Peters to Pence on the Pacific – a return to colonialism?

Written By: Mike Smith - Date published: 9:38 pm, January 14th, 2019 - 120 comments
Categories: China, colonialism, defence, Free Trade, jacinda ardern, Japan, military, pasifika, trade, us politics, winston peters - Tags:

Winston Peters went to Washington last December to see VP Mike Pence and invite the US to engage more in the South-West Pacific without informing Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. Patrick Smellie described this apparent oversight, if that is what it was, as “deeply worrying.” Even more worrying is what Peters said.

Peters’s speech at Georgetown University Center for Australian, New Zealand and Pacific Studies was titled “Pacific Partnerships.” After stating his view that ‘the Asia-Pacific region had reached an ‘inflexion point’ Peters said:

New Zealand and the United States, we believe, have particular responsibilities in the Pacific as two countries which, through their geography, history and people to people connections, are intrinsically part of the region.

He went on to give a history lesson on US engagement with the Pacific, citing President Tyler’s extension of the Monroe Doctrine to Hawai’i in 1842 and “the signing of the “Treaty of Wanxia” which opened up Canton and four other ports to American merchants.”

Students of history will know that the Monroe Doctrine came to assert US hegemony in the whole of the Americas, a right currently being asserted by calls for the overthrow of the democratically elected President of Venezuela. The Treaty of Wanxia was signed two years after the Opium Wars and stands at the start of China’s “century of shame”, humiliated by unequal treaties driven by superior Western cannonry. Coming from our Foreign Minister, China could only interpret this reference as a provocative insult. Xi Jinping is determined that the same thing will not happen in the 21st century.

Peters went on.

At the same time as the ‘Accidental President’ Tyler was extending American interests in Asia and the Pacific, British immigrants had settled colonial New Zealand and signed the ‘Treaty of Waitangi’ between Queen Victoria and the indigenous Maori people. The Treaty created a new society, one that celebrates today an uninterrupted history of democratic elections since responsible government began in the colony in 1854. The Pacific has seen our country’s histories and interests intertwined since these earlier times.

There are significant elisions here, ones that he could only get away with at Georgetown. Not everyone in New Zealand is celebrating a “new society,” and the memory of the land wars is still alive as we still seek some reconciliation.

Peters then went on to talk about New Zealand’s “Pacific Reset.”

The Pacific Reset also reflects New Zealand’s response to the increasingly contested strategic environment in the Pacific in which more external actors are competing for influence. This calls for close cooperation with Pacific Island countries, Australia, the United States, and other partners with historic links in the region–countries such as Japan, the EU, UK and France–to uphold values that we share and want to promote in the region; values like democracy, good governance, greater women’s participation, and above all the rules based systems on which the region relies.

Japan certainly does have historic links with the Pacific – their pilots shot down my uncle flying the obsolete biplane that was all the UK sought fit to provide for the defence of Singapore. Prime Minister Abe would like to change Japan’s constitution to allow it to conduct foreign wars again.

France still has its colony in Nouvelle-Caledonie, and is also the only foreign state that has committed an act of terror in a New Zealand port. America also has its own Samoa, whose people are Americans but not able to become US citizens. So our Pacific history is chequered, and not susceptible to easy analogy. Colonial values are not the only ones seen as important in the Pacific.

Peters went on to discuss China.

New Zealand also acknowledges new actors in the region, like China, and welcomes all partners in the Pacific on terms that take account of the Pacific’s needs, where quality projects are sustainable and delivered transparently. We work with China in the Pacific and will continue to do so on those terms.

China is a new actor in the region? Well it certainly has not been a colonial power, and if the Treaty of Wanxia began US involvement in the Pacific then the Chinese were by definition there first. And Chinese have been in the Pacific as long as anyone else, apart of course from indigenous Pacific Islanders. I recall years ago when visiting Western Samoa having access to the archives of the German and New Zealand colonial administrations in Apia,and reading of the harsh treatment of Chinese indentured labourers by the New Zealand police.

Ironically also Peter’s reference to the Monroe Doctrine makes it harder to argue that the Chinese should not exercise any hegemonic power in their eponymous sea.

So what was the point of it all? It was clearly a speech for American consumption, certainly not one that would go down well if repeated back in the Pacific. Besides all the revisionist colonialism, there was a rather plaintive plea for special treatment by way of economic support for New Zealand, given Trump’s tariff- and sanctions-driven retreat from the rules-based order on which New Zealand depends.

Did Peters want an American base in New Zealand? The US marines are now well established in Darwin, and there is talk of another base on Manus Island in Papua New Guinea. With over 800 known military bases around the world, American assistance tends to be defence-biased.

And of course the China subtext. New Zealand has not quite followed the American declaration of war on China, but it is significant the new Zealand 2018 defence review follows the US in only referring to China, Russia and North Korea as threats.

Not mentioned in the speech but undoubtedly in the private discussions with Pence is the fact that a number of Pacific Island nations, including the Cook Islands, have signed up to China’s Belt and Road infrastructure project, which reaches far beyond the Pacific to Eurasia. In contrast to the US, Chinese assistance tends to be infrastructure-biased.

Finally, Peters said this:

As partners, New Zealand and the United States have a long history of answering each other’s calls for help. In 1942, the United States came to the defence of New Zealand in a very direct sense. Since then, New Zealand has regularly answered the call when the United States has mobilised its friends in defence of its interests and international security more broadly.

Well no Winston – we didn’t join the US “coalition of the willing” in 2003 because the invasion of Iraq was not sanctioned by the UN and so was unlawful.

We should keep our independence and not allow ourselves to be drawn into America’s wars again, particularly not against China with whom we have good personal and trade relations.

Perhaps the Pacific nations who have joined the Belt and Road Initiative and more far-sighted than Winston Peters 19th century colonialist approach.

Winston Peters shows Mike Pence where New Zealand is on the map

120 comments on “Peters to Pence on the Pacific – a return to colonialism? ”

Comments are now closed

Blazer 1

14 January 2019 at 9:41 pm

Diplomacy-realpolitik..what do you want in life?
- soddenleaf 1.1
  
  15 January 2019 at 12:53 pm
  
  Ardern did not know Winston was her foriegn minister, or his politics, really? How would micro managing Winston work in practice? It’s laughable, Pence is a peon, nothing to see there, so what if Peters is mugging him in egotistical mutterings over the big picture, no way Trump is moving over, more likely out.
Anne 2

14 January 2019 at 11:07 pm

France still has its colony in Nouvelle-Caledonie, and is also the only foreign state that has committed an act of terror in a New Zealand port.

Interesting this comment should come up tonight. The docudrama “Bombshell” has just finished on TV1. It is the story of the Rainbow Warrior bombing. France’s contribution to the Pacific was to drop nuclear bombs on a Pacific atoll and then sit back and observe how it affected the Pacific Islanders in close proximity. Many died of cancer and children were born with severe defects.

Has France ever apologised for what they did? ‘Not on your nelly’. Have they ever helped any of those who suffered because of their arrogance and intransigence? Not as far as I know.

I’m with you on this one Mike Smith.
- Wayne 2.1
  
  15 January 2019 at 8:57 am
  
  There has just been a referendum in New Caledonia which voted against independence in fact quite heavily defeated. I imagine the loss of access to all things France was the reason.
  There will be another one in about 2 years. The result will be the same.
  - Anne 2.1.1
    
    15 January 2019 at 9:14 am
    
    Interesting Wayne, but not the point of my comment.
    
    The nuclear testing at Muroroa Atoll in the 1970s and 1980s confirms France was a piss-poor Pacific neighbour. To my knowledge, they did nothing by way of recompense for those who suffered the consequences of their actions in the South Pacific.
    
    They should never be allowed to forget it.
    - Dennis Frank 2.1.1.1
      
      15 January 2019 at 9:58 am
      
      I agree. However, I also believe it’s more important to recall that the perpetrator of French state terrorism here was a socialist govt, led by Mitterand. The old leftists vs greenies thing. Younger generations seem reluctant to learn the lesson.
  - Tricledrown 2.1.2
    
    15 January 2019 at 2:51 pm
    
    That’s because France is looking after its colonies much better these days
Sacha 3

14 January 2019 at 11:18 pm

Winston Peters went to Washington last December to see VP Mike Pence and invite the US to engage more in the South-West Pacific without informing Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. Patrick Smellie described this apparent oversight, if that is what it was, as “deeply worrying.”

You’re reaching. From the Smellie article:

But when asked whether she had read the speech prior to delivery, let alone whether the Cabinet had discussed it, Ardern gave an almost breezy dismissal. That is deeply worrying.

Reading the speech is NOT the same as being informed.
patricia bremner 4

14 January 2019 at 11:26 pm

Peters wants balance in the Pacific. The Americans fund their bases and troops, China loans with strings for infrastructure. Failure with loan repayments can be crippling.
China has not forgotten Japanese cruelty. NZ was pretty shocking in Samoa. China and Britain have history. France with their nuclear tests and the Rainbow Warrior sinking. Who is innocent? It is eggshell territory. Peters has represented us well, and probably had some guidelines but could draw on his previous success. you infer Ardern was out of the loop. On what grounds? She did not treat it as of moment because she saw it as trying to undermine Peters? We are both guessing. ONE THING .. All the powers are jockeying.
ropata 5

14 January 2019 at 11:36 pm

Meanwhile back in New Zealand we have a whole political party that is owned and controlled by the PRC, increasing economic dependence on the PRC, and a timid Government who will not dare to say anything even slightly critical about the PRC.

We have Chinese language newspapers heavily censored by the CCP and today it was revealed that the Chinese edition of the Herald is also being ‘sanitised’.

America is a shadow of what it should be, but at least it isn’t a one-party state that censors the whole Internet and routinely jails dissidents by the thousand. At least America isn’t running a concentration camp for a million Muslims. At least America isn’t the #1 polluter of the planet. At least America has a democratic tradition and a concept of human rights.

America is still a friend of New Zealand. China is a corrosive influence. Peters has correct instincts on this.
- patricia bremner 5.1
  
  15 January 2019 at 12:05 am
  
  1000% Ropata.
  - Unicus 5.1.1
    
    15 January 2019 at 7:56 pm
    
    Ropata
    
    Make that 10,000%
    
    Culturally and militarily we are joined at the hip with America and many of us are extremely proud it is so .
- RedLogix 5.2
  
  15 January 2019 at 1:20 am
  
  Exactly. Unfortunately too many left wing intellectuals never saw an authoritarian President for Life they didn’t like.
  
  Especially ones that run mass reeducation camps.
- WILD KATIPO 5.3
  
  15 January 2019 at 4:46 am
  
  Bingo , ropata !!!
  
  Absolutely correct.
- Jenny - How to get there? 5.4
  
  15 January 2019 at 6:07 am
  
  ….America is a shadow of what it should be, but at least it isn’t a one-party state that censors the whole Internet and routinely jails dissidents by the thousand. At least America isn’t running a concentration camp for a million Muslims. At least America isn’t the #1 polluter of the planet…….
  
  Ropata.
  
  Not yet.
  
  But it certainly looks like it is heading that way.
  
  And it raises an interesting question;
  
  If, and when, the US descends into totalitarianism, will neo-colonial wannabe’ satraps like Winston Peters follow the US hegemon down the same dark rabbit hole, or break all ties with them?
- Psycho Milt 5.5
  
  15 January 2019 at 6:40 am
  
  Meanwhile back in New Zealand we have a whole political party that is owned and controlled by the PRC…
  
  Only one? Labour keeps getting let off very lightly on this issue, but it also has an MP involved with the Chinese government “United Front” and accepts a lot of donations from United Front members.
  - Anne 5.5.1
    
    15 January 2019 at 9:28 am
    
    @Pyscho Milt.
    
    Where is the proof that Raymond Huo is involved in the Chinese “United Front”. Unlike the Nat fellow, he was out front from the start vehemently denying any such link. He was able to demonstrate that a group of Chinese government lackeys living in NZ fabricated the evidence against him. IIrc, he even named them and they never refuted it. I have met Raymond and a more genuine person you could not find.
    
    Given the experiences of Anne Marie Brady, I imagine Raymond’s situation is not without some risk. He will have family back in China and probably has to tread very carefully. Hence his more recent silence?
    
    This is the first I’ve heard of United Front donations to the Labour Party. There may well have been one or two since the election of the Lab. led govt, because that is how the Chinese operate. They like to ‘get in good’ with the winners. But compared to the Nats, it will be a drop in the bucket.
- Ad 5.6
  
  15 January 2019 at 7:10 am
  
  +100
- greywarshark 5.7
  
  15 January 2019 at 10:00 am
  
  America isn’t a one party state so that makes them pretty good ropata? I watch them all with distrust, and so should every thinking NZr.
  
  America is still a friend of New Zealand. China is a corrosive influence. Peters has correct instincts on this.
  
  I think there is no room for positivity. We look to see where we can get best allies at any given time, without deliberately referring to matters that will incite anger in other powers. Peters can act with intransigence when talking to our reporters and put them down, but in diplomacy he needs to talk and walk quietly and surely, not heavy footed. It sounds like he has put his foot in our mouth in his reference to China’s treaty with unpleasant connotations for them.
- Mark 5.8
  
  15 January 2019 at 11:27 am
  
  At least America isn’t the #1 polluter of the planet.
  
  Obviously you have never heard the concept of ‘per capita’?
  
  In terms of ecological footprint the average Chinese has far less an impact on the planet than the average New Zealander
  
  That million Muslims in concentration camps is a laughable absurdity believed only by idiots who have been brainwashed by the Western media.
  
  And of course Western news sources are so completely independent and impartial eh?
  
  America’s concept of human rights: half a million dead Iraqi children was ‘worth it’ (Madeleine Albright), the destruction of Iraq, Libya, Syria…..
  
  Many New Zealanders feel America is a friend and China is an enemy, not because of anything those two countries may have done, but because both countries are essentially white Anglo Saxon countries. Its simply an ethno-racial feeling. They should just be honest and say that.
  - CHCOff 5.8.1
    
    15 January 2019 at 12:41 pm
    
    ‘Many New Zealanders feel America is a friend and China is an enemy, not because of anything those two countries may have done, but because both countries are essentially white Anglo Saxon countries. Its simply an ethno-racial feeling. They should just be honest and say that.’
    
    That does touch on a point, that what is really being talked about, is mechanics of policy, not mechanics of a people.
    - Morrissey 5.8.1.1
      
      15 January 2019 at 12:44 pm
      
      And this country has a long history of virulent, hateful attitudes toward Chinese people that persists to this day. Same thing with the absurd anti-Russian prejudice that bedevils so many, even the so-called “liberals.”
      - RedLogix 5.8.1.1.1
        
        15 January 2019 at 1:05 pm
        
        And some people can tell the difference between an ancient, honourable people and the gang of billionaire thugs who currently run the place as an open air panoptican.
        
        Morrissey 5.8.1.1.1.1
        
        15 January 2019 at 1:09 pm
        
        Opposition to Russian oligarchs is entirely reasonable and legitimate. But portraying the Russians as some evil empire bent on running the world is absurd. Unfortunately, it seems to be the only idea that the Dumocrats have in their threadbare playbook.
  - Lettuce 5.8.2
    
    15 January 2019 at 2:10 pm
    
    “That million Muslims in concentration camps is a laughable absurdity believed only by idiots who have been brainwashed by the Western media.”
    
    A change of tack Mark? Deny it’s happening in the face of overwhelming evidence and call anyone who believes it an idiot. How very ‘Global Times’ of you. Has the Chinese Embassy given you a new set of talking points this week?
    
