Open Mike 31/07/2017

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, July 31st, 2017 - 65 comments
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65 comments on “Open Mike 31/07/2017 ”

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  1. Ed 1
    31 July 2017 at 6:18 am

    I read a fantastic comment in the Daily Blog by Grant which is worth repeating here.

    Something interviewers have been doing for some time now, is , as an aprapo of nothing in particular to what is actually being discussed, throw in a “you’re not looking too flash in the latest polls”, or, “you’re sub 30 in the polls .You must be worried”?

    Sometimes, as Lisa Owen did on ‘The Nation’ on Saturday whilst interviewing Willie Jackson, is repeat this over and over again.This technique is a way of sowing the seeds doubt.

    Garner Hosking Ferguson and Espiner do it all the time and it has the effect of making the Labour interviewee try to defend or explain themselves , which in turn makes them look weak.

    Little ,Ardern , Jackson and Lees Galloway have been caught out by this recently and have said something like, “no things are not looking good at the moment and we have more work to do”.

    Aaaaaarrrrgghh,Why would you say that??? .Never give an inch .Never!!
    Where’s the spunk….the fight…? ???

    Here’s a different answer…..
    “I notice you always bring up the the polls when I am highlighting the serious issues and injustices facing this country. But if you must, I have recently seen a Roy Morgan poll that has us well over 30% and National on 43, so take your pick. It looks like might have take a look at your methodology.”

    Or, the more direct route….”I only talk about policy not polls. It’s policy that stops people sleeping in cars,not David Farrar phoning up a bunch of people and asking ambiguous leading questions”.

    Or, the blunt Winston Peters approach”Your polls are rubbish , ours are far more accurate .Sort yourselves out .”

    Get some mongrel Labour…..show some self respect. Don’t let yourself be pushed around by our disrespectful media….New Zealand needs you to win!!’

    Too which I would add.
    “I notice you always bring up personalities when I am highlighting the serious issues and injustices facing this country…”

    If the Labour Party and the Green fight the media on their terms, they are history.

    Metiria is learning that.
    UK Labour has shown the model.

    • Ed 1.1
      31 July 2017 at 6:53 am

      Any chance this could be moved to the ‘This is no ordinary election’ thread ?
      Or shall I post it again there?

      • weka 1.1.1
        31 July 2017 at 7:51 am

        It’s fine to repost it in the other thread (we can’t move comments, apart from to OM).

    • tc 1.2
      31 July 2017 at 7:40 am

      +100
      Yes this ‘fresh approach’ of not serving up the policies of this govt as a reminder to people as to the wilful destruction national have undertaken plays into the owned medias hands.

      A simple graph or 2 on the proceeds of asset sales and the power generator lost dividends V sale value, cost of the vanity flag tea towel etc etc are all easy hits.

      Thanks to the greens that door has been opened, labour just appear like centrist troughers full of beltway focus group crap. Where’s the anger and passion !

    • Stuart Munro 1.3
      31 July 2017 at 4:26 pm

      Well said!

  2. Ffloyd 2
    31 July 2017 at 7:08 am

    I also have noticed this and have been left jumping up and down screaming at the radio. Pretty sure it would have either Espiner or Ferguson. Last week some time I heard that ‘languishing in the polls,aren’t you very worried?’ from E.Spinner to Andrew Little at least 5 times in one interview and returning to it if Little tried to get back to policy etc. It’s a mean and underhanded tactic and yes it does make you feel deflated. They don’t so much ask questions as attack off subject and talk over the interviewee if they can’t answer the question off the cuff thereby making them look flat footed and uninformed..
    ‘

  3. Ffloyd 3
    31 July 2017 at 7:10 am

    Not to mention Green Party muddying the waters.

  4. Ffloyd 4
    31 July 2017 at 7:20 am

    Anyone listening to Espiner? Sending him a virtual punch in the face
    Fortunately A Lttle is holding his own.

    • garibaldi 4.1
      31 July 2017 at 8:21 am

      I have said several times on this site that the media are our biggest enemy. They are determined not to allow the Left to get it’s message across. Sadly, no tragically, RNZ has now lined up with the commercial stations/newspapers. Suffice to say the media is owned and the media is the message……right wing.
      Where’s the discussion of policy?

