Pack Mentality

Written By: - Date published: 8:48 am, August 4th, 2016 - 55 comments
Categories: boycott, discrimination, domestic violence, Ethics, health and safety, Social issues, sport, workers' rights - Tags: ,

The Waikato Chiefs rugby team have admitted homophobic abuse at a post season piss up in a hot springs hotel. Now it has been revealed that the players sexually abused a woman at the same event.

So how are the Chiefs management going to deal with the assault? They’ve decided the best response is to publicly attack the victim’s credibility.

“You have got to remember this is one person’s accusation and her standing in the community and culpability is not beyond reproach,” says Chiefs CEO Andrew Flexman.

So that’s all right then.

The woman concerned is a sex worker. She was hired to act as a waitress and then perform a strip tease.

Hiring her isn’t an issue.

Abusing her is the issue.

But not according to the leadership of the Waikato Chiefs.

Their dim witted , moralistic CEO thinks the only problem is that being sprung using sex workers isn’t a good look.

Which is why he has chosen to add some abuse of his own.

So here’s the simple solution for the Hamilton based franchise; fire Andrew Flexman. Send a straightforward message that abuse of women, either physically or verbally, is unacceptable.

If that doesn’t happen, here’s another simple solution. The organisers of the Super Rugby competition should remove the Waikato Chiefs from next season’s competition.

Wouldn’t that send a powerful, positive message?

 

UPDATE: CEO Andrew Flexman has apologised on Radio Sport’s Martin Devlin show. Well, sort of.

“I’m not in a position to make that assertion because I don’t know the woman from a bar of soap,”

“Anybody that knows me well, Martin (Devlin), knows that that’s not the person I am, that’s not consistent with the value set that I have. In no way, shape or form would I ever make that assertion about a woman based on a vocation that she chooses and has the choice to be involved in.”

“The way it reads certainly gives the impression that I am questioning the integrity of her vocation and her choice around that and fundamentally I shouldn’t be in a position to do that.”

“And I guess, having re-read it, as it appears in the article, notwithstanding the context, I regret the way it’s been phrased if I’m honest.”

Full audio here:

http://www.radiosport.co.nz/sport-news/rugby/chiefs-boss-regrets-derogatory-stripper-comments/

 

55 comments on “Pack Mentality ”

  1. I agree with that.

  2. save nz 2

    +100 TRP.

  3. mac1 3

    At a men’s breakfast yesterday to raise support for action against the violence shown to children, partners, women in general and our elders, the man next to me suggested we use sporting icons as champions to stand up for a violence free New Zealand.

    I agreed and suggested using sporting coaches to help reinforce the message.

    Then we get the Chiefs’s behaviour. They do not deserve the name.

    What a battle we have in New Zealand when drunken men, exacerbated by destructive group mentality, acting in homophobic and inappropriate ways, with violence and loss of control, do not act according to their status as role models and leading sportsmen.

    They are not rangatira. They do not act as men.

    • Draco T Bastard 3.1

      …the man next to me suggested we use sporting icons as champions to stand up for a violence free New Zealand.

      The problem with that is that our ‘sporting icons’ tend to be some of the worst abusers.

      • mac1 3.1.1

        I fear you are right. And that is why our boys are not going to learn proper behaviour when men haven’t. The problem is widespread.

        The title of this post refers to group mores dominating. That is what has to change. Our nation’s mores. We have changed out culture around drink driving, around smoking, around looking after our mates.

        We have to change our thinking around behaviour towards women. Time to learn to tell our fellows “Don’t be a dick.”

        Time for champions. Time for real chiefs.

    • Philj 3.2

      Perception is reality. If they sound like… and they behave like.. They are not heroes or models of moral rectitude. They are ordinary blokes who are good at ‘sporting thuggery’ – Professional Rugby. The accepted idea in NZ that our sporting elite are all wonderful human beings is an unfounded assumption whose validity is exposed in this sorry incident. Boorish Rugby ‘culture’is well established and hidden.

  4. mauī 4

    Instead of the Chiefs assisting the police on anti-bullying programs like they have done in the past
    (http://www.police.govt.nz/news/release/27235?nondesktop). Maybe the police should be focussing their programs on the Chiefs themselves.

    You really have to wonder about the Chiefs culpability and standing in the community now, eh Flexman???

    Also Boots Theory blog on the Feeds panel on the right hand side is well worth a read too.

  5. Tiger Mountain 5

    “Whaaadarrrrryaaa!!!” (it is not a question) obviously still the clarion call of thugby supporting oafs across the land

    “eat more–root more–drink more piss!” (first attributed to Ross Meurants ’81 Red Squad as a training chant) but is obviously treated even in the professional era like an instruction on a stone tablet, handed down by mysterious forces (those guys with cauliflower ears and noses like cricket balls) at Rugby HQ

    FFS–these ‘role models’ hire an entertainer, mistreat her and it is her fault?

