Well if you read the article all the way to the bottom, you will find that between Labour, National and ACT they all seem to have issues in their advertising. They all seem to advertise about 90 % the truth and 10 % a misconception about the truth, and they all seem to pull their ads? Maybe its a thing ALL political parties do? But i agree with the complainant, a. J.A did not say the words as in the ad, and it should probably be Grant in that picture as i assume him to make the decision about the taxes and J.A is the 'communicator' of the team.
But can you imagine the ads National / Act will run in 2023 when they will simply state that they will axe both the 39% taxrate on 2% of the public (500 million the poor dears) and re-instate the write of of interest for property holder.
The ASA gave ACT the opportunity to correct but they backed down obviously knowing they’d got it wrong.
It was horrible to see ACT use images of children in their lie. They are a party of low morals and just don't seem to get what decent people want.
Rimmer must be very confident of securing the remainder of the disgruntled and paranoid racists from the National Party, but he won't swing any middle voters at all.
I have heard people comment that that approach has worked marvelously for the current Government when they talk about how well their Covid 19 policies are working.
I'll comment on the matter. New Zealand's Covid response is the envy of the entire world. Our unemployment rate is low and our growth forecast is high compared to other OECD countries. We are once again at the top of the Covid resilience rankings.
The government's Covid-19 policies are working very well and I'm not sure what metric anyone would be using to say otherwise.
The fact that it hurts some people is a real worry though.
"What is it about the alt-right and their murky relationship with the truth?"
Many, many years ago when I was young my Dad told me to be wary of Tories (he was English and regarded all right wing parties as Tories) because they're nasty. He reckoned you could never trust them to tell the truth.
So, it gets passed down the line from parents to children. They think it is normal behaviour and they presume everybody else does it too. Maybe some do, but most don’t.
It is why they come up with all the silly theories about Jacinda Ardern because they can't accept she's straight and honest and actually means what she says.
"It is why they come up with all the silly theories about Jacinda Ardern because they can't accept she's straight and honest and actually means what she says"
Jacinda is a politician, all politicians lie, the first lie she told as leader was in the Christchurch leaders debate in 2017 when she said she would not lie"
Please give one example of a Jacinda Ardern lie, and back it up with indisputable fact.
You will never get such an example. Not a true one anyway.
As me old Dad said:
They're nasty and they don't tell the truth.
I must qualify that by saying that your ordinary Nat voter are not necessarily nasty or liars. I count among my friends over the years a number of them who are not interested in politics and they vote National because their parents did and their parents before them.
Tax Payers Union showing their class again, backing a Ratepayers Alliance with some rude members. Various right wingers criticising the behaviour but avoiding the R word.
Very similar to the "Christian" women who yelled "Speak English!" during the karakia at the United Women's Conventions organized by the new Labour government in 1984. Hilariously, many (perhaps most) of those extremists who could not handle a few words in Te Reo Māori were practitioners of "speaking in tongues."
OK Morrissey – those speaking in 'tongues', do you know that or are you just throwing that in as a possibility.
I am concerned at the power that religions like the Exclusive Brethren and other religio-business models may have over this uncontrolled business and profit- oriented economy. Are you keeping an eye and ear open for that thing?
People of strong religious views are in the Labour government, just as they were in the National government. It's hard to quantify just how much influence they have.
It’s when the religious-political nexus is brazen that I start to worry. Thankfully we have no Billy T.K. or Colin Craig in parliament right now, but we’ve had a number of right wing so-called “Christians” there in the past—people like this thoroughly nasty piece of work…
I was appalled to hear John Tamihere a few years ago boasting of how he made a point of attending a Washington “prayer breakfast” along with a host of right wing Democratic and (predominantly) Republican “lawmakers”.
I had the idea that under neolib people's wishes were supposed to have more weight than previously under More government. Why shouldn't people, having agreed and made a case for it, be able to amalgamate with another local authority as here.
Residents of the two towns requested a boundary alteration in October 2018, saying they felt neglected by Horowhenua District Council. Residents felt more connected to Palmertston North, where they work, shop and go to school.
While the Local Government Commission acknowledged residents' strong ties to Palmerston North, it ruled the move would not provide benefits on the scale required to make a change.
It sounds very parental to me – no dear you can't have that seemingly sensible thing you want because it doesn't meet my cost efficiency code.
Nekminit, little towns everywhere are linking up with local cities and demanding the district councils they've abandoned do something about the shocking roads they commute on and holiday along. Spiffing.
Sounds good. You never get anywhere these days by going along with yesterday's methods – now you go straight to the best offer. That's how things get done these days or you just sit there like a good little whatever and be sidelined.
A short but good article on Stuff today from Mike Joy about the limits of growth, or limits of green growth to give it current terminology. Essentially he comments on the EROI – energy return on investment of 'green' energy sources. What he says is not new and a number of contributors and readers on this blog know it well already. Australian permaculturalist have been expressing ideas of a necessary energy decline for 2 or 3 decades. It is quite rare however to see that discussion make it's way into main stream media.
so we have a significant piece of legislation coming up that will allow anyone to gender self I D. In a vote compass poll just before last election, the majority of voters did not support it. There was a large number of undecideds, 20%, that suggests there is a need for more information on the pros and cons. A feminist group, Speak up for Women, wanted to hold a public meeting to put their side of the debate. Christchurch, now Dunedin library have cancelled their bookings. This is a serious breech of people being able to exercise their democratic rights. The group is concerned with the interests of women and girls.
I know there are mixed views on this blog about gender, but at least we have the debate.
