Playing dirty: The politics of contradiction

Written By: - Date published: 8:03 pm, October 19th, 2013 - 169 comments
Categories: accountability, auckland supercity, blogs, elections, news, slippery, spin - Tags: ,

Some Standardistas have pointed out various contradictions in Cameron Slater’s continual reworking of his Brown-Chuang story, in the comments below micky savage’s post, ‘Palino and Slater have to be joking‘.

In his interviews with journalists, Slater superficially attempts to present himself as a responsible journalist, just following a story.  However, in the interview with Rachel Smalley on The Nation this morning,  Slater lays out the real game as he sees it:  it’s a dirty game, and that’s the game he’s playing.

The story come into the public arena via the Whale Oil blog, as a salacious one that largely focused on the fact that Len Brown had an extra marital affair. The story played up the intimate, attention-getting details, followed by calls by Slater for Brown to resign.  But after Brown fronted on Campbell Live to do his mea culpa, the Slater story switched to issues of hotels, and a reference for a job at a council run Art Gallery.

If there is any reason for Brown to resign, it is here. The crucial issues are whether Brown is found to have had a conflict of interest or used rate payers’ money on the affair.  This is what a political story should have focused on right from the beginning.

Now, following Chuang’s disaffection with Slater and Stephen Cook, we learned that Palino’s campaign team member, Luigi Wewege, had been pressuring Chuang to provide evidence of the affair, in order to undemocratically expel Brown from the mayoral office – allegedly through blackmail rather than by publishing the story in the first instance.

Today Slater responded to questions: questions raised about the allegations of Palino’s involvement in an extortionate smear campaign, and the disbelief that his father John Slater, Palino’s campaign manager, was not in on the attempted smear.  As reported in the NZ Herald today, Slater responds thus:

“We were dealing with a story, and it wasn’t until Monday _ the day before the story broke – that we actually had all of the details of the affair.”

Asked if the Palino campaign had alerted him about the affair, Slater said it had not.

“No, I cannot confirm that because I received reports from many different places.”

Cameron Slater said he was approached by Ms Chuang’s acquaintance Luigi Wewege, who put him in touch with Ms Chuang.

Mr Wewege, who had been in a relationship with Ms Chuang, was a member of Mr Palino’s campaign team.

“No it’s not Palino’s campaign, it’s one person,” Slater said.

My bold.  So Slater and Cook were just getting evidence for a story – kind of just like a real journalist.  And yet, Cook and Slater seemed to have omitted some key parts of the story until they were dragged from them – like the fact that a member of Palino’s campaign team brought the story to him.  This only later was exposed by Chuang. Surely any journalist worth their salt would have had questions about that, and aimed to include it in the initial story?

On The Nation today, after about 15 minutes 30 secs, Smalley puts to Slater that this was a plot “to discredit Len Brown”, and it was a “political plot”.

Slater: Of course it’s political. We’re not playing tiddly winks, Rachel.  This is politics.

Smalley:  Where does this leave Auckland politics now?

Slater: Well, Auckland politics is like where any politics is, in that it’s a dirty, disgusting, despicable game. And it involves dirty, disgusting despicable people at all levels.  And to have this sort of high and mighty belief that New Zealand politics is clean, isn’t.

So there you have it.  He not only explicitly places himself within the “game” but calls it by nature, a dirty, disgusting, despicable game.  And, clearly he wasn’t just aiming to tell a story as it was brought to him, but he was aiming to give it a particular political slant – slanted to discredit Len Brown.

And some MSM journalists seem to take Slater seriously as a kind of “journalist”. According to Tracy Watkins today, this seems to be because his real name is known, unlike most bloggers.  She claims:

In this case, the revelations were published by a blog whose author is fairly well known. In that respect Slater is unusual in the blogosphere; among the proliferation of blogs these days, most operate under a pseudonym.

[groan].

In spite of the dubiousness of the point, she’s on shaky ground as regards NZ political blogs  – see The Daily Blog, Public Address, and several authors on  The Standard.

Anyway, she seems to be implying  it’s merely Slater’s name that gives him credibility, and not for instance the evidence of his activities in the public arena, the contractions in his statements over time, and especially in his own terms, in the dirty, disgusting, despicable game of politics.

169 comments on “Playing dirty: The politics of contradiction ”

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  1. mickysavage 1
    19 October 2013 at 8:09 pm

    Well said Karol.

    Slater’s world view is very dark. He really appears to see nothing positive in politics. It is just a game and he intends to be on the winning side.

    He is quite malevolent. He wants to drag us all down to his level and beat us with experience!

    There has to be a better way.

    • Zorr 1.1
      19 October 2013 at 8:55 pm

      That’s his view on it but I would say that it’s not a view that most people would care to share.

      As with any swaggering bully, it’s best to leave them to it and maintain the high ground because by playing the game with them we end up in the situation you describe of them beating us with experience. In the case of Len Brown, he has played this situation right (apart from the initial issue – but after a deed is done, we can’t take it back) by not engaging with the slime, stating his position to everyone else who cared to listen and then heading back to the job he was elected to do.

      This leaves Slater rolling around in the mud getting dirtier and dirtier… with every journalist focused on him…

  2. appleboy 2
    19 October 2013 at 8:51 pm

    Slater says “But I can categorically assure you there is no plot between the Palino camp, as everyone likes to say, and myself.”

    He must be taking the piss. NO ONE believes him except head up the arse ring wing nutters like BM and Chris73

  3. Philgwellington Wellington 3
    19 October 2013 at 8:55 pm

    Slater demonstrates (unfortunately) how the blogosphere is where you go if you want to know what is really going on. The MSM is becoming increasingly irrelevant. Investigative journalism is also under threat. Does it exist in NZ any more?

    • Blue 3.1
      19 October 2013 at 9:28 pm

      In a word, no. Journalists these days are largely toothless, and they know it.

      They have very little power to uncover stories themselves – they are reliant on what they are told through press releases or stage-managed interviews with media-trained pollies. The ‘off the record’ gossip lines they run for MPs dish dirt they are rarely allowed to print.

      Their only source of real news is whistleblowers and leakers – the people actually involved in the story feeding them information. And those people are increasingly going to bloggers, especially Cameron Slater.

      That’s what I find most interesting about this whole saga. The MSM are indeed becoming irrelevant if all the big tipoffs are going elsewhere.

      Slater’s main attraction is that he isn’t a journalist, he has no scruples and he has a large audience. He’ll run things no one else would run and people will pay attention. His blog is read by everyone – all the political journos, the MPs, even the Prime Minister.

      The attention-seeking bottom-feeder has built his web well and he’s going to catch all the juicy flies from now on. The MSM political journos should be scared.

      • karol 3.1.1
        19 October 2013 at 9:43 pm

        I agree with the bottom-feeder comments, but disagree with some of your argument, blue.

        I don’t believe that many people read WO’s blog.

        And investigative journalism isn’t dead. We have the likes of Hager, Stephenson. John Campbell has done some very good pieces.

        There’s stuff worth reading on many blogs, and one can pick and choose on and offline between a range of sources. And sometimes original material of significance arise on left blogs- see for issuance the video of the Maapp-Kelsey debate. The whole event arose on The Standard. And the Daily Blog led the Auckland Town Hall debate on the GCSB.

        Jane Kelsey has been excellent in ferreting out details of the TPPA and making them public.

        The likes of WO’s blog plays to the lowest common denominator int he MSM – they feed off each other. And they need to be exposed.

        There’s some dire stuff in the mainstream media, but there’s several journalists that I pay attention to before I’d read WO’s blog. I’ve mostly followed the story of the Brown-Chuang-Wewege-Palino business as it has been presented in the MSM.

      • cnrjoe 3.1.2
        20 October 2013 at 6:33 am

        I dont read his bog

      • David H 3.1.3
        20 October 2013 at 9:30 am

        “it’s a dirty, disgusting, despicable game. And it involves dirty, disgusting despicable people” Nice to see Slater describing himself.

        And I think even Key and Co would want a shower if they did read Slaters slime.

  4. IrishBill 4
    19 October 2013 at 8:58 pm

    Slater’s world view is very dark. He really appears to see nothing positive in politics. It is just a game and he intends to be on the winning side.

    And yet he is almost always on the losing side. Indeed by definition having Cameron on your team means you’re going to come out looking bad. Brown for example, will still be mayor. However Palino is shot for good, similarly Luigi Wewege has gone from being a young up and comer to being a ridiculous loser. And Cameron’s dad has been put in a position of either looking like an out of touch fool or a bare faced liar.

    Similarly the PR battle was lost by the Ports of Auckland during the port dispute once Cameron overreached and got busted shopping private HR files.