    • Gabby 4.2
      31 July 2017 at 10:18 am

      I’m really looking forward to his next move. Vote Labour if you like. Or not. Whatever.

  5. Tony Veitch (not etc) 5
    31 July 2017 at 7:27 am

    My God, the media pisses me off!

    On RNZ 7am news – “Andrew Little raised the prospect of quitting . . . etc,”

    when quite clearly in the interview with Dann he was responding (honestly) to a question asked by Dann!

    Then the bulletin went on about the Labour Party appealing for funds – as if this was somehow a knee-jerk reaction to the low poll figure. The Labour Party has been appealing for funds for months – as no doubt so have National etc.

    • Cinny 5.1
      31 July 2017 at 7:45 am

      Have only received one request for a donation in my letterbox in the last month, it was from National.

      Re Corin Dann, excellent interviewing of Simon Bridges on Q+A yesterday.

  6. You_Fool 6
    31 July 2017 at 7:45 am

    Added on to the misreporting of Andrew Little by the media

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11896977

    It was on the radio headlines as well, with audio, and none of Little’s quoted words are directed at Metirei (although I haven’t gone and found the whole interview yet). He is complaining about the framing of the debate, something I am sure the Greens and Metirei would also like to be challenged and changed. The debate shouldn’t be on what somebody (or bodies, eh Paula?) did 20 odd years ago, but how that situation hasn’t really changed and how we as a society are not really ensuring that there is a suitable safety net, and how we like to blame everyone on it, because we (those in employment( don’t truly feel we will ever need to use the welfare system.

    It really is a shocking own goal by our media, to report someone complaining about their framing of an issue by quoting it whilst framing it in such a way to completely misrepresent the point being raised.

  7. James 7
    31 July 2017 at 8:22 am

    I love that you have to resort to little pathetic comments like that.

    [TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]

    [not interested in people starting flame wars, 2 day ban – weka]

  8. The Lone Haranguer 8
    31 July 2017 at 9:00 am

    This will be a very interesting election for sure.

    Over on Stuff, theres frothing from the mouth regarding whether Little is toast
    https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/opinion/95260787

    and the usual comments about how polling doesnt cover the cellphone generations. But I see support for the Greens has risen and Im unconvinced that a bunch of them went out and got landlines recently….

    TOP may well be run by a bit of a cheque book nutter (still better that the previous elections cheque book nutter Colin Craig tho), and maybe he wont get to 5% but his policies dont look to bad to me.

    And if in the unlikely event TOP was to get to parliament, I wouldnt see them siding with the Nats.

  9. Rosemary McDonald 9
    31 July 2017 at 9:02 am

    Meanwhile, in the real world where the media’s reach falls short….this party has caught the attention of this as yet undecided voter….

    http://www.democrats.org.nz/Home/tabid/36/Default.aspx

    And when I say caught the attention of…I mean that literally.

    Driving from the Far North through to Kaipara the other day the roadsides were blue with National hoardings. There was the odd Labour sign, and an occasional (and even odder) Green sign, but it was the sign promoting Chris Leitch, standing against the Two Shanes in Whangarei that stood out.

    https://www.facebook.com/Chris.Leitch.Campaign/

    Oh, and their policies are definitely worth consideration as well.

    National, Labour, Greens, NZ First, Maori/Mana Parties?

    Stale.

  10. Poission 10
    31 July 2017 at 10:17 am

    Meanwhile in the real world,RNZ finds the Auckland council cannot count.

    http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/336143/akl-housing-builds-fall-well-short-of-target

    • popexplosion 10.1
      31 July 2017 at 1:36 pm

      Hide constructed the super city to fail, like Republican Congress created and passed a broken Obama care. Its what people who don’t believe in govt, neolibs, do. Failed on housing! Failed on public transport! Failed on national regional development!

  11. Ad 11
    31 July 2017 at 11:27 am

    If we are on track for a fourth term of National-dominated government, I think it’s worthwhile planning for the kind of activism that can survive the political trajectory that National is driving this country down.

