Reality has a left wing bias

Written By: - Date published: 10:22 am, May 20th, 2021 - 54 comments
Categories: act, chris hipkins, colonialism, david seymour, education, racism - Tags:

Fresh from a claim that the Ministry of Education is trying to persuade kids not to eat home made lunches, David Seymour has taken aim at a new target, a radical education policy that intends to teach our kids about racism and inequality and what has happened in the country’s past.

From the Act website:

“The Government needs to explain why a new education programme is teaching primary school children about ‘white privilege’”, says ACT Leader David Seymour.

“The promise of our country is to value each person as we find them and value their human dignity without prejudice. A policy that asks children to apologise for their colour is the worst form of bigotry. Dressing it up as anti-racism is hypocrisy.

“Every human shares 99.9 percent of their DNA. Government policy should focus on our common humanity and the challenges we each face as we go through life, instead of racially profiling children.

“What are teachers supposed to say to a ‘white’ child who may have no money or food at home, be abused, face a learning challenge, or any other challenge? How is it that their colour makes them privileged regardless of their individual circumstances?

“The Government’s latest attempt to push its version of the Treaty and co-governance in education is Te Hurihanganui, a programme being introduced in schools in Te Puke, Wellington, Nelson and Southland.

“The programme has a radical goal: transformative changes to “indigenise” and “decolonise” the education system.

“New Zealand children deserve a positive and inclusive education. No child should have to be apologetic about their creed or colour.

The statement refers to, shock horror, students learning about imbalance of power, racism and white privilege.  Weirdly Seymour acknowledges that “Māori do face worse social and economic outcomes across the board.”  But he does not want our children to learn about this or be able to question the reasons why.

For different reasons an expert authority also thinks that teaching kids about the effects of colonialism is a bad idea.  From John Gerritsen at Radio New Zealand:

An expert panel has warned that compulsory New Zealand history lessons next year could upset some children and lead to difficult classroom discussions.

The panel, convened by the Royal Society of New Zealand to advise the Education Ministry on the the draft Aoteaora New Zealand’s Histories curriculum, also criticised the draft for “overly compacting” the curriculum and omitting major topics including the 600 years of pre-European Māori life.

The new curriculum will be taught to all children from Years 0-10 from next year and is centred on three “big ideas” – Māori history, the impact of colonisation, and the exercise of power.

The expert panel said it strongly supported the intent of the draft, including placing Māori history at its centre.

But it warned that “history can hurt” and schools must take care when introducing the curriculum next year.

“In sites where loss of life and land has taken place, and in learning about legislation that diminished people (the poll tax, for example), there can be hurt extending over time and generations,” it said.

I am sure that teachers are up to the job of presenting these concepts and ideas with sensitivity.  And if we are to stop teaching kids subjects because they are disturbing and confronting then we will also need to stop teaching climate change.

In Parliament Chris Hipkins had the perfect response to the suggestion we should dumb down and sanitise what our kids are taught:

I want to ensure that young people in New Zealand understand all of our history—the good, the bad, and the ugly—and a recognition of the fact that we have passed down, through generations, discrimination that has led to some New Zealanders being disadvantaged in their educational journey, some New Zealanders not receiving the same opportunities as others. If our young people leave school with an understanding of that, that will be a damn good thing.

Seymour is right to think that the teaching of colonialism and inequality is a threat to his party’s support.  And for a party that is holding an event called Honest Conversations it is strange that we should not be having an honest conversation with our young people.

54 comments on “Reality has a left wing bias ”

  1. mac1 1

    Seymour writes, "“Every human shares 99.9 percent of their DNA. Government policy should focus on our common humanity and the challenges we each face as we go through life.

    Absolutely. First question. Why do racists still insist on discriminating on a minor genetic trait-skin colour?

    Second question for Mr Seymour. If good educators should focus on our challenges, why not focus on the challenge that racism brings for both perpetrators of racial discrimination and especially for those discriminated against?

    For we all surely lose.

  2. Anne 2

    An expert panel has warned that compulsory New Zealand history lessons next year could upset some children and lead to difficult classroom discussions.

