Return of the Hollow Men

Written By: karol - Date published: 10:16 am, September 26th, 2013 - 48 comments
Categories: accountability, brand key, david cunliffe, don brash, election 2014, Ethics, john key, Judith Collins, news, same old national, slippery, spin - Tags: matthew hooton

John Key and his handlers have tried so hard to distance himself from the underhand dirty tricks employed by National Party people to undermine opposition parties. They were used relentlessly to undermine Helen Clark, but, once in power and having achieved dominance in the popularity polls, the government has focused more on it’s positive public image. Now that Cunliffe’s Labour is in the ascendance, and a Labour-Green government is a real possibility next year, once more we are seeing the NAct and/supporters pull out their bag of dirty tricks.

The kinds of strategies used, with significant input from expensive political advisers like those at Crosby Textor, are exposed exposed in Nicky Hagar’s book The Hollow Men (2006).

In his review of the book, Wayne Hope, associate professor in communication studies at Auckland University of Technology, said this:

Hager’s general thesis can be outlined as follows: With the replacement of Bill English by Don Brash, National became an anti-democratic political party which set out to deceive the voting public. Wealthy corporate elites associated with the Business Round Table, the far right ACT party, the Centre for Independent Studies and various public relations ﬁrms supported Brash’s seizure of power and anonymously donated substantial sums to National’s campaign war chest. They wanted a new government with the power to institute market driven policies in the areas of labour relations, state owned enterprises, education, transport, accident compensation and local body government tax cut package.

Throughout 2004 and 2005, Brash’s strategists (Murray McCully, Gerry Brownlee, Steven Joyce, Richard Long, Matthew Hooton, Peter Keenan and Bryan Sinclair) employed market research companies, advertising specialists, public relations ﬁrms, media managers and television trainers to sell the National brand.

My bold: Scarily, while John Key was not centrally implicated in the underhand tactics of the Hollow Men, the pro-corporate, anti-democratic, market-driven policies favoured by the Hollow Men’s backers have steadily been brought in by Key’s government.

Now we have a new smear campaign launched against Cunliffe, lead pretty clumsily by Hollowman Matthew Hooton, with Judith Collins joining forces with a dodgy right wing blogger to cheer-lead Hooton’s efforts. Collins has previously been implicated with Brash’s Hollow Men, as indicated in Danyl Mclauchlan’s post about the book, and in a Fran O’Sullivan article of 2009, about Brash’s attempts to get the police to pursue enquiries into how Hagar got access to his emails:

Collins was Brash’s close political chum during the dying days of his leadership when it seemed as if he might just survive.

For an outsider like myself, it’s hard to know who is involved in the latest dirty tactics in which Hooton has been involved. But there are some intriguing connections on the public record.

In the Hollow Men, Hagar pointed to Crosby Textor as being the main overseas consultants used by Brash, and later it became known that John Key was also using this company for strategic advice. Wayne Hope again:

… Hager details compellingly how the Australian based market researchers Lynton Crosby and Mark Textor translated the insecurities of uncommitted voters into loaded messages; politically correct Labour—mainstream National.

In a 2008 blog post, Hagar identifies Mark Textor as being John Key’s main CT adviser. Curiously, this post is also pretty damning about Hollow Man Matthew Hooton:

Anyone who wonders what to make of Matthew Hooton’s public contributions to New Zealand politics really should read what he writes in private. His advice is sometimes clever, but it is also cynical. It is very revealing.

[…]

For this sort of PR person, the answer when faced with a crisis is to attack the messenger, deny everything and claim that they themselves are the victims in the affair. Like an octopus squirting ink into the water, the hope is that these diversions will allow them to escape unscathed. In this world of spin, words, arguments and personal attacks are all just means to an end, tools to advance their and their clients’ objectives.

A Stuff, Fairfax news article of 2008, also outlines some of the strategies of Crosby Textor (and there are probably more that we have yet to see in the lead up to NZ’s 2014 elections). It claims Key has continued to use the same adviser as Brash, Mark Textor., but that it has been kept secret from the public. The reason for secrecy is that, if their tactics and manipulations become widely known, they will be less effective.

It also shows how the NAct parties aim to benefit from having access to wealthier backers than is the case for more left leaning parties.

Specialised Crosby/Textor researchers visit New Zealand to conduct the research (costing about $10,000 per visit) and Textor flies to New Zealand, as required, to provide “high-level strategic advice” to Key and his staff on what Key should be saying and doing in public (also about $10,000 per visit). He also advises by phone and email. Key’s parliamentary staff saw Textor visiting his office around April 27, 2007, for instance, and it has all continued up to the present, including a visit in recent weeks.

The article points to ways that Crosby-Textors’ dirty, “and ruthless attack politics” tactics, “using subtle appeals to fear and prejudice” have been controversial in Australia. This includes push polling, and the kind of tactics used when working for the UK Conservative Party and for the London mayoral campaigns of Boris Johnson.

Awareness of the kinds of strategies used by Crosby-Textor will be helpful in countering Nact’s dirty tricks in the run up to next year’s NZ election. The 2008, Stuff article point to 3 main ones used in Boris Johnson’s campaigns.

First, Crosby and Textor realised there was a high risk of Johnson tripping up and making mistakes compared with his experienced opponent. Their answer was to tightly control and script all Johnson’s public appearances

[..]

The second strand of the London mayoralty strategy was relentlessly attacking Livingstone’s reputation. He had introduced some innovative and popular policies, so they concentrated on personal attacks.

[…]

The third strand was “issue management”. They found Livingstone had support on environment, social services and other issues. So instead they ran a narrowly focussed campaign on the rising cost of living and public safety even where these were the result of forces beyond Livingstone’s control.

The indications are that John Key will be getting advice from Mark Textor in the run up to the 2014 elections. Intriguing that Key was cosily photo oped with Textor’s high profile client in his recent visit to England.

Knowledge is power.

48 comments on “Return of the Hollow Men ”

Comments are now closed

Tracey 1

26 September 2013 at 10:52 am

Crosby’s connected to… Cameron, Abbott, Key.

I do wonder why political strategeists were at a function for Key to meet British MPs.

The Nats have more money (together with ACT) to polish up their poo. It’s hard to see through the shine.
- Tiger Mountain 1.1
  
  26 September 2013 at 11:57 am
  
  And the Exclusive Brethren connection too, lest we forget, an organisation that eschews voting for adherents but ponied up significant funds during Brashes time and were outed, and the 2007 Australian elections too attempting to secretly fund John Howards re-election campaign.
Bill 2

26 September 2013 at 11:27 am

Nice piece (again) Karol. On a positive note, if the idea is to carbon copy the strategy employed in Boris Johnson’s campaign, then there is deep shit rising up around the neck of the right.

True, they can tightly script and manage. But then, that should be expected to some degree or other for any politician depending on the caliber of the person behind the political facade.

On the second point, since Cunliffe hasn’t been in any position to have policies sniped at, then that only leaves them ‘reputation’. And vitriol at spelling mistake level inconsistencies in a CV just ain’t gonna go very far.

And the third point of small issue focus – that they have used previously – just doesn’t appear to be an option since it it they who are in power and when they have created are so many big issues they can be buried under.

There’s also the potential for scrutiny and successful counter argument being quick off the blocks as illustrated by commenters and authors on ‘the standard’ delivering Hooten his bloody nose 😉
- just saying 2.1
  
  26 September 2013 at 11:45 am
  
  There’s also the potential for scrutiny and successful counter argument being quick off the blocks as illustrated by commenters and authors on ‘the standard’ delivering Hooten his bloody nose 😉
  
  Ah people power. Warms the cockles of my heart.
  
  Great work everyone:-)
blue leopard (Get Lost GCSB Bill) 3

26 September 2013 at 12:04 pm

Excellent article Karol.

The photo – op with Boris Johnson can be viewed as product placement.

This is a technique that works on an subconscious level, giving viewers little option of free choice.

This article lists some of the effects of product placement: [click link for full list]

Key findings from this research show that Product Placement:

~Can dramatically shift TV viewers perception of a brand
~Implicitly forges brand association with TV content on a subconscious level, unlike more explicit forms of advertising
~Normalises brands through association with trusted TV content
~Produces a halo effect with brands associated with popular TV shows
~Can significantly increase consumer purchase intent and behaviour in terms of brand knowledge, likeability, talkability and advocacy in viewers exposed to the placement

And this article concludes

“Embedded marketing today is no longer an innovation – it has already proven to be arguably the most powerful marketing tool existing today that is not only practically 100% efficient, but also often works as a hidden, espionage tool of which the consumers become victims. When properly launched, such product placement campaigns are even hard to prove to be real, since any association and word-game usually tend to be considered critically subjective. No law and no act can prohibit embedded marketing since it is so difficult to identify and even harder to prove. This, and the fact that embedded marketing mainly affects the consumers’ brains on the subconscious level, makes it both an unethical and extremely dangerous marketing tool.”
- Rodel 3.1
  
  28 September 2013 at 10:34 am
  
  I’m waiting to see photo ops of the PM with the Emirates Team New Zealand crew.
  Somehow I don’t think it will happen.
marsman 4

26 September 2013 at 12:08 pm

Great work once again Karol! As you say ‘knowledge is power’. I’ll share your Post on Facebook.
Athena 5

26 September 2013 at 12:57 pm

The exclusive brethren are about to get 9 million to integrate their schools, is someone trying to sweeten them up again?
- Delia 5.1
  
  26 September 2013 at 1:38 pm
  
  Exclusive about other New Zealanders, except when it comes to tax payer dollars which are not exclusive. They should fund themselves, anti social outfit, that claims only they are the special ones.
  - mike e 5.1.1
    
    26 September 2013 at 10:46 pm
    
    exclusive bretheren have high alcoholism and pedophelia rate more than double the general population rates.
    They are also connected to extreme far right birther gun lobby and neo nazi’s etc etc !
- Jenny Kirk 5.2
  
  26 September 2013 at 6:52 pm
  
  Where is this information, please, Athena – that Exclusive Breth are to get $9m for their schools ?
  - karol 5.2.1
    
    26 September 2013 at 7:05 pm
    
    It referred to here in this post by bsprout, which links to this RNZ article last updated this morning:
    
    A private school run by the Brethren religious group has become the largest to apply to join the state sector as an integrated school.
    