    • Sanctuary 5.1

      Apparently they abused her then short changed her what they owed her. What a classless bunch of drunken yobbos.

  6. Ffloyd 6

    Deeply disappointed in the Chiefs and their Neanderthal approach in their treatment of this woman who was hired to do a job which obviously did not include agreeing to sexual harassment and derogatory behaviour to her. As for Andrew Flexman you should be ashamed of yourself for your appalling crude comments on the woman’s standing in our community based on her employment. Good on her for bringing this out in the open. I have been a long time supporter of the Chiefs. Not any longer. On top of homophobic comments, supposedly being funny,at this same juvenile gathering, this article brings the Chief’s no credit at all.

  7. Sanctuary 7

    As someone who can recall the Victoria University student union resembling a casualty clearing station on match days during the Springbok tour I was bemused to see students on TV hooting like 12 year olds when they managed to get tickets to the Super Rugby final. It is part of the general obsession with professional sport that taken over the world in the past three or four decades, something which seems to have replaced community as a source of a sense of belonging.

    Rugby in NZ exercises far to big an influence on our general culture. It is unhealthy for our society to associate so much of our identity with a sport. It fosters anti intellectualism, encourages sexism, normalises violence and makes the idiotic behaviour of young, dumb and full of cum men who do stupid shit like what has been reported today role models and worthy of coverage.

    In eight months in Europe I have never heard an angry raised voice in a bar or club. I have never NEVER! seen an adult strike a child. I have only heard an adult be angry with a child about twice. I never seen road rage. I have never seen an argument amongst adults that looked like it might get out of hand. Sure, they have more cops here, over 200,000 local, national and civil guards. But we need to have a serious discussion in NZ about the normalising role rugby plays in the shockingly high levels of violence in our society. It is simply extraordinary how violent NZ society is and yet we acccept it as normal. Rugby has a baleful place in the pantheon of reasons for this, and it is well past time we address its role in our violent society.

    • Gangnam Style 7.1

      & then we wonder why we have a huge bullying problem when our national sport is just 2 teams of big men pushing each other.

    • Tiger Mountain 7.2

      agree; it is a serious problem still, rugby culture does not just pander to the ‘dark kiwi streak’–it has always fed it and maintained it via anti intellectualism, compliance and the raised male fist

      it was no jolly PR happenstance that our glorious leader appeared as pseudo AB captain on the cover of Rugby News last election

    • Garibaldi 7.3

      “Well past time we address its role in our violent society”. This goes way way back – way before the 81 tour. The tour exposed a great divide in our society which is still there and has, imo ,been enhanced by professionalism. The rugby boofheads here in the Waikato still reign.
      Professional sport has elevated sport way above its rightful role in our society.

    • Barry 7.4

      This isn’t an exclusively New Zealand problem & it isn’t exclusively a rugby problem, any more than violence in europe is a football problem. In the last 8 months in New Zealand I have never NEVER! seen an adult strike a child. I never seen road rage. I have never seen an argument amongst adults that looked like it might get out of hand…..but it doesn’t mean it’s not happening, anymore than you not seeing it in Europe means it’s not happening.
      These are worldwide problems, with a myriad of causes – there are many who would argue the European dominated church hierarchies are just as prominent in the normalisation of ‘shockingly high levels of violence’ towards out children. Meanwhile making claims that rugby ‘normalises violence and makes the idiotic behaviour of young, dumb and full of cum men’ does a tremendous disservice to the vast majority of participants for whom team sports are an incredibly positive – and in many cases life changing – outlet. It also makes you guilty of dishing out ignorant unfounded abuse – in much the same way as the Chiefs players.

      • mauī 7.4.1

        It’s not unfounded Barry, have a look at Adam’s link below which states a large percentage of US college sportsmen are involved in all sexual assaults. I also think you have to be completely in denial if when the words All Blacks, Super rugby, NRL and sexual assault don’t join a few dots. It’s a cultural thing.

      • Sanctuary 7.4.2

        In my experience, NZ’s level of normalised violence is exceptional.

        • miravox 7.4.2.1

          +1 a bit of an eye-opener to observe different unspoken social rules about alcohol and violence.

        • miravox 7.4.2.2

          +1 a bit of an eye-opener to observe different unspoken social rules about alcohol and violence.

    • Open mike 7.5

      Obviously haven’t been to a football game – the beautiful game- in Europe! No excuse for Neanderthals here though!

  8. Dot 8

    Yes the Rugby Union needs to step in , for the good of Rugby.
    Drunken male pack behaviour is not acceptable any more, where were their families ?

  9. adam 9

    As far as sports people and sexual assault go, we really need to address this across the board.

