Paul Henry: Gone

Written By: - Date published: 6:06 pm, October 10th, 2010 - 117 comments
Categories: accountability, boycott, Ethics, Media, tv - Tags: ,

TVNZ have announced the resignation of Paul Henry.

John Key’s going to have a LOT of angry rednecks on his case over this one. First Andy Haden, now Paul Henry. And then of course there are all the civilized people already on Key’s back about his gutless failure to protest Henry’s racism in the first place.

117 comments on “Paul Henry: Gone ”

    • katie 1.1

      On this note, does anyone else find it astonishing how many Paul Henry supporters like to bring out the old “Freedom of speech” argument whilst seemingly having not even the most basic understanding of the concept?
      As I know it, Freedom of Speech gives people the right to talk whatever bullshit they want…..but it also means they have to accept responsibility and potential condemnation for that bullshit, as well as be mindful of of the “harm principle” and “offense principle”.
      I found this quote regarding freedom of speech on an American website and I think it kinda sums up the situation Henry found himself in:
      “Lastly, responsibility of speech requires those espousing unpopular ideas provide supporting reasoning for their ideas lest the person be labeled unreasonably radical and be held in contempt by a moderate society. Such labeling means these people will not be respected or considered for certain jobs, duties, or responsibilities. Speak freely but speak responsibly.”

  1. Jimbo 2

    Whoopee bring on more – Oliver Driver and co. I can guarantee that is just what the people want to see.

  2. gobsmacked 3

    But .. but .. this is not possible. Protests achieve nothing!

    Does not compute … does not compute …

    RWNJ head explosion, stand clear!

    • Kevin Welsh 3.1

      I expect Redbaiter to pop a vein over this 🙂

      • gobsmacked 3.1.1

        Yes, the veins are popping already …

        “Time to boycott TVNZ breakfast television and ALL of their advertisers.”

        (our old friend Big Bruv, on Kiwiblog)

        Hang on, I thought these boycotty protesty things were a waste of time!

        • the sprout 3.1.1.1

          😆 in their case they will be

        • felix 3.1.1.2

          It’s only a waste of time if you’re doing it to get less racism on the telly. Silly goose.

          • comedy 3.1.1.2.1

            Some of the best comedies are packed with racism………. just sayin

            • gobsmacked 3.1.1.2.1.1

              Such as?

              Note: lampooning racism, and attitudes to it, is not racism.

              • comedy

                Faulty Towers, Blackadder, All in the family, Monty Python, Kumars at No 42 etc etc etc

                One persons comedy is another persons racism….. ps Henry clearly went way over the line for a breakfast show.

                • gobsmacked

                  I put in the Note, and you ignored it. I’ll make it easier:

                  1. Racist.

                  2. About racism.

                  Different.

                  • IrishBill

                    To be fair Faulty Towers was a bit racist at times. But it was also written in the 70s.

                    • yep, it’s all about context

                    • Puddleglum

                      It’s ‘Fawlty Towers’.

                      Also, no it wasn’t “racist at times” – the only person who thought Manuel was a Spanish ‘dago’ was Basil, who was the butt of the entire show’s humour. If you want John Cleese’s take on racism see this. I think it falls into gobsmacked’s category 2.

                    • felix

                      I think Fawlty Towers goes both ways.

                      Yes, Basil the racist is the butt of the jokes, but there were also plenty of racist viewers laughing with Basil at Manuel.

                    • comedy

                      I must be a horrid racist/bigot as I just laugh if I find it funny.

                    • felix

                      com, that in itself is not what makes you a horrid racist/bigot. It’s what you find funny.

                  • QoT

                    But isn’t that always the pitfall of satire, felix? Like the bizarre American neocons who think Stephen Colbert is actually on their side.

  3. The Voice of Reason 4

    What a weekend! The Lenslide was good enough on its own, but add to that bye bye Banksie, Laws left knackered and Henry gone, this has got to be the best couple of days for the left in 18 months. Go on John, call a snap election, I dare you!

  4. illuminatedtiger 5

    Good!

  5. happynz 7

    The Breakfast Show was in need of a revamp anyway. Getting rid of Paul Henry is a good start.

  6. They didnt get rid of him, he resigned. I wonder how people will feel when the right starts a protest against left wing tv people like willie jackson who make racist comments.

    • Kevin Welsh 8.1

      So what’s stopping you?

    • illuminatedtiger 8.2

      I wouldn’t consider Willie Jackson to be “left”. And how is this a “left” versus “right” issue anyway?

      • jbanks 8.2.1

        They didnt get rid of him, he resigned.

        You’re wasting your breath here. Some of these fools seriously believe they were responsible for his resignation rather than the diplomatic uproar. Delusional . . . yes, but do you expect anything else?

        • Pascal's bookie 8.2.1.1

          Would that be delusional fools like this guy:

          jbanks 6.2.1.1
          9 October 2010 at 11:18 am
          You still don’t get the real reason why this has become a big deal in India. Idiots like you are making such a big deal of jumping up and down, seeking a response out of all proportion to the offending, that the media has seized on this overblown reaction and it keeps the story in the headlines for longer than it is worth being there. Do you understand this? The bleaters are fueling the media fire. Instead of letting the disciplinary action run it’s course, the bleaters are keeping it in the headlines. The strategy of the idiots has been to keep bleating about it until something happens. Well, something has happened alright – the whole bloody thing has gotten out of control and it’s caught the eye of India and now they’re fucked off.

          • Michael Foxglove 8.2.1.1.1

            That’s one of the sweetest burns I’ve seen in a while.

            • outofbed 8.2.1.1.1.1

              pwned

              [lprent: You’ve been warned before about this phrase (and the attitude it encapsulates). Take two days off to contemplate why one should listen to the moderators and why this is something we don’t like because it starts flamewars. ]

        • Colonial Viper 8.2.1.2

          I wouldn’t be surprised if Indian diplomats in NZ have had a tonne of phone calls, emails and letters from NZ Indians over the last few days, fueling the ‘diplomatic uproar’.

          Henry’s scalp demonstrates the power of mass action against the Righty agenda.

          • nzfp 8.2.1.2.2

            Not just New Zealand Indians mate 😉 try New Zealand Maori 😉 as well as other Real and Unreal New Zealanders!!!