    Westmount School has 1600 students scattered across 24 sites from Northland to Southland. The Education Ministry says it is preparing a report on the application for the Education Minister.
    
    The Westmount Education Trust says integration has worked well for Catholic, Jewish and Islamic schools and would be good for Westmount School.
    
    It says it would give the school greater opportunities to share its teaching methods and allow its students to benefit from increased resources.
    
    However, the Post Primary Teachers Association and the Educational Institute oppose the application.
    
    They say government funding for the school will leap from $2.3 million a year to more than $9 million, and that money would be better spent elsewhere.
    
    More at the links.
    - Daveosaurus 5.2.1.1
      
      26 September 2013 at 7:52 pm
      
      There’s nothing in the RNZ article stating that it’s the Exclusive Brethren, though. The EBs are a (batshit insane) splinter group of the Plymouth Brethren movement, the same way that the Phelpsites are a (batshit insane) splinter group of the Baptists.
      - Pascal's bookie 5.2.1.1.1
        
        26 September 2013 at 8:04 pm
        
        http://www.westmount.school.nz/about/our-beliefs
        
        which directs you to here
        
        http://www.plymouthbrethrenchristianchurch.org/
        
        which says:
        
        In some countries we have been known as Exclusive Brethren, Plymouth Brethren IV or simply just Brethren.
        
        Open Brethren usually identify themselves as such, in my experience of them.
        
        Murray Olsen 5.2.1.1.1.1
        
        26 September 2013 at 8:58 pm
        
        My father was Open Brethren and as far as I know, they had no private schools. Unless something has changed, this lot are Exclusive.
      - karol 5.2.1.1.2
        
        26 September 2013 at 8:11 pm
        
        Good point. The school mentioned is Westmount., which calls itself Plymouth Brethren.
        
        But I see that this can also be the same church that is called Exclusive Brethren.
        
        Plymouth Brethren website.
        
        In some countries we have been known as Exclusive Brethren, Plymouth Brethren IV or simply just Brethren.
        
        So Plymouth’s split into exclusive and open Brethren in the 19th century.
        
        But Exclusives often just call themselves Brethren.
        
        Hard to differentiate.
        
        But this 2008 article identifies Westmount schools as being Exclusive Brethren.
        
        And this 2009 article.
        
        mike e 5.2.1.1.2.1
        
        26 September 2013 at 10:54 pm
        
        Bruce Hales from Tasmania is their leader he has had close ties to little johnny Howard, they were caught out illegally wiring laundered money to Australia $85 million US to undermine the left and promote the right, I haven,t seen if they have been prosecuted yet!
        Thats probably where the $500,000 donation came from illegal extreme far right fundamentalists
    - Rogue Trooper 5.2.1.2
      
      26 September 2013 at 8:00 pm
      
      always remember the emphasis I place upon Religion in the coming eschatology karol; of no faith some may be, but hey, let’s have some critical realism for His sake. 😉
Rogue Trooper 6

26 September 2013 at 1:18 pm

“The Great Way is quite even,
yet people prefer byways.
When courts are extremely fastidious
the fields are seriously neglected
and the granaries are very empty.
They wear colourful clothing
and carry sharp swords,
eat and drink to their fill
and possess more than enough.
This is called the vanity of thieves.”
gobsmacked 7

26 September 2013 at 1:29 pm

On his recent trip to the UK (when he was supposed to be working for us, the NZ public, not the National party) John Key attended a caucus retreat for British Conservative MPs, in rural Oxfordshire.

The guest speaker was one Lynton Crosby.

The NZ media have largely ignored this, although it was reported in Britain.
- karol 7.1
  
  26 September 2013 at 1:42 pm
  
  Useful information, gs.
  - gobsmacked 7.1.1
    
    26 September 2013 at 2:01 pm
    
    Google “Chipping Norton” along with “John Key” or similar.
    
    Plenty of info, e.g.
    
    http://blogs.ft.com/westminster/2013/09/lynton-crosby-lectures-tory-mps-on-immigration-at-secret-hotel-event/
    - blue leopard (Get Lost GCSB Bill) 7.1.1.1
      
      26 September 2013 at 3:37 pm
      
      @ gobsmacked,
      
      That makes me really furious. Just imagine the frothing and spewing forth that would occur in the media if it were a gathering for left wing politicians!
      
      And all they are really doing is grouping together to work out how best to fool people into voting against their best interests.
- Dumrse 7.2
  
  26 September 2013 at 8:26 pm
  
  Big deal. Was he supposed to be working for you 24/7 with no time to himself ???????
wyndham 8

26 September 2013 at 1:31 pm

Nobody has yet mentioned the evil machinations of one Simon Lusk ! My understanding is that he still moves about in the shadowy world of NAct propaganda.

Great article karol. TS is indeed fortunate to have your expertise in ferreting out some great exposes of NAct.
- karol 8.1
  
  26 September 2013 at 1:42 pm
  
  Yes, I came across mention of Lusk in my research for this post. It’ll keep. The post is long enough.
red blooded 9

26 September 2013 at 3:20 pm

If Exclusive Bretheren folk want to exclude their kids from a balanced, open education; exclude aspects of the NZ curriculum they don’t like (bye bye Darwin);exclude girls from freedom of choice and equality within their church and their relationships and exclude people whose sexuality they don’t approve of then they can damn well exclude themselves from the receipt of public funding. My tax dollars should be going to State schools (and while the EB might be an extreme example, I don’t actually believe that state funds should go to any religious school – teaching religious belief as revealed fact does kids a disservice).
- Chooky 9.1
  
  26 September 2013 at 4:32 pm
  
  The New Zealand education system was set up as on the principles of a high quality, egalitarian, secular state run education, with equality of opportunity for all children
  ( see: Colin McGeorge, “Schools and socialisation in New Zealand 1890-1914′
  
  ….it has been eroded in recent years and State Schools have been run down, class sizes increased, and school fees expected
  
  …. private and charter schools should NOT be receiving any New Zealanders’ tax dollars.
  
  …..if special interest groups want to indoctrinate their kids into religious beliefs (and often sexist, homophobic, racist , anti – science and anti equality of opportunity for girls…values ) as in religious, special character or charter schools …..they should pay for them themselves ….and preferably after normal school hours.
  
  ….any special privileges/finance/buildings /small class sizes/special tuition must go to the Public State Schools first….
  
  I also strongly object to propping up the Exclusive Brethren…especially as they are already fat from lack of taxation for their businesses and they denied a friend of mine a university education because she was an Exclusive Brethren girl….She would have loved to have studied science.
  - Rogue Trooper 9.1.1
    
    26 September 2013 at 7:19 pm
    
    nooooooooooo, not science. 😉
    - Chooky 9.1.1.1
      
      26 September 2013 at 7:49 pm
      
      @RT…she was very good at biology and chemistry in the large state secondary school I attended ….but she was not allowed to eat ( with us sinners) …let alone go to university. I guess she was destined for Exclusive Brethren motherhood….
      - Rogue Trooper 9.1.1.1.1
        
        26 September 2013 at 7:56 pm
        
        I understand sects Very well Chooky; studied with at least four in the last eight years. Christ wept.
Skinny 10

26 September 2013 at 7:09 pm

What Labour doesn’t need is the loss of support through a private members Bill intended to lower the drink limit in half. It will have a backlash effect on Labour. It will be a huge resentful turn off to hundreds of thousands of responsible drinkers who enjoy a few drinks at pubs & clubs around the Country. I’ve had a number of mates that say if Labour get this Bill approved they will not get their vote. Campaigning for Labour will be tougher having to defend this Bill should it pass.
- McFlock 10.1
  
  26 September 2013 at 7:11 pm
  
  Nah.
  If you’re going to drive, don’t drink.
- karol 10.2
  
  26 September 2013 at 7:16 pm
  
  Amazing to see what some people’s priorities are. Being a danger on the roads? Wanting life easier no matter the risks to others? Voting out a government that is damaging lives and the country’s future?
  - Skinny 10.2.1
    
    26 September 2013 at 8:49 pm
    
    The point is if Labour want to win in 2014 trying to push this bill will only succeed in allowing Key to trot out a line something like “responsible Kiwis in general behave sensibly drinking and we are not going to punish them with ‘nanny state’ laws, this is what your voting for if you vote Labour.”
    Hmm a fair few of those 800,000 previous non voters are hardly going to be infused with a Bill like this, a vote attracting policy I think not.
    - McFlock 10.2.1.1
      
      26 September 2013 at 10:01 pm
      
      I dunno.
      
      Just point to the latest case of rural kids being killed in a single-vehicle-involved alcohol+speed crash on an empty road. There’s not too much gap between events.
      
      Hence the ads.
    - QoT 10.2.1.2
      
      26 September 2013 at 10:30 pm
      
      And then Labour respond “Well it was good enough for John Key when his government banned talking on your cellphone while driving.”
- Rogue Trooper 10.3
  
  26 September 2013 at 7:25 pm
  
  Mate, I was a mechanic for a Southland rural trucking company (towards the end of a 23-year career working with machinery and it’s operators). The amount of intoxicated driving and subsequent domestic unrest that arises from your anecdotal reality is beyond a couple of pale ales. Time for a change! F#ck The Piss! The level of booze consumption in NZ is one of a number of structural realities holding the nation back.
  - RedLogix 10.3.1
    
    26 September 2013 at 8:18 pm
    
    According to Berl it’s around $4b pa.
    
    And that’s probably a low-ball.
    
