Beached as bro

Written By: - Date published: 11:59 am, March 30th, 2012 - 57 comments
Categories: Judith Collins, national - Tags: , , , ,

Within minutes of Simon Lusk’s name being linked to the leaking of the Boag email, a message came through on the tip line – Slater is going feral over Lusk’s name being mentioned. And well he might, Lusk is Cameron Slater’s meal ticket. After a stunned silence on Whaleoil for a few hours – Slater/Lusk were back with all the dirt they could sling.

Trevor Mallard was Slater/Lusk’s primary target (I’m using the names conjointly because they both use the Whaleoil pseudonym and who can be bothered sorting one from the other). I’m sure that having the same old material thrown at him again isn’t going to worry Mallard in the slightest. Slater even appeared on TV in sunglasses (to hide bloodshot eyes maybe?) to accuse Labour of being the ‘nasty’ party (oh the irony). Well, I’m pretty sure it feels nasty to have his little empire crumbling around him.

The lashing out at Boag continued as well. Slater/Lusk know they are in a civil war, and they know that unless they pull out all the stops, they’re sure to be on the losing side. It’s a sharp contrast to Farrar, who is obviously completely out of the loop on this fight and has taken a bland pro-National line. For Slater, there’s the personal element that Boag rolled his dad as party president – in a party that is all about elitism and personal power, that’s a scar that doesn’t fade.

Of course, all the ferocity of Slater/Lusk’s response since Lusk was named tells you that a nerve has been hit.

Wiser heads, like Farrar, will be counselling to bring the fight back behind closed doors. But Collins would have to make some kind of admission of fault over the leaks for that to happen though. And Slater just isn’t going to listen. Civil war holds no fears for him – he’s been smearing potential National candidates for a fee with Lusk for a while now. But that makes him a huge liability to the rest of the party. The question now is, what can they do about it?

[Note: If you’re wondering about the basis for saying Slater/Lusk are paid to run campaigns for National party nominations, which frequently involve smearing other National nominees, check out this from Whaleoil:

Some boneheads in the Auckland region hierarchy have been putting about that candidates should not pay for advice or pay for strategy. They are as prissy and as puritanical as the old amateur era rugby people and need to stop this silliness. Laughably the main proponents of this argument are people who earn a living by charging for their services themselves.

If you want to be a National candidate there is a very small group of talented, experienced professionals who will greatly enhance your chances of winning. Yes they will cost, but who else won’t you pay – your lawyer, your accountant, your printer, your speech coach, the petrol station for the gas to get to delegate meetings? Professional advice costs money all over town, why not in politics?

What I can’t understand is why paying for someone who gives you the best chance of a long career in politics is wrong or unethical or whatever else the buggers muddle in Auckland seem to think is reason for not engaging professionals. Aspiring candidates should call the tip line if they want introductions to competent political advisors.

Blog readers are well aware of my views on people who behave unethically, and the best way to out them is to publish information. I realise pride is a sin, but I’m feeling just a little bit proud that I have contributed so meaningfully to the selection of a really good candidate and future National MP. I am also proud that National know that they cannot cover up skullduggery in the party. The tipline callers are many and varied and the truth will out.

– and if that was written by Slater, I’ll eat my hat]

57 comments on “Beached as bro ”

  1. Aye it is delicious that Slater/Lusk should be at the centre of the maelstrom that is the National Party melt down we are witnessing.
     
    And it is clear that there are elements of the National Party that disapprove of their behaviour and are trying to rid the party of them.
     
    He should change the name of his blog.  Whaleluskoil?

    • ghostwhowalksnz 1.1

      Lets keep it as the Oily Orca and the Waipawa Weasel.

      • King Kong 1.1.1

        You may enjoy taunting Cameron but I can’t see this ending well.

        Saying he alone doesn’t write his blog will send him apoplectic and being fair, the one thing he seems to do quite well is vendettas if only because he is the kind of lunatic who doesn’t mind setting fire to himself to burn you.