            Captcha: goes … and there goes Henry … 😀

          • William Joyce 8.2.1.2.3

            “Henry’s scalp demonstrates the power of mass action against the Righty agenda.”
            Are you serious? Delusions of granduer?
            How was this a success for “mass action” – given a couple of weeks of news-cycles and this would over and PH would back ‘ont tellie.
            Paul pulled the pin too early.
            How was PH fundamental to the “Righty agenda”? – don’t kid yourself – the evil persists and doesn’t host a tv show!

            • Colonial Viper 8.2.1.2.3.1

              Well, winning a war consists of winning lots of smaller actions, yeah?

              “Henry’s scalp demonstrates the power of mass action against the Righty agenda.”
              Are you serious? Delusions of granduer?
              How was this a success for “mass action”

              In that case maybe I was talking about the Super-Shitty elections 😛

    • gobsmacked 8.3

      They didnt get rid of him, he resigned

      Girlfriends never dumped me, I just “needed some personal space”.

  7. M 9

    Hallelujah brother!

    The goofy picture of Henry a la Austin Powers is the icing on the cake.

    I’m smiling so much I’ve got fish hooks in my cheeks 🙂

  8. kriswgtn 10

    So wonder wot seat the fuktard will have the nerve to stand for??? North Shore? LOL representing the orange county electorate

  9. PC Brigadier 11

    “This resignation is a result of PC gone mad”

    Oh no it’s not. It’s because Paul Henry is a racist bigot and he was leaned on by his boss due to the reaction of decent people.

    Redneck NZ will go nuts over this. Fill your boots. It will be hot air.
    I think NZ moved a step closer to tolerance and acceptance today. Maybe.

  10. Tigger 12

    This isn’t about Henry. This is about TVNZ encouraging him to do what he did and Key for failing to take him on about it (a week later and he’s still not nailed the comments as racist). How neat for both TVNZ and Key that Henry has taken sizeable heat by falling on his sword. Doesn’t change their appalling behaviour.

    • QoT 12.1

      Hell yes on this. Obvious Rick Ellis subtext: “I am sorry that I will no longer be able to quietly approve this douchebag’s bigotry which has been so successful in getting TVNZ ratings and attention”.

  11. Brett 13

    Henry will be back in six months.
    Having him resign allows for that option.

    • William Joyce 13.1

      Absolutely. His resignation means nothing and acheives little. It just gives a boost to those who feel emascualted and in need of a little feeling of power.
      Most of India couldn’t give a dik or shit about PH and this does not change their lives one jot.
      And tomorrow we’ll all be bitching about the next person who has offended our sense of what’s right (no matter how trivial the offence!).

      • mcflock 13.1.1

        It means at least six months without that pillock on state tv.

        A small victory, but a victory nonetheless.

  12. Sookie 14

    Oh, how sweet it is. Resigning before one gets the boot is standard, face saving practice. Now he will be able to set up shop on Newstalk ZB or Radio Live and all his devoted redneck minions can enjoy him there. He can go nuts, no need to hold his tongue on Twat Radio. I don’t have any objection to racist/sexist/homophobic/far right dickheads, I just don’t think they ought to be pushing their agenda on breakfast telly. Certainly not on a state funded broadcaster.

    On a personal note, my hubby is a South African who often has people coming up to him and saying in polite conversation, ‘Saffa eh? You guys are like, really racist!!’ Like me, he has been flabbergasted at the support for Henry among the salt of the earth. Now perhaps he can turn around and politely name said people complete hypocrites. Nice one NZ, even a Boer thinks you’re beyond the pale, so to speak 🙂

    • felix 14.1

      Good on him, but he’s still got the poisoning to answer for 😉

      • nzfp 14.1.1

        hah hah hah hah hah … Yeah Invictus was a GREAT film right up to the end 😉

        Naaah, good on the Saffa’s!

        One simple question – which one of the SANZAR partners supported New Zealand’s bid for the 2011 Rugby World Cup after they lost their own bid – and which one supported the big money in Japan?

        Like I said, good on the Saffa’s!

    • A Nonny Moose 14.2

      “I don’t have any objection to racist/sexist/homophobic/far right dickheads”

      Whereas I do, because they hurt a lot of people and keep them oppressed.

      I’d like to think jerks like Henry won’t get another job any time soon, but I’m expecting a double header with Lhaws, if the studio can hold their egos together.

  13. This sets a dangerous precendent. Heaven help the next tv person who says something someone deosnt like.

    Then again I think if India didnt complain, then Henry would probably still have a job.

    • outofbed 15.1

      It wasn’t “someone didn’t like” it was fucking thousands of “someones”

      • felix 15.1.1

        Millions actually, but who’s counting?

        • William Joyce 15.1.1.1

          BShit! You only think it’s millions because that rectangular “window on the world” told you so. Don’t be sucked in. The level of outrage is over represented and is nurtured every time some microphone is stuck under someone’s nose.
          What is going on outside the frame of the lens? Just because the people behind Mike McRoberts are rioting (in front of the cameras) doesn’t mean all Lahore is rioting.

          • felix 15.1.1.1.1

            There are well over a billion people in India, William.

            Even just one percent of them is well over 11 million. I don’t think “millions” is a controversial statement at all.

            p.s. that’s not even counting Indian people who don’t live in India, or the people who aren’t Indian at all but found it offensive regardless.

            • William Joyce 15.1.1.1.1.1

              In that case, good on PH.
              If you’re going to get knee deep in de shit you might as well go large.
              To have pissed of so many people – now that’s somehing to tell the grandkids!

    • felix 15.2

      Yeah. You can totes blame India for this, for rizzle.

    • the sprout 15.3

      This sets a dangerous precendent. Heaven help the next tv person who says something someone deosnt [sic] like

      Oh don’t fret Sean, they should be ok as long as they don’t make several dozen highly bigoted and offensive outbursts on a state broadcaster.

    • nzfp 15.4

      Hey Sean,

      Then again I think if India didnt complain, then Henry would probably still have a job.

      I agree (whakaae) with you. This is an example of power. When Henry is – sorry WAS being a racist bastard to Māori and other racial and socio-economic groups without power – Henry was given free reign.

      However, Henry’s behaviour to an Indian Government minister is an example of hubris. For too long he got away with racism and bigotry – until he bit a much bigger fish. A fish backed by 1.3 Billion people with a free trade deal the NAct party are chomping at the bit to claim.

