, G. Brownlee, J. Collins, J. Keystroke et al, bottom of the barrel stuff.
Despite being a stone’s throw from the end of a main runway at Fiumicino, Europe’s sixth largest airport, which handles 37 million passengers a year, Mr Basili said there was no cause for fear over flight safety. “This is a limited phenomenon – it will not have created alarm at the airport,” he said.
Ye Gods. I just read Brian Edwards take on things regarding the Labour leadership contest. I wish he had never started a blog. Better to keep your mouth shut and the reputation forged in your youth intact than retiring, writing a blog, and presenting for all to see your sad descent into a bewildered old age. The poor old bugger is stuck in New Zealand circa 1973, he clearly has no idea of the dynamics of New Zealand in 2013.
Why are we so obsessed with people like Edwards. Yes of course he is getting old and wanders a bit but he is also allowed to have an opinion. So many on this forum seem to see him as some sort of enemy and I am sure that is not correct. He has expressed certain opinions and that should be end of it.
Can we not just accept differences and stop using these forums for personal attacks on people
The right/corporate media looks set to go full retard on Labour. It’ll be a rerun of the response that we got from the electricity policy announcement.
It would be best if the Cunliffe/Robertson/Jones camps coordinated their media to frustrate the likes of Paddy Gower et al.
And maybe gag Trev and throw him in a cupboard for a month would help too. (that’s a joke! not advocating violence!) 😀
….When the announcement was made, anticipating a move of this nature, it occurred to me briefly that I should go and download as many ‘Shearer pages’, as many speeches as I could. You never know when such documents might become useful, and I remembered how difficult it was for me to track down some of the things that John Key said when he was deputy leader of National, simply because as soon as he became leader his comms people decided that his record had to be reset, and all previous statements in service of another master deleted.
So: I knew about this, I fully expected this, and yet I was surprised at how quickly it happened, almost as if a measure of glee was being taken in scrubbing off the old leader’s likeness. Were I in the appropriate mood, I might reach for such historical precedents as the chiselling off of the symbols of a hated dictatorship or, more pointedly, the removal from the photographic record of the people who could no longer be seen to have been close to comrade Stalin. After all, with no hyperbole whatsoever, it’s the exact same logic at work: one that negates history, or rather that asserts the prerogative of power to continually write and re-write the past according to the needs of the present…
..they dance around the english language like constipated dogs trying to work it out..
..bridges totally over-masticates his words..and then sprays surrounding environs with the remains..
..and tremain and guy..(who i call heckle and jeckel..(old cartoon..look it up..and wonder at the spooky similarites..)
..both of them are glottal/strangled-word disasters..(tremain in particular..)
..and of course guy when on his own is called ‘clutch cargo’..(once again..old cartoon..look it up..be spooked again..(and be really spooked how guy has that whole clutch thing of just the lips moving when speaking down just so..
..and really..for everyones’ peace of mind..guy should be asked to disrobe..to prove there are no wires sticking out/plugged into him..
..and then of course there is jonathan ‘cigar-boy’ coleman..and his peculiar habit of tossing a handful of marbles into his mouth..before speaking..(so if you listen carefully…you can hear them rolling/bouncing off each other)
..and of course todd (‘pompadour’) mclay..doesn’t toss marbles into his mouth..
..he stuffs his full of plums…
..is it a basic requirement of being a young(er) tory male mp..?
..to talk weird..?
..(the evidence is overwhelming..)
..and i can hear you asking:..’but what about craig ‘the hapless one’ foss..?..you’ve left him out..’
..the thing is with foss..i am still so dazzled by his haplessness..
Is it true that when someone asked him about where he lives he said some malarkey about because his wife wanted to breastfeed?
If true (and I read it on “other” blogs so I’ll concede it may be wrong) he’ll have to watch comments like that because people can see right through things like that, if true of course.
Should have just said hes worked hard to get to where he is and wants to give everyone else the same opportunity for success or something similar
Crikey, when did you become concerned about political leaders lying? Or are you concerned for him that he doesn’t lie well enough to beat the current King (Key)?
All politicians lie, John Key lies, Helen Clark lied, whoever becomes the leader of Labour will lie, everyone lies especially politicians
What interests me is that there are some lies the voting public accept and some they don’t. It appears to me that the smaller the lie the less likely the voting public is to accept it.
In regards to the labour leadership I’m more the interested neutral party in that while I have opinions on who should lead I’m trying to see from the viewpoint of whats best for labour
Putting aside the obvious hilarity of your last paragraph (!!!), you’re onto something with this:
“the smaller the lie the less likely the voting public is to accept it.”
although I’d look at it through a slightly different lens. I don’t think it’s the size of the lie per se, but rather the point of it.
I’ve been thinking about corruption lately. I think as a society we’ve become accustomed to the idea that we’re all competing individuals seeking advantage over one another. Only a short while ago this would have been considered highly anti-social thinking, but now it’s the norm. A few decades of user-pays free-marketing has made selfishness acceptable, and greed admirable.
When someone is caught lying to further their own interests, instead of judging the behaviour as anti-social and corrupt we understand that that’s just what you do these days. You look after number one. And while we might not always openly praise someone for lying and scheming in their own interest, we grudgingly accept it. We say “who can blame them?” We say “they’d be silly not to”.
And in this selfish, individualistic, dog-eat-dog paradigm, it’s true. We’ve all become corrupt to one degree or another, we’ve done so simply by following the rules of the game. And the rules are look out for number one and never give a sucker an even break. And because we’ve all become corrupted to an extent, we accept the same corruption in others. We expect people to be trying to do us over at every turn.
So when John Key looks down the barrel of the camera and flat out lies about, for example, how many shares he owns, and then gets caught, and then immediately changes his story, we don’t even blink. Because he’s just doing exactly what we expect everyone to be doing, being dishonest in service of his own interests.
And I think that’s why we let these “big” lies go. Because it’s the norm. It’s what you’re meant to do according to the rules of the game. As long as it’s obvious that you’re lying to protect or advance yourself, it’s totally understandable.
Just don’t ever get caught lying for no good selfish greedy dog-eat-dog reason, or we’ll start wondering what flaw in your character you’re trying to cover up.
Yes I’d agree theres some truth to that but I’d go further and suggest it also depends on what has been said before
For instance we know National are for big business and we know Labour are for the battlers so when JK lies (maybe) about his shares thats no big deal but when Shearer “forgot” about his 50 000 plus that was a big deal
However if JK (whos portrayed himself as a good family man) had been cheating on his missus and tried to cover it up I think the public wouldn’t forgive him
For instance we know National are for big business and we know Labour are for the battlers
This by W Smith is a telling point, really the nub of our problem in NZ. Between NACT for Big Business and the battlers supposedly Labour’s congregation, there is a huge yawning gap where most NZs are. That’s those who are able and willing to build and create and contribute and support a vital economically sound NZ. Most of Big Business is looking over their heads to international interests, the battlers and strugglers are at their feet pecking over the trickle down droppings, and wondering what the hell is going on up there, because it sure is hell down here.
Most NZ is by Winston’s summary, unpolitically unrepresented. Who they gonna call – Ghostbusters? Now those fellas really stuck it to the green slime.
He’ll never fall on his sword. He’ll have to be hounded out of the village with pitchforks, torches and rough music.
We’ve accepted that he lies about money and business and that it’s normal. It’s now considered part of his charm. It’s part of his brand that he’s wiley and cunning and no-one gets one over him.
He can lie his lying arse off and we’re all ok with it because in the world we live in that’s no longer considered an undesirable trait.
Which is why Key is so happy to call Cunliffe a liar any chance he gets. If he and Winston Smith keep on spreading the meme that all politicians lie, then he can merrily carry on being a liar himself. If he gets caught out who’s gonna care except Blip and a few other lefties on the Standard?
“Steal a little and they throw you in jail. Steal a lot and they make you king.” Bob Dylan
“Is it true that when someone asked him about where he lives he said some malarkey about because his wife wanted to breastfeed?”
Only what I’ve read on ts, but he apparently said that his wife was breastfeeding and needed to live closer to her work. That is a completely valid reason for choosing where to live.