    Of course China’s not publicising their Xinjiang nightmare – the Nazis kept very quiet about their concentration camps too:
    
    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jan/11/if-you-enter-a-camp-you-never-come-out-inside-chinas-war-on-islam
    
    https://www.theguardian.com/news/audio/2019/jan/14/china-muslim-uighur-detention-camps-podcast
    
    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/oct/22/from-denial-to-pride-how-china-changed-its-language-on-xinjiangs-camps
    
    “Many New Zealanders feel America is a friend and China is an enemy, not because of anything those two countries may have done, but because both countries are essentially white Anglo Saxon countries. Its simply an ethno-racial feeling. They should just be honest and say that.”
    
    Absolute rubbish. I’ve got plenty of Chinese friends of Hong Kong and Taiwan and they’re far more scared of the dark totalitarian future the Chinese Communist Party has planned for their countries than I am. Judging by China’s ever more authoritarian and punitive actions under Xi, they have good reason to be afraid:
    
    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jan/13/china-christians-religious-persecution-translation-bible
- CHCOff 5.9
  
  15 January 2019 at 11:30 am
  
  The Chinese free trade agreement is a success in terms of metrics relating to volumes and profits.
  
  Yet it has coincided with, unprecedented rates for NZ, of overseas acquisition of natural resources, pressures on policy positions where there were none before, and most debilitating – the divergence of how success is measured by the governing establishment to the reality of the practical economy & civil life in the New Zealand society.
  
  NZ1st!
- Exkiwiforces 5.10
  
  15 January 2019 at 3:27 pm
  
  Fully concur with you comment, if China was more open with its intentions in the South Pacific and work together with the likes of NZ and Australia then we wouldn’t be having this discussion atm.
  
  China is also thumbing its nose at towards the current norms with Antarctic Treaty members in all areas of policy IRT the Antarctic Treaty.
  
  One example is all Treaty Nations are restricted to harvest 680,000 tons of krill per yr, but China has decided by itself to harvest 1 million ton of krill per yr and god knows what the long term impact that it will have on the fragile eco system of the Antarctic Region. Also they have refused inspection of their fishing boats by Antarctic Treaty members as well, when they are fishing Antarctic waters during the summer fishing season.
  
  This political policy stance by China in the Antarctic and its Aid/ cheap loans to South Pacific Nations is only go to fuel more distrust in NZ, Australia and other major players within the region be it Inter- Government or NGO level.
Tony Veitch [not etc.] 6

15 January 2019 at 4:24 am

New Zealand has always been subject to invasion – right from the time this land mass was first discovered by Maui.

Since WW2 we’ve been bombarded by American cultural cringe – Macdonalds, sitcoms, cameos of gridiron and basketball which interest at the most 3 people in the entire country, and so on.

But at least we can not partake, can switch off.

Chinese influence is much less benign and more corrosive. At least the USA pays lip service to our democratic institutions. Ask the Tibetans and the Uyghurs if they enjoy the same rights under the heels of the Han.

The Chinese dictatorship (forget the word ‘Communist’) is the biggest threat to our way of life at present (except for climate change, that is.)
- greywarshark 6.1
  
  15 January 2019 at 11:05 am
  
  I guess the Chinese situation is similar to the Russian Revolution progress. That started in 1817. Each country has difficulties as it tries to change and take in modern practices. There is a trend of attempts to limit, control, punish and profit from others after conflicts. Then this leads to further disruption in the country subject to these measures, and then further conflict.
  
  China has had a long struggle to find a ruling system that has been agreed to by all. I think to learn about their past history would be wise in trying to understand their present practices and direction.
  
  In Russia: The tsar and his family were held in various locations, eventually being imprisoned in Yekaterinburg in the Ural Mountains. In October 1917, the Bolsheviks overthrew the provisional government.
  Following a harsh peace treaty with Germany in March 1918, Russia descended into civil war.
  
  Note the mention of a harsh peace treaty with Germany in March 1918. Russia’s actions were influenced by Germany’s demands.
  WW1 comes next.
  
  After WW1 Germany’s actions were influenced by a harsh peace treaty also.
  WW2 comes next.
  
  In China there had been a long time under one rule.
  The Qing dynasty (1644–1911) was the last imperial dynasty in China. Founded by the Manchus…
  A revolutionary military uprising, the Wuchang Uprising, began on 10 October 1911, in Wuhan. The provisional government of the Republic of China was formed in Nanjing on 12 March 1912. The Xinhai Revolution ended 2,000 years of dynastic rule in China. …
  
  In 1919, the May Fourth Movement began as a response to the terms imposed on China by the Treaty of Versailles ending World War I,
  China’s actions were influenced by terms imposed by the Treaty of Versailles.
  
  A quote by Patricia Buckley Ebrey: “Nationalism, patriotism, progress, science, democracy, and freedom were the goals; imperialism, feudalism, warlordism, autocracy, patriarchy, and blind adherence to tradition were the enemies.
  Intellectuals struggled with how to be strong and modern and yet Chinese, how to preserve China as a political entity in the world of competing nations.”[5
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_China#Republic_of_China_(since_1912)
  
  In 1928, the Republic was nominally unified under the Kuomintang (KMT)—Chinese Nationalist Party—after the Northern Expedition, and was in the early stages of industrialization and modernization when it was caught in the conflicts among the Kuomintang government, the Communist Party of China, (founded 1921), which was converted into a nationalist party; local warlords, and the Empire of Japan.
  
  Most nation-building efforts were stopped during the full-scale Second Sino-Japanese War / War of Resistance against Japan from 1937 to 1945, and later the widening gap between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party made a coalition government impossible, causing the resumption of the Chinese Civil War, in 1946, shortly after the Japanese surrender to the Americans and the Western Allies in September 1945.
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Republic_of_China
  
  Following the defeat of Japan in 1945, the war between the Nationalist government forces and the CPC resumed, after failed attempts at reconciliation and a negotiated settlement. During WW2 there had been many atrocities against the Chinese. Afterwards there was renewed fighting amongst Chinese entities and further atrocities as China convulsed trying to establish its new identity and and system for the future.
  Japanese forces committed numerous war atrocities against the civilian population, including biological warfare (see Unit 731) and the Three Alls Policy (Sankō Sakusen), the three alls being: “Kill All, Burn All and Loot All”….
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_China#Republic_of_China_(since_1912)
  
  Both urban and rural communities, as well as both agriculture and industry, experienced significant growth between 1949–1959.
  Mao’s government carried out mass executions of landowners, instituted collectivisation and implemented the laogai camp system. Execution and harsh conditions in labor camps resulted in millions of deaths under Mao.
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_People%27s_Republic_of_China_(1949%E2%80%931976)
  
  Mao Zedong’s legacy
  The history of the People’s Republic from 1949 to 1976 is accorded the name “Mao era”-China. A proper evaluation of the period is, in essence, an evaluation of Mao’s legacy. Since Mao’s death there has been generated a great deal of controversy about him amongst both historians and political analysts.
  
  Supporters of Mao argue that the large number of deaths during the period of consolidation of power after victory in the Chinese Civil War paled in comparison to the number of deaths caused by famine, anarchy, war, and foreign invasion in the years before the Communists took power. Before 1949, for instance, the illiteracy rate in Mainland China was 80%, and life expectancy was a meager 35 years. At his death, illiteracy had declined to less than 7%, and average life expectancy had increased by 30 years. In addition, China’s population which had remained constant at 400,000,000 from the Opium War to the end of the Civil War, mushroomed more than 700,000,000 as of Mao’s death. Under Mao’s regime, supporters argue that China ended its “Century of Humiliation” and resumed its status as a major power on the international stage.
  
  Mao also industrialised China to a considerable extent and ensured China’s sovereignty during his rule. In addition, Mao wiped China free of restricting Confucianist and feudal norms.[8] Mao’s supporters contend that the amount of morality and empathy, the virtual non-existence of corruption, as well as general happiness with the populace, were at levels unseen in the entirety of Chinese history. In addition, Mao’s assertion of Communism becoming the guiding belief system of the people helped stabilise a China otherwise lacking any national religion, spirituality, or guiding belief.
  There are detractors also.
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_People%27s_Republic_of_China_(1949%E2%80%931976)
  
  Summary at present:
  Many countries hope for China to effectively deal with the challenges within the country, in order to ensure the prosperity of China. Furthermore, many countries have significant trade relations with China, so the 2015 Chinese stock market crash was seen as significant.
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_People%27s_Republic_of_China_(2002%E2%80%93present)#Future_prospects
  - Mark 6.1.1
    
    15 January 2019 at 11:55 am
    
    Supporters of Mao argue that the large number of deaths during the period of consolidation of power after victory in the Chinese Civil War paled in comparison to the number of deaths caused by famine, anarchy, war, and foreign invasion in the years before the Communists took power
    
    Thank you for posting this. This is absolutely true. It is indisputable that China under Mao achieved the lowest rates of mortality in all of the developing world.
    Surprisingly the most rapid advances in life expectancy and literacy occurred during the Cultural Revolution. The mortality rates presented by even Mao’s worst detractors show that the rates during the GLF did not approach famine level, and were not atypical for developing countries of the time, and lower than China before the communists took power in 1949.
    
    Relative to the rest of the developing world Mao’s policies saved hundreds of millions of lives —hence the one-child policy after his death.
    
    Anyone who believes that Mao killed millions bollocks is an innumerate fool
    - RedLogix 6.1.1.1
      
      15 January 2019 at 12:45 pm
      
      Western science and civilisation saw the total human population rise from under 1 billion in 1800 to over 7 billions today, with much of that increase post 1960. China was a bit late to the party but the tide of progress inevitably changed all Chinese lives for the better…the same as most other places in the world.
      
      Giving Map credit for this is a transparent ploy to cover for his millions of political murders.
      - Mark 6.1.1.1.1
        
        15 January 2019 at 1:12 pm
        
        True. Western science and technology are a huge boon to humanity.
        
        But Western science and technology was originally used to exploit humanity. It was the 1917 revolution that brought Western science and technology to the non-Western world to benefit the non-Western world.
        
        The Chinese understand this. Western science and scientists are venerated in China, as are great Western cultural figures such as Beethoven and Brahms. Probably more so in the East than the post-modern West.
        
        Hating Western imperialism is not the same as hating Western civilization. We admire the latter as much as we abhor the former.
      - Morrissey 6.1.1.1.2
        
        15 January 2019 at 1:15 pm
        
        Giving Map credit for this is a transparent ploy to cover for his millions of political murders.
        
        Wayne Map was involved in some pretty dodgy and irresponsible stuff when he was Minister of “Defence”, but I wouldn’t pin “millions of political murders” on him.
        
        https://morrisseybreen.blogspot.com/2018/10/review-of-he-toki-huna-new-zealand-in.html
        
        Lettuce 6.1.1.1.2.1
        
        15 January 2019 at 2:20 pm
        
        Gee that’s hilarious – well done!
        
        What isn’t is beyond dispute is that Mao was the greatest mass murderer in history of humanity. That’s quite an achievement really. Maybe it’s time for Hitler to have a CCP makeover as a hero of his nation too:
        
        https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2016/08/03/giving-historys-greatest-mass-murderer-his-due/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.eed8f1e6c79c
        
        Morrissey …
        
        15 January 2019 at 2:38 pm
        
        Churchill’s up there too. More than three million Bengalis starved to death 1943-4, and millions killed in the violence caused by Churchill’s cruel and cynical partition of India in 1948.
    - greywarshark 6.1.1.2
      
      15 January 2019 at 1:10 pm
      
      It appears that Mao and, as the result of his actions, did kill millions. Fussing about how many noughts is getting sidelined from the main points. I set down the facts, good and bad that were presented in the historical summaries. And I noted under the good summary of Mao that there were negative points that detractors state.
      
      Knowing a bit more about the times the Chinese went through in the old days, then during the invasions and atrocities from other countries, during their own struggles that were bitter and terrible, it follows that they have learned about serious conflicts and are sharp about the prevention of the horror of them.
      
      The western influence of the UK and USA and what they have done in the Middle East and their willingness along with France, to use nuclear bombs on various countries as it seemed appropriate to them, will have warned China against allowing any country to take them for a soft touch.
      - RedLogix 6.1.1.2.1
        
        15 January 2019 at 1:19 pm
        
        @ gw
        
        There remain elements of the left in the West who have never fully grasped nor acknowledged the full horror of the 20th century Marxist catastrophies. Although different in detail, they differ in no meaningful way from the Nazi Holocaust.
        
        We understand how detestable Holocaust denial is, yet when confronted with the exact same revisionism on the left we want to give it a free pass.
        
        Mark 6.1.1.2.1.1
        
        15 January 2019 at 1:28 pm
        
        There remain elements of the pseudo-left in the West who have never fully grasped nor acknowledged the full horror of Western imperialism, and suck up all the right wing propaganda put out by the Western corporate media in the service of this same imperialism.
        
        Funny thing is the purported victims of communism, i.e. mainly the Russians and Chinese, still widely admire Stalin and Mao respectively. Does that not tell you something?
        
        Gorbachev is hated in Russia as a traitor, while Stalin is widely admired. China has learned this lesson. It will not be suckered by the West and lower its guard.
      - Mark 6.1.1.2.2
        
        15 January 2019 at 1:50 pm
        
        as the result of his actions, did kill millions
        
        All leaders as a result of their actions, ‘kill’ (it should be ’cause’)
        
        In the rich West if you make a policy error the impact is not so dramatic. In a developing nation any little thing wrong can have catastrophic consequences.
        
        And obviously if you have a large population you will get millions of deaths.
        
        The Irish famine of the 1840s killed far more, proportionately, than even the wildest claims for the Great Leap Forward. But should one equate the British government to Hitler —I don’t think so.
        
        New Zealand misruled Samoa post-world war 1 and caused quarter of the population to perish through stupid racist policies. Is that that same as Hitler though? Of course not.
        
        Capitalism in Russia caused millions of ‘excess’ deaths. But still I would not equate that to Hitler
        
        There is a huge moral difference between actively seeking out innocent people to kill them, and people dying because of errors in policy, even stupid ones, that were not designed to kill anyone.
        
        RedLogix can’t seem to grasp this basic concept
  - RedLogix 6.1.2
    
    15 January 2019 at 12:49 pm
    
    Yeah and Hitler made the trains run on time too.
- Mark 6.2
  
  15 January 2019 at 11:32 am
  
  But at least we can not partake, can switch off.
  
  Could Iraqis, Vietnamese, Afghans, etc just ‘not partake’ or ‘switch off’
  
  How many Western countries invaded China in modern history?
  
  What Western country flooded China with opium causing a century of absolute misery?
Jenny - How to get there? 7

15 January 2019 at 6:26 am

‘

Bannon: One of Us is Going to be a ‘Hegemon’

Winston Peters is hedging his bets, hoping that he is kowtowing to the right one.
Gosman 8

15 January 2019 at 6:43 am

It is hilarious that you are trying to keep up the fiction that the Chavista regime has democratic legitimacy.
- Morrissey 8.1
  
  15 January 2019 at 1:34 pm
  
  It does. Do you not understand the concept of the vote?
cleangreen 9

15 January 2019 at 7:27 am

Winston is Deputy PM for gods sake!!!

He knows the world better than any other member in the government!!!!!!!

Considering that the new PM and mother is still a timid leader who has trouble keeping her own caucus in line with several demotions/resignations under her belt namely Clare Curran, Phil Twyford, Meka Whitiri, and now the very controversial Iain Less Galloway to deal with!!!

So the very young ‘princess Jacinda’ is not yet showing any leadership in a new Government showing a falling popularity in the recent political polling winds, so Winston needs to act to “stead the ship here” as he is second in command is he not?

So Jacinda needs to rely on a very experienced senior MP as Winston clearly is, in her leadership to cover her bases in the global scene.

