Search Results

  1. Charging for the foreshore

    Written By:  r0b -  Date published: 1:32 pm, November 2nd, 2010 -  9 comments
    Categories: act, foreshore and seabed, Maori Issues, maori party, national/act government
    Tags: ,

    I don’t know about you, but I have certainly been confused about ACT’s move to insert a last-minute clause into the new Marine and Coastal Areas (Takutai Moana) Bill (proposed replacement for the Foreshore and Seabed Act). Canterbury legal academic David Round sets out some of the issues involved.  With deep divisions within Maoridom, and a growing conservative backlash, this mess isn’t going away any time soon…

  2. National’s Broken Promises

    Written By:  Bunji -  Date published: 8:34 am, November 1st, 2010 -  18 comments
    Categories: national, same old national
    Tags:

    National are a land of broken promises – from GST rises and tax cuts to falling wages and attacks on education.  Here’s my list – help me with any I’ve forgotten.

  3. Happy birthday Auckland

    Written By:  r0b -  Date published: 12:01 am, November 1st, 2010 -  8 comments
    Categories: auckland supercity, len brown, supercity
    Tags: , , ,

    Happy Birthday Auckland!  The new Supercity is now in effect, with Mayor Len Brown at the helm.  How is the tension between a left wing mayor representing a third of the country, and a right wing central government, going to play out?  The Nats can’t afford to let Auckland fail…

  4. On the foreshore

    Written By:  r0b -  Date published: 3:21 pm, October 30th, 2010 -  11 comments
    Categories: foreshore and seabed, Maori Issues, maori party
    Tags:

    Seems like the Maori Party conference is off to a rocky start.  Likely to get even rockier as they move on to the main event today, the vexed issue of the foreshore and seabed.  The differences between the existing Act and the proposed replacement Bill are mostly symbolic.  Is a symbolic change enough for the Maori Party?

  5. Rolling back transparency

    Written By:  r0b -  Date published: 8:17 am, October 30th, 2010 -  43 comments
    Categories: accountability, Parliament
    Tags: , ,

    Last year MPs’ spending was opened up to public scrutiny, and many hailed a “new era” of openness. Well it didn’t last long.  Now MPs’ travel costs are to become secret again.  We won’t get to know about cases like Rodney Hide and Chris Carter.  This will prevent incidents like the Carter witch-hunt. But on balance I have to come down on the side of transparency.  This move to start rolling it back is a mistake.

  6. Harawira off foreshore committee

    Written By:  Eddie -  Date published: 9:06 am, October 28th, 2010 -  7 comments
    Categories: accountability, maori party, Parliament
    Tags: , ,

    Select committees are very important. They take Bills after first reading, hear submissions, and recommend alterations. Ministers do not (usually) sit on them and they are not meant to be mere rubber stamps for the government. But Harawira’s removal from the foreshore committee shows this government doesn’t care about good lawmaking.

  7. Child friendly

    Written By:  r0b -  Date published: 8:17 am, October 17th, 2010 -  58 comments
    Categories: families, labour, leadership
    Tags:

    The Labour conference this weekend is expected to release new “policy directions”.  One of them is out already — and it’s good.  What could make more sense than putting children first?

  8. A PM but not a leader

    Written By:  r0b -  Date published: 7:17 am, October 13th, 2010 -  92 comments
    Categories: International, john key, leadership
    Tags: , , ,

    New Zealand is small country, far from anywhere, always on the edge of irrelevance.  To continue our proud heritage of principled and effective international contributions, to hold our heads up high on the world stage, New Zealand needs a leader.  But all we have is a PM.

  9. Little Mr Key, the spider & the sunny day

    Written By:  Zetetic -  Date published: 7:25 pm, October 7th, 2010 -  13 comments
    Categories: humour, john key
    Tags:

    Had a crack at writing my kid a story. What do you reckon?

    Once upon a time there was a little man called John Key. He told everyone that if they trusted him he would lead them to a brighter future. Some of the people said he was lying to get power. More people said that they liked that nice man, Mr Key, and wanted the brighter future he promised…

  10. “We’re all shades of sheep” – the Calvert interview

    Written By:  Eddie -  Date published: 1:28 pm, September 25th, 2010 -  49 comments
    Categories: act, interview
    Tags: ,

    Check out Hilary Calvert’s interview in the ODT. It’s, um, extraordinary and hilarious. Calvert can’t remember whether she was ever a member of a different political party, when she first stood for ACT, or whether she has any convictions.