Sure it is *insert any vague reference to buying a bridge*
Look theres nothing wrong with being successful and having the money to choose where you live but don’t drag your family into it because now his familys fair game
ie Are your kids still brest feeding, when you will be moving back closer to the people you purport to represent and if not why not etc etc
I’m not commenting on Cunliffe’s choices. I’m stating that moving so you are closer to work while breastfeeding is a completely valid reason. Some people here seem to be saying it’s not.
Why he feels he doesn’t live near those he represents, the inference being that hes using the people to further his own ends but doesn’t want to live near the hoi-polloi
John Key reckons its fine to live and holiday far away from the electorate he represents; Cunliffe on the other hand is actually IN the electorate he represents all the time.
“Why he feels he doesn’t live near those he represents, the inference being that hes using the people to further his own ends but doesn’t want to live near the hoi-polloi”
Do you have any evidence that Cunliffe lives where he lives in order to avoid living next to some people in his electorate (as opposed to the ones he does live near of course)? Or any evidence that the reason Cunliffe gave (his wife’s breastfeeding needs) was a lie?
“A heavy shower sweeps across Auckland as the Herald heads towards the College Rifles Sports Club. It’s late June and the rain has been coming and going all day, and all month. It’s the sort of weather that’s killed off many a sports event, but there’s no need to worry on this occasion. In 2009 the club installed synthetic turf on its two rugby fields, rendering cancellations a thing of the past.
Located a couple of hundred metres off Remuera Rd in a flood-prone valley, the playing surfaces at the historical club have traditionally been terrible.
‘It was a s***hole,” says club manager Derek Rope.
Synthetic turf has come a long way. Up close it looks and almost feels like real grass, with little black rubber balls and flakes mimicking dirt. The lush carpet cost the club $2 million, $500,000 of which came from gaming trusts.
Synthetic turf also covers the scrum practice area and the netball and tennis courts. There’s a brand new pavilion, state-of-the-art gym and 32-bed accommodation block for touring sports teams.
The club’s bad days are well and truly behind it, thanks in part to its success in accessing gaming trust money. Seven trusts have kicked in over $1 million to help fund the redevelopment projects, and there is more to come. The club has already secured $300,000 of trust money to put towards the final phase of its development, a swimming pool complex, and is hoping to raise that figure by another $200,000.
Clubs like College Rifles in Remuera have developed programmes and facilities using gambling money. Photo / Richard RobinsonClubs like College Rifles in Remuera have developed programmes and facilities using gambling money. Photo / Richard Robinson
Given that just 23 of the country’s 17,534 pokies are situated in Remuera, it’s hardly a surprise that a club that began life in 1897 with a membership of military personnel drawn from Auckland’s schools has been held up as the poster child for the dubious wealth redistribution that accompanies the gaming trust model.
“Why should poor people in Mangere be supplying first-class facilities in Remuera?” Maori Party MP Te Ururoa Flavell asked when he launched his ill-fated Gambling Harm Reduction Bill.
It’s a fair question, and one Mr Rope doesn’t duck. “People say it’s a Remuera rich club – it’s not,” he says.
For something completely different Charter schools in the UK a complete failure after years: of trialing charter schools which have the advantage of new buildings and public and private funding have shown an initial burst of achievement all be it less than public schools then a continual decline the independent uk reported today.
Looking forward to seeing a front bench reshuffle under DC. Parker should keep finance, but I suspect the others will be up. Ardern for all her promise has allowed Bennet to sail on, Hipkiss a failure V Parata, and who does housing, and health??
Key looking desperate even as he claims Cunliffe will be desperate to be PM at all costs and take Norman on as deputy of finance minister. Typical rightie that Key – manages to project all his shortcomings on to the opposition.
PS: The comments below the article mostly say Key is the desperate liar.
I would prefer to see Gerry Brownlee as the next Natz leader in opposition. Even though they’re both vindictive snakes, big Ger is a bit better at hiding it. Whoever it is, Keys days are clearly numbered.
might want to send a memo to Collins about that. It’s all very well being personally popular, but that doesn’t help her keep her cabinet post if Nats only get 45% in 2014.
“Wellington Central MP Grant Robertson said he paid for taxis and accommodation himself, but his airfare was covered by taxpayers.
“As a parliamentarian I am able to use parliamentary resources to fly wherever I like in the country, that’s part of the arrangement we have.
“I think you should refer those inquiries about what we are allowed to do to Parliamentary Services because they set the rules.”
He said MPs’ salaries were reduced years ago on the basis that the ability to fly around the country was provided.
“My judgement is that I will not be using any other resources apart from that.” ”
Cool, more sense of entitlement.
” Deputy leaders
Each member of Parliament who is the deputy leader of a party whose members in the House of Representatives number not less than 25—
Base salary 179,300
plus
For each additional member of the party in the House of Representatives over 25 up to a maximum of 35 610
plus
For each additional member of the party in the House of Representatives over 35 up to a maximum of 45 340 ”
Love and hate – both emotional and highly excitable states. I guess that volatility could result in reversal. What would make the complacent hate Key? It would have to be something that would hurt them personally.
“Deputy leaders
Each member of Parliament who is the deputy leader of a party whose members in the House of Representatives number not less than 25—
Base salary 182,800
plus
For each additional member of the party in the House of Representatives over 25 up to a maximum of 35 630
plus
For each additional member of the party in the House of Representatives over 35 up to a maximum of 45 360 ”
That any of them cant pay for anything associated with their latest job application is beyond me.
CV, ‘Native Affairs’ my friend, i found that quite an enlightening interview of the 3, Native Affairs for some strange reason seems to always elicit a better view of the people it interviews than the mainstream,
Shane Jones didn’t say anything there which would raise my opinion of Him, the reverse in fact, Jone’s faux ‘one of the boys in the smoko room’ line is simply cringe worthy,
David Cunliffe scored best with His ‘governments have the right to change gambling legislation and SkyCity better be prepared’ line and while i am not a gushing groupy Cunliffe leads in my opinion of who should win this contest,
Jones seems haughty for all his common man claims: often with his head tilted back and looking down his nose. Robertson looks like he’s doing a job interview – too wordy and sounds more like a backroom worker than someone to front for the party. Cunliffe is composed, clear, and has some short sharp answers – looks like a leader.
“..bloody hell..!…ruth dyson is actually doing better than any of the three contenders..up against key..
..(dyson is expressing potent disgust at keys’ laughing/sneering at/saying that screwing vacant land owners out of 50% of their land values was ‘fun’..)
..and the strength of dysons’ performance is because of the fire in her belly..(and cunnliffe/robertson could do worse than take note of that..and spark up..!..)..”
+1 Dyson really kicked arse in the house today. The news at six even covered the story reasonably well so that the National voters with a few brain cells to rub together will be thinking twice about continuing their support.
It’s bad enough that the government is trying to force people in Christchurch to sell their land at half its value, but to say that it’s their fault because they didn’t have land insurance is despicable! There is no land insurance available, which is something a Prime Minister with even half a brain would comprehend.
What is the point in the current government appealing the courts ruling when they will surely lose? What a god damn waste of taxpayers money.
that these guys claim to champion the poor but think if parliamentary services says they can charge something to us they will… at least so far robertson will.
Bollocks. We live in a democracy and parliamentary representation is one of the guarantees of that. All parties get funded the same way from parliamentary services and the deal is that MP’s get free flights on our taxpayer owned airline. It’s been that way, or similar, for decades. Railways before that. A few weeks ago, the taxpayer paid for every Nat MP to fly to Nelson to have their conference. Did you complain then? Remember, the Tories also claim to champion the poor. Ask Appaller Bennett, she’s all about giving the poor a helping hand round the head and a loving boot up the arse.
The 3 candidates are flying around the country in an exercise in democracy. This is not only historic, it’s an entirely appropriate use of the Parliamentary budget. Don’t buy into the right’s meme ‘o’ the day, Tracey.
That’s a hopeless, contextless quote. This one is better:
Mr Cunliffe responded to Mr Key’s comments this morning, saying: “Mr Key probably ought not make statements about other people telling lies because his record might not be entirely clean.”