    We are used to equating “conservative” with the Conservative Party of Britain. But so much of our efforts within a fourth term of a National government will be to resisting change, retaining existing institutions from near-obliteration, and slowing the progress of damage. That pushes towards small-c “conservative” as a preferred mode.

    Some may think that it’s too soon to start thinking like this.
    I think it’s best to have a Plan B.

  12. rod 12
    31 July 2017 at 11:28 am

    You would be hard pressed getting a job in the MSM by being a Leftie.

  13. Ffloyd 13
    31 July 2017 at 12:28 pm

    Labour needs to distance themselves from the Greens in my opinion. They don’t seem to be a stand alone entity anymore and they re likely to get caught up in any murky waters stirred up by Gs. Therefore feeding the msm . Labour is already bleeding votes to the Greens and they need to reverse this. Little needs a radical approach, not a FRESH ONE. Something vibrant and reverberating. Lots of hard consonants. Everytime I hear ‘A Fresh Approach’ I think of the Cuddly ad and I nod off. I like the Labour Party and its policies. They are certainly for the ‘common people’ but I want to see a CHANGE not a FRESH APPROACH. I would like to see a succinct understandable Mission Statement of what Labour is going to do and how it is going to be achieved. No waffle. Just plain language that people like me can understand.

    • Anne 13.1
      31 July 2017 at 12:34 pm

      I would like to see a succinct understandable Mission Statement of what Labour is going to do and how it is going to be achieved. No waffle. Just plain language that people like me can understand.

      Alleluia to that!

    • Louis 13.2
      31 July 2017 at 12:52 pm

      It is not FPP its MMP. Why do people still think FPP after all these years, do they not understand MMP or what? I support and understand the Labour and Greens MoU so do the parties involved or else they wouldn’t have done it.

      • popexplosion 13.2.1
        31 July 2017 at 1:32 pm

        Epson split vote.Labour can have it’s candidates and Greens too. Split vote,local electorate Labour,party vote Green. Sure Little won’t be returned, Jacinda will be leader. So k why its okay for Epson to have two MPs,Goldsmith, Seymour and does the Green and Labour candidates get in on the list? That could mean four local MPs! Why should Labour voters not have more local representatives?

        • James Thrace 13.2.1.1
          31 July 2017 at 5:16 pm

          *groan* @popexplosion.

          Are you seriously suggesting that Epsom Voters attempt to get all the parties electorate MPs in by electorate voting for the Labour candidate?

          The best option for everyone but Act in Epsom is to vote for Paul Goldmsith for electorate, and party vote labour/green.

          That way Seymour David will be out, and ACT will be spent as a political force.

          • popexplosion 13.2.1.1.1
            4 August 2017 at 3:04 pm

            No I was suggesting voters follow Epson, Maori, Poiriora? and also split vote.

      • Cinny 13.2.2
        31 July 2017 at 1:46 pm

        +1 Louis

        MMP for the win 😀

    • popexplosion 13.3
      31 July 2017 at 1:27 pm

      Green movement is the future, Green ideals have shaped the economy, and will continue. Sure distance Labour from that.

  14. Draco T Bastard 14
    31 July 2017 at 1:42 pm

    European Cities Are Reclaiming Public Services From the Private Sector

    In the ’80s a neoliberal tide swept across the West with the idea that welfares states had become too expensive and that privatizing public goods was better for stimulating the economy. During this era of fiscal conservatism, Western governments basically confined themselves supervisory roles over the economy, reduced to watchdogs enforcing norms and standards. But research has shown that as the government progressively pulls out of public life, many people lose access or experience the deterioration of services that improve their quality of life such as affordable housing, education, public transportation and health care.

    I’m sure that if we did the same sort of studies in NZ we’d also find that privatisation over the last thirty years has cost us more while providing less.