    This apparently doesn’t matter to Cameron as (if I may quote my recent comment on another thread) his single metric of personal success is hits on his blog and by that score he’s a winner – whatever the cost to his friends and family. If that’s winning then no thanks mate.

  5. QoT 5
    19 October 2013 at 9:02 pm

    I suppose we could give Watkins credit for at least knowing the difference between pseudonymous and anonymous. But then she goes and blows it by establishing that she doesn’t have a clue about the “proliferation” of blogs in New Zealand (add Pundit to the list of real-name-blogging teams too!)

  6. McFlock 6
    19 October 2013 at 9:28 pm

    I agree with Slater. He is a dirty, disgusting despicable person.

    Being involved in the political game at his level, and all

  7. Anne 7
    19 October 2013 at 9:30 pm

    Slater’s track record speaks for itself.

    Let’s reflect briefly on two fairly recent examples:

    This is the man who, on one occasion at least, stalked David Shearer and took photos of him meeting with a well known Auckland trade union official in broad daylight on an inner city street. They proceeded to enter a restaurant. Confirmation in the form of a photo (or two) appeared on his blogsite with a story attached inferring a questionable political conspiracy. This was at the start of Shearer’s period of leadership, and it escaped Slater that maybe he was simply wanting to meet the movers and shakers in the Labour movement and get to know them. Given his previous absence from the country this was a sensible thing to do.

    Then we had the unedifying disclosures concerning the private life of the National Party president, Peter Goodfellow. Goodfellow had just previously ousted Cameron’s father for the position, so it can be assumed the smears and innuendo were a revenge attack for beating his Dad in an internal National Party election. He succeeded in keeping that sordid little story in the public arena for some considerable time. Ring bells? He’s adopted exactly the same strategy with Len Brown and for pretty much the same reasons.

    It’s high time the real journos conducted an investigation into Slater and outed him for the sleazy specimen of humanity he is…

    • peterlepaysan 7.1
      20 October 2013 at 10:00 pm

      How many real journos can you name? Not many I warrant. Slater the younger thrives on attention. That desperate editors with desperately few battle hardened staff utilise Slater is hardly surprising, especially given his political views.

  8. Ugly Truth 8
    19 October 2013 at 9:33 pm

    I’m no fan of Slater, but he’s right. The NZ civil system is in fact fundamentally corrupt, and there’s no way of avoiding the corruption without remaining entirely outside of civil politics.

    It is a system which involves selling the the future population into de-facto slavery to pay for the deficits arising from living beyond its means. It is a system which looks for security from countries who will commit genocide, torture, and depravity against the innocent. It is a system which pays lip service to truth and justice but is based on fraud and employs Machiavellian strategies to keep power in the hands of the elites.

    At its fundamental level it is a system for fools and hypocrites.

    • Colonial Viper 8.1
      19 October 2013 at 9:38 pm

      Government spending deficits are often good things. Nothing to be afraid of. Usually quite helpful for the non-govt sector actually.

    • red blooded 8.2
      20 October 2013 at 12:17 pm

      This vision may be Ugly, but it’s not Truth.

      NZ’s political and civil systems reflect the nature and values of NZ citizens. If we want them changed, we have to step up and change them. That’s what happened with women’s suffrage, it’s what happened with MMP, it’s what is continuing to happen with the Waitangi Tribunal. None of these (or any other) aspects of our system is perfect, but they do reflect the shifting values and aspirations of our population. Ditto the parliamentary system. Hey – do I like it that people whom I see as right wing extremists have been running the show in recent years? No. So, what do I (and others) have to do? Get in there and work to promote another world view and to get enough NZers to share that world view so that our government ends up reflecting a version of it. Anything else is a cop-out.

      Cynicism doesn’t help; it just gives people an excuse to leave things as they are and look away.

      • Ugly Truth 8.2.1
        20 October 2013 at 3:23 pm

        If we want them changed, we have to step up and change them.

        You don’t have the power to fix the corruption, it is systemic and it cannot be fixed.

        Get in there and work to promote another world view and to get enough NZers to share that world view so that our government ends up reflecting a version of it.

        That would result in a fundamentally different type of government. Are you up for it?

  9. Rodel 9
    19 October 2013 at 9:34 pm

    Compare Slater to people like Ed Hillary, Richie McCaw, Paul Buchannan and dare I say it even Nick Smith. It’s two ends of a continuum of achievement and usefulness.
    Why oh why does our media give him the slightest attention? The endangered west coast snails are far more Important.

  10. phillip ure 10
    19 October 2013 at 9:37 pm

    is palino the italian branch of the palin family-tree..?

    phillip ure..

  11. Clement Pinto 11
    19 October 2013 at 10:23 pm

    I am not sure why you are turning against Slater, however despicable he may be, making him the story, instead of examining if the mayor has acted inappropriately, illegally and unethically based on the revelations of the mayor’s mistress through her taped interviews and affidavit? I am no ‘supporter’ of Slater or ‘his camp’, but surely the mayor’s conduct should be our primary concern, isn’t it? I think the story deserves to be examined in a bipartisan way irrespective of ‘political camps’. In my view Brown;s brand is badly damaged. He is a lame duck badly compromised mayor now. Again, in my view, he should quit and seek a fresh vote to get some sort of respect back.

    • McFlock 11.1
      19 October 2013 at 10:57 pm

      His personal life is irrelevant to his role as mayor, except possibly a conflict interest relating to being a referee. The latter is being examined through internal council mechanisms. So what’s to talk about?

      Slater, on the other hand, was apparently fed an intimate story by members of a tory candidates’ campaign team, rather than focus on the issue of whether brown was a good mayor.

      • Clement Pinto 11.1.1
        19 October 2013 at 11:17 pm

        The sexual intercourse part, is not my main concern. That issue belongs to the mayor and his concubine, their own morals and conscience and to the mayor’s wife and family.

        However, whether the mayor used council time, council property, council transport and council resources in his private affair is surely an important issue, isn’t it? Also whether he used his power and influence to help her get council related jobs?

        I think here are some pertinent questions for the council to examine honestly:

        Why did Brown need to spend nights in hotels when he has a home and
        did he pay for the room himself or with the council cash or did he accept freebies?

        Was it appropriate, ehical and fair for Brown to help his paramore get council job/jobs?

        Did he bestow his mistress favours of council transport, gifts, cash etc?

        Had he been riding other women too on council grounds etc?

        Will he be able to perform well being now a badly discredited, disgraced, compromised mayor?

        Isn’t it better for all, including himself, if he resigns and seeks a fresh mandate to see if he still has the confidence, trust and support of the people of Auckland? That way he can get back some respect and be able to perform his mayoral duties better than having this dirty yoke on his neck as now?

        I think these are some of the important questions that need investigation and answers.

        • McFlock 11.1.1.1
          19 October 2013 at 11:33 pm

          pfft.
          The council mechanisms can handle it.
          Thanks for your concern, though.

          • Clement Pinto 11.1.1.1.1
            19 October 2013 at 11:49 pm

            McFlock, I am trying to be unbiased, non-parochial and non political. I am not sure if you are, based on your response when you wrote, ‘Thanks for your concern, though’.

            Don’t you find Brown’s conduct on council premises and other places unbecoming of a mayor? Hasn’t he been badly compromised and a laughing stock? Will he be able to perform his functions well now? Will he command respect? Why are you defending him as you seem to be doing?

            • McFlock 11.1.1.1.1.1
              20 October 2013 at 12:08 am

              I doubt that you are unbiased.

              Don’t you find Brown’s conduct on council premises and other places unbecoming of a mayor?
              meh. I don’t particularly give a shit, unless it was interfering with his work

              Hasn’t he been badly compromised and a laughing stock?
              Nope. You might be laughing at him, though.

              Will he be able to perform his functions well now?
              Yes, why not?

              Will he command respect?
              How much respect do mayors “command”? They’re not generals, you know.

              Why are you defending him as you seem to be doing?
              I’m not. You asked why some people seem to be more concerned with slater’s behaviour rather than brown’s.
              Brown’s was pretty much irrelevant to his work.
              Slater initially presented his work, what gets him money, as being simpy to hold politicians accountable. A noble profession. Now, it turns out that this role was a lie, that it was a political conspiracy to “discredit” brown with irrelevant details about his personal life. And there is no mechanism to investigate him, determine the truth, and punish slater – other than public discussion of his sleaze.

              Do you REALLY want this sort of gutter drivel in the news every night, rather than actual examination of policies or the workplace competence of representatives? And if you think character is so important in representatives, do you really NOT want to know whether the leading opponent is willing to be a party to such sordid business?