Mr Cunliffe again ruled out appointing Dr Norman as finance minister under a Labour government.
“But I have said that he is an able and senior politician with whom we would have a good relationship and there could be a place for him within our economic team. It would not be as minister of finance.”
War! more war!
US forces to strike Syria (pending).
If Key sends troops — he is nothing more than his ulta ego
Obama.
The Smiling Assassin and the Mass murderer.
What a combination.
Robert Reich is very good, but in my opinion he doesn’t go as deep as Chris Hedges and Richard Wolff in explaining how this has all come about.
Essentially, the civil movements which were crucial in pressuring and forcing the politicians to create the New Deal were, over decades, deliberately dismantled, co-opted, undermined and destroyed.
It pays to remember how much pressure was required to make Roosevelt and the corporate/banking elite agree to the New Deal. Hundreds of workers, unemployed, activitists were killed in the process, during the Great Depression.
Today the Democrats are just as much friends of big oil, big pharma and big banking, as the Republicans. The civil movements which used to pressure for political economic change for the working class and underclass are long dead.
And so, the corporate and banking elite have the whole playing field their way now.
“That voter, in my judgment,” he claims, “will be more likely to vote his economic interests than he will anything else. And that is the voter that I think through a fairly slow but very steady process, will go Republican.” Because race no longer matters: “In my judgment Karl Marx [is right]… the real issues ultimately will be the economic issues.” He continues, in words that uncannily echo the “47 percent tape” (nothing new under the wingnut sun), that “statistically, as the number of non-producers in the system moves toward fifty percent,” the conservative coalition cannot but expand. Voila: a new Republican majority. Racism won’t have anything to do with it.
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When Parliament passed the Intelligence and security Act in 2017, they assured us all that it was full of safeguards. Any intrusive surveillance of New Zealanders would be subject to a "triple lock", requiring the approval of the Minister and (supposedly independent) Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants, as well as post-facto ...
Eric Crampton writes – Richard Harman’s Politik newsletter provides a bit of the context that ought to have been showing up in other media reports on potential reductions in public service staffing. Media has been reporting on staffing cuts on the order of about 7%. Is that ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – It’s becoming increasingly apparent that many perceive free speech to have become the preserve of the politically right wing, the religiously conservative, the libertarian fringe, the anti-trans, the anti-Māori and…. well, just fill in with whatever groups or individuals you don’t like and don’t ...
Don Brash writes – As everybody who is not blind and deaf is aware, there is a huge political preoccupation with climate change at the moment, a widespread (though by no means unanimous) belief that global temperatures are rising mainly as a result of the greenhouse gases created ...
TL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy on Wednesday, March 27 include:Chris Bishop laid out his vision for filling Aotearoa-NZ’s $100 billion infrastructure deficit in a speech yesterday, emphasising user pays and private funding, but failed to say how to achieve bipartisanship on population, public borrowing and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Former Finance Minister Grant Robertson and former Prime Minister Chris Hipkins have been conveying how unhappy they are with the tax system. Last week in his valedictory speech, Robertson called for the introduction of a wealth or capital gains tax. And this week Hipkins ...
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 ...
Buzz from the Beehive China has loomed large in Beehive considerations over the past 24 hours, largely because of that country’s mischief-making in the cyber espionage department. Two media statements emerged on that subject hard on the heels of the PM baulking at questions put to him on RNZ’s Morning ...
Chris Trotter writes – WHY IS THE NATIONAL PARTY doing so much for landlords, property developers, trucking, and construction companies, and so little for everybody who isn’t already pretty well-off? It’s as if protecting landlords’ investments and building apartments and roads now constitute the whole of National’s ...
Bryce Edwards writes – When she was campaigning to be Minister of Finance last year, Nicola Willis pledged that she would resign from the job if she failed to deliver tax cuts in her first Budget. Now, it’s that pledge, along with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s ...
Robert MacCulloch writes – The Reserve Bank has doubled staff numbers in five years to 510, with personnel costs rising to $80 million in 2023 from $32 million in 2018 – up by a whopping 150%. I guess when you print $50 billion and flood markets with liquidity, ...
The furore. In case you didn’t notice there was a controversy in the weekend involving dolphins in a little town off the South Island. Don’t panic, they haven’t declared independence and resumed whaling, this was simply a sailing event.The problem began when racing was cancelled on the opening day of ...
For 20 years or more, the case for a meaningful capital tax gains has been mulled over and analysed to death, including by the tax working group chaired by Sir Michael Cullen. More than once, the International Monetary Fund has said a CGT would be a good idea for New ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: The Public Health Communications Centre (PHCC) call for urgent preventive action and a risk assessment survey of long covid in this briefing noteLocal scoop: NZ road deaths surpass OECD rates, so why is the govt reversing safety plans? ...
This story was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. This story is part of a collaboration with Grist and WABE to demystify the Georgia Public Service Commission, the small but powerful state-elected board that makes critical decisions about everything from raising ...
This is a guest post from Robert McLachlan Global warming is accelerating; 2023 was off the charts. We need to stop burning fossil fuels. In New Zealand, transport accounts for half of all fossil fuels burnt. In the Emissions Reduction Plan, transport emissions fall 41% by 2035. As the ...
Labour productivity has been receding rapidly over the past two years, reversing a post-lockdown rise. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy as at 6:26am on Tuesday, March 26 include:Workers have been treading water in output per hour worked for 12 years, ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 2 include:Today, Parliament resumes sitting at 2pm for the second week of a two-week session. Officials for SIS and GCSB report their annual reviews in public to the Intelligence and Security Select Committee from 5.10pm.Tomorrow, ...
Faced with a barrage of criticism over the promised tax cuts from usually supportive commentators, Finance Minister Nicola Willis yesterday reaffirmed her intention to include them in this year’s Budget. The Government is up against it over the cuts just about every way it turns. Commentators like Fran O’Sullivan, Matthew ...
Here’s my pick of today’s substack posts as of 6:26pm on Monday, March 25: writes via his substack that Market-rate housing will make your city cheaper writes via his substack about the problems talking to double-cab ute (truck) drivers about their vehicles. today about moments of radicalisation in ...
Buzz from the Beehive Just before Christmas, Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivered something that was pitched as a mini-budget and brayed about the decisive action being taken to repair the Government books and support income tax relief in Budget 2024. In a statement headed Fiscal repair job underway. she introduced ...
My sister Belinda asked Dad yesterday what one word would describe Mum best. He said: vivacious.If you only knew her from the photos on the slideshow we've made for today,you might wonder about that, because the camera tended to lie with Mum.If ever she saw a camera pointed at her, she ...
There are two major public consultations closing in the next week, Auckland Council’s Long Term Plan (LTP), and the draft Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS). Closing dates and times: LTP closes Thursday 28 February, at 11.59pm – a minute to midnight! GPS closes Tuesday 2 April, at 12pm noon – note that’s ...
From Kiwiblog’s David Farrar – Bryce Wilkinson writes: Senior Fellow Bryce Wilkinson’s analysis reveals that since March 2009, New Zealand has spent $158 billion more overseas than it has earned, but its NIIP has only fallen by $32 billion.Statistics New Zealand shows that receipts from overseas reinsurers have ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition? Brian Easton writes – The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could ...
Dear Nicola Willis,Right now you’ve probably got lots of competing demands coming at you. Ministers who’ve inherited quite a mess, or so you’ve told us, looking for money in the budget to improve things. I imagine that’s why they came to parliament - to make things better.You’ll have to make ...
The Local Government, Transport and Auckland Minister hasthreatened councils with intervention if they don’t merge water assets to take them off balance sheet, just as the now-repealed Three Waters plan directed. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things of note this morning for Monday, March 25 include:Simeon ...
A listing of 36 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 17, 2024 thru Sat, March 23, 2024. Story of the week Thanks to John Mason having the stamina to sit down to watch "Climate - the Movie" ...
This morning the Q&A programme had Simeon Brown on to talk about National’s replacement for Three Waters. In case anyone’s forgotten the three are - drinking water, waste water, and sewerage. It’s quite important not to get them mixed up. In much the same way that you wouldn’t want to ...
