Voters delivered the Left their election victory based on their rediscovery of the power of government to aid society; and to stay in power, they’ll need to continue wielding it. It will be up to all of us to make sure they do it well.
I’m also not a psephologist, but I’m happy to suggest that some (but not many) ardent National voters voted Labour strategically. I’m happy to suggest some (but not many) voters across the entire country voted for a person or a party they profoundly disliked for an elaborate reason, in various combinations. But even waiting on the NZES, I’m willing to say that a lot of communities voted Labour, and for Jacinda Ardern, because they genuinely wanted to do so.
'Westland Mayor Bruce Smith said the Greens' hard-line stance on conservation issues had impacted negatively on the West Coast, or were about to, including the proposed closure of whitebaiting rivers, a general negativity towards mining and the push to protect stewardship land.
He said he believed a lot of Coasters had voted Labour to kick the Greens out.
"If the Government brings in Greens just to keep them handy for next time, there'll be pushback all right." '
'Greymouth mayor Tania Gibson agreed.
"A lot of people voted Labour this time to keep the Greens out and the Government should take note," Mrs Gibson said.'
And needless to say…also maga hat owner Alan Birchfield…included
The preliminary election result for West Coast-Tasman (my electorate too) is consistent with the national result. With twelve!! electorate candidates this election, WCT has more than its fair share of 'alternative' views.
He said he believed a lot of Coasters had voted Labour to kick the Greens out.
That's the trouble with false narratives being seeded so fast – others like him can repeat them without any challenge, including from media who should know better.
Agreed Sacha….the media will find any way it can to attack the Greens. Many on the Right must be livid that the Greens did so wonderfully well despite being written-off, invented scandals levelled at them, attacks on their Wealth Tax etc
More worrying is that just now on RNZ Morning Report the political correspondent seemed sure that only Marama Davidson and James Shaw will be offered ministerial posts outside cabinet.
No places for Genter or Sage. It's almost as though Labour believes the complete rubbish the media is spouting about people voting Labour to keep the Greens out.
Yeah – clever strategy from the Nats and the media. It prompted some tribal Labour voters like myself to party vote Green. We played a role in bouncing the Greens back from political oblivion. We might not have done so if they had played a straight ball. Dickheads.
Genter and Sage are generally recognised as having been competent associate ministers so I think hope they will be allowed to continue in their roles.
He said he believed a lot of Coasters had voted Labour to kick the Greens out.
Everyone's free to believe whatever they like. For example, I believe a lot of Coasters voted Labour because they like that Jacinda Ardern dresses in clothes from NZ fashion designers. That's the great thing about beliefs – no evidence required.
Indeed. I party voted Green, so lots of Nat voters would vote Labour to keep the Greens out, so National would look weak, so they would lose the gun lobby to ACT which would amplify their pro-gun message. Sometimes I have to hug myself at how cunning I am – voting Green in order to support ACT, a cunning plan worthy of Baldrick himself.
I think most voted Labour as a safe haven. The common refrain "They have done well" the unspoken part of that "In spite of…." take your choice of any number of things or people.
National are never going to say, "they voted for Labour because they didn't trust us".
They're never going to say :"they voted for Labour because they trust them" either. Hence the irrational meme highlighted by Hamish Keith's satirical tweet.
I will participate in any such review and try to bring attention onto the misconduct of many media outlets and the misuse of the opposition led covid response committee.
So why was the PM lying to us about border testing before the election?
After all this isnt even disputed as it is in the official records.
[lprent: What she reported according to my recollection was what she (and Bloomfield) had been told and she expressed it exactly that way. That is part of the “official record”. Your statement is maliciously incorrect in that you are stating that she stated something that was incorrect. After all PMs do not physically go around and personally run border testing themselves. They make policy and others then implement and report back to them.
So you are lying through your teeth in your statement. You are also claiming an authority (‘official records’)in bad faith. You didn’t provide a link or any support for your statement. I’d say that you are a simpleminded moronic liar peddling false facts – and quite unsuited to this forum (see the policy).
I’d suggest you try the sewer aka kiwiblog where this kind of stupid lying is not only tolerated, but also encouraged. Come back when you increase in your ability to discriminate between what are substantiated facts and what are merely your opinions – plus being able to clearly express to others which is which. ]
One National grief point has now been laid to rest.
No more will we hear from them that they were gypped as the largest single party being prevented from forming a government.
In the immortal words of Mike Cullen that he never uttered, "We won. You lost. Eat that."
Now the meme is it was an intentional loss to prevent the Greens from forcing their way into power.
If that was the message, how come Collins was saying to two vote National to keep out the Greens eight days out from election day? Don't they listen? Did they mishear Blue for Red?
Well, one thing about the National voter is that they are finely tuned to the nuances of meaning in the words Blue and Red, and not likely to be that stupid as to confuse Collins' message.
Were they instead giving the electoral finger to Collins and National by voting Red? The socialist bogeyman doesn’t work any more. The Greens aren’t that terrifying, either. Fear is a poor substitute for true insight.
Were they saying that we are cool with Labour; they can be trusted; they are in control; they know what they are doing; give me substance over slogans, action over abuse, compassion over greed?
IMO many were simply turned off by Punch N Judy who appeared hell bent on a crusade towards Blinglish's 2002 result. 6 elections later the demographics aren't the same.
Collins couldn't hide her contempt, Gez's conspiracy corner, Woody and Boags DP smear (the whitewash fooled nobody) then cap it all by insulting overweight people.
They got the result their car crash of a campaign merited. Bipartisanship had votes in it but crusher knows best.
In the immortal words of Mike Cullen that he never uttered, "We won. You lost. Eat that."
I'm not really surprised to be told he didn't say that. I didn't think that he was the sort to come out with such honesty, more of a behind-the-scenes wrecking ball on lower income people and the jobs that were there bread-and-butter.
edit
Points I note in this are that Cullen didn't understand the life and limits that ordinary people are constrained by. And also Labour has skated round the edges of committing to the low income people that are their raison d'etre.
The light bulb matters that irritated:
The fact that Europe and America and Australia had either done it already or decided to carry out the policy seemed to assure Labour that we should adopt the same without thought.
The government was sensitive to the charge that it was Nannyish, he says, but the rage over the light-bulb ban seemed "highly irrational". The new bulbs were more efficient, less expensive and more environmentally desirable.
First I have great distaste for us following automatically what other countries are doing, usually western.