              • Clement Pinto …
                20 October 2013 at 12:42 am

                I am truly trying to be impartial here. I am not happy with Brown’s conduct. If the mayor was of the ‘right wing’ camp, I would still hold the same view. I prefer decent values and propriety among politicians irrespective of their affiliations. I am a Labour party member but I am not ‘loyal’ to the extent of being an unprincipled sycophant irrespective of the issue. Here Brown has badly screwed up and needs to be accountable and rehabilitate himself if possible.

                He may resigns and disappear. Voters may then choose another preferably leftist mayor or he may seek a re election. He may win or lose. So what? At least he will be more honourable than he is been at present. And the voters will have a chance to pass a verdict

                Cost of postal voting? Well, part of the system when needed. Democracy is not cheap. Comes with the territory.

                • Colonial Viper …
                  20 October 2013 at 12:50 am

                  Voters can make the call on whether Brown deserves to stay as mayor, based on his performance and his integrity in this new term. He knows very well that he is on notice and from day 1. People can vote for or against him in 2016, if he decides to stand again.

                  HOWEVER if it turns out that he used ratepayers funds to wine & dine, give gifts to or provide trips to his mistress…Brown is history.

                  • Clement Pinto …
                    20 October 2013 at 1:06 am

                    Ok, Good points.
                    What about Brown using the council property, times, rooms and doing naughty farty stuff in the Ngati Whatua room during office times? Is that not a ‘Brown is history’ stuff? I think it should be. Don’t you? So also him helping his girl get council jobs and hotel room night stays/payment compromises if any. All serious stuff in my opinion. Are they not?

                    • McFlock …
                      20 October 2013 at 4:18 pm

                      and being investigated. Or do you believe in punishment before an investigation is complete?

                • Varity …
                  20 October 2013 at 12:53 am

                  do you think we’re happy with browns conduct? i’m pretty damned sure no-one is “happy” with browns conduct including himself … oh … and ironically, cameron slater et al.

                  • North …
                    20 October 2013 at 10:23 am

                    Blubber Boy et al were always delighted by Brown’s conduct. It was always a gift. The ill-fitting garb of moral outrage presently worn by proven adulterer Blubber Boy is mere costume for the play.

                    What did not delight them was Luigi’s failure to get the duly sworn affidavit into their hands BEFORE the election. The affidavit was the scissors without which they could not unwrap the gift.

                    But hang on ……..with affidavit in hand, scissors poised and ready, maybe Len might decide…….even AFTER the election……..would need to be done quickly though.

                    What we do know as a fact, because Car Park Palino admits it, is the meeting with Chuang at Mission Bay latish on the evening AFTER the election. No hosting of a lavishly catered “thank you” do for the loyal hard working supporters then ? Oh silly me……..the election, the path to power, wasn’t really over.

                    As Blubber Boy intones………”disgraceful, disgusting, despicable etc etc”.

                    Ho Ho Ho……..Michelle Boag on Q + A right now……..”As a National Party person this has NOTHING to do with the National Party. John Key’s been very careful……”

                    Damn ! She goes further. Right now she’s actually acknowledging the potential efficacy of a plan much as above.

                    At best Blubber Boy is a self appointed Kenneth Starr. At worst he’s donkey-deep……..

                    • North …
                      20 October 2013 at 10:43 am

                      PS – bet Winston’s chuckling about the “Luigi” pejorative passing to someone more deserving of it !

                • McFlock …
                  20 October 2013 at 12:54 am

                  Why wouldn’t he be able to fulfill his mayoral role?

                  Did he ever deny having an affair during the campaign? No? Then there is no question of misleading the electorate.

                  I would have thought that the honourable course of action would be to put up with this attack, credit the electorate with prioritising issues relevant to working as mayor as being the primary consideration for their vote, and continue to serve as mayor.

                  If the council processes find something relevant to his role of being mayor, fine. Work through the consequences of that if it arises.

                  But in your drive for moral cleanliness, don’t forget the people who apparently harassed and bullied an emotionally vulnerable person into making a now-regretted decision. And then called it a “scoop”.

        • Pascal's bookie 11.1.1.2
          19 October 2013 at 11:51 pm

          Clement, you may have missed it, or the significance of it, but the Auckland Council is having an investigation into the issue you raise. That’s how it works. they’ll find out if he did anything wrong. Until they are done there is not much to say really. Depending on what they find, Brown may have to go.

          The Slater/Wegege/Palino aspect is another story. It’s perfectly fine for people to talk about that. But you dont; have to if you don’t want to.

          • Clement Pinto 11.1.1.2.1
            20 October 2013 at 12:00 am

            Ok, fair point. I agree. But I hope the inquiry by the ‘CEO’ is not just a white wash. I wish the inquiry was independent of the council personnel. Anyway, time will tell. Cheers!

        • Varity 11.1.1.3
          20 October 2013 at 12:05 am

          as i understand it and as the dude above said, it is all being investigated internally. in that regard, realistically, what more can we do but wait for the outcome?

          ***”Had he been riding other women too on council grounds etc?”***

          slater and co seem to think so on WO. they’re saying if brown doesn’t step down these “other women” will feel they’ve no choice but to come forward. i read that as blackmail – they’re telling brown to step down or they’ll trot other women out. if there are other women i seriously doubt they’d be stupid enough to fess up to slater after the way he treated chuang. she’s just a pawn in his game and, if they exist, they will be too.

          ***”Will he be able to perform well being now a badly discredited, disgraced, compromised mayor?”***

          good question. i wouldn’t know but there’s plenty who feel he’s got the goods to carry on. some poll i read indicated he’d win again if there was another election so imo what’s the point of having another one? it would just be a huge waste of time, money and resources adding more insult to injury.

          • Clement Pinto 11.1.1.3.1
            20 October 2013 at 12:45 am

            He may seek a re election. He may win or lose. So what? At least he will be more honourable than he is been at present. And the voters will have a chance to pass a verdict

            Cost of postal voting? Well, part of the system when needed. Democracy is not cheap. Comes with the territory.

            • McFlock 11.1.1.3.1.1
              20 October 2013 at 12:57 am

              if we held a vote every time a politician got their nether regions lubed outside of marriage, I suspect that we’d have had a load more elections for reasons that few people seem to give a shit about.

              • Clement Pinto …
                20 October 2013 at 1:22 am

                You don’t get it. It is not that he had sex outside marriage, but the propriety and conduct based on his mistress’s expose and misuse of his position and council rules. You are missing the point and excusing seriously wrong stuff.

                • Hanswurst …
                  20 October 2013 at 4:13 am

                  You seem to be displaying pretty much the opposite of the impartiality you claimed for yourself above. You talk of Brown being “accountable” for what he has done. He isn’t accountable to voters for whom he chooses to sleep with. For the issues you claim to be interested in, he is accountable via auditing processes, not via an election — therefore he is being held to account and your calling for another election is just hot air. The question ofhis providing a reference for Ms Chuang seems on the face of it to be grounds to investigate his conduct. The use of hotels etc. seems like more dubious grounds to me. Evidence for misuse of funds is found on an account statement, not in the appearance that an hotel room was reserved. Irrespective of whether or not there has been impropriety in Brown’s spending and use of privilege, the idea that these should be examined chiefly on the grounds that he slept with a woman in an hotel room is disturbing to me.

                • McFlock …
                  20 October 2013 at 4:13 pm

                  misuse of his position and council rules.

                  … suggestions of which are currently being investigated by the appropriate council systems.

                  I’m happy to wait for due process to be completed. Why aren’t you?

            • Varity 11.1.1.3.1.2
              20 October 2013 at 1:06 am

              i was going to argue but ok. have another election.

              i still think it’s a waste of time and money but when brown wins again … he’ll be hugely popular as the under-dog who fought back.

              • Clement Pinto …
                20 October 2013 at 1:14 am

                I too would be happy if he seeks re election and wins. The issue will die down and he will have more credibility and strength. Right now, his reputation and honour is mud.

                • Varity …
                  20 October 2013 at 1:39 am

                  so – the aucklanders whose preferred choice for mayor wasn’t brown will get another shot at voting their man/woman in.

                  cameron slater will roll around in his trough in glee knowing he orchestrated this event.

                  auckland will vote brown in … AGAIN.

                  the rest of the country will look at auckland and exclaim … omg! what a bunch of dicks!

                  • Varity …
                    20 October 2013 at 1:59 am

                    i’m not having a go at you cp … but the one thing aucklanders cry about more than a randy mayor is their rates. so who do they think is going to pay for another election?

        • Hanswurst 11.1.1.4
          20 October 2013 at 3:58 am

          Concubine? Way to describe a politically active and independent woman.

          • Clement Pinto 11.1.1.4.1
            20 October 2013 at 11:41 am

            I agree I should have used a better term such as ‘mistress’ or ‘sex partner’. Sorry, a bit late now as I can’t edit the post now.