So we don’t worry here, as Winston has the experience that jacinda lacks on the world stage and we are comfortable that Winston is showing proper global leadership while showing Labour how to become mature as a global player.
- patricia bremner 9.1
  
  15 January 2019 at 7:39 pm
  
  Twyford demoted?? I missed That!!
- ropata 9.2
  
  16 January 2019 at 2:05 am
  
  “Princess Jacinda” and ILG ? — You’ve been exposed to Kiwiblog toxic waste
  
  “Jacinda lacks on the world stage” — Are you living in a parallel universe? She’s been fantastic on the world stage.
  
  “a global player” — dream on, NZ is a piddling little archipelago on the arse of the world.
  
  Winston is signalling that our preferred hegemon, for all its flaws, is still the USA
esoteric pineapples 10

15 January 2019 at 8:29 am

“Their pilots shot down my uncle flying the obsolete biplane that was all the UK sought fit to provide for the defence of Singapore.”

Ironically, the old biplanes turned out to be the Bismarck’s archillies heel. They were so slow that the super modern German battleship’s guns couldn’t target them so all the planes survived and one of their torpedos hit the ship’s rudder so it could only go round in circles till the British warships arrived.
- greywarshark 10.1
  
  15 January 2019 at 10:07 am
  
  That’s a great story esoteric p. And an example of not being able to make good judgments based on commonsense thinking. It would be obvious that the slow old planes would be useless, except no, they were the opposite. So much for the confidence of the wise and certain.
- Exkiwiforces 10.2
  
  15 January 2019 at 2:31 pm
  
  The what happened to Mike’s uncle at the Battle of Endau was a massive cockup as the Vildebeest crews of 36 and 100SQN’s were trained as Torpedo Bombers which they were very good at, but they weren’t trained to a bomber A/C unlike the Light to medium bomber crews of the Hudson and Blenheim SQN’s which meant to support the Army at the time. If the Vildebeest crews were use as they were trained for then there was a good chance that the planned missions in and around Endau may have been a successful. But such was the chaos at the time with piss poor command, control, communications (what we now called C3), lack of training and preparedness at all levels both military and civilian administrations. This was bound to happen at Endau and over at Rabaul which was just as shocking.
  
  The only Army units in Malaya that were in Jungle warfare was the Argyll’s, Bennett’s under strength 8th Division of the AIF, the Gurkha’s and the Malay Rgt. In other words about about quarter of the total strength of the British Army were trained in some formed of Jungle Warfare.
  
  Further reading
  Bloody Shambles Vol1 and 2 by Christopher Shores and Brian Cull with Yasuho Izawa. These two books cover the Air Operations over SEA from Dec 41 to May 42.
  Australia Army Campaigns Series-5 by Brian Farrell and Garth Pratten
  Singapore at War by Roman Rose
  - Mike Smith 10.2.1
    
    15 January 2019 at 4:00 pm
    
    Thanks for those references ExKiwi – I have Bloody Shambles but not the other two. For EP – there were no enemy fighters in the vicinity when the Swordfish disabled the Bismarck. They were also successful in a night attack on the Italian fleet at Taranto, but were shot out of the sky by the Luftwaffe in the so-called “Channel dash” where Lt Cdr Esmonde was given a posthumous VC and all crew received a gallantry medal. Writers describing the Endau raid in Malaya observe that had it occurred nearer “home” the same courage would have been so rewarded
    - Exkiwiforces 10.2.1.1
      
      15 January 2019 at 4:33 pm
      
      If the Poms didn’t believe in their own Bullshit propaganda at the time IRT the fighting abilities of the Japanese Military at the time and a few things went the way the RN’s Force Z, like the Carrier HMS Formidable having an argument with a rock during workup after its refit and other parts of the British Fleet arriving in time to support HMS PoW and Repusle along with a more pro active Joint Military Command and Civil administration then things may’ve worked out ok for the Brits as it would’ve bugged up the Japanese plans big time.
      
      But it wasn’t the case.
Dennis Frank 11

15 January 2019 at 8:29 am

Smellie got it wrong: “NZ First received 7 per cent support, not 5 per cent. The error is regretted.” Can’t get the basics right, so why would anyone take his spin seriously?

Nor need we see Winston as inviting an extension of traditional US imperialism into the Pacific. My bet is that he framed it in terms of countervailing force. The idea would be to balance and limit Chinese influence. I’d be surprised if the PM was not on board with that approach. Note Smellie fails to substantiate his breezy dismissal line by quoting what she actually said.

I’m uneasy about Winston referring to Aotearoa as partners with the US, but it depends on the terms of the partnership, eh? If they are flexible and future-oriented, I’m cautiously okay with that. Anything more prescriptive would make me a more likely opponent.

China has just rushed through a retrial, and condemned a Canadian to death. Add that to the suppression of ethnic minorities, and victimising its own citizens regularly, we end up having to acknowledge that they are still trying to figure out how to be civilised. The idea that anyone ought to choose a regime addicted to governance by savagery and barbarism is a non-starter. Doesn’t mean we ought to align with the American empire. An independent foreign policy for Aotearoa is best.
- Ad 11.1
  
  15 January 2019 at 10:41 am
  
  our independence is well known.
  
  we choose sides quite willingly.
  
  those who dont choose sides generally get them chosen for them.
  - greywarshark 11.1.1
    
    15 January 2019 at 11:31 am
    
    Nice and simple eh Ad.
- Mark 11.2
  
  15 January 2019 at 11:47 am
  
  China has just rushed through a retrial, and condemned a Canadian to death.
  
  Bullshit. The Canadian was sentenced to 15 years in November for smuggling over 200 kg of meth. That was a ludicrously lenient sentence, and the prosecution appealed it before the Meng arrest.
  
  He was trying to organise the shipment to Australia. Western governments should thank the Chinese for this sort of sentence. And it is in line with what Trump has been asking Chinese to do in terms of Fentanyl. Trump supports the death penalty for drug traffickers. In Singapore just 250 g of Meth will send you to the gallows. And that is mandatory. China’s only sentences drug dealers to death for massive amounts – and its not mandatory.
  - Dennis Frank 11.2.1
    
    15 January 2019 at 2:09 pm
    
    RNZ news report is bullshit? What part of the report don’t you understand?? Seems clear to me: “his retrial lasted just a day, with his death sentence coming barely an hour after its conclusion, the BBC correspondent said.”
    https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/world/380122/death-sentence-for-canadian-robert-lloyd-schellenberg-in-china-as-huawei-case-continues
    - joe90 11.2.1.1
      
      15 January 2019 at 2:29 pm
      
      A timeline published by the Chinese press suggests the appeal was launched after Meng’s arrest and a former Canadian ambassador to China reckons the re-trial was organized quickly, even for Chinese standards.
      
      http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1135745.shtml
      
      https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/schellenberg-death-sentence-china-1.4976959
      - Dennis Frank 11.2.1.1.1
        
        15 January 2019 at 3:00 pm
        
        Yes, I think Mark is seeking to present himself to readers of this blog as someone who calls facts bullshit. If not, perhaps he will apologise?
        
        The communist regime seems to think that executing a Canadian citizen is a clever way to respond to the Canadians arresting the Huawei executive. A month ago they arrested a Canadian businessman, after arresting a former Canadian diplomat who now works for a think-tank.
        
        There’s a bit of a pattern going on here, d’you think? It alerts us to how intelligent Chinese leaders are: geopolitics works best if you get heavy with non-compliant countries, their strategy suggests. So they’re busy proving they have the collective intelligence of school-yard bullies.
  - Lettuce 11.2.2
    
    15 January 2019 at 2:40 pm
    
    I don’t support the death penalty for drug smugglers Mark. I do agree they should punished when found guilty in countries that actually adhere to the rule of law (which obviously China doesn’t).
    
    There is one instance I would be be supportive of the death penalty however. I’d be quite happy if China started executing its own barbaric citizens who have been rapaciously destroying the planet’s critically endangered wildlife in support of their medieval beliefs.
    
    Caught smuggling rhino horn or tiger penis? Death. Found with illegal ivory or revolting elephant blood beads? Firing squad.
    
    No unconsented organ transplants from the executed prisoners though.
    
    https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/skin-poaching-asian-elephants-myanmar-blood-beads
    - Mark 11.2.2.1
      
      15 January 2019 at 11:25 pm
      
      Oh get off your moral high horse. Who was it that nearly collapsed the whale populations all over the world. Westerners.
      
      Who have caused by far the greatest cumulative damage to the atmosphere and contributed the most to global warming? Westerners
      
      The average New Zealander has about 3 or 4 times the ecological footprint of the average Chinese.
      
      Who are the biggest, greediest resource sucking group in history. And still are. That’s right. Westerners. They will bomb the shit out of any country and or flood them with narcotics to benefit their own lifestyles.
      - RedLogix 11.2.2.1.1
        
        15 January 2019 at 11:57 pm
        
        More misleading bullshit. The per capita ecological footprint of the now tens of millions of Chinese middle class and very wealthy elites is as every bit as intense as any Westerners.
        
        Of course the West has created the greatest cumulative CO2 damage simply because we started industrialisation sooner, but on current figures there is no question that China, USA and India contribute the greatest rate of damage per annum.
        
        With China running at twice the rate of the USA.
        
        https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/biggest-contributors-to-global-warming-in-the-world.html
        
        It’s only the hundreds of millions of still relatively poor Chinese that drag the total per capita figures down. Unless you have some very marxist plan to keep them poor forever, China’s ecological footprint will inevitably become even larger.
- Mark 11.3
  
  15 January 2019 at 1:44 pm
  
  By the way the Canadian is as guilty as hell. He has served time in Canada for peddling drugs.
  
  https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/schellenberg-china-drugs-sentence-death-1.4977808
- Exkiwiforces 11.4
  
  15 January 2019 at 3:45 pm
  
  Until the Liberal Left understands that to have an Independent Foreign Policy, that Trade, Defence, Foreign Affairs and Aid all have to be interlinked and without all four not being interlinked then a truly Independent Foreign Policy will never happen in NZ because NZ is an export led economy. If our Sea Lanes of Communication are cut or degraded in some way then the whole she-bang of NZ’s economy will sink faster than the Titanic with NZ’s Independent Foreign Policy in tatters and as Ad said
  
  “we choose sides quite willingly.
  
  those who dont choose sides generally get them chosen for them.”
  
  Which the latter would happen in NZ’s case given the current state of the NZDF when the rot started back in 91 and to the present. Here’s looking at you National, Labour and your Neo-Con/ Neo Lib muppet mates.
  - Dennis Frank 11.4.1
    
    15 January 2019 at 4:08 pm
    
    Ad’s dictum struck me as too simplistic a generalisation. I thought it was widely known that Switzerland has successfully operated a policy of non-alignment for more than two hundred years, despite being in the heart of Europe.
    
    Some writers have argued that success derived from their remoteness due to the mountains. One would think the same logic applies to our remoteness due to the ocean. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swiss_neutrality
    - Exkiwiforces 11.4.1.1
      
      15 January 2019 at 5:40 pm
      
      I think using Swiss Neutrality as bases for NZ adopting some form of Neutrality is a little misleading.
      1) They have National Service for the Military and Civil Defence aka twice the citizen approach
      2) Arms manufacturing
      3) An offensive style Airforce and
      4) The terrain around Switzerland does allow them to adopt a good defensive posture, which for an attacking nation would give them nightmares, wet dreams thinking about attacking in such a complex terrain and let alone trying to hold or secure any land they get hold of.
      
      The only Neutral Country that is remotely similar to NZ is Ireland, but they can afford to have a small Airforce and Navy is because they have NATO and the EU around them.
      
      Yes their Army is big and that’s because they have at least two Battalion Battlegroups on Peacekeeping deployment doing Chap1 to Chap 7 Missions
      Their Air Arm supports the Army in all manner of things including light Air Strike/ Close Air Support for Chap4 to Chap 7 Missions as required, which is something the RNZAF doesn’t do anymore no thanks Labour and the Greens (here’s looking at you Keith).
      And supporting the Navy as required.
      Their Navy patrols the Irish EEZ which roughly the same size as our EEZ (until NZ gets permission to extend the NZ EEZ to its continental self. From 3.2m sq kms to over 6.5m sq kms) which is already causing problems for the Irish and they have a new mandate to support the Army’s Peacekeeping Ops and EU Ops.
      The Ireland’s closest major trading is just a hop over border or 3-4 hrs by ferry to UK mainland. Where as NZ closest major trading partners is 3-4 days by boat to Australia.
      
      So for NZ to adopt an Independent Foreign Policy it would need a whooping big Airforce and Navy IOT secure its EEZ, it’s current mandate taskings as ordered the NZG and be able to secure its SLOC in peacetime and in the likely hood of possible warlike ops IOT maintain NZ’s economic outputs and inputs. Which is then backed with a powerful MFAT and International Aid programme/ policy’s.
      
      This isn’t going to come cheap either way. Especially with Asian nations seeing us as the gateway to the Antarctic Region and the Key stakeholder in the Sth Pacific as will. Just is much as a free and open South China Sea is to NZ’s economic wealth to exporting to SEA nations and our larger exporting Asian nations to the Nth like Japan, Sth Korea Taiwan and China. If China does force the closure or degrades free and open access to the SCS or to the Nth? The ripple affect on the NZ economy will be huge. My rough guess would be something like when the UK joined the Common Market and we all remember the pain etc when that happened.
      - Dennis Frank 11.4.1.1.1
        
        15 January 2019 at 6:20 pm
        
        So it boils down to being too poor to have an operational defense, tagging along with the aussies in their alignment with the USA. Leverage via expertise in diplomacy. A rationale for this country to have a diplomacy school to train diplomats (if it doesn’t already).
        
        I’m pragmatic enough to accept the status quo on this basis. Not old Keith. But him & Sue Bradford were refugees from the NLP (not real Greens).
        
        Exkiwiforces 11.4.1.1.1.1
        
        15 January 2019 at 7:24 pm
        
        It can be properly funded along with the Welfare State, but real issues is that everyone makes the assumption we are at the ass end of the world. So why do we need to fund NZDF at all? To me this question is so in 1950’s or Inter War when Military Technology till rely on some guts with a bit brains and valve technology. Where today’s average sub can carry at least 50- 60 Torpedoes, a single computer can do untold damage to one economic well-being, and any Tom, dick and Harry quite easily plant a any biological hazard or chemical agent and no one would any wiser till after the fact in most cases.
        The Second issue, is that we don’t have a sense of identity, history or what’s best for the country or environment (CC and HADR related emergencies) when it’s come to National Service like in Singapore, Finland, Sweden or like the Swiss do.
        
        The Third issue is we have opposition parties that believe in a “low tax regime is good for the nation” and their track record towards the NZDF isn’t shit hot or worth the paper it’s written on. So how are going to get cross party support for a truly Independent Foreign Policy? When they can’t even properly fund the 2018 Defence White Paper, MFAT, NZDA and let alone Health, Education, the rebuilding of CHCH, Environment and DOC just to name a few.
        
        I think your comment pretty well sums up my view as well. But I just wish China was more open and up front IRT it’s intentions in the region both in SP and the Antarctic just like the other majors players as we all know what they are up in some way or another.
        
        Dennis Frank …
        
        15 January 2019 at 9:40 pm
        
        I’ve got no problem with a higher tax policy that funds increased defence spending. My problem is lack of trust that the spending would be on the right stuff. I’d go for the most sophisticated high-tech designs available.
        
        As regards Chinese foreign policy, the regional countries are the interface. Imperial policy was always using patronage. Lack of kowtow currently is what they are organising to overcome. The time for concern is if/when the leaders of Japan, Phillipines, Vietnam, conform as required. After them, the regime would target Malaysia & Indonesia. Since all those nations are currently opposing Chinese imperialism, the regime is making minimal progress to achieving its grandiose ambition.
        