Today’s newsletter comes with a mini-podcast conversation between me and my buddy Liv Tennet, talking about her time as a child actor in Lord of the Rings. It’s a conversation with a lot of giggles as she talks about falling off a horse, and becoming a meme. Read ...
The Desmog Climate Disinformation Database documents, "individuals and organisations that have helped to delay and distract the public and our elected leaders from taking needed action to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and fight global warming." It's a who's who of the organised climate change denial movement, in other words. In ...
Bob Edlin writes – A High Court judge has decided miscreants who have mana – or who claim to have mana – should be treated differently from miscreants who have none. It’s a ruling that suggests indigenous law-breakers have a better chance of securing a discharge without conviction ...
Welcome to the first, and possibly last, edition of Brickbats, Bouquets and Bull’s Wool. In which I’ll take a look at the events of the last week or so, and rate them.In such ratings the numbers usually have more to do with the opinions of the reviewer, than the actual ...
Roger Partridge writes – My earlier column this month, New Zealand’s highest court could be facing a turning point, prompted a flood of feedback from business readers and lawyers alike. A common query was what Parliament can do to restrain an overreaching judiciary. This week I discuss two steps Parliament ...
TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.16pm on Friday, March 22: writes about New Zealand's Building Boom—And What the World Must Learn From It over at his substack. challenges the Auckland Council’s use of a 3.8 degrees of warming forecast to oppose a wave-park and data centre project ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition?The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could deliver her promised income tax cuts. Appointed minister, she ...
Buzz from the Beehive Ministers of the Crown have drawn attention to one sector of the science sector which is unlikely to be subjected to heavy spending cuts, a state-funded broadcaster which is doing nicely, thank you, and a sporting event that had $5.4 million from the public purse puffed ...
Abbott’s Freestyle Libre sensors allow continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). The sensor is applied to the back of the patient’s arm, with a thin filament under the skin measuring glucose levels constantly. But it costs around $100 per sensor and must be replaced once every 14 days. Photo by BSIP/Universal Images ...
The Inspector General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) recently released a report in which he exposes the existence of a foreign intelligence partner-controlled technological “capability” inside the headquarters of the GCSB, NZ’s 5 Eyes-affiliated signals intelligence collection and analysis agency. … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – Nearly three decades after the introduction of MMP and multiparty governments there should be a greater level of understanding about their finer points than often appears to be the case. The reaction to the despicable outburst from the Deputy Prime Minister at the weekend highlights ...
The sweet kisses from fruit of summerHave slowly been turning dullerYou say, "those times"And "remember the daysWhen we went outside and there still was the shade?"Taking no reason into play…Autumn. Clear, blue days shortening to longer nights, growing colder. Aotearoa.That’s us. The temperature dropping, the looming car crash - so ...
Bryce Edwards writes – “It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April ...
David Farrar writes – The Electoral Commission has published the expense returns for political parties for the 2023 election. I’ve put them in a table with how many votes a party got so we can see the spend per vote. National only spent $3.34 for every vote they got, almost ...
Winston Peters’ headline-making actions over the past week may have been a show of political power intended to strengthen his hand in Budget negotiations. It was no accident that his State of the Nation speech was as it was. He made it as New Zealand First Leader, not as Deputy ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:Former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson bowed out of politics this week, giving a series of exit ...
Graham Adams writes — If you love the law or sausages, as the saying goes, best not to look too closely at how they are made. And after watching the orgy of self-pity when Newshub’s closure was announced on February 28, television journalism should definitely be added to the list of those ...
Venerable New Zealand political commentator, Chris Trotter (https://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/), is a sad creature these days. Once one of the most reliable Leftist writers out there – Economic Left at that – Trotter seems to have absorbed the worldview of Auckland culture-war obsessives. It is not for me to categorise what he ...
The cruelty of short-term memory loss is that each time you ask where she is, you get the fresh shock and grief of the news. That was Dad's day yesterday.Comfortingly, it seems to be less so today. Last night he looked crumpled, today he seems more settled. There's a card ...
The Coalition Government’s plan to ‘get Auckland moving’ is a cuts cover-up that will ultimately cost Aucklanders more to move around the city, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Slashing the Ministry of Pacific Peoples by 40% will have a devastating impact on pacific communities and further highlights how little this government cares about anything other than cutting taxes for the wealthiest few. ...
Labour has proposed an urgent inquiry to investigate the ever-increasing profits of supermarkets, aiming to lower costs for shoppers and food producers alike, says Labour Spokesperson for Commerce and Consumer Affairs Arena Williams and Primary Production Spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel. ...
With 14% of jobs on the line at the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, the responsible Minister Melissa Lee is failing to stand up for the very communities she’s meant to be representing. ...
COURT OF APPEAL: TRIFECTA OF VICTORY FOR NZ FIRST, TRIFECTA OF FAILURE FOR OPPONENTS For the third time since April 2020, New Zealand First has defeated the Serious Fraud Office and all those complicit in a malicious attack against a political party going about its lawful business in a lawful ...
The Green Party stands with people who live in public housing, people in dire housing need, experts and advocates in demanding better than the Government’s archaic approach to housing those who need our support the most. ...
New Zealand has recently lost the hosting rights of some major international sporting events including the America’s Cup, the Rugby Championship, Netball World Cup, and the Wellington Sevens. We are now at a huge risk of losing SailGP as well. And it won’t stop there. The recent issues with SailGP ...
A Member’s Bill drawn this week would modernise insurance law and make things fairer and more transparent for consumers, Christchurch Central MP Duncan Webb said. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues has confirmed she was aware of funding issues in mid-December and did nothing to stop it. On 14 March, she signed off on changes that were announced and implemented on 18 March without any consultation with disability communities. ...
Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter says her members' bill is an opportunity for the coalition government to plug the gap in electric vehicle incentives. ...
The National Government continues to talk about irresponsible tax cuts that will only drive up inflation, despite the country entering a technical recession. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues must act urgently to reinstate flexibility around the funding for disability support and apologise to disabled carers. ...
This story has been initiated by a leftie shill reporter who proactively sought to call a member of a former band, which disbanded twelve years ago, give their biased appraisal of what was said in my speech, and concocted a ham-fisted attempt at a story that does nothing but show ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Many in the mainstream media have taken what was said in New Zealand First’s State of the Nation Speech in Palmerston North on Sunday and deliberately, deceitfully, and ignorantly misrepresented what I said and why I said it. The headlines and commentary on the news stated that I compared ‘co-governance ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
Good afternoon. Thank you for, in your very busy lives, turning up to this meeting today. On October 14th last year New Zealanders overwhelmingly voted for change. That is exactly what this new government is bringing. New Zealand First campaigned to ‘take back our country’ and stop the disastrous economic ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April. “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates. Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend. “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says. Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track. “Dam safety regulations ...
The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says. “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says. “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009. ...
The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function. The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union. “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says. “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
Good morning, it’s great to be here. First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning. I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed. “Northland has faced a number ...
New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
Opposition MPs and unions are criticising a proposal by New Zealand’s Ministry of Pacific Peoples to cut staff by 40 percent. The country’s largest trade union — The Public Service Association — says the ministry has informed staff that it is looking to shed 63 of 156 positions. Opposition MPs ...
A poem by Poetry Aotearoa Yearbook 2024 featured poet Carin Smeaton. Daughtr of the 90s when she gets promoted to usherette a baby blu eel carries her all the way up to mothership she’s hovering high she lets the underaged in to see keanu reeves she lets the only lonely ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Keith Rankin, trained as an economic historian, is a retired lecturer in Economics and Statistics. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand. My earlier article – Can ‘Good’ be the Greater Evil? – looked at the issue of how wars should end, and how Good versus Evil ...
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 AMMA by Saraid de Silva (Moa Press, $38)A stunning debut novel reviewed by Brannavan ...
From Steve Martin to Ricky Stanicky, a pick’n’mix of things worth watching and listening to this long weekend. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. If you’re at a loss for something to occupy yourself with this Easter, don’t panic: The Spinoff’s got ...