    An expert panel? Spare me the hand-wringing please!

    What are children made of these days. Marshmallow? What is wrong with telling children the truth. My generation was denied the real story of NZ's history and we have been the poorer for it.

    Imo, this is just another attempt at dumbing down the nation and keeping them ignorant by a bunch of aging pansies who can't handle the truth themselves.

    • Sabine 2.1

      Having gone through a particular history curriculum in Germany i can guarantee you that it will upset some kids. It depends on how you talk about it, what materials you show, etc etc. You are basically telling them that your – their – country is not perfect and free of sin so to speak.

      I think it will be ok, if it is understood that those in the classrooms are not hte ones at fault. And that what is discussed is History, and how to prevent it from being repeated.

      So i do hope that attention is paid to how the material is construction, what age group these history lessons are given too, and how difficult classroom discussions are being handled.

      • Anne 2.1.1

        Good points. Thank-you Sabine.

        Yes, I do recognise the presentation needs to be properly thought through and your personal history would be a prime example.

        Germany didn't try to hide the past behind a brick wall or make excuses for what was done in the country's name. I guess that it couldn't, but the new generations were told the unvarnished truth by the sounds of it and that is always what counts.

  3. Ad 3

    I've seen plenty of older white guys stand on the paepae and choke up after going through lessons on our land wars and afterwards- which they had no idea about from their schooling.

    So I agree there's no point pissing your students off with shaming and stigma either way.

    But the country simply makes a lot more sense when you've learnt a bit of its tragedy, as well as its hope.

  4. Pat 4

    The ability of 'education' to impact belief and action is over rated.

    • greywarshark 4.1

      Pat – citation? I would like to read who said that as I think it is true to some extent. Or could it be that we are all of us different and so some will have to go through the whole Three Stages of Wisdom before understanding, and some be ever untrammelled by learning.

      By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest. https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/confucius_131984

      Some other good quotes attributed to famous people:

      The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark. Michelangelo

      We are what our thoughts have made us; so take care about what you think. Words are secondary. Thoughts live; they travel far. Swami Vivekananda

      Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.
      Napoleon Bonaparte

      He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose. Jim Elliot (clergyman USA died before he was 30)

      Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is God's gift, that's why we call it the present.
      Joan Rivers

      More reflection is what is needed I think. Turn off the television and read, and talk at the dinner table about what is happening in the close and far world, and it would be good to have discussion groups that meet at a cafe each week. Most of us don't do this at all, and so people like Mike Hosko fill the gap.

      • Pat 4.1.1

        It is not a quote, rather an observation…..and self evident.

        The point being that the hopes and fears generated by this policy are unlikely to occur.

        • greywarshark 4.1.1.1

          Well then it is not self evident. The ability of 'education' to impact belief and action is over rated. The advisors to the pollies can't see that it will not be the panacea hoped for. And I think your point is the policy once implemented and not performing the miracles expected, will bring us further in disagreement and exasperation.

          • Pat 4.1.1.1.1

            "And I think your point is the policy once implemented and not performing the miracles expected, will bring us further in disagreement and exasperation."

            Then you have not understood what I wrote.

            It is self evident in that 'education 'to date has not achieved any of its desired behavioural outcomes……which is not a reason to abandon the attempt, only the expectation.

            • Nic the NZer 4.1.1.1.1.1

              Which behavioural outcomes might we have expected from our education in New Zealand history?

              • Pat

                Perhaps you should ask David Seymor that question as he has the concern it is designed to do so.

              • Foreign Waka

                None, because History is generally not thought in schools, only in Universities. The question is whether enough qualified teachers are out there to actually be able to teach the subject.

                History in its wider context is about the development of cultures, expansion of populations from the first finger paints in caves to the most elaborate technological inventions, their expressions of art and language from all countries around the globe.

                How NZ fits within that wider world history and where did the people come from at any time of settlement, what was their background and where are we now.