        • QoT 11.1.1.5
          20 October 2013 at 10:24 am

          the mayor and his concubine

          And that’s where you lose any credibility to demand a “balanced” discussion of this issue, you sexist piece of shit.

          • Rajiv 11.1.1.5.1
            20 October 2013 at 2:30 pm

            Exactly.

            Concubine is too mild and erroneous a word to describe someone who so actively pursued the mayor-in-love for her own political and personal gains. And then, at the behest of her new slimebag lover, she blew Mayor-in-love’s reputation to smithereens and mocked his sexual incapacities for good measure.

            Would femme fatale be too sexist?

            P.S.– (Not that I’m trying to plug a business): Google tells me that Auckland also has New Zealand’s best “Gentleman’s Club” called Femme Fatale. Only if Len had gone to the professionals to exorcise whatever demons he had….

            • QoT 11.1.1.5.1.1
              20 October 2013 at 7:33 pm

              Rajiv, any label which gets applied to women to imply that the men who have sex with them are wide-eyed innocents ensnared by dark vaginomancy will be sexist, yes.

              • Rajiv …
                20 October 2013 at 8:37 pm

                QoT, Fair enough.

                Allow me to digress in order to make a point that sexist bias can occur either way. Not long ago, in New Zealand, we had sexist law that on one hand justly defined any adult man having sex with an underage female as a rapist. But on the other hand any adult female who had sex with an underage boy did not carry such criminal stigma or penalty.

                The law was changed (in 2007, I think?) and its sexist bias was removed. Now, almost every year I read about some predatory women, using their vaginas, raping underage boys who are often in their care or guardianship. Before the law change, for years and years these sexual crimes regularly committed by women went unpunished and unreported.

                I don’t like the sexist generalized notion that females are incapable of sexual violations such as molestation, harrassment, pedophilia and rape.

                • karol …
                  20 October 2013 at 8:54 pm

                  You make it sound like these crimes or the sexualisation of images impacts equally on males and females, and in the same way.

                  Sometimes men can be the victims of sexual assault and rape, but it is more often women and girls who are the victims, by a long way – and men a way more often the perps.

                  Ditto for the way people are diminished through sexualised images – that’s why it’s called sexism.

                  Anyone trying to make out WO is some poor victim of sexism has a seriously distorted view of reality.

                  Edit: sorry, with that last sentence I was confusing this with the Brett thread – I SHOULD be able to have 2 conversations at once.

                • QoT …
                  20 October 2013 at 9:10 pm

                  Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeah. I always do wonder about people who, when challenged on their own sexist behaviour, immediately decide to make the conversation about something completely different.

                  No one is saying that “females” (the word you’re looking for is “women”) are “incapable of sexual violations”. But labelling one member of a consenting sexual relationship in terms which make it clear that her sexual conduct is to be judged and criticised … is sexist bullshit.

                  And using the rape of boys to defend your shitty choice of language is really a bit low, don’t you think?

                  • Rajiv …
                    20 October 2013 at 9:50 pm

                    Karol,

                    I just gave an alternative opinion. I did not try to undermine Female (Qot, I refuse to use your preferred vocabulary, sue me) victims.

                    Qot,

                    I cannot have a discussion with you since you’re prone to throwing hissy fits when you don’t get your way or when you start getting paranoid about “sexism”.

                    I too can use aggressive language and direct expletives at you. But I won’t do that because, one, I am more civilized than that, and two, people will accuse, “This sexist Male Pig, Rajiv, is just trying to beat up a poor girl who goes by the name of QoT…”

                    Sleep tight and calm your nerves.

            • Chooky 11.1.1.5.1.2
              21 October 2013 at 9:02 am

              @ Rajiv……You are correct imo….dont feel guilty

              ….The word Tart springs to mind ….and that applies to the Mayor as well….he is a Catholic male Tart….and now everyone wants to discuss the merits of this Auckland pie

      • Huginn 11.1.2
        19 October 2013 at 11:49 pm

        Having sex with a woman you’re not currently married to is not against the law in New Zealand.
        Blackmail is.

        This is a very big deal.

  12. Lan 12
    19 October 2013 at 10:56 pm

    Seems bizarre. SEEMS BIZARRE! (Just in case you hadn’t come to that conclusion today with Herald front page revelations of calls and night meetings. Palino.. US citizen (assumed) with Chinese fiancee ,,disappears to OZ when things heat up. Affair of Len Brown with Chinese girl, friend of Palino’s Chinese fiancee? Palino campaign manager John Slater old National trickster and mentally unstable son continues creepy amoral stirrer activity on un-censored blogged internet media with help from disgraced Herald on Sunday Journalist with hankering after shock jock job it seems (Cook?).. Just wonder that is going on here, really, and how it could be part of National strategy for less Labour Auckland and next year elections. NOT ONLY BIZARRE – WEIRD. Is it a “setup”?? (tho most folk will likely scoff at this) targetting a popular able bloke under huge stress with this massive job, and dealing daily with many conflicting issues? Then there’s the Italian Sth African fixit boy with big political ambitions and probably relations with the Len mistress, and prompting her to release details to harm Mayor. What is Palino’s “business” and why is the mayoralty so sought after by a relative outsider, both culturally and experientially in the most complex field of New Zealand local government (mind you there’s Mr Campbell who stood in Waikato DIstrict Council with similarly discordant motivations and US background). Mission Bay meeting on Herald fronmt page today discusses whether Len could be persuaded to “resign because of poor health”!! Who’s that bloke who wrote the books on the Winebox Affair? Need a good conspiracy theorist, I reckon in this intriguing scenario, to untangle the bits as issues unfold. Mainstream journalist doing quite well however, though of variable quality and political pursuasion.. I still wonder, in light of strange facts noted above – WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?
    ,
    Apologize for Caps but used judiciously I hope.

  13. Craig Glen Eden 13
    19 October 2013 at 11:00 pm

    ” I am not sure why you are turning against Slater.”
    He is the story because he claimed in releasing the story that his agenda was not one with a political motivation.
    As this has unravelled it has become clear that both the Slaters father and son, Weggee and Palino are all heavily involved with this matter.The story has moved on as they do and what has become clear today is that the Slaters, Wegge, Palino have all manupulated this woman who her self, has been shown to have questionable motives. In releasing this story all of the above have shown that they will lie for their own purpose. Brown on the other hand has admitted his role faced the music and for that people will give him credit.
    Also it appears in the face of blackmail has stood strong and is facing the conseqences of his actions.

    I personally did not vote for him and have been and remain critical of his lack of fortitude in not backing the Portside workers, but I think having his adult daughters support him in the role as Mayor like they have speaks volumes and they have been amazing. I hope Len can repair his relationship with his wife. I also think the Minister who stood in the mayoralty race has shown true Christian values towards Len Brown and it just goes to show their are some good people in this world.
    Cameron Slater however has proven once again that he indeed is scum.

  14. Pascal's bookie 14
    19 October 2013 at 11:54 pm

    Wegege.

    Now there’s a guy who has had a bad week. has he said anything since he lied about knowing anything?

    Whale has prob been in touch with him, but he’s getting run over again and again and again.

    Dude should do a mea culpa. Come completely clean and lay it all out.

    • Huginn 14.1
      19 October 2013 at 11:56 pm

      Dude should talk to his lawyer.

    • Chooky 14.2
      20 October 2013 at 8:01 pm

      @ Pascal’s Bookie…my teenagers used to talk about wedgeys ….but I never understood them….I think it was something rude …so I didnt inquire further ….there are some words like “douche bag ” that one doesn’t want to know about

      Maybe Baldrick would know …

  15. Huginn 15
    19 October 2013 at 11:55 pm

    Has anyone asked Len Brown whether anyone tried to blackmail him?

  16. tricldrown 16
    20 October 2013 at 12:26 am

    Palino is obviously being advised by Key and Banks.
    I don’t remember.
    Tea any one!

  17. Philgwellington Wellington 17
    20 October 2013 at 6:19 am

    Xxx
    So much conjecture. Why don’t we use our state sanctioned spy network to find out the answers? Eh, JK?

  18. Paul 18
    20 October 2013 at 7:03 am

    “Holes in Wewege’s shining CV”
    Seems Mr Wewege is not the man he claims to be.
    Don’t this right win group of conspirators seem such a nice bunch?
    Wewege, Slater snr, Slater jar, Palino….

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11142967

    • AsleepWhileWalking 18.1
      20 October 2013 at 7:57 am

      ^^
      //
      Hamish Price said he warned Palino against the idea of Wewege writing policy.

      “I said Luigi has a reputation for having issues with women, young women in particular.

      “That has been evident in the National Party: he was pulled aside and spoken to about it, his behaviour didn’t change and he was shunted out as a result.”

      .
      This just keeps getting better and better.