Second the reason for many in NZ not wanting all new tech bulbs was because they were more expensive. He is highly irrational saying otherwise. The cost per year for the bulb, and the lower electricity cost its different type produced, show cheapness on an amortised basis. But the cost to buy the bulb at the shop rose about 300% on average. Three bulbs needed (incandescent) @ $1.10 = $3.30 | three new type @ $4.10 each (possibly more) = $12.30.
And he says that he had to accept Sue Bradford's Bill as if they did not have the ability to amend with more effective legislation: The anti-smacking bill was another strange case: even though National ended up voting for it, Labour got all the flak. Cullen says Labour could not have avoided the issue posed by green Sue Bradford's bill. Section 59 of the Crimes Act had led to the acquittal of people who had made quite serious attacks on children. And it fitted Labour policy, so opposing the measure would make people say it had no principles.
Cullen says that Labour needed to deal with the 'acquittal of people who had made quite serious attacks on children'. What's this 'quite' – they were serious attacks even murderous. An Anti-Smacking Bill was not going to stop such attacks. I remember Craig Manukau aged 11 kicked to death by the male in his life for going to a school event, also a list of others*.
Briefly re Craig: …the horrifying truth was that Craig Manukau's father went to a school disco, removed his son, took him home and kicked him to death while his mother turned up the radio to drown out the noise.
Bringing in non-smacking legislation was a statement about the state deploring this and being able to punish it – no biblical buts. But it did not try hard to conquer and overcome the actual violence in people being passed on to children, the vulnerable, and the violent parent syndrome.
…1992, the year District Court Judge Ken Mason released a report saying the Children and Young Persons Service (CYPS) was "dizzied and demoralised".
It found widespread incompetence with staff lacking adequate training. CYPS general manager Robin Wilson said Mason "got it badly wrong", but no one from the department contacted Mason to discuss the report's contents….
If violence meant a period of jail isolation and then a period of workshopping and personal thought; some determined and focussed action one on one with the instigator with jail for the recalcitrants that would have been a good Labour thing to do; instead it is just the neo-lib punitive approach.
What Cullen said. "The fact that Europe and America and Australia had either done it already or decided to do it seemed to be completely irrelevant."
What you extrapolated from what Cullen said. "The fact that Europe and America and Australia had either done it already or decided to carry out the policy seemed to assure Labour that we should adopt the same without thought.
Where's the 'without thought'? Not what he said, greywarshark, not what he said.
Well I have changed the wording slightly as indicated by my 'edit'. And i have seen that adopting overseas policy is a default position in a number of governments. We find policies used overseas and install them here without apparent thought for how they will work here – if there is thought then it is fleeting and dismisses unintended consequences.
You said 'without thought'. Cullen is saying we did as several other countries did, which would have meant he had considered that and the actual actions taken. He is also saying that opponents of what he had done need to consider that his policy had also been considered and enacted by other countries, using that evidence as support for his having done the same.
And a frenzied stabbing from a male incensed that his partner was able to make a life with a job, and so he had to cut her down to size literally. Meanwhile their poor child had to endure this foul stuff, and whatever culture, we have this sour attitude that rises like bile and man becomes vengeful God.
Thirdly, the Government is determined to pass this bill. It was an election commitment. Nine years ago, when Helen Clark was absent on overseas leave, I rose in this House on the second reading of the Employment Contracts Bill and committed the Labour Party to repealing the Employment Contracts Act. And we will repeal the Employment Contracts Act. Eat that! You lost, we won, it goes! It is as simple as that. Therefore, on Monday morning we will—
Maeve Binchy in her wisdom of maturity – good to listen to about how we are and what we can think about the world. Good v Bad and What's the Meaning of Life?
Fox spews Laura Inghram reckons Jacinda Aderns forcing people who don't take compulsory test's in isolation facilities is removing freedoms and is fascist.
Suzanne Evans, a former journalist who hopped from the Conservative Party to the UK Independence Party before ditching politics, regularly shares posts critical of using lockdowns to tackle Covid-19. Yesterday Evans said that "New Zealand now has a fascist government under @jacindaardern. Are you going to act, @amnesty?".
The comment came above a retweet from fellow lockdown-sceptic Bernie Spofforth, who had shared an edited video containing messages from Dr Ashley Bloomfield and Jacinda Ardern about the policy of moving all positive cases to quarantine facilities and enforcing testing.
The video spliced together a press briefing from Bloomfield and a Facebook live video from Ardern and added graphics and memes.
Also, if we live in a fascist state we don't realise it as we have just had an election where 60%+of the people approved of what we have done by voting Green, Labour and even NZF.
This of course makes a stupidity of a claim that the non-fascist National voters, in order to keep out the Greens, voted for a fascist Labour party…….. as preferable.
Since June, lending to investors has tripled and last month banks lent out more than $7.3 billion to house buyers – which is an all-time record.
Sorry Robertson you will have to upset all your mates in financial circles, the tight, closed ones) and set up special rates for just young families and older single people who are wanting a secure home. And it may be that you will need a State Mortgages system, set up through Kiwibank and other NZ owned banks that report to NZ financial entities. Get some steel and show that you're the Right Stuff.
On Te Karere this afternoon I had my first glimpse of ACT Party MP Nicole McKee with her talking.
The item was about the shooting up north, the hi-jacking, kidnapping and whatever else went on.
McKee was described by Newsroom as a 'prominent gun advocate' in a piece 'ACT Party Nicole McKee wants 'commonsense and practicalities' brought back into Government."
So what did she have? Commonsense and practicalities? No, just a redneck.
Her answer is to 'sort the gangs out.' Okay Nicole McKee we've got plenty of land up here, how about building us another couple of prisons and we can sort the gangs out by picking them up and locking them away? How about 'moving the economy,' generating economic activity by importing personnel from overseas to staff those jails?
We need ambulances at the bottom of cliffs as much as we need another useless MP who cannot see what the real problem is and cannot show what leadership and hope look like.
Full marks to her at least I suppose for not suggesting that miscreants and gangs be shot on sight.
How many NZs see this as an insult to their intelligence, and an indication of her blinkered outlook? Fancy standing for a place in our political entity saying the same things that have been trotted out for decades and been shown to be worse than useless!
This is a sign that we need a better political system. Each candidate will have to sit and pass a special set of papers that give an overview when finished, of all the things that will need to be understood by newbies, mostly at the 101/201 level.
There will be explanation of hard science and how it is being utilised in NZ. And a lot of 'soft' science, sociology, study of the importance of early training and secure loving care to build confident little people, who grow right. Understanding statistics, planning, common building materials and tendering and how to get round that. Also entrepreneurship and the importance of paid work in a community.