    And before you try and measure alcohols monstrous legacy of sheer misery and heartache. Yeah I know it’s the ‘drug that makes capitalism bearable’ … but fuck it. Time we grew out of it.
    - Rogue Trooper 10.3.1.1
      
      26 September 2013 at 8:21 pm
      
      Great to see you round these parts. (moderation :-D, along with those other tWo taoist gems).
  - vto 10.3.2
    
    26 September 2013 at 8:21 pm
    
    .
    aint that a roguelement
    
    as a southland elefant
    
    dances holdbacks
    - Rogue Trooper 10.3.2.1
      
      26 September 2013 at 8:29 pm
      
      trying to get a dvd to play on the CD player.sigh Transsiberian , looks good (Ben Kingsly) if I can get it to play. (new DVD player next week). 🙂
      - vto 10.3.2.1.1
        
        26 September 2013 at 8:41 pm
        
        .
        north to south
        
        gold to gold
        
        Rogue Trooper 10.3.2.1.1.1
        
        26 September 2013 at 8:58 pm
        
        Oh well, thank the Lord for good music, friends, the aroma of an evening meal and a good book or two. Been improving the soil and placing some perennials along with summer flowers.
        
        vto …
        
        26 September 2013 at 9:00 pm
        
        and a new round of kauri sprout
        
        Rogue Trooper …
        
        26 September 2013 at 9:05 pm
        
        ae
irascible 11

27 September 2013 at 7:11 pm

http://theirasciblecurmudgeon.blogspot.co.nz/2013/07/the-links-between-key-cameron-and.html
- blue leopard (Get Lost GCSB Bill) 11.1
  
  27 September 2013 at 7:18 pm
  
  Great article, thanks Irascible

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There was great disappointment following the just released poverty figures for the year ended to June 2022. Whatever your take, we are not facing up to the real child poverty problems.Some say the poverty figures show no significant change, some say there was a small improvement. Some say that the ...
PunditBy Brian Easton
2 days ago

A warm reception assured
Quiz1. Which is the most pleasing comment so far regarding this man’s indictment?a. He finally won a popular vote! b. “You can’t indicate me, I quit”c. Is this joy? It’s been so long since I’ve felt anything.2. “The boxset scandal that is Stuart Nash.” Who wrote this fine description? a. ...
More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
2 days ago

Bryce Edwards: The Astonishing Government suppression of Nash’s email
It’s truly astonishing the way that the Government has been able to suppress evidence of business donors gaining special access to Cabinet information. Now that Stuart Nash has been fired from Cabinet for leaking sensitive information to individuals who funded his election campaign, the focus has shifted to why this ...
Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
2 days ago

ELE LUDEMANN: Biased labelling
Ele Ludemann writes – Have you noticed the media’s propensity to label people and groups in a way that shows negative bias? People speaking up for women’s right to their own spaces and fairness in sport aren’t feminists or women’s rights activists, they’re anti-trans or transphobic. The Taxpayers’ Union is often prefaced with the label right ...
Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
2 days ago

Ask Me Anything about the week to March 31
Photo by Magdalena Kula Manchee on UnsplashIt’s that time of the week for an ‘Ask Me Anything’ session for paying subscribers about the week that was for an hour (I’ll be online for an hour from 12.30 so pile them up), including:The Government’s latest climate back-tracks on diesel cars and ...
The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
2 days ago

Bridges, tunnels (& CO2) galore for Ford Ranger Man
All of the Government’s five options for improving Auckland’s links include or prioritise tunnels and bridges for cars, double-cab utes and trucks ahead of walking, cycling and rail. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Labour Government has brought forward plans to start building and/or drilling a second Waitematā harbour ...
The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
2 days ago

LINDSAY MITCHELL: Responding to Marama Davidson’s dogma
Lindsay Mitchell writes: Green’s co-leader Marama Davidson just keeps digging the hole she is in deeper. First she showed her bitter antipathy towards white CIS (same gender as birth) men. Then she walked it back to all men. On Tuesday night on TV1 News she said, “…overwhelmingly it ...
Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
2 days ago

Gordon’s Campbell on Auckland’s dysfunctional mayor, and air travel chaos
as Auckland’s cantankerous mayor stumbles from one crisis to the next, the hope is not that Wayne Brown will learn on the job – that’s almost certainly a lost cause – but that Aucklanders will manage to come together and limit the damage that he threatens to inflict on the ...
Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
2 days ago

NZ Politics Daily: 31 March 2023
STUART NASH, OIA Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Stuart Nash scandal boils down to cock-up vs ‘conspiracy’ (paywalled) Marc Daalder (Newsroom): The opaque transparency of the OIA system Toby Manhire (Spinoff): Nash saga leaves Hipkins facing deeper questions of a stink in the Beehive Pete McKenzie (Newsroom): Evidence Stuart Nash breached official information ...
Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
2 days ago

Weekly Roundup 31-March-2023
Wow, it’s the end of March already. Here are a few of the smaller items that caught our attention over the last week. We need better trucks Newsroom reported on a Ministry of Transport report showing just how dirty our current truck fleet is. A heavy diesel truck costs ...
Greater AucklandBy Matt L
2 days ago

Building Bridges.
Listening to RNZ yesterday, I heard that the government was making a major announcement about a second crossing of the Waitematā. I was fairly surprised.I’d have thought with it being election year the last thing the government would want to be talking about was a massive Auckland transport project. Especially ...
Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
2 days ago

An apt warning for a blogger
I cracked open a fortune cookie with a family group after dinner. My loved ones got warm, inspiring messages such as my son’s: ‘You will be successful in business and society’. Nice. I got this one: “Friends come and go, but enemies accumulate.” By coincidence, I had already drafted a ...
The PaepaeBy Peter Aranyi
3 days ago

http://pointofordernz.wordpress.com/?p=21176
THOMAS CRANWELL: When ideology turns violent – the political and media backing behind the Posie Parker mob Thomas Cranwell writes – ——————————– Similar to other countries, the transgender movement in New Zealand is not a grassroots organisation but instead is an increasingly ...
Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
3 days ago

Greenhouse gassing the children at Kia Kaha Primary School
It is a lovely autumn morning.The sun is shining. The birds in Kōwhai park are twittering.There is music playing on Today FM.You can hardly tell that the children at Kia Kaha primary school are being greenhouse gassed.It is not just happening at Kia Kaha Primary School.It is happening to all ...
More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
3 days ago

Judicialising the climate struggle
The United Nations has asked the International Court of Justice for a ruling on climate change obligations: The UN General Assembly has adopted a Vanuatu-led resolution calling for an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on climate change and human rights. The resolution was tabled by ...
No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
3 days ago

Poor Old Mike Hosking
Poor old Mike Hosking! In today’s Herald, such is his visceral antipathy to our current government, that he is reduced to wrestling with himself in trying to understand how it is that despite its many failings – in his eyes at least – the Labour government is somehow ahead in ...
Bryan GouldBy Bryan Gould
3 days ago

A total no-brainer
Air pollution kills, and dirty diesel vehicles are a major source of it. Cleaning them up has enormous social benefits in avoided deaths and hospitalisations. How much? Billions of dollars: A report quietly released by the Ministry of Transport in July shows tighter regulation of vehicle imports for air ...
No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
3 days ago

Political propaganda dressed up as an opinion poll
Via one of my lovely Twitter sources, the sardonic and interesting @johubris … the following ‘poll question’ has been recently distributed: “Thinking about your life and your country now, what is the most important issue that you want to see the New Zealand Government addressing?” This qualifies as push-polling, which ...
The PaepaeBy Peter Aranyi
3 days ago

This cover-up needs to be a crime
On Tuesday night, former Forestry Minister Stuart Nash was sacked for corruption, after the Prime Minister discovered he had disclosed confidential cabinet discussions to his donors. Its since emerged that Jacinda Ardern's office knew of this disclosure, but didn't act on the obvious breach of the Cabinet manual, and didn't ...
No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
3 days ago

Buried beneath avalanche of new laws and bills there’s news from the Cyclone Taskforce (a month af...
Buzz from the Beehive Whoa, there – we can’t keep up! Suddenly, the PM’s ministerial team has unleashed a slew of press statements. Sixteen announcements have been posted on the Beehive website since our last check. This burst of activity (we wondered) might be the result of them responding positively ...
Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
3 days ago

Harbour Crossing Project now estimated to cost $15-25 billion
Big transport news today with the government beginning public engagement on options for the Waitemata Harbour Connections project. This project has had an incredibly long history, with previous versions somehow managing to be incredibly expensive, detrimental to most of the transport outcomes we are trying to achieve in Auckland, and ...
Greater AucklandBy Matt L
3 days ago

Bryce Edwards: Is it time for an anti-corruption commission?
If ever there was an example of complacency about corruption and integrity in New Zealand politics it’s the fact that the Prime Minister’s Office knew back in 2021 that Cabinet Minister Stuart Nash was feeding privileged Cabinet information to business donors but did nothing about it. This is one of ...
Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
3 days ago

Skeptical Science New Research for Week #13 2023
Open access notables "Despite the potential for positive methane–climate feedbacks from global wetlands, most Earth System Models (ESMs) and Integrated Assessment Models (IAMs) that informed the last Assessment Report of the IPCC do not directly incorporate this process." Publishing in Nature Climate Change, Zheng et al. unpack the implications of this ...
Skeptical Science
3 days ago

NZ Politics Daily: 30 March 2023
Today’s content STUART NASH Richard Harman (Politik): How Nash got tangled up in “dirty politics” (paywalled) William Hewett (Newshub): Political pundit Bryce Edwards calls for anti-corruption commission, says Stuart Nash review needs to see if any MPs have ‘corrupt dealings’ Bridie Witton (Stuff): PM Chris Hipkins faces pressure to answer questions ...
Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
3 days ago

Dawn Chorus: Govt’s latest climate back-tracks
Among its ‘go slow’ on climate measures, the Government chose to delay tighter regulation of vehicle imports for air pollution for six years because it would have increased vehicle purchase costs. Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government continues to backtrack on moves to reduce emissions, with three news items ...
The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
3 days ago

How Nash got tangled up in “dirty politics”
Stuart Nash’s downfall appears to have had its beginnings with one of the players from the “Dirty Politics” scandals of 2014. Simon Lusk, a close associate of Cameron “Whaleoil” Slater, one of the key figures in Nicky Hagar’s “Dirty Politics” expose, has been associated with Stuart Nash. Lusk has ...
PolitikBy Richard Harman
3 days ago

6 Months out from our election, the noise is not abating… and yes it is probably going to get wors...
Worried if this election will be shellacked by “the culture war”? That arrived ages ago. And, one side is definitely in panic mode, even if that’s not being admitted right now. Because of that, they’re reverting yet again to straight up… culture wars. Yes, fellow traveler, the Party who ...
exhALANtBy exhalantblog
4 days ago

Plugging a video channel: All about Climate
All About Climate is a Youtube channel dedicated to communicating climate science and combating misinformation about global warming. It is run by Roshan Salgado D'Arcy - or 'Rosh' for short. He is a geology graduate with an MSc in climate change and is currently reading for a PhD in the communication of ...
Skeptical Science
4 days ago