  19. Ad 19
    20 October 2013 at 7:22 am

    You are wasting your time on Whaleoil’s success. He is really good at what he does. Criticising him for not playing by rules in a journalistic world long since devoid of rules is meaningless.

    We need to get back to debating the agenda of the Council. At the moment, the Council will lose its Chief Executive within months, has lost its Head of Communications, head of Legal, and (if a successful CE candidate) their Chief Financial Officer. It is highly likely to lose more. Like it or not, the staff at Council are a whole lot more powerful than these politicians who meet very occasionally.

    We also currently have a Council with no Committee structure, no Committee delegations, and no functioning democracy at all. Five of the new Council are brand new and either have no Council experience or none playing at this level.

    This is for steering an entity far larger in its assets than Fonterra.

    We have a Unitary Plan preparing for public hearings which the Government has determining it will select the Commissioners for.

    We have Cabinet decisions coming down the pipeline that will currently greatly expand motorway investment and do very little for public transport.

    You people are obsessed with the media when the policy content and all the other players underneath the Council that will make it happen are far more at risk. Change your viewfinder quickly.

    • karol 19.1
      20 October 2013 at 8:09 am

      There are all very good issues to be debated in there. And man of us will continue to write and talk about them. But also, Slater in conjunction with some parts of the MSM have been dragging politics into the gutter. But we need an MSM that is more cautious and analytic in the way it picks up on such stories from the minute they hit the public arena. Some journalists are finally getting there, but overall the MSM needs to raise it’s game.

      Yes, I want issues of the structure of the council reviewed under the next Labour-led government.

      Slater’s agenda

      However, Slater has made himself part of a politically motivated story. He used it immediately to call for Brown’s resignation. He lied by omission, hiding the role a member of Palino’s campaign in pushing the story. Slater originally claimed that Chuang came to him with the story, as if it was all her own idea and initiative. In fact Wewege was the person who came to him with the story.

      It is also an important issue that Palino-Wewege-Slater (the younger, maybe also the elder) have sought to undermine democracy with a bag of dirty tricks.

      Politics as GAME – and the MSM

      For future reference, in case of Slater’s future use of his blog, it’s important to note that nothing he says can be taken at face value. He see politics as a “game” like rugby, where you can play dirty as long as the ref (or the TV cameras) don’t catch you. Slater plays it as a game in which he does care who cares hurt.

      On the bigger picture, this treatment of politics as game, is all part of the capitalist diversionary system. For me, politics about arrangements for society to be the best it can be for all people who live in it. it’s not a game. It’s about people’s lives.

      The way the MSM presents politics as game, further undermines people’s trust in politicians, and cause people to disconnect from politics and voting. It damages us all.

    • Saarbo 19.2
      20 October 2013 at 8:12 am

      Fair point

      Why will the council lose its CEO within months?

      • Ad 19.2.1
        20 October 2013 at 10:50 am

        Because the old one did not seek re-appointment and there is already and shortlist for the new one.

    • karol 19.3
      20 October 2013 at 8:14 am

      Whaleoil’s success. He is really good at what he does.

      bwahahahahahh.

      Citation’s please.

      How’s this story working out for the sleazy one, now people are waking up to what his, Wewege’s and Palino’s game?

      • Ad 19.3.1
        20 October 2013 at 10:51 am

        Far and away higher rated site by hit count than this one or DailyBlog. Success in media is ratings.

        • Rogue Trooper 19.3.1.1
          20 October 2013 at 1:10 pm

          Yep

        • karol 19.3.1.2
          21 October 2013 at 8:30 am

          Yes, the focus on ratings is one of the things that undermines the quality of the media, especially the news media.

          From past discussions of WO’s ratings, that measure of success is based on his attention getting content and on including things that attract offshore hits for reasons other than politics or news.

          SO not very relevant to a successful as a political and/or current events site. But in keeping with someone who sees politics as a “dirty, disgusting, despicable game”. Winning is all, doesn’t matter that it provides little positive benefit to NZ or the digital mediascape.

          however, thanks to this latest own goal, more Kiwis are getting to see what he is like.

    • BM 19.4
      20 October 2013 at 8:23 am

      I agree

      Whale’s really starting to carve out a niche within the media landscape,I’d say he’s going to break a ton more scoops over the next few years.
      This really is just the start

      You’ve got a story you want told, you go see the whale.

      • Paul 19.4.1
        20 October 2013 at 8:25 am

        Please go there and don’t come back.

      • karol 19.4.2
        20 October 2013 at 8:33 am

        You’ve got a story you want told, you go see the whale.

        Yes people will be lining up now they see how the whole thing can splatter back all over themselves.

        • BM 19.4.2.1
          20 October 2013 at 8:44 am

          Not at all.
          Because Slater was the only one willing to turn up and discuss what went on, he got to set the scene and pretty much control and deny any wrong doings

          People have tired off the whole Len Brown thing, all they remember is

          Len Brown wanked off on the phone
          Len is a 4/10 in the sack
          Len Brown lasts two minutes
          Len Brown was rooting around in the council chambers
          Len Brown gave his Asian girlfriend the clap.

          All this other conspiracy nonsense is just tedious beltway stuff that no one is particularly interested in.

          • ScottGN 19.4.2.1.1
            20 October 2013 at 8:58 am

            And yet in spite of all of that, all the polling (apart from an early vox pop in the online Herald) shows that people don’t think Len should resign and if he did they’d want him to stand again so they can re-elect him as mayor. So you’d have to conclude that whatever aims Cameron Slater, Palino and Luigi et al had wanted out of this has failed.

            • BM 19.4.2.1.1.1
              20 October 2013 at 9:05 am

              Cameron Slaters aim was to increase his reader ship, getting a million and half page views over two days is a really impressive effort.

              He ain’t the loser, he’s the biggest winner out of this whole affair by a country mile.

              • Te Reo Putake …
                20 October 2013 at 10:28 am

                “Meanwhile, Cook revealed that he did the story for free, as Cameron Slater of Whale Oil had no money to pay him.”

              • pollywog …
                20 October 2013 at 10:32 am

                The thing is, no one gives a shit about page views. In the general scheme of things, it’s irrelevant.

                Slater wins teh internet..big fucking deal!

                • BM …
                  20 October 2013 at 10:40 am

                  Yes it is, if you’re trying to make money off your blog.
                  There’s two main types of advertising, click through and page view.

                  • pollywog …
                    20 October 2013 at 11:10 am

                    Internet advertising is the biggest con going round.

                    Scamming companies for revenue that doesn’t exist in the real world.

                • Ad …
                  20 October 2013 at 10:55 am

                  You really think commentators would have run a successful campaign to change the entire Labour leadership if we didn’t have the hit count? Seriously, hits matter in both income and public impact. Ask any internet company in the world.

                  • pollywog …
                    20 October 2013 at 11:13 am

                    You really think commentators would have run a successful campaign to change the entire Labour leadership if we didn’t have the hit count?

                    Yes.

          • Te Reo Putake 19.4.2.1.2
            20 October 2013 at 9:09 am

            People have tired off the whole Len Brown thing, all they remember is …. how Brown was correct when he said it was a rightwing beat up.

            Brown is going to be fine and the issue has moved on to the nasty party and its acolytes. This has turned out to be the biggest own goal in NZ local government history. Brown can keep on being re-elected mayor as long as he fancies the job. Palino, on the other hand, has learned that trusting Cameron Slater is a career ending move.

            • BM 19.4.2.1.2.1
              20 October 2013 at 9:18 am

              People have tired off the whole Len Brown thing, all they remember is …. how Brown was correct when he said it was a rightwing beat up.

              Maybe in your cloistered little world.

              Also I find it hard to believe Len Brown said this is all a right wing beatup, what paper quoted that ?

              The guys a complete dick but he wouldn’t be that dumb to say that.

              • Paul …
                20 October 2013 at 9:25 am

                You are such a good debater.
                Personal insults seems to be your trade mark.
                Are you chris73?

              • Te Reo Putake …
                20 October 2013 at 9:30 am

                Campbell Live, BM.

                • BM …
                  20 October 2013 at 9:48 am

                  When?.
                  I thought he’d only been on Campbell live once, way before all this other non issue stuff came out.

              • Anne …
                20 October 2013 at 10:33 am

                Interesting BM because Michelle Boag and Matt McCarten have both agreed on Q&A that it appears to be exactly that – a right wing beat up. Boag made it clear that the “National Party” was in no way involved and that will be right. It doesn’t surprise me that the Slaters/Palinos of this world are equally despised by the National Party hierarchy – and most of their supporters – as they are by the rest of us.

                This was a well timed revelation by Brown’s local body foes to bring him down AFTER the election but BEFORE he was sworn in – something Standardistas have been saying for days now.