        [lprent: He has been trying that since 2007. Doesn’t seem to have worked.
        What is your point? That he is a wee bit obsessional? ]

        • King Kong 1.1.1.1

          Absolutely. He is as mad as a toaster and whilst the Standard might not of been on his Christmas card list, sometimes all that is needed is that extra bit of motivation to take the game to ridiculous new levels.

          I am just speculating that the needling of the last couple of days might just tip him off the edge.

          • lprent 1.1.1.1.1

            Yeah, Irish was lamenting the other day that he couldn’t see how it’d be possible to make so many organisations look a bit crazy without having Whale around to ‘support’ them.

            Perhaps we should start a Whale conservation society for the purpose of conserving the ideal “supporter” – one who tarnishes those he supports.

          • mickysavage 1.1.1.1.2

            The problem is KK that the needling would not be possible without the assistance of some within the National Party.  It is not a very happy place.  Some do not appear to approve of what Cameron and Lusk are doing.
             
            /smirk
             

          • NickS 1.1.1.1.3

            I am just speculating that the needling of the last couple of days might just tip him off the edge.

            Nah, it’d probably take a longterm campaign of Anonymous/4Chan, /b/tard level harassment, and while Slater may be a nice vein of potential lulz, he’s small fish really compared to the myriad of US based targets with far higher levels of stupidity and their communities that can be whipped into a beautiful froth of idiocy.

            Besides, if Slater was that unstable he’d be another sad NZ depression statistic by now, as from recent personal experience there’s triggers aplenty :/

            He could do with a mental health vacation though, say somewhere without internet and plenty of exposure to the sun…

  2. vto 2

    Yes well it should be the entire National Party which beaches itself over this…

    This saga involving the use of public office and power for private gain has the rancid stench of a form of corruption.

    This is the exact smell which people in Canterbury got a whiff of over the sacking of Ecan. It seemed a very obvious link to connect the National Party’s support base and Ministers such as Carter and Smith and Creech with their private involvement in the dairy and wider agriculture sectors to the sacking of the regional council in order to get the river water for irrigation. It was as clear as a bell.

    And how has Simon Power’s public office holding been tied in with his new private sector work?

    The above are just two examples. How many more could be found via the likes of Shipley?

    Where else does this linkage occur and how common is it?

    Perhaps the corruption that many have long suspected of the National Party has finally blown apart for all to see.

    • shreddakj 2.1

      Are we destined to see another National Party coup resulting in a lost election and then a subsequent resignation and then another election loss at an even lower result than English achieved in ’02?

      • McFlock 2.1.1

        Or even a party schism, with a few electorate mps moving off to join the conservatives? Dare I hope for so much?

  3. Lanthanide 3

    Be good if the long excerpt from Whale was formatted as a block quote

    Like this.

    [lprent: did that ]

  4. captain hook 4

    I thought slater had god on his side.
    He gets a free ride on Radio rhema so maybe they can jack up a mircale?

    • tc 4.1

      Rhema is my god is better than your god stuff and about as tolerant as the NACT for alternative beliefs.

      • Vicky32 4.1.1

        Rhema is my god is better than your god stuff and about as tolerant as the NACT for alternative beliefs.

        Sorry, that just comes under the ‘it is to laugh category”! Seriously, what do you expect it to be like? Your comment is somewhat like expecting the National Bank to have adverts praising Kiwibank…* what do you think Rhema is for? 
        (* Or to use an aanology that would probably mean more to you, “ASH  is our cigarettes are more evil than your alcohol  stuff and about as tolerant as the NACT for smoking”.)

    • Rodel 4.2

      I just found out that Radio rhema is a good friend of Mr Slater. I normally take little notice of and am disinterested in Rhema but their support of him is disgustingly bizzare.Surely they don’t think their god would approve of his sleaze and his abuse of the state that supports his nefarious activities? Rhema you just plummeted in my estimation from zero to minus a lot.

    • fender 4.3

      Thats just bizarre, how could a religious station want anything to do with someone like that. Didn’t they do their homework, and didn’t they also sense the presence of evil one can’t help but experience when confronted with such vile nastiness. This is a bad move for Rhema to make, maybe they think their listeners read nothing but the holy book. Surely they have heard of him before and would know there’s nothing going on in Whaleslob land that has any compatability with religious values.