  15. NZJester 15
    31 July 2017 at 5:19 pm

    John key in the NZ Herald again with info about his interview by Australian broadcaster ABC.
    Even now that he is out of Parliament John Key still will not admit what he did was wrong. He still, tries to make out it was all about her not being a National supporter that she went to the media. He is still the arrogant bully that still sees it as in his words “a bit of tom-foolery with the waitress, it was all very good-hearted”

    ‘I tugged it… I did some dumb things’: Key on ponytail pulling
    31 Jul, 2017 2:21pm
    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11897224

    • McFlock 15.1
      31 July 2017 at 5:25 pm

      Yeah. Apparently she went to the media because she wasn’t a supporter of his, not because he kept doing it whenever he visited the cafe, despite being asked to stop.

      • srylands 15.1.1
        31 July 2017 at 5:59 pm

        Yes it really was a nutty thing to do. Good to see he can admit to that. It is a single blemish on an otherwise stellar business and political career.

        Everyone makes mistakes. At least he owned up to his. A very admirable trait that is only amplified now with recent events.

        While what he did was foolish I don’t know why the waitress did not thwart him by wearing her hair in a stylish French roll.

        • mac1 15.1.1.1
          31 July 2017 at 6:27 pm

          srylands, like Key, you’re still blaming the victim.

          You “don’t know why the waitress did not thwart him” etc. Have you ever asked a victim why they did not act in a way that you think they should have?

          What was the response?

        • NZJester 15.1.1.2
          31 July 2017 at 6:48 pm

          A single blemish?
          How about telling the media they would give someone a personal apology if they knew who they were over the mishandling of a rape allegation case involving a diplomat. Then when the brave woman gets her name suppression lifted he immediately back tracks on giving her that apology.
          Or how about promising to get the bodies out of a certain mine and yet they are still in there to this day even tho independent experts have said it is safe to reenter, with only those paid by the mining company still saying it is unsafe. While that was going on he was also involved in bad mouthing one of the parents of the dead over text messages between him and a nasty attack blogger.
          Those are just some of th many blemishes that have tarnished his Teflon coating while he was PM.
          I could go on but someone posted a link a while back I would need to find that contains a very long list of them all and I have not got a few hours to read it all to highlight some of his many other blemishes.

        • marty mars 15.1.1.3
          31 July 2017 at 6:50 pm

          It wasn’t nutty but imo creepy behaviour – high risk, sexual, misuse of power and massive unequal relationship, repeated, belittling and aggressive. It is good key is gone from politics.

        • Psycho Milt 15.1.1.4
          31 July 2017 at 6:55 pm

          …I don’t know why the waitress did not thwart him by wearing her hair in a stylish French roll.

          You don’t know why someone would stand up to bullying instead of keeping quiet and trying to make themselves less of a target? I guess you wouldn’t…

        • McFlock 15.1.1.5
          31 July 2017 at 7:17 pm

          I shudder to think what you’d have said if they’d found bodies in his basement.

        • BM 15.1.1.6
          31 July 2017 at 7:20 pm

          While what he did was foolish I don’t know why the waitress did not thwart him by wearing her hair in a stylish French roll.

          Lol, exactly, where was her brain, young people 🙄

          • McFlock 15.1.1.6.1
            31 July 2017 at 7:24 pm

            obviously her hairstyle meant she was asking for it /sarc

            • srylands 15.1.1.6.1.1
              1 August 2017 at 7:06 am

              No of course she wasn’t asking for it. I’m just saying a French roll would have sent a message. There is also a hygeine issue with pony tails around food.

              • McFlock …
                1 August 2017 at 12:29 pm

                So he wouldn’t stop when asked, but a hairstyle change would have got it through to him?

                You’re a joke.

        • Gabby 15.1.1.7
          31 July 2017 at 7:59 pm

          I don’t know why she didn’t stab him with a fork slyrants.

        • Robert Guyton 15.1.1.8
          31 July 2017 at 8:11 pm

          Srylands – this comment of yours @5:59 pm can’t be genuine, please reassure us you were just intending to flame and that there’s no way you can believe what you wrote. It’s just depressing to think that your world view is so corrupted as to prevent you from understanding that issue. Come on, mate, yours was a step too far.

          • srylands 15.1.1.8.1
            1 August 2017 at 7:11 am

            Of course I understand the issue. Pulling the hair of waiting staff is unacceptable in any circumstances.