                • Pascal's bookie …
                  20 October 2013 at 2:16 pm

                  The comments from Boag and McCarten are just wrong though.

                  It wouldn’t mean Palino would win if Brown resigned before being sworn in.

                  How could it?

                  Think of it this way. What would he be resigning from? His position as mayor that he was holding due to winning the previous election.

                  We have had an election, but the mayor has not been sworn in, some the day to swear the new mayor in, it is the person who won the election, which would be Brown. there is no mechanism for swearing in Palino as second place getter, whether or not Brown resigned.

                  • Tat Loo …
                    20 October 2013 at 3:17 pm

                    Yep. Graeme Edgeler confirms.

                    http://publicaddress.net/8861

                    …both former National Party President Michelle Boag and Unite Union head Matt McCarten made the claim that if Len Brown was to resign before before sworn in for his second term as mayor of Auckland City, that the second-placed candidate would be declared elected and be sworn in.

                    This is false.

                    Whatever the reason any New Zealand mayor-elect may not take up office, the result is a by-election. If a mayor (or councillor) leaves office during the term, there is a by-election unless there are less than 12 months to the next full council election.

                    If a mayor-elect dies, or is disqualified between the vote and the swearing in, there is a by-election. The runner-up can never simply assume the office of mayor. The Local Electoral Act simply does not allow it. I suppose it could. But as that would be really really stupid, it doesn’t.

                • Pascal's bookie …
                  20 October 2013 at 2:18 pm

                  I think the plan was only thought out to the point of getting Brown to resign.

                  If Palino and the right could be kept out of the scandal, then they felt they’d have a better shot in an election against whoever on the left ran in place of Brown.

                  • Anne …
                    20 October 2013 at 3:06 pm

                    I think the plan was only thought out to the point of getting Brown to resign.

                    Probably correct, but they seem to have decided it would be easier to force him to resign before he was sworn-in. Hence the urgency to get it out into the open last week.

                • veutoviper …
                  20 October 2013 at 2:26 pm

                  As PB states in his reply, according to Graeme Edgeler on Public Address, Boag and McCarten were wrong in stating on Q & A that Palino would win if Brown stood down now. Edgeler provides the legal provisions which would require a by-election to be held.

                  http://publicaddress.net/legalbeagle/fact-check-qa-on-mayoral-resignations/

          • tricledrown 19.4.2.1.3
            20 October 2013 at 11:48 am

            Boorish Misogynist
            you forgot the cheap undies
            the breach of privacy
            slaters and chaungs criminal convictions for braking the laws around others privacy!

          • Murray Olsen 19.4.2.1.4
            20 October 2013 at 7:57 pm

            That might be all you remember, BM. The rest of us have grey matter which functions at a slightly higher level. Len Brown is getting more support than ever, and people who had never heard of your guru now know what a sleazy scumbag he is. Not a bad unintended result of Slugboy and Wee Wedgy’s master plan.

            • felix 19.4.2.1.4.1
              20 October 2013 at 8:29 pm

              “people who had never heard of your guru now know what a sleazy scumbag he is”

              That’s the funniest part. Slater is such a delusional egomaniac that he actually believes Mr&Mrs Kiwi are watching him on telly for the first time and thinking “yeah, seems legit”.

              Hey Cam, ever wonder why Simon never wants to front any of these disasters himself?

            • Rogue Trooper 19.4.2.1.4.2
              20 October 2013 at 8:33 pm

              yes, watched some MSM commentary that Len is the one exiting the mud-bath smelling the freshest. (maybe of jasmine).

        • Paul 19.4.2.2
          20 October 2013 at 8:53 am

          DFTT

  20. Te Reo Putake 20
    20 October 2013 at 9:43 am

    It just gets worse for the right; another blackmail attempt comes to light. I hear Cameron is offering to play the Role of Mayor Brown in the film:

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/9304633/Reporter-offers-Chuang-porn-star-role

    • IrishBill 20.1
      20 October 2013 at 10:15 am

      I think the interesting part of that story is that Cook and Slater have realised the damage they’ve done to themselves and are now desperately trying to pin it on Wewege. I wonder how much about him is now being leaked to the media to scapegoat him.

      Frankly if I were Wewege I’d be talking to the media right now because pretty soon it’ll be too late.

      • muzza 20.1.1
        20 October 2013 at 10:40 am

        Even if he did go to the media, who is going to give a toss about any political damage done to Wewege, it’s already too late for him anyway.

        He could, assuming he has anything noteworthy to sling into the open forum about the Palino/Slater Jnr/Snr/Brewer, that could be worth hearing about, right before Wewege puts himself on the plane, and leaves NZ,

        This country does not need these types of people, but we get what we deserve I guess!

    • veutoviper 20.2
      20 October 2013 at 10:16 am

      And another Herald article today (in addition to those that have already been linked to) with a slightly different slant.

      Because of the title (“scenes of a sex scandal”) of this article by Bevan Hurley, I did not read it initially. But after a para or two on the “scenes”, it gives a perspective and an interesting timeline of contact between Cook and WO, and between Cook and Chuang (and Luigi), which IMO appears to be from Stephen Cook, although it does not state this directly.

      http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11142931

      • IrishBill 20.2.1
        20 October 2013 at 10:22 am

        Yep. Definitely Cook/Slater trying to pin it on their mate. They’re getting desperate.

    • QoT 20.3
      20 October 2013 at 10:26 am

      Oh my fucking god. He’s literally suggesting putting a “source” into a soft porn film and Stuff ARE STILL CALLING HIM A FUCKING JOURNALIST. We are so fucking doomed.

    • Blue 20.4
      20 October 2013 at 2:04 pm

      Ugh. I didn’t think this could get any worse, but apparently it can. Cook and Slater really have no idea when to draw the line and stop. That’s just sick.

      The right wing in this country are out of control and now everyone can see what filthy, scum-sucking perverted little grubs they are.

      If anyone thought Len Brown having an extramarital affair was bad, well, they’ve seen how much worse Brown’s accusers are.

  21. greywarbler 21
    20 October 2013 at 10:10 am

    How sad that the Slater parents, (an unfortunate surname in the circumstances, slaters revel in feeding on rotting matter) couldn’t bring their child up to be a happy, healthy, good person who would then have not turned into the unpleasant unhappy person living an unpleasant life that Cameron Slater has now.

    Past events underline that – from Wikipedia (which I have just looked at, so note if such entries disappear). On the weekend of 29−30 May 2010, Slater and his wife lost their home after their income insurance provider, Fidelity Insurance, stopped payments for depression. His wife said that Slater has been living with clinical depression and has “…no thought of the consequences for himself or others or indeed his family”.[10]
    In 2012 a newspaper article claimed that Slater had a brief extra-marital affair based on an affidavit made in an unrelated court case.

    In most of the wealthy NACT households I believe that there will be at least one family member struggling with personal issues despite all their fortunate opportunities for having had a good upbringing in comfortable circumstances. Despite their supposedly good role models of parents with their usual higher income and opportunities to give the best care, loving family life with good moral instruction and smart education.

    Instead the materialistic and negative thinking style of the nouveau riche and upper class has led to unhappiness, obssessive and addictive behaviours with the main interest on appearance and style and competition in everything. Setting goals for winning more for yourself is the life motorway to follow, life pathways are not sufficient aspiration. And when you can’t get your goal, then knee-capping others who have succeeded in winning that contested thing, offsets the anger and envy of the loser. Win at all costs! Individualism rules. Okay.

    • Chooky 21.1
      20 October 2013 at 11:55 am

      +1 greywarbler…wise bird

    • Naturesong 21.2
      20 October 2013 at 5:05 pm

      I’m pretty certain that the Cameron Slater I went to school with (Auckland Normal Intermediate in 1980/81) is the same guy.

      He wasn’t overweight as a kid, nor was he loud and obnoxious, got on ok with most of the other kids. Ordinary middle class pakeha growing up in Auckland.

      I wonder what happened to turn him into the malicious, nasty little man he is today.

  22. appleboy 22
    20 October 2013 at 10:29 am

    BM – what a foul mind on display. Your every post on this site seeps with a nasty creepiness. God knows you can’t have a partner in your life. No one would stand for such a vile person.

  23. lurgee 23
    20 October 2013 at 10:34 am

    Has to be said, when it comes to playing dirty, no-one does it like the right. They don’t stop at dirty tricks, smears and manipulation of their opponents. That would be expected. They do it to their own, with out qualm.

    Consider: Kim Dotcom tried to buy his way into influence, with generous donations to John Banks. In reply, the right set the police on him, froze his assets and destroyed his business. Bevan Chuang fought to represent the right in Auckalnd; when they failled, they switched to Plan B and used her affair with Len Brown as a means to attack him, in the meantime destroying Chuang’s credibility and budding political career.