Good piece by Thomas Manch. It's about the tension between NZ and AUS over long standing issues like rights for Kiwis and defence spending, but mainly explores the differences in approach to China.
ANALYSIS: The second-class treatment of New Zealanders in Australia remains a “pebble in the shoe”. The insistence on deporting criminals continues to corrode. And China’s rise remains the major conundrum for the New Zealand-Australia relationship.
On defence:
(Dr Anna Powles, a senior lecturer in security studies at Massey University) said Canberra’s distrust about New Zealand’s commitment to defence and security goes back to the split of the ANZUS alliance in the 1980s, and the current rift over China had been brewing for a few years.
“New Zealand’s low defence spending has long been a source of frustration across the Tasman. This has frustrated officials on both sides.”
Our defence spending is reflective of our geographical position. Our location is our competitive advantage with regard to defence; military/political aggression, and pandemic alike. It is also to our detriment; high export/import costs and remoteness from key markets, so it is natural to want to use our advantage and not have to redundantly spend on defence according to the desires of an increasingly paranoid and belligerent nation like Australia.
(Victoria University professor David Capie) said Dutton’s appointment to the defence portfolio in Australia would be challenging for New Zealand.
Australian Defence Minister Peter Dutton stands in parliament, alongside Prime Minister Scott Morrison, sitting on the left.
"It's extremely likely that he's going to take a sharper line on Australia's defence in the region. And I think that's going to highlight some differences with New Zealand.
And,
Australian National University professor Dr Brendan Taylor said Australia had become progressively more hawkish, or aggressive in its foreign affairs, since as far back as the Kevin Rudd Government in 2009.
However, a turning point occurred early in 2020. Taylor said there was now a “much stronger emphasis on values … seeing the world in terms of democracy versus authoritarian regimes”.
“That's probably why you're noticing a real drift away from the New Zealand position … Australia has really shifted and is continuing to shift.”
This was partly due to the “key personalities” within the Morrison Government who hold strong ideological views, he said. The pragmatic, interests-based approach to foreign policy was giving way to these views.
Identity politics, anyone? These two strategic analysts clearly point to fundamentalist, ideological personalities within AUS politics sculpting that country's aggressive overtures. I happen to think Peter Dutton is one of the most evil men in he world and is largely responsible for the deterioration in the NZ-AUS relationship. What damage is he yet to do to our region?
Taylor said New Zealand officials understood their Australian counterparts much better than the other way around. There was not a lot of expertise about New Zealand within universities and think tanks across the Tasman.
"My sense is the Australian Government has been struggling to understand the New Zealand Government's approach.”
New Zealand’s approach to China resembled that of some South East Asian nations, he said – Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta’s speech to the New Zealand China Council last month was comparable to speeches given by Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
"The Australian Government could probably learn a bit from looking at speeches like that.”
This is interesting. Although it is felt “Wellington has long had to show it’s relevant and reliable to Canberra", it is apparent Canberra has little regard for Wellington and have a very poor understanding of New Zealand. This is reflected in the way they treat their closest neighbour and friend.
But the persisting issues – such as the deportations of criminals to New Zealand – could limit how willing New Zealand would be to co-operate on Pacific issues that arise, at a time when China was seeking to expand its influence.
Indeed. Conservative Australia cannot have it both ways.
"The second-class treatment of New Zealanders in Australia remains a “pebble in the shoe”
I regularly raise the erosion of the Special Category Visa whenever I am in communication with people I know Australia. Overwhelmingly they just don't want to discuss it. Plenty of ostriches in Australia
Why should they want to discuss it? They think it is a great idea and think their Government is right to kick out what they see as ratbags.
Try discussing with New Zealanders the deportation of Pasifika people from New Zealand. We are doing just the same thing to them that Australia is doing to New Zealand people over the ditch.
This story is from a couple of years ago but I doubt that things have changed much since it was written in 2019. Just a few quotes.
"A police spokesperson said 1664 people were deported to New Zealand from Australia between January 1, 2015 and February 22, 2019."
"Meanwhile, Immigration New Zealand (INZ) figures show in the past five years 1040 people have been deported to the Pacific from New Zealand." That would seem to be the 5 years up to March 2019, given the date of the story.
"Newsroom was unable to verify anecdotal reports of people being deported after being in New Zealand since childhood, but was told in one case a man deported to Tiuvalu in 2017 after release from prison had been in New Zealand since he was two years old.".
My comments aren't merely along the lines of "They did it too"
For what it is worth I'll give you my own views. They are based on having lived there for 7 years and, in the quarter century since then, having visited Australia typically twice a year. That unfortunately stopped at the beginning of last year and I haven't been over there since October 2019 but I don't think the situation has changed.
I think the following situation applies. No Australian Government really cares very much about New Zealand and no Government is going to change this deportation system. It doesn't matter whether it is a Coalition or a Labour Government.
The reason they won't change is because the Australian public are overwhelmingly in favour of it. Their attitude is that they don't see why they should have to allow people with even fairly minor criminal records staying there when they can be deported.
Trying to debate with them, as Noel wants to do, is completely pointless. They simply aren't going to change their views. Having our Government trying to persuade their Government to alter the policy is equally pointless in terms of getting any change. I think the New Zealand Government knows that but they think it may get them a few more New Zealand votes. This they are interested in doing. Admitting they are powerless and that Australia doesn't care? Not likely!
Therefore if you think that people shouldn't be deported to somewhere that they are strangers to, it is totally pointless to try and achieve anything in Australia. It might give you a warm fuzzy feeling but your efforts will achieve nothing. Absolutely nothing.