    I like this from Nikki Glaser, she uses comedy to help highlight the issue. Also before you watch I’ll add her note. Nikki interviews a rape victim about the ways that the system failed her after her assault.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Fn9hBaJmBU

  10. James 10

    Just before everyone jumps on their high horse.

    At the moment it is just an allegation – not a statement of fact . Unlike this post that says “Now it has been revealed that the players sexually abused a woman at the same event.” despite the hyperlink saying “amid allegations players inappropriately touched a stripper”

    There have been other high profile claims that people have jumped on that the people have been found innocent of – Information is needed before you state they actually sexually abused the lady.

    An allegation does not make it fact. (Obv – it does not mean that it isnt a fact either – it may well be – and that would not shock me – and if it is proven, then they should be punished accordingly)

    As for the CEO however – I agree his comments were disgusting and inappropriate.

    • James 10.1

      And for the record – I disagree with the Sponsor who said that strippers should expect to be touched – I dont agree with that either.

      • Gangnam Style 10.1.1

        Good on you James, yeah that was a shocking admission, shows what these people think of the ‘lower classes’ don’t ya think?

      • framu 10.1.2

        yeah – that was pretty bad

        on checkpoint she repeatedly tried to make it the womans fault – not once, not twice, but multiple times.

        Regardless of the fact its just allegation at this stage it was an appalling display. What ever happened to asking for the truth to be discovered then refusing to comment further?

        then it was revealed shes on the board of waikato womans refugee

  11. Jenz 11

    Bunch of rugby heads on the booze behaving like eggs. Nothing new in NZ. Gross huh? Strippers are not usually touched when performing, but if she had a ‘minder’ with her what could they really do against a pissed leering rugby mob..

    Drunk fools even felt like that needed to exercise their dominance over the stripper, sheez just enjoy the show you fools. If you like a bit of Dom/sub titillation, learn about it, it’s an amazing intimate experience. Don’t get drunk and be an egg, learn some self control, something that any Dom should be aware of.

    I wonder how many pissed off Chiefs girlfriends there are at the moment, hope those boys (cause they sure aren’t men) are suffering. KARMA

  12. dukeofurl 12

    Going to the Museum, you see the signs , Dont touch the Exhibits.

    Why do rugby players, when asked to not touch the performer, dont do as asked.

    • weston 12.1

      Wasnt it plato who said “a stiff cock hath no conscience ” ?

      • McFlock 12.1.1

        Nope.

        He did have some interesting ideas on how perceived impunity (such as from invisibility) would inevitably lead to predatory behaviour, but that says more about him that it does about the human condition.

  13. Gangnam Style 13

    SLightly off topic but kind of similar attitude..

    From the ODT a few days ago about David Bain…

    “Of particular note were Mr Callinan’s remarks about an alleged incestuous relationship between Robin Bain and his daughter, Laniet.
    The relationship was promoted by the defence as a possible motive for Robin to murder the family. However, Mr Callinan was “not satisfied” the sexual relationship existed.
    “All of the evidence about this came from Laniet in the first place,” he said.
    “Laniet herself was unreliable, a prostitute and user … of marijuana.”

    • weston 13.1

      Thered prob be a market up here for the ODT it gets quoted so often it MUST be good !!.Are you saying prostitutes are commonly poorly represented or what exactly gs ?

      • Gangnam Style 13.1.1

        No I am saying they said Laniet was unreliable because she was a drug using prostitute, like the Gallagher woman & Chiefs CEO saying the strippers “standing in the community and culpability is not beyond reproach”. Victorian values or something? The ODT is OK, they are independent & the owners are local, very conservative but balanced I think. It’s just my local paper.

        *No view whatsoever on the Bain case, I have no idea what is what with that one, even though I live down the road from Every St.

        • weston 13.1.1.1

          I just figured re the bain case that david was prob innocent since he was responsible for much of the order in an otherwise dysfunctional family .Robyn the “head of the family ” living in a caravan at the rear of the property every reason to feel embittered and of an age to reflect callousness which you would need to systematically walk arround the house shooting yr entire family in the head at point blank range .I doubt the experience is like people killing other people in the movies youd need to be pretty tough .

  14. Binders full of women 14

    1 NZ rugby needs to few- no a lot- more David Pococks.
    2 And how often do we see these words in the same sentence— NZ rower court violence alcohol. Never.
    3 Google- Zealand + rugby + assault= 541,000 results.

  15. BM 15

    This is all rather lightweight stuff.

    • miravox 15.1

      “This is all rather lightweight stuff.”

      Says someone who has never been groped or otherwise abused at work?

      • One Anonymous Bloke 15.1.1

        Wingnuts: paying lip service to personal responsibility since forever.

      • BM 15.1.2

        This is such a non story beaten out of all perspective by the SJWs and a tabloid driven media.