        Security analysts have probably calculated the time-frame likely in which they will build enough aircraft carriers to match the USA total. The resulting parity would be when regional countries would change their foreign policy to accommodation, eh?
        
        Mark …
        
        15 January 2019 at 9:48 pm
        
        The time for concern is if/when the leaders of Japan, Phillipines, Vietnam, conform as required.
        
        Get real. Time Uncle Sam got out of the region that is not their own and let Asians sort out Asian affairs.
        
        Unlike many here, I am confident that people with non-white faces can sort out their own affairs and not require Mr ‘Sensible’ White Man in the room to achieve anything of worth.
        
        Dennis Frank …
        
        16 January 2019 at 7:08 am
        
        You get real. You’re just trying to get away with denying their freedom to choose how to exercise their sovereignty while pretending to support them.
        
        As long as those leaders want the Americans involved, the Americans will continue to be involved. That’s the current reality. As long as the other nations in the region feel Chinese imperialism is the greater threat, they’ll keep calling on the yanks to provide the countervailing force.
        
        Geopolitics isn’t a game partisans can play. It is driven by the principles of holism. The world, and any region within it, self-organises as a system. The autonomy of the parts is relative to the constraints imposed by the whole. The integrity and stability of the system requires parts to coordinate with each other. The result is that geopolitics works on the basis of treaties and countervailing forces maintaining peace via the balance achieved by diplomacy.
        
        Mark …
        
        16 January 2019 at 6:24 pm
        
        As long as those leaders want the Americans involved, the Americans will continue to be involved.
        
        hahahah,,,,Asians of all stripes are starting to get sick of the US presence in Asia. Duterte for one, and others, are starting to get on with the Chinese, and he has called out the US trouble making, sailing through so called ‘international’ waters.
        
        It is not just China. The winds of the pan-Asian spirt are blowing stronger and stronger and many non-Chinese Asians (and Africans) are welcoming the rise of a great non-white power. Asians have suffered many times historically at Anglo Saxon divide and rule nonsense and see through all that shit.
        
        When Asia unites under Chinese suzerainty, the US will be dribbling diahreea
        
        Exkiwiforces …
        
        15 January 2019 at 11:50 pm
        
        Well Japan has already starting to change its Foreign, Defence, Aid and it’s Trade Policy, with Taiwan and Sth Korea not far behind. As for SEA Nations, the new PM has started a major policy shift with China, Vietnam which has been invaded by China over the centuries is in talks with a number of other nations within the region including Oz and NZ. But Phillipines is flip flopping around like a fish out water atm.
        
        China is expecting to have at least 3 Carrier Battlegroups by at least 2030, with a Gator Navy on par with the USMC in the Asia Region and it will have a very effective Attack Submarine Force in Conventional and Nuclear Power Subs. The Conventional Power Submarines would be very effective in Shallow SCS, the Staits of Taiwan and around coastal island groups of Nations that rely on shipping of its exports and imports.
        
        The trick for NZDF is by nature of its distance from anywhere in the world and the huge number of mandated tasks/ outputs due the NZG of the day and public expectations has to find that balance of maintaining the “The Utility of Force”. Which means having no more one trick pony’s like the current 2 OPV’s and the badly comprise Landing Support Ship have to be avoided which happened under the last Labour/ Alliance Government before the lessons learnt from the East Timor deployment were put forward to NZG at the time (don’t worry there are some clingers that happened under the “No Mates Party” since 1991.
        
        The book called “The Utility of Force” by General Sir Rupert Smith is worth reading. As covers everything from High End Warfighting to Chap 1 Peacekeeping Missions, HADR Missions and everything in between. Some have said its a Modern version of Clausewitz’s book “On War” which is and still is rather heavy reading for some. But this book is a bit more gentle on the poor brain.
        
        Dennis Frank …
        
        16 January 2019 at 7:28 am
        
        Leftists are driven by the ideal of peaceful co-existence, and I’m likewise inclined. Unlike them, however, I haven’t forgotten the lesson of Munich. Chamberlain gambled on peace, and lost.
        
        Hitler’s peace advocacy was as much of a ruse as the Chinese communist regime’s sham autonomy in Tibet. The Chinese can pretend to be good global citizens as much as they like, it won’t stop any impartial observer from judging them on their behaviour.
        
        So the danger for us is that idealism prevails over realism. Allowing that to disseminate delusional thinking will threaten leftist politicians with the same fate as destroyed Chamberlain’s career. A bipartisan consensus on defence policy is a vastly better way to go for the left. Applied holism.
        
        CHCOff …
        
        16 January 2019 at 11:38 am
        
        Sports club population that is able to be mobilised and armed, to stymie any land incursions to strategic points along with invulnerably housed high tech long reach striking capacity to void the practicality of any unwanted force providing marine base within the NZ vicinity for any significant period of time.
        
        Or neo-liberal blind panic, chaos and capitulation for head in the sand unconstrained ‘real politik break down’ worst case scenarios.
        
        Dennis Frank …
        
        16 January 2019 at 11:51 am
        
        The Americans use the militia similarly, eh? National Guard too. I’m non-violent, but I can see that any looming invasion threat would be as likely to produce such responses as the quisling effect.
        
        Too hypothetical, currently. But a community-based resilience design would need to consider a future that included a prospect of invasion – whether by refugees or military…
        
        Exkiwiforces …
        
        16 January 2019 at 4:07 pm
        
        Unfortunately history has treated poor Neville quite poorly, has he was of old school gentlemen’s values where your word was treated the same as a handshake or a signature on paper. Yes Herr Hitler played and made him to look like a fool, but old Neville was playing to games against Heer Hitler. A short one, in which he was hoping that Herr Hitler kept his word and the other, a long term/ stalling for time IOT ramp production of Aircraft for the RAF, increased the size of the Army and ships for the RN while readying the UK civilian population for war again.
        
        Yes realism will always win of idealism
        
        Mark …
        
        16 January 2019 at 6:35 pm
        
        The Chinese can pretend to be good global citizens as much as they like, it won’t stop any impartial observer from judging them on their behaviour.
        
        Oh ffs, stop this peculiar anglo saxon self righteous bleating. Most Asians, Russians, and Africans have a very positive view of China.
        http://www.pewglobal.org/2018/10/01/international-publics-divided-on-china/
        
        That some bitter Anglo Saxon twerps bitter that they rule the world not nearly to the same extent as before go on about ‘good global citizens’ simply invokes a belly splitting laugh, particularly considering evil Western filth such as Hillary ‘we came we saw he died’ Clinton, and Madeleing ‘it was worth killing 500000 Iraqi children’ Albright.
        
        At least with Trump we now have someone with a bit of honesty and authenticity, a loose card in the imperialist deck – but no doubt the deep state will drag him down sooner or later.
        
        CHCOff 11.4.1.1.1.2
        
        15 January 2019 at 8:39 pm
        
        Localised franchises that connect globally by a Commonwealth societal culture block, produced and reflective of New Zealand demand and supply, via regulation via relevant NZ Trade bodies of the franchises, in association with elected NZ Parliaments that are dynamic to the population’s proportional general intentions to stewardship…
        
        That would be the best diplomacy in the world.
        
        NZ1st!
        
        Exkiwiforces …
        
        15 January 2019 at 9:01 pm
        
        I believe that was “Big Norm’s” and the then India PM idea of forming a Commonwealth of Nations Trading, Culture and Political framework base on the principles after the https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore_Declaration and later the 2003 Declaration. I think the Commonwealth of Nations would’ve acted as third pillar between NATO and the Warsaw Pact Nations. It could’ve also hasten the collapse of the Apartheid in South Africa and no doubt the UK wouldn’t be the basket case atm.
        
        A miss opportunity in my books and a WHIFF.
esoteric pineapples 12

15 January 2019 at 8:30 am

“With over 800 known military bases around the world, American assistance tends to be defence-biased.”

Or offensive-biased
esoteric pineapples 13

15 January 2019 at 8:32 am

Caption: “And over here is New Zealand”
Morrissey 14

15 January 2019 at 10:27 am

Peters/Pence?

Are these two scumbags collecting money for the Vatican?

https://www.osv.com/OSVNewsweekly/Story/TabId/2672/ArtMID/13567/ArticleID/10350/What-Is-Peters-Pence.aspx
Mark 15

15 January 2019 at 11:37 am

fascinating bit of historical trivia. President Tyler who served 1841 to 1845 has two grandsons still alive – today.

Did not know Peters brought up the Treaty of Wanxia. What an asshole.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Wanghia

An unequal treaty that was part of China’s Century of Humiliation.
- Morrissey 15.1
  
  15 January 2019 at 12:05 pm
  
  Like Pence, Winston Peters is basically an ignoramus.
  
  http://morrisseybreen.blogspot.com/2019/01/winston-peters-fatuous-comments-about.html
  
  https://morrisseybreen.blogspot.com/2018/11/whos-that-murderer-standing-to-left-of.html
  - greywarshark 15.1.1
    
    15 January 2019 at 1:13 pm
    
    Why not do him a service, also NZ as a whole, and offer to work for him in his office as an assistant, or be a research assistant drawing on your sources and your own vast knowledge Morrissey?
    - Morrissey 15.1.1.1
      
      15 January 2019 at 1:19 pm
      
      ??????
      
      Peters isn’t interested in expertise or knowledge. If he were remotely serious, he wouldn’t say things like this:
      
      “Well look this is a tinder-dry area and it’s extraordinarily, errr, ancestral in nature. Uh, there ARE people working on a long-term solution, errr, that wi- would be acceptable to both sides, but in the middle of it has come this event, for which none of us is seriously briefed, and, ahh, I’m not going to jump into an argument without knowing the details on both sides, but this will not be, would not resolve THIS matter. Ahh, there ARE people trying to get past the present impasse that’s gone on now for decades, and trying to bring it to a resolution, and that’s what we in New Zealand First and I believe, indeed, the Government supports.”
      
      http://morrisseybreen.blogspot.com/2019/01/winston-peters-fatuous-comments-about.html
      - Dennis Frank 15.1.1.1.1
        
        15 January 2019 at 5:14 pm
        
        Your critique back then seems valid. The Palestinians seem to have a right to a sovereign homeland, even if there’s far less historical basis than for the Tibetans. I wouldn’t have a problem with granting that to the Kurds either.
        
        So your point of principle is the hinge. Do we expect politicians to be principled? Of course not! We know that realpolitik always determines the outcome. We’ve learnt that from long experience all over the world.
        
        Furthermore we know that reps are selected on the basis of their appeal to more like-minded voters than competitors’ appeal. Consequently, via that lowest-common-denominator design, average reps will be selected by average voters. The biggest like-minded groups select members that most accurately represent their average intelligence.
        
        So you are expecting Winston to leap over a credibility bar that is way too high for NZF voters to achieve. Small wonder he chooses not to leap.
        
        Mark 15.1.1.1.1.1
        
        15 January 2019 at 9:53 pm
        
        The Palestinians seem to have a right to a sovereign homeland, even if there’s far less historical basis than for the Tibetans.
        
        Huh? The Palestinians were evicted from their lands. Were the Tibetans evicted from their lands?????
        
        The Chinese claim to Tibet is a long standing one and is recognised by every single country in the world, including all Western countries. Indeed the US recognised China’s sovereignty over Tibet explicitly in 1943, well before the so called ‘invasion’ by the Peoples Liberation Army in 1950 (the Battle of Chamdo where less than 200 died on both sides).
        
        And what about the Anglo Saxon claims over the north American continent and all of Australasia? What category do you put those under?
Mark 16

15 January 2019 at 11:10 pm

There was a time when China dared not execute Westerners.

No more.
https://edition.cnn.com/2019/01/14/asia/china-canadian-drugs-death-sentence-intl/index.html

This evil piece of trash tried to export 220 kg of meth to Australia (1000 times the amount that will send you to the gallows in Singapore). He is no poor peasant drug mule, but a spoiled brat who has previous convictions for drug offences in Canada.

Trump himself wants the Chinese to impose the death sentence for Fentanyl.

The West should actually be thankful to China, instead of getting on their moral high horse like that lady boy Trudeau is.

The facts are:

*He was arrested in 2014. There was a long thorough investigation
*The court fucked up in November when giving him only 15 years – an absurdly lenient sentence even by Western standards
*He was stupid and arrogant enough to appeal.
*Now his goose is cooked —-the Chinese government would look completely pathetic if they let this guy off the hook, particularly when Chinese citizens themselves are routinely sentenced to death for far smaller amounts.

Not so long ago, and well within my parents lifetime, under the principle of extraterritoriality, Westerners could kill Chinese in China with complete and utter legal impunity. No more. Westerners will be treated no better, no worse, than ordinary Chinese citizens. And that is the way it should be.
Win 17

16 January 2019 at 10:54 am

China’s Ambassador to Canada Exposes the White Supremacist Five Eyes Surveillance State

https://theduran.com/chinas-ambassador-to-canada-exposes-the-white-supremacist-five-eyes-surveillance-state/

what they think bout us

[Win, please stick to one handle. Your comments get held up when you switch back and forth. Guidance to readers: The link is to a right wing pro Putin site where the deep state is apparently regarded as real and they have a section dedicated to the ‘Red Pill’. So, ya know, treat with caution. TRP]
- Mark 17.1
  
  16 January 2019 at 5:37 pm
  
  Yeah —-let’s not look at the actual merits of the article and engage in an honest and open minded way with the points contained within, but simply dismiss it because it is some ‘right wing pro Putin site’. Love your spirit of free intellectual inquiry TRP.
  - te reo putake 17.1.1
    
    16 January 2019 at 5:49 pm
    
    Actually, Mark, providing useful context is well within the spirit of free intellectual inquiry. It’s positively helpful in a world full of fake news, much of it generated by sites like, um, this one. The merits of the article? It appears to be well laid out and grammatically correct.
    - Mark 17.1.1.1
      
      16 January 2019 at 6:17 pm
      
      Don’t see you doing the same over Western news sources in general, which are full of fake news up their lying necks, and promote imperialism under the cover of identity politics. You just seem to suck it up and believe anything that a white man says.
      - te reo putake 17.1.1.1.1
        
        16 January 2019 at 6:36 pm
        
        Yeah, nah. There’s a world of difference between fake news sites and the western msm. And cut the racism, please.
        
        Mark 17.1.1.1.1.1
        
        17 January 2019 at 12:18 am
        
        Yes there is. The latter is smarter at covering its tracks.
        
        RedLogix 17.1.1.1.1.2
        
        17 January 2019 at 7:31 am
        
        @TRP
        
        Maybe you can see why I’ve long held that people who throw labels around are usually playing a distraction game from what they’re doing.
- Rangimarie 17.2
  
  17 January 2019 at 7:13 am
  
  Dear moderator,
  
  Kua tini tōku ingoa Ki te ignoa o TE Reo rangatira. Ae? kao? pai Ki a koe? Not sure how that happened re the moniker but I will do better next time.
  
  Holy! Since when does this site carry a pro Putin warning to their readers? ( I am pro Putin by the way). Visited Russia last year and had a great time. Very friendly, polite and helpful people. Obviously worn down by the dictator Putin. Not! And the deep state is a thing. You obviously haven’t done much reading on the matter. And trying to censor what appears on your site? By the way I also think the anti Chinese gossiping on this site is disgusting. if you read through the comments it’s like a lot of tittle tattles trying to tell the headmaster on someone.
  
  Anyhow. Here is a more acceptable report of what the Chinese think of us as appeared in the Guardian. The Guardian is acceptable to you is it?
  https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jan/09/china-ambassador-canada-white-supremacy- huawei.
  