      While I am pleased that the racist bigot is gone – I am sad that it took another nation’s government to catalyse the event.

      Captcha: ENCOURAGING – which it is – nonetheless.

      • William Joyce 15.4.1

        Jonkey says he thinks the resignation bring closure to this matter. Doesn’t he wish!?! God forbid that he should have to commit himself to taking a position. On with the FTrade deal and then maybe we can all get some sleep 🙂

        • nzfp 15.4.1.1

          Oh hey bro,
          Let me be clear – I am absolutely against Free Trade. Free Trade simply means free to plunder, free to buy up what ever resources you like, free to sell the country for pennies on the dollar.

          I think maybe you are confusing Free Trade with Fair Trade?

          • William Joyce 15.4.1.1.1

            Sorry, poor attempt at sarcasm. I was being sarcastic about Jonkey and his ilk thinking FTA’s are what make the world a better place to be.

            Should read with “”‘s.
            Eg. “On with the FTrade deal and then maybe we can all get some sleep” 😉

  14. henry olongo 16

    It’s niiiiice!!!!!!

  15. nzfp 17

    He tino rawe te pūrongo!!!
    That is great news!

    • hateatea 17.1

      Pono. He karere tino reka – ka wehe atu ia.
      Good news indeed to hear he is going for good

  16. Draco T Bastard 18

    Now all they need to do is replace him with a credible interviewer who will actually hold politicians to account.

    • hateatea 18.1

      The ultimate irony – because I was boycotting TVNZ I didn’t know until I had time to clear my emails!!

      This totally vindicates the use of legitimate, peaceful protest. Big ups to all those who emailed TVNZ, the advertisers, MP’s, blogged, wrote to newspapers, telephoned talkback and protested outside TVNZ. You have sent a message that MOST New Zealanders do not think like Paul Henry though undoubtedly many do. Now, perhaps they can find someone pleasant and personable to share the couch with Pippa and whoever replaces her when she is on parental leave. It is to be hoped that whoever that person may be, they have intelligence and compassion, sense and sensitivity.

      captcha: err (That is what PH and Laws do so well)

      • Vicky32 18.1.1

        I was in Welly at the time, and the news was all over the paper! Seeing PH’s grinning simian face on the billboards as I walked past the dairy was so sweet!
        Deb

    • Herodotus 18.2

      DTB we only have one who can do this and has the skill to bring in an audience, he cannot do ZB breakfast, part time close up (should be full time IMO) next you will be wanting MH to head Q&A as well as breakfast. Poor Kate with that workload.
      How can the front person change a culture when the core is rotten? Sure PH may have gone (read monkey) yet the grinders are still all there. I would love to know what instructions PH got from his producers and TVNZ regarding his previous behaviour and if they gave him the impression that he was untouchable, as they should follow.
      re Q&A still think this should be replaced by The Sunday News Roast (Alt TV alas the sad death of this station 🙁 ) educational, informative, entertaining and unbalanced.

  17. THE MOUCH 19

    The moustached women of NZ will be dancing in the streets tonight.

  18. Mac1 20

    Now then, Draco T, hope springs eternal and all that, but steady on.

    Next we’ll have a proper calling to account of this government from the MSM in general. Did I mention general as in election?

  19. Gotham 21

    This is the best news since Len won Auckland (yesterday).

    Still, it doesn’t answer my original curiosity on the matter – wtf are all those people watching tv for at 6am????

    A moral victory for RNZ, in my opinion….

  20. Colonial Viper 22

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/4217179/Paul-Henry-resigns

    Prime Minister John Key says Paul Henry’s resignation has brought “closure”.

    “This episode has been sad and regrettable,” he said through a spokeswoman.

    “Mr Henry’s resignation brings closure to the matter and we should now put it behind us,” he said.

    • rosy 22.1

      … and then JK wiped the sweat from his brow and said ‘phew that was close’ and got the strategists to work on the national seat for PH that was agreed on in the phoncall earlier in the day 😉

    • gobsmacked 22.2

      “Greater love hath no man, that he lay down his friends for his life”.

      Now, let’s get the questions in to Broadcasting Minister Coleman.

      “Did the Minister, or somebody on his behalf, speak to TVNZ executives about Paul Henry, between October 4 and 10?”

      • QoT 22.2.1

        Unfortunately one can only expect Coleman to be briefed to bring up that whole “just Paul being Paul” piece of utterly baffling fail from Goff.

        • come get some 22.2.1.1

          Goff hadnt heard the statement when he was first questioned on it, and probably had no fucking idea what the interviewer was on about. He probably should have said that, instead of trying to wing it. Idiot

        • toad 22.2.1.2

          Coleman has been strangely silent throught the whole affair, leaving Steven Joyce to front the Government’s (weak) criticism of Henry. Strange?

    • the sprout 22.3

      Paul Henry’s resignation has brought “closure”

      oh yeah, i’m sure Key’s desperate to believe that 😆

      • Colonial Viper 22.3.1

        You know, that’s exactly what I thought. *PM shakes bottle*. Hmmmm…the genie doesn’t appear to be in there anymore!!! 😯

      • come get some 22.3.2

        unfortunately, the media are going to listen to him

    • Huang Y.G. 22.4

      When I first read that bit, something didn’t sound right.
      Doesn’t convey like it is truly heartfelt.
      Sounded like there was a hint of rushed insincerity.

  21. nzfp 23

    You know,
    I kinda like the idea of being described as an “Unreal” New Zealander … heh heh “unreal” used to be a colloquialism from my childhood for “awesome” or “cool” or “choice”.

    Captcha: distinct – kinda the way “Unreal” makes me feel

    Cheers Paul Henry, have one on me (NOT) while you’re looking for another job and wondering if the 90 day trial period will mean that you get fired for nothing on the 89th day… (I know I’ve said this joke before but I love it).

  22. William Joyce 24

    All this “good news” and and yet no The Daily Show or Colbert Report *sniff*

  23. Rodel 25

    I like to watch the TV news in the morning.
    I’m pleased that I no longer have to put up with Henry’s silliness.
    He could probably get a job with Fux news?