        • miravox 15.1.2.1

          I don’t know, not treating people like shit seems really important to me. Even more important is that people who are taught to know better (Rugby players PR’d to the nth degree and management types being good examples) don’t get that treating people with respect is sort of the right thing to do.

          OAB (above 15.1.2) says it better of course.

    • framu 15.2

      if its true, its sexual assault

      hardly lightweight

  16. Don't worry. Be happy 16

    Rugby thugby. Always been this way. Always will be. Just keep the drunken violent creeps out of schools please and stop calling them role models for children. The National Game was the National Shame all the way through the horror of South Africa under apartheid so no surprise that decades later the “stars” mock and taunt gays. Rugby has always been in bed/revolving door with the National Party and the cops. Fair enough. It is a free world. But please….stop the hypocrisy. These poor exuses for men do not represent NZ. They are not the best of us. They are best ignored.

  17. Lara 17

    “gives the impression that I am questioning the integrity of her vocation and her choice around that”

    No.

    It gives the impression that you think she’s lying because she’s a stripper. Just a woman stripper.

    That sounds like a “sorry – not sorry” non apology.

  18. b waghorn 18

    Cn the bright side 20 years ago this sort of behaviour would not have raised an eyebrow in rugby circles.

  19. miravox 19

    Gallagher Group Corporate Services exec “Margaret Comer sparked a social media outcry when she said: “If a woman takes her clothes off and walks around in a group of men, what are we supposed to do if one of them tries to touch her?””

    If a woman is a corporate services worker can solve and employee problem what are we supposed to do if one of them shouts abuse at her?

    If a person works on a customer service help desk can’t solve customer problem what are we supposed to do if thy get abused?

    Abuse is not part of the job. As a service executive she should know that. While I’m at it…

    If a person walks around with a walking stick what are we supposed to do someone kicks it away?

    If a guy turns up at a pub with red hair, what are we supposed to do if someone bullies him?

    If a person walks around with a cool cellphone what are we supposed to do they get robbed?

    I guess it all depends on your ethics.

  20. Sabine 20

    ahhh
    so he is apologizing for being caught out not for being a wanker.

    such a lovely fellow and grown up, i am sure he will coach his boys into great things.

  21. RedBaronCV 21

    Try the counterfactual- a team of young men in Hamilton put on shorts and tight shirts (to showcase their “manliness”) and went onto a field to give a performance to an audience. Unable to restraint themselves, women in the audience ran onto the field to handle and touch them despite having been repeatedly told not. When the performance ended the women refused to pay the full amount. Spokespeople for the women said they didn’t condone the behavior but what did those young men expect – displaying themselves like that.

    Can’t ever see that happening can you?
    And regardless of what did or didn’t happen the public comments of the CEO and the Chiefs executive where wildly inappropriate – not that they can see that.

  22. Yawn, to quote Clint Eastwood “Just f**king get over it” “That’s the kiss-ass generation we’re in right now. We’re really in a pussy generation. Everybody’s walking on eggshells.

    • McFlock 22.1

      “Don’t grope a woman without her permission” is hardly “walking on eggshells” for most normally-functioning adults.

    • framu 22.2

      ” Everybody’s walking on eggshells”

      I’m not – pretty much never feel that way. (And im super low brow as well)

  23. vto 23

    While the touching and abuse was and always is completely unacceptable, there were a couple of things in this which stood out….

    One, it has been amusing to see society call the stripping a legitimate activity while at the same time decrying the men for watching this legitimate activity. The two don’t go. Society is confused. How surprising ….

    Two, silly Jessie Mulligan cried out in surprise a couple days ago that it appeared that even “old crusty men” got that it was abuse and unacceptable…. as if this was something surprising… I would suggest that in the days when these “crusty old men” were young men they showed more respect in these situations, and that in fact there really has been a deterioration in society’s behaviour since then. Today’s men are the ones that don’t measure up, not 1950’s man. 1950’s man wore a hat, had manners, and would have shown respect to this woman.

    Not today’s man though. … .but you know, hammer the old white man. … . Even though they were young men, and even though nobody knows whether they were white or brown. … . Doesn’t matter eh. … . throw in the ‘white’ element. … . throw in the ‘old’ element. … . Even bloody Linda Clark te other day on radio, same thing, prejudices flying.. … .

    society is confused and unsettled

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    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from 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 public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    4 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    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:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    5 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    5 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 hours ago
  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    9 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    10 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    23 hours ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
    Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024.  “Lower fruit and vege ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government backs rural led catchment projects
    The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction.   Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
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  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
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  • Government lowering building costs
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  • Trustee tax change welcomed
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  • Minister’s Ramadan message
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  • Minister appoints new NZTA Chair
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    1 week ago
  • Speech to Life Sciences Summit
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  • Minister to attend World Anti-Doping Agency Symposium
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