  I do hope this is acceptable. Tell me are people on this site allowed to voice a different opinion to the general tenor of the commenting?
  - RedLogix 17.2.1
    
    17 January 2019 at 7:35 am
    
    The deep irony here is that the one authentic Chinese voice who was here for years, someone who was open about who he was in real life, was booted off permanently by a moderator who didn’t like his opinions.
    
    Which incidentally didn’t align with anything you are saying.
    - te reo putake 17.2.1.1
      
      17 January 2019 at 8:37 am
      
      I think you mean Kiwi with Chinese heritage, Red. And the ban isn’t permanent. It expires in a couple of months as I recall.
    - Mark 17.2.1.2
      
      17 January 2019 at 10:04 am
      
      What’s an ‘authentic’ Chinese voice, RL? Someone who agrees with your take on things?
      - RedLogix 17.2.1.2.1
        
        17 January 2019 at 11:51 am
        
        Authentic in the sense we knew exactly who he was in real life, and that he spoke for himself.
    - mauī 17.2.1.3
      
      17 January 2019 at 10:05 am
      
      “was booted off permanently by a moderator who didn’t like his opinions…”
      
      Ah history never repeats eh…?
  - te reo putake 17.2.2
    
    17 January 2019 at 8:20 am
    
    Kia ora, Rangimarie.
    
    You’re being a tad passive aggressive, which does you no favours. However, I’ll try and answer your questions in good faith.
    
    This is a left wing blog. However, we do have commenters from the right here who add good value. Differing opinions are definitely welcome. However, the site has a fully functioning bullshit detector and trolls tend not to last long.
    
    Links to fake news sites, references to the deep state, comments about what a fine chap Putin is, whataboutism, faux concern, claims of oppression because commenters or moderators think a contribution is less than genuine are all warning signs. This blog has suffered in the past from being too tolerant of people who let the Kremlin or Alex Jones do their thinking for them.
    
    So, yep, if a commenter puts up a link to a fake news site, as you did, then a note of caution might well be added. If it’s clear trolling, then other steps will be taken. Without being too sniffy about it, The Standard tries to maintain a reasonably high level of debate, which does require a certain amount of intellectual rigour. In other words, any old bullshit doesn’t cut it here.
    
    My suggestion is that you advance your arguments using citations that are more credible. It might take a bit more time to find good sources, but the rewards flow both ways; you get taken seriously and readers gain from your contributions.
    
    If this is asking too much, then they are other blogs where the bar is set lower. They’re just not as good as the Standard.
    
    I hope this helps to clarify things for you, Rangimarie, and I look forward to reading your contributions in the future.
    
    Ma te wa, TRP
    - Rangimarie 17.2.2.1
      
      17 January 2019 at 8:45 am
      
      Ah so now you’re a psychologist as well TRP.
      
      Who said The Duran is a fake news site. What they report on there, the articles they carry, plus the people who are or were experts in their field (I could give you a long list) reiterate the same narrative. Just because the narrative is different ie not mainstream, doesn’t mean it is fake. And sending out a warning to commentors about an article which is also carried in the MSM, really means you are trying to shut down dissenting voices. Free speech anyone? New ideas and opinions? No? There is no left and right any more. Just mainstream and non mainstream views. So where do progressives here stand? Naku Noa.
      - te reo putake 17.2.2.1.1
        
        17 January 2019 at 8:52 am
        
        Google the site. You’ll find the facts about the Duran pretty quickly. I made no comment about the article at all. I just pointed out it came from a bullshit source. That doesn’t stop people reading it if they want.
        
        Ironically, here you are expressing a dissenting opinion, while at the same time claiming dissenting opinions are not being allowed. Mind blown, maaan.
        
        Sharpen up and move on, please.
        
        Rangimare 17.2.2.1.1.1
        
        17 January 2019 at 9:31 am
        
        You use Google to find your info on the Duran? I rest my case. Perhaps you should sharpen up and realise there’s a whole world that you know nothing about because you have bought into the mainstream media narrative. I wonder who actually owns these ‘voices’.And thank you for allowing me to Express my views on here. AND so that people are able to respond to them. Kia tau te rangimarie.
        
        te reo putake …
        
        17 January 2019 at 9:48 am
        
        Sorry, didn’t realise you were an Ask Jeeves user. Or is Alta Vista still your go to search engine?
        
        There are any number of websites that do assessments of the credibility of ‘new media’ sites.
        
        Here, for example, is a reasonably generous overview of the Duran:
        
        https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/the-duran/
        
        And here’s an ‘old media’ article about the Putin puppet who runs the joint:
        
        https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/05/21/past-comes-back-to-haunt-struck-off-barrister-turned-russia-comm/
        
        In short, do some research before you post here. And if you don’t, expect to be pulled up on it.
        
        And, as previously mentioned, there are left wing blogs where any old bollocks is accepted at face value, so there is always that option.
        
        Mike Smith …
        
        17 January 2019 at 7:41 pm
        
        Just so everybody is clear, Te Reo Putake does not speak for the Standard on any of the above. His views are his own and can be treated with the respect they deserve. I get the Duran in my news feed, and find it useful as a pointer to issues I might like to follow up.
        
        mauī …
        
        17 January 2019 at 9:58 am
        
        He is a moderator and a figure of authority, only he decides what is left wing and what is right wing. There are no grey areas and there will be no debate.
        
        te reo putake …
        
        17 January 2019 at 10:10 am
        
        Exactly, maui, good to see you’re getting with the program. Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated. We will achieve perfection.
        
        veutoviper …
        
        17 January 2019 at 10:48 am
        
        In addition, as a moderator “He” gets to say who can and cannot comment here … LOL
        
        “And I will be coming to this site more often to call out you people …” from Rangimare aka Win’s comment to me linked below
        
        https://thestandard.org.nz/chinese-herald-changed-herald-articles-to-be-more-china-friendly/#comment-1572210
        
        [I am just doing a ‘join the dots’ response which I will probably post on this post/thread rather than on the Chinese Herald post as a bit more relevant to this thread.]
        
        Rangimarie …
        
        17 January 2019 at 10:43 am
        
        And what is true or not based on mainstream media sources.
        
        TRP don’t try and belittle me with your spurious comment about search engine use. Childish. If you’re not careful I’ll give you the full list of alternative commentators I read, their qualifications to comment and why I agree with Trump that MSM is fake news . But you’re still at the Russia is evil CIA is good stage so probably be wasted on you. Didn’t your reliable news sources, the purveyors of truth, bring us a little story about weapons of mass destruction that turned out to be totally false. But hey our troops are still in Iraq – doing something.
        
        500,000 children killed in Iraq due to US sanctions. And Madeline Albright thought it was worth it. That’s the type of thing your purveyors of ‘truth’ support happening all over the world. Go and google that. While you’re at it google what role Google plays in censoring what we can and can’t read. Ah I see the connection now. Kua mutu.
        
        veutoviper …
        
        17 January 2019 at 12:44 pm
        
        Rangimarie, at 6.38am this morning you replied again to me on the Chinese Herald post in this link https://thestandard.org.nz/chinese-herald-changed-herald-articles-to-be-more-china-friendly/#comment-1572210
        
        As that thread is nearing its technical end in terms of replying, I have decided to respond here. Also some of what I am going to say relates to comments that have been made earlier on this thread.
        
        First, I don’t really care whether you are a “Chinese troll’” or not. My comment to that effect was intended exactly as your first comment to Anne was – to provoke.
        
        I now think that you may well be tangata whenua as you say from other things I have read, but, as I said, my antenna started pinging when I read your comments here as they had the feeling of déjà vu – back to a similar situation last year where we had a visitor called Wei, who had a supporter pop up called “Win” or “Win Win”.
        
        Here are a couple of links back to just a couple of those earlier comments:
        1. This on the very lengthy debate with Wei on Open Mike on 19 April 2018 – https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-19-04-2018/#comment-1476541
        
        Simply says “well said” to this one of Wei’s many comments that day – https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-19-04-2018/#comment-1476482
        
        2. This was a short comment which appeared to be intended to provoke but IMO was dealt to quite deftly by Gabby in Gabby’s unique style – https://thestandard.org.nz/daily-review-19-04-2018/#comment-1476549
        
        3. And this on Bill’s post on North Korea on 22 April 2018. No replies were made and it ended up the last comment on the post:
        https://thestandard.org.nz/north-korea/#comment-1477580
        
        So, I laughed when – sure enough – you turned out to be the same “Win” as confirmed by Te Reo Putake in his moderator note to your first comment in this thread at 17 above. Surprise, surprise – not.
        
        And not only the same Win as here, but presumably also the same Win who comments from time to time on The Daily Blog, including recent comments on 16 January on the TDB’s post entitled “NZ Herald is exposed unwittingly peddling Chinese propaganda” which unsurprising almost mirror your comment here at 17 and links to the same article on the Duran.com site. Here is a link to one of those comments.
        
        (NOTE: For those who check it out, please understand why I have not posted links to both in terms of the rules here on TS re privacy which prohibit speculation and disclosure of people’s real identities. Please respect those rules or be it on your head …)
        
        https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2019/01/15/nz-herald-is-exposed-unwittingly-peddling-chinese-propaganda/#comment-450157
        
        As an aside, interestingly another separate commenter there also links to the same Duran.com site and article –
        https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2019/01/15/nz-herald-is-exposed-unwittingly-peddling-chinese-propaganda/#comment-450154
        
        Now, one final interesting detail is that having started here as “Win” (or “Win Win”) then changing to “Rangimarie’ (with one “Rangimare’) with the same identicon as the original Win – the pink one, I note above that you also now have a different blue one.
        
        Again this has also caused my ‘déjà vu antenna’ to ping. Shades of the departed Ed who had at least four different identicons (and therefore presumably four different email addresses). LOL.
        
        But lets try to be positive.
        
        Te Reo Putake, as a moderator here, in good faith has given you some very good advice as to how to comment here on TS and how to present yourself as a credible commenter – for example in his comment at 17.2.2. I am not a moderator, but fully support what he has said to you.
        
        In fact, IF you are who I now think you are (I am being careful here) I actually think you could find commonality with quite a number of contributors here – not necessarily on the political front, but on other subjects – for example, how we (as both NZers and global citizens) use our natural resources, etc. I don’t know whether you have read the new weekly “How to Get There” posts here, but invite you to do so as you may see (and relate to) what I am trying to say.
        
        That ‘IF’ is a rhetorical question – don’t answer it unless you wish to, and I also suggest that you read the About and Policy sections of this website to understand how the site is operated and moderated.
        
        OTOH, if it is a case of stolen identity, that is a whole different ball game ….
Rangimare 18

17 January 2019 at 8:05 am

TRP Is that better re the sign in info? So you don’t get confused.

RedLogix, I’m sure there are many different authentic Chinese voices. You can’t paint 1.5 billion with the one voice approach. I’m not saying China is perfect. Far from it. But the manic anxiety about China going on on this site fits very nicely with the demonizing of China by Trump et al. 5 Eyes buddies must stick together.

TRP
1. I had written a reply to someone on this site but it disappeared before I submitted it. Accident or not?

2.The reason I changed my name was that you were doing the Twitter thing – ie I could see what I had written but no one else could.

3. It’s difficult for me to write comments because I have to use my phone or an old iPad. We went out one night, came back and some keys on the laptop wouldn’t work. Ooooo deep state. Haha.

4. BTW I am a Labour voter. Not always a supporter of their actions though.
- te reo putake 18.1
  
  17 January 2019 at 8:32 am
  
  Comments get held up for a variety of reasons.
  
  First time commenters are always held up until released by a mod. However, this rule can also mean that regular contributers can be mistaken for first time commenters if they misspell their handle or email address, or if they use a new IP address.
  
  However, I’ve checked the comments logs and there is no unpublished comment from you that I can find.
- Dennis Frank 18.2
  
  17 January 2019 at 8:34 am
  
  I’d just like to point out that my criticisms of Chinese state policy and behaviour usually target the communist regime in control there. I have no intent to be anti-Chinese. So I agree with your point about diversity of opinion withing the populace of China.
  
  The problem with that is their official policy of not allowing any expression of that diversity of opinion in public life. Communist creation of monoculture, from the point of view of an ecologist, is anti-life. Nature proliferates biodiversity, and we act in accord with that diversity-encouraging process because it enriches our culture.
  
  We hope the regime will abandon it’s habit of repressing indigenous peoples. If you truly are Maori, you would share this hope.
  - Mark 18.2.1
    
    17 January 2019 at 9:54 am
    
    The problem with that is their official policy of not allowing any expression of that diversity of opinion in public life.
    
    Yeah,,,,,so you would know eh?
    
    There are any number of huge debates going on in China over all sorts of things. Only someone who sucks up the Western narrative which is a ‘monoculture’ when it comes to discussions of countries which don’t toe the Western line, would be able to write what you write.
    
    You know less about China than a Chinese sitting in Qinghai province behind his computer reading about Rotorua and the Bay of Islands knows about New Zealand.
    
    Regardless the faults of the Chinese government, they are broadly popular, and since 1949, have enacted polices that have saved more lives, and created more wealth in a shorter period of time than any other developing country on earth (on a proportionate, as well as absolute basis). And if you cut through the propaganda and go to the primary evidence and facts (available from Western researchers —since you only trust Western sources obviously), this is a conclusion that is simply inescapable.
    
    In my parents own lifetime, Westerners in China were immune from Chinese laws. They could kill Chinese with complete and utter legal impunity. They arrogantly floated their warships up and down the Chinese coastline and along the Yangtze river. So spare your patronizing crap about Chinese ‘imperialism’ and so-called being a good ‘global citizen’. The facts are Americans are far more hated throughout the world than the Chinese – indeed, as I have previously posted, most Africans, Russians, Asians, have a positive view of CHina.
    - Dennis Frank 18.2.1.1
      
      17 January 2019 at 10:54 am
      
      As soon as the regime starts allowing opinions critical of the regime to be published in Chinese media, we may be able to see the evidence of that – if it becomes accessible here.
      
      Until then, no amount of huffing & puffing from you will blow the house of reality down. Take your bullshit elsewhere.
    - RedLogix 18.2.1.2
      
      17 January 2019 at 12:15 pm
      
      The facts are Americans are far more hated
      
      The only hating I see going on here is coming from you.
      
      indeed, as I have previously posted, most Africans, Russians, Asians, have a positive view of CHina.
      
      Yet when I work in these countries I hear spontaneous conversations about how hated their new Chinese colonial overlords are.
      
      Of course the modern form of colonialism looks nothing like what it did 200 years ago; everything has changed. But the underlying motives behind imperialism remain the same, exploitation supported by the willing complicity of quisling locals.

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On November 1, 2024 we announced the publication of 33 rebuttals based on the report "Rebutting 33 False Claims About Solar, Wind, and Electric Vehicles" written by Matthew Eisenson, Jacob Elkin, Andy Fitch, Matthew Ard, Kaya Sittinger & Samuel Lavine and published by the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia ...

Skeptical Science

1 day ago
Peaceful Māori Hikoi Advances – In Pictures

Today the Hikoi moves from Whangarei and makes its way to Auckland Flag: McKinley Rd Creatives ShareFor official updates and information, including schedules, go to:https://toitutetiriti.co.nz/The Waitangi Tribunal Cheat Sheet:When asked what the Treaty Principles Bill contravenes these are some of the points highlighted by our judiciary:The Crown's process to develop the Bill ...

Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui

2 days ago
Media Link: “A View from Afar” on the US elections.

The latest “A View from Afar” with Selwyn Manning and I follows the lines drawn in my most recent post here at KP. Because the podcast is basically a dialogue between Selwyn and I on the subject of the day, … Continue reading → ...