At least you may, and it is only a may, get some results if you try and get a New Zealand Government to change its ways. Here at least you can vote and most politicians pay at least some heed to what voters want. If you want to spend time on this topic do it where you have at least some chance of getting something to happen.
A New Zealand resident who cannot vote in Australia but who opposes a policy that most Australians approve of has much less or a chance of getting some action than I would have if I started a campaign to get Parliamentary salaries back to the level they were 50 years ago. That was when an MP was paid about as much as a HoD teacher. Would Parliament go back to that? Not a chance. Even that would be much better odds than those that attach to the proposition that Australia will change its deportation policy because some New Zealanders don't like it.
It Isn't Going To Happen. Spend you time where you might be able to do some good. Work on New Zealand problems.
I’m quite sure you’re right on almost everything you said. However, this doesn’t mean that NZ Government has to like it, agree with it, accept it, and say nothing and just let it go. This is not how politics work, this is not how humans work. That said, I don’t think it is a hill they want to die on, politically speaking, but it is now a NZ problem.
As for uprooting people from their community and even ripping apart families and whanau, for whatever reason, I think this should not be done lightly, as it can lead to (more) stigmatisation, social isolation, and alienation – you know that this does not end well. It is actually a harsh penalty in any context. It tends to create big(ger) problems elsewhere, which has an element of NIMBYism. Shifting a problem doesn’t solve it.
Banishment and exile are as old as society. Would we be as concerned if Australia had exceedingly long prison sentences or even reintroduced the death penalty for some crimes that impacted NZ born residents?….I suspect much less so.
"Immigration New Zealand (INZ) figures show in the past five years 1040 people have been deported to the Pacific from New Zealand"
You conflate that with deportations to New Zealand from Australia
Got any breakdown on how many deportations from New Zealand to the pacific were simply for overstaying visas? – Your quoted figures are meaningless without it.
Well, he is one of those… toss em all into jail and throw away the key types. Or better still… leave em on a desert island in shark infested waters. 😉 And he does make a song and dance about it.
The issue is a little more nuanced than his simplistic stance suggests, so he can't complain if they respond with what are no doubt empty threats.
Not that I am condoning their behaviour, but Simeon does ask for it.
What do you mean by “Shaw played the victim well”? He was a victim. He gave a victim impact statement to the Court for the Trial.
At an earlier hearing a judge found Harris threw two punches to Shaw's face, one of which fractured his right eye socket and then when Shaw was on the ground, threw three or four more.
The judge was not satisfied that there had been any kicking.
…
"It was pretty solid. I haven't been punched that hard previously."
The attack stopped when two people intervened.
"Initially I went to work because I did not think it was that bad but I started bleeding from the nose and then went to ED."
The main injury was to his eye socket with a lot of bruising and a scan showing a fracture.
My initial point at 10 above was, I don't believe any politician should have themselves or their families threatened of violence or being killed as per the "Your gonna get popped without knowing it you peanut".
I find it gob smacking that some commenters on here from the tone of their comments at 10.1.2, 10.1.3.1 and 10.1.1 seem to think its all ok and Simeon is fair game. That's why I asked at 10.1.1.1 to try and find out if they felt the same way if a similar threat was made to a Labour (or any other party for that matter).
Addressing the binary “us” and “them” of populism between academics and other citizens also requires diversity in universities. Academia that is reflective of wider society will change the scope and nature of teaching and research, improving research engagements with communities, and broadening the demographics of student bodies.
Academics can be real ignorant snobs when it comes to acknowledging that much of the heavy lifting in tertiary education institutions is done by non-academic staff and non-academics in general, including post-graduate students and so on. This divide is sharp, cutting, and hurtful to all those non-academics who work extremely hard and bend over backwards, especially during the Covide-19 pandemic, and make a huge but under-appreciated contribution to the experience of all in those institutions and, by extension, to our society. It is similar at schools, particularly secondary schools, where support staff do an amazing job, for little pay, and some have the highest academic qualifications (i.e. PhD).
I strongly resisted turning this into an epic rant …
I can get behind the article in general, academics literally are paid to know about the topic. But… Heh. University of Otago.
The institution that did a multi-year "support services review" because the vice chancellor thought it had too many general staff. Made dozens redundant, and had to hire back 10% of them. For literally years people would walk into the tea room not knowing if a someone in there had received a redundancy notice. It was fucking cruel.
And they forgot about all the general staff who actually do research: analysts, writers, technicians… "forgot", as in "nobody heard from the review committee unless they specifically asked if they were 'in scope'". Silly billies, you never stick your head above the parapet.
But the review got done, whatever bureaucratic nightmares it caused were probably overshadowed by the dent they put in the holiday pay and rendundancy liabilities the HR balance sheet faced, and the vice chancellor has pissed off to a uni three times the size of otago (her plane no doubt held aloft by the laurels of her bold and innovative restructuring).
Oh well McFlock the top bananas are hired because they are from another country, known to be rottweilers and can be let loose on the institution/council without ripples affecting all the other CEOs in NZ. They are hired guns, and know how to shoot execution-style.
Democracy under threat?……looks more like outright war.
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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 ...
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 ...
EDITORIAL:By Pip Hinman and Susan Price Meta, the giant social media corporation, has “unpublished” Green Left’s longstanding Facebook page, which had tens of thousands of followers. We had been regularly posting stories, videos and photographs on the page from our consistent reporting of the news and views that seldom ...