Jesus had dinner with his 12 disciples right before he died. Noted historian Madeleine Chapman finds out who really deserved to be there.First published in 2018 but let’s be honest, the subject is timeless. As you sit on your couch this Easter Sunday, eating a chocolate egg you know ...
The newly-promoted Northern League club is on a mission to return to the National League for the first time in two decades. Plenty about domestic football in New Zealand has changed in that time – but the sense that this amateur competition is not an entirely level playing field remains. ...
Auckland Council has put a deadline on new weather-impacted property owners applying for categorisation as government funding looks set to run out. Councillors have voted to support a deadline of September 30 for property owners who haven’t accessed support to come forward and engage with the council’s recovery office. It ...
NONFICTION 1 BBQ Economics by Liam Dann (Penguin Random House, $40) “It’s official,” wrote Dann nine days ago in the Herald, where he works as business editor at large, “we’re in recession.” Yeah, great. He delivered the bad stats: “GDP fell 0.1 percent in the December 2023 quarter, compared with ...
Comment: Every year on February 2, a dozen men in tuxedos and top hats approach the burrow of a groundhog in Gobbler’s Knob, Pennsylvania and entice the beaver-like rodent to emerge and predict the weather. If the groundhog, named Punxsutawney Phil, sees its own shadow when it is summoned, legend ...
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NZ Herald – Editorial today
Arguing the case AGAINST democracy.
“There is good reason to confine these elections to a party caucus. MPs are generally well briefed on policy issues and aware of the national interest. They also work closely with leadership contenders and are best-placed to assess their character and capabilities.”
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=11114759
Jeeez…I guess the Herald just wants their BORN TO RULE beloved National Party to run things…unbelievable.
Also from granny herald:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11114788
So much for secret voting eh…
Saarbo @ 1. This is great really. Granny showing the depth of her true colours. Perfect justification to scorn and lambast the meddlesome, clutching of the pearls hypocrisy she launches against democracy. Dismiss, dismiss, dismiss !
True colours alright.
The Herald [of big money interests] refers to good governance:
What good governance is that referring to?
This comment appears to entirely ignore the way that our legislation is being ‘rushed through’ at every turn and how we have recently incurred a massive lost to our democratic rights and principles.
It appears to ignore that there is an increasing yawning gap between the most wealthy and the least in this country.
These two issues alone prove that the governance in our country over, really, a very long time is a complete failure.
Good governance – what utter rot.
The consensus? Does Granny mean selling New Zealand legislation to campaign donors? Or subsidising Rio Tinto?
There is no alternative? Really, Granny? Are you sure?
That is astounding.
The NZ Herald is effectively stating that the wishes of the people of New Zealand must be subordinated to some other structure. The Herald is promoting some form of higher power than that of the people.
The Herald has lost the plot.
The Herald can go wander down to the local turgid creek and drown itself all alone.
Even Brian Edwards doesn’t want a democratic process to select the leader. No wonder National has managed to erode so many democratic rights, the media actually don’t much like democracy either.
perhaps its because many will have to leave wellington to cover the contest?
Well clearly then, Brian Edwards and the Herald need to be put out to pasture and some fresh air blown through the place.
They have become stale, bereft of clarity, empty of history, …..
Brian
Edwards
is
a
classic
waste
of
space
.
.
.
It seems there’s been an “economic consensus” between National and Labour that we haven’t been told about until now. (But we’ve all seen operating…)
So Labour’s own dirty tricks brigade is back in full swing? Where’s Trevor Mallard? Or could it be closer to Cunliffe’s home city this time?
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11114788
Does that mean don’t tell the public what you will do, so you can do what you like when elected?
Looks like a win to Robertson.
Excellent.
Hey BM changed your mind?
Yesterday you were supporting Jones. To quote you said “Shane Jones should lead labour, he’s the only guy out of the three who has the goods.” and now you are supporting Robertson.
Changed your mind?
He is an unofficial member of the ABC
ABC -ftw
ftw?
For The Win
Hey BM, I think it’s really brave of you to talk so openly about your fear of Cunliffe.
Well done.
You are obviously talking about for a National win.
“For Tory Win”?
An internet mannerism…stuck next to a comment or quip which is supposed to seal the argument.
Eg. Cunliffe has the experience to lead the country. And he does a great beard, FTW!
Moderators hate the comment as it can turn into “pwned” style trolling/flaming pretty quick.
Provided the candidates in the contest behave like adults during the contest, the media will have no option but to write substance…
I switched from TV1 news some years ago but after Gowers “coverage” yesterday I may leave that channel too.
To my mind his job is to advise me what is going on and who is saying what. He sees his job as giving me his opinion not facts. Why do political jounos and politicians think we are all too stupid to make up our own minds.
You must really hate Campbell Live.
I don’t watch it. If someone posts a clip here or elsewhere I might watch but as a rule I don’t.
They also havent caught on that selection via a party wide vote is how the greens have elected their leaders for ages. They talk as if its some new crazy thing
They are also heavily editing comments on John Armstrong’s piece this morning .. I wrote a fairly innocuous comment ( innocuous in terms of needing moderating) and it has failed to appear … in fact there are zero comments showing.
Censorship stinks.
perhaps they have been swamped with comments?
They always take ages to show comments on the herald.
That’s also my experience ..
Just ban the printed Herald from our lives. I bought it in the 70s and 80s to see what the bosses were up to today. But have not plunked down loose change for two decades now, yes I admit scanning it online and if the paper version goes totally down the web version would be pay to read or disappear too. Yay.
The dirty filthy Eastern Suburbs toffs that kept the rag going all the 20th century lying, misleading and distorting reality for New Zealanders. Yay. Truth has gone too. Don’t buy the Herald and if there is one at work or a cafe–bin it, do us all a favour.
You can see the fear in granny and the other MSM outlets when the potential for genuine change to rock their isolated and priviledged world appears.
They are part of the problem and don’t want the solution.
Funny thing is if TVNZ hadn’t been so anti charter and waged war against it they could’ve been an outlet not so easy to flog as it stands now under the nats but then Ellis didn’t take over $1m p.a. to strengthen the nations voice but to bark it’s owners tune.
Sums it up nicely.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=11114755
It seems odd how little coverage at stuff and herald brownlee’s loss in the High Court yesterday has taken.
Despite spending lots of time in the media and their original defence talking about the drawback to rewarding people who didn’t take out insurance according to Cameron (Lawyer for owners) it never came up in the case.
Brownlee says he will consider an Appeal.
The point is the High Court has found that Brownlee and CERA did not apply the law as stated.
Isn’t this just more bullying type behaviour by brownlee? 50% or nothing. Take it or leave it we are bigger than you. brownlee spending our money on trying to uphold his belief that Insurance companies will be harmed if the law is upheld.
Maybe he is drafting a bill under urgency to overturn the Court.
Thank God for the Courts. No wonder the nats don’t like the judiciary at the moment.
finally
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11114975
Note that key’s promise that no one would be worse off because of the govt’s offer for their land is currently a lie. It remains a lie until he can overturn the decision or bring in urgent legislation to make himself right.
Yet another judge that will not be appearing in the honours list
Interesting piece about the role and power of political blogs ..
http://inside.org.au/the-war-the-bloggers-won/
Everybody knows that politicians don’t read blogs… 🙂
What do you mean by that, Winston?
I think it’s a joke! (referring to Shearer saying that voters don’t read blogs, and that he doesn’t read blogs).
Yup
some like Jones (takere) post on them!
JOKE
Very funny – I put ‘takere’ into a meta-search engine and found nothing by Jones.
… and another.
http://inside.org.au/winning-the-battle-of-ideas/
LABOUR’S GOT TALENT: just love this little put down line from Key and Whaleoil about our selection process: that kind of smug sneer at something everyday NZers love and want to celebrate- good people getting up and having a go- is just what you’d expect from an elite so out of touch they dont recognise real emotion and public feeling: either pain or, in this case, determination and passion. Yep, damn right Labour’s got talent: and one way or another, you are going to feel it.
“Yep, damn right Labour’s got talent: and one way or another, you are going to feel it.”
– lol! Cunliffe, Jones and Robertson sure but who else?