I will work out a set of uni papers that I think all should study when I get round to it. How do we contain our irritation, and our disgust at the waste of time and low standards in the choices for representatives in the present system? We have not reacted back to the 'change agents' foisted on us and their ploys that suit sharp financial types good both at calculation with all sorts of figures, and also at how to get power.
How about a 4 day working week it's long over due.
With AI robots and more mechanization there won't be enough work for everyone.
20% less gridlock on motorways less stress more productive work places.
The last time we had a major move forward was at the end of the depression 1936 it helped reduce unemployment and gave people a better work life balance.
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I don't mind stealin' bread from the mouths of decadenceBut I can't feed on the powerless when my cup's already overfilled, yeahBut it's on the table, the fire's cookin'And they're farmin' babies, while slaves are workin'The blood is on the table and the mouths are chokin'But I'm goin' hungry, yeahSome ...
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Hi,If you’ve been digging through the newly launched Webworm store (orders are being dispatched worldwide as I type!) you’ll have noticed the best model we had was Calvin.This is Calvin.Calvin.Calvin is 7, and is the son of my producer over on Flightless Bird, Rob — aka “Wobby Wob”. Rob also ...
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Its a law like gravity: whenever a right-wing government is elected, they start attacking democracy. And now, after talking to their Republican and Tory and Fidesz chums at the International Democracy Union forum in Wellington, National is doing it here, announcing plans to remove election-day enrolment. Or, to put it ...
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I could be a florist'Round the corner from Rye LaneI'll be giving daisies to craziesBut, baby, I'll wrap you up real safe Oh, I can give you flowers At the end of every dayFor the center of your table, a rainbowIn case you have people 'round to stay Depending on ...
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The price of the foreign affairs “reset” is now becoming apparent, with Defence set to get a funding boost in the Budget. Finance Minister Nicola Willis has confirmed that it will be one of the few votes, apart from Health and Education and possibly Police, which will get an increase ...
A listing of 26 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 28, 2024 thru Sat, May 4, 2024. Story of the week "It’s straight out of Big Tobacco’s playbook. In fact, research by John Cook and his colleagues ...
Yesterday I received come lovely feedback following my Star Wars themed newsletter. A few people mentioned they’d enjoyed reading the personal part at the beginning.I often begin newsletters with some memories, or general thoughts, before commencing the main topic. This hopefully sets the mood and provides some context in which ...
April 30 was going to be the day we’d be calling Mum from London to wish her a happy birthday. Then it became the day we would be going to St. Paul's at Evensong to remember her. The aim of the cathedral builders was to find a way to make their ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Can’t remember the last book by a Kiwi author you read? Think the NZ government should spend less on the arts in favor of helping the homeless? If so, as far as Newsroom is concerned, you probably deserve to be called a cultural ignoramus ...
Today New Zealand First will introduce a Member’s Bill that will protect women’s spaces. The ‘Fair Access to Bathrooms Bill’ will require, primarily in the interest and safety of women and girls, that all new non-domestic publicly accessible buildings provide separate, clearly demarcated, unisex and single sex bathrooms. This Bill ...
The Green Party is welcoming Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ continuation of Hon. James Shaw’s cross-party work on climate adaptation, now in the form of a Finance and Expenditure Committee Inquiry. ...
The National Government plans to cut 390 jobs at ACC, including roles in the areas of prevention of sexual violence, road safety and workplace safety. ...
The Government has been caught in opposition to evidence once again as it looks to usher in tried, tested and failed work seminar obligations for job-seeking beneficiaries. ...
The Green Party is welcoming the announcement by the Minister Responsible for RMA Reform Chris Bishop to approve most of the Wellington City Council’s District Plan recommendations. ...
David Seymour has failed to get the sweeping cuts he wanted to the free and healthy school lunch programme, Labour education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
Hon Willie Jackson has been invited by the Oxford Union to debate the motion “This House Believes British Museums are not Very British’ on May 23rd. ...
Green Party MP Hūhana Lyndon says her Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill is an opportunity to right some past wrongs around the alienation of Māori land. ...
A senior, highly respected King’s Counsel with decades of experience in our law courts, Gary Judd KC, has filed a complaint about compulsory tikanga Māori studies for law students - highlighting the utter depths of absurdity this woke cultural madness has taken our society. The tikanga regulations will compel law ...
The Government needs to be clear with the people of the Nelson Marlborough region about the changes it is considering for the Nelson Hospital rebuild, Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
Ministers must front up about which projects it will push through under its Fast Track Approvals legislation, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
Introduction Good morning. It’s a great privilege to be here at the 2024 Infrastructure Symposium. I was extremely happy when the Prime Minister asked me to be his Minister for Infrastructure. It is one of the great barriers holding the New Zealand economy back from achieving its potential. Building high ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced the upcoming Budget will include new funding of $571 million for Defence Force pay and projects. “Our servicemen and women do New Zealand proud throughout the world and this funding will help ensure we retain their services and expertise as we navigate an increasingly ...
New Zealand’s ability to cope with climate change will be strengthened as part of the Government’s focus to build resilience as we rebuild the economy, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “An enduring and long-term approach is needed to provide New Zealanders and the economy with certainty as the climate ...
Jobseeker beneficiaries who have work obligations must now meet with MSD within two weeks of their benefit starting to determine their next step towards finding a job, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “A key part of the coalition Government’s plan to have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker ...
A new standalone Social Investment Agency will power-up the social investment approach, driving positive change for our most vulnerable New Zealanders, Social Investment Minister Nicola Willis says. “Despite the Government currently investing more than $70 billion every year into social services, we are not seeing the outcomes we want for ...
Check against delivery Good morning. It is a pleasure to be with you to outline the Coalition Government’s approach to our first Budget. Thank you Mark Skelly, President of the Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce, together with your Board and team, for hosting me. I’d like to acknowledge His Worship ...
Your Excellency Ambassador Meredith, Members of the Diplomatic Corps and Ambassadors from European Union Member States, Ministerial colleagues, Members of Parliament, and other distinguished guests, Thank you everyone for joining us. Ladies and gentlemen - In diplomacy, we often speak of ‘close’ and ‘long-standing’ relations. ...
The Therapeutic Products Act (TPA) will be repealed this year so that a better regime can be put in place to provide New Zealanders safe and timely access to medicines, medical devices and health products, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello announced today. “The medicines and products we are talking about ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop, today released his decision on twenty recommendations referred to him by the Wellington City Council relating to its Intensification Planning Instrument, after the Council rejected those recommendations of the Independent Hearings Panel and made alternative recommendations. “Wellington notified its District Plan on ...