Richard Shaw’s latest book, The Unsettled, explores the truth behind his and other Pākehā families’ ‘settler’/’pioneer’ histories and considers what to do with them. In this excerpt Shaw reveals how, once family facts come to light, the places around us look and feel different as our view of our place ...
The comedian and Celebrity Treasure Island champion takes us through his life in television, including trying to find his mum a man, the lasting impact of the 3B cream ad and his love for a certain Sticky TV presenter. James Mustapic’s closest collaborator is his mum Janet, who has been ...
Opinion: Although opioid use rates are rising in Aotearoa New Zealand, we have an opportunity to prevent an opioid crisis – let’s not waste the time we have left. Opioid overdose is in the news again as two recent New Zealand studies found overdose rates ticking upwards in Aotearoa. Rates ...
The Government has confirmed the problematic Performance-Based Research Fund will be reviewed over the course of the year, as part of a wider review into the university funding system. The upcoming Quality Evaluation component has subsequently been cancelled with funding to be allocated based on the last evaluation which was ...
Rachel Hunter sold out a Christchurch school hall for a mysterious sounding ‘Community Event’. Alex Casey went along to find out what it was all about. Former international supermodel Rachel Hunter is sitting cross-legged on stage between HEAT PUMP 3 and HEAT PUMP 4. It’s a school night in St ...
Rescue pup Coltrane is our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Coltrane’s human, Troy, for his support. Dog name: ColtraneAge: 2Breed: Labrador x InSinkeratorIf rescued, where from? Like his (human) dad, ...
When I next saw James, he was wiping his nose on a paper towel, the kind you get from beside a kitchen sink. The weather had suddenly turned, so he was wearing a dark jacket and an absurd little scarf that I thought made him look years older. Embarrassingly, I ...
COMMENTARY:By Ronny Kareni Since the atrocious footage of the suffering of an indigenous Papuan man reverberates in the heart of Puncak by the brute force of Indonesia’s army in early February, shocking tactics deployed by those in power to silence critics has been unfolding. Nowhere is this more evident ...
Analysis - Nicola Willis is holding firm on tax cuts despite the economic outlook being worse than forecast and critics urging her to wait, writes Peter Wilson for The Week In Politics. ...
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. ...
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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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 ...
By Anneke Smith, RNZ News political reporter A petition urging the New Zealand government to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people has been tabled in the House. More than 200 people gathered on Parliament’s forecourt today and they were met by MPs from Labour, the Greens and Te ...
Pacific Media Watch The Paris-based global media freedom watchdog RSF (Reporters Without Borders) has appealed for information about the “disappearance” of Palestinian journalist Bayan Abusultan. She was reportedly last seen on March 19 among people “sequestered” in this week’s raid and siege of Al Shifa hospital by Israeli troops in ...
EDITORIAL:The Jakarta Post It happens again and again; indigenous Papuans fall victim to Indonesian soldiers. This time, we have photographic evidence for the brutality, with videos on social media showing a Papuan man being tortured by a group of plainclothes men alleged to be the Indonesian Military (TNI) members. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn J. Whitaker, Director of the Wesley Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Policy & Associate Professor, New Testament, Pilgrim Theological College, University of Divinity A strange and eclectic range of activities takes place across these few weeks of the year. Some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University It’s Easter weekend, which means many of us will be kicking back with the greatest hits on repeat. But whether you’re a boomer, or an ‘80s or ’90s kid, you might be ...
RNZ Pacific Fiji’s Acting Public Prosecutor has filed an appeal against the sentences of former prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama and suspended police chief Sitiveni Qiliho in their corruption case. Bainimarama was granted an absolute discharge for attempting to pervert the course of justice while Qiliho received a conditional discharge with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Arosha Weerakoon, Senior Lecturer and General Dentist, School of Dentistry, The University of Queensland Casezy idea/Shutterstock How does toothpaste work? What did people use before toothpaste was invented? – Amelia, age 7, Meanjin (Brisbane) Thanks for your ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brett Hallam, Associate professor, UNSW Sydney IM Imagery/Shutterstock Solar SunShot is well named. The Australian government announced today it would plough A$1 billion into bringing back solar manufacturing to Australia, boosting energy security, swapping coal and gas jobs for those ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Dix, Research Fellow in Nutrition & Dietetics, The University of Queensland Easter is the time for chocolate. The shops are full of fantastically packaged and shiny chocolates in all shapes and sizes, making trips to the supermarket with children more challenging ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Felton, Adjunct Senior Researcher, University of South Australia Even in a stubborn cost-of-living crisis, it seems there’s one luxury most Australians won’t sacrifice – their daily cup of coffee. Coffee sales have largely remained stable, even as financial pressures have ...
Mining company Trans-Tasman Resources has unexpectedly withdrawn its application for a consent to suck the valuable metals vanadium and titanium from the Taranaki seafloor, as it apparently wagers on the Government’s new fast-track process. It had spent two-and-a-half days putting its case to the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision-making committee, at ...
Contrary to the Associate Minister of Education’s claims, analysis of Healthy School Lunches Programme - Ka Ora, Ka Ako assessments has revealed it provides excellent value for the taxpayer dollar, as a groundswell of public opposition to Government ...
Greenpeace says wannabe Taranaki seabed miner Trans-Tasman Resources is likely banking on Christopher Luxon’s fast-track process to side-step proper scrutiny of its Taranaki seabed mining proposal by bailing out of the Environmental Protection Agency hearing ...