Of AIs, Ethics, and Sauronian Sonnets
ChatGPT is an interesting little beastie. I have only really started experimenting with it recently – not because I have any interest in using it for my own writing projects, but because I enjoy pushing and prodding the AI in strange directions. I have spent an inordinate amount of ...
A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
4 days ago

Climate Change: Labour is trying to kill us
The science of climate change is clear: we need to stop burning fossil fuels as quickly as possible, and we cannot burn even a fraction of those already discovered. So naturally, Labour is offering oil companies more exploration permits: The Government is offering companies another opportunity to search for ...
No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
4 days ago

Don't Shoot Me I'm Only The Piano Player
There are two keyboards in my office. I hammer at one a lot more than the other.But some days — today, for instance, after a few days of steeping myself in toxicity —that other keyboard can really come into its own.I learned to play the piano as a kid, went ...
More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
4 days ago

Twin blows dent confidence in ministerial ranks, so will they affect morale among party faithful...
Is the government imploding? Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has had to sack one of his more effective (and likeable) ministers, while another (from the Green Party) has insulted many of the adult population. For his part, Hipkins had appeared to be shaping up well since he took over the ...
Point of OrderBy tutere44
4 days ago

An inquiry into freedom of information in Australia
Three weeks ago, Australia's Freedom of Information Commissioner - their equivalent of the Ombudsman - suddenly resigned, on the basis that the entire system was broken and he was unable to fix it. And now, the Australian Senate is holding an inquiry into the resignation, and the problems with Australia's ...
No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
4 days ago

A crime against democracy
Yesterday the government introduced the Severe Weather Emergency Recovery Legislation Bill to the House. The bill is a response to Cyclone Gabrielle, and (like the Christchurch earthquake legislation) enables Ministers to amend laws by order in council across half the North Island, for five years. The list of laws allowed ...
No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
4 days ago

An Ugly Demonstration.
Mobbed! As Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull’s (Posie Parker’s) opponents surged forward, her only protecters were a handful of burly security guards who surrounded their client and began forcing a path through what was now a howling mob. At least one video recording shows the diminutive Keen-Minshull, a terrified rag-doll, eyes dulled by ...
Bowalley Road
4 days ago

Four strikes and it’s out for Stuart Nash – now let’s see if Marama Davidson becomes a repeat ...
Buzz from the Beehive It looks like Marama Davidson must revile white sis males – or some other group of our population – three more times before she gets the heave-ho as one of Chris Hipkins’ ministers. That’s the conclusion to be drawn from the PM’s treatment of Stuart Nash, ...
Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
4 days ago

Gordon Campbell on the banning of Tik Tok
For a serial offender like Stuart Nash, it was inevitable that another skeleton would emerge from his closet, and end his ministerial career. This one though, was a whopper. Previously, Nash had tried to tell the Police how to do their job. He had also tried to tell the courts ...
Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
4 days ago

Bryce Edwards: Nash’s sacking means a deeper probe into Cabinet “insider trading” is required
Cabinet Minister Stuart Nash was sacked last night for violating Cabinet Collective Responsibility rules, when it was revealed he disclosed sensitive Government information to business supporters who had donated money to him. The breach of the Cabinet Manual was enough to land him in trouble, but the fact that it ...
Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
4 days ago

Te Hā Noa to Start Construction
Some good news last week with the Council confirming that Te Hā Noa – Victoria St Linear Park will go ahead and with construction starting on 11 April – though with a few fishhooks. Te Hā Noa, a renewed Victoria Street, is the next big project in Auckland Council’s Midtown ...
Greater AucklandBy Matt L
4 days ago

Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Broken trust led to sacking
Stuart Nash’s assurances to Prime Minister Chris Hipkins that there were no further examples of him breaching the Cabinet Manual became meaningless with the release of emails from Nash sharing Cabinet discussions with business people. The Prime Minister had no choice but to sack Nash as a Minister with immediate ...
Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
4 days ago

A Quick Sean Plunket FAQ
Hi,Just a quick online-only update after yesterday’s newsletter, How Michael Organ Weaponised the Family Court... and Sean Plunket. First up — wow. Thanks for all the support, and to all those who shared their own personal stories in the comments. And welcome to any new Webworm readers.I just wanted ...
David FarrierBy David Farrier
4 days ago

Luxon demands Davidson apologise to white men!
Let that sink in for a moment - Christopher Luxon, who has spent the last year demonising Māori, wants Marama Davidson to apologise to white men.You will likely have seen the video, or read about it. Marama Davidson rushing along Princes St on Saturday evening, the road that runs between ...
Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
4 days ago

Dawn Chorus: Councils set to dump Wellington Light Rail
Stuart Nash, the great-grandson of former Prime Minister Sir Walter Nash, has lost his political career. File Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Stuart Nash was sacked for telling donors what happened in Cabinet. Wellington’s City and Regional Councils are going cold on light rail plans. Wayne Brown is under ...
The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
4 days ago

The links between Stuart Nash and NZ First
NZ First Leader Winston Peters is sympathising with Stuart Nash and defending him but dodging questions on whether he would be welcome in New Zealand First. Prime Minister Chris Hipkins last night sacked Nash from the Cabinet after an email he had sent to two of his campaign donors ...
PolitikBy Richard Harman
4 days ago

Sacked for corruption
So, after interfering with the police, and then interfering with immigration decisions, Stuart Nash has finally been sacked: Stuart Nash has been sacked as a minister, after Stuff revealed he had emailed business figures, including donors, detailing private Cabinet discussions. Prime Minister Chris Hipkins confirmed the people Nash emailed ...
No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
5 days ago

The climate landmine under our economy (a housing market with bits tacked on)
Nearly 25% of mortgages in Auckland are deemed at risk in a 1-in-100 year flood event. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Once a year, every year, from now on, in our not-so-slow-cooking climate crisis, there will be a moment when the most important number in Aotearoa’s own personal, national ...
The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
5 days ago

More Labour secrecy
In July 2022, the then-Minister for Public Services, Chris Hipkins, promised that he would reduce the number of secrecy clauses in new legislation. Today the government has introduced not one, but two bills that strengthen secrecy at the expense of transparency. The first is the Resale Right for Visual Artists ...
No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
5 days ago

You people are the best
Item One: About a confected crisis Please bear with me for a moment, readers outside Auckland, I wish to sound the klaxon. Auckland, we have until 11pm today to have our say. About what? About this, as copied and pasted from Pippa Coom’s Facebook page:The "austerity" budget is built on ...
More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
5 days ago

Hipkins gets an apology from Davidson for reviling “white cis men” – but if she apologised to ...
Buzz from the Beehive Yet again, the statement we were looking for could not be found on the Beehive website. Nor was it on the Scoop or Green Party websites. But – come to think of it – we are probably wasting our time by searching. Our quest is for the ...
Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
5 days ago

Approaching Gridlock: Arundhati Roy on Free Speech and Failing Democracy
The following is from a speech given by Arundhati Roy at the Swedish Academy on March 22, 2023, at a conference called Thought and Truth Under Pressure and reprinted from Literary Hub. I thank the Swedish Academy for inviting me to speak at this conference and for affording me the privilege ...
RedlineBy Admin
5 days ago

Wood pulls a Dutton
After almost two decades of racism, Australia is finally getting off its "stop the boats" bullshit. But don't worry, racists - Michael Wood has your back! The Government wants to increase the time it can detain without a warrant people seeking asylum en masse from four days to 28 ...
No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
5 days ago

Labour dragging its feet on pay transparency
Last year, the Education and Workforce Committee recommended that the government legislate for pay transparency to prevent employers from secretly discriminating. This ought to be a bread and butter issue for Labour - discrimination sees women (and particularly Māori and Pasifika women) paid significantly less than men. But since then ...
No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
5 days ago

THOMAS CRANMER: Violent suppression of free speech – Kellie-Jay Keen’s assault by transgender ...
Thomas Cranmer writes – ———— An unruly mob in Albert Park has catapulted New Zealand into the global headlines with ugly images that may become iconic in the debate about the dangers of transgenderism. ———— Bravo Kellie-Jay Keen. She did the job that needed to be done. For all the ...
Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
5 days ago

Political Roundup: 28 March 2023
POSIE PARKER RALLY The Facts: New Zealanders are world leaders in respecting transgender men and women Chris Trotter (Interest): An ugly demonstration William Hewett (Newshub): Sir Peter Gluckman warns New Zealand’s social cohesion at risk, society needs to accept transgender people have rights Rachel Smalley (Today FM): How on earth did ...
Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
5 days ago

Extreme heat waves in Europe may be linked to melting Arctic sea ice
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global warming is melting the Arctic ice cap, and that’s having unforeseen effects on the world’s weather — even thousands of miles away from the North Pole. Some climate scientists have begun to link increasingly common heat waves in Europe to what is ...
Skeptical Science
5 days ago

Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Integrity of politicians deserves scrutiny
Hot on the heels of the demotion of former police Minister Stuart Nash for breaching the Cabinet Manual, Radio New Zealand has revealed the close links between lobbyists and politicians- an area of New Zealand politics that is completely unregulated. The evidence in Guyon Espiner’s series Mate, Comrade, Brother, the ...
Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
5 days ago

1 April changes to lift incomes
Over a million New Zealanders will receive a little extra to help with the cost of living as a result of our 1 April changes. Around the world, inflation is causing costs to rise and we’re feeling it here at home. In tough times, we need to support those who ...
Labour Blog
2 days ago

Liveable incomes needed
With benefit changes coming into effect tomorrow, the Green Party is calling on the Government to lift benefits to liveable levels to make sure everyone has what they need to thrive. ...
Greens
2 days ago

Come on National, is that the best you can do?
A visionless National Party has stolen Government policy and rebranded it as their own. ...
Greens
2 days ago

Waitematā Harbour crossing options not good enough
Rapid transit for the Waitematā Harbour crossing must be the priority - not more car lanes that will make congestion and climate change worse. ...
Greens
3 days ago

Greens celebrate passing of Organic Products and Production Bill
Following decades of work by the Green Party alongside the organics sector, people will finally be able to be confident that products labelled organic have met standards. ...
Greens
3 days ago

Greens back pay transparency open letter
The Green Party supports immediate Government action to close the pay gap as called for in an open letter released today by the Human Rights Commission and 50 other organisations. ...
Greens
4 days ago