                NZ has been settled estimated 1280–1320. So parallel to that time, the University of Florence is established, Jews are expelled from France for the third time, Treaty of Paris: Louis I, Count of Flanders relinquishes his claim to Zeeland (Netherlands) etc…

                https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1320s

            • greywarshark 4.1.1.1.1.2

              edit
              Try, try, try again eh. Is it that education has concentrated on vocational training in a loose way, and far too general for young people wanting to enter the work force. So has failed in that, and also in the socialisation part of education that is recognised academically as being of importance, which would affect behavioural outcomes.

              I think we should halve education in general subjects and concentrate on learning skills. We obviously can't all work in the prioritised tech world, and to have large numbers of people who know little else will bring down salaries; a free market supply and demand economic law. Young people at secondary school should be doing job placements, finding out their abilities and preferences instead of being let out of school knowing nothing practical and physical. They will have their on-line abilities still, but know how to look after their body and soul when the tech-masters look past them.

              And how can we get better behavioural outcomes?

              • greywarshark

                edit
                Here is an example of gaining skills at secondary school jobs leading to an opportunity. When readiness and opportunity and being around in your sphere of interest come together that is when you get a job you want.

                https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/afternoons/audio/2018796104/former-elle-editor-on-the-darker-side-of-glamour-magazines

                Justine Cullen spent 5 years as the editor in chief of Elle magazine in Australia….
                Her entry into the world of magazines was a mixture of hard work and an unlikely connection.

                "I had been slaving away at work experience for my entire senior schooling career and I'd show up after holidays and I was just lucky that I was in reach of these magazines…but at the same time I just happened to be dating someone who was very connected in the magazine world."

                Cullen got her first break when her high school boyfriend was asked by an editor to MC an event for a magazine on the same night as her Year 12 formal.
                "The only way that she could get him to do her event instead of coming to my formal was to make me an employee."

              • Pat

                "And how can we get better behavioural outcomes?"

                How indeed.

                "Ministry of Education figures show more than 60,000 students are classified as chronically absent, missing at least three days of school every fortnight. Almost 40 per cent of pupils are not going to school regularly. "

                https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/2018796232/a-truancy-crisis-60-000-students-chronically-absent

                The education system is expected to fulfil functions it is incapable of.

  5. Nic the NZer 5

    Are those of us who question the legitimacy of the concept of 'white privilege' still allowed to consider ourselves left wing?

    I recently saw a debate between two sides being pro and anti CRT. Notably the pro CRT side rejected Robin De Angelo and Ibrahim X Kendi as viable representatives of CRT. Robin De Angelo of course being the leading authority on 'white privilege'.

    • greywarshark 5.1

      For those panting to keep up with changes CRT stands for Critical Race Theory I should think.

      Critical Race Theory, or CRT, is a theoretical and interpretive mode that examines the appearance of race and racism across dominant cultural modes of expression. https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/subject_specific_writing/writing_in_literature/literary_theory_and_schools_of_criticism/critical_race_theory.html

      • Nic the NZer 5.1.1

        Thanks.

        A search for 'A debate on #CriticalRaceTheory' on youtube will find it. Though I thought the Pro-CRT side never presented a version of CRT which they would defend.

    • Stuart Munro 5.2

      The validity of CRT varies somewhat with socioeconomic stratum.

      Middle class and above perhaps – but that bracket that, in the US, is called white trash experience denial of opportunity and discrimination too. I'm not sure I'd want to teach white privilege to disadvantaged white working class children – though in the US where police violence compounds the issue it might make more sense.

      No species of identity politics is the defining character of the left in any case – that would be socioeconomic justice.

    • DS 5.3

      I consider myself firmly left wing, and I see the concept of white privilege as a toxic divide-and-conquer initiative, to distract from the bedrock rationale of the Left. Namely, class.

      As though having more Maori CEOs will make the slightest difference to anything.

      • Ad 5.3.1

        That's not particularly useful in this country.

      • Nic the NZer 5.3.2

        Problem here is I can't see any difference between this critique and what David Seymour said. Apparently his critique denies reality, ignores history, is obviously right wing and (though not stated directly by Mickey) is racist.

  6. Robert Guyton 6

    "I am sure that teachers are up to the job of presenting these concepts and ideas with sensitivity. "

    Love your optimism!