      • rosy 4.3.1

        It works if you see them as part of the Rick Santorum school of mixing religion and politics. e.g.:

        “Earlier in my political career, I had the opportunity to read the speech, and I almost threw up.” –Rick Santorum, on JFK’s 1960 speech about the importance of separation of church and state (October 2011)

      • Rosemary 4.3.2

        What about the hypocrisy in Slater posting those “daily proverbs”? Unbelievable.

      • Vicky32 4.3.3

        This is a bad move for Rhema to make, maybe they think their listeners read nothing but the holy book.

        You may hate them, I don’t listen to them and never have, but you ought to realise they’re not morons.
        They probably are, however, conservative and somewhat gullible.

        • fender 4.3.3.1

          Vicky32,
          Certainly wasn’t suggesting listeners of Rhema were morons. There must be a moron within the radio station though, sanctioning the input from vigilantes or enemies of the working people is not a good move.
          And no I don’t hate them either, no suggestion of that in my post.
          I don’t listen to the station at all but many years ago a colleague did and so I was familiar with the format, and so it surprises me that they would now welcome input from slaters or cockroaches.
          However if the station believes its listeners are too busy to read anything but the holy book they may think listeners are unaware of the toxic hazard they are being exposed to.

          • Vicky32 4.3.3.1.1

            I don’t listen to the station at all but many years ago a colleague did and so I was familiar with the format, and so it surprises me that they would now welcome input from slaters or cockroaches.

            I see your point… I had to listen to Rhema, on a long car journey once, and it’s absolutely not to my taste! Maybe I’ve been judging it by LifeFM, which I used to listen to (even though people who knew me thought I’d listen to Rhema cause I am old .. 😀 ) LifeFM did assume its listeners were aware of others things, although it also assumed they were arch-conservatives which is why I never listen to it any more.

    • NickS 4.4

      Heh, well theocrats do love authoritarian douchebags that align with with them on conservative bullshit, and given the failure of Christian political parties in NZ to gain any longterm traction they have to fall back on the National Party and it’s rural politicians, who oft use religious support as a base. So it’s not so surprising they shill for Slater, given the lack of alternatives and the teh low impact of right-wing Christian bloggers in NZ.

      As for the whole “but god…!” thing, this evil Atheist finds the above posters lack of understanding of the “flexibility” of biblical interpretations most amusing…

      • Vicky32 4.4.1

        right-wing Christian bloggers in New Zealand

        I can only conclude that you have (possibly wilfully) ignored the very existence of left wing Christian bloggers, at least one of whom used to comment here on the Standard…

        • NickS 4.4.1.1

          I know all to well they exist, but Rhema’s conservative outlook made mentioning them a mute point, so suggesting I ignored them is a bit stupid on your part.

          • Vicky32 4.4.1.1.1

            mentioning them a mute point,

            I swore I wasn’t going to go grammar nazi on anyone’s donkey again, but I can’t resist – “mute point”, oh it’s hilarious! Almost as good as Joey Tribbiani in Friends, saying “it’s a moo point, like a cow’s opinion, it doesn’t matter”… 😀

            • ropata 4.4.1.1.1.1

              Regrettably right wing “Christian” mouthpieces like Slater (wishart, mcroskrie) continue to enjoy a great deal of influence … far outweighing the merit of anything they say

              NIckS is right that Rhema is a right wing outlet and their broadcasts are generally devoid of anything that might get christians to actually stop and think for a change. Mostly it exists to make conservative fundies feel good about themselves and reinforce the gilded cage they live in

              • Vicky32

                NIckS is right that Rhema is a right wing outlet and their broadcasts are generally devoid of anything that might get christians to actually stop and think for a change. Mostly it exists to make conservative fundies feel good about themselves and reinforce the gilded cage they live in

                True that, which is why I have never listened to it, and I stopped listening to LifeFM, which is their sister station…

  5. bad12 5

    Would like to comment broadly and in detail here but alas we are all way to busy formulating believable stuff we can insinuate into that one,s wee pea via the tip-line to spur Him on to keep on fighting the good fight,(snigger)…

  6. just saying 6

    Sounds like the Whaleoils and Sarah Ferguson share an intellectual, business, and ethical lineage.