Rape Awareness Week (6-10 May) is an important opportunity to acknowledge the continued effort required by government and communities to ensure that all New Zealanders can live free from violence, say Ministers Karen Chhour and Louise Upston. “With 1 in 3 women and 1 in 8 men experiencing sexual violence ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government will be delivering a more efficient Healthy School Lunches Programme, saving taxpayers approximately $107 million a year compared to how Labour funded it, by embracing innovation and commercial expertise. “We are delivering on our commitment to treat taxpayers’ money ...
New research on the impacts of extreme weather on coastal marine habitats in Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay will help fishery managers plan for and respond to any future events, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. A report released today on research by Niwa on behalf of Fisheries New Zealand ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters will lead a broad political delegation on a five-stop Pacific tour next week to strengthen New Zealand’s engagement with the region. The delegation will visit Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and Tuvalu. “New Zealand has deep and ...
There has been a material decline in gas production according to figures released today by the Gas Industry Co. Figures released by the Gas Industry Company show that there was a 12.5 per cent reduction in gas production during 2023, and a 27.8 per cent reduction in gas production in the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins tonight announced the recipients of the Minister of Defence Awards of Excellence for Industry, saying they all contribute to New Zealanders’ security and wellbeing. “Congratulations to this year’s recipients, whose innovative products and services play a critical role in the delivery of New Zealand’s defence capabilities, ...
Welcome to you all - it is a pleasure to be here this evening.I would like to start by thanking Greg Lowe, Chair of the New Zealand Defence Industry Advisory Council, for co-hosting this reception with me. This evening is about recognising businesses from across New Zealand and overseas who in ...
It is a pleasure to be speaking to you as the Minister for Digitising Government. I would like to thank Akolade for the invitation to address this Summit, and to acknowledge the great effort you are making to grow New Zealand’s digital future. Today, we stand at the cusp of ...
New Zealand is urging both Israel and Hamas to agree to an immediate ceasefire to avoid the further humanitarian catastrophe that military action in Rafah would unleash, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The immense suffering in Gaza cannot be allowed to worsen further. Both sides have a responsibility to ...
A new online data dashboard released today as part of the Government’s school attendance action plan makes more timely daily attendance data available to the public and parents, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. The interactive dashboard will be updated once a week to show a national average of how ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced Rosemary Banks will be New Zealand’s next Ambassador to the United States of America. “Our relationship with the United States is crucial for New Zealand in strategic, security and economic terms,” Mr Peters says. “New Zealand and the United States have a ...
The Government is considering creating a new tier of minerals permitting that will make it easier for hobby miners to prospect for gold. “New Zealand was built on gold, it’s in our DNA. Our gold deposits, particularly in regions such as Otago and the West Coast have always attracted fortune-hunters. ...
Minister for Trade Todd McClay today announced that New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will commence negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA). Minister McClay met with his counterpart UAE Trade Minister Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi in Dubai, where they announced the launch of negotiations on a ...
New Zealand Sign Language Week is an excellent opportunity for all Kiwis to give the language a go, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. This week (May 6 to 12) is New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) Week. The theme is “an Aotearoa where anyone can sign anywhere” and aims to ...
Six tertiary students have been selected to work on NASA projects in the US through a New Zealand Space Scholarship, Space Minister Judith Collins announced today. “This is a fantastic opportunity for these talented students. They will undertake internships at NASA’s Ames Research Center or its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where ...
New Zealanders will be safer because of a $1.9 billion investment in more frontline Corrections officers, more support for offenders to turn away from crime, and more prison capacity, Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell says. “Our Government said we would crack down on crime. We promised to restore law and order, ...
The OECD’s latest report on New Zealand reinforces the importance of bringing Government spending under control, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The OECD conducts country surveys every two years to review its members’ economic policies. The 2024 New Zealand survey was presented in Wellington today by OECD Chief Economist Clare Lombardelli. ...
The Government has delivered on its election promise to provide a financially sustainable model for Auckland under its Local Water Done Well plan. The plan, which has been unanimously endorsed by Auckland Council’s Governing Body, will see Aucklanders avoid the previously projected 25.8 per cent water rates increases while retaining ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and enhanced cooperation in the Pacific with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her first official visit to New Zealand today. "New Zealand and Germany enjoy shared interests and values, including the rule of law, democracy, respect for the international system ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Pacific Media Watch Television New Zealand Pacific correspondent Barbara Dreaver has been made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to investigative journalism and Pacific communities in a ceremony at Government House, reports 1News. She has been the Pacific correspondent for 1News since 2002, breaking many ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Tuesday’s budget will respond to the deepening public agitation over Australia’s housing shortages by pouring new money into crisis accommodation for women and children, social housing and infrastructure. A specially-convened national cabinet late Friday ticked ...
By Kaneta Naimatu in Suva Journalists in the Pacific region play an important role as the “eyes and ears on the ground” when it comes to reporting the climate crisis, says the European Union’s Pacific Ambassador Barbara Plinkert. Speaking at The University of the South Pacific (USP) on World Press ...
Aldora Itunu is back in the Black Ferns squad after a three-year absence. The last of her 24 internationals was an underwhelming loss to France (7-29) in Castres to conclude the disastrous 2021 Northern Tour. The powerhouse prop won a Rugby World Cup in 2017 and thought she was done. ...
The fight to control major transport policy and projects in Auckland has burst into the open again, with councillors rejecting Mayor Wayne Brown’s latest attempt to steer things more under his influence. Councillors from the left and right broke ranks on the mayor’s bid to control Auckland Transport more directly ...
Exhausted by the general election campaign, horrified by the twilight zone of coalition negotiations, distracted by the silly season and waiting for the honeymoon to begin, Raw Politics has been in hibernation since October. From today, we’re back. Our weekly political video show and podcast returns for ...
By Patrick Decloitre, RNZ Pacific correspondent French Pacific desk Authorities in the small town of Boulouparis have commemorated Armistice Day on May 8 with a new memorial honouring New Zealand soldiers who were stationed in New Caledonia during World War II. The ceremony took place in the township on the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sara Dehm, Senior lecturer, international migration and refugee law, University of Technology Sydney The High Court unanimously ruled today that the Australian government can keep asylum seekers in immigration detention indefinitely in cases where they do not “voluntarily” cooperate with their own ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kim Munro, Lecturer, Creative Industries and Digital Media, University of South Australia Twenty-four hours after the release of Macklemore’s pro-Palestine protest song Hind’s Hall on social media on May 7, the video had already notched up over 24 million views. In ...
Failing to anticipate the complexity of the consenting system is being cited as the the current builder's shortcomings, an Infrastructure Commission review says. ...