            • mac1 15.1.1.8.1.1
              1 August 2017 at 6:52 pm

              Absolutely.

              So is an apology that blames the victim unacceptable.

              So you understand half the issue.

      • mac1 15.1.2
        31 July 2017 at 6:10 pm

        Spot on, McFlock.

        “”What happened was, there was a local café I went to, there was a bit of tom-foolery with the waitress, it was all very good-hearted, but in hindsight one of them wasn’t a big supporter of mine and went to the media,” Key told the station.

        If that is meant to be an apology, then blaming the victim for not having the same sense of tom-foolery is not an apology.

        It shows that he still doesn’t get it.

        The point is the word “tom” in tom-foolery. It was a dominant male feral feline acting in that role.

        Gareth Morgan had an answer for his type.

      • NZJester 15.1.3
        31 July 2017 at 9:59 pm

        The right asks for a reason why she took it to the media instead of the Police. Could the fact he would have had officers with him that did nothing and said nothing while he was doing it make her too nervous to do anything like slapping him and also make her not trust going to the police?
        If he was an ordinary rich idiot that tried that on with out armed protection with him I think he might have received a slap.

    • ianmac 15.2
      31 July 2017 at 7:18 pm

      Key makes out that it happened just once. Liar!

  16. Union city reds 16
    31 July 2017 at 11:12 pm

    Not wishing to cause undue work for the admins, but I wish to change my log in name to Union city greens. Will be using the old email, so if you see it, you’ll know it’s me.

    Thanks.

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    Bryce Edwards writes – Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Worst poll result for a new Government in MMP history
    Luxon will no doubt put a brave face on it, but there is no escaping the pressure this latest poll will put on him and the government. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Pinning down climate change's role in extreme weather
    This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler In the wake of any unusual weather event, someone inevitably asks, “Did climate change cause this?” In the most literal sense, that answer is almost always no. Climate change is never the sole cause of hurricanes, heat waves, droughts, or ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago

  • Serving at Seymour's pleasure.
    Something odd happened yesterday, and I’d love to know if there’s more to it. If there was something which preempted what happened, or if it was simply a throwaway line in response to a journalist.Yesterday David Seymour was asked at a press conference what the process would be if the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago

  • Webworm LA Pop-Up
    Hi,From time to time, I want to bring Webworm into the real world. We did it last year with the Jurassic Park event in New Zealand — which was a lot of fun!And so on Saturday May 11th, in Los Angeles, I am hosting a lil’ Webworm pop-up! I’ve been ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago

  • “Feel good” school is out
    Education Minister Erica Standford yesterday unveiled a fundamental reform of the way our school pupils are taught. She would not exactly say so, but she is all but dismantling the so-called “inquiry” “feel good” method of teaching, which has ruled in our classrooms since a major review of the New ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago

  • 6 Months in, surely our Report Card is “Ignored all warnings: recommend dismissal ASAP”?
    Exactly where are we seriously going with this government and its policies? That is, apart from following what may as well be a Truss-Lite approach on the purported economic “plan“, and Victorian-era regression when it comes to social policy. Oh it’ll work this time of course, we’re basically assured, “the ...
    exhALANtBy exhalantblog
    2 days ago

  • Bread, and how it gets buttered
    Hey Uncle Dave, When the Poms joined the EEC, I wasn't one of those defeatists who said, Well, that’s it for the dairy job. And I was right, eh? The Chinese can’t get enough of our milk powder and eventually, the Poms came to their senses and backed up the ute ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Why Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating in the country
    Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is higher than for any other mayor ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago

  • Justice for Gaza?
    The New York Times reports that the International Criminal Court is about to issue arrest warrants for Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, over their genocide in Gaza: Israeli officials increasingly believe that the International Criminal Court is preparing to issue arrest warrants for senior government officials on ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago

  • If there has been any fiddling with Pharmac’s funding, we can count on Paula to figure out the fis...
    Buzz from the Beehive Pharmac has been given a financial transfusion and a new chair to oversee its spending in the pharmaceutical business. Associate Health Minister David Seymour described the funding for Pharmac as “its largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff”. ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • FastTrackWatch – The case for the Government’s Fast Track Bill
    Bryce Edwards writes – Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Bernard’s pick 'n' mix for Monday, April 29
    TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:10am on Monday, April 29:Scoop: The children's ward at Rotorua Hospital will be missing a third of its beds as winter hits because Te Whatu Ora halted an upgrade partway through to ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on Iran killing its rappers, and searching for the invisible Dr. Reti
    span class=”dropcap”>As hideous as David Seymour can be, it is worth keeping in mind occasionally that there are even worse political figures (and regimes) out there. Iran for instance, is about to execute the country’s leading hip hop musician Toomaj Salehi, for writing and performing raps that “corrupt” the nation’s ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    3 days ago

  • Auckland Rail Electrification 10 years old
    Yesterday marked 10 years since the first electric train carried passengers in Auckland so it’s a good time to look back at it and the impact it has had. A brief history The first proposals for rail electrification in Auckland came in the 1920’s alongside the plans for earlier ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    3 days ago

  • Coalition's dirge of austerity and uncertainty is driving the economy into a deeper recession
    Right now, in Aotearoa-NZ, our ‘animal spirits’ are darkening towards a winter of discontent, thanks at least partly to a chorus of negative comments and actions from the Government Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Disability Funding or Tax Cuts.
    You make people evil to punish the paststuck inside a sequel with a rotating castThe following photos haven’t been generated with AI, or modified in any way. They are flesh and blood, human beings. On the left is Galatea Young, a young mum, and her daughter Fiadh who has Angelman ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • Of the Goodness of Tolkien’s Eru
    April has been a quiet month at A Phuulish Fellow. I have had an exceptionally good reading month, and a decently productive writing month – for original fiction, anyway – but not much has caught my eye that suggested a blog article. It has been vaguely frustrating, to be honest. ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    3 days ago

  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #17
    A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 21, 2024 thru Sat, April 27, 2024. Story of the week Anthropogenic climate change may be the ultimate shaggy dog story— but with a twist, because here ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago

  • Pastor Who Abused People, Blames People
    Hi,I spent about a year on Webworm reporting on an abusive megachurch called Arise, and it made me want to stab my eyes out with a fork.I don’t regret that reporting in 2022 and 2023 — I am proud of it — but it made me angry.Over three main stories ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    4 days ago

  • Vic Uni shows how under threat free speech is
    The new Victoria University Vice-Chancellor decided to have a forum at the university about free speech and academic freedom as it is obviously a topical issue, and the Government is looking at legislating some carrots or sticks for universities to uphold their obligations under the Education and Training Act. They ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Winston remembers Gettysburg.
    Do you remember when Melania Trump got caught out using a speech that sounded awfully like one Michelle Obama had given? Uncannily so.Well it turns out that Abraham Lincoln is to Winston Peters as Michelle was to Melania. With the ANZAC speech Uncle Winston gave at Gallipoli having much in ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • 25
    She was born 25 years ago today in North Shore hospital. Her eyes were closed tightly shut, her mouth was silently moving. The whole theatre was all quiet intensity as they marked her a 2 on the APGAR test. A one-minute eternity later, she was an 8.  The universe was ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • Fact Brief – Is Antarctica gaining land ice?
    Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park in collaboration with members from our Skeptical Science team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is Antarctica gaining land ice? ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago

  • Policing protests.
    Images of US students (and others) protesting and setting up tent cities on US university campuses have been broadcast world wide and clearly demonstrate the growing rifts in US society caused by US policy toward Israel and Israel’s prosecution of … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    5 days ago

  • Open letter to Hon Paul Goldsmith
    Barrie Saunders writes – Dear Paul As the new Minister of Media and Communications, you will be inundated with heaps of free advice and special pleading, all in the national interest of course. For what it’s worth here is my assessment: Traditional broadcasting free to air content through ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: FastTrackWatch – The Case for the Government’s Fast Track Bill
    Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its arguments for such a bold reform. ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    5 days ago