Kiwis Against Seabed mining today slammed Australian owned would-be seabed miner Trans Tasman Resources (TTR) for abandoning its application to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to mine the seabed of the South Taranaki Bight. The company ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katie Attwell, Associate Professor, School of Social Sciences, The University of Western Australia Ground Picture/Shutterstock Months after COVID vaccines were introduced in 2021, governments and private organisations mandated them for various groups. Health and aged care workers were among the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Dzurak, Scientia Professor Andrew Dzurak, CEO and Founder of Diraq, UNSW Sydney Diraq For decades, the pursuit of quantum computing has struggled with the need for extremely low temperatures, mere fractions of a degree above absolute zero (0 Kelvin or ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne A national Essential poll, conducted March 20–24 from a sample of 1,150, gave the Coalition a 50–44 lead including undecided, a reversal ...
The Taxpayers’ Union has today made a formal request under the Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on Open Government Information () for information held about how New Zealand Members of Parliament are spending taxpayer ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Nelson, Honorary Principal Fellow, The University of Melbourne A Byzantine depiction of the Eucharist in Saint Sophia Cathedral, Kyiv.Jacek555/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA A nasty quarrel arose in the 11th century over what kind of bread should be used in holy ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Patrick Hesp, Professor, Flinders University Patrick Hesp In some parts of Australia, coastal dunes are retreating from the ocean at an alarming rate, as waves carve up the beach and wind blows the sand inland. But coastal communities are largely ...
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Whether you’re facing layoffs or are just an emotional junior staffer, it’s always a good idea to scout out a good crying place before you need it. It’s an incredibly hard time for Wellington. Across the city, thousands of public servants are hearing tough news about redundancies and layoffs. Government ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daryl Adair, Associate Professor of Sport Management, University of Technology Sydney Earlier this week, independent MP Andrew Wilkie accused the AFL of conducting “off the books” illicit drug testing to identify players using substances of abuse, then inappropriately withdrawing them from matches ...
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While creating a slate of world-class shows, Whakaata Māori also developed a generation of world-class creatives. Television is an odd word. It mixes the Ancient Greek and Latin languages, and its most literal meaning is “far-off sight”. In the contemporary and living language of te reo Māori, “whakaata” as a ...
Yesterday the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza. This significant step and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza prompted an urgent debate in the New Zealand Parliament. Leader ...
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ACT caught spreading fake news again. What is it about the alt-right and their murky relationship with the truth?
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2021/05/act-s-we-ll-tax-you-harder-ad-featuring-jacinda-ardern-removed-after-complaint-it-was-misleading.html
Arnold Rimmer's big marketing drive will come to nought if he keeps lying like this.
If you inhabiit an alternative universe it’s easy to find 'alternative facts'.
Kellyanne Conway’s illogical defenses of Trump will live on in the GOP – The Washington Post
Well if you read the article all the way to the bottom, you will find that between Labour, National and ACT they all seem to have issues in their advertising. They all seem to advertise about 90 % the truth and 10 % a misconception about the truth, and they all seem to pull their ads? Maybe its a thing ALL political parties do? But i agree with the complainant, a. J.A did not say the words as in the ad, and it should probably be Grant in that picture as i assume him to make the decision about the taxes and J.A is the 'communicator' of the team.
But can you imagine the ads National / Act will run in 2023 when they will simply state that they will axe both the 39% taxrate on 2% of the public (500 million the poor dears) and re-instate the write of of interest for property holder.
The ASA rejected the complaints against both National and Labour party adds.
and yet, people took offense. 🙂
So yeah, all of these parties will go as far as the public and watchdogs are letting them go.
ACTs falsehood is that the very high income earners ' are hard working'
Tell that to the people on low wages while those driving high priced cars under tax free notational purchases wizz by.
The ASA never ruled against ACT. ACT decided to remove the ad and the ASA then never got round to considering it.
ACT by then had got all the publicity for they wanted. Indeed they got far more than if no complaint had ever been raised.
The ASA gave ACT the opportunity to correct but they backed down obviously knowing they’d got it wrong.
It was horrible to see ACT use images of children in their lie. They are a party of low morals and just don't seem to get what decent people want.
Rimmer must be very confident of securing the remainder of the disgruntled and paranoid racists from the National Party, but he won't swing any middle voters at all.
Good luck to him.
There may be more votes amongst the euthanasia enthusiasts than you think.
True. Single issue parties can do very well to a point.
Do they really need publicity that paints them as devious lying little shits though?
I have heard people comment that that approach has worked marvelously for the current Government when they talk about how well their Covid 19 policies are working.
I really couldn't comment on the matter though.
I have heard people say some pretty bonehead stuff too.
I'll comment on the matter. New Zealand's Covid response is the envy of the entire world. Our unemployment rate is low and our growth forecast is high compared to other OECD countries. We are once again at the top of the Covid resilience rankings.
The government's Covid-19 policies are working very well and I'm not sure what metric anyone would be using to say otherwise.
The fact that it hurts some people is a real worry though.
One of the biggest threats to our enviable position is complacency.
No need to scan in because *insert weak excuse*, or 'my privacy, I will not leave name and address'.
Arrogance will get us.
"What is it about the alt-right and their murky relationship with the truth?"
Many, many years ago when I was young my Dad told me to be wary of Tories (he was English and regarded all right wing parties as Tories) because they're nasty. He reckoned you could never trust them to tell the truth.
So, it gets passed down the line from parents to children. They think it is normal behaviour and they presume everybody else does it too. Maybe some do, but most don’t.