350 Aotearoa is calling the Environment Select Committee’s decision to allow oral submissions from just 40% of individual, unique submitters who asked to speak to the committee ‘a disgraceful blight to democracy’. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Helal, Assistant Dean (Sustainability), The University of Melbourne Dubai skylineAleksandarPasaric/Pexels Since ancient times, people have built structures that reach for the skies – from the steep spires of medieval towers to the grand domes of ancient cathedrals and mosques. Today ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Edward Musole, PhD Law Student, University of New England Girts Ragelis/ShutterstockRecent trends show Australians are increasingly buying wearables such as smartwatches and fitness trackers. These electronics track our body movements or vital signs to provide data throughout the day, with ...
Papua New Guinea experienced a significant earthquake on 24 March in East Sepik and there has also been recent flooding there and in surrounding provinces. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Yousuf Mohammed, Dermatology researcher, The University of Queensland Maridav/Shutterstock You wake up, stagger to the bathroom and gaze into the mirror. No, you’re not imagining it. You’ve developed face wrinkles overnight. They’re sleep wrinkles. Sleep wrinkles are temporary. But as your ...
The Environment Select Committee has just announced that 60 percent of individuals who asked to speak at the hearings will not be heard. This equates to almost 700 people who made individual submissions and more than 1000 more who made a form submission. ...
The Royal New Zealand Ballet is performing Swan Lake around the country. What kind of dream does the ballet sell?Before going to see the Royal New Zealand Ballet perform Swan Lake, I had about as much familiarity with the plot of this ballet as could be expected from having ...
A new poem by Auckland poet Eamonn Tee. High Tide at Local Maxima It is only going to get worse. The streams will be narrow and fickle. The week will bend and buckle like a pot-bellied waist. You will make it to the weekend with one ...
The New Zealand entrepreneur behind beauty business Ethique is gearing up to launch a new eco-venture. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Our thirst for a tasty bevvy is insatiable, but it comes with a hefty plastic price for the planet: 580 billion ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 James by Percival Everett (Mantle, $38) A retelling of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from ...
By Kamna Kumar in Suva Pacific Islands Forum Secretary-General Henry Puna stressed the importance of media freedom and its link to the climate and environmental crisis at the 2024 World Press Freedom Day event organised by the University of the South Pacific’s journalism programme. Under the theme “A Planet for ...
Tara Ward previews a new local TV series offering alternative visions of motherhood. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. A woman is clambering up the side of her two-story house, clinging desperately to a drainpipe. Nearby, her child is perched on the ...
Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) is supportive of the cross-party approach to climate adaptation announced by the Minister of Climate Change today. ...
The Sustainable Business Council (SBC) and Climate Leaders Coalition (CLC) welcome today’s announcement from Government around a bipartisan inquiry into an enduring climate adaptation framework for New Zealand. ...
The Free Speech Union welcomes the decision by the Department of Internal Affairs, and Minister Brooke Van Velden, to abandon proposals to further regulate online speech. ...
Its new building in Wellington will not be nearly big enough for all its records, and it has also run out of money to build its new storage facility in Levin. ...
BusinessNZ is congratulating the Minister of Climate Change for his work in achieving cross-party consensus for a way forward on climate adaptation. ...
Recent research reveals the repeal of smokefree measures is not only bad for our health, but also the economy. The Government has repealed various smokefree measures to ensure it keeps collecting $1.2 billion a year in tobacco taxes, in order to pay for tax cuts already being delivered to ...
The club’s surprisingly good season is built on the desire to prove a random A-League YouTuber wrong… and a few other factors.“There’s no way that Wellington Phoenix play finals this year. I can’t see it happening at all.” Those are the words of Lachlan Raeside, an Australian football content ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By César Albarrán-Torres, Senior Lecturer, Department of Media and Communication, Swinburne University of Technology Apple TV+ As one of billions of bilingual individuals in the world, it disappoints me when a film or TV show with characters of a non-English-speaking background is ...
The under-utilised course is a waste of space, and with a little political will, it could be turned into something better. For the duration of her stay in Wellington, my long-suffering cousin listened to me rant about golf courses. They’re bad for the environment: water intensive and pesticide heavy. They ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Leah Ruppanner, Professor of Sociology and Founding Director of The Future of Work Lab, Podcast at MissPerceived, The University of Melbourne Shutterstock A recent report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows US fertility rates dropped 2% in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amy Corderoy, Medical doctor and PhD candidate studying involuntary psychiatric treatment, School of Psychiatry, UNSW Sydney shop_py/Shutterstock Picture two people, both suffering from a serious mental illness requiring hospital admission. One was born in Australia, the other in Asia. Hopefully, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Treby, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, RMIT University P.j.Hickox, Shutterstock Peatlands store more carbon per square metre than any other ecosystem on Earth. These waterlogged, mossy bogs beat even dense rainforests for their ability to act as carbon reservoirs. Under the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Goss, Adjunct Associate Professor, Health Research Institute, University of Canberra Government spending on health has been growing so rapidly that a decade ago the then health minister Peter Dutton called it “unmanageable” and “unsustainable”. Health spending grew in real terms by ...
New Zealand's largest electricity distributor is warning the country to hurry up with controls around charging electric vehicles or face unnecessary bills running into the billions. ...
New Zealanders have been asked to conserve energy this morning to combat a possible electricity shortfall, writes Stewart Sowman-Lund in this extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. A call to conserve power New Zealand is facing a possible electricity shortfall, with people up ...
Writer Rebecca K Reilly breaks down the national book awards. What are the Ockhams?The Ockham New Zealand Book Awards are our annual national awards for books published for adults, and have existed in this form since 2016. There are four categories: Fiction, Poetry, General Non-fiction and Illustrated Non-fiction. There ...
Wellington City Council should keep its 34% ownership share in Wellington International Airport, argue Unions Wellington spokespeople Finn Cordwell and Ashok Jacob. Insanity, as the saying goes, is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Wellington City Council (WCC) is yet again proposing to dispose ...
New Zealand’s largest book publisher has undergone drastic changes this week, leaving its future role in local publishing uncertain. Two of the most recognisable local publishers in New Zealand are among those restructured out of Penguin Random House, it was announced this week. Head of publishing Claire Murdoch will leave ...
Successive governments have tried, and failed, to count Māori. But with the return of social investment, it’s more important than ever to get good data. The post Government looks for a better way to count Māori appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Experts in financing social investment initiatives say New Zealand is in a prime position to tackle social issues via a social investment approach The post What will Willis’ social investment fund look like? appeared first on Newsroom. ...