  24. Gotham 26

    I have a little different take on the matter:

    I think Henry resigned as a middle finger to TVNZ for having suspended him. I BET he has had talks with the execs and PR spinners in which they told him directly along the lines of ‘you have to be yourself to the limit, don’t self-censor, don’t hold back, you have an enormous following in NZ and people love what you say…’. He was just doing what he was given licence (encouragement, even) to do.

    And so he must have been pretty pissed when they suddenly cut his paycheque for a fortnight, for doing exactly what he was told. So he decided to screw them back – he is probably pretty confident he can go on earning the same doing something else.

    I don’t think TVNZ were EVER intending on firing him.

    • QoT 26.1

      I think that’s a pretty good theory, Gotham, and it really just pisses me off that TVNZ are trying to play this as somehow being unexpected, unpredictable behaviour from the fuckwit which crossed some line that was totally drawn very clearly and had never been crossed before. Except for all those other times.

    • Colonial Viper 26.2

      Yeah, the scope has to train on to the sick management culture at the senior levels of TVNZ.

  25. rohan 27

    i love henry’s presumption “I will be apologising in person to the Governor-General”. The g-g has a very busy schedule, as you would expect of a representative of our head-of-state. does henry think he has time to talk to every unemployed citizen, especially one who has publicly defamed, insulted and called into question his identity?

  26. nice bit of satire from ideologically impure…

    Pippa Wetzell resigns in tears, contrite for not doing enough to save Paul

    http://ideologicallyimpure.wordpress.com/2010/10/10/pippa-wetzell-resigns-from-tvnz/

  27. come get some 29

    http://www.facebook.com/pages/Paul-Henry-start-your-own-show/164114190281857

    Will be interesting to see how fast this climbs, and the ethnicity make up

  28. William Joyce 30

    OMG – you know you’re really on the wrong side of an issue when the intelligence vacuum and former brain cell known as Keith Locke agrees with you.

    “Green Party MP Keith Locke tonight also welcomed Henry’s resignation.”
    (Unless he said he “Welcomed the green tea preparation”)

    It makes you want to revisit your reasoning when someone with the intellectual strengh of talc agrees with you.I’ll have to assume it was a fluke, statistical anomily or that someone told him to say it. Other wise I will not sleep tonight in fear the strings in the universe have snappped or some pissed-off butterfly in India flapped it’s wings and caused a vaccuous poilition in NZ to speak sense.

  29. richard Bartlett 31

    Let us understand what is really happening here. New Zealand loses more than 20% of its
    movers and shakers every year. Henry, Laws, Tamahere, Jackson et al would be living their
    lives in a well deserved obscurity had that not been the case.
    This is all the fault of this so-called New Zealand being a not that good idea in the first place.

  30. Gotham 32

    And it looks like Prendergast is out of Wellington!! The news just keeps getting better and better!!

  31. graham 33

    Takeing the standard as my insperation henceforth i will add new clauses to my staff employment contracts
    and racist talks they will be fired (the working class are all bigots)
    any membership of a polictal party i dont like no matter how long ago i will sack them
    and the advantage with the 90 day fire at will law i and going to hire and fire to my hearts content
    i wonder if i can set a record for the most sackings in a month that will be fun

    • The Voice of Reason 33.1

      Hmmm, I suppose you can fire at will, Graham, but you really shouldn’t have fired the guy who proofs your public statements. It leaves you looking like an inarticulate twit.

    • Marty G 33.2

      If an employee’s actions constitute gross misconduct, you have the right to fire them. But be careful, gross misconduct for a TV presenter may not be gross misconduct for a lathe worker and vice versa.

      And Henry resigned.

      And only a fool wants to fire as many employees as possible because of the cost of replacing them. If you’re a fool, good luck to you and enjoy the court cases, but I suspect you’re just talking shit.

    • Vicky32 33.3

      “and racist talks they will be fired (the working class are all bigots)”
      Even if we are bigots, which is not true, at least we can spell!
      Deb

  32. Fraz 34

    Cool and I think they should ban fat people from being on the Breakfast programme because they set a bad example to the nation’s health! Where do you stop? The problem is that Henry was forced out by a vociferous minority and a hate campaign led by the NZ Herald. They also got nearly 30 people to protest outside TVNZ studios asking for him to be sacked – obviously by people who don’t have jobs!

    sprout: I guess you should ask John Key how he let this happen, or do you really think it was all the work of a ‘vociferous minority’ 😆
    If Key caved to a ‘vociferous minority’, what does that say about him as your PM?

  33. Alex 35

    Nice, measured discussion about this on Radio NZ just now.

    If you excuse PH for making those kind of remarks, by considering him a comedian, that is tricky. As people here are pointing to, good (and bad) comedy is often crass and flirting with ‘offensive’. Some of the best stuff Peter Cook and Dudley Moore did over 30 years ago you still couldn’t play on the radio now. People who like comedy often refer to their genius.

    I do tend to think of PH as a comedian. If I switch over to Breakfast, he is most natural when giggling, poking, doing his naughty boy schtick, which he does really well. When he’s doing deadpan, he seems to be bored and faking it. Many people of course won’t enjoy his humour, comedy is like that. Force me to listen to Mike King or Radar for longer than a minute and I’ll suffer an aneurism.

    Putting aside any notion that Breakfast is any kind of serious broadcasting (it’s fluff and chitchat and tail, the world over), it seems sad to believe that PH shouldn’t be on ‘our state broadcaster’ because he isn’t serious enough. The glamour and pathos and shallow analysis of TVNZ news is like most TV network news, it sets the bar very low. Any injection of … anything different, to me, is welcome. I hate to think that things like mischievousness and irreverence are being shut down, and then we can assume that all is well.

    He made a lame joke/rude suggestion, he should be told that it sucked (firstly by the PM sitting beside him!), and he should have fixed it, or have been asked to fix it, and they could have moved on. The response to the diplomatic situation with India seems cynical to me – clearly people in India would be wanting to deflect negative attention at the moment, particularly from countries who were outspoken recently about the commonwealth games.

    • The Voice of Reason 35.1

      Funny you should mention Cookie. The magazine he used to own, Private Eye, reproduces a clipping on page 20 of the current issue (1272) that features Sheila Dikshit with a humorous comment beneath that suggests the editor thought the name was a misprint. That would appear to be a genuine error, not a racist joke. Henry, on the other hand, is a racist joke. And it always going to be worth remembering that Key laughed along. Racist humour is, almost by definition, right wing.