KiwipoliticoBy Pablo

2 days ago
Jagose doesn’t get it

The government held a formal apology ceremony this morning to victims of child torture and abuse-in-care. One of those "apologising" was Solicitor-General Una Jagose, who had played a key role in devising and implementing the government's legal strategy of aggressively minimising its liabilities, slandering its victims, and waiting for them ...

No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant

2 days ago
Oranga Tamariki is beyond saving, and always has been

How do you continue an organisation widely known for the abuse and torture of children, for wrongfully separating them from their parents, for the neglect and death of actually vulnerable children they failed to support and uplift, and for creating a cycle of trauma that has led to multi-generational state ...

Sapphi’s SubstackBy Sapphi

2 days ago
The Majority is Wrong

Freak outAnd give inDoesn't matter what you believe inStay coolAnd be somebody's fool this year'Cause they knowWho is righteous, what is boldSo I'm toldWho wants honey?As long as there's some moneyWho wants that, honey?Lyrics: Billy CorganJust because the majority support something doesn’t make it right. Yes, in a democracy, the ...

Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel

2 days ago
Tuesday 12 November 2024

Today Prime Minister Christopher Luxon will formally apologise to those who experienced abuse in state and faith-based care at Parliament. The apology is long overdue, and many are saying it’s not enough and are still waiting on the details of redress. There are also criticisms about the decision to give ...

NZCTUBy Jeremiah Boniface

2 days ago
3 Takeaways from Christopher Luxon’s Press Conference

Highlights of Chris Luxon press conference yesterday (video at end):1. Christopher Luxon maligns Newsroom’s investigative journalist Aaron Smale for what he called behavioural issues. Yesterday, it was revealed Speaker Gary Brownlee had withdrew Smale’s accreditation, preventing Smale from attending the Abuse in Care apology at Parliament today. Smale is an ...

Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui

2 days ago
The 30/30 fiscal rule that rules us all

Fonterra is selling off brands made up of decades of R&D and marketing spend. Why? Because farmers need to repay debt so banks can increase mortgage lending. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāKia ora. Long stories short, here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, ...

The KakaBy Bernard Hickey

2 days ago
2024 will be the first year above 1.5°C

This is a re-post from The Climate Brink, and an excerpt from a much more detailed State of the Climate Q3 2024 report that I published over at Carbon Brief today. See that for more details on climate model/observation comparisons, sea ice extent, and other climate variables. The warmest year on record In my ...

Skeptical Science

2 days ago
150 days of rail disruption to come

Kiwirail and Auckland Transport have revealed that the rail network will be closed or partially closed for nearly 149 days between Christmas this year and the end of January 2026, almost 38% of the time, as part of what they’re calling the final push to get the rail network ready ...

Greater AucklandBy Matt L

2 days ago
How Netflix Got Cold Feet

Hi,I’m not sure if you’ve noticed recently, but discovering stuff on Netflix can be kind of hard.Sure — you’re presented with a bunch of categories like “Top 10” when you login, but outside of those initial lists, finding things that are compelling and worth your time seems close to impossible. ...

David FarrierBy David Farrier

2 days ago
Seymour is only beginning

ACT Leader David Seymour is undeterred by the likelihood that his Treaty Principles Bill will die in the House when it returns from the Select Committee sometime in the first half of next year. He believes the debate has only just begun and will continue to eventual success even though ...

PolitikBy Richard Harman

2 days ago
Gordon Campbell on the Crown’s sorry excuse for an apology

The world over, politicians are finding “sorry” to be the easiest word. Without disclosing the size and formula of the monetary compensation that the government is prepared to offer to those abused while in state care, a mere apology verges on being another form of abuse. It’s not as if ...

WerewolfBy ScoopEditor

2 days ago
Let Aaron Smale take his rightful seat, you dismal dismal people

This is Aaron Smale.Journalist Aaron Smale appearing as a witness at the Royal Commission. Newsroom Screenshot.For eight years he has covered the abuse of children and others in state institutions.For eight years he has helped to bring to light the many lies and coverups by the Crown.He has written some ...

More Than A FeildingBy David Slack

3 days ago
Monday 11 November 2024

Today the Hīkoi mō Te Tiriti set off from Te Rerenga Wairua and is making its way through the North, stopping in Whangārei for the night. In union news, it has been announced that plastic factory Sistema is likely to cut up to 100 jobs. A new report written by ...

NZCTUBy Jeremiah Boniface

3 days ago
National suppresses the media

The government is doing its formal apology to victims of abuse-in-care at Parliament tomorrow, along with introducing a (still secret) bill addressing restitution. It will obviously be a big media event. But Newsroom's Aaron Smale, a journalist who has played a key role in exposing crown failure and wrongdoing in ...

No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant

3 days ago
Speeding toward a lethal legacy

A few weeks ago I wrote on how the Minister of Transport Simeon Brown had misrepresented cities overseas in his crusade to make our streets and roads more dangerous. Since then, his speed rule has been finalised and signed. Also, the summary of public feedback has been released after many ...

Greater AucklandBy Connor Sharp

3 days ago
Dawn Chorus for Monday, November 11

Diabetes rates are rising, yet the government remains hyper-focused on short-term cost reduction and is not considering wider prevention measures. Photo: Getty ImagesKia ora. Long stories short, here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Monday, November 11: Diabetes rates are ...

The KakaBy Bernard Hickey

3 days ago
New Zealand was the training ground for the 2024 US election

Much of the internet is bots.There are more bots every day. Every site that's in any way bot-trainable has bots scraping posts and chats.We have AI. It can auto-recognise voices. It can mine text for information which it can categorise and file, but cannot process it or use to further ...

Sapphi’s SubstackBy Sapphi

3 days ago
2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #45

A listing of 33 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, November 3, 2024 thru Sat, November 9, 2024. Summary of this week's topics We asked Google's Gemini again for help categorizing the articles we shared during the week, but ...

Skeptical Science

4 days ago
The Enemy Within – Maire Leadbeater & Nicky Hager

Like so many others involved in social justice movements, Maire Leadbeater was subjected to state surveillance during a long life of activism. With the help of archival material, released SIS files, and other formerly secret material, she has been able to examine the depth of stateintrusion into the lives of ...

Fabians

4 days ago
Sympathy of Distraction

You take a mortal manAnd put him in controlWatch him become a GodWatch people's heads a-rollJust like the pied piperLed rats through the streetsWe dance like marionettesSwaying to the symphony of destructionSong: Dave Mustaine.Look over there, not here.The problem is, I told myself this morning as I contemplated that Q&A ...

Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel

4 days ago
Nicola Deflects As National Spend Big on Roads

Nicola Willis says the multi-generation i-Rex ferries were too expensive for her - and has reportedly thrown away ~$1bn of taxpayers money in the process, and offended NZ's sixth largest trading partner.But Willis and National have now committed a minimum of $3bn to build:"less than 2km of one car lane ...

Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui

4 days ago
You have to do something

A jolting moment in a movie a can stay with you for the longest, longest time. Those Hitchcock birds; human remains in Cambodia’s Killing Fields; what remains of the Statue of Liberty on the beach; Thelma, Louise, their Thunderbird.Sometimes we’re simply taking our imagination for a ride into a dark ...

More Than A FeildingBy David Slack

4 days ago
Fact brief – Is there an expert consensus on human-caused global warming?

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 members from our team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is there an ...

Skeptical Science

5 days ago
Hatching (Pahanhautoja)

2022, directed by Hanna Bergholm Hatching is a movie that I can genuinely imagine being used to teach film analysis in high school English. I know it’s not actually in English, but unless the rules have changed that doesn’t disqualify it – after the comparatively insipid The Sixth Sense in ...

The little pakehaBy chrismiller

5 days ago
Making It Make Sense – What Happened, and What We Need To Look Out For With Media

Until Nicola Willis used the phrase to describe her 2024 Budget, this phrase “It’s Always Darkest Before The Dawn” was one of comfort - and often - truth.“It’s Always Darkest Before the Dawn”I think ultimately, it stands true - even if we don’t know how long a period of upheaval ...

Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui

5 days ago
We Need The Journalists & Newsrooms That Remain

This is a repost of an article I wrote on social media. It was published before this week’s announcement of TVNZ cuts.I often reflect on how much hysteria there was around Golriz Ghahraman - journalists parked outside her home for a week after she admitted fault.The hyper-attention and headlines they ...

Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui

5 days ago
Pelosi turns on Harris, low key

Like everyone else, Nancy Pelosi is looking for reasons for why the Democrats lost the election. Her preferred candidate seems to be Kamala Harris, though she disguises this by making it look like she is swiping at Joe Biden:“We live with what happened,” Pelosi said.Pelosi was speaking to the Interview, ...

Left hand palmBy lurgee

5 days ago
Happy Freedom Day

Wastee little weaselWants cheap tricksLiberty bell cracked in halfA bacon steakA perfect matchFreedom of '76Song: Ween, Ed WilsonToday is World Freedom Day, an American commemoration that began in 2001 to recognise the fall of the Berlin Wall, some 12 years earlier. Seems odd timing to start acknowledging something in late ...

Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel

5 days ago
Dawn Chorus for weekend of Nov 9/10

Here’s my top six news and other links on Saturday, November 9 for your weekend reading pleasure:Scoop: 'The risk of death is higher': What Cabinet knew when it raised speed limits on our roads NZ Herald-$$$’s Simon WilsonScoop: Five firms to review retrofit of Dunedin hospital, rather than new build ...

The KakaBy Bernard Hickey

5 days ago
The End of Austerianism?

Does the Autumn 2024 British budget point to a change in fiscal strategies?Many countries found their fiscal position was unsustainable, following the 2008 Global Financial Crash. Their public spending was well in excess of their public revenue and they had to borrow more heavily than lenders thought prudent. Almost unanimously, ...

PunditBy Brian Easton

6 days ago
The Trump victory – do people accept democracy?

Image Credit: Council of Europe. Manual for Human Rights Education with Young People I didn’t have a dog in the fight—if I were a US ...

Open ParachuteBy Ken

6 days ago
Sifting through the wreckage.

Although I shared some thoughts about the US election on other social media platforms, here are some items that emerged from the wreckage: Campaigns based on hope do not always defeat campaigns based on fear. Having dozens of retired high … Continue reading → ...

KiwipoliticoBy Pablo

6 days ago
Sissy

2022, directed by Hannah Barlow and Kane Senes You know that thing where a character just keeps on making bad decision after bad decision as everything goes to shit around them? I can’t stand that thing. Snowballing consequences can be done really well when all of a character’s choices make ...

The little pakehaBy chrismiller

6 days ago
Friday 8 November 2024

The Treaty Principles Bill has been introduced to Parliament, with its First Reading set down for next week. A large hīkoi is set to depart from Te Rerenga Wairua on Monday, with events planned as they head down the motu to Parliament. In employment news, NZDF staff have escalated strike ...

NZCTUBy Jeremiah Boniface

6 days ago
Just Let Them Walk All Over You

Just let them walk all over youLaugh through the punches and the painLet the life-blood drain away from youThey're right, you're wrongAnd you can see it in the way they look at youFeel it in the way they treat youAlways the last to knowAlways the first to leaveBetween Two Points ...

Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel

6 days ago
Economic Bulletin November 2024

The post Economic Bulletin November 2024 appeared first on NZCTU. ...

NZCTUBy Jeremiah Boniface

6 days ago
Weekly Roundup 7-November-2024

Happy Friday, there’s been some significant world events this week but welcome to another round-up of interesting stories about what’s happening in Auckland and other cities. Feel free to add your links in the comments! This post, like all our work, is brought to you by a largely volunteer crew ...

Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland

6 days ago
The Hoon around the week to November 8

The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts & talking about the week’s news with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on the latest climate news, including how Donald Trump’s re-election and sweep of the Congress changes the equations; on the US ...

The KakaBy Bernard Hickey

6 days ago
It’s OK To Feel Shitty

Hi,For any of you panicking, Webworm is not going to become a newsletter endlessly ranting about the results of this week’s US election.We’ll get back to Luka Magnotta sending me letters from prison and Hare Krishna’s calling me “c**t face” eventually, but just bare with me as I wrap my ...

David FarrierBy David Farrier

6 days ago
Curbing the power of the Beehive

The Constitutional Lw Professor and former Prime Minister, Sir Geoffrey Palmer, yesterday pointed out an anomaly in what is supposed to be Parliament’s gold-standard legislation to empower itself.The Parliament Bill is currently before a special Select Committee chaired by the former Speaker, Adrian Ruawhe and aims to simplify the legislation ...

PolitikBy Richard Harman

6 days ago
Geoffrey Miller: Trump victory could spark New Zealand rethink at APEC in Peru

Donald Trump’s sweeping election victory has set the stage for this year’s APEC summit in Peru. At least 14 leaders have so far confirmed their attendance at the leaders’ summit in Lima from November 15-16. China’s Xi Jinping, Japan’s new Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Canada’s Justin Trudeau will all ...

Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller

6 days ago
Skeptical Science New Research for Week #45 2024

Open access notables Anthropogenic warming has ushered in an era of temperature-dominated droughts in the western United States, Zhuang et al., Science Advances: Historically, meteorological drought in the western United States (WUS) has been driven primarily by precipitation deficits. However, our observational analysis shows that, since around 2000, rising surface ...

Skeptical Science

7 days ago
Cheap distracting games

Sometimes it’s hard to stop doomscrolling. One thing that can help is having something else to focus on, like video games! I’m not exactly the most tuned in to the industry, but I follow enough variety content creators to know of a pretty decent range of games that are easy ...

The little pakehaBy chrismiller

7 days ago
Climate Change: Raising the bar

One of the obligations of the Paris Climate Change Agreement is for every country to set a "Nationally Determined Contribution" - an NDC - of emissions cuts. The Key government initially set an unambitious NDC of a 30% cut (from 2005 levels) by 2030. The Ardern government later increased this ...

No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant

7 days ago
Join us for the weekly Hoon on YouTube Live at 5pm

Photo by Julian Zwengel on UnsplashWe’re back. Come and join us for our weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm today.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news with special guests:5.00 pm - 5.10 pm - ...

The KakaBy Bernard Hickey

7 days ago
Don’t think I’ve ever moved through the stages of grief so swiftly

I spent yesterday afternoon watching the New York Times election dashboard needle steadily move towards the worst possible result. It was more or less the same dashboard they had in 2016, and it was telling more or less the same tale. You end up hating the NYT and its damn ...

More Than A FeildingBy David Slack

7 days ago
This One’s Just For You, Martyn.

Hard Hat & A HammerAlan JacksonVideo courtesy of YouTubePosted on Bowalley Road on Thursday, 7 November 2024. ...

Bowalley Road

7 days ago
The Age of (Dis)Information

Don’t want to be an American idiotOne nation controlled by the mediaInformation age of hysteriaIs calling out to idiot America—Greenday, American IdiotSapphi’s Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.What just happened?Nothing. Yesterday was a momentous election. The ...

Sapphi’s SubstackBy Sapphi

7 days ago
Drawn

A ballot for two Member's Bills was held today, and the following bills were drawn: Employment Relations (Termination of Employment by Agreement) Amendment Bill (Laura Trask) Copyright (Parody and Satire) Amendment Bill (Kahurangi Carter) The first is ACT bullshit aimed at undermining basic employment rights. The ...

No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant

7 days ago
The planet is ‘on the brink of an irreversible climate disaster,’ scientists warn

This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections A person rides past a destroyed church in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene flooding on October 6, 2024, in Swannanoa, North Carolina. Scientists say that climate change increased the storm’s deadly rainfall by about 10%. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) Earth’s ...

Skeptical Science

1 week ago
Making America Gross Again

I should be crying, but I just can't let it showI should be hoping, but I can't stop thinkingOf all the things I should've saidThat I never saidAll the things we should've doneThat we never didAll the things I should've givenBut I didn'tOh, darling, make it goMake it go awaySongwriter: ...

Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel

1 week ago
The Day After

This morning, there will be plenty of reflections on why and how Donald J. Trump won the US election for a second time.Melania agrees to hold her husband’s hand after his historic victoryThere will be pithy lines, astute observations, and anger and disbelief from some. And for others, celebration - ...

Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui

1 week ago
Throwback Thursday: 10 Years

At the start of 2018, Patrick penned this post thinking about how Auckland might look in 10 years. We are almost 7 years through that, and so we thought it might be interesting to think about what came true, and what was unforeseen? What has changed in Auckland and does ...

Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland

1 week ago
What Donald Trump’s second Presidency means for us financially

Trump busts out his signature move at a celebratory election night party. Photo: Getty ImagesKia ora. Long stories short, here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Thursday, November 7: Donald Trump’s re-election as US President overnight has already driven global ...

The KakaBy Bernard Hickey

1 week ago
This Time America Knew What It Was Doing

Hi,I was at a dive bar in Los Angeles in 2016 when Donald Trump won last time, and it was a big surprise. Fuck, it was a big surprise for Trump.I distinctly remember getting that feeling you tend to get in your guts when a bad thing happens that you ...

David FarrierBy David Farrier

1 week ago
Hellbender

2021, directed by the Adams family A fun thing about Hellbender is that it was created by a married couple, John Adams and Toby Posey (to clarify, Toby is a woman) and their two daughters Zelda and Lulu. Zelda and Toby play the two main characters and Lulu the main ...

The little pakehaBy chrismiller

1 week ago
Trump’s Comeback: It’s a new, strongman era, ‘whether they like it or not’

He’s done it. The re-election of Donald Trump as US president is a massive shift in US and global politics. Cool heads and steely-eyes are called for at momentous times such as this, but those steely eyes would have to be closed tight not to see this is a moment ...

PunditBy Tim Watkin

1 week ago
Gordon Campbell on abortion’s role in the US election

Yesterday, America moved decisively to the right not only politically, but socially and economically. This rightwards shift was evident not merely in the red states and seven “battleground” states – every one of which Trump has almost certainly ended up winning – but also in the Democratic heartland. There was ...

WerewolfBy ScoopEditor

1 week ago

Fast Track Bill threatens environment, climate and reputation

The fast-track legislation passing its second reading in Parliament is another step towards environmental ruin. ...

Greens

16 hours ago
Chris Hipkins’ apology statement to state and faith-based care survivors

...

Labour Blog

2 days ago
Release: Labour formally apologises to state and faith-based care survivors

Labour joins with the Government in unreservedly apologising for the abuse, neglect and trauma including torture in state and faith-based care and for ignoring the voices of survivors for too long. ...

Labour Blog

2 days ago
Green Party stands in support of survivors of abuse in care

Today, the Green Party stands alongside the survivors of abuse in state care and faith-based care as the Government issues an historic apology. ...

Greens

2 days ago
Green Party calls for conscience vote on Treaty Principles Bill

The Green Party has written to the Speaker of the House requesting he enable a personal vote on the Treaty Principles Bill. ...

Greens

3 days ago
Govt move to exclude journalist risks chilling effect

The Green Party is alarmed by the Government’s move to exclude a journalist from covering this week’s apology for the survivors of abuse in state and faith-based care. ...

Greens

3 days ago
Without action, an apology will be empty air

For tomorrow’s apology to survivors of abuse in state and faith-based care to hold any water, the Government must not pursue the same policies that drove the abuse in the first place. ...

Greens

3 days ago
Release: Concerns remain over tobacco interference

Concerns about the tobacco industry’s ability to interfere in government policy making remain, despite the inability of the Office of the Auditor-General to investigate the Government’s decision to halve the excise tax on heated tobacco products. ...

Labour Blog

6 days ago
Urgent wake-up call on climate

The Climate Change Commission’s latest advice indicates Aotearoa needs to be stepping up on climate action. ...

Greens

6 days ago
Green MP’s Meme-ber’s Bill set to save the world

Break out the punchlines and dust off your meme folder: Green Party MP Kahurangi Carter’s Copyright (Parody and Satire) Amendment Bill was pulled from the Ballot yesterday. ...

Greens

6 days ago
Release: Poroporoaki: Ta Robert (Bom) Gillies

Kua hinga te manawa kairākau o Te Rua Tekau Ma Waru Tiwhatiwha te po! Kakarauru i te po! Ka rapuhia kei hea koe kua riro! Haere e te Ika a Whiro ki o tini hoa kua ngaro atu ki te Pō ...

Labour Blog

6 days ago
Labour, Greens and Te Pāti Māori call on the Prime Minister to block the Treaty Principles Bill

The opposition parties stand united for an Aotearoa that honours Te Tiriti, rather than seeking to rewrite it. Labour, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori are working together against the Government’s divisive Treaty Principles Bill. ...

Greens

7 days ago
Release: Labour, Greens and Te Pāti Māori call on the Prime Minister to block the Treaty Principle...

The opposition parties stand united for an Aotearoa that honours Te Tiriti, rather than seeking to rewrite it. Labour, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori are working together against the Government’s divisive Treaty Principles Bill. ...

Labour Blog

7 days ago
NZ must pursue independent foreign policy

The Green Party says the need is greater than ever for Aotearoa New Zealand to pursue an independent foreign policy. ...

Greens

7 days ago
Release: Winston Peters must apologise

The Deputy Prime Minister should apologise to the public servant he named and blamed for something they did not do, and for misusing the rules of Parliament. ...

Labour Blog

1 week ago
Release: Government continues to fail small business

The Government is leaving small businesses high and dry in difficult economic times, by letting big business get away with not paying their bills. ...

Labour Blog

1 week ago
Release: Unemployment rising under National

Nicola Willis’ policies continue to slow the economy with more Kiwis out of work as a result. ...

Labour Blog

1 week ago
Near four-year high unemployment reveals dire need for new direction

Today, Statistics New Zealand’s latest labour market report revealed that unemployment has reached 4.8 per cent, the highest rate since late 2020, during the COVID pandemic. ...

Greens

1 week ago
Release: Shovels in the ground this term unlikely

National looks set to break another election promise, this time by not beginning construction on a second Mt Victoria tunnel this term, Labour transport spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...

Labour Blog

1 week ago
Not too late to abandon the Bill, Christopher

The Green Party is urgently calling on Prime Minister Christopher Luxon to abandon the Treaty Principles Bill following reports it will be introduced on Thursday. ...

Greens

1 week ago
Coalition Govt’s expensive tunnel vision for Wellington comes at the expense of the regions

A second Mount Victoria tunnel, a duplicate Terrace tunnel alongside highway widening will dump more traffic in the centre of Wellington and result in more pollution. ...

Greens

1 week ago
Release: Government’s disgrace for Christchurch homeowners

The Government is backtracking on existing commitments to do the right thing by homeowners let down by EQC (now the Natural Hazards Commission). ...

Labour Blog

1 week ago
Release: National’s FamilyBoost a colossal flop

Nicola Willis continues to over promise and under deliver, with most families receiving only $30 a week from National’s flagship FamilyBoost flop. ...

Labour Blog

1 week ago
Ngarewa-Packer Demands Support for Palestine Ceasefire from New Plymouth Mayor

Te Pāti Māori Co-Leader and MP for Te Tai Hauāuru, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer is calling on the Mayor for New Plymouth, Neil Holdom, to do the right thing. “I am shocked at his decision to disregard the petition presented by Palestine Solidarity Taranaki calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire”, said ...

Māori Party

1 week ago
Release: Trade deal with Gulf states welcomed

Labour welcomes the conclusion of a trade deal with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) that was restarted under a Labour government after languishing for many years. ...

Labour Blog

1 week ago
Release: Labour welcomes OAG fast track inquiry

The Government should consider the outcome of an Auditor-General report into conflicts of interest before progressing the Fast track Approvals Bill through Parliament. ...

Labour Blog

1 week ago
Greens reignite call for free dental

A new report detailing the enormous social and economic costs of our dental system has reignited the Greens' call for free dental care. ...

Greens

1 week ago
Greens call for bottom trawling ban and call out Minister for lacklustre response

The Green Party is urgently calling on the Government to ban bottom trawling, following news a New Zealand bottom trawler caught 37kg of coral in international waters, prompting the suspension of all fishing in the area until 2026. ...

Greens

2 weeks ago
Mark Patterson: Farmers understand we have their backs

Spring is here which means the start of the A&P show season. Those treasured community days where town meets country. There's no rural-urban divide here, just a chance to meet up with family and old friends and celebrate all things that make rural New Zealand so special. I'm embarking on ...

NZ First Press Release

2 weeks ago
Release: Funding for Gumboot Friday should pause

The National Government should review its support for Gumboot Friday after unacceptable comments by its leader and champion Mike King. ...

Labour Blog

2 weeks ago
Louise Upston cherry-picks data to punch down on the poor

The Government has very conveniently cherry-picked data from the latest MSD projections to justify its cruel agenda and punch-down policy when it comes to people living in poverty. ...

Greens

2 weeks ago
Luxon needs to address the cow in the room

The Green Party was appalled to hear Prime Minister Christopher Luxon claim we are “doing everything we can” on climate change, while his government does nothing to address emissions in our most polluting sector. ...

Greens

2 weeks ago
Govt Must Clean Up ‘Its Shit’ From Sunken HMNZS Manawanui

Te Pāti Māori is calling out the Government and New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) for their inaction and disgraceful downplaying of the impact caused by the sunken HMNZS Manawanui in Samoa. “We demand the Government move without further delay to clean up its shit from the sunken HMNZS Manawanui in Samoa,” said co-leader Debbie ...

Māori Party

3 weeks ago
Jamie Arbuckle: Inquiry into Banking Competition

This week was the start of the bank inquiry hearings into banking competition. The inquiry was confirmed in the NZ First/National Coalition agreement. 140 submissions were received on the inquiry, and we will hear from over 60 submitters including all the major banks. ANZ, New Zealand's largest bank, was first ...

NZ First Press Release

3 weeks ago
Tanya Unkovich: It’s time to start the debate on palliative care as a ‘right’

There is one topic that is the great human leveller, and that is of death and dying. One day, we will all have to face it, and I am of the belief that being able to pass away with grace and dignity is a vital, basic, human right. How we ...

NZ First Press Release

3 weeks ago

When the going gets tough ‘Get Through’ with Farmstrong

An online hub with mental wellbeing tools and resources designed to help farmers and growers deal with the stress of adverse weather events has been officially launched by Minister for Mental Health, Matt Doocey. “Adverse weather events are an increasingly common reality for our farmers and growers. It’s vital that ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

41 minutes ago
Government exploring new energy source

Up to $60 million will be ring-fenced from the Regional Infrastructure Fund to invest in exploring the potential of supercritical geothermal technology which could help secure New Zealand’s future energy needs, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones and Science, Innovation, and Technology Minister Judith Collins say. Having a secure and resilient energy supply ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

4 hours ago
Pay Gap Calculator toolkit launched

New Zealand businesses can now take meaningful action to drive down the gender pay gap with the launch of an online calculator today, Minister for Women Nicola Grigg says. “Women are paid, on average, 8.2 per cent less than men and this gap has barely moved since 2017 - which ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

19 hours ago
Government launches refreshed Public Private Partnership framework

The Government has released a refreshed Public Private Partnership (PPP) framework that provides a blueprint to the market outlining how the government will approach future PPP transactions, Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop and Parliamentary Under-Secretary Simon Court say. “Refreshing New Zealand’s PPP model is an important part of our plan to ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

21 hours ago
Further decisions taken on regulating online casino gambling

Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says the Government has agreed to further details of a new system to regulate online casino gambling. “A new Online Gambling Bill will be drafted with the purpose to regulate online casino gambling to facilitate a safer and compliant regulated online gambling market. More importantly, ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

23 hours ago
Tailored support for people in emergency housing

Ka mate kāinga tahi, ka ora kāinga rua. An innovative Government trial will tailor support to people with a diverse range of complex needs to move out of emergency housing and into more permanent housing, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “The Government has set a target of reducing the ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

1 day ago
Getting ready for bird flu

Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard is encouraging New Zealanders to take steps to be ready for the possible arrival of bird flu.“While high pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI) is still some distance from New Zealand and we’ve never had a case here, it’s important that we take a cautious approach. “If you’re one ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

1 day ago
Harbour closure supports mussel reseeding

A two-year ban on the take of kuku/mussels from Ōhiwa Harbour in eastern Bay of Plenty will support local efforts to restore mussel beds in the area, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Awa requested the closure, Te rāhui kuku ki tua o Kanawa, to ...

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1 day ago
Government awards primary sector scholarships to tertiary students

The coalition Government has awarded scholarships to six tertiary students as part of efforts to boost on-the-ground support for farmers and growers Agriculture Minister Todd McClay and Associate Agriculture Minister Andrew Hoggard announced today. “We are reducing the regulatory burden on farmers and growers and providing support to adapt and innovate, ...

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1 day ago
Tax work programme focused on rebuilding the economy

Rebuilding the economy and improving fiscal sustainability is the key focus of the Government’s new Tax and Social Policy Work Programme for Inland Revenue, Revenue Minister Simon Watts says. “New Zealand has been grappling with significant economic challenges over the last few years with many businesses and households feeling the ...

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1 day ago
Omnibus Bill First Reading for Royal Commission of Inquiry National Apology

Mr Speaker, as the Minister for Children, it is my priority to ensure that children and young people in the care system are safe. The thousands of survivors who shared their experiences with the Royal Commission have been clear that the system must improve its protections against abuse and neglect. ...

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2 days ago
Clarifying the protection of disabled people in care

The Government is amending the Crimes Act to ensure the protection of disabled people in care is made more explicit, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “As part of the Government’s response to the recommendations of the Abuse in Care Royal Commission, the word ‘disability’ is being added to the definition ...

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2 days ago
Oranga Tamariki Act changes a step in the right direction

Changes to the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 included in an Omnibus Bill are long overdue and a positive step in the right direction, Minister for Children Karen Chhour says. As part of the National Apology today, the Responding to Abuse in Care Legislation Amendment Bill had its first reading. “I am ...

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2 days ago
Improvements to Government record-keeping in response to the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse ...

Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government is making changes to the Public Records Act, to improve the record-keeping practices of government agencies. “These changes will allow the Chief Archivist to audit an agency more frequently where required and will also allow the Chief Archivist to work ...

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2 days ago
Minister Peters completes successful visit to Chile

New Zealand and Chile have reaffirmed their strong partnership, including on security, trade, Antarctic issues, and people-to-people links, says Foreign Minister Winston Peters. “Chile is one of New Zealand’s closest and most like-minded partners in Latin America, and it is the gateway to the region for many New Zealanders,” Mr ...

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2 days ago
‘Foreign policy views from an Indo-Pacific neighbour’ – Speech on New Zealand fore...

Kia ora. Tēnā koutou katoa. And greetings from New Zealand. Thank you to Rector Devés and the University of Chile for hosting us today, and to Undersecretary de la Fuente and Professor López for the warm welcome and introductions. When a much younger person, walking on a bridge ...

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2 days ago
Prime Minister apologises for abuse in care

Ngā kura mōrehu, Treasured survivors, kua ngaro, haere atu rā. those that have passed, farewell. Ngā kura mōrehu, Treasured survivors E whakawhaiti nei that have gathered here. Kei ngā rangatira To the esteemed leaders Tēnā koutou katoa. Greetings. I’d like to welcome you ...

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2 days ago
Government apologises for abuse in care

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has apologised to all New Zealanders who were abused in the care of state and faith-based institutions. “This is a significant and sorrowful day in New Zealand,” Mr Luxon says. “Today, I am apologising on behalf of the Government to everyone who suﬀered abuse, harm and ...