  7. coreyjhumm 7

    It's incredibly important to teach the true history of nz and keep Maori culture and language alive.

    As much as this is important so is class, and while I want the true history of nz taught and how we can come together to achieve a truly equal nation, I really don't want upper middle class academics and woke activists going round telling poor white people in low decile schools who are in state housing , homeless or living in a motel and eating from food banks that they are privlidged because they are white. We see this all the time. That's what uk labour does and they've lost their traditional base and gained an upper middle class base.

    Poverty doesn't care what colour your skin is, poverty is poverty. There is absolutely racism in this country but much of the prejudice and discrimination in this country is as much about classism as it is about anything else but we don't talk about class anymore because if we did we'd have to accept that we're a classist nation, it's much easier to talk about race, gender and sexuality than class because it doesn't usually cost money to fix these problems.

    Look at the right, if you're a rich Maori or Asian or LGBT person they will bend over backwards to do a deal but if you're a poor Maori, Asian ,white or LGBT+ person they don't wanna know you. Sections of the woke left often have this snobby superior classist attitude when it comes to poverty which is as bad as the right.

    Can we teach class in schools too?? It's actually one of my biggest concerns with modern left thinking is we focus so much on identity politics which is often necessary but we leave out class and we have a generation of people coming out of uni who because most of them come from privlidge and have been talked about identity to death, a lot genuinely believe that white people can't be poor and that a white beneficary is more privlidged than a brown millionaire.

    I don't see why a school curriculum can't include the real history of nz, a term on civics ie NZ politics and our political system and egalitarianism and classism and how nz used to be before the 80s revolution. None of this is taught in school and I remember finding out how racist, classist nz is and how different nz used to be and how our political system works on my own outside of school and most people only kinda know these things so it’d be great to get it in the curriculum

    • greywarshark 7.1

      edit
      Yes. cjh
      I really don't want upper middle class academics and woke activists going round telling poor white people in low decile schools who are in state housing , homeless or living in a motel and eating from food banks that they are privlidged because they are white.

      Poverty doesn't care what colour your skin is, poverty is poverty….we'd have to accept that we're a classist nation,

      Very true. In some ways the welfare state smoothed that over. We did not have to think of each other, we had set up a system and had some safety nets, and that gave everybody a chance to get what they needed in life, didn’t it? Except that it was gradually abandoned – oh we don't need that any more.

      And got taken for granted, we all needed to be committed to it and to pass it on to others after us. But we were seen to not take the obligations imposed by receipt seriously, NZs had to try harder, so things were made harder for the young. And though it would upset people greatly, that attitude is both classist and ageist by the retired. To suggest that the retired should commit to some work in recognition of the increasingly longer time spent as a pensioned retired person, just amounting to a few hours a week, or a few weeks in the 'picking season' or mentoring or coaching with reading or trade skills as an obligation just hurts people's brain.

      As for classism its in the USA and UK, it happens everywhere. Read Maeve Binchy about class in parts of Ireland, India with its levels, there are peons in every country. When a country keeps assisting those at the poorer end to enable themselves to improve their position it is doing the right thing.

      Give allowances for education, take mobile vans around remote areas, have bonded training with a finite number of years where sent and rights of some choice, and forget the garbage about indentured labour which I've heard quoted against that. And prevents effective manpower planning in medical staff etc. This about slavery etc. And remember that being in a steady job with reasonable pay has been described as wage slavery, because there is more to life than following a path from home to your place fo work for years; if you come to dislike your work then it could be a burden. Simenon has written about the psychological wounds of that in some of his stories.

      But while slavery is illegal, it has not disappeared. Contemporary slavery in the form of indentured labour, debt bondage or domestic servitude still exists in many places – including the richest countries of the world.25/05/2017 https://theconversation.com/debt-bondage-domestic-servitude-and-indentured-labour-still-a-problem-in-the-worlds-richest-nations-78150

      • greywarshark 7.1.1

        And just rereading the above – debt bondage – isn't being forced to pay higher and higher amounts for a home which is mortgaged to some financial entity that is not the governmentd, a form of debt bondage. Government by embracing neo liberalism with freemarketism has abandoned itself and us to bondage of a sort we had never contemplated much less understood (they hadn't either or most of them). Only special seers in India chose to subject themselves to such 'discomfort' of lying on a bed of nails.