      I can’t think of any Peter Cook sketches that would not be suitable for broadcast today, except for the excessive swearing that was such a refreshing feature of Derek and Clive. Certainly, there was some appallingly racist comedy on British TV right through till the ‘right on’ comics of the eighties made the likes of Bernard Manning look like the antiquated relics they were. Since then, it’s been all very post modern and ironic. The occasional comic does blow it big time, such as Michael Richards and Billy Connelly recently, but the likes of Cook and Cleese were classic liberals at a time when conservatism was the enemy. Cleese wasn’t Fawlty, Warren Mitchell wasn’t Alf Garnett. Both were taking the piss out of those middle class ‘little englanders’ that Thatcher so successfully represented in the eighties.

      So, if Breakfast needs a comedic presence, then in a post modern, ironic way, can I suggest Henry be replaced immediately by Mr Jeremy Wells. What could be more agreeable?

  34. Alex 36

    Interesting about the mag. This might not be the point anyway, but Cook and Moore also had songs (not TV) like ‘I’m a stupid n****r’, the one about the ‘stupid Dutch bitch’, and ‘Jump you f***er’ about someone who jumps from a window to escape a fire, to find he’s been tricked, so he falls and breaks his neck, and the song ends “We are miserable sinners, filthy f***ers”. Would be really interesting on a breakfast TV show, but I can’t see it.

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  • Unstoppable Minister McKee

    All smiles, I know what it takes to fool this townI'll do it 'til the sun goes downAnd all through the nighttimeOh, yeahOh, yeah, I'll tell you what you wanna hearLeave my sunglasses on while I shed a tearIt's never the right timeYeah, yeahSong by SiaLast night there was a ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    19 hours ago
  • Could outdoor dining revitalise Queen Street?

    This is a guest post by Ben van Bruggen of The Urban Room,.An earlier version of this post appeared on LinkedIn. All images are by Ben. Have you noticed that there’s almost nowhere on Queen Street that invites you to stop, sit outside and enjoy a coffee, let alone ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    20 hours ago
  • Hipkins challenges long-held Labour view Government must stay below 30% of GDP

    Hipkins says when considering tax settings and the size of government, the big question mark is over what happens with the balance between the size of the working-age population and the growing number of Kiwis over the age of 65. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short; here’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    21 hours ago
  • Your invite to Webworm Chat (a bit like Reddit)

    Hi,One of the things I love the most about Webworm is, well, you. The community that’s gathered around this lil’ newsletter isn’t something I ever expected when I started writing it four years ago — now the comments section is one of my favourite places on the internet. The comments ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    22 hours ago
  • Seymour’s Treaty bill making Nats nervous

    A delay in reappointing a top civil servant may indicate a growing nervousness within the National Party about the potential consequences of David Seymour’s Treaty Principles Bill. Dave Samuels is waiting for reappointment as the Chief Executive of Te Puni Kokiri, but POLITIK understands that what should have been a ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    23 hours ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #36

    A listing of 34 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, September 1, 2024 thru Sat, September 7, 2024. Story of the week Our Story of the Week is about how peopele are not born stupid but can be fooled ...
    1 day ago
  • Time for a Change

    You act as thoughYou are a blind manWho's crying, crying 'boutAll the virgins that are dyingIn your habitual dreams, you knowSeems you need more sleepBut like a parrot in a flaming treeI know it's pretty hard to seeI'm beginning to wonderIf it's time for a changeSong: Phil JuddThe next line ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies: Excerpt Six.

    The “double shocks” in post Cold War international affairs. The end of the Cold War fundamentally altered the global geostrategic context. In particular, the end of the nuclear “balance of terror” between the USA and USSR, coupled with the relaxation … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    2 days ago
  • Buried deep

    Here's a bike on Manchester St, Feilding. I took this photo on Friday night after a very nice dinner at the very nice Vietnamese restaurant, Saigon, on Manchester Street.I thought to myself, Manchester Street? Bicycle? This could be the very spot.To recap from an earlier edition: on a February night ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies, Excerpt Five.

    Military politics as a distinct “partial regime.” Notwithstanding their peripheral status, national defense offers the raison d’être of the combat function, which their relative vulnerability makes apparent, so military forces in small peripheral democracies must be very conscious of events … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    3 days ago
  • Leadership for Dummies

    If you’re going somewhere, do you maybe take a bit of an interest in the place? Read up a bit on the history, current events, places to see - that sort of thing? Presumably, if you’re taking a trip somewhere, it’s for a reason. But what if you’re going somewhere ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Home again

    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on anything you may have missed. Share Read more ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Dead even tie for hottest August ever

    Long stories short, here’s the top six news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above between Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer:The month of August was 1.49˚C warmer than pre-industrial levels, tying with 2023 for the warmest August ever, according ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to Sept 7

    The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts and talking about the week’s news with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on the latest climate science on rising temperatures and the debate about how to responde to climate disinformation; and special guest ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Have We an Infrastructure Deficit?

    An Infrastructure New Zealand report says we are keeping up with infrastructure better than we might have thought from the grumbling. But the challenge of providing for the future remains.I was astonished to learn that the quantity of our infrastructure has been keeping up with economic growth. Your paper almost ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    3 days ago
  • Councils reject racism

    Last month, National passed a racist law requiring local councils to remove their Māori wards, or hold a referendum on them at the 2025 local body election. The final councils voted today, and the verdict is in: an overwhelming rejection. Only two councils out of 45 supported National's racist agenda ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • Homage to Simeon Brown

    Open to all - happy weekend ahead, friends.Today I just want to be petty. It’s the way I imagine this chap is -Not only as a political persona. But his real-deal inner personality, in all its glory - appears to be pure pettiness & populist driven.Sometimes I wonder if Simeon ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    4 days ago
  • Government of deceit

    When National cut health spending and imposed a commissioner on Te Whatu Ora, they claimed that it was necessary because the organisation was bloated and inefficient, with "14 layers of management between the CEO and the patient". But it turns out they were simply lying: Health Minister Shane Reti’s ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • The professionals actually think and act like our Government has no fiscal crisis at all

    Treasury staff at work: The demand for a new 12-year Government bond was so strong, Treasury decided to double the amount of bonds it sold. Photo: Lynn GrievesonMōrena. Long stories short; here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Friday, September ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 6-September-2024

    Welcome to another Friday and another roundup of stories that caught our eye this week. As always, this and every post is brought to you by the Greater Auckland crew. If you like our work and you’d like to see more of it, we invite you to join our regular ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    4 days ago
  • Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies; Excerpt Four.