  • Luxon gets out his butcher’s knife – briefly
    Peter Dunne writes –  The great nineteenth British Prime Minister, William Gladstone, once observed that “the first essential for a Prime Minister is to be a good butcher.” When a later British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, sacked a third of his Cabinet in July 1962, in what became ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • More tax for less
    Ele Ludemann writes – New Zealanders had the OECD’s second highest tax increase last year: New Zealanders faced the second-biggest tax raises in the developed world last year, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) says. The intergovernmental agency said the average change in personal income tax ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Real News vs Fake News.
    We all know something’s not right with our elections. The spread of misinformation, people being targeted with soundbites and emotional triggers that ignore the facts, even the truth, and influence their votes.The use of technology to produce deep fakes. How can you tell if something is real or not? Can ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • Another way to roll
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.Share ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago

  • Simon Clark: The climate lies you'll hear this year
    This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Simon Clark. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). This year you will be lied to! Simon Clark helps prebunk some misleading statements you'll hear about climate. The video includes ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago

  • Cutting the Public Service
    It is all very well cutting the backrooms of public agencies but it may compromise the frontlines. One of the frustrations of the Productivity Commission’s 2017 review of universities is that while it observed that their non-academic staff were increasing faster than their academic staff, it did not bother to ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    5 days ago

  • Luxon’s demoted ministers might take comfort from the British politician who bounced back after th...
    Buzz from the Beehive Two speeches delivered by Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters at Anzac Day ceremonies in Turkey are the only new posts on the government’s official website since the PM announced his Cabinet shake-up. In one of the speeches, Peters stated the obvious:  we live in a troubled ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • This is how I roll over
    1. Which of these would you not expect to read in The Waikato Invader?a. Luxon is here to do business, don’t you worry about thatb. Mr KPI expects results, and you better believe itc. This decisive man of action is getting me all hot and excitedd. Melissa Lee is how ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago

  • The Waitangi Tribunal is not “a roving Commission”…
    …it has a restricted jurisdiction which must not be abused: it is not an inquisition   NOTE – this article was published before the High Court ruled that Karen Chhour does not have to appear before the Waitangi Tribunal Gary Judd writes –  The High Court ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Is Oranga Tamariki guilty of neglect?
    Lindsay Mitchell writes – One of reasons Oranga Tamariki exists is to prevent child neglect. But could the organisation itself be guilty of the same? Oranga Tamariki’s statistics show a decrease in the number and age of children in care. “There are less children ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Three Strikes saw lower reoffending
    David Farrar writes: Graeme Edgeler wrote in 2017: In the first five years after three strikes came into effect 5248 offenders received a ‘first strike’ (that is, a “stage-1 conviction” under the three strikes sentencing regime), and 68 offenders received a ‘second strike’. In the five years prior to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Luxon’s ruthless show of strength is perfect for our angry era
    Bryce Edwards writes – Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in politics. That’s refreshing and will be extremely ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • 'Lacks attention to detail and is creating double-standards.'
    TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the two days to 6:06am on Thursday, April 25:Politics: PM Christopher Luxon has set up a dual standard for ministerial competence by demoting two National Cabinet ministers while leaving also-struggling ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

  • One Night Only!
    Hi,Today I mainly want to share some of your thoughts about the recent piece I wrote about success and failure, and the forces that seemingly guide our lives. But first, a quick bit of housekeeping: I am doing a Webworm popup in Los Angeles on Saturday May 11 at 2pm. ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago

  • What did Melissa Lee do?
    It is hard to see what Melissa Lee might have done to “save” the media. National went into the election with no public media policy and appears not to have developed one subsequently. Lee claimed that she had prepared a policy paper before the election but it had been decided ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    6 days ago

  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #17 2024
    Open access notables Ice acceleration and rotation in the Greenland Ice Sheet interior in recent decades, Løkkegaard et al., Communications Earth & Environment: In the past two decades, mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet has accelerated, partly due to the speedup of glaciers. However, uncertainty in speed derived from satellite products ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago

  • Maori Party (with “disgust”) draws attention to Chhour’s race after the High Court rules on Wa...
    Buzz from the Beehive A statement from Children’s Minister Karen Chhour – yet to be posted on the Government’s official website – arrived in Point of Order’s email in-tray last night. It welcomes the High Court ruling on whether the Waitangi Tribunal can demand she appear before it. It does ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    7 days ago