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2 days ago
Climate Change Minister to attend COP29 in Baku

Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will attend the 29th annual United Nations Climate Change Summit (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan, this week. “New Zealand is fully committed to meeting our climate targets and reducing the impacts of climate change. Every country has a role to play, and New Zealand will continue ...

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3 days ago
Crown Observer appointed to Wellington City Council

Experienced local government practitioner Lindsay McKenzie has been appointed as a Crown Observer to Wellington City Council, Local Government Minister Simeon Brown says.“Wellington City Council is facing significant challenges in delivering services to its community, while balancing its debt and insurance obligations,” Mr Brown says.“The decision to appoint a Crown ...

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3 days ago
Govt strengthens protection for people in state care

The Government is introducing several law changes to better protect people in state care, in response to the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. “The magnitude of the abuse detailed by the Royal Commission of Inquiry was heartbreaking, and as a Government we will do everything in our ...

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3 days ago
Prime Minister to attend APEC Leaders’ Meeting

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon departs for Peru this week to attend the annual APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting from 15-16 November. “The APEC Summit is a key moment in the regional calendar. It’s an opportunity to meet with counterparts who are also grappling with cost-of-living challenges and choices about driving more ...

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3 days ago
First kina barren special permit approved

New rules allowing local communities to take direct action against kina barrens are starting to bear fruit, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. “I’ve made kina barrens a priority, which is why I introduced a new special permit purpose this year to allow the removal and translocation of kina ...

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3 days ago
Faster 110km/h speed limit to accelerate Kāpiti from 13 November

The new 110km/h speed limit on the Kāpiti Expressway Road of National Significance (RoNS) will come into effect on 13 November 2024, more than two weeks earlier than expected, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“Boosting economic growth and productivity is a priority for the Government. The new 110km/h speed limit will ...

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3 days ago
Largest ever number of graduate vets to boost rural productivity and support farmers

Thirty-five graduate vets will join rural communities this year through the Voluntary Bonding Scheme (VBS) for Veterinarians, marking the largest intake in the scheme’s history, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay, and Associate Agriculture Minister Andrew Hoggard, announced today. “The Government is committed to enhancing primary sector productivity and delivering direct benefits ...

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3 days ago
Stalking to become illegal and jailable offence

The Government has agreed to introduce legislation this year that will make stalking illegal with a maximum penalty of up to five years in prison, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Every New Zealander deserves to feel safe in their community and this Government is committed to making sure victims are ...

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4 days ago
Nationally significant sites to be upgraded

Me mihi ngakaunui ki a Tā Robert Gillies e ngaro nei ki tōna nui o Te Rua Tekau Mā Waru. Farewell to Sir Robert Gillies of the 28th (Māori) Battalion. The Government will provide $20.3 million in funding to improve two sites that have a special place in the hearts ...

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4 days ago
Unions shouldn’t get in the way of student learning

The Government is urging the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) to put the education of their students first. “Between 9am and 3pm, parents expect their children to be at school to learn. Our Government is relentlessly focused on ensuring the value of achievement and attendance are at the centre of ...

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6 days ago
Compensation scheme levies to be risk based

The levies that banks, building societies, credit unions and finance companies pay to the new Depositor Compensation Scheme (DCS) fund will reflect the size and riskiness of the institutions, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Under the scheme, deposits up to the value of $100,000 per depositor will be protected in ...

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6 days ago
New Child Centre will improve mental health outcomes in Tauranga

Minister for Mental Health Matt Doocey today opened Te Waka Aorangi Child Wellness Centre at Tauranga Hospital, marking a significant milestone in the Government’s commitment to enhancing the health of children and whānau in the Bay of Plenty region. “Te Waka Aorangi is leading the way by providing a ‘one-stop-shop’ ...

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6 days ago
Dr Daniel Tulloch appointed to FENZ board

Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden has today announced that Dr Daniel Tulloch has be appointed to Fire and Emergency New Zealand board. “I am pleased to announce that Dr Daniel Tulloch has been appointed for a three-year term of office” says Ms van Velden. “Dr Tulloch is a ...

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6 days ago
Social Investment Board appointed

Former Treasury Secretary Dr Graham Scott has been appointed as chair of the newly established Social Investment Board, alongside a group of highly skilled individuals, Social Investment Minister Nicola Willis says. The board will advise on the implementation of the social investment approach across the public sector and the work ...

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6 days ago
Poroporoaki: Sir Robert ‘Bom’ Gillies

E te Ikanui a Whiro kua mau nei i te kupenga a Aitua. Kua turakina e te hoariri e kore nei e tāea te karo, mōrehu mutunga o te hokowhitu a Tū ki te Riri Tuarua o te Ao, unuhia tō kōuma, whakairihia tō patu ki tara-ā-whare, whītikihia te tatua ...

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6 days ago
New Zealand and Irish Governments partner to support farming through research

New Zealand and Ireland are investing $9.6 million in targeted research to deliver practical solutions that reduce emissions for New Zealand’s primary producers, announced Agriculture Minister Todd McClay today. The joint effort, led by New Zealand’s Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) and Ireland's Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, ...

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6 days ago
Rail Network Rebuild to be delivered ahead of City Rail Link opening

The Government has confirmed a programme of upgrades to Auckland’s rail network that will complete the Rail Network Rebuild ahead of the City Rail Link (CRL) opening, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Acting Auckland Mayor Desley Simpson say. “The last National Government started the City Rail Link to transform public transport ...

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6 days ago
Foreign Minister to visit Latin America

Foreign Minister Winston Peters will visit Chile, Mexico and Peru next week. “Chile and Mexico are two of New Zealand’s closest partners in Latin America and we are pleased to be visiting them next week,” Mr Peters says. Mr Peters will have bilateral programmes in Santiago and Mexico City involving ...

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6 days ago
$340m NZ-China trade boost through 24 key partnerships

Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay, announced the signing of 24 Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) and supply agreements between New Zealand and Chinese companies as part of the Trade Mission to the China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai and Guangdong province this week. “These new partnerships are set to ...

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6 days ago
Prime Minister pays tribute to Sir Robert ‘Bom’ Gillies

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has paid tribute to Sir Robert ‘Bom’ Gillies KNZM, the last surviving member of the 28 (Māori) Battalion, who passed away today. “Sir Bom will be remembered for his service to New Zealand and defending the ideals we value most. “With trademark humility, he took it ...

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7 days ago
Bringing Crown director fees closer to market rate

The Government is bringing director fees for 22 Crown-owned companies closer to market rate in order to retain and attract high quality directors, State Owned Enterprises Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Ordinary directors’ fees for these companies have been largely static for more than 15 years and have fallen significantly below ...

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7 days ago
Treaty Principles Bill introduced to Parliament

Associate Justice Minister David Seymour has welcomed the introduction of the Treaty Principles Bill to Parliament and says it will have its first reading next Thursday. “Parliament introduced the concept of the Treaty principles into law in 1975 but did not define them. As a result, the courts and the ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

7 days ago

Incorrect patient data found during system upgrades at Auckland’s hospitals

A team is working to correct and update this, Te Whatu Ora spokesperson says. ...

Radio NZ – political

40 minutes ago
Dear Donald, here’s why you should cut NZ a break in the tariff torrent

Ten irrefutable reasons for the incoming president to exempt plucky little New Zealand from import tax hikes. The former and future president, Donald J Trump, has been re-elected on a platform pledging new and universal import tariffs of 10%-20%. The challenge for New Zealand politicians and officials is to somehow ...

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1 hour ago
Donald Trump picks Matt Gaetz to serve as attorney general

The congressman, who remains under investigation for sexual misconduct, said it would "be an honour to serve" in the role. ...

Radio NZ – political

1 hour ago
A 41-million-digit prime number is the biggest ever found – but mathematicians’ search for perfe...

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Voight, Professor of Mathematics , University of Sydney Imagine a number made up of a vast string of ones: 1111111…111. Specifically, 136,279,841 ones in a row. If we stacked up that many sheets of paper, the resulting tower would stretch into ...

Evening ReportBy The Conversation

2 hours ago
Elon Musk has turned X into a globally influential media platform – and there’s more to come

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lewis Mitchell, Professor of Data Science; Director, Adelaide Data Science Centre, University of Adelaide kovop/Shutterstock During the recent United States presidential election campaign, tech billionaire Elon Musk’s social media platform X (formerly Twitter) saw record high usage. The platform – ...

Evening ReportBy The Conversation

2 hours ago
The NZ government’s plan to withhold COVID inquiry findings until 2026 leaves the country ill-prep...

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Shaun Hendy, Professor of Physics, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Getty Images The first report from a Royal Commission of Inquiry to review New Zealand’s response to the COVID pandemic was due to be released this month. ...

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2 hours ago
6 things to do if your child’s weight is beyond the ideal range – and 1 thing to avoid

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nick Fuller, Clinical Trials Director, Department of Endocrinology, RPA Hospital, University of Sydney JPC-PROD/Shutterstock One of the more significant challenges we face as parents is making sure our kids are growing at a healthy rate. To manage this, we take them ...

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2 hours ago
‘Catastrophic declines’: massive data haul reveals why so many plants and animals suffer after f...

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Don Driscoll, Professor in Terrestrial Ecology, Deakin University The megafires that tore through Australia’s forests in 2019–20 burnt more than ten million hectares. The tragedy prompted a massive research effort to understand how plants and animals were affected. So what did ...

Evening ReportBy The Conversation

2 hours ago
First off, have a plan – 5 ways young people can stay safe at schoolies

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alison Hutton, Professor of Nursing, Western Sydney University Year 12 exams are finishing around Australia and celebrations are beginning. Thousands of students will mark the end of high school in coming weeks with “schoolies”. This is an important rite of passage ...

Evening ReportBy The Conversation

2 hours ago
Australia has backed away from plans to introduce local quotas on streaming platforms – again

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexa Scarlata, Research Fellow, Media & Communication, RMIT University The federal government has quietly shelved plans to introduce local requirements for Australian screen content on streaming platforms like Netflix and Disney+. In October, Federal Arts Minister Tony Burke flagged quotas were being ...

Evening ReportBy The Conversation

2 hours ago
Help Me Hera: Why do I only befriend people nobody else can stand?

How do I end this cycle of misery, once and for all? Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nz Dear Hera How do I break a lifelong pattern of forming close friendships with people that nobody else can stand? Ever since I was about 12, I have had a succession of very ...

The SpinoffBy Hera Lindsay Bird

3 hours ago
One NZ learns the hard way, don’t rely on Elon Musk

The Commerce Commission files criminal charges against the telco for over-promising, after SpaceX failed to deliver its much-vaunted direct-to-cell satellite service on schedule The post One NZ learns the hard way, don’t rely on Elon Musk appeared first on Newsroom. ...

NewsroomBy Jonathan Milne

3 hours ago
Live: Hīkoi heads to Rotorua as Treaty Principles Bill gets first reading

The hīkoi will leave from Huntly this morning and hold a gathering in Hamilton. ...

Radio NZ – political

4 hours ago
On the frontlines of Hīkoi mō te Tiriti

Thousands converged on Auckland, the day before the first reading of the controversial Treaty Principles Bill, writes Stewart Sowman-Lund for The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...

The SpinoffBy Stewart Sowman-Lund

4 hours ago
Retracing the footsteps of past Māori protest movements

As the nationwide hīkoi for Te Tiriti made its way through Auckland it stopped at two sites synonymous with Māori resistance - Bastion Point and Ihumātao. ...

Radio NZ – political

5 hours ago
Treaty Principles Bill: Bill of Rights Act advice ‘quite damning’ – academic

The government's lawyers have advised the Treaty Principles Bill is consistent with the Bill of Rights Act - but only because they expect courts would not allow it to override that law or the Treaty itself. ...

Radio NZ – political

5 hours ago
Number of speed safety cameras slashed but cost per camera doubles

The government told RNZ the 800-camera network had been unfunded. ...

Radio NZ – political

6 hours ago
Health officials warned government more money needed to meet targets

Released documents show health officials made clear their belief the targets couldn't be reached without more funding. ...

Radio NZ – political

6 hours ago
D-Day for government’s Treaty Principles Bill

The legislation is up for its first reading after Question Time this afternoon. ...

Radio NZ – political

6 hours ago
You’re gonna miss the post office when it’s gone

Despite it dwindling locations and reduced service, NZ Post remains a pillar in every community, writes Hera Lindsay Bird. Every Saturday morning I arrive at 7.30am, and enter the post office box lobby. Behind the narrow corridor of identical red letterboxes, there is a locked room, full of ancient Christmas ...

The SpinoffBy Hera Lindsay Bird

7 hours ago
‘Whaka round, find out’: When the hīkoi came to Auckland

The Toitū te Tiriti hīkoi reached Auckland on Wednesday, seeing thousands cross the Harbour Bridge and walk around the coast to Bastion Point. Lyric Waiwiri-Smith joined them. Atop Bastion Point, a crowd of red, black and white gathered at the end of what we’ve been told is a history-making moment. ...

The SpinoffBy Lyric Waiwiri-Smith

7 hours ago
When women hit the grass ceiling of coaching

There’s a subject Alice Soper wants to stop writing about.It’s the sidelining of women when it comes to rugby coaching.But she can’t, as long as the problem still exists.“So often we get caught up in the good news,” she says.“There’s like a toxic positivity that’s attached to a lot of ...

NewsroomBy Alexia Russell

7 hours ago
Newsroom daily quiz, Thursday 14 November

Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A,DIV,A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp');Got a good quiz question? Send Newsroom your questions.The post Newsroom daily quiz, Thursday 14 November appeared first on Newsroom. ...

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7 hours ago
Labour needs to learn the art of the deal

Opinion: Unless the Democrats and Labour trim their policy sails accordingly, they will lose elections that matter The post Labour needs to learn the art of the deal appeared first on Newsroom. ...

NewsroomBy Peter Dunne

7 hours ago
Trump II and the coming ‘golden age’ of tyranny in the Middle East

In his rambling victory speech on November 5, Donald Trump, having stoked the fears of Americans throughout his campaign, and sporting extra fake tan for the occasion, spoke of a new ‘golden age’.In terms of Middle East foreign policy, with whom will Trump look to build this ‘golden age’?In May ...

NewsroomBy Dr Leon Goldsmith

7 hours ago
Book of the Week: Day of the lizard

When I first spotted the new illustrated book Geckos & Skinks: The remarkable lizards of Aotearoa in the window of a Wellington bookstore in October (I was visiting with my wife Fi who was going to WOW with her cousins and niece. I wasn’t. I went once in 2002 and ...

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7 hours ago
Daily crossword, Thursday 14 November

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Survivors say torture widespread, Govt says that’s unlikely

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7 hours ago
An often-toxic artificial lake receives a collective shrug

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7 hours ago
Trump appealed to left-behind people in left-behind places

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7 hours ago
Global carbon budget will be used up in six years

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7 hours ago
West Papuan leader makes ‘raise our banned flag’ plea over new threat

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10 hours ago
Government to impose ‘duty of care’ on digital platforms: Communiations Minister Rowland

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13 hours ago
Senior NZ lawyers call for Treaty Principles Bill to be abandoned

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COP29: Does NZ have the credibility to lead carbon trading talks?

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14 hours ago
Abuse survivors petition Parliament to accept all Royal Commission recommendations

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Jim Chalmers has provided an extra $900 million to boost productivity. But this ‘high priority’ ...

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16 hours ago
Shortsightedness is on the rise in children. There’s more we can do than limit screen time

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The House: This week in Parliament

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17 hours ago
ASB defends profit, warns of ‘big tech’ takeover of banking

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17 hours ago

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Peters to Pence on the Pacific – a return to colonialism?

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