    Internal versus external security. Regardless of who rules, large countries can afford to separate external and internal security functions (even if internal control functions predominate under authoritarian regimes). In fact, given the logic of power concentration and institutional centralization of … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • A Hole In The River

    There's a hole in the river where her memory liesFrom the land of the living to the air and skyShe was coming to see him, but something changed her mindDrove her down to the riverThere is no returnSongwriters: Neil Finn/Eddie RaynerThe king is dead; long live the queen!Yesterday was a ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • Bright Blue His Jacket Ain’t But I Love This Fellow: A Review and Analysis of The Rings of Power E...

    My conclusion last week was that The Rings of Power season two represented a major improvement in the series. The writing’s just so much better, and honestly, its major problems are less the result of the current episodes and more creatures arising from season one plot-holes. I found episode three ...
    4 days ago
  • Who should we thank for the defeat of the Nazis

    As a child in the 1950s, I thought the British had won the Second World War because that’s what all our comics said. Later on, the films and comics told me that the Americans won the war. In my late teens, I found out that the Soviet Union ...
    4 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #36 2024

    Open access notables Diurnal Temperature Range Trends Differ Below and Above the Melting Point, Pithan & Schatt, Geophysical Research Letters: The globally averaged diurnal temperature range (DTR) has shrunk since the mid-20th century, and climate models project further shrinking. Observations indicate a slowdown or reversal of this trend in recent decades. ...
    4 days ago
  • Media Link: Discussing the NZSIS Security Threat Report.

    I was interviewed by Mike Hosking at NewstalkZB and a few other media outlets about the NZSIS Security Threat Report released recently. I have long advocated for more transparency, accountability and oversight of the NZ Intelligence Community, and although the … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • How do I make this better for people who drive Ford Rangers?

    Home, home again to a long warm embrace. Plenty of reasons to be glad to be back.But also, reasons for dejection.You, yes you, Simeon Brown, you odious little oik, you bible thumping petrol-pandering ratfucker weasel. You would be Reason Number One. Well, maybe first among equals with Seymour and Of-Seymour ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago
  • A missed opportunity

    The government introduced a pretty big piece of constitutional legislation today: the Parliament Bill. But rather than the contentious constitutional change (four year terms) pushed by Labour, this merely consolidates the existing legislation covering Parliament - currently scattered across four different Acts - into one piece of legislation. While I ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Nicola Willis Seeks New Sidekick To Help Fix NZ’s Economy

    Synopsis:Nicola Willis is seeking a new Treasury Boss after Dr Caralee McLiesh’s tenure ends this month. She didn’t listen to McLiesh. Will she listen to the new one?And why is Atlas Network’s Taxpayers Union chiming in?Please consider subscribing or supporting my work. Thanks, Tui.About CaraleeAt the beginning of July, Newsroom ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    5 days ago
  • Inflation alive and kicking in our land of the long white monopolies

    The golden days of profit continue for the the Foodstuffs (Pak’n’Save and New World) and Woolworths supermarket duopoly. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short; here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Thursday, September 5:The Groceries Commissioner has ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • The thermodynamics of electric vs. internal combustion cars

    This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler I love thermodynamics. Thermodynamics is like your mom: it may not tell you what you can do, but it damn well tells you what you can’t do. I’ve written a few previous posts that include thermodynamics, like one on air capture of ...
    5 days ago
  • Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies: Excerpt Three.

    The notion of geopolitical  “periphery.” The concept of periphery used here refers strictly to what can be called the geopolitical periphery. Being on the geopolitical periphery is an analytic virtue because it makes for more visible policy reform in response … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    5 days ago
  • Venus Hum

    Fill me up with soundThe world sings with me a million smiles an hourI can see me dancing on my radioI can hear you singing in the blades of grassYellow dandelions on my way to schoolBig Beautiful Sky!Song: Venus Hum.Good morning, all you lovely people, and welcome to the 700th ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • I Went to a Creed Concert

    Note: The audio attached to this Webworm compliments today’s newsletter. I collected it as I met people attending a Creed concert. Their opinions may differ to mine. Read more ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    5 days ago
  • Government migration policy backfires; thousands of unemployed nurses

    The country has imported literally thousands of nurses over the past few months yet whether they are being employed as nurses is another matter. Just what is going on with HealthNZ and it nurses is, at best, opaque, in that it will not release anything but broad general statistics and ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • A Time For Unity.

    Emotional Response: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon addresses mourners at the tangi of King Tuheitia on Turangawaewae Marae on Saturday, 31 August 2024.THE DEATH OF KING TUHEITIA could hardly have come at a worse time for Maoridom. The power of the Kingitanga to unify te iwi Māori was demonstrated powerfully at January’s ...
    6 days ago
  • Climate Change: Failed again

    National's tax cut policies relied on stealing revenue from the ETS (previously used to fund emissions reduction) to fund tax cuts to landlords. So how's that going? Badly. Today's auction failed again, with zero units (of a possible 7.6 million) sold. Which means they have a $456 million hole in ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies: Excerpt Two.

    A question of size. Small size generally means large vulnerability. The perception of threat is broader and often more immediate for small countries. The feeling of comparative weakness, of exposure to risk, and of potential intimidation by larger powers often … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    6 days ago
  • Nicola Willis’s Very Unserious Bungling of the Kiwirail Interislander Cancellation

    Open to all with kind thanks to all subscribers and supporters.Today, RNZ revealed that despite MFAT advice to Nicola Willis to be very “careful and deliberate” in her communications with the South Korean government, prior to any public announcement on cancelling Kiwirail’s i-Rex, Willis instead told South Korea 26 minutes ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • Satisfying the Minister’s Speed Obsession

    The Minister of Transport’s speed obsession has this week resulted in two new consultations for 110km/h speed limits, one in Auckland and one in Christchurch. There has also been final approval of the Kapiti Expressway to move to 110km/h following an earlier consultation. While the changes will almost certainly see ...
    6 days ago
  • What if we freed up our streets, again?