    More evidence of the depth of talent in ACT these days.

  11. Over promise under deliver

    Written By:  r0b -  Date published: 8:22 am, September 24th, 2010 -  22 comments
    Categories: economy, jobs, john key, national
    Tags:

    “I also want to pay a special acknowledgement to my friend and deputy, Bill English.  What a great job he is doing as Finance Minister. He’s delivered two Budgets that have steered New Zealand out of recession and put the economy firmly back on track to grow and create jobs”.  Or has he?…

  12. Stable government

    Written By:  r0b -  Date published: 8:08 am, September 20th, 2010 -  44 comments
    Categories: act, maori party, national
    Tags:

    John Key and the Nats are failing to provide the stable government that New Zealanders require – and vote for.  His coalition partners are both self destructing.  Interesting times.

  13. Some thoughts on ACT

    Written By:  IrishBill -  Date published: 12:00 pm, September 18th, 2010 -  81 comments
    Categories: act, labour, maori party, nz first, Politics
    Tags: , , , , , ,

    One way or another ACT’s troubles are going to ripple through the entire political discourse.

    So what’s likely to happen with Garrett?

    And what does it mean for everyone else?

  14. Amongst the rubble: a look at the Christchurch earthquake from the bottom up

    Written By:  Guest post -  Date published: 11:18 am, September 18th, 2010 -  16 comments
    Categories: capitalism, class war
    Tags: , ,

    First posted on the excellent Beyond Resistance blog: While the dust settles and Christchurch recovers from the 7.1 earthquake, people have begun to pick up the pieces and get on with their lives. But for many working class people this is not so easy. Those most affected by ‘natural disasters’ are those already on the margins of despair.

  15. Crown ownership by any other name would smell as bad

    Written By:  Marty G -  Date published: 2:00 pm, September 6th, 2010 -  13 comments
    Categories: foreshore and seabed, nz first, spin
    Tags:

    Unnoticed amongst all the earthquake coverage was a small article in the Weekend Dompost on the foreshore and seabed deal. Apparently, ‘public domain’ will no longer appear in the new legislation. Instead, we’ll have a new name, possibly ‘takutaimoana’, Te Reo for ‘seabed’. That sound you can hear Winston Peters is rubbing his hands with glee.

  16. Another broken Supercity promise

    Written By:  r0b -  Date published: 2:28 pm, August 28th, 2010 -  18 comments
    Categories: auckland supercity, democracy under attack, supercity
    Tags: ,

    Yet another broken promise on the Auckland Supercity, as ministers fail to consult on the directors of council-controlled organisations. Will The Herald stand by its earlier thundering editorial?

  17. How to be a lazy politician

    Written By:  Guest post -  Date published: 3:00 pm, August 17th, 2010 -  9 comments
    Categories: accountability, bill english, democracy under attack, Economy, john key, national/act government, Politics, same old national
    Tags:

    When John Steinbeck said “No one wants advice – only corroboration” he could well have been describing the numerous working groups the Government has established in many areas of significant economic and social policy. Too lazy to spend its nine years in opposition developing a detailed policy prescription, National now picks groups to tell it what it wants to hear.

  18. Child murder or protecting gangs?

    Written By:  Guest post -  Date published: 12:15 pm, August 17th, 2010 -  46 comments
    Categories: child abuse, crime, Maori Issues, maori party
    Tags:

    The legacy of the Maori Party should not be waving the seabed and foreshore legislation in the air like Neville Chamberlain and rejoicing at the sop given by the Machiavellian elite – not while another child lies dying of a brain injury. The Minister for Maori Affairs should not be working to save illegal buildings on a gang HQ when Maori children are being abused at a sickening rate.

  19. Another poll

    Written By:  r0b -  Date published: 10:36 am, August 9th, 2010 -  17 comments
    Categories: Economy, polls
    Tags:

    For the poll junkies – yes there’s been another poll. It’s headed “Labour make gains”, but it’s margin of error stuff, so don’t get too excited.

  20. Unemployment rises to 6.8%

    Written By:  Marty G -  Date published: 1:00 pm, August 5th, 2010 -  100 comments
    Categories: Economy, unemployment
    Tags: , ,

    Statistics NZ has just released the Household Labour Force Survey for June 2010 and it’s grim reading, with an astonishing increase in the unemployment rate from 6.0% to 6.8%.