It is why they come up with all the silly theories about Jacinda Ardern because they can't accept she's straight and honest and actually means what she says.
FFS
"It is why they come up with all the silly theories about Jacinda Ardern because they can't accept she's straight and honest and actually means what she says"
Jacinda is a politician, all politicians lie, the first lie she told as leader was in the Christchurch leaders debate in 2017 when she said she would not lie"
Please give one example of a Jacinda Ardern lie, and back it up with indisputable fact.
Definition of lie
intransitive verb
1 : to make an untrue statement with intent to deceive
I don't believe anyone will be holding their breath for long……………..
You will never get such an example. Not a true one anyway.
As me old Dad said:
They're nasty and they don't tell the truth.
I must qualify that by saying that your ordinary Nat voter are not necessarily nasty or liars. I count among my friends over the years a number of them who are not interested in politics and they vote National because their parents did and their parents before them.
all politicians lie,
No they don't. What lies did Jeanette Fitzimons, Russel Norman or Nandor Tanczos tell? You are making an unsubstantiated slur and should withdraw it.
You can add Laila Harre and Sue Bradford to that list.
https://www.e-education.psu.edu/emsc240/node/559
Three types of lie….and everybody, including politicians, partakes…some more egregiously than others.
+1
Nod to solkta here.
Those politicians that don't lie are only economical with the truth.
Grant Robertson is too definitive. "We will not be extending the bright line test".
Nek minnit, the bright line test will go from 5 to 10 years.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/300259542/housing-grant-robertson-says-he-was-too-definitive-when-he-ruled-out-a-change-to-the-brightline-test-judith-collins-says-he-lied
Or their inaction/silences on certain issues speaks volumes/tells lies..
(c.f…green party inaction on cannabis law-reform post tanczos to chloe..the long years of silence…)
which made their policies/promises on this issue..lies..surely..?..)
Whenever the issue of advertising and the dodgy morality surrounding it comes up, I can't help but hear D Boon hollering the first lines of this song.
Only 1 1/2 mins of pallatable American punk, The Minutemen:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9iC2BoZALEE
Tax Payers Union showing their class again, backing a Ratepayers Alliance with some rude members. Various right wingers criticising the behaviour but avoiding the R word.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2021/05/tauranga-crowd-jeers-at-speaker-addressing-them-in-te-reo-m-ori.html
Simon and Peter could have done better to call it what it was.
Very similar to the "Christian" women who yelled "Speak English!" during the karakia at the United Women's Conventions organized by the new Labour government in 1984. Hilariously, many (perhaps most) of those extremists who could not handle a few words in Te Reo Māori were practitioners of "speaking in tongues."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsrwgd7rnR0
OK Morrissey – those speaking in 'tongues', do you know that or are you just throwing that in as a possibility.
I am concerned at the power that religions like the Exclusive Brethren and other religio-business models may have over this uncontrolled business and profit- oriented economy. Are you keeping an eye and ear open for that thing?
OK Morrissey – those speaking in 'tongues', do you know that or are you just throwing that in as a possibility.
It was the great Fran Wilde who made that comment after those foolish and linguistically challenged "Christian" women made their protest.
Thanks hadn't seen that.
But what say you to the other point, Are your eagle eyes surveying the role that the ir-religious play or would like to, in gummint?
People of strong religious views are in the Labour government, just as they were in the National government. It's hard to quantify just how much influence they have.
It’s when the religious-political nexus is brazen that I start to worry. Thankfully we have no Billy T.K. or Colin Craig in parliament right now, but we’ve had a number of right wing so-called “Christians” there in the past—people like this thoroughly nasty piece of work…
https://assets.thespinoff.co.nz/1/2019/07/alexb.jpg
I was appalled to hear John Tamihere a few years ago boasting of how he made a point of attending a Washington “prayer breakfast” along with a host of right wing Democratic and (predominantly) Republican “lawmakers”.
"The clowns at MSNBC didn't have a clue."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlHp6eAflGc
I had the idea that under neolib people's wishes were supposed to have more weight than previously under More government. Why shouldn't people, having agreed and made a case for it, be able to amalgamate with another local authority as here.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/443601/horowhenua-towns-bid-for-boundary-move-to-palmerston-north-fails
The Horowhenua towns of Ōpiki and Tokomaru have been denied their requests to ditch the district and become affiliated with Palmerston North City.
Residents of the two towns requested a boundary alteration in October 2018, saying they felt neglected by Horowhenua District Council.
Residents felt more connected to Palmertston North, where they work, shop and go to school.
While the Local Government Commission acknowledged residents' strong ties to Palmerston North, it ruled the move would not provide benefits on the scale required to make a change.
It sounds very parental to me – no dear you can't have that seemingly sensible thing you want because it doesn't meet my cost efficiency code.
Nekminit, little towns everywhere are linking up with local cities and demanding the district councils they've abandoned do something about the shocking roads they commute on and holiday along. Spiffing.
Sounds good. You never get anywhere these days by going along with yesterday's methods – now you go straight to the best offer. That's how things get done these days or you just sit there like a good little whatever and be sidelined.
A short but good article on Stuff today from Mike Joy about the limits of growth, or limits of green growth to give it current terminology. Essentially he comments on the EROI – energy return on investment of 'green' energy sources. What he says is not new and a number of contributors and readers on this blog know it well already. Australian permaculturalist have been expressing ideas of a necessary energy decline for 2 or 3 decades. It is quite rare however to see that discussion make it's way into main stream media.