    This guest post is by Tommy de Silva, a local rangatahi and freelance writer who is passionate about making the urban fabric of Tāmaki Makaurau-Auckland more people-focused and sustainable. New Zealand’s March-April 2020 Level 4 Covid response (aka “lockdown”) was somehow both the best and worst six weeks of ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    6 days ago
  • No Alarms And No Surprises

    A heart that's full up like a landfillA job that slowly kills youBruises that won't healYou look so tired, unhappyBring down the governmentThey don't, they don't speak for usI'll take a quiet lifeA handshake of carbon monoxideAnd no alarms and no surprisesThe fabulous English comedian Stewart Lee once wrote a ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago
  • Five ingenious ways people could beat the heat without cranking the AC

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Daisy Simmons Every summer brings a new spate of headlines about record-breaking heat – for good reason: 2023 was the hottest year on record, in keeping with the upward trend scientists have been clocking for decades. With climate forecasts suggesting that heat waves ...
    6 days ago
  • No new funding for cycling & walking

    Studies show each $1 of spending on walking and cycling infrastructure produces $13 to $35 of economic benefits from higher productivity, lower healthcare costs, less congestion, lower emissions and lower fossil fuel import costs. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short; here’s my top six things to note ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • 99

    Dad turned 99 today.Hell of a lot of candles, eh?He won't be alone for his birthday. He will have the warm attention of my brother, and my sister, and everyone at the rest home, the most thoughtful attentive and considerate people you could ever know. On Saturday there will be ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • Open Government: National reneges on beneficial ownership

    One of the achievements of the New Zealand’s Open Government Partnership Fourth National Action Plan was a formal commitment from the government to establish a public beneficial ownership register. Such a register would allow the ultimate owners of companies to be identified - a vital measure in preventing corruption, money ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies: Excerpt One.

    This project analyzes security politics in three peripheral democracies (Chile, New Zealand, Portugal) during the 30 years after the end of the Cold War. It argues that changes in the geopolitical landscape and geo-strategic context are interpreted differently by small … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    7 days ago
  • Tea and Toast

    When the skies are looking bad my dearAnd your heart's lost all its hopeAfter dawn there will be sunshineAnd all the dust will goThe skies will clear my darlingNow it's time for you to let goOur girl will wake you up in the mornin'With some tea and toastLyrics: Lucy Spraggan.Good ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    7 days ago
  • NLTP 2024 released – destroying pipeline of shovel ready local projects

    Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Waka Kotahi yesterday released the latest National Land Transport Plan (NLTP) for 2024-27. The NLTP sets out what transport projects will be funded for the next three years, including both central and local government projects. As expected given the government’s extremely ideological transport policy, it’s ...
    7 days ago
  • Can Brown deliver his roads

    The Government’s unveiling of its road-building programme yesterday was ambitious and, many would say, long overdue. But the question will be whether it is too ambitious, whether it is affordable, and, if not, what might be dropped. The big ticket items will be the 17 so-called Roads of National Significance. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    7 days ago
  • New paper about detecting climate misinformation on Twitter/X

    Together with Cristian Rojas, Frank Algra-Maschio, Mark Andrejevic, Travis Coan, and Yuan-Fang Li, I just published a paper in Nature Communications Earth & Environment where we use the Computer Assisted Recognition of Denial and Skepticism (CARDS) machine learning model to detect climate misinformation in 5 million climate tweets. We find over half ...
    1 week ago
  • Excerpting “Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies.”

    In the late 2000s-early 2010s I was researching and writing a book titled “Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies: Chile, New Zealand and Portugal.” The book was a cross-regional Small-N qualitative comparison of the security strategies and postures of three small … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    1 week ago
  • Hating for the Wrong Reasons: Of Rings of Power, Orcs and Evil

    A few months ago, my fellow countryman, HelloFutureMe, put out a giant YouTube video, dissecting what went wrong with the first season of Rings of Power (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJ6FRUO0ui0&t=8376s). It’s an exceptionally good video, and though it spans some two and a half hours, it is well worth your time. But ...
    1 week ago
  • Climate Change: “Least cost” to who?

    On Friday the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment released their submission on National's second Emissions Reduction Plan, ripping the shit out of it as a massive gamble based on wishful thinking. One of the specific issues he focused on was National's idea of "least cost" emissions reduction, pointing out that ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago
  • Israeli Lives Matter

    There is no monopoly on common senseOn either side of the political fenceWe share the same biology, regardless of ideologyBelieve me when I say to youI hope the Russians love their children tooLyrics: Sting. Read more ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Luxon Cries

    Over the weekend, I found myself rather irritably reading up about the Treaty of Waitangi. “Do I need to do this?” It’s not my jurisdiction. In any other world, would this be something I choose to do?My answer - no.The Waitangi Tribunal, headed by some of our best legal minds, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 week ago
  • Just one Wellington home being consented for every 10 in Auckland

    A decade of under-building is coming home to roost in Wellington. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short; here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Monday September 2:Wellington’s leaders are wringing their hands over an exodus of skilled ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Container trucks on local streets: why take the risk?

    This is a guest post by Charmaine Vaughan, who came to transport advocacy via her local Residents Association and a comms role at Bike Auckland. Her enthusiasm to make local streets safer for all is shared by her son Dylan Vaughan, a budding “urban nerd” who provided much of the ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    1 week ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #35

    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, August 25, 2024 thru Sat, August 31, 2024. Story of the week After another crammed week of climate news including updates on climate tipping points, increasing threats from rising ...
    1 week ago
  • An Uncanny Valley of Improvement: A Review and Analysis of The Rings of Power, Episodes 1-3 (Season ...

    And thus we come to the second instalment of Amazon’s Rings of Power. The first season, in 2022, was underwhelming, even for someone like myself, who is by nature inclined to approach Tolkien adaptations with charity. The writing was poor, the plot made no sense on its own terms, and ...
    1 week ago
  • Alcohol debris and Crocodile Tears

    I write to you this morning from scenes of carnage. Around the floor lie young men who only hours earlier were full of life, and cocktails, and now lie silent. Read more ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • When Do We Look Away?