    Maori unemployment is now up to 16.4%, Pacific unemployment is at 14.1% and there’s been a 70% increase in long-term unemployment to 37,600.

  21. Victory within reach, if they’ll grab for it

    Written By:  Marty G -  Date published: 11:07 am, August 2nd, 2010 -  48 comments
    Categories: election 2011, polls
    Tags:

    Labour has, to date, failed to give the people who voted for it 3 of the last 4 elections a reason to come back. But that doesn’t mean all is lost. The Left is not just Labour. A 5% shift in the polls, the same scale as the shift that has already happened this past year, would be all it takes to get those numbers even and make the Maori Party – or maybe Winston – kingmaker.

  22. The states of John Key – The Salesman

    Written By:  Guest post -  Date published: 10:36 am, July 24th, 2010 -  18 comments
    Categories: john key
    Tags:

    Third of a series by Guest poster Blue. Now looking at John Key – The Salesman.

    An old post of Marty G’s on the Standard says “One of the stories from John Key’s days as a currency trader is that he was always more of a salesman than an analyst.

  23. The states of John Key – Quantum uncertainty

    Written By:  Guest post -  Date published: 9:56 am, July 24th, 2010 -  41 comments
    Categories: john key
    Tags:

    This series by guest poster Blue has a look at John Key now that we know a bit more about him.

    Our PM is a marvel of modern physics – with any issue he manages to appear to be on both sides of the fence at the same time.

  24. Two term Key?

    Written By:  IrishBill -  Date published: 8:39 pm, July 13th, 2010 -  47 comments
    Categories: Politics
    Tags: ,

    Colin James has had a look at the pros and cons of Key staying past a second term.

    So why would our fair-weather prime minister want to stick around?

  25. Tolley lives behind The Wall

    Written By:  Guest post -  Date published: 2:45 pm, July 9th, 2010 -  26 comments
    Categories: education
    Tags: ,

    Anne Tolley is on record. She told the Principals gathered at their annual conference that rather than run to the media that they need to talk to her directly.

    Lets see some of those who have voiced their opposition to Nationals Standards so far…..

  26. A July election?

    Written By:  IrishBill -  Date published: 6:54 am, July 8th, 2010 -  24 comments
    Categories: election 2011
    Tags:

    First term governments don’t usually go early but this isn’t your average first term government.

    Will the tories go early to lock in a second term?

    And if they do will we get a blitzkrieg policy run if they win?

  27. Key concedes Left has it right on foreign ownership

    Written By:  Marty G -  Date published: 11:16 am, July 6th, 2010 -  46 comments
    Categories: Economy, overseas investment
    Tags:

    PM warns against Kiwis becoming ‘tenants’ – The Herald. John Key says that we’ve got to make sure we don’t sell too many of our assets and end up sending the profits overseas. Good stuff, it’s exactly what the Left has been saying and the opposite of National’s policy until now. I guess we’ll have to see if Key backs up his words with action.

  28. Brownlee makes Nats more enemies

    Written By:  Eddie -  Date published: 12:16 pm, June 30th, 2010 -  18 comments
    Categories: Conservation, foreshore and seabed, Mining
    Tags: , ,

    Every night before they go to sleep, good little Labour and Green spin doctors pray for another headline involving Gerry Brownlee. The guy has an amazing tin ear for public opinion. He’s had 50,000 people march against his mining plans and, now, he’s made a Treaty breach over the one area of foreshore and seabed that was settled. Gerry, you’re a godsend.

  29. The Unkind Cuts

    Written By:  Guest post -  Date published: 11:00 am, June 30th, 2010 -  9 comments
    Categories: education
    Tags: , ,

    John Key can flippantly deflect media scrutiny of his Government’s unkind cuts to early childhood education by referring to the snip he himself has voluntarily undertaken, but many early childhood services are having to make hard decisions about how to deal with it all. “Saving” $419m with education cuts means writing off potential gains of $5.5 BILLION.

  30. Most and least trusted

    Written By:  r0b -  Date published: 7:46 pm, June 29th, 2010 -  31 comments
    Categories: polls
    Tags:

    A recent survey of most and least trusted individuals and professions in NZ makes for interesting reading. Politicians as a profession rank down with telemarketers and sex workers. The list of least trusted individuals contains some bad news for the government…

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