    And now Jock Anderson has been wolved by the NBR for daring to suggest that Len Brown should get on with his job. Apparently, that’s not neutral and unbiased.

    Friends like these, and all that …

  24. Ad 24
    20 October 2013 at 11:02 am

    A question for you all: should the Labour leader call on John Key to commit to repudiate the use of all tactics that seek to use sex and candidates personal lives as part of a national campaign?

    Or if it’s entirely best for Cunliffe not to comment, should the President of the Labour Party put out a similar signal?, and call the National party leadership out?

    Or is the higher ground not worth the effort of trying to reach? That’s not a rhetorical question.

    • Varity 24.1
      20 October 2013 at 11:50 am

      certainly not! he’s too busy doing real work to get caught up in this crap. that’s how it should stay too.

    • Chooky 24.2
      20 October 2013 at 12:09 pm

      @ Ad…..On the issue of “higher ground”:

      …depends on whether politicians intimate lives also involve corruption

      ..ie are they being indiscreet about sensitive matters which compromise their professional job?

      …are they being covertly or overtly blackmailed or swayed by vested interests?

      …..eg. are their intimate associates “innocent” or not…( character? criminal record? nature of former criminal and professional activities..which could make them a risk?)

      ….are their intimate associates being ‘handled’ by outside vested interests …..which are not the interests of the politician and/or the people he/she was elected to serve?

      ….these are all very legitimate concerns of the public and the media.. a necessary safeguard against corruption.

  25. North 25
    20 October 2013 at 11:03 am

    Jesus H. Christ ! – “SlaterPorn” now seems spookily prescient.

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/9304633/Reporter-offers-Chuang-porn-star-role

  26. Pascal's bookie 26
    20 October 2013 at 11:04 am

    Well, when even the kiwblog commenters have largely given up the ghost on the Brown side of this mess, and started taking sides and threatening each other on behalf of Whale or Boag, then I think it’s fair to say this is pretty much a scandal about rightwing fuckwits now:

    http://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2013/10/truth_is_stranger_than_fiction.html#comments

    • Anne 26.1
      20 October 2013 at 11:52 am

      Thanks for that Pb. Very amusing. They don’t like Michelle Boag up em do they! Whaleoil is on the crest of a defamation case against him, and a commenter by the name of “CuriousGeorge” is trying to knock a bit of sense into them but failing miserably. Hilarious.

    • halfcrown 26.2
      20 October 2013 at 12:12 pm

      I had a look at that Pb, the bit that made me laugh was a tit calling the Herald “left wing” and they should all stop buying it. You would think Pravda or RT were writing the Herald

      Getting back to the Brown affair, The bit that really gets me is that Brown has been so naive and has let the left down. One would think he would have been wide awake to the filth on the right like W.O. who were gunning for him ever since he beat their lover boy Banks in the first Super Shitty Mayoralty election.
      One would have thought that he would have made sure that he was super squeaky clean avoiding giving these arseholes any ammunition.

      I feel sorry for his wife and daughters, The likes of BM should realise although one does not condone Brown’s actions,(the man’s a bloody idiot after seeing his lovely wife and daughters), if having a “bit on the side” which he hasn’t denied, has not affected his running of the council so what. Better than having an alleged fraudster in charge.

    • karol 26.3
      20 October 2013 at 6:05 pm

      Interesting. I wonder if Judith Collins will begin to distance herself from WO now?

      National Party factions could get bitter if the polls keep dropping.

  27. Brett Dale 27
    20 October 2013 at 11:06 am

    Karol:

    I dont like slater as much as the next guy, the only thing we agree on is the support for gay
    marriage.

    But why did you use that picture?

    You seem to be having a dig at his looks?

    His physical appearance means nothing.

    So hes fat and unshaven and looks angry in that picture, if he was good looking would you think more of him?

    A couple of days ago, people here complained of the picture used of Ms Chaung.

    Are the same people going to complain about the use of this picture?

    • Te Reo Putake 27.1
      20 October 2013 at 11:11 am

      I thought it was quite flattering, Brett. I wondered if it had been airbrushed to make him look more human.

      • muzza 27.1.1
        20 October 2013 at 11:26 am

        Voice, thanks for the chortle, I thought it was a rather flattering shot myself…

        Brett, stand down faux moral crusader!

        • Brett Dale 27.1.1.1
          20 October 2013 at 12:07 pm

          Muzza:

          Just making a point about hypocrisy.

          • fender 27.1.1.1.1
            20 October 2013 at 12:21 pm

            You haven’t made the “point about hypocrisy” you believe you have made Brett.

            It’s a picture of Slater, that is what he looks like. It’s there to accompany an article about what him and his cronies have been up to. If you think it unflattering you should ask him nicely to get a makeover.

            • Brett Dale 27.1.1.1.1.1
              20 October 2013 at 1:43 pm

              Fender:

              yet everybody was up in arms about the picture used of Chuang.

              • fender …
                20 October 2013 at 2:08 pm

                “yet everybody was up in arms about the picture used of Chuang.”

                I must have missed that, would you be able to link to that please?

                • QoT …
                  20 October 2013 at 7:40 pm

                  There was a lot of negative feedback to Stuff, in particular, for going with a shot of Chuang in a pink lolita-style dress.

                  TV3 has also been using footage from a photoshoot in which Chaung is in a corset.

                  Of course the point which Brett is missing, as usual, is that those images of Chuang were deliberately chosen to emphasise a racist/sexist narrative about Asian women. And a photo of Cameron Slater in which he doesn’t look like Tom Cruise is merely “a photo of Cameron Slater”.

                  • fender …
                    20 October 2013 at 8:20 pm

                    Tnx for articulating what the Leaky Pail couldn’t 😉

                    He’s too busy complaining about how un-photogenic Slater is..

                  • Brett Dale …
                    21 October 2013 at 11:45 am

                    QOT:

                    No, that photo was picked to make him look even more sleazy.

                    • QoT …
                      21 October 2013 at 7:38 pm

                      No it wasn’t, Brett, as has already been clearly explained to you.

                      Go on. Prove us wrong and find a more “flattering” picture of Cameron Slater.

                      Oh wait, that would involve using Google to back up your statements, and I forgot you’re allergic.

                  • Ennui …
                    21 October 2013 at 8:03 pm

                    Chang obviously put on the corset…..and a pink Lolita style dress (your testimony). Do you think she chose to do this for the camera, or does a girl just get up in the morning and say “well its hot today so…”?

                    So who is kidding who? Who is pulling the strings? Fekked if I can tell. And the racist sexist narrative, seen a great pic of Sophia Loren wearing one of those things. I’m sure she did not just get up in the morning ad choose it. Could be standard Italian attire, who knows?

                    PS Tom Cruise doesn’t look like Whale, even Whale would find starring in Officer and Gentleman far too extreme right wing a thing.

              • Pascal's bookie …
                20 October 2013 at 2:20 pm

                What’s wrong with the Slater picture?

                If you wanted to make him look like a sleazy shit, there are plenty of better ones around.

    • karol 27.2
      20 October 2013 at 5:36 pm

      Brett, I’d actually prefer not to look at that photo. He at least has tended to shave lately.

      However, of the photos available, that one most suited the content of my post – especially the caption. The caption mainly decided me to use it.

      • Brett Dale 27.2.1
        20 October 2013 at 7:08 pm

        Karol:

        Even if you think he has no morals and is a sleaze Jounro who scraps the bottom of the barrel, to use a photo of him just because he looks gross in it, is somewhat of a cheap shot of his physical appearance.

        • QoT 27.2.1.1
          20 October 2013 at 7:43 pm

          Okay, Brett, you find a flattering picture of him then. I’ve even done half the work for you:
          http://lmgtfy.com/?q=cameron+slater+photos

        • felix 27.2.1.2
          20 October 2013 at 8:51 pm

          Brett, I don’t get it. What’s wrong with using a photo of Slater?

          He’s not Mohammed. He’s not a vampire. What’s the problem?

        • Murray Olsen 27.2.1.3
          20 October 2013 at 8:53 pm

          I’ve never seen a photo of SlugBoy where he didn’t look gross. It’s like you’re asking us to take a photo of the sea where it doesn’t look wet.

        • karol 27.2.1.4
          20 October 2013 at 8:58 pm

          Brett – did you read what I said above? I chose it mostly for the caption, because it fits with the content of my post. Did you read the post?

          And please don’t make assumptions about why I chose something when you have absolutely no evidence of what i was thinking.