Continued strikes show need for bold action
The Green Party backs the demands of thousands of secondary and area school teachers striking today. ...
Greens
4 days ago

Greens welcome waste strategy release and work
The Green Party is today welcoming the release of the Government’s waste strategy, but says it has a big gap without action on the container return scheme for beverage containers. ...
Greens
4 days ago

Mass arrivals legislation a breach of NZ’s values
The Government’s decision to introduce ‘mass arrivals’ legislation goes against the values we all share of Aotearoa as a place where all people are treated fairly, the Green Party says. ...
Greens
5 days ago

Minster Davidson Must Resign After 'Violence' Comments
MINISTER DAVIDSON MUST RESIGN AFTER 'VIOLENCE' COMMENTS Marama Davidson should stand down as ‘Minister for the Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence’ for the clear and outrageous statement she made at the Posie Parker protest that ‘white straight men’ are the cause of violence. Her offensive, racist, and sexist remarks ...
NZ First Press Release
6 days ago

In response to Newshub and Amelia Wade’s obvious and ham-fisted attempt at a typical and predicted...
In response to Newshub and Amelia Wade’s obvious and ham-fisted attempt at a typical and predicted political hit job. As any politically aware reporter would know, any Cabinet subcommittee has a duty and obligation as a part of any government to respond to any UN declaration, in this case ...
NZ First Press Release
1 week ago

‘The Real State of the Nation’
Good afternoon. Thank you for the invitation to speak with you today and in your busy lives turning up to this meeting. Forty five years ago, in Howick, often described as racist, and where few Maori lived because it had been a ‘Fencible’ settlement at the time of the Anglo-Maori ...
NZ First Press Release
1 week ago

National’s education policy gets an F
The Green Party has marked the National Party’s new education policy and given it a fail, especially for its failure to address the underlying drivers of school performance. ...
Greens
1 week ago

Child poverty stats show need for action
The Green Party is calling on the Government to immediately provide more support to families doing it toughest. ...
Greens
1 week ago

Greens ask Auckland MPs across party lines to speak up on Council budget proposals
Auckland Central Green MP, Chlöe Swarbrick, has written to all Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland based Members of Parliament requesting their urgent attention to Auckland Council’s unprecedented slash-and-burn proposals. ...
Greens
1 week ago

IPCC report shows 2023 is a ‘now or never’ climate election
“This is it; 2023 will be the last opportunity New Zealand has to get a government that will confront the climate emergency with the urgency it demands,” says the Green Party’s co-leader and climate change spokesperson, James Shaw. ...
Greens
2 weeks ago

Enough slow progress, 2023 is a fight for our future
Political parties that want to negotiate with the Green Party must come to the table with much faster, bolder climate action, co-leaders James Shaw and Marama Davidson emphasised in their State of the Planet speech today. ...
Greens
2 weeks ago

Greens call time on slow progress
Political parties that want to negotiate with the Green Party after the election must come to the table with much faster, bolder climate action, co-leaders James Shaw and Marama Davidson emphasised today. ...
Greens
2 weeks ago

Green Party co-leader James Shaw's State of the Planet speech, 2023
You will never truly understand, from the pictures you’ve seen in the newspapers or on the six o-clock news, the sheer scale of the devastation wrought by Cyclone Gabrielle. ...
Greens
2 weeks ago

More cost of living support for Kiwis
We’re boosting incomes and helping ease cost of living pressures on Kiwis through a range of bread and butter support measures that will see pensioners, students, families, and those on main benefits better off from the start of next month. ...
Labour Blog
2 weeks ago

Greens back teachers’ demands
The Green Party backs the demands of the teachers’ strikers. ...
Greens
2 weeks ago

Greens will waste no time with Minister for Zero Waste
The error Labour Ministers made by stopping work on a beverage container return scheme will be reversed by the Greens at the earliest opportunity as part of the next Government. ...
Greens
3 weeks ago

Greens secure win for clean transport
The Green Party has made it easier for commuters to access e-bikes thanks to an amendment to tax rules. ...
Greens
3 weeks ago

Greens will always prioritise action on climate and inequality
“Cabinet needs to do better - and today has shown exactly why we need Green Ministers in cabinet, so we can prioritise action to cut climate pollution and support people to make ends meet,” says Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson. ...
Greens
3 weeks ago

Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta to attend NATO meeting
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nanaia Mahuta, departs for Europe today, where she will attend a session of the NATO Foreign Ministers Meeting in Brussels and make a short bilateral visit to Sweden. “NATO is a long-standing and likeminded partner for Aotearoa New Zealand. It is valuable to join a session of ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
2 hours ago

Secure all-of-government facility to be built at Whenuapai
A secure facility that will house protected information for a broad range of government agencies is being constructed at RNZAF Base Auckland (Whenuapai), Public Service, Defence and GCSB Minister Andrew Little says. The facility will consolidate and expand the government’s current secure storage capacity and capability for at least another ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
8 hours ago

Flu vaccine to protect Kiwis this winter
From today, 1.8 million flu vaccines are available to help protect New Zealanders from winter illness, Minister of Health Ayesha Verrall has announced. “Vaccination against flu is safe and will be a first line of defence against severe illness this winter,” Dr Verrall said. “We can all play a part ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 day ago

Congratulations to Professor Rangi Mātāmua – New Zealander of the Year
Associate Minister of Arts, Culture and Heritage Willow-Jean Prime has congratulated Professor Rangi Mātāmua (Ngāi Tūhoe) who was last night named the prestigious Te Pou Whakarae o Aotearoa New Zealander of the Year. Professor Mātāmua, who is the government's Chief Adviser Mātauranga Matariki, was the winner of the New Zealander ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
2 days ago

Further sanctions on Russian and Belarusian political and military figures
The Minister of Foreign Affairs Nanaia Mahuta has announced further sanctions on political and military figures from Russia and Belarus as part of the ongoing response to the war in Ukraine. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an arrest warrant for Russia’s Commissioner for Children’s Rights Maria Alekseevna Lvova-Belova ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
2 days ago

Ambitious new housing development for Whangārei
A new public housing development planned for Whangārei will provide 95 warm and dry, modern homes for people in need, Housing Minister Megan Woods says. The Kauika Road development will replace a motel complex in the Avenues with 89 three-level walk up apartments, alongside six homes. “Whangārei has a rapidly ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
2 days ago

CPTPP bolstered by decision on UK accession
New Zealand welcomes the substantial conclusion of negotiations on the United Kingdom’s accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), Trade and Export Growth Minister Damien O’Connor announced today. “Continuing to grow our export returns is a priority for the Government and part of our plan to ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
2 days ago

Ngā Iwi o Taranaki and the Crown initial Taranaki Maunga collective redress deed (rua reo)
Ngā Iwi o Taranaki and the Crown initial Taranaki Maunga collective redress deed Ngā Iwi o Taranaki and the Crown have today initialled the Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Deed, named Te Ruruku Pūtakerongo, Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Andrew Little says. “I am pleased to be here for this ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
2 days ago

Dates announced for 2023 Pacific language weeks
Minister for Pacific Peoples Barbara Edmonds has announced the 2023 Pacific Language week series, highlighting the need to revitalise and sustain languages for future generations. “Pacific languages are a cornerstone of our health, wellbeing and identity as Pacific peoples. When our languages are spoken, heard and celebrated, our communities thrive,” ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
2 days ago

Over a quarter of New Zealanders to get cost of living relief from tomorrow
880,000 pensioners to get a boost to Super, including 5000 veterans 52,000 students to see a bump in allowance or loan living costs Approximately 223,000 workers to receive a wage rise as a result of the minimum wage increasing to $22.70 8,000 community nurses to receive pay increase of up ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
2 days ago

Thousands of community nurses getting April pay boost
Over 8000 community nurses will start receiving well-deserved pay rises of up to 15 percent over the next month as a Government initiative worth $200 million a year kicks in, says Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall. “The Government is committed to ensuring nurses are paid fairly and will receive ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
2 days ago

Speech to Taranaki Chamber of Commerce and TOI Foundation breakfast
Tākiri mai ana te ata Ki runga o ngākau mārohirohi Kōrihi ana te manu kaupapa Ka ao, ka ao, ka awatea Tihei mauri ora Let the dawn break On the hearts and minds of those who stand resolute As the bird of action sings, it welcomes the dawn of a ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
2 days ago

Government takes next step to lift artists’ incomes
The Government is introducing a scheme which will lift incomes for artists, support them beyond the current spike in cost of living and ensure they are properly recognised for their contribution to New Zealand’s economy and culture. “In line with New Zealand’s Free Trade Agreement with the UK, last ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
3 days ago

NZ stands with Vanuatu on climate at UN
New Zealand is welcoming a decision by the United Nations General Assembly to ask the International Court of Justice to consider countries’ international legal obligations on climate change. The United Nations has voted unanimously to adopt a resolution led by Vanuatu to ask the ICJ for an advisory opinion on ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
3 days ago

More Police deployed to the frontline
More Police officers are being deployed to the frontline with the graduation of 59 new constables from the Royal New Zealand Police College today. “The graduation for recruit wing 364 was my first since becoming Police Minister last week,” Ginny Andersen said. “It was a real honour. I want to ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
3 days ago

Aotearoa New Zealand committed to an enduring partnership with Vanuatu
Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta met with Vanuatu Foreign Minister Jotham Napat in Port Vila, today, signing a new Statement of Partnership — Aotearoa New Zealand’s first with Vanuatu. “The Mauri Statement of Partnership is a joint expression of the values, priorities and principles that will guide the Aotearoa New Zealand–Vanuatu relationship into ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
3 days ago

Government delivers levy change to support Fire and Emergency
The Government has passed new legislation amending the Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) levy regime, ensuring the best balance between a fair and cost effective funding model. The Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Levy) Amendment Bill makes changes to the existing law to: charge the levy on contracts of ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
3 days ago

Next steps for New Zealand’s organic regulations
The Government has passed the Organic Products and Production Bill through its third reading today in Parliament helping New Zealand’s organic sector to grow and lift export revenue. “The Organic Products and Production Bill will introduce robust and practical regulation to give businesses the certainty they need to continue to ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
3 days ago