    Haven’t got a tip myself, but where exactly is the ‘tipline’ button on this site? NZ being a very small place with few degrees of separation and all that…

    • Blighty 6.1

      they’re just referring to their email address I think. Slater likes to talk about his ‘tipline’ and they’re mocking him for it.

  7. Johnny 7

    So what you are saying is that some of this Mr Whaleoil’s posts are actually scam ones by someone else. Not the first time his lot have been accused of as much. Where is honour and integrity these days?

    http://scambusters.co.nz/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=6082

    • good find, johnny

      • Eddie 7.1.1

        Check out Juana’s shareholdings on the company’s website, they tie in with Slater’s and someone called Harold Honnor who seems to have fingers in a lot of pies.

        Juana owns 70% of Frog Rock Management, which used to be part owned by Slater too. Frog Rock owns, along with a company called Prescott Corner (owned by Honnor) a company called Te Aronga Maru, which has owned a string of security companies, the latest being Botany Security – Honnor is the director and Slater was formerly a director.

        Slater used to own a company – Ironbark Corporation – with Frog Rock and, if I’ve got the story right, that was a security company that went belly up, which is when he got depression, which is how he got on 6 figure a year income insurance (what is it with these righties and their massive insurance payouts?). The insurance company seems to have cancelled the payments when he started appearing regularly in the media, showing he was fit for work in their mind. he ran a series of posts angrily denouncing and threatening to sue that didn’t seem to amount to anything in the end.

        he went on the benefit – but, the emails go, he has done repossession work for the security company that is ultimately part owned by his wife. He’s since mentioned having an office at a workplace with lots of burly men, presumably said repo outfit – Botany Security.

        I wonder who Harold Honnor is? He owns a lot of companies with odd names “search engine optimisation 4321 company ltd, vehicle importing company ltd, social media consultants ltd”.

        There are more personal stories about Slater as well but it’s more his style than ours to run that kind of thing.

        I hope Slater pays tax on the payments he and Lusk get for services rendered. He’s not currently registered as owning any company, so presumably, he’s registered with IRD as self-employed and pays tax on all these cash jobs. I don’t think he’s still getting the benefit. I’m sure he would be careful to keep everything above board.

    • deuto 7.2

      Also thanks for that link – the infamous “Spanish wife”!

      Funnily enough some time ago I came across her sales of murals on Trade Me by accident – also found them tacky but the wording of the ads did not inspire me to go any further.

  8. That sales pitch for Lusk’s services was far too fluent to have been written by Slater

  9. bad12 9

    The rumor that His knuckles actually scrape pavement when He walks is totally unfounded,(theres at least a couple of centimeters clearance),

    Who,us lot ”mock” Cameron???nah never…

  10. Te Reo Putake 10

    Gotta feel sorry for Cam. It looks like the POAL ATM won’t accept his card any more and he has now launched into a abusive attack on the board. He also has a try at maths, but fails miserably.

    • If he was to spin any more he could be harnassed as a renewable source of energy and power most of the North Island.

      • Pascal's bookie 10.1.1

        They’re still maintaining in comments that POALs legal strategy was fine. Everything was done by the book. It’s just a flesh wound.

        • Te Reo Putake 10.1.1.1

          Yep! My favourite is the numb nuts suggesting that the union members be followed around by 6ft 10″, 200 pound security guards in case they resort to thuggery. The irony must just fly by these half wits.
           
          Still, can’t be a happy day for the scabs, eh? I wonder how the poor sap in the company video who said ‘bring it on’ is feeling now? All those promises, all those aspirations of a brighter future as a faithful capo in the new regime that Pearson and Slater promised them have turned to dust.

        • Tc 10.1.1.2

          Yup the hollowmen play book isn’t known for its adherence to the law of the land…..methinks some more under urgency fixes on the way .

  11. Michelle Boag just made a statement where she said that “there may well be people in National who have decided to leak material, although she can’t see why they would do that – unless they were seriously unhinged“.