Good to see the fundamentals being more widely expressed but the logical conclusion remains unsaid
https://rdln.wordpress.com/2021/05/28/free-speech-union-condemns-ban-of-feminist-group/
so we have a significant piece of legislation coming up that will allow anyone to gender self I D. In a vote compass poll just before last election, the majority of voters did not support it. There was a large number of undecideds, 20%, that suggests there is a need for more information on the pros and cons. A feminist group, Speak up for Women, wanted to hold a public meeting to put their side of the debate. Christchurch, now Dunedin library have cancelled their bookings. This is a serious breech of people being able to exercise their democratic rights. The group is concerned with the interests of women and girls.
I know there are mixed views on this blog about gender, but at least we have the debate.
Good piece by Thomas Manch. It's about the tension between NZ and AUS over long standing issues like rights for Kiwis and defence spending, but mainly explores the differences in approach to China.
On defence:
Our defence spending is reflective of our geographical position. Our location is our competitive advantage with regard to defence; military/political aggression, and pandemic alike. It is also to our detriment; high export/import costs and remoteness from key markets, so it is natural to want to use our advantage and not have to redundantly spend on defence according to the desires of an increasingly paranoid and belligerent nation like Australia.
And,
Identity politics, anyone? These two strategic analysts clearly point to fundamentalist, ideological personalities within AUS politics sculpting that country's aggressive overtures. I happen to think Peter Dutton is one of the most evil men in he world and is largely responsible for the deterioration in the NZ-AUS relationship. What damage is he yet to do to our region?
This is interesting. Although it is felt “Wellington has long had to show it’s relevant and reliable to Canberra", it is apparent Canberra has little regard for Wellington and have a very poor understanding of New Zealand. This is reflected in the way they treat their closest neighbour and friend.
Indeed. Conservative Australia cannot have it both ways.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/125010133/can-the-rift-be-healed-beneath-the-tension-in-the-new-zealandaustralia-relationship
"The second-class treatment of New Zealanders in Australia remains a “pebble in the shoe”
I regularly raise the erosion of the Special Category Visa whenever I am in communication with people I know Australia. Overwhelmingly they just don't want to discuss it. Plenty of ostriches in Australia
Why should they want to discuss it? They think it is a great idea and think their Government is right to kick out what they see as ratbags.
Try discussing with New Zealanders the deportation of Pasifika people from New Zealand. We are doing just the same thing to them that Australia is doing to New Zealand people over the ditch.
This story is from a couple of years ago but I doubt that things have changed much since it was written in 2019. Just a few quotes.
"A police spokesperson said 1664 people were deported to New Zealand from Australia between January 1, 2015 and February 22, 2019."
"Meanwhile, Immigration New Zealand (INZ) figures show in the past five years 1040 people have been deported to the Pacific from New Zealand." That would seem to be the 5 years up to March 2019, given the date of the story.
"Newsroom was unable to verify anecdotal reports of people being deported after being in New Zealand since childhood, but was told in one case a man deported to Tiuvalu in 2017 after release from prison had been in New Zealand since he was two years old.".
Now tell me. Are you protesting about the actions of our Government? If not why not, given that you seem to think that Australia is wrong when they do the same thing?
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/is-nzs-deportation-stance-hypocritical
#whatabout and #theydidittoo
Now tell me, is this the best you can do? I know some here cannot, but surely you can argue better than this level of boys in a schoolyard …
My comments aren't merely along the lines of "They did it too"
For what it is worth I'll give you my own views. They are based on having lived there for 7 years and, in the quarter century since then, having visited Australia typically twice a year. That unfortunately stopped at the beginning of last year and I haven't been over there since October 2019 but I don't think the situation has changed.
I think the following situation applies. No Australian Government really cares very much about New Zealand and no Government is going to change this deportation system. It doesn't matter whether it is a Coalition or a Labour Government.
The reason they won't change is because the Australian public are overwhelmingly in favour of it. Their attitude is that they don't see why they should have to allow people with even fairly minor criminal records staying there when they can be deported.
Trying to debate with them, as Noel wants to do, is completely pointless. They simply aren't going to change their views. Having our Government trying to persuade their Government to alter the policy is equally pointless in terms of getting any change. I think the New Zealand Government knows that but they think it may get them a few more New Zealand votes. This they are interested in doing. Admitting they are powerless and that Australia doesn't care? Not likely!
Therefore if you think that people shouldn't be deported to somewhere that they are strangers to, it is totally pointless to try and achieve anything in Australia. It might give you a warm fuzzy feeling but your efforts will achieve nothing. Absolutely nothing.
At least you may, and it is only a may, get some results if you try and get a New Zealand Government to change its ways. Here at least you can vote and most politicians pay at least some heed to what voters want. If you want to spend time on this topic do it where you have at least some chance of getting something to happen.
A New Zealand resident who cannot vote in Australia but who opposes a policy that most Australians approve of has much less or a chance of getting some action than I would have if I started a campaign to get Parliamentary salaries back to the level they were 50 years ago. That was when an MP was paid about as much as a HoD teacher. Would Parliament go back to that? Not a chance. Even that would be much better odds than those that attach to the proposition that Australia will change its deportation policy because some New Zealanders don't like it.
It Isn't Going To Happen. Spend you time where you might be able to do some good. Work on New Zealand problems.
Good comment, thank you.
I’m quite sure you’re right on almost everything you said. However, this doesn’t mean that NZ Government has to like it, agree with it, accept it, and say nothing and just let it go. This is not how politics work, this is not how humans work. That said, I don’t think it is a hill they want to die on, politically speaking, but it is now a NZ problem.