In 2021 the Public Interest Journalism Fund launched the Te Rito Journalism project, a $2.4 million initiative to boost diversity in New Zealand’s newsrooms. The initiative was in response to the decades-long shortage of Māori and Pacific journalists in the media industry. It was billed as New Zealand’s ...
The Black Ferns Sevens appeared to be a mile behind Australia at the halfway point of the 2023-24 SVNS international circuit. Winless in three tournaments, a cup quarter-final exit in Perth was one of their worst results. To add insult to injury, talismanic skipper Sarah Hirini had been ruled out ...
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By Lydia Lewis, RNZ Pacific journalist A former Tuvalu prime minister says while the New Zealand government’s oil and gas plans show it is concerned about its economy, he is more concerned about the livelihoods and survival of the Tuvalu people. Enele Sopoaga — who still serves as an MP ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Many people who follow federal budgets know about the magnificent “budget tree” in a parliamentary courtyard, which turns a glorious red in time for the May event. This week Treasurer Jim Chalmers posed by ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Samantha Bennett, Professor of Music, Australian National University Richard P J Lambert/flickr, CC BY The future belongs to the analogue loyalists. Fuck digital. As a tsunami of CDs, DAT tapes and samplers swept the recording industry in the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Catherine Strong, Associate professor, Music Industry, RMIT University This week American rapper Macklemore released a new track, Hind’s Hall, which has gained a lot of attention because of its explicitly political nature. The track is unapologetically pro-Palestine. It declares the artist’s ...
Explainer - The government from 2025 is mandating how state schools teach children to read. But what is structured literacy and how does it compare to other teaching methods? ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Danica Jenkins, Lecturer in European Studies, University of Sydney On a freezing spring night in March, Georgia’s national soccer team beat Greece in a nail-biter penalty shootout to qualify for the Euro 2024 championships. The atmosphere on the streets of the capital ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adam G. Arian, Lecturer (Accounting & Finance), Australian Catholic University Loic Manegarium/Pexels Imagine every ton of carbon dioxide a company emits is slowly inflating its costs — not just in terms of potential fines or fees but in the capital it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Somwrita Sarkar, Senior Lecturer in Design and Computation, University of Sydney The “latte line” is the infamous, invisible boundary that divides Sydney between the more affluent north-east and the south-west. Historically, people north of the line enjoy better access to jobs and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Dowdy, Principal Research Scientist in Extreme Weather, The University of Melbourne Nomad_Soul/Shutterstock In media articles about unprecedented flooding, you’ll often come across the statement that for every 1°C of warming, the atmosphere can hold about 7% more moisture. This ...
The simplest answer can be the right one. https://publicaddress.net/speaker/rewarding-competence/
The Joe Nunweek article linked from Drummond's one is in the same vein. https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/25-10-2020/expecting-less-or-more-of-labours-new-voters/
And on a satirical note..
https://twitter.com/hamish_keith/status/1320896061091631106
I’ve deleted this comment … outside chance it could be considered borderline as far as putting the site in some sort of legal jeopardy.
Now I'm curious..
Be quick … this post will self-destruct in the not-too-distant future 🙂
https://sub-zero-politics.blogspot.com/2020/10/the-offending-comment-ill-just.html
I missed the window. Thank you for trying.
I wonder if it's ever crossed Labour's mind that there are more tenants of voting age than landlords.
But do they vote?
and do they donate?
'Westland Mayor Bruce Smith said the Greens' hard-line stance on conservation issues had impacted negatively on the West Coast, or were about to, including the proposed closure of whitebaiting rivers, a general negativity towards mining and the push to protect stewardship land.
He said he believed a lot of Coasters had voted Labour to kick the Greens out.
"If the Government brings in Greens just to keep them handy for next time, there'll be pushback all right." '
'Greymouth mayor Tania Gibson agreed.
"A lot of people voted Labour this time to keep the Greens out and the Government should take note," Mrs Gibson said.'
And needless to say…also maga hat owner Alan Birchfield…included
https://www.odt.co.nz/regions/west-coast/coasters-divided-over-conservation-direction
The preliminary election result for West Coast-Tasman (my electorate too) is consistent with the national result. With twelve!! electorate candidates this election, WCT has more than its fair share of 'alternative' views.
Labour 46.6%
National 26%
2017 election – Labour 39.9% National 37%
That's the trouble with false narratives being seeded so fast – others like him can repeat them without any challenge, including from media who should know better.
I can believe that a few voters went that way at the end, but the polls were pretty clear for months that mostly it was just that people liked Labour.
Agreed Sacha….the media will find any way it can to attack the Greens. Many on the Right must be livid that the Greens did so wonderfully well despite being written-off, invented scandals levelled at them, attacks on their Wealth Tax etc
More worrying is that just now on RNZ Morning Report the political correspondent seemed sure that only Marama Davidson and James Shaw will be offered ministerial posts outside cabinet.
No places for Genter or Sage. It's almost as though Labour believes the complete rubbish the media is spouting about people voting Labour to keep the Greens out.
Yeah – clever strategy from the Nats and the media. It prompted some tribal Labour voters like myself to party vote Green. We played a role in bouncing the Greens back from political oblivion. We might not have done so if they had played a straight ball. Dickheads.
Genter and Sage are generally recognised as having been competent associate ministers so I
thinkhope they will be allowed to continue in their roles.He said he believed a lot of Coasters had voted Labour to kick the Greens out.
Everyone's free to believe whatever they like. For example, I believe a lot of Coasters voted Labour because they like that Jacinda Ardern dresses in clothes from NZ fashion designers. That's the great thing about beliefs – no evidence required.
Indeed. I party voted Green, so lots of Nat voters would vote Labour to keep the Greens out, so National would look weak, so they would lose the gun lobby to ACT which would amplify their pro-gun message. Sometimes I have to hug myself at how cunning I am – voting Green in order to support ACT, a cunning plan worthy of Baldrick himself.
Reads more like Blackadder the first.
I think most voted Labour as a safe haven. The common refrain "They have done well" the unspoken part of that "In spite of…." take your choice of any number of things or people.
National are never going to say, "they voted for Labour because they didn't trust us".
The MSM are also never going to say, "they voted for Labour because they didn't trust us".
…most voted Labour as a safe haven.
And some didn't because they know that for the most vulnerable in our community Labour offer no more of a safe haven than National.
They're never going to say :"they voted for Labour because they trust them" either. Hence the irrational meme highlighted by Hamish Keith's satirical tweet.
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/formal-review-into-governments-covid-19-response-would-distraction-chris-hipkins-says
I will participate in any such review and try to bring attention onto the misconduct of many media outlets and the misuse of the opposition led covid response committee.