Govt helps to protect New Zealanders digital identities
The Digital Identity Services Trust Framework Bill, which will make it easier for New Zealanders to safely prove who they are digitally has passed its third and final reading today. “We know New Zealanders want control over their identity information and how it’s used by the companies and services they ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
3 days ago

Cyclone Taskforce focused on locally-led recovery
The full Cyclone Gabrielle Recovery Taskforce has met formally for the first time as work continues to help the regions recover and rebuild from Cyclone Gabrielle. The Taskforce, which includes representatives from business, local government, iwi and unions, covers all regions affected by the January and February floods and cyclone. ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
3 days ago

Law changed to protect subcontractors
Changes have been made to legislation to give subcontractors the confidence they will be paid the retention money they are owed should the head contractor’s business fail, Minister for Building and Construction Megan Woods announced today. “These changes passed in the Construction Contracts (Retention Money) Amendment Act safeguard subcontractors who ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
3 days ago

New congestion busting harbour crossing options unveiled
Transport Minister Michael Wood has unveiled five scenarios for one of the most significant city-shaping projects for Tāmaki Makaurau in coming decades, the additional Waitematā Harbour crossing. “Aucklanders and businesses have made it clear that the biggest barriers to the success of Auckland is persistent congestion and after years of ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
3 days ago

New law enhances safety and security in the aviation sector
The Government has passed new legislation that ensures New Zealand’s civil aviation rules are fit for purpose in the 21st century, Associate Transport Minister Kiri Allan says. The Civil Aviation Bill repeals and replaces the Civil Aviation Act 1990 and the Airport Authorities Act 1966 with a single modern law ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
3 days ago

Coroners Amendment Bill passes third reading
A Bill aimed at helping to reduce delays in the coronial jurisdiction passed its third reading today. The Coroners Amendment Bill, amongst other things, will establish new coronial positions, known as Associate Coroners, who will be able to perform most of the functions, powers, and duties of Coroners. The new ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
4 days ago

Review into Stuart Nash’s communications with donors
The Prime Minister has asked the Cabinet Secretary to conduct a review into communications between Stuart Nash and his donors. The review will take place over the next two months. The review will look at whether there have been any other breaches of cabinet collective responsibility or confidentiality, or whether ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
4 days ago

600 more workers to support recovery
The new Recovery Visa to help bring in additional migrant workers to support cyclone and flooding recovery has attracted over 600 successful applicants within its first month. “The Government is moving quickly to support businesses bring in the workers needed to recover from Cyclone Gabrielle and the Auckland floods,” Michael ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
4 days ago

Bills to vet school boards, contractors pass first reading
Bills to ensure non-teaching employees and contractors at schools, and unlicensed childcare services like mall crèches are vetted by police, and provide safeguards for school board appointments have passed their first reading today. The Education and Training Amendment Bill (No. 3) and the Regulatory Systems (Education) Amendment Bill have now ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
4 days ago

Bill recognises unique role and contribution of Wānanga and Kura Kaupapa Māori
Wānanga will gain increased flexibility and autonomy that recognises the unique role they fill in the tertiary education sector, Associate Minister of Education Kelvin Davis has announced. The Education and Training Amendment Bill (No.3), that had its first reading today, proposes a new Wānanga enabling framework for the three current ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
4 days ago

Foreign Affairs Minister talks to the Vanuatu Government on Pacific issues
Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta will travel to Vanuatu today, announcing that Aotearoa New Zealand will provide further relief and recovery assistance there, following the recent destruction caused by Cyclones Judy and Kevin. While in Vanuatu, Minister Mahuta will meet with Vanuatu Acting Prime Minister Sato Kilman, Foreign Minister Jotham ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
4 days ago

Major investment to support the safety of frontline Police and communities
The Government is backing Police and making communities safer with the roll-out of state-of-the-art tools and training to frontline staff, Police Minister Ginny Andersen said today. “Frontline staff face high-risk situations daily as they increasingly respond to sophisticated organised crime, gang-violence and the availability of illegal firearms,” Ginny Andersen said. ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
4 days ago

Further laws passed to keep communities safe from gang offending
The Government has provided Police with more tools to crack down on gang offending with the passing of new legislation today which will further improve public safety, Justice Minister Kiri Allan says. The Criminal Activity Intervention Legislation Bill amends existing law to: create new targeted warrant and additional search powers ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
4 days ago

Standard kerbside recycling part of new era for waste system
The Government today announced far-reaching changes to the way we make, use, recycle and dispose of waste, ushering in a new era for New Zealand’s waste system. The changes will ensure that where waste is recycled, for instance by households at the kerbside, it is less likely to be contaminated ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
4 days ago

New laws will crack down on gang profits and criminal assets
New legislation passed by the Government today will make it harder for gangs and their leaders to benefit financially from crime that causes considerable harm in our communities, Minister of Justice Kiri Allan says. Since the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act 2009 came into effect police have been highly successful in ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
5 days ago

Stuart Nash dismissed from Cabinet
This evening I have advised the Governor-General to dismiss Stuart Nash from all his ministerial portfolios. Late this afternoon I was made aware by a news outlet of an email Stuart Nash sent in March 2020 to two contacts regarding a commercial rent relief package that Cabinet had considered. In ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
5 days ago

Tax incentive to boost housing passes third reading
Legislation to enable more build-to-rent developments has passed its third reading in Parliament, so this type of rental will be able to claim interest deductibility in perpetuity where it meets the requirements. Housing Minister Dr Megan Woods, says the changes will help unlock the potential of the build-to-rent sector and ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
5 days ago

Law levels playing field for low-emissions commuting
A law passed by Parliament today exempts employers from paying fringe benefit tax on certain low emission commuting options they provide or subsidise for their staff. “Many employers already subsidise the commuting costs of their staff, for instance by providing car parks,” Environment Minister David Parker said. “This move supports ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
5 days ago

40 years of Closer Economic Relations with Australia
Today marks the 40th anniversary of Closer Economic Relations (CER), our gold standard free trade agreement between New Zealand and Australia. “CER was a world-leading agreement in 1983, is still world-renowned today and is emblematic of both our countries’ commitment to free trade. The WTO has called it the world’s ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
5 days ago

Amendments to mass arrivals legislation
The Government is making procedural changes to the Immigration Act to ensure that 2013 amendments operate as Parliament intended. The Government is also introducing a new community management approach for asylum seekers. “While it’s unlikely we’ll experience a mass arrival due to our remote positioning, there is no doubt New ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
5 days ago

Progress on public service pay adjustment
The Government welcomes progress on public sector pay adjustment (PSPA) agreements, and the release of the updated public service pay guidance by the Public Service Commission today, Minister for the Public Service Andrew Little says. “More than a dozen collective agreements are now settled in the public service, Crown Agents, ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
5 days ago

Further legislation introduced to support cyclone recovery
The Government has introduced the Severe Weather Emergency Recovery Legislation Bill to further support the recovery and rebuild from the recent severe weather events in the North Island. “We know from our experiences following the Canterbury and Kaikōura earthquakes that it will take some time before we completely understand the ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
6 days ago

Recipe: Spiced biscuits
Tea drinkers of Aotearoa, your new favourite dunking bikkie is here. There are several things I love about this recipe. The first is that they make a delicious dunking biscuit, the perfect accompaniment to a cup of tea shared with friends. The second is that the recipe is ...
The SpinoffBy Emma Boyd
5 hours ago

When the water rushes in: a dispatch from Hawke’s Bay
Part two of writer Marty Smith’s reporting from her flood-damaged home. Read part one here. Sunday 12 March, 21 days after the floods. Google Maps shows a pale blue line for the flat-lined bridge between Taradale and Waiohiki and sends you instead over the Expressway to Merge Like A Zip, ...
The SpinoffBy Marty Smith
6 hours ago

An Ode for .. Queen Tova
Bard Billot on the booted out broadcaster Spartans, prepare for glory! The hardy army of Today FM Spartans Camps out on the harsh lands of talk radio. The long months of the campaign Have worn down their resolve, For though they have loyally broadcast Their snappy banter and hot ...
Newsroom
9 hours ago

The last thing schools need is National's dull, narrow curriculum
The danger of National's policy is that it undoes much of an informal pact with Labour to depoliticise education at a time of real struggle Opinion: The National Party’s recently released education policy narrowly channels nearly every tired and cliched right-wing approach to schooling. If you have been in education for ...
Newsroom
9 hours ago

The future of Wellington central library – and what made the old one so good
A refurbished, expanded and more earthquake-proof building is a still few years away. Can it live up to the impeccable postmodernist vibes of its predecessor? A long time ago, my non-Wellington then-boyfriend was visiting the windy city and asked the barber what he recommended in town. “Dunno mate,” the barber ...
The SpinoffBy Sharon Lam
10 hours ago

The Sunday Essay: Confessions of a cryptic addict
Doing the cryptic crossword isn’t simply a hobby. It’s a way of life, a love affair – even a full-blown obsession. The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand. Illustrations by Asia Martusia King. Clue: Mafia boss consumed first dish free of ...
The SpinoffBy Venetia Sherson
10 hours ago

Labor’s unexpected Aston win is body blow for Dutton
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The rout of the Liberals in Aston is a disaster for Peter Dutton. The party has defied history – in the worst possible way. This is the first time in more than a century ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
15 hours ago

Labor wins Aston byelection; NSW election and Trump polling updates
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne Morgan Hancock/AAP With 44% of enrolled voters counted in today’s Aston federal byelection, the ABC has Labor expected to win ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
16 hours ago

Labor likely to win Aston byelection; NSW election and Trump polling updates
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne Morgan Hancock/AAP With 44% of enrolled voters counted in today’s Aston federal byelection, the ABC has Labor expected to win ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
17 hours ago

The faulty logic of Stuart Nash and the Ombudsman's opportunity
Analysis - When is a cabinet minister not a cabinet minister? The faulty logic of Stuart Nash has landed him and Labour in a heap of trouble but opened the door to serious reform of the Official Information Act, Tim Watkin writes. ...
Radio NZ – political
1 day ago

Indonesian police move to stem rise in Papuan freedom fighter attacks
Jubi News in Jayapura Indonesia’s Papua police chief Inspector-General Mathius D Fakhiri has called for action to ensure that “security disturbances” in the Puncak Jaya highlands do not widen in the face of escalating attacks by pro-independence militants. “For Puncak, we will take immediate action,” he said. According to General ...
Evening ReportBy Asia Pacific Report
1 day ago