Open your eyes, Winny. Or actually go meet ’em!
Nah too busy worshipping the National “talent” or lack of it in fools like N. Guy, H. Parata, P. Bennett, G. Brownlee, J. Collins, J. Keystroke et al, bottom of the barrel stuff.
In news not covered by The Herald or Stuff….
Public told volcanic geyser’s sudden eruption on a public road 900m from Rome airport nothing to be concerned about:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/10265372/Volcanic-geyser-erupts-close-to-Rome-airport.html
Despite being a stone’s throw from the end of a main runway at Fiumicino, Europe’s sixth largest airport, which handles 37 million passengers a year, Mr Basili said there was no cause for fear over flight safety. “This is a limited phenomenon – it will not have created alarm at the airport,” he said.
Ye Gods. I just read Brian Edwards take on things regarding the Labour leadership contest. I wish he had never started a blog. Better to keep your mouth shut and the reputation forged in your youth intact than retiring, writing a blog, and presenting for all to see your sad descent into a bewildered old age. The poor old bugger is stuck in New Zealand circa 1973, he clearly has no idea of the dynamics of New Zealand in 2013.
Yeah true what was Dear Leader thinking keeping him on…
Eh? I don’t think he’s ever worked for the Nats has he?
I gave up on him when he posted something about the weather forecast always being different from what he could see out of his own window.
Why are we so obsessed with people like Edwards. Yes of course he is getting old and wanders a bit but he is also allowed to have an opinion. So many on this forum seem to see him as some sort of enemy and I am sure that is not correct. He has expressed certain opinions and that should be end of it.
Can we not just accept differences and stop using these forums for personal attacks on people
The right/corporate media looks set to go full retard on Labour. It’ll be a rerun of the response that we got from the electricity policy announcement.
It would be best if the Cunliffe/Robertson/Jones camps coordinated their media to frustrate the likes of Paddy Gower et al.
And maybe gag Trev and throw him in a cupboard for a month would help too. (that’s a joke! not advocating violence!) 😀
“And maybe gag Trev and throw him in a cupboard for a month would help too”
– That would probably help Labour gain a couple of percentage points
Giovani Tiso:
http://bat-bean-beam.blogspot.co.nz/2013/08/the-leader-vanishes.html
revisionism… sigh
it explains why key gets caught in lies, he has no access to his previous statements to try and be consistent.
Just like they did with Saddam…
http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/gallery/2003/04/29/PD3282877.jpg
The National Library regularly archives NZ sites for posterity. Here’s its archive for Labour
i just heard bridges on nat-rad..
..what is it with those younger male tory mp’s..?
..and their issues with the spoken word..?
..they dance around the english language like constipated dogs trying to work it out..
..bridges totally over-masticates his words..and then sprays surrounding environs with the remains..
..and tremain and guy..(who i call heckle and jeckel..(old cartoon..look it up..and wonder at the spooky similarites..)
..both of them are glottal/strangled-word disasters..(tremain in particular..)
..and of course guy when on his own is called ‘clutch cargo’..(once again..old cartoon..look it up..be spooked again..(and be really spooked how guy has that whole clutch thing of just the lips moving when speaking down just so..
..and really..for everyones’ peace of mind..guy should be asked to disrobe..to prove there are no wires sticking out/plugged into him..
..and then of course there is jonathan ‘cigar-boy’ coleman..and his peculiar habit of tossing a handful of marbles into his mouth..before speaking..(so if you listen carefully…you can hear them rolling/bouncing off each other)
..and of course todd (‘pompadour’) mclay..doesn’t toss marbles into his mouth..
..he stuffs his full of plums…
..is it a basic requirement of being a young(er) tory male mp..?
..to talk weird..?
..(the evidence is overwhelming..)
..and i can hear you asking:..’but what about craig ‘the hapless one’ foss..?..you’ve left him out..’
..the thing is with foss..i am still so dazzled by his haplessness..
..i am yet to move on to his verbal-tics..
phillip ure..
It’s a result of being a thicko.
No doubt though, after 2014 – there’ll be “learnings” in all of this
Is it true that when someone asked him about where he lives he said some malarkey about because his wife wanted to breastfeed?
If true (and I read it on “other” blogs so I’ll concede it may be wrong) he’ll have to watch comments like that because people can see right through things like that, if true of course.
Should have just said hes worked hard to get to where he is and wants to give everyone else the same opportunity for success or something similar
Crikey, when did you become concerned about political leaders lying? Or are you concerned for him that he doesn’t lie well enough to beat the current King (Key)?
All politicians lie, John Key lies, Helen Clark lied, whoever becomes the leader of Labour will lie, everyone lies especially politicians
What interests me is that there are some lies the voting public accept and some they don’t. It appears to me that the smaller the lie the less likely the voting public is to accept it.
In regards to the labour leadership I’m more the interested neutral party in that while I have opinions on who should lead I’m trying to see from the viewpoint of whats best for labour
good laugh for the day
You should try it some time, impartiality can give you a different viewpoint
are you claiming impartiality now?
Only for the leadership battle and thats because it doesn’t impact on me, once the leader is decided its back to full-on impartiality
So yeah I’m thinking that the best chance for Labour winning the next election is Cunliffe leading but personally speaking I’d vote for shane Jones
I’ll let you handle it, Solomon the Wise
Putting aside the obvious hilarity of your last paragraph (!!!), you’re onto something with this:
“the smaller the lie the less likely the voting public is to accept it.”
although I’d look at it through a slightly different lens. I don’t think it’s the size of the lie per se, but rather the point of it.
I’ve been thinking about corruption lately. I think as a society we’ve become accustomed to the idea that we’re all competing individuals seeking advantage over one another. Only a short while ago this would have been considered highly anti-social thinking, but now it’s the norm. A few decades of user-pays free-marketing has made selfishness acceptable, and greed admirable.
When someone is caught lying to further their own interests, instead of judging the behaviour as anti-social and corrupt we understand that that’s just what you do these days. You look after number one. And while we might not always openly praise someone for lying and scheming in their own interest, we grudgingly accept it. We say “who can blame them?” We say “they’d be silly not to”.
And in this selfish, individualistic, dog-eat-dog paradigm, it’s true. We’ve all become corrupt to one degree or another, we’ve done so simply by following the rules of the game. And the rules are look out for number one and never give a sucker an even break. And because we’ve all become corrupted to an extent, we accept the same corruption in others. We expect people to be trying to do us over at every turn.
So when John Key looks down the barrel of the camera and flat out lies about, for example, how many shares he owns, and then gets caught, and then immediately changes his story, we don’t even blink. Because he’s just doing exactly what we expect everyone to be doing, being dishonest in service of his own interests.
And I think that’s why we let these “big” lies go. Because it’s the norm. It’s what you’re meant to do according to the rules of the game. As long as it’s obvious that you’re lying to protect or advance yourself, it’s totally understandable.
Just don’t ever get caught lying for no good selfish greedy dog-eat-dog reason, or we’ll start wondering what flaw in your character you’re trying to cover up.
Yes I’d agree theres some truth to that but I’d go further and suggest it also depends on what has been said before
For instance we know National are for big business and we know Labour are for the battlers so when JK lies (maybe) about his shares thats no big deal but when Shearer “forgot” about his 50 000 plus that was a big deal
However if JK (whos portrayed himself as a good family man) had been cheating on his missus and tried to cover it up I think the public wouldn’t forgive him
Thank you for the admission that National are for Big Business and not for the little people.
Not many of your lot admit that obvious truth anymore.
This by W Smith is a telling point, really the nub of our problem in NZ. Between NACT for Big Business and the battlers supposedly Labour’s congregation, there is a huge yawning gap where most NZs are. That’s those who are able and willing to build and create and contribute and support a vital economically sound NZ. Most of Big Business is looking over their heads to international interests, the battlers and strugglers are at their feet pecking over the trickle down droppings, and wondering what the hell is going on up there, because it sure is hell down here.
Most NZ is by Winston’s summary, unpolitically unrepresented. Who they gonna call – Ghostbusters? Now those fellas really stuck it to the green slime.
Which of Key’s lies or which kind of lies are the ones that if exposed will force Key to fall on his sword?