        People in NZ if asked whether they wanted to mortgage all their future for present world trading advantages, would have thought about it and the voting would probably have been two-thirds against it. With the other one-third looking for immediate gratification, or being risk-taking and considering that we would win more than we'd lose, or just being off on a theory-based wet dream (the projections show that GDP would rise by 5% exponentially etc.)

  8. greywarshark 8

    Just a little bit of music from Willie Nelson and some old guys, not at all photogenic, but full of music down to their toes. It makes my heart feel good, and a bit of sweetness is necessary to keep energy up.

    The World is Waiting for the Sunrise
    (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TI3r7QyPspQ

    and I’ll throw in some happy tractor music.
    (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDHzK3Xe7Yw

  9. Sconnell 9

    "For different reasons an expert authority also thin[k]s that teaching kids about the effects of colonialism is a bad idea."

    I don't see any indication that the panel is saying it is a bad idea – isn't the message "this engages with long-standing areas of hurt, so take care", not "so don't do it"?

  10. Pete 10

    Act has got rid of its education policy from its website. They have a racing policy up.

  11. McFlock 11

    The promise of our country is to value each person as we find them and value their human dignity without prejudice.

    Who the hell promised that? And why haven't they honoured it for a couple of hundred years?

    At least the social contract is a de facto acceptance of the social structures unless you revolt or leave. This "promise" seems to have been suddenly invented so ACT can keep kids in ignorance about our history.

  12. KJT 12

    I to find the leaving out of the history of labour relations and class and the lack of inequality, which were once defining characteristics of NZ culture, as well as pre European Polynesian and Māori history glaring omissions.

    I wouldn't like to have to teach their three threads without the context of the above.

    hat Māori and Polynesian workforce participation was higher than Pakeha for a while before the 80's is just one of many examples of the intersection of class, the labour movement and colonialism.

  13. As an historian myself, the draft curriculum has been corroded by CRT. History has to be told warts and all so lets explain the injustices of the Maori Wars but also admit that Maori civilisation was hardly the utopia that Mutu and co allege and the research of Paul Moon as in 'This Horrid Practice' should be drawn upon and utilised in the curriculum. Unfortunately you cannot debate with CRT exponents as to them all rules of logic are colonialist and racist.History has to be more objective than that and put both sides fairly and equitably.

    • greywarshark 13.1

      Thank you Dr Ginther I think you have expressed well what many people are concerned about – a half-truth can be more devastatingly damaging than the whole truth explained, and its context also.

      • Thanks greywarshark. The Chinese (PRC) history curriculum under President Xi is wiping out all mention of Mongolian input into Chinese civilisation, overlooking the origins of Kublai Khan for example. I am scared that we will go the same way with our curriculum.

    • Sacha 13.2

      Who decides what is fair and equitable?

      • Nic the NZer 13.2.1

        Did ACT have anything to say about the previous revisions of treaty history? I am going to say no, they didn't in the absence of evidence.

        CRT has no place in history, except maybe it should itself be history.

        • Sacha 13.2.1.1

          How does that address my question?

          • Nic the NZer 13.2.1.1.1

            History does not need equity.

            • greywarshark 13.2.1.1.1.1

              Could that be expanded to say that history does not need equity – it is about what happened, and that must include background to the time and show how it refers back to the culture of the people involved? History should be about knowing with understanding otherwise it is in danger of being regarded as a one-off. And it all falls in the quest of humans to find what? What makes us do such things – wild, wonderful and kind, or stupid, senseless and callous.

              I think that learning history should involve some thoughts about culture and principles, about creating cultures and destroying them. That ideas can excite people in good and bad ways, so we must think about what we do.

              Is that seen as too much. If we are to understand that we have been wrong in the past, it is not enough to acknowledge it, but to understand and prevent serious reoccurences.