What’s new to Netflix NZ, Neon and other streaming services in April
What are you going to be watching this month? We round up everything coming to streaming services this month, including Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, Apple TV+, Neon and TVNZ+. The biggies Party Down (all seasons on TVNZ+ from April 1) Thirteen years is a long time between drinks and ...
The SpinoffBy The Spinoff
1 day ago

Focus on Politics: New Police Minister in opposition's crosshairs
Ginny Andersen has landed a hot-potato portfolio and has been in Cabinet less than two months - the opposition will be eager to test her mettle this election year. ...
Radio NZ – political
1 day ago

Did people spontaneously applaud the Donald Trump indictment in a Rotorua cafe?
The executive producer of Modern Family has issued an incendiary claim about New Zealanders cheering and clapping in public. Hayden Donnell gets to the bottom of things. The sitcom Modern Family is remembered as a “warm-hearted story about the unbreakable bonds of family”; a tale of radically different people overcoming ...
The SpinoffBy Hayden Donnell
1 day ago

‘Holding back the tears’: Shapeshifter’s soggy summer of cancelled shows
As rain kept falling across January, February and into March, all band members cold do was sit at home cancelling festivals and posting sad Facebook messages to fans. The first post landed on January 3. As wild weather began hitting the country, campers around Northland packed up their tents ...
The SpinoffBy Chris Schulz
1 day ago

Short story: Le fou et la folle, by Federico Magrin
"We, women, loving you; you, men, finding new women to love": a Francophile love story in NZ Louis woke up and found out Marine was not lying next to him in bed. He checked his phone – 5:30am. The aurora shone a bright gold on the windows of the detached ...
Newsroom
1 day ago

The Week in Detail: From Posie Parker to processed foods
Every weekday, The Detail makes sense of the big news stories. This week, we looked at how co-governance really works, Labour's record on climate action, what the new AUKUS nuclear submarine deal means for New Zealand, Posie Parker's visit to Auckland and the free speech debate, and the damage processed foods are ...
Newsroom
1 day ago

'Devastated': Today FM's Tova O'Brien is the canary in the economic mine
The radio workers were caught by the unexpected speed of the decline of NZ's consumer economy, since Christmas – and they won't be the last. Jonathan Milne reports. When broadcaster Tova O’Brien uttered the resounding words, "they’ve f***ed us", they resonated beyond the 1 percent audience share of a small talk radio operation ...
Newsroom
1 day ago

Lake Onslow battery losing its charge
A New Zealand Battery Project centred on Lake Onslow in Central Otago is up against a cheaper North Island alternative Studies into whether a massive pumped-hydro scheme at Lake Onslow is New Zealand’s best bet for a secure energy future may have only four more months to run. While the ...
Newsroom
1 day ago

The Detail's Long Read: Jungle Warfare
This is The Detail's Long Read - one in-depth story read by us every weekend. This week, it's Jungle Warfare, written by Ellen Rykers and published in New Zealand Geographic's March/April 2023 edition. You can find the full article, with photos by Adrian Malloch, here. Hundreds of pest plant species—many of them garden escapees—run rampant in ...
Newsroom
1 day ago

Strong communities are essential when disaster strikes
Because pro-social behaviour emerges so often after disaster, community empowerment should be central to disaster mitigation and recovery Opinion: Cyclone Gabrielle caused major damage across the North Island. This unprecedented climate event created great uncertainty. People are wondering if, or when, they can return to their homes, the extent to ...
Newsroom
1 day ago

The many lives of John-Paul Foliaki
The Red, White & Brass star talks spectacle, honouring family sacrifices and his debut lead role over a Tongan lunch in Otāhuhu. Name a creative pursuit and 28-year-old Tongan New Zealander John-Paul Foliaki will give it a go. That is, if he hasn’t already. Foliaki plays the lead role, Maka, ...
The SpinoffBy Charlotte Muru-Lanning
1 day ago

The stories of Katherine Mansfield, ranked
To mark 100 years since the great short story writer’s death, books editor Claire Mabey marathonned her collected works – these are the top 20. Reader, I did it. I read all of Katherine Mansfield’s short stories. Confession: I haven’t always been a fan. I have tedious memories of ...
The SpinoffBy Claire Mabey
1 day ago

Ekenasio steps into shoes of Magic giants
In her first season as an ANZ Premiership captain, Ameliaranne Ekenasio was nervous about filling the shoes of the legendary Magic captains before her. But, as Merryn Anderson writes, the quiet leader has the full respect of the side who voted her in. When the Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic created history ...
Newsroom
1 day ago

What went wrong in Peter Bol’s doping case? A sport integrity expert explains
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Catherine Ordway, Associate Professor Sport Management and Sport Integrity Lead, University of Canberra Lawyers for Australian 800-metre star Peter Bol say allegations the runner engaged in doping should be dropped after two independent labs found no evidence he used a banned substance. ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
2 days ago

‘I feel vindicated’ – Vanuatu Daily Post in landmark work permit win
Vanuatu’s Supreme Court has ruled in favour of Trading Post Ltd, the owner of the Vanuatu Daily Post newspaper, BUZZ FM96 and other media outlets, in a case against the government’s refusal to renew the company’s former media director’s work permit. Dan McGarry, who served as a director of the ...
Evening ReportBy Asia Pacific Report
2 days ago

Stephen Jack Selected As National’s Candidate In Taieri
Balclutha-based farmer Stephen Jack has been selected by local party members as National’s candidate in Taieri for the 2023 General Election. “Taieri is my home and I’m incredibly excited to have the opportunity to campaign for a National Government ...
Scoop politics
2 days ago

Government announces new sanctions against Russia, Belarus
The government has announced another set of sanctions as part of its ongoing response to the war in Ukraine. ...
Radio NZ – political
2 days ago

Week in Politics: For Labour's sake, Nash must go
Analysis - The Stuart Nash scandal has the potential to damage Labour's election chances, Marama Davidson creates controversy and Auckland's second harbour crossing to be built earlier than expected. ...
Radio NZ – political
2 days ago

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare JM Burns, Assistant Professor and Non-executive Director, Bond University Shutterstock The story of the Aboriginal Community Benefit Fund, whose name and marketing misled thousands of customers into believing it was Indigenous owned and run, is a stark example of ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
2 days ago

PSA: Remember to change your clocks this Sunday
It’s the biannual reminder to tamper with that pesky analogue clock you still have in your kitchen for some reason (or at the least your microwave/car stereo). This Sunday at 3am, we will all gain an hour of sleep as the clocks roll back ahead of winter. Get ready for ...
The SpinoffBy Stewart Sowman-Lund
2 days ago

Ombudsman reopens investigation into Nash emails
The Chief Ombudsman has reopened his investigation into a complaint over former minister Stuart Nash's emails. ...
Radio NZ – political
2 days ago

Investigation into hidden Nash email reopened
The chief ombudsman has elected to reopen his investigation into an email from former minister Stuart Nash to a pair of donors back in 2020. The email, which only came to light this week, quickly triggered Nash’s dismissal from cabinet. But in bad news for the prime minister Chris Hipkins, ...
The SpinoffBy Stewart Sowman-Lund
2 days ago

And thus, the celebration of The Bulletin’s fifth birthday comes to an end
Last week we celebrated The Bulletin’s fifth birthday with Spinoff members and staff at The Spinoff’s offices in Auckland. The Bulletin launched in March 2018 seeking to curate news and great journalism and email that to people for free each weekday morning. That hasn’t changed and it’s still going strong. ...
The SpinoffBy Anna Rawhiti-Connell
2 days ago

Minimum Wage Increase To Make Real Difference, Says NZCTU
The biggest increase in the history of the minimum wage will have a huge impact for workers on low wages, says the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions. From tomorrow, the minimum wage will rise to $22.70, up from $21.20. This increase will benefit ...
Scoop politics
2 days ago

Has GPT-4 really passed the startling threshold of human-level artificial intelligence? Well, it dep...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By George Siemens, Co-Director, Professor, Centre for Change and Complexity in Learning, University of South Australia agsandrew/Shutterstock Recent public interest in tools like ChatGPT has raised an old question in the artificial intelligence community: is artificial general intelligence (in this case, ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
2 days ago

Synthony postpones Auckland show due to weather
Auckland’s wet summer is delivering one final blow just in time for the weekend. The Synthony festival, due to be held on Saturday at Auckland Domain and featuring performances by Shapeshifter, Dave Dobbyn and Kimbra, has been postponed following predictions of heavy rainfall across the day. More than 20,000 people ...
The SpinoffBy Chris Schulz
2 days ago

Open Letter To Government
We would like to see a temporary by-pass of the major slip on State Highway 25A built to alleviate the concerns of the residents of the Eastern Side of Coromandel. Cyclone Gabrielle inflicted substantial damage to roading on the Coromandel Peninsula. ...
Scoop politics
2 days ago

Review: Wellmania takes wobbly aim at the wellness industry
Alex Casey watches Wellmania, the new Netflix comedy starring Instagram sensation Celeste Barber. The lowdown Based on the book by journalist Brigid Delaney, Netflix comedy Wellmania follows successful yet shambolic Australian food writer Liv Bealey (Celeste Barber) as she embarks on a quest to get well as quickly as possible. ...
The SpinoffBy Alex Casey
2 days ago

Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier Reopens Nash Investigation
The Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier says he has reopened his investigation into an Official Information Act complaint about a decision by former Minister Stuart Nash. "The original enquiry was discontinued in May last year in discussion with the ...
Scoop politics
2 days ago

NZNO Welcomes Pay Parity Move, Leaving Out GP Nurses Regrettable
The New Zealand Nurses Organisation Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa (NZNO) has welcomed this morning’s Government announcement to address pay disparities in the nursing and kaiāwhina workforces from 1 April. NZNO Chief Executive Paul ...
Scoop politics
2 days ago

Britain to join CPTPP Pacific trade pact this year
The British High Commissioner to New Zealand says the United Kingdom joining the trade deal is "wonderful news". ...
Radio NZ – political
2 days ago

Ingredient of the week: Broccoli
Don’t let broccoli’s virtuous goody two-shoes reputation put you off – these verdant and versatile florets make the perfect addition to tray bakes, salads, soups and more. I reckon broccoli’s “superfood” status has given it a bit of a bad reputation. Because it’s so healthy (and reasonably inoffensive), its nutrients ...
The SpinoffBy Charlotte Muru-Lanning
2 days ago