So why was the PM lying to us about border testing before the election?
After all this isnt even disputed as it is in the official records.
[lprent: What she reported according to my recollection was what she (and Bloomfield) had been told and she expressed it exactly that way. That is part of the “official record”. Your statement is maliciously incorrect in that you are stating that she stated something that was incorrect. After all PMs do not physically go around and personally run border testing themselves. They make policy and others then implement and report back to them.
So you are lying through your teeth in your statement. You are also claiming an authority (‘official records’)in bad faith. You didn’t provide a link or any support for your statement. I’d say that you are a simpleminded moronic liar peddling false facts – and quite unsuited to this forum (see the policy).
I’d suggest you try the sewer aka kiwiblog where this kind of stupid lying is not only tolerated, but also encouraged. Come back when you increase in your ability to discriminate between what are substantiated facts and what are merely your opinions – plus being able to clearly express to others which is which. ]
One National grief point has now been laid to rest.
No more will we hear from them that they were gypped as the largest single party being prevented from forming a government.
In the immortal words of Mike Cullen that he never uttered, "We won. You lost. Eat that."
Now the meme is it was an intentional loss to prevent the Greens from forcing their way into power.
If that was the message, how come Collins was saying to two vote National to keep out the Greens eight days out from election day? Don't they listen? Did they mishear Blue for Red?
Well, one thing about the National voter is that they are finely tuned to the nuances of meaning in the words Blue and Red, and not likely to be that stupid as to confuse Collins' message.
Were they instead giving the electoral finger to Collins and National by voting Red? The socialist bogeyman doesn’t work any more. The Greens aren’t that terrifying, either. Fear is a poor substitute for true insight.
Were they saying that we are cool with Labour; they can be trusted; they are in control; they know what they are doing; give me substance over slogans, action over abuse, compassion over greed?
IMO many were simply turned off by Punch N Judy who appeared hell bent on a crusade towards Blinglish's 2002 result. 6 elections later the demographics aren't the same.
Collins couldn't hide her contempt, Gez's conspiracy corner, Woody and Boags DP smear (the whitewash fooled nobody) then cap it all by insulting overweight people.
They got the result their car crash of a campaign merited. Bipartisanship had votes in it but crusher knows best.
I'm not really surprised to be told he didn't say that. I didn't think that he was the sort to come out with such honesty, more of a behind-the-scenes wrecking ball on lower income people and the jobs that were there bread-and-butter.
Some of what Cullen did say, including a sub voce description of Key. Read here…….
https://www.stuff.co.nz/sunday-star-times/features/2329749/Regrets-I-ve-had-a-few-Michael-Cullen-reflects
edit
Points I note in this are that Cullen didn't understand the life and limits that ordinary people are constrained by. And also Labour has skated round the edges of committing to the low income people that are their raison d'etre.
The light bulb matters that irritated:
First I have great distaste for us following automatically what other countries are doing, usually western.
Second the reason for many in NZ not wanting all new tech bulbs was because they were more expensive. He is highly irrational saying otherwise. The cost per year for the bulb, and the lower electricity cost its different type produced, show cheapness on an amortised basis. But the cost to buy the bulb at the shop rose about 300% on average. Three bulbs needed (incandescent) @ $1.10 = $3.30 | three new type @ $4.10 each (possibly more) = $12.30.
And he says that he had to accept Sue Bradford's Bill as if they did not have the ability to amend with more effective legislation:
The anti-smacking bill was another strange case: even though National ended up voting for it, Labour got all the flak. Cullen says Labour could not have avoided the issue posed by green Sue Bradford's bill. Section 59 of the Crimes Act had led to the acquittal of people who had made quite serious attacks on children. And it fitted Labour policy, so opposing the measure would make people say it had no principles.
Cullen says that Labour needed to deal with the 'acquittal of people who had made quite serious attacks on children'. What's this 'quite' – they were serious attacks even murderous. An Anti-Smacking Bill was not going to stop such attacks. I remember Craig Manukau aged 11 kicked to death by the male in his life for going to a school event, also a list of others*.
Craig's sad story from 1992: https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/faces-of-innocents/81267814/faces-of-innocents-craig-manukau
Briefly re Craig: …the horrifying truth was that Craig Manukau's father went to a school disco, removed his son, took him home and kicked him to death while his mother turned up the radio to drown out the noise.
And one person's response – to become a social worker. But Judge Mason's verbal comment below says that the social work system was badly run and ineffective which is really wilful neglect in my opinion. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/hawkes-bay-today/news/linda-hall-protecting-our-children-is-vital/IJEGGC5RFRDJ3VFMO5P4EQXANE/
Bringing in non-smacking legislation was a statement about the state deploring this and being able to punish it – no biblical buts. But it did not try hard to conquer and overcome the actual violence in people being passed on to children, the vulnerable, and the violent parent syndrome.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/73681718/a-trail-of-broken-promises-1992-2015
There was a report on CYPS and this is a great video and comment – listen to this. 'Former judge Ken Mason discusses his historical review of CYFS':
If violence meant a period of jail isolation and then a period of workshopping and personal thought; some determined and focussed action one on one with the instigator with jail for the recalcitrants that would have been a good Labour thing to do; instead it is just the neo-lib punitive approach.
*https://childabuseinnz.wordpress.com/my-memorial/
What Cullen said. "The fact that Europe and America and Australia had either done it already or decided to do it seemed to be completely irrelevant."
What you extrapolated from what Cullen said. "The fact that Europe and America and Australia had either done it already or decided to carry out the policy seemed to assure Labour that we should adopt the same without thought.
Where's the 'without thought'? Not what he said, greywarshark, not what he said.
Well I have changed the wording slightly as indicated by my 'edit'. And i have seen that adopting overseas policy is a default position in a number of governments. We find policies used overseas and install them here without apparent thought for how they will work here – if there is thought then it is fleeting and dismisses unintended consequences.
Sorry, mate, it's not 'slightly'.
You said 'without thought'. Cullen is saying we did as several other countries did, which would have meant he had considered that and the actual actions taken. He is also saying that opponents of what he had done need to consider that his policy had also been considered and enacted by other countries, using that evidence as support for his having done the same.
And a frenzied stabbing from a male incensed that his partner was able to make a life with a job, and so he had to cut her down to size literally. Meanwhile their poor child had to endure this foul stuff, and whatever culture, we have this sour attitude that rises like bile and man becomes vengeful God.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/massey-stabbing-victim-came-to-nz-for-a-better-life-ex-partner-was-fixated-with-it/M73SFFPFNTZIKNCSUODPZ7B3SQ/
In the interests of accuracy one must agree that he didn't say precisely what you quote.