  • Who’s Going Up The Media Mountain?
    Mr Bombastic: Ironically, the media the academic experts wanted is, in many ways, the media they got. In place of the tyrannical editors of yesteryear, advancing without fear or favour the interests of the ruling class; the New Zealand news media of today boasts a troop of enlightened journalists dedicated to ...
    Bowalley Road
    7 days ago

  • “That's how I roll”
    It's hard times try to make a livingYou wake up every morning in the unforgivingOut there somewhere in the cityThere's people living lives without mercy or pityI feel good, yeah I'm feeling fineI feel better then I have for the longest timeI think these pills have been good for meI ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    7 days ago

  • “Comity” versus the rule of law
    In 1974, the US Supreme Court issued its decision in United States v. Nixon, finding that the President was not a King, but was subject to the law and was required to turn over the evidence of his wrongdoing to the courts. It was a landmark decision for the rule ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago

  • Aotearoa: a live lab for failed Right-wing socio-economic zombie experiments once more…
    Every day now just seems to bring in more fresh meat for the grinder. In their relentlessly ideological drive to cut back on the “excessive bloat” (as they see it) of the previous Labour-led government, on the mountains of evidence accumulated in such a short period of time do not ...
    exhALANtBy exhalantblog
    1 week ago

  • Water is at the heart of farmers’ struggle to survive in Benin
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Megan Valére Sosou Market gardening site of the Itchèléré de Itagui agricultural cooperative in Dassa-Zoumè (Image credit: Megan Valère Sossou) For the residents of Dassa-Zoumè, a city in the West African country of Benin, choosing between drinking water and having enough ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

  • Minister acknowledges passing of Sir Robert Martin (KNZM)
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    12 hours ago

  • Speech to New Zealand Institute of International Affairs, Parliament – Annual Lecture: Challenges ...
    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.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    12 hours ago

  • Accelerating airport security lines
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    14 hours ago

  • Community hui to talk about kina barrens
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago

  • Kiwi exporters win as NZ-EU FTA enters into force
    Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago

  • Mining resurgence a welcome sign
    There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago

  • Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill passes first reading
    The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Government to boost public EV charging network
    Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure.  The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Residential Property Managers Bill to not progress
    The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Independent review into disability support services
    The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Justice Minister updates UN on law & order plan
    Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Ending emergency housing motels in Rotorua
    The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Trade Minister travels to Riyadh, OECD, and Dubai
    Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Education priorities focused on lifting achievement
    Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • NZTA App first step towards digital driver licence
    The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say.  “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Supporting whānau out of emergency housing
    Whānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Tribute to Dave O'Sullivan
    Racing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave O’Sullivan (OBE). “Our sympathies are with the O’Sullivan family with the sad news of Dave O’Sullivan’s recent passing,” Mr Peters says. “His contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Speech – Eid al-Fitr
    Assalaamu alaikum, greetings to you all. Eid Mubarak, everyone! I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and everyone celebrating this joyous occasion. It is a pleasure to be here. I have enjoyed Eid celebrations at Parliament before, but this is my first time joining you as the Minister ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Government saves access to medicines
    Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced Pharmac’s largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff.    “Access to medicines is a crucial part of many Kiwis’ lives. We’ve committed to a budget allocation of $1.774 billion over four years so Kiwis are ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Pharmac Chair appointed
    Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Taking action on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
    Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says.  “Every day, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • New sports complex opens in Kaikohe
    Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Diplomacy needed more than ever
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges.    “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Anzac Commemorative Address, Buttes New British Cemetery Belgium
    Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service.  It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Anzac Commemorative Address – NZ National Service, Chunuk Bair
    Distinguished guests -   It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders.   Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Anzac Commemorative Address – Dawn Service, Gallipoli, Türkiye
    Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia.   Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • PM announces changes to portfolios
    Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • New catch limits for unique fishery areas
    Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Minister welcomes hydrogen milestone
    Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Urgent changes to system through first RMA Amendment Bill
    The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Overseas decommissioning models considered
    Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
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