He’ll never fall on his sword. He’ll have to be hounded out of the village with pitchforks, torches and rough music.
We’ve accepted that he lies about money and business and that it’s normal. It’s now considered part of his charm. It’s part of his brand that he’s wiley and cunning and no-one gets one over him.
He can lie his lying arse off and we’re all ok with it because in the world we live in that’s no longer considered an undesirable trait.
Which is why Key is so happy to call Cunliffe a liar any chance he gets. If he and Winston Smith keep on spreading the meme that all politicians lie, then he can merrily carry on being a liar himself. If he gets caught out who’s gonna care except Blip and a few other lefties on the Standard?
“Steal a little and they throw you in jail. Steal a lot and they make you king.” Bob Dylan
but wait, weren’t the national and ACT parties absolutely against lies by govt MPs when they were in opposition???? OH, I see, they were lying.
haha bingo
“Is it true that when someone asked him about where he lives he said some malarkey about because his wife wanted to breastfeed?”
Only what I’ve read on ts, but he apparently said that his wife was breastfeeding and needed to live closer to her work. That is a completely valid reason for choosing where to live.
Sure it is *insert any vague reference to buying a bridge*
Look theres nothing wrong with being successful and having the money to choose where you live but don’t drag your family into it because now his familys fair game
ie Are your kids still brest feeding, when you will be moving back closer to the people you purport to represent and if not why not etc etc
I’m not commenting on Cunliffe’s choices. I’m stating that moving so you are closer to work while breastfeeding is a completely valid reason. Some people here seem to be saying it’s not.
Well its something he might want to watch out for…he might not want to give Robertson any ammunition
“but don’t drag your family into it because now his familys fair game”
Really Winston? Are you applying that principle across the board to any mp who ever mentions their family?
Bill English’s family are fair game, are they? And John Key’s family?
(neither of whom live in their electorates either btw)
“but don’t drag your family into it because now his familys fair game”
Daft. Are you saying that he should lie?
I think he is telling him he needs to learn to lie better if he wants to be PM.
It’s the new standard our current PM has set..
If they use them as a defence as Cunliffe did then yes by all means
so, Key’s mum and sister are up for grabs… he used them as a defence of himself and his ability to l know how it is for the low income in NZ?
A defence against what? Being asked why he lives in a certain part of town?
Why he feels he doesn’t live near those he represents, the inference being that hes using the people to further his own ends but doesn’t want to live near the hoi-polloi
Not a good look for a labour MP
John Key reckons its fine to live and holiday far away from the electorate he represents; Cunliffe on the other hand is actually IN the electorate he represents all the time.
Desperate righties must be desperate.
I doubt John Key has even driven through his electorate. Flown over it, maybe.
Pretty sure that photo of him with the prince at a BBQ was in the electorate
I thought that was at his Omaha beach house.
Does he “holiday”in New Lynn as well ?
Key? Are you having a laugh?
Nothing wrong with holidaying in New Lynn – do it myself.
“Why he feels he doesn’t live near those he represents, the inference being that hes using the people to further his own ends but doesn’t want to live near the hoi-polloi”
Do you have any evidence that Cunliffe lives where he lives in order to avoid living next to some people in his electorate (as opposed to the ones he does live near of course)? Or any evidence that the reason Cunliffe gave (his wife’s breastfeeding needs) was a lie?
isn’t having them on the hustings with you and so on “dragging” them into it. You are drawing a pretty long bow
“A heavy shower sweeps across Auckland as the Herald heads towards the College Rifles Sports Club. It’s late June and the rain has been coming and going all day, and all month. It’s the sort of weather that’s killed off many a sports event, but there’s no need to worry on this occasion. In 2009 the club installed synthetic turf on its two rugby fields, rendering cancellations a thing of the past.
Located a couple of hundred metres off Remuera Rd in a flood-prone valley, the playing surfaces at the historical club have traditionally been terrible.
‘It was a s***hole,” says club manager Derek Rope.
Synthetic turf has come a long way. Up close it looks and almost feels like real grass, with little black rubber balls and flakes mimicking dirt. The lush carpet cost the club $2 million, $500,000 of which came from gaming trusts.
Synthetic turf also covers the scrum practice area and the netball and tennis courts. There’s a brand new pavilion, state-of-the-art gym and 32-bed accommodation block for touring sports teams.
The club’s bad days are well and truly behind it, thanks in part to its success in accessing gaming trust money. Seven trusts have kicked in over $1 million to help fund the redevelopment projects, and there is more to come. The club has already secured $300,000 of trust money to put towards the final phase of its development, a swimming pool complex, and is hoping to raise that figure by another $200,000.
Clubs like College Rifles in Remuera have developed programmes and facilities using gambling money. Photo / Richard RobinsonClubs like College Rifles in Remuera have developed programmes and facilities using gambling money. Photo / Richard Robinson
Given that just 23 of the country’s 17,534 pokies are situated in Remuera, it’s hardly a surprise that a club that began life in 1897 with a membership of military personnel drawn from Auckland’s schools has been held up as the poster child for the dubious wealth redistribution that accompanies the gaming trust model.
“Why should poor people in Mangere be supplying first-class facilities in Remuera?” Maori Party MP Te Ururoa Flavell asked when he launched his ill-fated Gambling Harm Reduction Bill.
It’s a fair question, and one Mr Rope doesn’t duck. “People say it’s a Remuera rich club – it’s not,” he says.
Only 25 per cent of the club’s 5000 members across a sports portfolio that ranges from badminton to lacrosse are Remuera locals.”
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11114737
For something completely different Charter schools in the UK a complete failure after years: of trialing charter schools which have the advantage of new buildings and public and private funding have shown an initial burst of achievement all be it less than public schools then a continual decline the independent uk reported today.
link?
tricledown
This education in UK thing sounds interesting – where did you hear/see it?
Looking forward to seeing a front bench reshuffle under DC. Parker should keep finance, but I suspect the others will be up. Ardern for all her promise has allowed Bennet to sail on, Hipkiss a failure V Parata, and who does housing, and health??
Today, 3 News reports:
LOL!
Key looking desperate even as he claims Cunliffe will be desperate to be PM at all costs and take Norman on as deputy of finance minister. Typical rightie that Key – manages to project all his shortcomings on to the opposition.
PS: The comments below the article mostly say Key is the desperate liar.
typical transference karol? He thinks other are behaving how he behaves???
I chuckled… how quickly he sinks to the personality politics he claims to never sink to.
We’ll see who’s truly desperate when Key is forced to make a deal with Winston Peters, despite constantly dismissing him.
Judith Collins for Leader of the Opposition?
I would prefer to see Gerry Brownlee as the next Natz leader in opposition. Even though they’re both vindictive snakes, big Ger is a bit better at hiding it. Whoever it is, Keys days are clearly numbered.
Brownlee as NACT leader…. at least that would swing the Chch vote to the left again.
“Whoever it is, Keys days are clearly numbered”
– Why, has his popularity dropped below 40% or something?
So <40% is the trigger point for a coup. Good to know, thanks for that.
Patrick Gower’s seen a letter, I’ve heard…
More like suggesting that the chances of Key getting rolled is highly unlikely based on how popular he is
might want to send a memo to Collins about that. It’s all very well being personally popular, but that doesn’t help her keep her cabinet post if Nats only get 45% in 2014.
That’ll explain Why Shearers gone then.
“Wellington Central MP Grant Robertson said he paid for taxis and accommodation himself, but his airfare was covered by taxpayers.
“As a parliamentarian I am able to use parliamentary resources to fly wherever I like in the country, that’s part of the arrangement we have.
“I think you should refer those inquiries about what we are allowed to do to Parliamentary Services because they set the rules.”
He said MPs’ salaries were reduced years ago on the basis that the ability to fly around the country was provided.
“My judgement is that I will not be using any other resources apart from that.” ”
Cool, more sense of entitlement.
” Deputy leaders
Each member of Parliament who is the deputy leader of a party whose members in the House of Representatives number not less than 25—
Base salary 179,300
plus
For each additional member of the party in the House of Representatives over 25 up to a maximum of 35 610
plus
For each additional member of the party in the House of Representatives over 35 up to a maximum of 45 340 ”
plus expenses.