            • Sacha 13.2.1.1.1.2

              History has to be more objective than that and put both sides fairly and equitably.

              Who decides now what counts as fair and equitable?

              • Nic the NZer

                I emphasise the objective over the fair and equitable there and read that statement effectively as history should be objective. Students are entitled to apply whatever morals and values to what has happened of course but these should not be prescribed by the curriculum. I don't think there is any other way you can teach history is a secular institution.

                • Sacha

                  Who decides what counts as 'objective'? This is not a novel question.

                  • Nic the NZer

                    That responsibility would appear to fall to historians who compile research and the Ministry of Education putting things in the curriculum.

                • Incognito

                  I think presentism should be avoided in the new History Curriculum.

    • Foreign Waka 13.3

      Thank you.

      To look at CRT teachings and perpetrating propaganda (yes it is), what caliber teacher is going to teach history in the class room I wonder? Some 40% of students are not attending in the first place and most likely 30% will be bored and playing on their phones. For those left to listen, it could equate to raising a generation of radical thinkers with some serious future issues in the making. I do hope we are not embarking on a similar situation as in Zimbabwe or South Africa. Brutality and discrimination is not bound by color or race but by a persons perception and upbringing. Good save NZ, this is all I can say.

    • solkta 13.4

      You talk about corrosion of history but then talk of "the Maori Wars". These were wars waged by the Crown against Maori. Why do you not call them the Crown Wars or the Pakeha Wars? Or the New Zealand Wars like most historians do now.

      • McFlock 13.4.1

        Nice illustration that history is never close to "objective".

        Every curriculum, book, and lecture has to omit far more areas of interest than it includes, and these editorial decisions and framing are always subjective.

        I have no idea about "CRT", but it seems to me that discussing NZ history without close discussion of 600 years of pre-colonial history, 200 years of colonisation, and power structures that led to the events in our past all just reduces history to a rote-learned list of dates and names and no understanding of how we got to where we are.

        We can indoctrinate kids with a national myth of benevolent colonists and (ahem) birth of a nation at Gallipoli. Then they'll be all surprised when something turns to custard for them. Or we can give kids a knowledge and perspective that will help them avoid problems when they are the decision makers, long after we are dead.

      • RedLogix 13.4.2

        Whatever you care to name them, it puzzles me why these relatively modest series of conflicts – in which at total of barely 3,000 people on both sides lost their lives – remains such matter of high concern, while the Musket Wars earlier in the century resulted, at least according to Michael King, in the quite brutal genocide of almost 40% of the entire Maori population at the time rates scarce mention.

        These earlier wars were a far greater and more devastating event that's been pretty much airbrushed out of mention in polite company these days.

  14. "Reality has a left wing bias"

    From the headline I was reminded of Martin Luther King's quote that the arc of history bends towards justice.

    I have the mental image of David Seymour trying to bend this arc back the otther way.

    • RedLogix 14.1

      "Reality has a left wing bias"

      Perhaps it would be more accurate to deconstruct that rather tired little claim as ' the left constructs it's models of reality with the same confirmation biases everyone else is prone too'.

      Imagining that you're somehow ideologically immune to confirmation bias pretty much ensures you will be captured by it.

      • Drowsy M. Kram 14.1.1

        That "tired little claim" is the title of the post under which we are all commenting.

        https://thestandard.org.nz/reality-has-a-left-wing-bias/

        PAUL KRUGMAN: Reality's liberal bias
        At one level, this turn of events shouldn't surprise us. The U.S. right long ago rejected evidence-based policy in favor of policy-based evidence, denying facts that might get in the way of a predetermined agenda. Fourteen years have passed since Stephen Colbert famously quipped that "reality has a well-known liberal bias."

        At another level, however, the right's determination to ignore the epidemiologists is politically reckless in a way previous denials of reality weren't.

        Right-wing politics supports the view that certain social orders and hierarchies are inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position on the basis of natural law, economics, or tradition.

        Right-wing politics involves, in varying degrees, the rejection of some egalitarian objectives of left-wing politics, claiming either that social or economic inequality is natural and inevitable or that it is beneficial to society.