The Friday Poem: ‘escher x nendo’ by Michele Leggott
A poem from Michele Leggott’s forthcoming book Face to the Sky. escher x nendo I hear you Eddie Woo coming clear across the galleries of intercochlear space you have the measure of these galaxies earthmeasure you have the measure of their difference earthmisia you translate one world artemisia and here ...
The SpinoffBy Michele Leggott
2 days ago

The Unity Books bestseller chart for the week ending March 31
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington. AUCKLAND 1 Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus (Doubleday, $26) The new, smaller format of Bonnie Garmus’ ...
The SpinoffBy The Spinoff Review of Books
2 days ago

Curious Kids: what happens if you don’t get enough sleep?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Blunden, Professor and Head of Paediatric Sleep Research, CQUniversity Australia Shutterstock What would happen to a person if they didn’t get the sleep they needed? Hedya, age 11, Australia This is a really good question Heyda, because it ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
2 days ago

‘The last year of my career has been wiped’: Today FM’s instant online erasure
Within hours of Duncan Garner telling listeners ‘It looks like the end of us’, the station’s website, social media and archives had been scrubbed from the internet. Right now across Auckland you can still see ads for Leo Molloy’s doomed mayoral campaign and electorate offices adorned with a smiling Jacinda ...
The SpinoffBy Stewart Sowman-Lund
2 days ago

PM on Stuart Nash's email scandal: 'He should have told me about it'
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has spoken more about the Stuart Nash email scandal at a media conference at the Manurewa RSA today, saying Nash has been "ultimately held accountable". ...
Radio NZ – political
2 days ago

Vanuatu hails ‘historic resolution’ in climate battle on the world stage
By Barbara Dreaver in Port Vila Vanuatu is in celebration mode after winning a significant battle on the world stage over climate change. In a United Nations resolution spearheaded by Vanuatu, the world’s top court will now advise on countries’ legal obligations to fight climate change. It also means the ...
Evening ReportBy Asia Pacific Report
2 days ago

FLNKS message to French PM about Kanak ‘humiliation’ over referendum
By Jan Kohout, RNZ Pacific journalist New Caledonia’s Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front (FLNKS) say they will tell the French Prime Minister of the Kanak people’s “sense of humiliation” over the last independence referendum. The pro-independence alliance is set to talk to the French state from April 7-15. The ...
Evening ReportBy Asia Pacific Report
2 days ago

Watch: PM Chris Hipkins talks to media on eve of benefit increases
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins is visiting the Manurewa RSA meeting veterans who are among hundreds of thousands to receive higher payments from tomorrow. ...
Radio NZ – political
2 days ago

Your weekend entertainment plan: The Big Door Prize, Unstable and The Power
This is an excerpt from The Spinoff’s pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up to have it delivered to your inbox every Friday here. If you want a middle-aged white man to play a disappointed-with-the-state-of-their-life middle-aged-white-man, you have two options: Jason Segel or Chris O’Dowd. Clearly, Segel was already busy ...
The SpinoffBy Chris Schulz
2 days ago

Four Million Milestone Reached For 2023 Census
Over four million people have returned their Individual Forms for the 2023 Census, Stats NZ said today. “This is a great milestone. We didn’t hit this milestone until 30 April in the 2018 Census. I would like to thank everybody who has been counted ...
Scoop politics
2 days ago

Government To Cement In High Carbon Future
The government's recent announcement of five high carbon options for the next harbour crossing has disappointed those concerned about climate change. TRAC, a rail advocacy collective, opposes the short-sighted decision, citing the urgent need to reduce ...
Scoop politics
2 days ago

As the US pushes to make daylight saving permanent, should Australia move in the same direction?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Guzyal Hill, Senior Lecturer, Charles Darwin University Shutterstock Sunday will mark the end of the Daylight Saving Time (DST) in eastern Australia, but there are many who would like to see it last longer or permanently. Twice a year, New ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
2 days ago

Call For Evidence On Aotearoa New Zealand’s Emissions Reduction Targets And Emissions Budgets, 31 ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has launched a call for evidence to support its work on Aotearoa New Zealand’s emissions reduction targets and emissions budgets. This call for evidence is an opportunity for anyone to share information, data and ...
Scoop politics
2 days ago

Kiwis May Not Be As Fraud Savvy As They Think: Visa Study
As the move to digital commerce continues, fraudsters are counting on consumers to let their guard down and to supply personal information. And according to new research released today by global payments technology company Visa (NYSE: V), which ...
Scoop politics
2 days ago

The predator-free story on NZ’s $5 note
On the other side to Sir Ed is the scene of one of our greatest conservation triumphs. Allison Hess explains. Stuffed into your wallet or passed across the till, the New Zealand $5 note circulates largely unobserved. But if you were to take a closer look at the ubiquitous burnt ...
The SpinoffBy Allison Hess
2 days ago

EPA Seeks Feedback On Tapping Into Global Information
The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) is asking for views on which overseas regulators it will draw on for some hazardous substance assessments and reassessments. The recognised international regulators must regulate hazardous substances in a similar ...
Scoop politics
2 days ago

What does Trump’s indictment mean for his political future – and the strength of US democracy?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Shortis, Lecturer, RMIT University Alex Brandon/AP Events often seem inevitable in hindsight. The indictment of former US President Donald Trump on criminal charges has been a possibility since the start of his presidency – arguably, since close to the ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
2 days ago

Te Pūkenga Leadership Have Failed
Te Hautū Kahurangi | Tertiary Education Union is ready to fight for every job at Te Pūkenga, as members digest a series of shocking statements from their Chief Executive on RNZ’s Nine To Noon programme today. Peter Winder stated, amongst other things, ...
Scoop politics
2 days ago

Clout-lighting: pranking your partner for likes is a surefire way to get dumped this April Fools’ ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gary Mortimer, Professor of Marketing and Consumer Behaviour, Queensland University of Technology Media Whale Stock/Shutterstock What would you do to get more likes or shares on your favourite social media platform this April Fool’s Day? Would you blast an airhorn ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
2 days ago

Newsletter: March 31 2023 – Items of interest and importance today
New Zealand Politics Daily is a collation of the most prominent issues being discussed in New Zealand. It is edited by Dr Bryce Edwards of The Democracy Project. Today’s content STUART NASH, OIA Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Stuart Nash scandal boils down to cock-up vs ‘conspiracy’ (paywalled) Marc Daalder (Newsroom): The opaque transparency of the ...
Evening ReportBy Bryce Edwards
2 days ago

Indigenous knowledge offers solutions, but its use must be based on meaningful collaboration with In...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tara McAllister, Research Fellow, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Shutterstock/Guy Hasler As global environmental challenges grow, people and societies are increasingly looking to Indigenous knowledge for solutions. Indigenous knowledge is particularly appealing for addressing climate change because ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
2 days ago

Law change allows Māori to more easily switch electoral rolls
Tommy de Silva explains an interesting new legal shift: Māori can now switch between the Māori and general electoral rolls more easily thanks to a law change. These new rules allow anyone of Māori descent to switch between the rolls whenever they please until three months before an election. That ...
The SpinoffBy Tommy de Silva
2 days ago

Rule Change For Overseas Voting
The rules for overseas voting are changing from today for this year’s General Election to recognise the effect the pandemic has had on international travel. ‘This is a temporary change made by Parliament for New Zealanders living overseas who have ...
Scoop politics
2 days ago

Luxon takes aim at red tape in ambitious plan to boost renewable energy production
The National Party says its new renewable energy policy will double the amount of electricity produced from solar, wind and geothermal plants. ...
Radio NZ – political
2 days ago

Trump to be arrested over porn star hush money
It’s a headline I never quite expected to write but in recent days have been wondering if I would have to. Former US president Donald Trump will be arrested after a New York grand jury voted to indict him over alleged hush money paid to former adult film star Stormy ...
The SpinoffBy Stewart Sowman-Lund
2 days ago

Lawsuits, NFTs and super-mad Swifties: Ticketmaster’s problems, explained
Everything you need to know about the ticketing agency’s ongoing debacles. So Ticketmaster’s back in the news. Why is the company that should be spitting out concert tickets calmly and quietly sparking so many headlines? Where do you want to start? The lawsuits, the NFTs or the super-mad Swifties? It’s ...
The SpinoffBy Chris Schulz
2 days ago

Auckland Council Admits It Doesn’t Know The Impact Of Its Own Budget Cuts
Auckland Council has proposed significant budget cuts without assessing the potential impacts on the region’s environment and climate change efforts, an official response reveals. No assessment was made as Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown never asked for one, ...
Scoop politics
2 days ago

Greenpeace Welcomes National’s Renewable Energy Policy, But Fossil Fuel Exploration And Agricultur...
Greenpeace is welcoming the National Party’s new renewable energy policy - ‘Electrify NZ’ - with its focus on increasing renewable electricity generation to replace coal, gas and petrol-fuelled transport. But the organisation is calling on National ...
Scoop politics
2 days ago

National promises to double renewable energy supply
The National Party has pledged to “cut red tape” in the electricity sector through a new policy that it claims will double New Zealand’s supply of renewable energy. Dubbed “Electrify NZ”, the policy was unveiled this morning by party leader Christopher Luxon. “National wants a future where buses and trains ...
The SpinoffBy Stewart Sowman-Lund
2 days ago

The Opportunities Party Launches A Petition To Establish An Anti-Corruption Commission
...
Scoop politics
2 days ago

New Zealand High School Teachers Hold Second One-day Strike
By Tom Peters, Socialist Equality Group 30 March 2023 Original url: https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2023/03/30/jspf-m30.html About 20,000 secondary teachers at public schools in New Zealand held a nationwide strike on March 29. It followed a much larger one-day strike on March 16 involving ...
Scoop politics
2 days ago

Dunne's Weekly: The Week The PM Lost Control Of The Agenda
In his first two months as Prime Minister Chris Hipkins impressed for his directness, clarity and determination, and the assured way in which he transitioned into his new role. His everyman style, from the hoodie to the more than occasional meat pie, ...
Scoop politics
2 days ago

Return of the Hollow Men

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Return of the Hollow Men

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