As for uprooting people from their community and even ripping apart families and whanau, for whatever reason, I think this should not be done lightly, as it can lead to (more) stigmatisation, social isolation, and alienation – you know that this does not end well. It is actually a harsh penalty in any context. It tends to create big(ger) problems elsewhere, which has an element of NIMBYism. Shifting a problem doesn’t solve it.
Banishment and exile are as old as society. Would we be as concerned if Australia had exceedingly long prison sentences or even reintroduced the death penalty for some crimes that impacted NZ born residents?….I suspect much less so.
The only thing similar in the Deportation review tribunal was a Tuvalu man manslaughter conviction 2 years 'after' getting a residence permit
"Immigration New Zealand (INZ) figures show in the past five years 1040 people have been deported to the Pacific from New Zealand"
You conflate that with deportations to New Zealand from Australia
Got any breakdown on how many deportations from New Zealand to the pacific were simply for overstaying visas? – Your quoted figures are meaningless without it.
It seemed tp me when I was in Oz that they were mainly materialistic and run on commonsense lines with short term horizons.
This is good news. No matter which side of the political spectrum you support, no politician should have their life or families lives threatened.
Man arrested after alleged threats against MP Simeon Brown | Stuff.co.nz
Awful for Brown – apparently the second threat this month. Don't understand why he should be such a "death threat magnet".
Good to see young people interested in politics, though.
Would you have the same blase attitude if it was a threat against Hipkins or Ardern?
Not Pee-wee Herman fans?
Well, he is one of those… toss em all into jail and throw away the key types. Or better still… leave em on a desert island in shark infested waters. 😉 And he does make a song and dance about it.
The issue is a little more nuanced than his simplistic stance suggests, so he can't complain if they respond with what are no doubt empty threats.
Not that I am condoning their behaviour, but Simeon does ask for it.
Brown carries the victim mantle with pride; mission accomplished.
So did James Shaw when he was punched.
There’s a lot of similarity between the Shaw and Brown cases. Yeah, nah.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/117198101/man-who-attacked-james-shaw-got-jail-because-he-would-not-agree-to-home-detention
Not a lot of similarity in the cases, but Shaw played the victim well.
What do you mean by “Shaw played the victim well”? He was a victim. He gave a victim impact statement to the Court for the Trial.
I’m starting to wonder what is your point.
My initial point at 10 above was, I don't believe any politician should have themselves or their families threatened of violence or being killed as per the "Your gonna get popped without knowing it you peanut".
National MP Simeon Brown receives more death threats from Mongrel Mob after criticising funeral procession | Newshub
I find it gob smacking that some commenters on here from the tone of their comments at 10.1.2, 10.1.3.1 and 10.1.1 seem to think its all ok and Simeon is fair game. That's why I asked at 10.1.1.1 to try and find out if they felt the same way if a similar threat was made to a Labour (or any other party for that matter).
That’s a good point well made, thank you. No politician should have a target on their back.
@ drowsy..
'don't know why'..
um..!..possibly because he is a jingoistic right-wing dickwad..?
(just guessing here..)
https://www.stuff.co.nz/opinion/125270923/the-pandemics-reminded-me-why-im-proud-to-be-an-academic
Academics can be real ignorant snobs when it comes to acknowledging that much of the heavy lifting in tertiary education institutions is done by non-academic staff and non-academics in general, including post-graduate students and so on. This divide is sharp, cutting, and hurtful to all those non-academics who work extremely hard and bend over backwards, especially during the Covide-19 pandemic, and make a huge but under-appreciated contribution to the experience of all in those institutions and, by extension, to our society. It is similar at schools, particularly secondary schools, where support staff do an amazing job, for little pay, and some have the highest academic qualifications (i.e. PhD).
I strongly resisted turning this into an epic rant …
Lawyer.
Not all lawyers!
I can get behind the article in general, academics literally are paid to know about the topic. But… Heh. University of Otago.
The institution that did a multi-year "support services review" because the vice chancellor thought it had too many general staff. Made dozens redundant, and had to hire back 10% of them. For literally years people would walk into the tea room not knowing if a someone in there had received a redundancy notice. It was fucking cruel.
And they forgot about all the general staff who actually do research: analysts, writers, technicians… "forgot", as in "nobody heard from the review committee unless they specifically asked if they were 'in scope'". Silly billies, you never stick your head above the parapet.
But the review got done, whatever bureaucratic nightmares it caused were probably overshadowed by the dent they put in the holiday pay and rendundancy liabilities the HR balance sheet faced, and the vice chancellor has pissed off to a uni three times the size of otago (her plane no doubt held aloft by the laurels of her bold and innovative restructuring).
Oh well McFlock the top bananas are hired because they are from another country, known to be rottweilers and can be let loose on the institution/council without ripples affecting all the other CEOs in NZ. They are hired guns, and know how to shoot execution-style.
Jonathan Pie's latest. Dominic Cummings' about-turn has bemused him and he's not feeling himself.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nS45xUYiEZY
Democracy under threat?……looks more like outright war.
"A mayoral candidate has been killed in Mexico, bringing to 34 the total number of candidates murdered nationwide ahead of June 6 legislative elections that will fill thousands of local seats and nearly half of the country’s governors."
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/5/26/another-candidate-assassinated-in-mexico-ahead-of-june-6-vote
Mum and Dad investors, this is your future.
Landlords and tenants struggle with the pandemic eviction moratorium – The Washington Post