        Conservatives claim to hate "cancel culture" — but it's the heart of the right-wing agenda
        In short, canceling everyday people in the way that conservatives portray "cancel culture" to work was the exact opposite of what motivated Rodgers to coin the term in the first place, as well as how it's been used on Twitter. Think about that anytime you hear the term used.

      • McFlock 14.1.2

        It's called a sense of humour, dude.

        It's not a claim, as such.

        As far as I can find, it started as satire, and has largely been used that way ever since. The joke is usually used when tories have to ignore or omit bits of reality that don't fit their political narrative. Such as the way Seymour is trying to omit large aspects of NZ political history from the curriculum because apparently we're all free of prejudice and any sort of power imbalance in this country.

        I guess he thinks a song fixed it.

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    The Detail this morning highlights the police's asset forfeiture case against convicted business criminal Ron Salter, who stands to have his business confiscated for systemic violations of health and safety law. Business are crying foul - but not for the reason you'd think. Instead of opposing the post-conviction punishment and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 hours ago
  • Misremembering Justinian’s Taxes.
    Tax Lawyer Barbara Edmonds vs Emperor Justinian I - Nolo Contendere: False historical explanations of pivotal events are very far from being inconsequential.WHEN BARBARA EDMONDS made reference to the Roman Empire, my ears pricked up. It is, lamentably, very rare to hear a politician admit to any kind of familiarity ...
    5 hours ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Scoring 4.6 out of 10, the new Government is struggling in the polls
    It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support for the various parties in ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    6 hours ago
  • Bishop scores headlines with crackdown on unwelcome tenants – but Peters scores, too, as tub-thump...
    Buzz from the Beehive Housing Minister Chris Bishop delivered news – packed with the ingredients to enflame political passions – worthy of supplanting Winston Peters in headline writers’ priorities. He popped up at the post-Cabinet press conference to promise a crackdown on unruly and antisocial state housing tenants. His ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    7 hours ago
  • Will it make the boat go faster?
    Ele Ludemann writes – The Reserve Bank is advertising for a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion advisor. The Bank has one mandate – to keep inflation between one and three percent. It has failed in that and is only slowly getting inflation back down to the upper limit. Will it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    10 hours ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi The fact that a ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    10 hours ago
  • Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Bryce Edwards writes – Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    10 hours ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' at 10:10am on Tuesday, March 19
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Gavin Jacobson talks to Thomas Piketty 10 years on from Capital in the 21st Century The SalvoLocal scoop: Green MP’s business being investigated over migrant exploitation claims Stuff Steve KilgallonLocal deep-dive: The commercial contractors making money from School ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    11 hours ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things on Tuesday, March 19
    It’s a home - but Kāinga Ora tenants accused of “abusing the privilege” may lose it. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government announced a crackdown on Kāinga Ora tenants who were unruly and/or behind on their rent, with Housing Minister Chris Bishop saying a place in a state ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    12 hours ago
  • New Life for Light Rail
    This is a guest post by Connor Sharp of Surface Light Rail  Light rail in Auckland: A way forward sooner than you think With the coup de grâce of Auckland Light Rail (ALR) earlier this year, and the shift of the government’s priorities to roads, roads, and more roads, it ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    13 hours ago
  • Why Are Bosses Nearly All Buffoons?
    Note: As a paid-up Webworm member, I’ve recorded this Webworm as a mini-podcast for you as well. Some of you said you liked this option - so I aim to provide it when I get a chance to record! Read more ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    15 hours ago
  • Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6.06 pm on March 18
    TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Peters holds his ground on co-governance, but Willis wriggles on those tax cuts and SNA suspension l...
    Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago
  • Labour’s final report card
    David Farrar writes –  We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how  went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promise The result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • “Drunk Uncle at a Wedding”
    I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on Dune 2, and images of Islam
    Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
    1 day ago
  • New Rail Operations Centre Promises Better Train Services
    Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
    2 days ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things at 6.36am on Monday, March 18
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    2 days ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to March 25 and beyond
    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    5 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    6 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    6 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 hours ago
  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    9 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    11 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    11 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
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  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
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