    I wonder  who she was referring to?

    • the sprout 11.1

      😆 unhinged and about to be rendered for lubricant 

      • Pascal's bookie 11.1.1

        Yeah, but she was also talking about someone who has access to ACC data to *give* to Slater.

        Slater isn’t leaking anything, he’s just a useful tool.

    • deuto 11.2

      Laughed at her “unhinged” remark – but my overall impression of the interview was not so much what she said, but that some hard talking has gone on behind the scenes (Key at the Michael Hill tournament where they both supposedly were today?) and she was in damage control.

  12. Tiger Mountain 12

    That “king ’O sleaze’ Slater gets even double edged sympathy at times from some commenters here shows that empathy is more often a left quality. Most humans have a duality of character to some degree, but why indulge ‘whale’, he rides the mental health angle like a jockey.

    His ‘junior Stasi’ tipsters and curtain twitching underwear sniffers are simply reprehensible. He has lied about and slandered honest working people at the Auckland wharves to serve his masters. Put the slipper in.

    • Tc 12.1

      +1 about time the left showed some ruthlessness and did cam a favour, maybe time for a change of career as they may just have expired your usefulness.

    • Vicky32 12.2

      … shows that empathy is more often a left quality.

      Lolwut? 😀 😀 😀

  13. randal 13

    creatures like slater only have a limited shelf life.
    their masters get tired of them and then POOF!…they’re gone.
    just like that.
    think haldemann and erlichman.

  14. deuto 14

    WO is busy on his blog this morning – perhaps he and Lusk cancelled a hunting trip.

    Won’t provide links but some of his posts this am include various Pullar emails to him over the years on insurance claims including his, problems she was experiencing with Vodaphone seeking his support etc.

    But will quote a little gem from one of his posts:

    We learned this week that Bronwyn Pullar and Michelle Boag are accomplished at stand-over tactics.

    They were successful with Sovereign Insurance and that was detailed first on this blog and then later by Close Up. They got busted when they tried their stand-over and blackmail on ACC, but unfortunately they cost Nick Smith his job.

    But they have also played the double team over smaller issues and in other areas

    Then goes on to the email re Vodaphone.
    Bold in the quote is mine.

    Woops – bold was supposed to end at the full stop. Won’t try to correct as still learning this blockquote and bold formatting.

    [lprent: fixed ]

    • felix 14.1

      re- formatting: Looks like you’re having trouble closing your tags.

      The tag at the end of the section you want to format needs a “/” immediately after the “<"

      • deuto 14.1.1

        Thanks – now see that in the printout of the FAQ I did yesterday. Learning slowly!

        The bit in the WO quote I found interesting and tried to bold was “that was detailed first on this blog and then later by Close Up. ” In other words, is WO claiming to have had/known about the Sovereign letter before it came to light on Close Up. If so ……………….

        • kermit 14.1.1.1

          Its interesting how much correspondence WO apparently had with Ms Pullar.

          “I didn’t run a story about Bronwyn Pullar’s customer service issues. But knowing that Pullar had sent all this to her stand-over expert Michelle and how she operates I gave the Vodafone PR guy a little heads up about it. He told me that she had been driving them all nuts and now he knew what she meant when she said it was going to get nasty for them.

          When I advised Bronwyn that I had told the Vodafone PR bloke about it she replied:

          I hold [sic] you told them I was a mental bitch, with a head injury who doesn’t cope with any form of stress, and has a tendency to get very violent when angry. Just a shame I haven’t got a gun or I’d be down at Fanshaw [sic] street demanding service!”

          1. Why did Bronwyn Pullar copy WO into her emails to Boag?
          2. Why did WO ring Vodafone PR about Bronwyn Pullar’s internet problems back in 2009?
          3. Why was Bronwyn Pullar so enthusiastic in telling WO to inform Vodafone that she was a “mental bitch”?
          4. Did WO sort out Bronwyn Pullar’s internet problems with Vodafone? If so, why?
          5. Did WO sort out other issues for Bronwyn Pullar?

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

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 hours ago
  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    8 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    10 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    10 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    24 hours ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
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