Why have you quoted from an expired document Tracey?
because I didn’t know it was expired????
I went here
and followed the links
http://www.parliament.nz/en-nz/MPP/MPs/Pay/
This is what happened when I tried to get 2012 one
http://www.parliament.nz/en-nz/pb/presented/papers/50DBHOH_PAP24127_1/parliamentary-salaries-and-allowances-determination-2012
Love and hate – both emotional and highly excitable states. I guess that volatility could result in reversal. What would make the complacent hate Key? It would have to be something that would hurt them personally.
Keep cool, if the MP is entitled then he is entitled to a sense of entitlement.
here we go
“Deputy leaders
Each member of Parliament who is the deputy leader of a party whose members in the House of Representatives number not less than 25—
Base salary 182,800
plus
For each additional member of the party in the House of Representatives over 25 up to a maximum of 35 630
plus
For each additional member of the party in the House of Representatives over 35 up to a maximum of 45 360 ”
That any of them cant pay for anything associated with their latest job application is beyond me.
I think you’ve quoted from an expired document again Tracey. The Parliamentary Salaries and Allowances Determination 2012 expired on 30 June 2013.
bugger.
Nonetheless my guess is the latest one wont be lower, so my point, I hope is made.
What point, Tracey?
“plus
For each additional member of the party in the House of Representatives over 25 up to a maximum of 35 630”
What does that mean?
John Key and MPs perks
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/9026069/MPs-cling-on-to-a-free-ride
Maori affairs interview with the candidates
Not sure if someone has already posted this. Very interesting and good viewpoints from all 3. The interviewer doesn’t hold back!
https://www.maoritelevision.com/news/politics/native-affairs–labour-panel
CV, ‘Native Affairs’ my friend, i found that quite an enlightening interview of the 3, Native Affairs for some strange reason seems to always elicit a better view of the people it interviews than the mainstream,
Shane Jones didn’t say anything there which would raise my opinion of Him, the reverse in fact, Jone’s faux ‘one of the boys in the smoko room’ line is simply cringe worthy,
David Cunliffe scored best with His ‘governments have the right to change gambling legislation and SkyCity better be prepared’ line and while i am not a gushing groupy Cunliffe leads in my opinion of who should win this contest,
Grant Robertson, disappointed me, full stop…
ahhhh yes Native Affairs it is.
Thanks, CV for the link.
Jones seems haughty for all his common man claims: often with his head tilted back and looking down his nose. Robertson looks like he’s doing a job interview – too wordy and sounds more like a backroom worker than someone to front for the party. Cunliffe is composed, clear, and has some short sharp answers – looks like a leader.
funny story!!..
if questiontime today was a talent-contest for labour…dyson got the gong..
http://whoar.co.nz/2013/new-zealand-parliament-list-of-questions-for-oral-answer-tuesday-27-august-2013/
(excerpt..)
“..bloody hell..!…ruth dyson is actually doing better than any of the three contenders..up against key..
..(dyson is expressing potent disgust at keys’ laughing/sneering at/saying that screwing vacant land owners out of 50% of their land values was ‘fun’..)
..and the strength of dysons’ performance is because of the fire in her belly..(and cunnliffe/robertson could do worse than take note of that..and spark up..!..)..”
phillip ure..
+1 Dyson really kicked arse in the house today. The news at six even covered the story reasonably well so that the National voters with a few brain cells to rub together will be thinking twice about continuing their support.
It’s bad enough that the government is trying to force people in Christchurch to sell their land at half its value, but to say that it’s their fault because they didn’t have land insurance is despicable! There is no land insurance available, which is something a Prime Minister with even half a brain would comprehend.
What is the point in the current government appealing the courts ruling when they will surely lose? What a god damn waste of taxpayers money.
Te reo putake
that these guys claim to champion the poor but think if parliamentary services says they can charge something to us they will… at least so far robertson will.
For once this is a cross-party rort with each party as bad as each other
not just on this issue WS
Bollocks. We live in a democracy and parliamentary representation is one of the guarantees of that. All parties get funded the same way from parliamentary services and the deal is that MP’s get free flights on our taxpayer owned airline. It’s been that way, or similar, for decades. Railways before that. A few weeks ago, the taxpayer paid for every Nat MP to fly to Nelson to have their conference. Did you complain then? Remember, the Tories also claim to champion the poor. Ask Appaller Bennett, she’s all about giving the poor a helping hand round the head and a loving boot up the arse.
The 3 candidates are flying around the country in an exercise in democracy. This is not only historic, it’s an entirely appropriate use of the Parliamentary budget. Don’t buy into the right’s meme ‘o’ the day, Tracey.
+1
So much for unifying the left.
Cunliffe rules out Norman as potential Finance Minister
http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/auckland/news/nbpol/2086420229-cunliffe-rules-out-norman-as-potential-finance-minister
Greens co-leader Russel Norman won’t be the Finance Minister under a David Cunliffe or Grant Robertson-led Labour Government.
That’s a hopeless, contextless quote. This one is better:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11115155
It’s not entirely an open door invite to unite, but at least he didn’t completely shut the door in their face.
2 out of 10 for effort?
War! more war!
US forces to strike Syria (pending).
If Key sends troops — he is nothing more than his ulta ego
Obama.
The Smiling Assassin and the Mass murderer.
What a combination.
Sheeeezus.
Egyptian solders shoot and kill hundreds of unarmed protestors. Result: US continues billions in military aid.
Unknown, unproven party uses chemical weapons on Syrian civilians, killing hundreds. Result: war to take down Assad’s government.
“Unproven” bang bang.
Dann vs Gower-
Gower asks how Cunliffe is going to go man-to-man with Key, Dann asks if he would raise taxes on the rich-
Dann gets my vote…breath of fresh air
Links?
NZ GCSB Bill being covered on Al Jazeera tomorrow morning (19,30 GMT) I make that 6.30am NZ time, not around 7.30am as Selwyn Manning is tweeting.
Yes, 6:30 am Wednesday NZ time.
Robert Reich.
http://www.businessinsider.com/heres-why-america-stopped-caring-about-the-public-good-2013-8?IR=T
Robert Reich is very good, but in my opinion he doesn’t go as deep as Chris Hedges and Richard Wolff in explaining how this has all come about.
Essentially, the civil movements which were crucial in pressuring and forcing the politicians to create the New Deal were, over decades, deliberately dismantled, co-opted, undermined and destroyed.
It pays to remember how much pressure was required to make Roosevelt and the corporate/banking elite agree to the New Deal. Hundreds of workers, unemployed, activitists were killed in the process, during the Great Depression.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exuGv3HsV-U
Today the Democrats are just as much friends of big oil, big pharma and big banking, as the Republicans. The civil movements which used to pressure for political economic change for the working class and underclass are long dead.
And so, the corporate and banking elite have the whole playing field their way now.
Atwater.
“That voter, in my judgment,” he claims, “will be more likely to vote his economic interests than he will anything else. And that is the voter that I think through a fairly slow but very steady process, will go Republican.” Because race no longer matters: “In my judgment Karl Marx [is right]… the real issues ultimately will be the economic issues.” He continues, in words that uncannily echo the “47 percent tape” (nothing new under the wingnut sun), that “statistically, as the number of non-producers in the system moves toward fifty percent,” the conservative coalition cannot but expand. Voila: a new Republican majority. Racism won’t have anything to do with it.
http://www.thenation.com/article/170841/exclusive-lee-atwaters-infamous-1981-interview-southern-strategy#axzz2d8Jra8tt
Cheers. 🙂 I believe that as usual, the next election will be one or lost on the Economy.
Sorry about the shutdown. Was setting up a new cdn system.
Didn’t seem to last too long.
Seemed to last an eternity from my perspective. But then again, time is hardly a constant 😈
Episodes of The Good Wife to watch, makes time pass easily.
The Hustle followed by Stargate Atlantis.
Testing the updates. They look ok so far.
The re-edit still seems to be working.
Drat the nzonscreen images are not there. Odd.