    Hi,The first time I saw something that made me recoil on the internet was a visit to Rotten.com. The clue was in the name — but the internet was a new thing to me in the 90s, and no-one really knew what the hell was going on. But somehow I ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    1 week ago
  • The decades just fly by

    You turn your back for a moment and a city can completely transform itself. It was, oh, just the other day I was tripping up to Kuala Lumpur every few months to teach workshops and luxuriate in the tropical warmth and fill my face with Char Kway Teow.It has to ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago
  • 2024 Reading Summary: August

    Completed reads for August: Aesop’s Fables (collection), by Aesop Berserk: Volume XXV (manga), by Kentaro Miura Benighted, by J.B. Priestly Berserk: Volume XXVI (manga), by Kentaro Miura Berserk: Volume XXVII (manga), by Kentaro Miura Berserk: Volume XXVIII (manga), by Kentaro Miura Berserk: Volume XXIX (manga), by Kentaro Miura ...
    1 week ago
  • Is recent global warming part of a natural cycle?

    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 from the Gigafact team in collaboration with John Mason. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is recent global warming part ...
    1 week ago
  • White Noise

    Now here we standWith our hearts in our handsSqueezing out the liesAll that I hearIs a message, unclearWhat else is there to decide?All that I'm hearing from youIs White NoiseLyrics: Christopher John CheneyIs the tide turning?Have we reached the high point of the racist hate and lies from Hobson’s Pledge, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • The Death Of “Big Norm” – Exactly 50 Years Ago Today.

    Norman KirkPrime Minister of New Zealand 1972-1974Born: 6 January 1923 - Died: 31 August 1974Of the working-class, by the working-class, for the working-class.Video courtesy of YouTubeThese elements were posted on Bowalley Road on Saturday, 31 August 2024. ...
    1 week ago
  • Claims and Counter-Claims.

    Whose Foreshore? Whose Seabed? When the Marine and Coastal Area Act was originally passed back in 2011, fears about the coastline becoming off-limits to Pakeha were routinely allayed by National Party politicians pointing out that the tests imposed were so stringent  that only a modest percentage of claims (the then treaty ...
    1 week ago
  • Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 week ago
  • The Principles of the Treaty

    Hardly anyone says what are ‘the principles of the treaty’. The courts’ interpretation restrain the New Zealand Government. While they about protecting a particular community, those restraints apply equally to all community in a liberal democracy – including a single person.Treaty principles were introduced into the governance of New Zealand ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 week ago
  • The Only Other Reliable Vehicle.

    An Elite Leader Awaiting Rotation? Hipkins’ give-National-nothing-to-aim-at strategy will only succeed if the Coalition becomes as unpopular in three years as the British Tories became in fourteen.THE SHAPE OF CHRIS HIPKINS’ THINKING on Labour’s optimum pathway to re-election is emerging steadily. At the core of his strategy is Hipkins’ view ...
    2 weeks ago
  • A Big F U to this Right Wing Government

    Open to all - deep thanks to those who support and subscribe.One of the things that has got me interested recently is updates about Māori wards.In April, Stuff’s Karanama Ruru reported that ~ 2/3 of our 78 councils had adopted Māori wards in NZ.That meant that under the Coalition repeal ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    2 weeks ago

  • Action to grow the rural health workforce

    Scholarships awarded to 27 health care students is another positive step forward to boost the future rural health workforce, Associate Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “All New Zealanders deserve timely access to quality health care and this Government is committed to improving health outcomes, particularly for the one in five ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    14 hours ago
  • Pharmac delivering more for Kiwis following major funding boost

    Associate Health Minister with responsibility for Pharmac David Seymour has welcomed the increased availability of medicines for Kiwis resulting from the Government’s increased investment in Pharmac. “Pharmac operates independently, but it must work within the budget constraints set by the Government,” says Mr Seymour. “When our Government assumed office, New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    14 hours ago
  • Sport Minister congratulates NZ’s Paralympians

    Sport & Recreation Minister Chris Bishop has congratulated New Zealand's Paralympic Team at the conclusion of the Paralympic Games in Paris.  “The NZ Paralympic Team's success in Paris included fantastic performances, personal best times, New Zealand records and Oceania records all being smashed - and of course, many Kiwis on ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    16 hours ago
  • Government progresses response to Abuse in Care recommendations

    A Crown Response Office is being established within the Public Service Commission to drive the Government’s response to the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care. “The creation of an Office within a central Government agency was a key recommendation by the Royal Commission’s final report.  “It will have the mandate ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Passport wait times back on-track

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says passport processing has returned to normal, and the Department of Internal Affairs [Department] is now advising customers to allow up to two weeks to receive their passport. “I am pleased that passport processing is back at target service levels and the Department ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • New appointments to the FMA board

    Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister has today announced three new appointments and one reappointment to the Financial Markets Authority (FMA) board. Tracey Berry, Nicholas Hegan and Mariette van Ryn have been appointed for a five-year term ending in August 2029, while Chris Swasbrook, who has served as a board member ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • District Court judges appointed

    Attorney-General Hon Judith Collins today announced the appointment of two new District Court judges. The appointees, who will take up their roles at the Manukau Court and the Auckland Court in the Accident Compensation Appeal Jurisdiction, are: Jacqui Clark Judge Clark was admitted to the bar in 1988 after graduating ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Government makes it faster and easier to invest in New Zealand

    Associate Minister of Finance David Seymour is encouraged by significant improvements to overseas investment decision timeframes, and the enhanced interest from investors as the Government continues to reform overseas investment. “There were about as many foreign direct investment applications in July and August as there was across the six months ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • New Zealand to join Operation Olympic Defender

    New Zealand has accepted an invitation to join US-led multi-national space initiative Operation Olympic Defender, Defence Minister Judith Collins announced today. Operation Olympic Defender is designed to coordinate the space capabilities of member nations, enhance the resilience of space-based systems, deter hostile actions in space and reduce the spread of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government commits to ‘stamping out’ foot and mouth disease

    Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard says that a new economic impact analysis report reinforces this government’s commitment to ‘stamp out’ any New Zealand foot and mouth disease incursion. “The new analysis, produced by the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research, shows an incursion of the disease in New Zealand would have ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Improving access to finance for Kiwis

    5 September 2024  The Government is progressing further reforms to financial services to make it easier for Kiwis to access finance when they need it, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says.  “Financial services are foundational for economic success and are woven throughout our lives. Without access to finance our ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Prime Minister pays tribute to Kiingi Tuheitia

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