  28. tricledrown 28
    20 October 2013 at 11:37 am

    John Palino’s early press release today now already altered had some very snide back handers in it I’m not convinced how he can not of known, keyesk style denials choosing word very carefully

  29. cricklewood 29
    20 October 2013 at 11:39 am

    I wonder in light of all this and Lens inexplicable compliance around that filthy pokies for convention centre deal. If he had bee accepting complimentary rooms for is dalliance from sky city and they have been leaning on him… hope this deal isnt going through because the mayor became comprimised and unable or unwilling to come out strongly against the deal.

    • tricledrown 29.1
      20 October 2013 at 11:52 am

      Crikie len would then be able to become leader of the ACT party gazumping Dirty old Don Brash on the bedroomstakes and dodgy Banks on illegal donations!

  30. Lan 30
    20 October 2013 at 11:47 am

    I still think, that major players being of various nationalities (parochial view of course) is interesting (does anyone know more about Palino’s origins and background?) and still think there is more going on behind the scenes as it were which will emerge. What do I read into the info that PM Key “did shoulder tap Palino” when the Nats via Michelle Boag claim no involvement in the intrigue? And what was Luigi’s “blackmail”? From the psychological point of view the Slater blog does give the MSM a baseline (and very base, too) for catering to public opinion? What’s in it for Mr Palino, when he describes himself as a simple entrepreneur and minor celebrity on TV or wherever? Why would he want to be stuck in the mostly tedious committee-world of local government ? Still find whole thing weird.

  31. North 31
    20 October 2013 at 12:05 pm

    “A married man who has campaigned on his family values and thrust his photogenic wife and daughters into the spotlight……..”

    .http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11142935

    That’s Mrs Kerre McIvor in the Sunday Herald today.

    Yeah Mrs Kerre that’s not untrue. But I heard long ago (from a right-winger akshully), as have heaps of people, bet you have too, of a high profile National Party incumbent whose vaunted family values (as photographically reflected in his flyers and hoardings) are a bit of a joke – given his essential proclivities.

    Would you Mrs Kerre like to see some SlaterPorn attached to that high profile National Party incumbent ? Or would it be more mature to do as you’ve probably done yourself many times – sigh or giggle or tut tut tut then move along – reserving it only for studied sotto voce telling late in the evening when lips are loose at the fabulous dinner parties of your wont.

    It’s a double-edged sword Mrs Kerre. Please don’t sink into the hectoring we all know you’re capable of. There are BMWs, and Audis and other smart conveyances noisily backfiring all over the leafy suburbs.

  32. Rogue Trooper 32
    20 October 2013 at 2:46 pm

    Lazy. Dirty Dogs don’t eyeball the sheep.

  33. Ron 33
    20 October 2013 at 11:01 pm

    I am so glad that Slater senior has proclaimed nothing to do with the Brown business and that he would never be involved in anything like that. Can someone with a better memory than me refresh us all on the National Party Presidency row when Slater was contesting against Neville (forgotten his last name) There was quite a to do within the National ranks over that contest.

  34. Sable 34
    21 October 2013 at 10:07 am

    Personally I find the whole thing pretty funny. Its like watching monkeys throwing crap at each other at the zoo. Slater is a journalistic absurdity but not more so than the so called mainstream journalists in this country. It’s good comedy if nothing else.

  35. captain hook 35
    21 October 2013 at 12:18 pm

    the fact of the matter is that scumblog slater is just a piece of shit with delusions of grandeur.
    strange but true.

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    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Vandrad the Viking, Christopher Coombes, and Literary Archaeology

    Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell On The Biden Withdrawal

    History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    5 days ago
  • Joe Biden's withdrawal puts the spotlight back on Kamala and the USA's complicated relatio...

    This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    5 days ago
  • Why we have to challenge our national fiscal assumptions

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    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Existential Crisis and Damaged Brains

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    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • A speed limit is not a target, and yet…

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    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #29

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    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago
  • I'd like to share what I did this weekend

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    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • For the children – Why mere sentiment can be a misleading force in our lives, and lead to unex...

    National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Order image, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • A friend in uncertain times

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    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • The Chaotic World of Male Diet Influencers

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    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • It's Starting To Look A Lot Like… Y2K

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    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Bernard’s Saturday Soliloquy for the week to July 20

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    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Pharmac Director, Climate Change Commissioner, Health NZ Directors – The latest to quit this m...

    Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 week ago
  • Flooding Housing Policy

    The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 week ago
  • A Voyage Among the Vandals: Accepted (Again!)

    As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā's Chorus for Friday, July 19

    An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Roundup 19-July-2024

    Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Climate Wrap: A market-led plan for failure

    TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Tobacco First

    Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Trump’s Adopted Son.

    Waiting In The Wings: For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSA announced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago

  • Joint statement from the Prime Ministers of Canada, Australia and New Zealand

    Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue.  We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    18 hours ago
  • AG reminds institutions of legal obligations

    Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago
  • More young people learning about digital safety

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views.  “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago
  • Speech to the Conference for General Practice 2024

    Tēnā tātou katoa,  Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    24 hours ago
  • Employers and payroll providers ready for tax changes

    New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts.  “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Experimental vineyard futureproofs wine industry

    An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Funding confirmed for regions affected by North Island Weather Events

    The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Indonesian Foreign Minister to visit

    Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.   “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Strengthening partnership with Ngāti Maniapoto

    He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Transport Minister thanks outgoing CAA Chair

    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Test for Customary Marine Title being restored

    The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says.  “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Opposition united in bad faith over ECE sector review

    Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet.  “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Kiwis having their say on first regulatory review

    After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks.  “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government upgrading Lower North Island commuter rail

    The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government moves to ensure flood protection for Wairoa

    Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • PM speech to Parliament – Royal Commission of Inquiry’s Report into Abuse in Care

    Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care.  At the heart of this report are the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government acknowledges torture at Lake Alice

    For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government acknowledges courageous abuse survivors

    The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Half a million people use tax calculator

    With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis.  “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Paid Parental Leave improvements pass first reading

    Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Rebuilding the economy through better regulation

    Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • ‘Open banking’ and ‘open electricity’ on the way

    New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Charity lotteries to be permitted to operate online

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Accelerating Northland Expressway

    The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Sir Don to travel to Viet Nam as special envoy

    Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.    “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Grant Illingworth KC appointed as transitional Commissioner to Royal Commission

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024.  “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ to advance relationships with ASEAN partners

    Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane.    “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says.   “This will be our third visit to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Backing mental health services on the West Coast

    Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ support for sustainable Pacific fisheries

    New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Students’ needs at centre of new charter school adjustments

    Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Commissioner replaces Health NZ Board

    In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today.  “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister to speak at Australian Space Forum

    Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum.  While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation.  “New Zealand has a thriving space ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Climate Change Minister to attend climate action meeting in China

    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will travel to China on Saturday to attend the Ministerial on Climate Action meeting held in Wuhan.  “Attending the Ministerial on Climate Action is an opportunity to advocate for New Zealand climate priorities and engage with our key partners on climate action,” Mr Watts says. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Oceans and Fisheries Minister to Solomons

    Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is travelling to the Solomon Islands tomorrow for meetings with his counterparts from around the Pacific supporting collective management of the region’s fisheries. The 23rd Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee and the 5th Regional Fisheries Ministers’ Meeting in Honiara from 23 to 26 July ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Government launches Military Style Academy Pilot

    The Government today launched the Military Style Academy Pilot at Te Au rere a te Tonga Youth Justice residence in Palmerston North, an important part of the Government’s plan to crackdown on youth crime and getting youth offenders back on track, Minister for Children, Karen Chhour said today. “On the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Nine priority bridge replacements to get underway

    The Government has welcomed news the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has begun work to replace nine priority bridges across the country to ensure our state highway network remains resilient, reliable, and efficient for road users, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“Increasing productivity and economic growth is a key priority for the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Update on global IT outage

    Acting Prime Minister David Seymour has been in contact throughout the evening with senior officials who have coordinated a whole of government response to the global IT outage and can provide an update. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has designated the National Emergency Management Agency as the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • New Zealand, Japan renew Pacific partnership

    New Zealand and Japan will continue to step up their shared engagement with the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.    “New Zealand and Japan have a strong, shared interest in a free, open and stable Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says.    “We are pleased to be finding more ways ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • New infrastructure energises BOP forestry towns

    New developments in the heart of North Island forestry country will reinvigorate their communities and boost economic development, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones visited Kaingaroa and Kawerau in Bay of Plenty today to open a landmark community centre in the former and a new connecting road in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • 'Pacific Futures'

    President Adeang, fellow Ministers, honourable Diet Member Horii, Ambassadors, distinguished guests.    Minasama, konnichiwa, and good afternoon, everyone.    Distinguished guests, it’s a pleasure to be here with you today to talk about New Zealand’s foreign policy reset, the reasons for it, the values that underpin it, and how it ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

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