What he did say, on 9 September 2000 was.
"Eat that. You lost, we won" Same words but a slightly different order. Hansard for that date is not on-line I'm afraid.
In 2009 Farrar wrote, "
The quote, according to Farrar, referred to the disappearance of the ECA in September 2000, not the election result of 1999, the context I gave it. https://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2009/04/cullen_did_say_it_after_all.html
And I seem to remember that Cullen was heard to mutter that in relation to the 2002 National loss. "You lost. We won. Eat that!" Not in a speech.
Maybe it was an echo of Farrar's 1999 quote though I do not recall his one.
It was 9 August 2000:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1Iwfzv-Mt3CRG1Sa2QxTlBVQ2M/view
Now that the election is over I just want Labour to start governing from next week being a fresh election cycle.
Those who did not win need to remember that they are there to serve the voters and not theirselves.
testing
Looks like a pass.
Maeve Binchy in her wisdom of maturity – good to listen to about how we are and what we can think about the world. Good v Bad and What's the Meaning of Life?
With Shaw coming out of talks with nothing, its ha4d to see them putting something together by Friday to put to their members.
Bad omen.
Bad Omen(s)? You Never Know…
Living under a black cloud Ad? Where is your hope?
Fox spews Laura Inghram reckons Jacinda Aderns forcing people who don't take compulsory test's in isolation facilities is removing freedoms and is fascist.
Did they realise we are covid free.
What a fool Inghram is.
What about the rights of those people who get infected and die?
She doesn't care.
She's a Haw-Haw for the worst aspects of the current administration.
Interesting there is a parallel line from the UK. Nasty and busily crafted, not just a random putdown.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/covid-19-coronavirus-kiwis-fight-back-after-nz-compared-to-nazi-germany/N5RCKEXHQACFT4RW3R7QNIDQKI/ A right-wing British politician has outraged Kiwis online after likening New Zealand to Nazi Germany in a series of tweets taking aim at Jacinda Ardern and the Government's Covid response.
Suzanne Evans, a former journalist who hopped from the Conservative Party to the UK Independence Party before ditching politics, regularly shares posts critical of using lockdowns to tackle Covid-19. Yesterday Evans said that "New Zealand now has a fascist government under @jacindaardern. Are you going to act, @amnesty?".
The comment came above a retweet from fellow lockdown-sceptic Bernie Spofforth, who had shared an edited video containing messages from Dr Ashley Bloomfield and Jacinda Ardern about the policy of moving all positive cases to quarantine facilities and enforcing testing.
The video spliced together a press briefing from Bloomfield and a Facebook live video from Ardern and added graphics and memes.
Thank god she and her fellow fuxxers are a long way away.
With a bit of luck Evans won't come here because she will need to be tested or do 21 days in isolation.
Evans needs to focus on Covid in the UK and not in NZ.
Also, if we live in a fascist state we don't realise it as we have just had an election where 60%+of the people approved of what we have done by voting Green, Labour and even NZF.
This of course makes a stupidity of a claim that the non-fascist National voters, in order to keep out the Greens, voted for a fascist Labour party…….. as preferable.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/429289/housing-boom-could-get-worse-economist-warns
Economists are calling on the Reserve Bank of New Zealand to reinstate lending restrictions, warning the housing market is spiralling out of control.
In May, the Reserve Bank temporarily removed loan to value ratio (LVR) restrictions, freeing banks to sell mortgages to buyers with small deposits.
Since June, lending to investors has tripled and last month banks lent out more than $7.3 billion to house buyers – which is an all-time record.
Sorry Robertson you will have to upset all your mates in financial circles, the tight, closed ones) and set up special rates for just young families and older single people who are wanting a secure home. And it may be that you will need a State Mortgages system, set up through Kiwibank and other NZ owned banks that report to NZ financial entities. Get some steel and show that you're the Right Stuff.
Is New Zealand well served by having the dense shit Duncan Garner in a news/entertainment position?
He is a very, very slow learner:
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2020/10/duncan-garner-i-can-now-see-why-jacinda-ardern-got-your-vote-and-your-support.html
Typically, this tone deaf spanner makes it all about him and his privileged social life. He also outs himself as a National Party voter.
In the nicest possible way, trickortreaters might like to far cry toff. Thanks.
On Te Karere this afternoon I had my first glimpse of ACT Party MP Nicole McKee with her talking.
The item was about the shooting up north, the hi-jacking, kidnapping and whatever else went on.
McKee was described by Newsroom as a 'prominent gun advocate' in a piece 'ACT Party Nicole McKee wants 'commonsense and practicalities' brought back into Government."
So what did she have? Commonsense and practicalities? No, just a redneck.
Her answer is to 'sort the gangs out.' Okay Nicole McKee we've got plenty of land up here, how about building us another couple of prisons and we can sort the gangs out by picking them up and locking them away? How about 'moving the economy,' generating economic activity by importing personnel from overseas to staff those jails?
We need ambulances at the bottom of cliffs as much as we need another useless MP who cannot see what the real problem is and cannot show what leadership and hope look like.
Full marks to her at least I suppose for not suggesting that miscreants and gangs be shot on sight.
How many NZs see this as an insult to their intelligence, and an indication of her blinkered outlook? Fancy standing for a place in our political entity saying the same things that have been trotted out for decades and been shown to be worse than useless!
This is a sign that we need a better political system. Each candidate will have to sit and pass a special set of papers that give an overview when finished, of all the things that will need to be understood by newbies, mostly at the 101/201 level.
There will be explanation of hard science and how it is being utilised in NZ. And a lot of 'soft' science, sociology, study of the importance of early training and secure loving care to build confident little people, who grow right. Understanding statistics, planning, common building materials and tendering and how to get round that. Also entrepreneurship and the importance of paid work in a community.
I will work out a set of uni papers that I think all should study when I get round to it. How do we contain our irritation, and our disgust at the waste of time and low standards in the choices for representatives in the present system? We have not reacted back to the 'change agents' foisted on us and their ploys that suit sharp financial types good both at calculation with all sorts of figures, and also at how to get power.
Livestreaming from cawthron inst Nelson now. Souxie Wiles Sereen Adams from the Cawthron on the planet and things….
http://www.cawthron.live
How about a 4 day working week it's long over due.
With AI robots and more mechanization there won't be enough work for everyone.
20% less gridlock on motorways less stress more productive work places.
The last time we had a major move forward was at the end of the depression 1936 it helped reduce unemployment and gave people a better work life balance.
Now is the time to push this idea forward.